Layers Upon Layers (3)
"Do not grow impatient. The match has only just begun."
The voice that reached his ear belonged to Beomhye, the very man exchanging blows before his eyes.
It went beyond the ordinary method of transmitting sound through true qi—beyond even the secret art of silent voice-sending—and employed the more refined technique of controlling qi itself to carry words in secrecy.
What in the world was he thinking, speaking like this in the middle of a duel?
"You seem to wonder why I would go so far as to use controlled-qi transmission simply to speak."
Beomhye answered as though he had peered straight into Cheonhwa's thoughts.
"As I said before, it is to resolve the donor's dilemma."
Cheonhwa's dilemma—helping him reach the peak of the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven? What possible benefit could Beomhye gain from that?
At the questioning look in Cheonhwa's eyes, Beomhye smiled faintly and spoke again.
"As one who walks the Buddhist path, how could I simply abandon a lost sentient being? That would be no proper courtesy—neither as a monk nor as a senior of the martial world."
So saying, Beomhye reset his stance and began his assault once more.
It was no longer the fierce, relentless barrage of the opening exchanges; he had deliberately slowed his rhythm by a single beat, leaving himself room to speak. Even so, he maintained a taut, even pressure—proof of the clear gap that still existed between Beomhye and Cheonhwa.
"The donor's sword art truly holds a wealth of principles. Even this humble monk, at the donor's age, had not reached such attainment."
Beomhye's admiration for the realm Cheonhwa had achieved with his sword was pure and unfeigned. Having trained in the Shaolin Five Forms Fist—a set that itself contained entirely different principles—he understood better than most how difficult it was to cultivate a martial art that embraced so many truths at once.
"At a glance, the donor's sword art and this humble monk's fist art seem similar. But is that truly so?"
With those words, Beomhye once more unfolded the Shaolin Five Forms Fist.
Dragon Fist, heavy as a true dragon.
Tiger Fist, fierce as a tiger.
Crane Fist, flowing as a crane.
Snake Fist, swift as a serpent.
Monkey Fist, dazzling as a monkey.
Against it, Cheonhwa wove four varieties of sword art in brilliant succession, turning aside the barrage of the Five Forms. The principles of many martial arts intertwined; the aftershocks of their collisions painted fleeting scars across empty air.
As sword and fist crossed countless times, Cheonhwa noticed something.
The Shaolin Five Forms Fist and the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven. They look similar at first glance, yet the difference is clear.
The Five Forms Fist imitated the shapes of animals, each form carrying its own distinct principle. It was almost five separate fist arts bound into one.
And the Thirty-Six Swords?
The principles originally inherent in the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven are only those of the Middle Path and of Weight.
The principles of Strength and of Bluntness had been added later—arbitrarily, through the nature of his internal energy and the insights he had gained from other sword arts.
"It seems the donor has realized it as well. The results may appear similar, yet the donor's sword work and this humble monk's fist work move in entirely different ways."
If the Shaolin Five Forms Fist were five separate trees, each bearing a different fruit, then the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven was a single tree whose branches had been grafted with utterly different fruits. The end result—many fruits—might be the same, but the process was wholly different.
"The donor's martial art appears able to wield many principles. Yet it does not seem to possess those principles of its own accord; rather, it relies upon the nature of the donor's internal energy and upon the donor's own enlightenment."
Beomhye's observation was precise. The Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven was a sword art that could fully contain the capacity of the one who used it—including the nature of that person's internal energy and their understanding of martial arts. That was precisely why Cheonhwa had not stopped at cultivating multiple internal arts, but had also experienced many of the Zhongnan Sect's sword techniques.
"It seems the donor wishes to forge those many principles into one. To do so, however, one must first look back upon the essence."
So saying, Beomhye displayed without reservation the true nature of the fist art he employed. Every form of the Five Forms Fist imitated the shape of an animal, and those animal movements flowed naturally into martial principles. By concentrating on the realization of form, the principles followed of their own accord.
That he could unfold so complex a body of knowledge as the Shaolin Five Fists without difficulty was possible only because of the foundation Beomhye had built. Child's arts were martial studies in which external and internal work were already united; a body refined by superior child's arts and profound internal energy became the very soil that could digest every martial study of Shaolin.
