When Xuan Luo arrived at the Martial Arts building, he saw Master Li practicing a set of fist technique in the main hall. Hence, Xuan Luo did not disturb him. He found a spot to sit close by while he waited for Master Li to complete his set.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, one should never disturb a martial artist while he is in practice. If a martial artist’s qi is distracted while practicing xin fa, he could lose control of his body and turn crazy. Although Master Li wasn’t practicing xin fa at the moment, it was still better to take caution.
So, Xuan Luo did not dare to utter a word, and quietly watched as Master Li practiced. When Master Li was finished, he stood up and asked, “Li ye ye, why did you want to see me?”
Master Li lightly wipes the sweats from his forehead and firmly looks at him. “Xuan Luo, do you want to learn Martial Arts in a traditional manner?”
Master Li was very direct. Xuan Luo is at a loss for words. He is confused. He knows Master Li’s skills are limited, but then, why is he asking him that? He is unclear of his intentions.
Looking at Master Li, he stammered, “Li ye ye, you…are…asking me…”
Seeing Xuan Luo‘s reaction, Master Li smiled. “Xuan Luo, I saw how you fought that man. I think you have a talent for Martial Arts.”
Xuan Luo does not know how he should respond. He is more alert and worried now. He thought Master Li could tell that he has been secretly practicing xin fa on his own.
“Haha!” Master Li laughed. He didn’t explain in further details. “I’m still half of a jiang hu zhong ren. I had some talent, but people from my Clan got jealous of me. That’s why I ended up like this.”
Master Li sighed. He looked at Xuan Luo, “Your path definitely will not end at Qian Deng Zhen. Since I have some time now, I’m going to tell you some things. Plus, I’m old. I don’t even know how many years I have left…”
“Li ye ye, what do you mean?” Xuan Luo kind of realizes that Master Li wants to tell him how to live, but also about his past as well.
The truth is, Master Li was a very talented young man. At that time, the leader of his Clan noticed him and gave him a lot of attention. But it was also because of this attention that made many people jealous of him. Many kept setting him up, and by the time he was in his 20s, Master Li’s path to the fighting world was over. All his jing maiwere broken, and his dream to practice Martial Arts were destroyed. Getting revenge was pretty much impossible. Even simply being a normal person, he faced many obstacles.
Thus, Master Li is only able to practice some shallow kung fu. But although his kung fudoes not require nei li, it can still do some damage. So, Master Li entirely practices Martial Arts to keep his body strong.
As Master Li talks about himself, he keeps sighing. Xuan Luo felt like he understood a lot just from listening to his tone.
Who would have thought that in this small town, the only person who knew some Martial Arts had such a past. Looking at this old man, Xuan Luo was a bit emotional.
“I wanted to ask you..if you had any desire to join a clan..” Master Li’s eyes deepened. From his eyes, he released and revealed all the frustrations he had held in from all these years.
“Li ye ye, I….” Xuan Luo wanted to say something, but seeing Master Li’s eyes lit up with hope, he did not know how to reject him.
Master Li cuts him off. “Xuan Luo. Originally, I thought I would be living here in this mountainous land for the rest of my life. I did not plan to meddle in anything. But from the moment I saw you defeat that man, I have another wish. And from Qian Deng Zhen, you’re the only one who can help me fulfill that wish!”
Master Li puts both his hands on Xuan Luo‘s shoulder. Bending down, it looks like he is almost begging Xuan Luo. Xuan Luo was not used to this. The way Master Li was beaming at him made it impossible for him to say no.
Thinking back to incident, Xuan Luo was still upset. If he did not happen to practice the xin fa by accident and released his nei li, the man would have beaten Guan Shan Jue to death. Once he thought of that, Xuan Luo firmly said, “Li ye ye, if it is possible, I will join a Clan to practice higher Martial Arts. After what happened the other day, I know that without ability, I will not be able to protect anyone. I want to protect Stepfather. I don’t ever want him to suffer like that again!”
Master Li was very comforted by Xuan Luo‘s words. He can see that Xuan Luo‘s eyes are filled with the desire to protect his loved ones. Master Li lightly pats his head and said, “Okay then. I must tell you about the big Clans from our jiang hu!”
Master Li brings Xuan Luo to his room. He tells Xuan Luo to sit down at the table in front of the bed. Then, he sat next to Xuan Luo and softly said, “Xuan Luo, we have a couple big Clans: Wu Dang, Shao Lin, E Mei, Jun Zi Tang, Tang Men, and Luo Cha Men. These Clans are some of the best in our jiang hu. They each have their own martial styles and inner xin fa. Mastery is dependent on your ability though. And of course, there are also other Clans. Some are more powerful than others. But generally, each Clan has their own specialty and influential power in our society. Thus, there are followers for all of them. It just depends on what type of inner xin fa and martial styles you want to learn.
Xuan Luo was still confused by what Master Li was telling him. “So is influential power more important? Or Clan? Do I really have to join a Clan in order to practice higher Martial Arts?”
Looking at Xuan Luo, Master Li laughed. He felt like he was talking to his grandchild. “Every influential power is seen as a powerful owner. But compared to a Clan, there are differences. Clans are able to maintain their spot in our jiang hu even during difficult times. There are times when they might shrink in size though. But influential power is different. Their foundations are not stable. Sometimes, it only takes a few years for a power to be replaced. In addition, there is always a battle within the group. As for Clans, I’ve never heard of such a thing…”
Xuan Luo nodded. He seems to somewhat understand. At least, compared to before, he understood a lot more.
Master Li continued on, “The six big Clans all possess their own special xin fa. However, Luo Cha Men has a bad reputation. They are seen as an evil Clan. Therefore, don’t deal with them!”
Master Li nicely warns Xuan Luo. No one truly knows where Luo Cha Men‘s headquarters are. And whenever Luo Cha Men is active, it’s a catastrophe for everyone. Fortunately, in the past hundred years, Luo Cha Men has become more low key; hence, slowly fading from others’ sight.
“Wu Dang aims to use yin to overcome yang. They have high expectations on nei li. Thus, Wu Dang‘s xin fa is definitely better than the other Clan’s. However, their style does not possess strong killing power.”
“Shao Lin‘s xin fa is dependent on a person’s physique. They are considered the yangtype. Their specialty is sudden explosion of power -suitable for extreme Martial Arts style.”
“Gai Bang‘s xin fa is also considered the yang type. But their level is not as high a.s.shao Lin, and they are able to attack and defend. Thus, they are more balanced.”
“Tang Men‘s xin fa lean towards the yin side. They are known for using secret weapons. Therefore, they have very high expectations on flexibility.”
“Jun Zi Tang‘s xin fa is yin for the most part, but also slightly yang. This Clan puts a lot of emphasis on the body and mind. In order to be part of them, you must at least master one of the following: instrument, chess, literature and art.
This is the first time that Xuan Luo has heard so much about these five Clans. Master Li has never brought it up back then. As a result, he is very attentive.
“Then, Li ye ye, if I want to join some Clans, which ones do you think are suitable for me?” Xuan Luo stares widely at Master Li. Every Clan has a certain advantage. Xuan Luo truly doesn’t know which ones to choose. Thus, he wants Master Li’s input.
Master Li laughed. “That will depend on you. Usually, a person can only join one Clan!”
Master paused. Looking at Xuan Luo, he said, “If you are serious about joining a Clan, I would highly suggest you to join Wu Dang because of their specialty.”
Master Li spoke the truth. Wu Dang‘s style and xin fa is definitely very unique and special. But deep inside, he also suggested Wu Dang due to his own selfish reasons.