(Entry #47)
I have found the man Master Matsuda talked about, Chu Chin Li. He was a renowned master martial artist and would be able to teach me a lot, as well as acupuncture. I am interested to see whether he already expects me. I think Master Matsuda contacted him.
Well, let's see how it goes.
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(Entry #48)
I was indeed expected. I asked him how and he said that some things are not to be answered...
It was probably pigeon mail.
I was asked to do basic training but he found out very quickly that my muscles are not for showing off. So we skipped that part of the training ... thankfully. Jumping from teacher to teacher can be exhausting as I always have to establish myself again. But I don't care about that. I'm here to grow stronger and that's what I'll do.
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(Entry #52)
I was introduced to acupuncture today. Master Chin Li used multiple needles and inserted them all over my body. It was an exercise to get used to the pain and get control over the body again. Master Chin Li blocked multiple muscles which were important. It was painful in the beginning but I managed to use Master Matsuda's training.
"The pain ... has it subsided?", Chin Li asked.
"Should it have subsided?"
"That is not the answer I am looking for."
"It doesn't hurt anymore and I can use any muscle I wish. Is that good?"
"It seems that you understand. Had you still been in pain, it would not have been a problem with your body but ..."
"... but understanding. I understand though."
"Do you know Confucius, my son?", Chin Li asked me.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because you seem to follow his saying: I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."
"I guess it is somewhat accurate. Only ... I don't forget."
"I can tell."
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(Entry #53)
I have almost no time to write in my diary. It has been two weeks since the #52 entry. Master Chin Li has a lot to teach and he knows many martial arts. I am going through all sorts of weapons at the moment. Thankfully I pick up new things instantly and can get experience by sparring with the other students.
Chinese Triads as well as the Red Army has students here. Chin Lin seems to be under surveillance and wishes to find a successor. He must believe that that is me. But I have no such interest.
I enjoy using the Katana. Master Matsuda taught me a lot but you should never stop learning. Master Chin Lin has different styles than Master Matsuda and teaches different styles to his students. Some are more suited for different weapons but I ... well I get to learn them all.
One that I like is the Sai. The sai is a traditional Okinawan melee weapon used for stabbing, striking and disarming opponents. It is primarily used in ninjutsu and kobudō. Kobudō is a collective term for Japanese traditional techniques for the use of armour, blades, firearms, and techniques related to combat and horse riding.
I like to spin around the sai's and just take my mind off of things. That can be relaxing. But almost all of the weapons are fun to use. I am demolishing all my sparing partners. Although I know that they are trying to hurt me or even maim me.
Joke's on them, I'm into that shit ... ok for real though. I like the little real-life situations more than the simulated ones. It doesn't get my blood pumping. I'll see where this leads.
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(Entry #58)
I mastered the art of acupuncture ... is what I would like to say. But Master Chin Lin said that he wasn't a doctor, so there was still more that I could learn. I guess I could also start my own research on the matter. It has been a very interesting part of my training. Acupuncture is a hidden gem in my opinion. What comes to mind is the absolutely bonkers martial art called 'Hokuto Shin Ken' (Big Dipper God Fist) is an ancient Chinese martial art, dating back 1,800 years from China.
Sadly I am not in an anime right now, so I am not sure whether learning this technique would be possible. But now with acupuncture, I think there could be a way to replicate it or create something similar. I might need Chi for that though. I guess I'll stop by in Japan to meet O-sensei ... or is he in America, like Richard Dragon?
I guess I'll see when the time comes.
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(Entry #65)
"You wish to speak to me, Master?", I say as I enter Master Chin Lin's study. I say study but it is just a small room he has to himself with various weapons on the wall and a chair.
"Yes, my son. You are my dearest pupil and yet I sense a great ambivalence in your heart. The 'Way' is no mere discipline to be studied and sampled. It is a philosophy of life. It requires absolute submission. There is nothing more I can teach you ... until you choose between this world ... and the one you left."
"I never tried to fool you, master. I just never told you about my goals. To this day you don't know much about me ... and that is good. It would be disrespectful otherwise."
"Why would it be disrespectful?"
"Because you as well as I know the choice I would make when you confront me the way you just did."
"... It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.", Chin Lin said.
"True ... but that only applies ... if we were friends. I wish you all the best, Master Chu Chin Lin."
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(Entry #66)
I think that was a successful time I spent under Chu Chin Lin. I always said that I was only there to study and learn. I was never interested in taking over his school. Submission is not something I do.
Right now, I am going to North Korea. I am interested in finding the Dojang of Master Kirigi. And if my information is correct, I will find him on Paektu Mountain in North Korea. So that's where I'll head.
