Capítulo 20: Cultivation Talent
In a faction as large as the Black Tortoise Sect, it was extremely difficult for disciples to receive pointers or advice directly from the upper echelons of the sect.
Not to mention the sect elders, most of the disciples seldom even had any interactions with any of the sect protectors.
However, this was not due to the upper echelons being unwilling to share their wisdom, but because there were simply far too many disciples!
In fact, excluding those secrets that they had only arrived at after a lifetime of contemplation, most of the upper echelons were generally willing to impart their wisdom on cultivation to juniors in the sect.
After all, if they managed to nurture a talented disciple through this, it would have been well worth the time and effort.
It was not a exaggeration to say that grooming a talented disciple would be a great boost to them on both the material and reputational front, benefitting both they and the sect at the same time!
Unfortunately, talent was something extremely difficult to come by, making it easier said than done to groom a standout disciple.
The sheer number of disciples in the sect might have increased the likelihood of there being talented individuals, but it also made it much harder to spot the potential stars from among the mundane rocks.
Given that most of the upper echelons were busy enough worrying about matters on a higher level, how could they possibly spare the time and effort to give guidance to each and every disciple just to see if they were actually one of those potential stars?
At the same time, they were unwilling to just let these potential stars go to waste.
That was why the cultivation lectures were conducted on a monthly basis – to at least provide a certain level of guidance on a general basis.
It was common belief that those with true talent would eventually show their worth even if they were only given a minimal level of help.
This might be the most feasible course of action in the grand scheme of things from the sect's point of view. But on the disciples' end, this idea of providing minimal help meant that they often had to resolve any doubts and queries through internal discussions and consulting the more senior disciples.
Of course, being senior did not always mean that they know better. Still, when one was completely lost, receiving a fresh direction to contemplate on was certainly better than nothing.
As for whether to heed the advice of their peers or seniors in the end, that was naturally up to the individual's personal discretion.
However, there was one downside to this.
An informed decision could only be made if one already had a certain level of understanding on cultivation in general.
In the case of complete novices, there was almost no way they would be able to know how to discern between right and wrong!
This was only the third day of Lu Zhiying joining the Black Tortoise Sect.
At this important juncture when Lu Zhiying was just beginning to build up her foundation to embark on her cultivation path, Zhao Yunxiao wanted to provide whatever guidance he could to prevent her from taking too many detours in the future.
In fact, Zhao Yunxiao was not doing this solely for her sake either.
After all, he was a firm believer of the fact that one learns the best when teaching others. So why not do something that benefited both of them at the same time?
"Are you ready to be surprised?" Lu Zhiying grinned.
Zhao Yunxiao could not help but smile in satisfaction.
Regardless of the original intention, there were many disciples who did not take kindly to peers who offer their advice without being asked. Some even find it offensive as it suggested that the other party saw themselves as superior to oneself.
While Zhao Yunxiao had already expected Lu Zhiying not to mind this, seeing her response still put his mind at ease.
"Xuanwu Fist Art," Zhao Yunxiao said.
Hearing this, Lu Zhiying gently closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.
With her eyes closed, she slowly raised her arms in front of her while shifting her right feet back.
It was the basic battle stance for the Xuanwu Fist Art.
Having observed Zhao Yunxiao over the past few days, Lu Zhiying dared not think that she was as hardworking as him. However, she had not exactly been lazing around and doing nothing these few days either.
Outside of the time that she spent around Zhao Yunxiao and Gu Qiansi, she had been putting in a fair share of effort in preparing for the path ahead.
And with only two manuals in her possession, she had naturally spent all her time and energy on studying these two techniques.
Of course, she only had two days to study it so far, but this was sufficient to at least give her a basic understanding of how it was like.
After taking a few deep breaths, Lu Zhiying's eyes shot open.
"Xuanwu Fist Art – Invisible Snap!" Lu Zhiying called out.
Her right fist shot forward with such speed that one could hear the wind getting caught in her robes.
It was a single punch, so the demonstration was over as soon as it started. However, Zhao Yunxiao did not miss any of the details hidden within that punch.
"How is it?" Lu Zhiying asked excitedly.
"Has anyone given you pointers on the Xuanwu Fist Art? Did Gu Qiansi say anything?" Zhao Yunxiao asked in response.
"Not yet," Lu Zhiying shook her head. "But I did well, didn't I? I think I have a fairly good idea of how it is supposed to be like!"
"Not too bad, I'm surprised you managed to get to this stage on your own in just two to three days," Zhao Yunxiao admitted. "Tell me, what do you know about the Invisible Snap?"
"First move of the Xuanwu Fist Art – this is a punch that emphasises on speed over power," Lu Zhiying regurgitated whatever she remembered from the manual.
"And why do you think it is the first move of the Xuanwu Fist Art?" Zhao Yunxiao continued asking.
"Because speed is the most important factor in a fight," Lu Zhiying answered. "It doesn't matter how strong your opponent is if your attacks are the only ones landing!"
