Chapter 056: Suited for the Machete-Type Broadsword

Ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

After being knocked to the ground by Lin Yan once again, Li Gang saw their sparring session come to an end.

“Not bad, you’re even tougher than I expected,” Lin Yan clapped her hands, looking at the bruised and battered Li Gang with clear satisfaction, a smile spreading across her face.

Tough? Li Gang was at a loss for words. He was now completely certain that Lin Yan was simply looking for an excuse to vent her anger on him.

Still, he thought to himself, “At least this body of mine is solid enough. After all that beating—my arm was even dislocated once—the pain is already starting to fade.”

Despite his sorry state, Li Gang’s injuries were nothing serious; at worst, just a few scrapes and bruises. Lin Yan had exercised precise control during their sparring, ensuring that he suffered enough pain to quickly develop muscle memory but never sustaining true harm.

It was much like the way adults punish children with a whip: enough to make them remember the lesson, but never enough to cause real damage.

“There’s still some time before noon,” Lin Yan said. “During this interval, aside from diligently practicing the military boxing technique and the Eight Steps of the Dragon that I taught you yesterday, you must also carefully reflect on these ten minutes of sparring. Summarize the reasons for your failures—why do you lose so quickly every time?” With that, Lin Yan walked off to another part of the hall to train on her own.

After a brief rest, Li Gang began to practice the military boxing and the Eight Steps of the Dragon, over and over, while also replaying scenes from their earlier sparring in his mind, just as Lin Yan had instructed.

Though he suspected that Lin Yan’s eagerness to spar a day early was simply out of irritation and a desire to beat him up, he had no complaints.

After all, if he were truly strong—strong enough to stand on equal footing with Lin Yan—she wouldn’t be able to lay a hand on him so easily.

Elsewhere, after a few warm-up drills with basic punches, palms, and kicks, Lin Yan started training with the Basic Guiding Technique, even if only the incomplete version she possessed.

Each trained separately, not disturbing one another, a scene reminiscent of their four years at university—every time they spent the night training together, it was always just like this.

Until noon, neither spoke a word.

At the agreed-upon time, they wrapped up their morning training and headed off to prepare lunch.

Li Gang intended to cook a few dishes himself, but after his first attempt was met with Lin Yan’s disdain, he was promptly stripped of all kitchen privileges. Resigned, he became Lin Yan’s assistant, called here and there at her command.

After lunch, they took only a short rest before heading to the fitness center’s main hall together.

Standing before the broadsword, Li Gang felt a surge of excitement.

It was a saber-type broadsword, comprised of a blade, hilt, and guard. The entire sword was about one meter long and weighed roughly two kilograms.

The blade itself featured a tip, spine, and edge, with the sharpened part about sixty-two centimeters long. The widest point near the front was sixty-five millimeters, tapering down to forty millimeters at its narrowest. The spine was fifty-six centimeters in length, with no brass ring, and at its thickest, the blade was six millimeters. The tip was quite pointed, with a slant of seventy-eight millimeters along the upper edge.

The guard was a common iron yuanbao shape, standing ninety millimeters high, twelve millimeters thick, and twenty-five millimeters wide.

The hilt was about twenty centimeters long, suitable for one or two-handed grip, and the pommel ring at the end was about seventy millimeters in diameter.

“Sword and saber are the two most commonly used weapons in our country since ancient times,” Lin Yan began, holding a refined three-foot steel sword as she explained the basics to Li Gang.

“The sword is light and agile, the saber is forceful and fierce. The sword’s technique revolves around stabbing, the saber’s around chopping. The sword is double-edged with a thick spine, the saber is single-edged with a robust back. Thus, swordplay is nimble and ever-changing, focusing on wrist movement and precise thrusts, while saber technique is bold and powerful. Compared to the sword, saber moves are broad, less varied, but no less formidable. In saber technique, grip and footwork are paramount.

“As the saying goes, swordplay is like the wind, while saber technique is like a flood—rushing and unstoppable, fierce and vigorous.

“To put it simply: chopping and cleaving. In combat, saber techniques rely on powerful swings. They’re easy to learn but hard to master.

“Starting now, I’ll teach you the eight basic saber moves: sweep, chop, parry, slice, draw, deflect, slash, and thrust.

“From now on, you must devote at least half an hour to an hour each day to practicing these basics. Our afternoon sparring sessions will focus more on weapon training.”

Both the saber and the sword had been acquired that morning, when Lin Yan had brought Li Gang to a shop selling replica ancient weapons. They also picked up a wooden saber and a wooden sword for safe sparring practice.

Lin Yan predicted that as the Chosen Ones grew in strength, with the consumption and logistical difficulties of firearms and ammunition, cold weapons would eventually make a comeback as the primary tools of combat.