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(Entry #70)
I have found a new way to pass the time. I have officially started ... to cook! Oh yes future me, you better not have stopped practicing that skill. Although I guess forgetting is hard for me now.
I began to cook (lol) at Master Matsuda when I helped his wife with cooking. I wanted to study her at the time but now I think that it is a good skill to have. I will see the local dishes and try to learn them. After that, I will create my own recipes and become a renowned chef ... ok maybe not that, but I will surely teach it to Sebas when I go back.
There are a lot of rice-dishes around here and also soup. Wonton Soup already exists as well as what was known as Kung Pao Chicken. That might seem stereotypical but it's what I find all around.
EDIT: I haven't stopped practising, past me.
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(Entry #71)
I had an interesting call with Sebas today. He said that he found a stage magician called Giovanni Zatara who had a magic show in Las Vegas. I am indeed interested in visiting the man. Maybe I can learn from him as well. I see potential in the art of illusions, sleight of hand and escape artistry. You never know when you might use it.
Another man I will visit is Don Miguel in Brazil, to learn how to drive like a Torretto and Luka Jungo A.K.A the Swiss Mark. I'll see where my journey takes me after Master Kirigi.
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(Entry #76)
Short entry today. I think I found a way to get into North Korea unnoticed ... Who am I kidding I am certain. The solution is simple. You offer the officials something they can't refuse ... money. It's good to be wealthy.
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(Entry #86)
What a drag this was. Let me write down what I experienced.
So I managed to make my way into North Korea, by bribing the right person. I got through the border control and then went to find myself the nearest black market to buy information. That's what the last entry was all about.
So I get the info, make my way up the cold and snowy mountain ... once again and when I finally get here to the Dojang and ask if I could be trained ... I am shoved to the floor without a word.
I knew that force was the last thing that I should think about. So I did what I had to. I just sat there. For. Three. Weeks. I sat there for three weeks straight. I wasn't even offered something to eat. Like seriously. What a bunch of dicks these guys are. But to each their own. T'was to be expected.
So now I am sweeping the floor. Wow, what progress I made.
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(Entry #94)
I'm still sweeping.
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(Entry #98)
Finally!! I am finally moving up in the world. Guess who now not just sweeps, but also washes the dishes ~
Yes, it's me. What tremendous progress after an entire MONTH of sweeping. I don't say a word though. I use the time I sweep to try something new out. I thought about the Ultra Instinct things again. I was wondering if it was possible to make sweeping instinctual ...
Yeah after sweeping for a month and meditating in the evening, you get to very weird theories. But why not just try it out?
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(Entry #108)
This is ~amazing~ I finished my month of sweeping and washing dishes. Now I am honoured to write, that I have once again advanced in the sacred art of ... sweeping, washing dishes aaaaand ... cooking rice!
Yeah, that's what I'm talking about baby. Cooking rice. I mean they say that they want rice cooked but they didn't say how I should cook the rice. So guess who will use this chance to increase his proficiency in the art of cooking?
PS: No update on the Ultra Instinct sweeping at the moment.
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(Entry #110)
This is the first entry after nearly two months. I finished my 'probation phase' if you will. I am ashamed to write that I am now in my fifth month here in the Paektu Mountains and have nothing truly good to show for it. I didn't take this long in ANY of my other places I crashed for a time.
And yet ... I don't feel like I wasted that much time. Playing games with me is ok, as long as you don't go overboard. Any more than this and I would have had to use other means to get what I want. Although I have to say that I might have made the students here my slaves. Yeah, training how to cook was a good idea. And also a very bad one. Now they might never let me leave...
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(Entry #112)
It has been ... a week ... since I was finally introduced to the martial arts. Master Kirigi is well regarded as a Japanese master of martial arts and ninjutsu. His arsenal of fighting styles is numerous but I am by no means an amateur. It took me a week to fully grasp the techniques I didn't already know and I am pretty much finished already. This brings me to the talk I had with Master Kirigi.
"Nature has been kind to you. You are of exceptional intelligence and your physique is extraordinary. Reflexes, vision, strength ... all are seemingly perfect. Almost beyond a human ... how terrible for you.", Master Kirigi says.
"Why?"
"You cannot value what comes so easily. The only thing I can teach you now is how to ignore all I have taught you thus far."
"And why would I wish to forget what you taught me?"
"Some great violence has marked you. I can see it in the calculating look you have all the time. It speaks of control over your emotions. It gives you your genius for combat, but unless you are very lucky, it will destroy you. I can take you past it, to what lies on the other side."
"So ... you're saying ..."
"I will require another twenty years ... but with your genius ... I might take more.", Master Kirigi concluded.
