Chapter 54: Chapter 47: Weapon
Chen Zhenguo looked into Lin Yi’s clear yet somewhat lost eyes and nodded with understanding.
First stepping into the Domain of Weapons, being faced with a dazzling array of choices and not knowing where to begin—this was a phase almost every new Martial Artist went through.
A Weapon would be a crucial partner on one’s future Martial Dao path. The gravity of this choice was nearly equivalent to selecting a future combat style and the very direction of one’s Martial Dao.
"No rush!" Chen Zhenguo waved his hand, signaling for Lin Yi to relax. "Since you’re finding it hard to choose, then just ’follow your heart’!"
"Follow my heart?" Lin Yi paused, taken aback. The phrase sounded a bit profound.
"That’s right, follow your heart." A knowing smile, tinged with deeper meaning, spread across Chen Zhenguo’s face. "The greatest truths are the simplest, and the same goes for the Martial Dao. The Weapon that suits you best is often the partner you love from the depths of your being, the one you want to be with day and night! It shouldn’t be a burden, but an extension of yourself that brings you joy, even excitement."
As he spoke, he picked up his communicator and tapped on it a few times.
The communicator on Lin Yi’s wrist immediately buzzed softly.
"I’ve sent you a file packet."
Chen Zhenguo pointed to the communicator.
"In there are eighteen basic Martial Skills Secret Manuals, covering the eighteen common Weapons: saber, spear, sword, halberd, axe, battle-axe, hook, fork, tang, staff, pike, club, whip, mace, hammer, claw, tonfa, and Meteor Hammer. Each manual contains only the most fundamental, core stances, force application, and handling techniques."
"Eighteen of them? That’s so many!"
Lin Yi stared at the list of files on his communicator, stunned.
’Does the principal want me to learn every single Weapon?’
’How much time would that even take?’
"You’re thinking about it the wrong way." Chen Zhenguo saw right through him and chuckled. "A person’s energy is finite, and Martial Dao Cultivation, in particular, prioritizes specialization. Biting off more than you can chew is a major taboo. I gave you these Martial Skills, but not for you to master every single one. These Secret Manuals have only one purpose: to let you ’get a taste’."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with intensity as he explained:
"This ’getting a taste’ means you’ll use the school’s Martial Dao Hall to pick up each of these eighteen Weapons, one by one. Follow the basic movements in the Secret Manuals and just practice with them, feel them out. Make a slash with a saber, a thrust with a spear, a swing with a hammer... You don’t need to practice until you’re an expert, and you certainly don’t need to master any fancy techniques."
"During your practice, you only need to focus on answering three questions..."
"Does it feel comfortable in your hands? Does wielding it feel smooth and exhilarating? When you practice with it, do you lose track of time and feel a sense of joy welling up from within?"
Chen Zhenguo’s tone became exceptionally solemn:
"Compatibility is a profound mystery; it can’t always be measured by talent or efficiency. When it comes down to it, it’s about whether you truly love it! It’s like when you’re young and you meet that person who makes your heart race and fills you with joy—you feel like you could spend forever with her and never get tired of it."
"Weapon Cultivation is tedious, arduous, and long. Without that heartfelt passion to support you, even if your talent is exceptional, you’ll find it impossible to persist on the path to the peak, let alone reach a state of true mastery. Passion... that is the true prerequisite for ascending to the summit of the Martial Dao."
As Lin Yi listened, it was as if a light had been switched on in his mind; everything became clear.
The principal’s analogy was both clear and profound.
’The path of the Martial Dao is long. Without genuine love for it, one might give up halfway, no matter how powerful the Weapon.’
"I understand, Teacher! Thank you for your guidance."
"Good." Chen Zhenguo nodded, satisfied. "You can borrow any of the Weapons in the school’s Martial Dao Hall. For the next few days, just hole up in there and try out all eighteen. Once you’ve truly made up your mind, tell me which path you want to walk. Then, I will teach you advanced Martial Skills that match your cultivation level and play to your strengths!"
"Yes! Thank you, Teacher!" Lin Yi replied solemnly, a feeling of warmth and anticipation surging through him.
After leaving the principal’s office, Lin Yi hurried to the Martial Dao Hall.
The vast space was divided into several sections, lined with Weapon racks displaying all sorts of armaments that glinted with the cold sheen of metal or the unique luster of special materials.
Lin Yi took a deep breath and opened the file packet the principal had sent.
He decided to start with the hammer, the most heavy and domineering of the lot.
He gripped the thick handle of the meteoric iron warhammer with both hands, its sheer weight immediately apparent.
Following the stance shown in the basic Secret Manual, he attempted a swing.
The heavy head of the hammer tore through the air with a dull WHOOSH.
Its power was terrifying; every downward smash felt like it could shake the very earth.
But after practicing a dozen or so basic movements, Lin Yi frowned slightly.
The sense of power was indeed immense, but he found it too cumbersome. The energy consumption was huge, and it seemed utterly incompatible with the flexible, adaptable, clone-coordinating combat style he pursued. Moreover, wielding it lacked a certain exhilarating satisfaction.
He set down the warhammer, a distinct soreness spreading through his arms, though it was quickly soothed by his Kidney Water Spiritual Essence.
Next was the saber.
He picked up a standard-issue alloy long saber.
Chops, hacks, upward slashes, slides... even these simple saber moves carried a sharp, fierce edge when he executed them.
The Sword Skill wasn’t too difficult to pick up, and its techniques were relatively varied, with its wide, sweeping movements carrying a courageous and ferocious momentum.
However, after practicing for a while, Lin Yi felt that the Sword Skill’s approach was too vicious and direct. Deep down, he felt it was missing a certain nimbleness, a kind of fluid extension he was looking for.