"That's right," Zhao Yunxiao said with a smile. "And that is why you always have to retract your punches immediately to return to your battle stance after executing your punch, ready to dodge any attacks from your opponents. By keeping still after punching out like what you just did, you are basically inviting your opponent to counterattack by attacking your unguarded body or even targeting your outstretched arm."
"But I only stayed in that position just so you can check my form!" Lu Zhiying explained.
"I understand, but don't do that next time. Even if it is just for practice, you need to do it right so that the move is ingrained in you as muscle memory," Zhao Yunxiao said. "On top of that, the angle of your punch is slightly too high. Your stance is slightly too wide. The rotation on your fist is good but you were slightly too conscious of it, causing your speed to fall."
"Tell me one by one!" Lu Zhiying complained. "How am I supposed to remember if you say everything at once?"
"I am already telling you in parts," Zhao Yunxiao shrugged. "In addition to what I said earlier, you also have to rotate your hip quicker. Don't shift your entire weight into your punch just to make it heavier. Don't-"
"Okay, okay, I got it! One by one!" Lu Zhiying quickly cut him off in frustration.
"Hahaha, I'm just joking," Zhao Yunxiao laughed. "Fixing your moves and stances is a long and arduous process, and it's only your third day so just take it slow. For a start, why don't we try it again with a narrower stance?"
Indeed, Zhao Yunxiao understood that these things could not be fixed easily.
When it came to the practising of moves, it was usually more effective to learn things step by step in digestible bits.
He was just saying everything at once so that Lu Zhiying could have a feel of the overall situation, and thus be able to fix whatever she wanted to at her own pace in the future.
Who knows?
Maybe she would just happen to be one of those monsters with ridiculous cultivation talent, capable of understanding techniques at multiple times the speed of others!
"So slightly lower angle on the punch, slightly narrower stance, more focus on the speed of the punch rather than the rotation, faster rotation of the hip, and less weight on the punch…" Lu Zhiying repeated what she just heard.
"That's right. Let's do it step by step, starting with a narrower stance," Zhao Yunxiao instructed.
"All right, here goes," Lu Zhiying got into the basic battle stance once more.
"Just like that," Zhao Yunxiao commented. "Does it feel more comfortable this way?"
He did not mention just how much narrower the stance had to be, but Lu Zhiying was still able to settle into a stance that seemed suitable for herself.
"Mm," Lu Zhiying nodded before closing her eyes. "I already feel like I can throw out a perfect punch this time."
"No harm in aiming high. Go for it," Zhao Yunxiao chuckled.
"Angle, speed, rotation, weight," Lu Zhiying muttered under her breath with her eyes still closed.
Zhao Yunxiao watched in silence, not wanting to break her concentration.
He did not have to wait long.
Only a few moments elapsed before Lu Zhiying opened her eyes once more, with a light of determination seemingly showing through from deep within.
"Invisible Snap!"
Whoosh-!
The sound of the wind could be heard once more as, yet again, the demonstration was over right as it started.
It was the same move from the same set of fist art, executed in almost the exact same manner.
Almost exactly the same, but there were still differences.
For one, Lu Zhiying remembered to pull back into her battle stance immediately after throwing out the punch.
However, that was certainly not the only change she made.
Zhao Yunxiao's eyes opened wide in astonishment as he stood there in absolute silence, the past few moments quickly replaying in his head.
Angle.
Speed.
Rotation.
Weight.
He had casually listed off a few possible points of improvement, and knew for a fact that Lu Zhiying had attentively taken note of them.
However, Zhao Yunxiao had never expected her to be able to fix all four points at once!
Not just that, but the degree to which she adjusted everything was almost perfect as well.
No, that's impossible.
Was it a fluke then?
"How was it? Much better, isn't it?" Lu Zhiying skipped over excitedly. "It does feel much smoother and more natural to execute this time!"
"Again!" Zhao Yunxiao instructed sternly.
"Eh?" Lu Zhiying felt the corner of her lips twitch. "Again?"
"Yes, again!"
"Fine…" Lu Zhiying stepped back and returned to her battle stance once more. "Here goes!"
This time, she no longer chose to close her eyes in preparation.
Zhao Yunxiao gulped a mouthful of saliva, nervously watching the young lady and anticipating the punch that she was about to throw.
He was not looking down on Lu Zhiying, but it was almost impossible to immediately make all these adjustments to a particular move just because one was told to do so.
Practical movements were not the same as theoretical answers where one could simply edit wherever the mistakes were.
Instead, it usually required repeated practice over time to train the flesh and incorporate these changes into one's movements.
In fact, this was especially the case if the changes required were minute ones.
The smaller the difference, the harder it was to change accordingly. More often than not, people would end up overcompensating when trying to adjust for a small difference.
Whoosh-!
The sound of the wind could be heard once again as Lu Zhiying executed the Invisible Snap.
Zhao Yunxiao could feel his heart palpitating at this point.
That last punch confirmed it.
It was not a fluke – the punch was exactly the same as the one she did before.
He might not be the best person to judge.
But Lu Zhiying, this junior martial sister of his who just joined three days ago…
With that rate of absorption and ability of application that she had, she could just be a martial genius with a talent that far surpassed what he had ever imagined!
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