Book 13: Chapter 6

Yan Jibei had passed away in his own pool of blood. Yan Jiangnan had avenged his lover and broken free from his maleficent brother. Howbeit, his mind was a total wreck. As he took short, shallow breaths on the ground, he futilely tried to figure out why his brother died, why his back was broken, how Wu Ping died, how the captive regained freedom of movement, how the captive removed the stake in his collarbone, how he was standing and who in the world he was.

While the brothers were taught the same curriculum, Yan Jibei preferred to work on boxing, palm techniques, agility and moving whilst working his hands. On the other hand, Yan Jiangnan had a liking for internal disciplines, so he focused on strengthening himself. Yan Jibei’s approach was the recommended approach for learning more advanced disciplines down the round, but it took a longer time to see usable results. If Yan Jiangnan could have another ten years, his brother wouldn’t survive thirty exchanges against him. By extension, Yan Jibei interrupted “Sinister Soul Breaker Palms” from the perspective of a boxer and palm practitioner, while Yan Jiangnan interrupted it from the perspective of moulding qi.

As aforementioned, although Yan Jiangnan only skimmed over the sheet Jiang Chen provided them, he still gleaned more from it than his brother after the latter’s tireless analyses. Nevertheless, it was impossible for him to think as fast as his brother when the captive recited the lines during their fight that helped boost Yang Jibei’s output. Why? Because Yan Jibei had spent more time studying it. Yan Jiangnan only had time to connect the dots Yan Jibei already connected when Wu Ping helped even the playing field. Every movement Yan Jibei made against Wu Ping mapped out “Sinister Soul Breaker Palms” for Yan Jiangnan.

Within the forty-plus exchanges, Yan Jiangnan dismantled all of his brother’s attacks, and he felt a trail of hot qi travelling to his accupoints, opening up more than ten accupoints. The improvement in his internal energy potency was so significant that he felt he even had a chance against Jiang Chen. It was understandable for him to feel so confident when it was comparable to gaining thirty years of training overnight and reaching his new peak.

Because Wu Ping and Yan Jibei suddenly looked levels below him, Yan Jiangnan saw no need to hold grudges against them, so he planned to subdue them as peacefully as possible and turn himself, along with them, in to Zero and explain what happened. After that, he’d demand the remainder of the manual from the captive. The plan sounded flawless. Out of nowhere, he felt as though his organs were jumbled around as he had the wind knocked out of him; he couldn’t even gasp blood out. As blood spilt from his mouth, a hand tapped him on his lower back.

While it was only a tap, it was precisely placed at where his qi was stored. As soon as he felt the tap, he felt all the energy he just gained coalesce around his right oblique and cease taking commands from him. In reality, it was just a common case of qi deviation, except taken to a severe degree that would render one a vegetable if not slowly addressed over the course of months. In essence, his assailant provoked his own qi into breaking his own back.

From the moment the world started spinning, to experiencing the sharp pain that had him break out in cold sweat, to dropping onto the ground, to losing his lifetime of training, it felt as though only a second had passed. By the time his brain had caught up, it dawned on him that he’d never be able to walk again.

The timing and placement of the tap indicated that the one who delivered was erudite on “Sinister Soul Breaker Palms”. Who else but Yan Jibei knew it better than Yan Jiangnan himself among the three of them? Hence, Yan Jiangnan’s first assumption was that it was all a part of his brother’s ploy to cripple him. In the same vein, he believed the bleeding and cuts were all faked. Incensed, he mustered up everything he had to try a last-ditch effort to take his brother down with him. That was when he heard Wu Ping yell, “Brother Yan!”

Following the seven blows, Yan Jiangnan turned his brother into a corpse that still had its eyes open. As he landed the last blow, Yan Jiangnan’s back also gave in. Upon hitting the ground, he finally noticed the individual behind Wu Ping. It was as though snow had been piling up over the course of years, yet it was only visible once it had reached the heavens.

Yan Jiangnan: Wu Ping, run!

Yan Jiangnan wished with all his heart that Wu Ping would notice the person behind him since Yan Jiangnan himself was too weak to shout by then.

The assailant wasn’t so fast that one would think he wasn’t human, but he carried out his actions with the precision and resolution of a trained assassin despite his injuries seemingly still bothering him. It was as if he would never double check on his target since he was sure he finished the job properly every time. Maybe he could even see the deaths of his targets before he even finished them.

Cornered, Wu Ping did the one thing nobody would expect him to do. In the loudest voice he had, he cried, “Help!”

Very soon after, somebody arrived outside and yelled back, “Did something happen inside?!”

Glossary

The reason Yan Jiangnan’s method was more recommended – The easy way is to look at how martial arts have developed now. In the name of practicality, numerous martial arts schools are now moving away from the “stance” work, the forms and so forth. By no imagination of the mind am I saying that “traditional” or “modern” are better than the other. You learn what you feel you need to learn. The point of standing in those wide “unpractical” stances isn’t just for looks but also for learning purposes.

When you’re in those wider stances of “traditional” martial arts, you’re more stable than if you were to assume a narrower stance. Ever noticed how boxers tend to take a wider stance than combat sports where kicking is involved? It’s easier to transfer power to the hands in the wider stance. By starting to learn punches from exaggerated motions, you also develop the neurological efficiency to use all the synergistic muscles in tandem, and then you can tighten your movements. In contrast, it’s much more difficult to get the “feel” from tight punches. Think about when you learn to spin, you start with using your arms because you may not know how to use your shoulders. As you get your reps in, you may gradually reduce arm contribution to the point that you can do the same rotations without relying on ripping it with your arms.

Problem with teaching this way now is that gratification isn’t instant enough. In order to ensure you retain students, you have to cater to them and make it less “boring”. Secondly, it’s hard work. Everyone wants to be a winner without putting in the hours on the stuff they don’t like while talking about working hard on things they enjoy.

All that said, it’s important to balance out the two. Otherwise, you have excellent technique but an inability to use it in chaotic situations, or you have bad habits that can be exploited.

Bringing it back to Yan Jiangnan’s approach, by focusing on learning how to transfer energy first, he’s developed his “base”. He may not have an arsenal of techniques as big as his brother, but every technique in his limited arsenal was maximised.

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