Chapter 85: Within Ten Moves

Within ten moves? Even though he had long known Ding Songyan was a genuine powerhouse, Yang Shiduo instinctively doubted the truth of those words.

In the match just now, he had done everything he could and had still been defeated. Walking out of Tianyang Hall, he had felt utterly spent in body and spirit, without so much as a sliver of hope of winning.

Can a gap like that truly be turned around with a few casual pointers?

"That man may have only recently entered the Great Proliferation Realm as well, but his martial arts completely counters mine. I might not win a single one even if I had ten more matches," Yang Shiduo said in a low voice.

In his view, Ding Songyan had leapt to the heavens in a single step and had no deep understanding of combat at the aperture refinement stage or the early Great Proliferation Realm, which must be why he was making such a wild claim.

After all, the man had only joined the Brightnight Sect to build his foundations a little over a month ago, and might not have even fully mastered the introductory sword arts. Making bold claims about something like this and being out of touch with reality was entirely understandable.

Seeing that Yang Shiduo’s every word was filled with skepticism, Ding Songyan adopted the manner of his late master Yan and gave a light chuckle.

"In martial combat, there are two philosophies I hold in highest regard. The first is ’self-mastery.’ It pulls any enemy into your own system. Put simply, no matter what brilliant methods you use, I meet them all with a single sword. The second is ’other-mastery.’ Shape every move around the enemy’s weaknesses, habits, and intentions, doing whatever will make things hardest for them.

"If one can take either of these to the absolute extreme, one can be called an age’s great master."

The more Yang Shiduo listened, the more he felt Ding Songyan was right. The more he ruminated over the words, the more he felt that though they were simple, they captured the true essence of combat.

When it came to the martial path, that really was how it was!

"Which forebear formulated this philosophy?" Yang Shiduo asked, unable to conceal his admiration.

Ah? I just made that up on the spot... It’s fresh out of the oven... Perhaps some ancient master said something similar, but this whole "self-mastery" and "other-mastery" business, it’s all things I invented just now to get you to field-test my martial ideas... Of course, it does actually contain some of my own understanding of the martial path. The first is similar to "one sword breaks all arts," the second would manifest something like the Solitary Nine Swords. Hmm, combined with that idea I had earlier about creating an art built around qi resonance flows, could I one day invent an enhanced version of the Solitary Nine Swords? Ding Songyan’s thoughts raced, and he found himself suddenly rather excited.

Using Manifesting the Way and its Virtue and the Returning All Things to Unity to break down, reconstruct, and synthesize all the martial arts in the world so as to build a grand framework, and then counter them one by one?

Ding Songyan stopped his daydreaming and maintained his air of a master as he answered Yang Shiduo’s question.

"This is my own thinking, but there are countless forebears who arrived at similar insights.

"However, the vast majority of martial artists can achieve neither. They fall somewhere between the two, having a reasonably refined art of their own, then adapting on the fly in actual combat and doing some targeting in the moment.

"And if that targeting is done well, within the same major realm, a single rank’s difference can be fully erased, let alone when both you and that man have only recently entered the Great Proliferation Realm."

Ding Songyan had earlier thought that Senior Brother Yang’s only path to victory was to trade wounds for a win, but if he imagined himself in Senior Brother Yang’s place, there were multiple ways to overcome the enemy even if he suppressed his strength down to the aperture refinement stage.

Having heard Ding Songyan’s explanation, Yang Shiduo wavered.

"My art is countered by his. Any targeting would be him targeting me."

"Only your fighting approach is countered." Ding Songyan smiled. "If you follow my advice, you can turn it around and make him be the target instead."

Yang Shiduo’s eyes flickered a few times, then he clasped his hands in a bow.

"I’d be glad to hear more."

Ding Songyan clasped his hands behind his back and smiled as he paced a couple of steps.

"Couldn’t close the distance, could you? Then treat his sword as the enemy. Focus only on the sword. Only clash with the sword and ignore everything else. Surely you can close in on a sword, right?"

Yang Shiduo frowned and thought for a moment.

"But if I do that, I’ll be leaving too many openings. Any sword art is more than just the sword. There are corresponding kicks, palm strikes, or punches. What if he spots the gap created by me focusing only on the sword and switches to other methods to strike somewhere I’m not guarding?"

As he finished asking, Yang Shiduo caught the half-smile on Ding Songyan’s face.

Oh... He froze.

Ding Songyan laughed.

"Isn’t that exactly your opportunity?

"The opening to close in that you’ve been waiting for."

"You mean..." Yang Shiduo suddenly understood. "Focusing only on the sword and only going for the sword will be the feint? To lure him into closing in?"

Come on, "feint" makes it sound deceptive. This is called dangling an opening! Ding Songyan smiled.

"If he doesn’t take the bait, a few more clashes of fist against sword and his grip and wrist won’t hold up. Of course, you’ll take some sword cuts too and it’ll just come down to who can endure more.

"Who has the advantage there? I don’t need to spell that out, do I?"

Yang Shiduo’s expression grew increasingly stunned.

"So either way, I win?"

He could barely believe it.

It also inevitably gave him the urge to try it out.

"Whether you actually win depends on how you perform in the moment," Ding Songyan said, guiding him along. "And you can only win this way once. The next time, that man will likely reduce his maneuvering and attack more fiercely, every move targeting your weak points, every move aimed at taking your life."

As he said this, Ding Songyan was suddenly struck by an insight and said with genuine feeling, "To defeat the enemy is like being water. It has no constant form; it must change according to the time, the person, and the circumstances."

Yang Shiduo carefully went through the scenario Ding Songyan had described, and clasped his hands in a bow, having gained some understanding yet still feeling as though something was just out of reach.