She had carefully chosen this broadsword for Li Gang as his main weapon, while she herself, considering her own style, selected the sword.

Of the four classic weapons—saber, spear, sword, and staff—Lin Yan had considered each, but ultimately deemed the saber, known as the king of all weapons, and especially the broadsword, the weapon of heroes, most suitable for Li Gang.

Moreover, Li Gang had tested all four weapons, as well as different types of sabers, and found that this saber-type broadsword fit him best.

He gripped it with one hand, swinging it smoothly up and down. The two-kilogram weight was easy for him to manage now, and he was clearly pleased with his choice.

After Lin Yan’s introduction, Li Gang said, “I’ll definitely stick to at least half an hour to an hour of saber practice every day.”

Lin Yan nodded in satisfaction, took the broadsword from him, and demonstrated the eight foundational saber moves: sweep, chop, parry, slice, draw, deflect, slash, and thrust.

“These eight are the foundation of all complex saber techniques. Memorize them well. As for variations and intricate skills, once you’ve mastered these basics, you can study and refine them yourself.”

Returning the saber to him, she reminded him to get comfortable with it. In an hour, they would spar again—close combat without weapons—and with that, she went off to train on her own.

Lin Yan had her own training regimen. Teaching Li Gang was just something she did in passing, focusing mostly on the fundamentals and the underlying theory.

She would not hover, correcting every move. Even when teaching new techniques, she usually demonstrated once, letting Li Gang record it with his smart assistant. If he didn’t understand, he could review the recording on his own.

Her most frequent advice was for him to keep thinking for himself.

During the next hour, Li Gang practiced the eight basic saber moves over and over.

His greatest trait was that, even if he harbored doubts or his own ideas, he always carried out Lin Yan’s instructions with utmost diligence.

While practicing, he also took care to reflect, as Lin Yan had urged—on the martial path itself.

At lunch, Lin Yan had explained that now that he was truly beginning to study the martial arts, it wasn’t enough to train hard; he also had to think deeply and often.

Recalling this, Li Gang remembered the conversation they’d had at the end of lunch.

As the meal was winding down, Li Gang, searching for a topic, asked, “Sister Lin, what are your thoughts on martial arts, on the martial path itself?”

At the mention, Lin Yan’s enthusiasm was immediately piqued. She gave many examples, mostly referencing the journeys and philosophies of characters from classic martial arts novels she had read.

However, most of these characters were from famous stories half a century old, and Li Gang had never heard of them.

When she realized he was lost, unable to relate or glean any insight, she said, “Do you remember the Dragon Ball manga I told you about last time?”

Li Gang perked up. “I remember! Are you going to explain the martial path through the characters in Dragon Ball?”

Seeing his interest, Lin Yan smiled and nodded. “Yes, indeed. The protagonist, Sun Wukong, is a true grandmaster. His growth, his lifelong pursuit and understanding of martial arts, are well worth discussing with you.

“To embrace all, one must be as vast as the sea,” she continued. According to Lin Yan, only by constantly learning from the paths of others and accumulating experience can one continue to improve and pursue true strength.

“My copy of the Dragon Ball manga was a treasured possession of my father’s, so I’ve read it many times.

“I see Sun Wukong’s life as divided into four main stages.

“Stage one: his youthful exuberance.

“Stage two: a brief period of adversity, you could call it ‘survival against all odds.’

“Stage three: a key turning point, either ‘returning to his roots’ or ‘breaking the cocoon to become a butterfly.’

“Stage four: when he has already become a true grandmaster.”

Li Gang was baffled.

He had watched the entire Dragon Ball anime, including every special and side story, but never noticed any such stages of growth, let alone four distinct phases for the main character.

He could only marvel inwardly, musing, “This is the difference between a true expert and an ordinary person. Even a simple anime can be analyzed to such depth.”

Lin Yan enjoyed watching Li Gang’s surprised and bewildered expressions. She smiled and continued, “Let’s start with stage one, Sun Wukong’s youthful exuberance.

“At that time, he was the classic protagonist—wielding his Power Pole, riding the Flying Nimbus, punching Pilaf in the south, kicking the Red Ribbon Army in the north. He got into a few scrapes but never suffered serious setbacks. His toughest opponent, his greatest threat, was just Tao Pai Pai.

“There isn’t much more to say about this stage.”

Li Gang thought back and realized it was true, though he suspected that this phase was marked by the comedic elements that dominated the early part of the series.

He kept his thoughts to himself, choosing instead to listen patiently to the rest of Lin Yan’s explanation.

He had learned not to interrupt her with his own opinions—every time he did, he ended up being proven wrong.