A week into chopping wood and doing laundry,I was afflicted with a hellish muscle soreness. It was an excruciating pain, as if thousands of insects were nesting throughout my body. It was a torment unknown to those who have not experienced it. Given it was a first-time ordeal, it would have been more surprising if my frail body had not been affected.
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While I was writhing on the floor in agony, my master, with a mischievous smile, taunted, "Hard, isn't it?" He then benevolently decided to ease my burden by teaching me the 'Lightning Spirit Cultivation Method' and the 'Soul Threading Skill'.
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The Lightning Spirit Cultivation Method, a unique internal cultivation technique of our sect, not only involves harnessing the body's breathing but also the exchange of energy between heaven and earth to absorb the world's energy and create the spirit and essence of Lightning. This method, considered as the supreme internal cultivation technique, includes the principles of quickness, flash, strength, and momentariness of thunder, along with the principles of gathering, dispersing, and gentleness.
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Along with Lightning Spirit Cultivation Method, I learned the Soul Threading Skill, which wasn't an internal cultivation technique. The Lightning Spirit Cultivation Method alone was more than enough for internal cultivation. The Soul Threading Skill involves twisting the soul into fine threads, essentially a method of mind-reinforcement and unification.
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The essence of the Soul Threading Skill lies in maintaining an undisturbed, natural state of immovable mind in any situation. The thread of the soul remains unbroken in any circumstances, and the mind is always tranquil and clear, like a serene and transparent lake. This was the key principle of the Soul Threading Skill.
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Learning these two techniques meant I could finally say I was practicing a true martial art. A normal person might have gratefully said to their master, "Thank you for teaching such exceptional techniques to an unworthy disciple like me. I will never forget this kindness. As an undutiful disciple, I will diligently train day and night in martial arts to meet your expectations and your great favor. Please watch over me."
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An ordinary person, overwhelmed with gratitude, might have wept tears of joy and thanked Master for teaching such exceptional techniques to a humble disciple. However, I wasn't like most people; I had already seen through my master's cunning. These techniques should have been taught to me a week ago, which would have made my chores of chopping wood and doing laundry much more bearable.
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Yet, Master seemed to take pleasure in my suffering, watching me endure the agony of muscle pain before finally deciding to teach me the Lightning Spirit Cultivation Method and Soul Threading Skill. Internally, I was irked by his actions.
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However, I needed these techniques and had to learn them – for a more comfortable life, easier laundry, better wood chopping, and, above all, my survival. I quickly mastered the Lightning Spirit Cultivation Method, my progress impressively fast, thanks to my sharp and brilliant mind. At age three, I had already mastered "Thousand Character Classic," and by five, I recited the "Four Books and Three Classics." I was what people call a genius.
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Since starting my public activities at six, I was often called arrogant or thoughtless by ordinary people, but I dismissed this as jealousy towards a genius. At ten, four years after I began my activities, people finally recognized my true value, referring to me as a 'disaster from heaven'.
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Due to my nature, I could easily grasp the profound secrets of the Lightning Spirit Cultivation Method, allowing me to accumulate internal strength quickly.
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Along with the two secret techniques of the Flying Lightning School – the Lightning Spirit Cultivation Method and Soul Threading Skill – I also learned to play the Guqin. Playing the Guqin, or Tanqin, required advanced finger techniques and sensitivity. Moreover, playing music involved something beyond mere skill, an essential element needed for wielding the Flying Lightning Knife. Therefore, learning the Guqin was aimed at acquiring this essential element.
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Of course, another indispensable reason for learning the Guqin was the delicate finger movements and precise sensitivity it developed. Usually, I would grumble when learning something new, but when my master said, "Wielding the Flying Lightning Knife is like playing a beautiful melody," and offered to teach me the Guqin, I couldn't help but enthusiastically agree. Honestly, it's similar to wooing women. Aren't women said to be weak to ambiance? And what better sets the mood than music?
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Imagine a tender, beautiful maiden beside me at a lakeside pavilion under the moonlight, where I play a beautiful melody on the Guqin and recite a poem. Such a scenario would certainly captivate any woman – it's a natural law of the world. Moreover, if the one playing the Guqin is a peerless young martial artist, the story is practically over. A young man with a beauty like the moonlight, eyes deep as the Milky Way, neatly tied hair, dressed in white with a red dragon motif, a waist adorned with an ancient divine sword, and a black Guqin like the night sky at his back!
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This scene is like a perfect painting. With this, achieving the dream of having multiple wives and concubines, all stunning beauties, isn't far-fetched. The unparalleled beauty was already mine from birth, and the world's greatest martial arts skills are currently being learned, so that part was virtually settled. Now, by learning the Guqin, all the elements for becoming an 'Extraordinary, Peerless, Young Martial Master' would be complete. Add to that the ultimate sound technique using the Guqin, and it would be the icing on the cake. That's why the Guqin, along with the Jade Flute, has been one of the two main instruments that elevate the protagonist in stories.
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The fantastic sound techniques of the Guqin have often been a staple in martial arts novels. I was filled with dreams of learning this supreme sound technique until my master scoffed at me, asking if I was out of my mind, claiming there was no such thing in our Flying Lightning School. Although it turned out to be a fantasy (which my master referred to as a delusion), it was a nice thought nonetheless.
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How could I refuse such an opportunity? With this, my rosy life was almost guaranteed, and with my wonderful life plan completed, I couldn't hide my proud smile. Thus, I began learning the Guqin. But even this did not turn into a pleasant memory. As expected, my master was not a reliable person.
