High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Liang Sixian felt it in silence. In her eyes, as placid as a deep pool, a subtle ripple finally appeared.

”Breathing...” she repeated softly. ”You’ve made the ’heavy’ aspect come alive.”

Xu Wuyi opened his eyes and retracted his Mental Realm. ”After speaking with Instructor Fang, I gained some insight into ’motion and stillness.’”

”Heavy Water shouldn’t just be a stagnant, lifeless thing. It should have its own life rhythm.”

”That is... a very unique interpretation. Most people, when they think of ’motion and stillness,’ picture flowing water and surging waves—changes in form.”

She paused for a moment before asking, ”Besides making the Heart Image more ’alive,’ what other purpose does this ’breathing’ serve?”

”Compression,” Xu Wuyi answered truthfully. ”With the help of the research institute, I solidified this breathing rhythm into two forms of Martial Arts.”

”One is called Water Drop, which involves compressing Heavy Water to its limit to achieve pinpoint penetration. The other is the Returning Ruins Seal, which evenly distributes the Heavy Water to create area-of-effect suppression.”

”Oh?” The interest in Liang Sixian’s eyes deepened. ”Show me.”

Xu Wuyi raised his right hand.

The air above his palm distorted slightly as a dark-gold droplet the size of a pinprick quietly condensed.

The droplet was so small it was nearly invisible, but the instant it formed, the air inside the wooden cabin suddenly grew heavy.

It wasn’t an increase in Gravity, but the natural radiation of the ’heavy’ Mental Realm carried by the droplet itself.

Liang Sixian reached out, making a grasping motion about half a foot from the droplet.

She felt a distinct resistance in her palm, as if she were gripping a heavy, solid iron ball.

”Compression ratio?” she asked.

”I can currently achieve five percent of the Great Marsh’s total volume,” Xu Wuyi said. ”It’s at the Minor Success Realm.”

Liang Sixian nodded and withdrew her hand. ”And the other technique?”

Xu Wuyi dispelled the Water Drop and brought his hands together before his chest, not quite touching.

The illusory, dark-gold Great Marsh flickered into existence behind him for a moment before vanishing. In its place, a square, dark-gold Seal Platform with sides half a meter long rapidly took shape.

Ancient patterns flowed across the Seal Platform’s surface. Its base was flat, while a blurry silhouette of a Golden Crow coiled atop it.

”Fall.”

Xu Wuyi pressed down with both hands.

The Seal Platform left his control and slowly descended.

He didn’t let it touch the ground, stopping it to hover an inch above the floorboards.

Even so, the cabin’s wooden floorboards groaned as if under immense strain, and a slight depression appeared directly beneath the Seal Platform.

”Area-of-effect suppression with a lingering Mental Realm,” Xu Wuyi explained. ”After the Seal Platform strikes, its ’heavy’ Mental Realm will remain in the impact zone for a time, continuously suppressing any enemies within its range.”

Liang Sixian gazed silently at the hovering Seal Platform, not speaking for a long while.

The wooden cabin fell silent.

Outside, the wind chimes still tinkled crisply, and the water of the pool was as calm as a mirror.

After a long moment, Liang Sixian finally spoke, her voice measured. ”You have walked farther down your path than I imagined.”

She rose and walked to the window, gazing out at the bottomless, frigid pool.

”The core of the Static Water school lies in ’stillness’ and ’tolerance.’ ’Stillness’ isn’t a lack of movement, but the harmony that comes after containing all ’motion.’ ’Tolerance’ isn’t passive endurance, but active acceptance, dissolution, and Transformation.”

She turned to face Xu Wuyi. ”The essence of your Heavy Water is ’sinking’ and ’condensing.’ But by giving it ’breath,’ you’ve endowed it with the Trait of being ’alive.’ And through Compression and suppression, you’ve pushed the ’heavy’ Trait to its absolute limit.”

”This is not the wrong path. In fact... it has immense potential.”

