Wulin : Martial Heroes

Chapter 20: Thirteen Path of Sword

Thirteen path of Sword is a basic sword art that any swordsman and swordswoman should learn, teaching the basic of using the sword and the variations in a sword attack

The first thing that the Thirteen path of Sword taught is that the sword art is not a matter of hacking.

If you are hacking, you are performing saber techniques rather than the sword art.

Therefore, the sword art is simply these thirteen methods as a standard.

It reminded him to first seek to make each technique correct, then skillful, and then with practice will come artistry.

the student first strives with the simple, then moves on to the difficult.

Even though this is the description and if you just read it, you would get the general ideas about the technique but it is not true understanding.

But the advantage of the system was that when he picks this skill and raises it to grandmaster level, he learns every thirteen methods and it was like he was practicing it for decades, making even a simple move of him could easily counter anyone that is not proficient in their skills.

Just because his inner energy is lower at that time, did not make him easy to defeat.

And the reverse is also true. Even when he had great inner energy did not mean that he could win every battle and defeat every enemy

After all, this world is not Xianxia world where cultivation is everything.

Someone who possess great inner energy might not possess great proficiency in anything else.

There are specialties for everyone.

An expert who dedicate himself or herself in mastering lightness skill might not possess great attacking power but if one were to try to capture such a person, that would be harder than fighting such a person.

There are no jumping levels to fight against a high ranking level in Wulin because there is no level.

Li Xin is lucky that the system classified the power level but Li Xin who had played this game before knows that the way a martial artist judge a person strength is not just based on inner energy.

There is only the best use of your skill and the environment. Those who survive, those who win is the strong one

Even if you possess great means of inner energy, but what if your opponent is a poison master? Poisoning you and killing you when you are weak.

The orthodox faction might call it dishonorable deed but even they would acknowledge that the person is someone that should be feared and someone that is strong

As for the heterodox path it is even more easier. Those who live, those who survive is the one that is strong.

Fighting with masters of martial arts is like playing a strategy game.

Each sword moves, each strikes and kicks are all strategy to make sure that the other side lose.

Each move is used to induce another move or break a move so every clashes is a strategical move like a player of chess moving its pieces.

And Li Xin who had never held a real sword before, had mastered all thirteen methods of using the sword in just a matter of a few minutes.

The first time is always the hardest. When he raises the ranks to grandmaster, it was like something heavy is pressed on top of his head

The information is like a hammer striking his head from above.

And he was sweating and trembling all over his body as even his body was morphed and changed.

After all, when a move is trained to perfection, the body should also be able to bear the using of such moves.

Even though the Thirteen method is simply basic method of sword skill, when it is trained to such level of perfection, that alone is terrifying.

 The art basically consists of thirteen techniques of using the sword

From Drawing the sword which divides into drawing from above and drawing from below

Both the drawing from above and drawing from below use the full passive hand position, the back of your hand facing upward, center of your hand downward

This is the description of that method. But when it is practiced to grandmaster level, there is subtlety in just even drawing his sword.

If it’s one on one, Li Xin only need to draw his sword and by the time he puts back the sword into the sheathe, the enemy would already have died.

Of course, the method is just drawing the sword

But one would be an idiot if one did not apply other skills and technique to complement the drawing of the sword

Li Xin met a boar when he was roaming around the mountain a few days ago

When he saw the boar, he takes his position, his feet planted on the ground, his inner energy concentrated on his foot and as the boar wanted to tackle him with its tusk, Li Xin kicks the ground.

The ground did not explode but the inner energy that was released causes a gust of wind behind him, and the sword is drawn.

Only a sword light could be seen passing through the side of that boar before that boar had its head flew up on the air, its body still going forward while Li Xin had already sidestepped in that moment to the side, killing the boar but remains safe from the attack of that boar.

The boar body hit a tree and plopped down while its head rolls on the green grass. The moment he draws his sword, he put all of his weight, all of his Qi toward the edges of his sword.

So, sword light flew and like paper, the thick skin and meat of the boar was cut like it had no resistance whatsoever.

The second method is Dragging the sword which divides into vertical-blade dragging and horizontal-blade dragging

Vertical-blade dragging uses the half passive position, the center of the hand centered facing to the left

With horizontal-blade dragging, perform active sword circling with a full active position, the center of the hand facing upward, the back of the hand facing downward.

Li Xin uses this when he wan ted to gather momentum. Sometimes he combined it with Lifting the Sword.

Drag the sword, charge the momentum, lift the sword, and the sword strike would be heavy and concentrated.

Li Xin had never uses it against any humans yet. But he believes there is not many that could accept this strike

And of course the next method is Lifting the Sword.

Lifting the Sword divides into front lifting and rear lifting.

This technique uses the three-quarter passive position.

The body’s maneuvering here divides into forward and back.

Front lifting is for advancing.

Rear lifting is for retreating, your left hand assisting your right hand. Your right foot behind fills and your left foot in front empties as you move back

Li Xin usually combines the three and make a variation of it. He draws the sword, the sword strikes unleashed.