"You know my answer to that."
"Indeed. That is why I will introduce you to the final part of your training. I have already taught you patience, peace, and clearing of the mind and honing your strength, speed, and reflexes to perfection, things which you either already knew or picked up instantly. So now there is only my most valued and famous martial art left.
The Vibrating Palm technique."
The entry numbers don't mean the amount of days he spent. It is the amount of times he writes in his Diary. I think that's obvious but I still wanted to mention it.
(Entry #118)
'Vibrating Palm technique', is such an interesting technique. But the thought to use this only from the palm ... is so very sad. I mean you have this technique, so why not try to use it from other parts of your body?
I managed to learn it very fast. The final test to pass Kirigi's school required you to kill an opponent in battle, which I refused. He didn't want to let me leave, since I knew the secret technique. So I had to fight my way out.
It felt like a game, where the final boss was Master Kirigi himself. I value that last fight against him very much. He is a very skilled man and his experience surpasses mine, but I still managed to win ... easily. There are just some things that experience doesn't measure up against.
.
(Entry #119)
I spent a week travelling through the area and getting some new recipes. I enjoy the cooking here.
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(Entry #125)
Japan is a beautiful country. The food is similar and yet so different. The culture is different as well. I am currently looking for O-sensei and haven't made much progress. But if my calculations are correct, then I'll find him by the end of the week.
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(Entry #126)
I found O-sensei. The man who taught many skilled fighters. Richard Dragon is already in America and I might go and find him later on. But for now, I am more interested in his teacher, O-sensei.
He said that he would teach me martial arts and also how to use Chi. Yes, finally I will be able to learn this skill. I believe that there is a lot of potential in the use of Chi. More research needs to go into this.
Today was my first day and it was relatively simple. O-sensei was fascinated by my body for some reason. I understand that he is interested, as I am a marvellous specimen, but I was rather unhappy about a man touching me all over.
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(Entry #135)
I have made my first contact with Chi today. I was asked to spar with O-sensei and he used Chi in his defence as well as one attack. It was like punching a brick wall. Not that big of a problem but still hard. And the strike he did to my stomach made me spit out my food. I was not ready for that.
But it just goes to show how strong Chi can be if used correctly. I will need more time to research it fully.
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(Entry #141)
O-sensei told me today that I have an abnormal amount of Chi. And I have to agree. It is so much in fact, that I needed weeks just to get the proper control over it. It took a while, but I am seeing progress. These lessons with O-sensei are very valuable. I can sense his century-old experience when he teaches me. He understood that I was wearing a disguise.
He doesn't know how I really look or how I am disguising myself, but he knows that I do. Chi is a bit of a cheat. I can see a lot of uses for it.
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(Entry #142)
It has been 2 months since the last entry.
I can feel the changes in myself. This training is different from the other training I did. While the physical martial arts are valued and important, O-sensei seems to understand that I do not require that. He focuses on my mind and spiritual training as well as Chi. And I can feel the difference.
I have never felt as relaxed but still in control over myself as I have right now. The more I train the stronger I feel. This is new for me. Throughout my training, I was taught to control my emotions and my body. But to train my mind was never something that I thought would yield these results.
I was already training my mind by myself. I was working on creating mental barriers and the like, but soon took it all down. My thoughts are just too chaotic for such simple things to work. But now it was a different matter altogether. With Chi, I was able to create something amazing.
But I'm not done yet. I'll see how it goes.
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(Entry #146)
I am finished with my training under O-sensei. Among all my teachers, I believe he was the one I spent the most time with. And it was worth it. Developing your Chi and implementing it into my martial arts is an art that could take years. But what I have now is enough for me to train it by myself
I will have to hide these notes sooner or later before someone gets to them. My lab in Mila should be the best place to do that.
It was a valuable time here, but it is time for me to move on.
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(Entry #149)
I am in Brazil right now. Rio de Janeiro to be precise. It wasn't hard to find Don Miguel. My skill in the art of manhunting has reached new heights. Fear is a very strong motivator and I will learn to make use of it more.
I met one of my former 'co-students' under Kirigi, called Anton. The name is a pretty obvious lie and not a very good one. He doesn't talk much about his past, except that he wants to take revenge on someone who did something to his parents. I can't see any empathy in him.
He doesn't do this for a sense of justice. I didn't sense any fear from him when I was training under Master Kirigi. A psychopath is a likely answer to this, but not sure yet. More data is needed.
