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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Overcoming hardness with softness.
Softness can indeed conquer strength.
William’s eyes scanned the True Immortal, who stood before him with a deceptively casual posture, as if about to perform a simple exercise.
‘He seems relaxed, yet I can’t detect a single opening.’
A duel with an elder who had reached an unfathomable level of mastery.
Victory was impossible.
But this was merely a sparring match.
Therefore, William calmed his mind, letting the cold wind of Heavenly Pillar Peak cool his thoughts as he slowly closed the distance.
A martial artist walking.
A surprisingly rare sight in Jianghu.
Considering the tendency of martial artists to utilize footwork even for a short distance, William’s slow, deliberate approach, devoid of any special technique, appeared somewhat unusual.
However, the True Immortal found this approach rather intriguing.
“You’re not using footwork?”
“Unfortunately, I haven’t learned any footwork compatible with Tai Chi.”
“Interesting.”
The distance between them steadily decreased. Such a slow start was a first for the True Immortal, and a spark of curiosity flickered in his eyes.
‘Let’s see how much you’ve learned.’
The gap continued to close.
When they were only three steps apart, William instinctively knew.
‘I’ve entered the True Immortal’s range.’
Now, they were within striking distance. William recalled the forms of Tai Chi and extended his hand, neither too slowly nor too quickly.
His arm moved like a dancer in a leisurely performance.
The True Immortal, as if assisting the attack, guided William’s wrist inwards with one hand and gently pressed down on his shoulder with the other.
A clean suppression.
William marveled at the True Immortal’s effortless technique and spoke.
“I didn’t even realize you had counterattacked.”
“Everything flows. We call this the natural order, and Taoists strive to live in accordance with it. But that’s no easy task in this harsh world.”
“Indeed.”
William’s hand reached out again, aiming for the True Immortal’s wrist. Many of the Tai Chi forms focused on controlling the opponent’s arms.
Once again, his attempt was thwarted by a simple gesture from the True Immortal.
Pulling and pushing.
The movements weren’t fast or flashy, yet William only realized his attacks had been blocked moments after they occurred.
The True Immortal’s movements were so natural, they seemed as if they had always been that way.
‘I can’t even begin to comprehend the difference in our skill.’
Just as a frog in a well couldn’t fathom the vastness of the ocean, William couldn’t grasp the True Immortal’s movements. They were so fluid, they appeared effortless.
“The natural order flows towards harmony. Harmony is the culmination of the natural order. Remember this.”
‘The culmination of the natural order.’
Every word held profound meaning, yet each was difficult to comprehend.
William pondered his words and reached out again, aiming for the True Immortal’s elbow. He intended to grab his arm and throw him, following the Tai Chi forms.
But once again, with a simple gesture, the True Immortal pulled William’s arm inwards, breaking his posture.
“I just pulled your hand and disrupted your stance. What are your thoughts?”
“I sense the principle of excess being as bad as deficiency.”
“Why do you think so?”
“With a single, effortless movement, you disrupted my harmonious flow. My form became excessive.”
‘A bright young man. If only he were younger, I would have taken him as my disciple.’
Though his mind was no longer as sharp as it once was, the True Immortal felt a flicker of desire seeing how quickly William absorbed his teachings.
As a martial artist, he couldn’t help but yearn for a worthy disciple.
“Correct. When harmony is disrupted, no martial art can reach its full potential. Remember this. Your current state is more precarious than you realize.”
As they conversed, their hands moved in a flurry of motion, like the strings of a plucked guqin.
Pulling and pushing.
Pushing and pulling.
Their movements resembled playful gestures rather than a serious exchange.
Yet their gazes remained locked, their expressions serious.
“Even if my state is precarious, I must move forward.”
Having intervened in events that would have otherwise resolved themselves, twisting fate, he had to press on for the sake of a brighter future.
If he didn’t act, countless people would fall into despair.
“Then you must strive for harmony. Your harmony is more disrupted than you realize. To overcome your barrier, you must restore that balance.”
“How can I achieve that?”
“Reduce your killing intent.”
“How can I reduce it?”
Taken aback by the unexpected advice, William asked cautiously. The True Immortal answered without hesitation.
“That’s not something I can tell you. I can only advise you not to take killing lightly.”
“I don’t take killing lightly.”
“Do you truly believe that?”
“…”
William closed his eyes.
Questioning oneself was akin to introspection.
The True Immortal stepped back and observed him with his arms crossed behind his back. The white tiger, which had appeared behind him at some point, lay down leisurely, watching William.
‘Have I been taking killing for granted?’
The grueling training that began as soon as he arrived in this world. The desperate struggle for survival on the battlefield.
He had never looked back. But now, as he cautiously turned his head, he saw a mountain of corpses.
‘Are those…the people I’ve killed?’
How many lives had he taken to survive?
And how many more would he have to take?
‘Have I become desensitized to killing?’
A newfound realization.
William turned his gaze away from the mountain of corpses and looked back at his younger self, a knight on the battlefield.
Clad in chainmail, he charged across the battlefield on horseback.
He casually flicked aside impaled enemies from his lance like dust, then swiftly skewered another approaching foe.
His routine on the battlefield.
‘I can’t even estimate how many I’ve killed.’
When was the last time he felt any aversion to killing?
A year ago?
Six months ago?
When did he even kill for the first time?
On the day he first stepped onto the battlefield as a common foot soldier.
He recalled the memory.
Screams echoing from all directions. The clash of weapons. The death throes of the fallen.
Amidst the chaos, a terrified soldier, he plunged his spear into the heart of an equally frightened enemy soldier.
‘What did I think back then?’
Did he feel disgust?
Or sorrow?
Or…
[Why are you so troubled?]
‘Captain?’
A voice, fading with time.
William looked at the Captain, his pipe perpetually clenched between his teeth.
The sight of thick grey smoke rising from his pipe was the most familiar image from his time as the Captain’s disciple.
‘I’ve just realized that I’ve become numb to killing.’
[Our trade is death. We kill so much that sometimes, people cease to look like people. Many knights, tormented by the dissonance between their ideals and reality, choose to embrace the latter. William. Remember our fallen comrades.]
James.
William’s comrade.
How did he die?
[He couldn’t bear the horrors of war and eventually took his own life. Gabriel went mad when he realized he had killed a boy no older than his younger brother. Patrick, paralyzed by fear, abandoned his comrades and fled. Even knights, tempered by endless training, are but fragile humans on the battlefield. But you were different.]
A natural-born warrior.
The Saracen general who captured him had called him that.
William recalled those words.
‘I don’t understand.’
[You must understand. That is a knight’s duty. Only then will you comprehend the weight of the beliefs we carry.]
‘Are those beliefs…the code of chivalry?’
The code of chivalry, drilled into him countless times.
The Captain nodded at William’s question.
[Indeed. Chivalry. Why do you think we recite the code every morning?]
‘Because we are knights.’
[No.]
The Captain firmly denied his answer.
‘Then why do we recite the code of chivalry?’
If not because they were knights, then why did they recite it?
[So that we don’t forget our humanity. The battlefield is hell on earth. The code reminds us not to be consumed by hell and become demons, but to stand tall as humans.]
Don’t forget your humanity.
‘Stand tall…as a human…’
William pondered those words.
‘I understand.’
[Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.]
The Captain’s voice faded.
William slowly opened his eyes.
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