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In my master's room, which I cleaned and maintained daily, there were two Guqins. One was an ordinary Guqin that could be seen anywhere, but the other was the black, lustrous black Guqin, which had already appeared in my imagination. This Guqin, also known as the Lightning Guqin, was a unique treasure passed down through generations in our Flying Lightning School. It was distinctive for using transparent silver strings, making it seem at first glance as if it had no strings at all.
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Naturally, I chose the black Guqin. It was a hundred times, no, a thousand times cooler than the ordinary Guqin next to it. It would definitely be more impressive to carry around. Examining the black Guqin closely revealed many wonders. The deep night-sky-like black body, the unique material it was made of, and the invisible strings that seemed like an illusion! Curious about the unseen strings, I bent my index finger to pluck them, despite my master's urgent cry of "Don't!" Although I revered my master's words, my finger lightly plucked the string.
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"Swoosh!"
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The result was disastrous. Acting contrary to my master's command led to a painful lesson. Instead of the expected ringing sound, a slicing sensation accompanied by a burning pain emerged. My index finger was cut as if by a sharp knife, and blood flowed profusely from the wound.
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"Drip, drip…"
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"Tsk, tsk, what did I tell you? I warned you not to touch it carelessly. Do my words mean nothing to you? After all the trouble you've caused by not listening, serves you right! These strings are made of the same material as the Lightning Spirit Silk of the Flying Lightning Knife, and they will cut anything they touch. It's a remarkable and unique object that can't be played or even touched by ordinary means."
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My master looked at me, sucking on my injured index finger, and clicked his tongue in a mix of annoyance and disdain.
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"Master! How can anyone play this? You never said it was this dangerous! Playing this could easily turn someone into a 'Finger-Cutting Victim'. Why risk the bright future of your only disciple, ugh!"
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The thought of a Guqin that could effortlessly chop off the fingers of anyone who tried to play it seemed like something straight out of a legend. Frustrated and unheard of such a bizarre Guqin, I yelled at my master, anger evident in my voice. After all, there's a saying that the one with the louder voice wins. Anyway, I was thoroughly annoyed. But my master just smiled mockingly, then sat cross-legged and placed the Lightning Guqin on his lap. Then he said,
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"Silly boy. This great master will personally demonstrate for you, the ignorant. Watch my magnificent skills with a reverent heart."
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He called me ignorant, which couldn't be further from the truth. Still, I held back my retort.
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'Fine, let's see you try!'
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I couldn't find it in me to respect or even want to respect my master.
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'Just wait till you get older.'
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As my master pompously began to play the Lightning Guqin, I braced myself for a disastrous scene, expecting his fingers to get chopped off. However, contrary to my imagination, the reality unfolded with beautiful melodies filling the room. I sat there, dumbfounded and speechless, utterly amazed. The cursed Lightning Guqin, which almost severed my finger and drew sacred blood from it, was now being played effortlessly by my master. Moreover, his playing skills were impressively remarkable. Wearing a smug smile of victory, he proudly boasted,
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"Woohoo, look at that surprised face. How about it, the Guqin skills of this great master? This is the power of the Lightning Commanding Hands. Hahaha. Surprised, aren't you, brat!"
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'Playing Guqin and martial arts, what's the connection?' I thought. But according to my master's damn explanation, to play the Lightning Guqin, one must master the Lightning Commanding Hands. This martial art wasn't about 'hands moving as fast as scattering lightning', but rather 'hands commanding the lightning'. Commanding implies issuing orders, essentially meaning hands that control and manipulate the energy of lightning.
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The Lightning Commanding Hand didn't have specific techniques like 'strike this way, hit that way'; it was more akin to a form of qigong, a practice of cultivating energy. By mastering it, the hands become as strong as steel, immune to injuries from the Lightning Spirit Silk and even from other powerful swords. Furthermore, this technique also strengthens the entire arm, not just the hands. According to my master, unless one achieves at least a six-star proficiency in the Lightning Commanding Hands, playing the Lightning Guqin or wielding the Flying Lightning Knife is utterly impossible.
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The Lightning Spirit Silk was the key link to the Flying Lightning Knife, and using the Lightning Spirit Silk with the Flying Knife technique constituted the Flying Lightning Knife martial art. According to my master, the Lightning Commanding Hands was heavily rooted in qigong, meaning its proficiency was directly proportional to the level of one's internal energy. Therefore, without significant progress in the Lightning Spirit Cultivation Method, it was impossible to master the Lightning Commanding Hands.
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However, my master explained that accumulating enough internal energy to master the Lightning Commanding Hands to a 6-star level would take over a decade. In other words, playing the Lightning Guqin was still a far-off dream. Until then, I was advised to stick to playing an ordinary Guqin and focus on tirelessly cultivating the Lightning Spirit Cultivation Method.
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"You're a hundred years too early to play this Lightning Guqin. Just focus on practicing the Lightning Spirit Cultivation Method day and night. Who knows, maybe you could speed up the process by a decade or so."
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I resented my inability to close my ears to such remarks. But what could I do? From that day, I really had to devote myself to practicing the Lightning Spirit Cultivation Method to death. Only then could I possibly consider anything else. Despite the inherent limitations in the pace of internal energy growth, I constantly faced frustration due to my incredibly slow progress. Occasionally, my master expressed surprise at my rapid progress, but I knew better than to fall for such bluffs. What exactly did he mean by 'once-in-a-hundred-years' speed?
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If it hadn't been for the events of one year ago, which I'll talk about later, I would still be struggling to master the Lightning Commanding Hands and wouldn't have even started practicing the Flying Lightning Knife, let alone play the Lightning Guqin.