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(Entry #151)
Don Miguel has shown a complete lack of interest in preserving innocent lives. As long as his goal is achieved he is fine with doing what he perceives as necessary. The killing comes naturally to him, which lets me believe that he has been doing this for a while already. His thirst for speed is some form of outlet for him and he seeks to kill himself whilst in a car
This makes him incredibly dangerous and very effective behind the wheel. I have decided to end this man's career. It is time for the accident he so wishes for, but with an ending he should dread.
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(Entry #160)
Anton and I have made our way to British Columbia. I am not stoked about the man tagging along but our differences will surely cause us to clash sooner or later. The accident I caused Don Miguel, did not interest 'Anton' in the slightest. I can see that he thought about me when he found out about Don Miguel's accident but soon put it out of his mind, since I was in the car with him at the time.
I am sure that Anton doesn't believe me to attempt and kill Don Miguel like that. The fact that he is now a paraplegic doesn't bother him either. No matter, Don Miguel will never drive a car again.
I am looking for Luka Jungo, also known as "The Swiss Mark". If everything works out well, then I will learn marksmanship from him.
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(Entry #167)
I have finally come to blows with 'Anton'. He tried to kill Luka Jungo over a dispute they had.
"Leave, I don't want to see you here again!", Luka said.
"What? Why?", Anton asked.
"You're complete disregard for life makes you unsuited to be taught by me and I told you that I wouldn't teach you if you wouldn't promise me to never use firearms against other people."
"So? I don't care whether others die. Criminals deserve to die and that is what I will do."
"Enough. Leave! I don't want to see you here ever again."
"I'll leave when I wish to."
"You're a killer! I won't teach you anymore."
"Who the f*ck do you think you are? Do you think you can tell me what to do, just because you know how to shoot? I'll go when I want to.", Anton said.
Luka wanted to threaten Anton into leaving but that didn't work out as he'd hoped. It seems like Anton has quite a bit of skill in martial arts. Just before he was about to kill Luka by cutting his throat, I managed to catch his arm and prevent that.
"Enough 'Antonio'. You can't kill someone because he no longer wishes to teach you.", I told him.
"Don't talk to me, you unnamed boy. You don't get to tell me anything. You've been getting on my nerves since Don Miguel. Who the f*ck do you think you are? You know nothing about me!"
"I do know about you ... Minhkhoa."
"Wha..."
"Minhkhoa Khan, son of Fann Wong and Chiam Khan a former wealthy Singaporean business owner in the exports industry. Your family was forced to sell their company to the uber-wealthy Midas family and that was the moment when you watched them get beaten. You feel no empathy, fear or remorse. When he was eight years old, a psychologist diagnosed him as a psychopath. You lack compassion and believe that you can simply kill all your problems. That's also why you are on this trip, you seek revenge and you will stop at nothing to get it."
"You ... How do you know all that?", Minhkhoa said with clenched fists. He was angry. This was an important moment. He had to attack me on his own. That was imperative. I will be the one to show him what fear is.
"I listened and watched you. Your skin tone is light but not like those from Europe or America, which tells me you are of Asian descent. Your accent is nigh non-existent, this speaks for an education since childhood. Wealth is something that you had to grow up with since your mannerisms spoke of routine and practice.
You told me about seeing your parents getting abused and given your knowledge of the export industry, I figured that your parents had to be in that business. Because you wouldn't learn something that wasn't of any use to you. So you saw it as something that would either get you closer to your goal of revenge or ... you grew up with it.
Over the weeks I asked you about certain goods that would normally be exported mostly in different countries. You seemed to know the most about machinery and equipment, which is the biggest export product, with a 43 percent share ... in Singapore. There are others of course as well. I went over all of these and quickly found out something about the missing child of a former Export mogul, Chiam Khan.
That's all there was to it."
"Is that all?"
"It was a bit more complicated than that of course. I also took some of your DNA and checked to make sure of course and that made it easier. But those are details."
"Impressive ... and here I don't even know your true name. But I know your face. I can also figure out who you are. I have the methods and skills necessary."
"You can try."
.
He wasn't happy about that. He didn't leave and thought about what to do. I tried another taunt about going home and then turned my back on him. It seems that he saw that as me disrespecting him and attacked.
Our fight wasn't anything special. I was thankful for this exercise. He is a very skilled fighter but ... that's all he is in the end. A skilled fighter.
He used all sorts of firearms and knives to try and kill me. But it was useless. I was stronger and much more skilled than he was. I could see his moves before he did them. I knocked him out with an elbow, followed by an uppercut.
It is time for me to leave now. I spent enough time learning almost any firearm in the book. What I don't know yet, I can learn by myself. I better call Sebas.
____________________________________
If his explanation made no sense and might have been racist, I apologise. I know nothing of these things. I cover up that plot hole with the explanation: 'It was more complicated than that'.
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