Chapter 46: Advice from a Learned Man
Chapter 46: Advice from a Learned Man
"Seeing your gaze, I can say you against it, brat. So be it."
The old man strokes his beard and then suddenly unsheathed a sabre from his belt. Xin immediately recognized that it was his.
"Even being Elementless has its advantages." He inserted the sabre right into the ground.
"Can you name them, brat?"
Xin remembered how he always was coping with his inferiority.
"Elementless Qi is abundant…"
"No!" Shouted the old man and the sabre suddenly went deeper. Only half of it was visible now.
"Stupid brat, let me explain it to you. Do you know what an element does? It doesn't just give additional properties to your Qi, no, that isn't that simple. Sure thing, when you have Fire you can burn your opponents; if you have Water you can drown them, or whatever you can come up with. However, it is just the beginning brat, no more. The true significance of element is how it shapes you."
"Shapes?" Xin suddenly felt a structure forming in his mind, like a new view of the world.
"You mean, our element shapes our actions? Like someone with fire will attack more often because he's better in that?"
"Hum." The old man's eye opened wide, the red veins turned bigger.
"You aren't as stupid as you look, brat." He said slowly.
"Yes, that how it is. Someone with Fire will be more direct with his attacks, simple but right. Someone with Earth will try to keep his opponent on the ground; someone with Wind will prefer to attack from above."
"You are right there, and that is very important. As our element changes our fighting style, it also changes our personality, it defines us, shapes, how I have said. But every shape is limited."
He lowered his head.
"Imagine a warrior brat, someone who has always been direct with his attacks, burning his enemies with fire, and an old assassin, who has dwelt in shadows since his birth. How do you think the first will perform when the second strike him from behind? How will the second far in a direct confrontation with the first? Our Element heightens our might, but it also limits."
Xin nodded, attentively listening to the old man.
"Do not think I am telling some sacred truth?" Suddenly he lifted his head and looked directly at the boy.
"Every decent warrior knows it; some try to avoid unfavorable situations, some train especially for them. There is always a chance that the warrior will turn back at the right moment and kill the assassin; however, it doesn't mean this knowledge isn't useful, especially for you."
"You don't have an element, therefore you won't have a glaring weakness. You will be weak all over, though, but no to that extent."
Thanks, bitterly thought Xin.
"Also, because of that, you will be able to choose whatever path in cultivation will suit you the best. Element won't define you, but you yourself. That is an advantage, and in a real battle, every advantage matters."
"Thank you."
Xin's words were sincere. This old man has actually taught him something useful, maybe he isn't a fraud after all.
"Don't mention, this is a basic education. Every elementless scion of any clan larger than a peasant's house is instructed like that. Still, for a bumpkin like you, it is priceless knowledge."
Xin nodded. He expected that answer; honestly, seems like he is getting used to the rude people like that old man or Ying Zheng.
"Now then, with all that said you have to define your martial road early, and find what you are good at. It's good to be an all-rounder, but even an all-rounder should have some basic style. For now, it seems you are walking the path of speedy and swift attacks. I like it, but I am not sure that you have talent in that regard. Let's do a little test."
He touched the hill of the sabre lightly and suddenly it went deep into the earth so only its hilt could be seen.
"You task is following: you have to get to the sabre and take it out."
"And?"
"Hum, sharp brat, yes, there is "and"."
The old man suddenly hit his leg on the ground and out of nowhere several shadows appeared, human-sized, but as if frozen. One to the west, on the south and one to the north. Only the east side where the Xin was standing remained clear.
"They will obstruct your way. All have the speed of the Second Stage of Qi Gathering. Same as yours. You can't fight them off, only avoid. Come on, make a try."
Xin warily looked at the shadows, and then suddenly ran toward the sabre. By the corner of his eyes, he saw that the shadows also started running, however, he was first and therefore he was first to touch the sword.
"Has I won?" Sounded in his head and he immediately channeled Qi to his hand to take the sabre out.
"Ch!" It turned out to be more troublesome then he imagined, even with Qi it was hard to pull the blade out immediately. It only went halfway when the shadows suddenly caught up.
"A!"
The boy felt something clench around his leg and then the world started spinning around. His body felt light and then he heard a hollow sound in his head. Then pain, very, very strong pain. Rubbing his head, the boy found himself lying with his back on a fallen tree's trunk.
"Did you thought it will be easy, brat?"
Came the voice of the old man, but Xin's head was spinning so hard that he couldn't deduce from where exactly.
"The shadows represent enemies you have to avoid, and taking the sabre out of the ground is the same as striking with it. When you fast it may be easy to avoid your enemies, but you still have to attack them, and that moment is the most dangerous for you."
Suddenly the old man went silent as if thinking of something.
"I give your two hours for this task, or you will never have this sabre back."
Then his voice disappeared. Xin, staggering, stood up and looked around. The old man vanished, the sabre's blade was once again deep in the ground, the shadows returned to their initial position. Looking at it now, the sabre's was just in the middle of the moonshine, its lavish hilt shining with silver light.
"Ha…"
Xin sighed and massaged the back of his head.
It will be a long night.
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