Putting the book on cultivation away, Roy instead retrieved the book on martial combat. This was something he could do, albeit with great difficulty. The martial aspect of the Martial Arts was something which he’d noticed, that most of the Shah clan ignored. Though the reason why, he had yet to figure out. As far as he could tell, a Martial Artist with the ability to counter others of a similar advancement level would always have the upper hand.
It would do someone like him little good, but if he were to face someone equally as inept as he, then he would theoretically be the victor if he was better learned in the martial aspect of fighting. Flipping open the book, Roy turned to his last bookmark. It was the beginning of a new chapter, titled Redirection.
When fighting a Martial Artist of a different Advancement Path, you may find yourself at a disadvantage. After all, those following a Water Path will be weaker in physical combat than those following a Fire Path. This is where redirection comes in.
Most Martial Artists like to meet their problems head-on, but approaching from an angle is always wiser in such a confrontation…
There was then a series of pictures depicting two figures in various stances, showing a particular move and how to counter it. Under each were instructions and the best exercises to gain the desired results.
Roy studied the first move, titled False Start. This move required the opponent to be at specific angles. The premise of this move was to make your opponent think you were going to attack and trick them into acting first, making a hasty charge. Then, when the attack came, you’d redirect the strike.
The move was entirely defensive, but when coupled with the next move, titled Half-Moon Palm, it became a devastating attack. Once the strike was redirected, leaving the opponent wide open, the hand used to block the strike would come back. The cupped palm would then slam into the opponent’s ear, bursting the eardrum. It was designed to either finish the fight or set up the finishing move.
The finishing move was called Upward Claw. This move was quite gruesome, as it had the palm strike to the ear, followed immediately by a throat chop. However, once the chop made contact with the throat, the attacker would then sink their fingers into their assailant’s larynx, crushing it and tearing it from the neck.
Roy shuddered. He didn’t need to picture what that would do to someone. The book already had a graphic depiction of that. Despite the brutal nature of the attack, Roy found himself smiling.
This was something even he could practice.
Most of the combat stances required a lot of legwork, which was made all the more difficult by the fact that he couldn’t bend one knee, due to his brace. The fact that he was a cripple meant he couldn’t move with speed needed to execute the moves. This, however, only required him to move two steps: one to the side to shift his weight when his opponent charged, and the second, to step into the attack when he went for the throat strike to deliver more power.
He studied the forms for a few more minutes, committing them to memory. He then reached to the branch above his head, hauling himself to his feet. He mimicked the stance in the book as best he could. It was still a little lopsided, but he figured it would be alright.
He spent the next fifteen minutes moving slowly through the steps, repeating them in his head as he went through them.
Step to the side and redirect the strike. Cup the palm and bring it back in a whipping motion. Step forward and spread the thumb and index finger wide, thrusting up from the chest and striking the throat. Curl the fingers inward immediately, squeeze tightly, then pull back.
Roy found that if he took an extra step back at the end, his body would lend him more strength when executing the throat tearing attack. He practiced this for a further hour before his rumbling stomach forced him to stop and eat lunch.
He sat with his back to a tree once more, pulling open the book and flipping to a different section titled Throws and Tosses.
This section was dedicated to using force, momentum, and using an opponent’s body weight and gravity against them. He knew it wouldn’t do him much good in a fight against someone who had a core, but if he ever had to defend himself against someone like him, it would be perfect.
In truth, techniques like this would likely work on those at Yellow or below. They would go toppling to the ground, just as the pictures showed. The only problem was that with his meager strength, they’d be back on their feet in seconds, none the worse for the fall. He decided he would practice the moves anyway.
The first move was a simple one called Toppling the Tree. If an opponent charged, he would reach out, snagging one of their arms as they drew near. He would then twist his body, pulling the attacker close to himself. Then he would bump his hip into the attacker’s and twist to the side. This would throw his attacker off balance, knocking them clean off their feet. The harder he twisted, the harder his opponent would hit the ground.
Popping the last piece of his jam-covered rice ball into his mouth, Roy pulled himself back to his feet. Hobbling over to the gathering constructs, he could see that about half the Essence in them had been depleted. He could also see that they would need to be moved soon, so instead of waiting, he deactivated them and moved them to a new spot. Once he’d gotten them restarted, he planted a black flag in the ground, showing him not to place the gathering constructs there again.
Heading back to his book, he studied the technique before rising to his feet to try it for himself. He had a lot less success with this one, as it relied heavily on the strength of his legs and quick hip movements, both nearly impossible with his circumstances.
He sighed, sitting back down and closing the martial combat book. He knew he only had about an hour left and he was already dreading going back to the Shah clan. It was peaceful out here, with no one to harass or demean him, but once night fell, even this area would no longer be safe.
Deciding that he could wait to be bitter in an hour, Roy opened a second book on cultivation. This one spoke of cycling techniques and what the best ones were for each Advancement Path.
Cultivation: A Martial Artist’s Path to Advancement.
Cycling Essence throughout one’s body is difficult if the right technique is not used. For example, if a Water cultivator tries cycling their Essence in the Wildfire pattern, then the majority of the Essence will go to waste. If, however, a Fire cultivator uses the same technique, their Essence will be refined and processed much more efficiently.
There were then charts of proper breathing, positioning of the body and stretches the Martial Artist could do to improve the technique.
Roy was a bit skeptical about what this book was saying. He wasn’t a Martial Artist, but there was no way that these could be the best ways to cycle Essence. In his opinion, there was always a better way. All one had to do was find it.
A loud buzzing sound drew his attention away from the book, and Roy felt his heart sink. That was the indicator that the constructs were done and he could now head back. Sighing in regret, Roy packed away his books and forced himself back to his feet. He pulled on his now mostly dry undershirt, followed by his outer robe. He tied it closed with the length of braided rope and went to collect the constructs.