Then what is the essence of the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven?
Deflecting the blows Beomhye poured forth, Cheonhwa pondered deeply. Being able to unfold many principles according to the nature of one's internal energy was only a result. There had to be a separate reason that result was possible. How was he to discover it?
It was Beomhye's counsel that resolved Cheonhwa's dilemma.
"There are times when subtracting is more meaningful than adding."
The words held undeniable truth. Until now Cheonhwa had only ever tried to add more elements to the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven. He had linked mid-stage forms into new applied techniques; he had sought to unite the principles of many sword arts in order to reach the mid-stage peak. Just as a ground buried under deep snow becomes invisible, he had sought change yet never looked upon the foundation itself.
Something... I think I can grasp it.
Following Beomhye's advice, Cheonhwa began to peel away everything he had piled on, one layer at a time.
He set down the principle of the Blunt Sword—the art of reading an opponent's path and answering with the least possible movement.
At the same time he set down the energy of the Dark Heaven True Qi that could freeze an opponent solid.
He set down the principle of the Strong Sword that pursued powerful Jin Release.
He set down the energy of the Vast Heaven Qi Art that supported it.
Once the Dark Heaven True Qi and the Vast Heaven True Qi were stripped away, the principle of the Heavy Sword vanished of its own accord. All that remained was the energy of the foundational Balanced Heaven Qi Accumulation Art.
And so only a single principle was left within the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven: the Middle-Path Sword.
Neither fast nor slow.
Neither hard nor soft.
Neither flashy nor stealthy.
Because it possessed no special character, it seemed half-hearted—and precisely because of that, it could become anything.
That Middle-Path Sword met the incoming forms of the Five Forms Fist.
It endured the weight of the Dragon Fist.
It blocked the ferocity of the Tiger Fist.
It thrust aside the flowing grace of the Crane Fist.
It struck away the swiftness of the Snake Fist.
It swept aside the dazzling variety of the Monkey Fist.
It could not neutralize them as completely as when he had used the Heavy Sword, Strong Sword, or Blunt Sword. Yet, standing upon the solid center granted by the early-stage peak—the resolve of "No Retreat in Battle"—and making fullest use of the mid-stage forms, he somehow held his ground.
It was far from easy. At the same time, it was not nearly as difficult as he had expected.
Was the Middle-Path Sword always this strong?
Cheonhwa was astonished. Without his noticing, the attainment of the Middle-Path Sword had grown this far. How had he failed to realize it until now?
Come to think of it, it has been a long time since I concentrated purely on the Middle-Path Sword alone.
The thought drifted through his mind. He had trained tirelessly to learn the principles of other sword arts, yet after becoming an official disciple he had never again devoted himself wholly to the Middle-Path Sword. Through observation and deep conscious awareness he could perceive how body, internal energy, and intent moved according to each martial art—yet predicting such growth had been impossible.
If I had clung only to the Middle-Path Sword, could I have reached this attainment?
No. He could say so with certainty precisely because he had broadened his horizons by learning the principles of many sword arts. The astonishing growth of the Middle-Path Sword had not been achieved by the Middle-Path Sword alone. It was the result of the many principles Cheonhwa had learned and mastered exerting their influence, quietly and unseen.
Start from the Middle Path, find one's own way and break the balance, then discover a new balance of one's own and restore the Middle Path once more.
The enlightenment he had first gained when he faced the wall of the Peak Expert realm. He had walked the Middle Path by cultivating the Balanced Heaven Qi Accumulation Art. He had broken that balance by learning the Vast Heaven Qi Art and the Dark Heaven True Qi. Now it was time to find his own balance and restore the Middle Path anew.
I have been wandering all this time simply because I did not know how to establish a new Middle Path.
He had broken it once already, yet an excellent model stood right before his eyes. Why had he been searching for clues everywhere else? The proverb was true: the darkest place is beneath the lamp.
The reason the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven can unfold the principles of so many sword arts is that its essence is the Middle-Path Sword.
Middle Path, Ten Thousand Swords.
The sword of the Middle Path embraces countless swords.
The phrase he had once seen in the cave where the founding ancestor's sword scars remained—that was the core formula of the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven.
If one wishes to establish a new Middle Path, one must properly begin from the old Middle Path.