The momentum of that strike still present, he gently let the sword in the lower position. Sometimes if he is in the air, it looks like something heavy is pressing down in the sword tip

Then he would lift the sword.

And the momentum is restored. He then could swing his sword left and right, the momentum is strong and the force is forceful

That is how he could easily have slaughtered all of those wolves near the caves.  But the thirteen method of the sword did not only have offensive method

It also has defensive method

The next method that he had learned was Blocking the Sword.

Blocking the Sword divides into blocking from below [reverse blocking] and overturned blocking

For reverse blocking, he has to use a half passive position. For overturned blocking [using a half active position], he could then deflect his opponent’s sword as it nears his body, aiming for his wrist.

Of course, Li Xin had to modified it a bit. After all, most of the enemies that he fights with since he came to this world are beast.

This method is actually even more effective if he is fighting another person. He could easily block the sword and cut the wrist of the sword hand and make sure that person could not hold a sword ever again

But because most of his enemies are beats inside the forest, he had to adapt to it.

He usually blocks the claws and direct the attack toward either his side, toward the inside as he slices their paws or trap them to enter his zone of attack

Then there is the method of Striking the Sword which divides into straight striking and reverse striking

Straight striking uses the one-quarter active position. Reverse striking divides into striking to the ear and striking to the wrist

This too had to be modified.

Combined that with his understanding of the sword, thanks to the One Sword technique, Li Xin could easily repurpose the Striking the Sword method to strike any animals that wanted to attack him and wounded and even killed them easily.

Then there is stabbing the sword which is divided into vertical-blade stabbing and horizontal-blade stabbing

A vertical-blade stab uses a half passive position.

A horizontal-blade stab is the same as a vertical-blade stab, except the sword goes forward with the blade flat [full active position

He perfected this and each stab create a ripples in the air. Then there is Tapping the Sword

To use it one could use it from a half passive position and without moving the rest of his body or arm, he must apply strength from his wrist to send his sword tip downward, with the blade vertical, toward the opponent’s wrist.

At times he combined this with the stabbing motion and he could always destroy a person easily.

Then there is the Flicking the Sword which divides into upright flicking and overturned flicking

Upright flicking uses the half passive position. Overturned flicking uses a half active position and a covering step.

Since LI Xin had grandmaster rank level understanding of this move, his flicking movement seems to be very elegant and it is hard to tell that it is actually a basic skill of the sword

Then there is Stirring the Sword which divides into horizontal stirring and vertical stirring

For horizontal stirring, he uses a half passive position, holding his swords up diagonally, the blades vertical, and stir them around each other.

For vertical stirring, Li Xin would switch to the full active position and bring his sword tip stirring toward his opponent’s wrist, his left hand assisting at your sword handle as you advance.

He uses it to usually flung the sword away from the enemy. When he uses it on a beats, he uses it to dull the impact of a powerful attack

There was a bear that tries to slam his paw onto him.

This bear is the largest bear he had seen in his life. Li Xin once went to Canada and saw a real wild bear. But even that bear was not as big as the bear he saw.

When the bear tries to slam his paw onto him, he stirs the sword, forcing the paw to be wounded. The paw changed direction trying to swat away Li Xin sword.

He then charges forward, stabbing forward, the sword pierces the thick skin of that bear, the sword cut a precise strike on the bear area of the chest.

Li Xin then swirls his sword, and the bear heart is gouged. This is what happens when normal basic sword skill is trained to perfection. It even possesses such great power.

Then it is the method of Pressing the Sword. 

Using a full passive position, point your sword to the left and use it to press down your opponent’s sword, slowing him down, and then you can take advantage of the opportunity to switch to attacking.

That is how to perform the method of pressing the sword. Most of the time, he uses it to break an enemy momentum by pressing their moves.

Most of the method had to be modified when he is fighting against beast. Then there is the method of Chopping the Sword

Most of the time he would use a half passive position, step forward and chop with the blade vertical.

The last two methods are Checking the sword and Clearing the Sword

Checking the Sword divides into four versions: horizontal checking, left checking, right checking, reverse checking

For horizontal checking, using a half passive full active position, send your sword upward and forward to check your opponent’s wrist. 

For left checking, avoid your opponent’s stab by inclining your body to the right while sending your sword to the left to check his wrist. Your right foot is full, left foot empty

For right checking, avoid your opponent’s strike to your wrist or body by moving to the left while bringing your sword to the right to check his wrist.

Your left foot is full, right foot empty.

For reverse checking, your body inclines to the left as you go downward from above to your opponent’s wrist.

This is the description of this method of the sword.

Whichever of the versions that he chooses to use, his left hand’s spearing finger is making a semicircle and his left foot is full, right foot empty

Of course, even though this is the description it did not mean that Li Xin had to follow it one hundred percent/

It allows flexibility because he is living in the real world and he could choose to combine moves or modified it a bit, depending on the circumstances.

Then the last method of the sword is Clearing the Sword

Attack your opponent’s body, going upward from below with a reverse chop. His right foot in front is full and his left foot behind is empty.

This is the thirteen path of the sword

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