章 1958: Flower of the Other Shore

"Aren't there any stabler arts?" Li Yao asked.

"Of course," Han Te replied, "there are stabler arts, but stable means conservative, and conservative means weak. You can't have all the best in the world. If we practice the stabler arts while other people practice the radical ones, naturally, the odds of other people injuring themselves will be higher, but they will be stronger than us before that, and they will rob us of our food, water, and all the other resources. They will even dismantle our bones and feed on our flesh and blood!

"We do not have any choice except to practice the arts that are more radical. Even if they do have fatal shortcomings, that is the least of our concerns."