Enlightenment struck like a thunderbolt and swept through his mind. Forgetting even that he was in the middle of a duel, he sank into it completely—and in that moment he entered a state of no-self.
At the same time, the formula of the mid-stage peak of the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven rose unbidden in his thoughts.
Three Techniques, Sword Intent.
What do you pursue with the three techniques?
Until now he had believed those three techniques referred to qi-guided sword, Jin Release waves, and the method of weighting internal energy. In truth the question had been layered with double meaning.
For the foundation of every sword principle is, after all, technique.
The Heavy Sword began from the technique of gathering internal energy into one dense mass.
The Strong Sword arose from the technique born of the physical body—Jin Release.
The Blunt Sword took its inspiration from the refined art of reading an opponent and responding to their movements.
Therefore the question of Three Techniques, Sword Intent could be interpreted thus:
What do you pursue with the principles of the three sword arts?
The principles of Heavy Sword, Strong Sword, and Blunt Sword were nothing more than materials. What mattered was the mental image that would fuse them into one.
Affirm the past, overcome the present, and advance into the future.
Past, present, future.
The natural change that follows the flow of time. The past becomes the present before one notices; the present eventually turns into the future. Conversely, the future becomes the present, and the present remains as a trace of the past.
Then what remains in this hand?
Layers upon layers.
Overlap, pile, add.
It is the trace of the past, the marker of the present, and the hope that stretches into the future.
He overwrote a new phrase upon the temporary period he had placed after completing the formula of the early-stage peak of the Thirty-Six Swords Under Heaven.
He raised a mountain that rose from the earth and stretched toward the heavens, and he named that mountain Life.
At once Cheonhwa's sword began to change. Three kinds of energy gathered into the formerly characterless blade and gave birth to weight. Jin Release that drew forth the power of the body was added. He read the opponent's path and answered with the least possible movement. Every element of Heavy Sword, Strong Sword, and Blunt Sword converged into a Middle-Path Sword that belonged to Cheonhwa alone.
A smile touched Beomhye's lips as he sensed the change.
"It seems you have obtained what you sought. Then let this humble monk confirm what answer the donor has found."
He tightened the previously loose flow and unfolded the Shaolin Five Forms Fist to its peak. Against it, Cheonhwa unfolded his own Middle-Path Sword.
The Shaolin Five Forms Fist was without question a formidable art. The principles contained in each fist, amplified by the power of a Peak Expert such as Beomhye, were like giving wings to a tiger. If they clashed principle against matching principle, Cheonhwa would inevitably be pushed back.
But what if he added not one principle, but all of them?
Boom!
Dragon Fist and Middle-Path Sword collided. Previously Cheonhwa would have been at a disadvantage; this time was different. Unable to withstand the impact, Beomhye was driven sliding backward. Cheonhwa pressed the pursuit. Beomhye met it with Crane Fist and tried to solidify his defense, yet even the yielding principle of the Crane Fist could not fully receive the assault that surged like a raging tide. He attempted to break the flow with the joint-locking hands of the Snake Fist, but the move had already been read and was cut off in advance.
Beomhye tried to reverse the tide by leading with the dazzling variety of the Monkey Fist and the ferocity of the Tiger Fist, yet the result was little different from the other forms that had gone before.
The dragon's scales were pared away.
The tiger's claws were torn out.
The crane's wings were severed.
The snake's head was cut off.
The monkey's limbs were broken.
Helplessly driven back, Beomhye at last stopped moving.
"At the level of a first-class expert, there is simply no way I can defeat the donor. I concede defeat."
The unexpected surrender.
"Huff... huff... huff..."
Only Cheonhwa's ragged breathing echoed quietly across the dueling stage. The referee, who had been staring blankly, recovered his wits a beat late and raised his voice.
"Th-the victor is Cheonhwa of the Zhongnan Sect!"
The moment the decision fell, a murmur rose from the spectators as though the previous silence had been a lie.
"A first-class expert taking a win from a Peak Expert..."
"Cheonhwa of the Zhongnan Sect, you say?"
Even with restrictions in place, for a first-class martial artist to defeat a Peak Expert was a rare and arduous feat. Amid the unexpected triumph that drew every eye toward Cheonhwa, his advance into the main tournament was confirmed.