Book One: A Meteor Across the Sky Chapter 7: The Martial Maniac
He had once overheard his grandfather muttering to himself, calling him some sort of heaven-defying battle soul, a life filled with conquest and slaughter. At the time, he had been deeply shaken internally. But now, understanding that such an extraordinary phenomenon had actually occurred at his birth, the shock in his heart was a hundred times greater than before.
"So, Grandfather was just guessing back then. What kind of life will I ultimately have? No one knows," Dugu Baitian pondered silently to himself.
"Clutching a blood clot in hand, Baitian... Baitian."
He discovered that every time he uttered the words "Baitian," the flow of blood in his body quickened.
"Baitian, Baitian, Baitian, Baitian..."
He chanted loudly, over and over.
He felt his blood begin to boil, a towering, overwhelming fighting spirit rising from the depths of his heart, as if even gods and buddhas standing in his way would be utterly obliterated.
He quickly shut his mouth. It took a long time for his pounding "boom-boom" heart to calm down.
That night, he slept exceptionally soundly. The heartache caused by Situ Mingyue seemed to have lessened considerably overnight, while simultaneously, a powerful craving for "martial arts" surged intensely within him.
Early the next morning, Dugu Baitian ran to the backyard and found Dugu Feiyan practicing his martial arts. "Grandfather, I want to learn real martial arts. I want to become strong."
"Child, you are finally willing to study martial arts seriously. You have finally awakened. Before I teach you, let me first give you a brief introduction to our family and its martial heritage."
"We are a declining martial family. The majestic power that swept across the world a millennium ago, wielded by the generation's Martial Sage, Dugu Zhan Tian, is long gone. The glory of a thousand years past has become a bygone era. No one in the martial world remembers the Dugu family anymore. If anyone retains any impression, it's merely the name Dugu Zhan Tian himself."
"The peerless martial arts of our founding ancestor, Dugu Zhan Tian, are entirely contained within the black jade stone in your trouser pocket. There is only one line of spiritual imprint: 'Master all the third-rate martial arts of the continent, and ultimately achieve great success.' Unfortunately, no one has been able to decipher its meaning. I suspect there is a deeper mystery within, but thus far, no one has managed to comprehend it."
"Outsiders believe our Dugu family has long declined and ceased to exist. But that is not the case. Our Dugu family, passed down from the founding ancestor Dugu Zhan Tian, carries an undefeated lineage in our blood. Although for several centuries, the family's predecessors stubbornly pursued the secret of the black jade stone, ultimately gaining nothing, causing the family to plummet into decline. However, three hundred years ago, the family produced another proud genius who created the divine skill 'Immovable King,' instantly becoming a peerless master of that era."
"But this divine skill emphasizes cultivating the mind and nurturing one's nature. The deeper the mastery, the less one wishes to be involved in the mundane affairs of the martial world, preferring instead to roam freely in the mortal realm or laugh proudly amidst mountains and rivers. This is the reason why the Dugu family has become increasingly unknown to the outside world."
Dugu Baitian listened, dumbfounded, and it took him a long while to regain his composure.
"Grandfather, please teach me the 'Immovable King' now!"
"No. You may refer to this martial art later, but you absolutely cannot learn it now. From now on, I will explain the principles of basic martial arts to you every day."
"Why?" Dugu Baitian exclaimed.
"I told you, the 'Immovable King' emphasizes cultivating the mind and nurturing one's nature. The deeper the mastery, the less one wishes to be involved in mundane martial affairs. This contradicts your inherent nature and disposition. Not only would you find it difficult to master it fully, but you might also harm yourself."
A look of dejection spread across Dugu Baitian's face.
Dugu Feiyan laughed. "Child, don't be disappointed. A true warrior's martial arts need to be self-realized and self-created. Grandfather believes you are also a proud genius. One day, you will create your own martial art and become a supreme master."
Dugu Baitian swept the displeasure from his face, replacing it with a smile of powerful self-confidence. "Grandfather, thank you for your encouragement. I will definitely create a martial art that belongs to me alone. I want everyone on the continent to know the name Dugu Baitian; I want it to become synonymous with invincibility; I want it to become a belief."
Dugu Baitian was radiant with vigor, his face filled with an domineering air, possessing an aura that looked down upon the world, as if he alone was supreme.
Dugu Feiyan was secretly startled, unsure whether his grandson's entry into the martial world would bring blessing or catastrophe to the continent.