Xu Wuyi felt a sense of relief. Receiving affirmation from a Grandmaster proved he was at least on the right track.

”But the problem is also obvious,” Liang Sixian said, her tone shifting. ”Right now, your ’heavy’ and ’alive’ aspects exist in parallel. They haven’t truly merged into one.”

She returned to her rush cushion and sat down, speaking slowly. ”Breathing is the rhythm of life, Compression is the focus of will, and suppression is the release of power. These three should be a single, unified process, but you are still applying them in separate stages.”

Xu Wuyi fell into contemplative silence.

Liang Sixian continued, ”Let me give you an example. When you execute the Returning Ruins Seal, you first form the Seal Platform and *then* release the suppression.”

”Why can’t the Intention to suppress spread naturally the very instant the Seal Platform forms? Why can’t its breathing rhythm resonate with the Earth the moment it strikes the ground?”

The string of questions sent Xu Wuyi deep into thought.

’He’d never considered any of this.’

Water Drop and the Returning Ruins Seal were Martial Arts he had created himself. Though their fundamental structures were set, his methods of applying them were still quite rudimentary.

”Please guide me, Senior,” Xu Wuyi said with great solemnity.

Liang Sixian didn’t answer directly. Instead, she glanced toward the frigid pool outside the window.

”Look at that pool,” she said. ”Its surface is placid, without a single ripple, but in its depths, there are undercurrents, springs, and connections to the earth’s ley lines. It is both ’still’ and ’alive’; it tolerates all things, yet it is also a self-contained cycle.”

”Your Heavy Water Heart Image should be the same.”

She retracted her gaze and looked at Xu Wuyi. ”For the next few days, you will stay here at the villa. Every morning, you will practice Visualization by the pool and feel its ’stillness’ and its ’life.’ In the afternoons, I will speak with you for an hour to answer your questions.”

”Yes.” Xu Wuyi rose and bowed. ”Thank you, Senior.”

Liang Sixian waved her hand dismissively. ”There’s no need to thank me. You reached this point through your own good fortune. I am merely giving you a slight push and forging a friendly bond.”

She paused, then suddenly smiled. ”Speaking of which, Senior Flame Venerable specifically instructed me in his letter to guide you well. He said you’re a talent the likes of which the Federation hasn’t seen in a century, and that it would be a waste not to nurture you.”

A warmth spread through Xu Wuyi’s chest.

’Senior Flame Venerable never said anything, but he has clearly been paving the way for me all along.’

”Alright, Fang Fu,” Liang Sixian said, looking at the disciple beside her. ”Take Fellow Xu to a guest room to get settled. The Cultivation Room is the empty house on the east side of the pool. He may use it as he pleases.”

”Yes, Master,” Fang Fu replied with a bow.

Xu Wuyi bowed once more before following Fang Fu out of the wooden cabin.

Outside, Chen Zhang was still waiting.

Seeing the two emerge, he hurried forward. ”Martial Artist Xu, how did it go?”

”Grandmaster Liang has agreed to guide me for a few days,” Xu Wuyi said. ”Steward Chen, I’m afraid I’ll have to trouble you to wait outside the villa for the next few days.”

”Of course,” Chen Zhang said with a smile. ”In that case, I’ll return to the city to handle some business. I’ll come back to pick you up afterward.”

”Alright.”

After seeing Chen Zhang off, Fang Fu led Xu Wuyi to a wooden cabin on the east side of the pool, which had been prepared as a guest room.

Xu Wuyi stepped inside.

The furnishings were simple but tidy: a wooden bed, a table and chairs, and a bookshelf.

The inner Cultivation Room was about twenty square meters. The floor was covered with special soft padding, and simple mind-calming runes were carved into the walls.

”The meals at the villa are quite simple. Someone will deliver three meals a day to your door,” Fang Fu said. ”Master dislikes being disturbed, so aside from the designated meeting times, please try not to go to the main house.”

”Understood.”

”Then I shall take my leave.” Fang Fu gave a slight nod and turned to depart.