’It’s good, but...’ he thought, ’...it’s still not quite the right fit.’
Then came the sword.
With the three-foot blade in his hand, an aura of cold, nimble grace arose spontaneously.
Thrust, point, flick, slash, parry, chop, block, pare... The basic sword moves emphasized nimble speed and myriad variations, demanding a high degree of skill and Body Technique.
Lin Yi attempted a few thrusts, the tip of the sword making faint FFFT sounds as it cut through the air.
Swordsmanship was certainly elegant and refined, balanced between offense and defense.
But he quickly discovered that he seemed to lack a natural affinity for this type of Weapon, one that demanded such extreme precision and skill, where the slightest mistake could cause one’s form to break.
Practicing required immense concentration of his Spirit; while he could focus, he lacked that feeling of effortless immersion, of losing himself in the movements.
The heavy ferocity of the axe, the complex versatility of the halberd, the cunning viciousness of the hook, the sweeping power of the staff...
Lin Yi tried them all, one by one.
Every Weapon had its unique charm and a Domain in which it excelled.
But with each one, he felt that it was missing that special something his heart yearned for.
Until...
He picked up a long spear from the corner. It was jet-black from end to end, shimmering with a deep, metallic luster.
The spear was about ten feet long, its shaft perfectly straight and resilient. The head, forged from some kind of cold iron, was shaped like a three-sided pyramid, preternaturally sharp and radiating a cold, murderous aura.
The moment his hand closed around the cold shaft.
A strange sensation instantly spread from his palm through his entire body.
The shaft wasn’t heavy in his hand, yet it felt exceptionally steady.
It was a feeling of solid, absolute control, as if his arm had been naturally extended.
Beneath the cold touch, he could feel a hint of unyielding resilience and strength.
He took a deep breath and opened the "Basic Spear Arts" Secret Manual on his communicator.
The Secret Manual was thin, just a few pages of diagrams and text: Point, Thrust, Block, Seize, Coil, Press, Chop, Snap, Lift, Circle...
Lin Yi gripped the butt of the spear with one hand and the middle of the shaft with the other. His arms lowered slightly, and his body naturally settled into the most basic spear stance.
From this static posture alone, an aura as steady as a mountain and sharp as a razor’s edge faintly emanated from him, as if he were born to stand this way.
Then, he attempted the simplest of movements—the thrust!
His stance and waist moved as one. Power rose from the ground, flowing through his body link by link. He twisted his waist, let the force travel up his shoulder, and extended his arm!
The force surged like a current from the soles of his feet to his hips, then into his arm, finally condensing into a single point!
SHHNK!
The spear tip shot out like a black venomous dragon, instantly tearing through the air!
A sharp, piercing whistle suddenly echoed!
The speed was unbelievable; the thought had barely formed in his mind before the spear tip had already struck its target point!
The movement was so fluid it was as if he had practiced it a thousand times!
There was no hesitation, no awkwardness whatsoever!
In that instant, Lin Yi even felt his surging Qi and Blood, along with the vigorous energy from his Kidney Water Spiritual Essence, fuse seamlessly into that single thrust!
An indescribable feeling of exhilaration, as if some internal dam had burst, spread like an electric current from his arm through his entire body!
’Again!’
A sharp glint flashed in Lin Yi’s eyes as he thrust the spear forward again without a hint of hesitation!
SHHNK!
SHHNK!
SHHNK!
He repeated the monotonous, basic movement, again and again.
The only sounds in the Martial Dao Hall were the sharp whistle of the spear cutting through the air and Lin Yi’s steady breathing.
An hour passed.
Two hours passed...
Time flowed by silently. Sweat soaked through Lin Yi’s training uniform. Beads of perspiration dripped from his chin, staining the clean floor.
Yet, Lin Yi was completely oblivious!
He was utterly immersed in that wondrous rhythm!
With every thrust and every retraction, he felt his soul resonating with the long spear in his hands.
There was no tedium, no exhaustion, only a continuous wellspring of excitement bubbling up from deep within him!
The cold shaft felt as if it had become a part of his own body. Every exertion of force was perfectly coordinated, and every whistle of the spear through the air made his heart pound with excitement!
He forgot the passage of time, forgot the soreness in his body. His eyes saw only that point of cold light, and his mind held only one thought—’Thrust! Faster! More accurate! More ruthless!’
The black spear in his hands seemed to come alive, no longer a piece of cold metal, but an extension of his arm, a manifestation of his will!
Just as the principal had said, this feeling... it was like the first blush of love, meeting that girl who filled you with joy, who made every hardship feel sweet, and for whom you would gladly offer all your passion and time!
Passion!
This was passion, born from the very depths of his heart!
When Lin Yi finally stopped, he exhaled a long plume of white vapor that seemed to carry a scorching heat.
His eyes were incredibly bright, and a genuine, unrestrained smile spread across his face.
He looked down at the long spear in his hand, which now felt as if it were connected to his very bloodline.
His fingertips brushed against the cold steel of the shaft.
’There’s no need to try anything else.’ The answer thundered in his heart.
"The spear..."
Lin Yi murmured to himself, his tone filled with absolute certainty and joy.
"This is the one!"
He finally understood what the principal meant by ’follow your heart’.
The King of a Hundred Weapons... it was as if it had been tailor-made for him.
This compatibility, this passion that came from the depths of his soul, would become his greatest motivation, driving him to advance bravely and unswervingly on the long and tedious path of spear Cultivation!
Just as the principal had said, passion is the true prerequisite for reaching the summit of the Martial Dao.
And he had found his, here in this ten-foot spear.
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