"I have been educated."

"Then go challenge him again." As a responsible "teacher," Ding Songyan wanted to see the results of his on-the-spot instruction.

"Right now?" Yang Shiduo suddenly grew a little awkward. "That doesn’t seem right. I only just lost a match and now I’m going straight back. And this still involves the matter of the merchant caravan recruiting escort captains..."

Such bashfulness, just like me when I first stepped out of school and into society... Ding Songyan laughed inwardly and shook his head.

"Just say it’s a friendly spar, nothing to do with the other business."

"Uh..." Yang Shiduo still could not bring himself to do it.

Big and rough as he is, how can he be so shy? Ding Songyan let out a sigh.

"I’ll handle it for you."

With that, he walked toward Tianyang Hall, sword in hand, hands clasped behind his back, with Yang Shiduo reluctantly but unable to refuse following along behind.

Ding Songyan glanced sideways at him and said casually, "Whatever the outcome, don’t mention my name or say I taught you."

Hmm, those words sound awfully familiar. A certain patriarch supposedly said something similar to a certain monkey...

"Understood." Yang Shiduo did not ask why.

Back inside Tianyang Hall, before Ding Songyan had time to seek anyone out, the steward from before came to meet them, all smiles.

"Young sir, is there something else?"

Ding Songyan pointed to Yang Shiduo at his side and smiled.

"My friend here is a martial fanatic. He just lost a match to one of your sword-wielding guests, but after stepping outside he suddenly figured out a counter. His hands are itching to try it out and would like one more spar. Nothing to do with the caravan business, just a friendly bout between martial artists."

Yang Shiduo stood beside him and watched Ding Songyan make the request without so much as a change of expression, while he himself was so embarrassed his bronze face flushed red.

Ding Songyan is, after all, a former storyteller. His way with words is something I could never hope to match... Yang Shiduo felt genuine admiration from the bottom of his heart.

Someone as tongue-tied and easily embarrassed as himself could never have managed it.

The steward listened attentively and said with a beaming smile, "Please wait a moment, young sir. I’ll go ask for you."

After a short while, the sword-wielder from before entered the courtyard, reluctant yet with no good way to refuse.

"Go on." Ding Songyan gave Yang Shiduo a nod.

He took up a position beside a black-lacquered wooden pillar in the covered corridor and watched with a relaxed expression as Yang Shiduo walked into the courtyard.

"Whatever counter you’ve come up with, use it quickly, or I’m afraid you’ll be asking me for yet another round after this," the sword-wielder, a man named Chen Chuan, said with no small measure of mockery.

He had thought the matter was done, only to find he had to step up again. Naturally, he was in a bad mood.

Yang Shiduo steadied his embarrassment and bowed with clasped hands.

"Sorry for the trouble."

Chen Chuan said nothing more and thrust out his sword in a flash, streaking toward Yang Shiduo’s left eye like a meteor chasing the moon.

This time, Yang Shiduo made no move to dodge. He sank slightly, his toes gripping the ground, and swung his right fist in a fierce arc, striking the flat of the blade with a sharp crack of displaced air.

The collision knocked Chen Chuan’s arm sideways, the bottom of his thumb burning with sharp pain, and he nearly had his guard broken open.

He hastily withdrew his sword, pivoted at the waist, and nimbly shifted to Yang Shiduo’s flank.

Having learned his lesson, he kept his sword in constant motion, refusing to clash with Yang Shiduo directly; yet, the tip was always pointing at one of Yang Shiduo’s weak points.

Following Ding Songyan’s instruction, Yang Shiduo kept his eyes fixed on the sword and only on the tip as it came toward him. Both fists were like cast iron, hard and fierce, each swing sending bursts of air blasting outward.

After a few exchanges, Chen Chuan sensed something was wrong.

This fellow is trying to catch a blade bare-handed, or destroy my weapon, as his counter?

Isn’t he underestimating me just a little too much?

Even a beginner can see the openings you’re creating and seize them!

As the sword thrust toward the spot behind Yang Shiduo’s ear, Chen Chuan flicked his wrist and let the blade spring free like a fish darting between the two fists that came swinging over with Yang Shiduo’s body twist, then slid forward in the same motion, his left foot snapping up with a crack toward the kidneys, now completely unguarded.

At that very moment, Yang Shiduo dropped to one knee in a manner that defied all conventional thinking.

This turned Chen Chuan’s kick from a strike at the kidneys into a strike at the armpit.

Crack!

Chen Chuan’s left foot might as well have struck a wall of worn leather.

Before he could withdraw the leg, Yang Shiduo’s arm swept in and clamped it in place.

Chen Chuan’s expression changed. His body was launched upward instantly as he struck out his right foot in rapid succession, aiming for Yang Shiduo’s temple.

But at that moment, Yang Shiduo’s left palm had already come back around, gripping Chen Chuan’s left shin in an iron clamp.

He gritted his teeth and wrenched, flinging Chen Chuan slightly off course, sending the right foot veering wide.

Then Yang Shiduo released his right arm, his hand catching hold of the other leg in the same motion. He rose to his feet, and with both hands flung Chen Chuan out as though throwing a wooden figure.

Chen Chuan twisted in midair like a sparrowhawk and landed lightly on his feet, standing there with a blank expression.

He knew he had lost. If Yang Shiduo had chosen to slam him into the ground with brute force rather than throw him clear, he would likely have suffered serious injury.

Yang Shiduo was equally dazed.

That’s a win?

That seems to be under ten moves...

He instinctively turned to look toward the covered corridor beside the black-lacquered pillar, where Ding Songyan stood in his moon-white scholar’s robe, hands clasped behind his back. Catching his gaze, Ding Songyan only smiled slightly.

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