Xu Wuyi paused, his gaze sweeping over the entire hall once more.
"Before I officially begin, I’d like to ask everyone a question."
The hall fell silent. Every student held their breath, their attention focused.
"Why do you practice Martial Arts?"
The question was simple, yet it stunned many of the students.
’Why do I practice Martial Arts?’
They might have considered this question when they first set foot on the path of Martial Arts, but as time passed, with the daily grind of training, assessments, and competition, many had forgotten their original answer.
Xu Wuyi didn’t rush them, waiting quietly.
A few seconds later, a student raised their hand.
Xu Wuyi nodded for them to speak.
It was a young man in the front row. He stood up, his voice a little nervous. "To become stronger. To become a respected Martial Artist."
"Very good," Xu Wuyi said. "Anyone else?"
Another student raised their hand. "To protect the people I want to protect."
"To explore the limits of Martial Arts."
"To change my destiny."
"Because I like the feeling of battle."
The answers were varied, but all of them were genuine.
After listening, Xu Wuyi nodded.
"None of these answers are wrong," he said. "But I’d like to ask you all to think one level deeper."
He looked out at the entire hall, his voice clear and calm:
"What happens after you become stronger? What happens after you’ve protected the people you want to protect? What happens after you’ve explored the limits?"
"The path of Martial Arts is an endless road. With every step you take forward, you’ll see a more distant landscape and face even more difficult challenges."
"If you practice Martial Arts solely for a specific goal, you may lose your way once that goal is achieved. You might lose your motivation to move forward."
The students listened quietly, many of them lost in thought.
"So, the first point I want to share with you all today is—"
Xu Wuyi raised his voice slightly:
"To practice Martial Arts, you must first find your own ’Dao’."
"This ’Dao’ is not a specific Cultivation Technique, nor is it a clearly defined Realm. It is the most fundamental driving force deep within your heart. It’s what you’re willing to dedicate your time, sweat, and even your life to."
"It might be a concept, like ’guardianship’; it might be a pursuit, like ’truth’; it might be a state of being, like ’freedom’."
"Find it, confirm it, and then let your Martial Arts develop around it."
"This is the fundamental prerequisite for condensing a Heart Image—because a Heart Image, in essence, is the manifestation of your inner ’Dao’."
As his voice fell, a complete silence descended upon the hall.
The students were contemplative, enlightened, or confused.
But every one of them had a more focused look in their eyes.
Xu Wuyi waited a few seconds, then continued:
"Over the next four weeks, I will start with the essence of the Heart Image and gradually delve into the methods of condensing it, the techniques for polishing it, and its applications in actual combat."
"But no matter how many technical details I cover, please remember—"
"A Heart Image begins with the heart."
"If your heart has no direction, then even the most exquisite techniques cannot condense a Heart Image that is truly your own."
He pressed a button on the lectern, and the circular screen behind him lit up simultaneously.
The course title appeared on the screen, along with the subtitle for the first lecture:
"Lecture One: An Overview of the Heart Image and Self-Awareness"
Xu Wuyi turned to face the screen, then looked back at the audience.
"Now, let us officially begin class."
The moment his voice fell, thunderous applause erupted in the hall.
It surged like a tide, lasting for a full half-minute.
Standing on the stage, Xu Wuyi looked at the young, focused faces below and felt a peculiar sensation welling up inside him.
’This isn’t a battle. There’s no life-or-death thrill, no exhilaration from the clash of power.’
’But it’s just as important.’
’Perhaps even more important.’
’Because what I’m doing is sowing seeds for the future of the Federation’s Martial Arts.’
’And what I can do is my utmost to ensure these seeds can find the most suitable soil, then take root, sprout, and grow strong.’
The applause gradually died down.
Xu Wuyi took a deep breath and began to explain the first key point.
Outside the window, the spring rain continued to drizzle.
Inside the hall, twenty-two hundred students listened in silence.
...
「In Linjiang, deep within the Qiao Family estate, in a heavily guarded quiet room.」
A silvery-white virtual access pod slowly opened, and Qiao Tongyu sat up from within. His face was a shade of pale that suggested overexertion, but underneath it was a deep, lingering gravity.
He took a deep breath, calming the frigid Sword Intention that was still roiling in his mind.
Two people were already waiting in the quiet room.
One was a Qiao Family Steward in casual clothes, standing respectfully with his hands lowered.
The other was a middle-aged man dressed in the standard uniform of a Federation Military Department general officer. The General Star on his epaulets shone with a cold, hard luster.
His features were sharp and his aura was as heavy as a mountain. This was none other than one of the Grandmasters stationed in the Dongjiang Military Region, Major General Wu Dingbo.
"Grandmaster Qiao, what was the result?" Wu Dingbo asked. His voice wasn’t loud, but it had a metallic quality.
He had clearly guessed part of the answer from Qiao Tongyu’s expression, but he still needed confirmation.
Qiao Tongyu took the hot towel offered by the Steward and wiped the non-existent cold sweat from his brow, shaking his head with a bitter smile.
"Seventeen moves. I lasted three more than last time, but I still lost. That sword... it’s simply flawless."
A glint flashed in Wu Dingbo’s eyes. He wasn’t surprised, but his brow furrowed even more deeply. "Even with your ’Thousand Feather Flowing Wind’ Domain, Grandmaster Qiao, you could only last seventeen moves... That’s already one of the best records among challengers of the same level."
"After discussing it with several colleagues, we’ve reached a consensus: under a framework of purely equal Energy levels, relying solely on skill, Mental Realm, and the application of the Rules, our current Martial Arts System is a generation behind the Sword Dao of this ’Heart-Inquiry Sword Cottage’."
"A generation behind..." Qiao Tongyu mulled over the phrase, handing the towel to the Steward and motioning for him to withdraw. Soon, only he and Wu Dingbo remained in the quiet room.
"Yes, a generation behind." Wu Dingbo walked over to the tea table, sat down, and poured two cups of tea himself. "It’s not about the strength of our power, but about the degree of refinement and the efficiency of expression of our ’Dao’."
"Our opponent’s sword is too pure. So pure that every bit of power is used exactly where it should be, with not a single trace wasted."
"Our Grandmasters, more or less, all bear the marks of their own experiences, environments, and even the old system. Our Techniques and Mental Realms are inevitably convoluted. In front of this opponent, it’s like crude iron meeting hundred-times-refined steel."
Qiao Tongyu sat down across from him and picked up his teacup. The swirling steam temporarily dispelled the exhaustion from his brow. "And what was the result when you tried, General Wu?"
"I lasted twenty-three moves," Wu Dingbo admitted frankly. "I relied on my thick defenses to take a few more hits. But the fundamental outcome didn’t change; I just lost more slowly."
"According to system records and subsequent analysis, of the twenty-seven Grandmasters within the Federation who have attempted the challenge so far, including several veteran Peak Grandmasters, not a single one has been able to win under the condition that their Energy level is suppressed to be equal to the Illusion’s."
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