From then on, Changfeng Town gained a martial maniac, and this martial maniac was Dugu Baitian. From local ruffians to tall, brawny strongmen, and even those who knew a little martial arts, he challenged them all. Henceforth, the statement "If you're a man in Changfeng Town, you must walk around Dugu Baitian" became an accepted truth.
Finally, Dugu Baitian set his sights on the Situ family. The Situ family's rules forbade their young experts from leaving home freely, which ultimately provoked Dugu Baitian to come knocking at their door.
The Situ family had risen to prominence a century ago and had gradually grown stronger over the hundred years, with countless experts in the family. No one had ever dared to come challenge them at their home. Today, breaking a century of precedent, an eighteen-year-old child from the family across the way came to their door to fight. The family elders found it both laughable and irritating. They had watched this martial maniac grow up; how could they not understand his temperament? They were too embarrassed to teach him a lesson themselves, so they had the young members of the family deal with him, hoping to make him back down after realizing the difficulty.
To their astonishment, this former brawling fanatic, now martial maniac, actually defeated several of the Situ family's youths.
They had long known about the formidable toughness of Dugu Baitian's body; it was precisely this that had made him the king of the children in Changfeng Town in the past, a genius in street fighting. However, many years had passed. The Situ family's children had already learned their family's martial arts, yet they were still defeated by him, which greatly surprised them.
Situ Jingyun and the family elders finally realized that the reason for Dugu Baitian's victory lay not only in his reliance on his formidable body to unleash terrifying strength and speed, but also in his flawless execution of the essential principles behind the third-rate martial arts moves he employed. Extremely ordinary techniques often had the effect of transforming the腐朽 (rotten/decadent) into the magical. Often, a simple move like "Parting the Wild Horse's Mane" would be like a divine stroke, exquisitely perfect, like an antelope hanging by its horns—leaving no trace to follow.
The elders of the Situ family had to sigh in admiration. This person was born for martial arts, lived for combat. This youth's comprehension of the essential principles of techniques had already transcended the limitations of his current martial arts realm. Transforming the腐朽 into the magical was often the inevitable result when a grandmaster-level king-tier expert gained a profound understanding of the Zen-like state of martial arts. For Dugu Baitian to achieve this with only third-rate skills was enough to be proud of.
Finally, Situ Jingyun had no choice but to have his three sons, Situ Haoyue, Situ Aoyue, and Situ Minyue, take the field to spar with him, one after another. These three were cunning; they directly relied on their profound internal energy to clash with him head-on. No matter how deeply Dugu Baitian understood the principles of the techniques, it was useless. Their fighting style was actually similar to the trick Dugu Baitian often used when fighting as a child: victory through brute force.
They finally managed to send Dugu Baitian away. The family elders let out a long sigh of relief, but the shock in their hearts took a long time to subside. They knew this youth was no ordinary creature trapped in a pond; one day, he would surely soar into the sky.
But the next day, Dugu Baitian came knocking again. The Situ family was no longer peaceful from then on.
To prevent their home from being turned upside down, with the young disciples unable to focus on practicing martial arts, Situ Jingyun had no choice but to specially permit Situ Haoyue and his two brothers to spar with Dugu Baitian anytime, with the one condition that it couldn't be held within the Situ family premises. The three Situ brothers effectively gained their freedom. Their gratitude towards Dugu Baitian was truly like an endless flowing river or continuous mountain ranges—boundless and immense.
Another year when the flowers bloomed, another year passed. Dugu Baitian had fallen deeply in love with martial arts. The shadow of Situ Mingyue in his heart grew fainter, leaving only a slight heartache when he thought of her.
First love is like a poem, fresh, elegant, and stylish; first love is like a song, light,激昂 (passionate/rousing), and rhythmic; first love is like a lyric, subtle, deep, and meaningful.
Dugu Baitian deeply felt that he had been too impulsive in the past, too lacking in self-control. Even if Situ Mingyue had truly betrayed him, he shouldn't have been so颓废 (decadent/dejected).
He felt that regardless of the reason for the breakup, he should face first love with magnanimity. After all, she was the one who gave him the first warmth from the opposite sex, the first to give him genuine care, the first to give him passion and pursuit for love. Perhaps the next time he saw her, he could face her calmly. Thinking of this, his heart ached again with a faint, lingering pain.