Amid White Waves, Striking Without a Trace

Inside the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall. Gaojiao Qi wore a look of longing, clenching his fists. "The Academy... I will get in!" Master Ye sighed. "The truly formidable people in the Walled City are all in the Academy. Triads and martial arts halls, to put it bluntly, are just the scraps tossed aside by the Academy. The Academy keeps far too low a profile, shrouded in secrecy, untouched by mundane affairs. Ordinary folks think Changle is the core of the Walled City, but little do they know that the Academy is the pillar holding up our heavens!" As an elder, Master Ye had borne witness to the Academy's rise. Back then, Mr. Ming and his followers—heavyweights hailing from over a hundred martial arts styles across the land—had founded the Academy together. From being dismissed by all to what it was today, it had become one of Xianghai's premier cradles of martial prodigies, giving rise to countless powerhouses. Even across the sea, the far more formidable martial arts community of Sheng held it in high esteem. Only by entering the Academy could one truly step into the wider world of martial arts! ... Night shrouded the Walled City as countless lights flickered to life like scattered stars. Inside Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, only Huang Sihai and his disciple Li Xiuwen remained. "Master, about what you mentioned earlier—waiving three months of my monthly fees and giving me two fish balls..." Li Xiuwen smiled. Huang Sihai replied, "Naturally, it stands. If you can truly enter the second floor two months from now, you won't ever have to pay monthly fees again." "Thank you, Master!" Li Xiuwen bowed. Huang Sihai offered a faint smile. "Those are mere side dishes. The movement technique I'm about to teach you is the real priceless treasure. Ordinary people couldn't learn it no matter how much they paid." Inwardly, Huang Sihai's heart was bleeding. Normally, this movement technique was only taught to second-floor disciples who paid an extra three thousand in tuition. Adding it all up, he was practically giving away five thousand eight hundred! Rounded off, that was... ten thousand! Just how many fools would he have to sweet-talk into taking him as a master to make that back? Huang Sihai produced a pale-gold manual from his breast pocket and said, "Memorize the manual first, then practice along with me." Li Xiuwen received it with both hands. On the cover were four bold characters: "Thousand Waves Drifting Light!" He chuckled. "Master, that's quite a poetic name for a movement technique. It sounds much more artistic than Flipping Sand Palm." Huang Sihai replied, "The name wasn't coined by the founding master; it was given by the founder's wife. She was a famed lady of letters from the Great Ying dynasty." The overarching mnemonic for Thousand Waves Drifting Light had only fourteen characters: "Flowers in mirrors, moons on water—all are void; a thousand waves pass, leaving no trace." To practice this technique, one had to imagine standing by the sea at night, watching thousands of billows roll beneath shimmering moonlight. One cultivated an agile, buoyant force, constantly lifting the body upward. Once brought to perfection, one could tread water over short distances—concealed amid white waves, striking without a trace, like a ferocious shark in the deep! ... That night, Li Xiuwen did not return home. Huang Sihai did not sleep either. It had been a long time since he poured so much effort into teaching a first-floor disciple. Weary from practice, Li Xiuwen took advantage of a break to ask, "Master, what does it take to reach entry level in Thousand Waves Drifting Light?" Huang Sihai replied with pride, "This movement technique is exquisitely subtle. In terms of difficulty, it ranks right at the top among our Sea Sand style's fighting techniques. It is several times harder than the Flipping Sand Palm. You'll be lucky if you can reach entry level within a week. Once you enter the threshold, you'll be able to sprint ten steps across water without sinking!" Nothing more was said that night. Having finished learning the technique, Li Xiuwen said, "Master, I won't be coming tomorrow. I'll rest at home for a bit." "Suit yourself." Weariness heavy in his eyes, Huang Sihai headed up to the second floor. Li Xiuwen held his posture buoyant as he left, practicing the agile force with every step on his way back. "Training methods, fighting techniques, movement arts, hard qigong... I'm not missing a thing now." ... When he arrived home, his aunt and uncle gathered around him at once. "Ah Wen? We heard you won your match at the martial arts hall?" The Walled City was not large. The Night Heron Martial Arts Hall had made a high-profile challenge visit yesterday, and because there had been spectators from outside the halls, word had spread within a small circle. Though his aunt and uncle hadn't had the time to go watch, they had asked someone to keep an eye on things. Li Xiuwen smiled. "Yes. Master said he'd waive three months of my fees. Going forward, you won't have to worry about my cultivation anymore—I can provide for myself." His uncle exclaimed with excitement, "Good, that's wonderful! You're becoming more impressive by the day!" After toiling for so long, Chen Ziyi could finally catch his breath for a while. He asked for nothing more now: just to run the factory properly, nurse his health, and see their family live in peace and joy. That was enough. ... Inside the Illusionary Realm, at the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall. "Today, I won't practice the Flipping Sand Palm—I'll train my movement technique." Movement arts also counted as fighting techniques, which meant they could be practiced inside the Illusionary Realm. Li Xiuwen selected Cheng Kuiqiang as his opponent, having him attack. Without striking back, he relied entirely on Thousand Waves Drifting Light to dodge. He trained like this for an entire two hours. Just as the heavenly incense burned out, a rustle came from the incense burner. A fifth stick of incense pulled free and began to burn. [Thousand Waves Drifting Light: Entry (1%)] "Heh, Old Huang said I'd be lucky to reach entry level in a week. Little does he know I have the Illusionary Realm. "A single night's sleep is all it takes! "Still, if my comprehension suddenly appears to have improved by leaps and bounds overnight, Old Huang might get suspicious. "Seven days is too slow to really make Old Huang value me, though... I'll tell him the day after tomorrow." Li Xiuwen took out one of the fish balls Old Huang had given him for free, swallowed it, and began his stake training. After a day of cultivation, his Sea Sand Stake made another noticeable leap. [Sea Sand Stake: Minor Success (44%) → Minor Success (50%)] [Stage: Purple Membrane (44%) → Purple Membrane (50%)] As his Purple Membrane progress breached the fifty-percent mark, that bluish-purple membrane completed its total transformation. The teal sheen faded entirely, replaced by a radiant purple glow, cold and ethereal. This meant that within the Purple Membrane stage, he was now an experienced hand, one of the foremost practitioners. "In terms of cultivation, I've left Cheng Kuiqiang and the others far behind." ... In the blink of an eye, two more days passed. Around the dining tables in the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall, the disciples were still discussing the challenge visit from three days prior. "Who would've thought that quiet Ah Wen would become this year's biggest dark horse? Do you think the contest for the second floor is actually up in the air now?" "Senior Brother Liu Chun just had bad luck running into Gaojiao Qi. In terms of raw strength, he still crushes Ah Wen. His spot on the second floor is guaranteed." "I wouldn't be so sure. Ah Wen learned a movement technique this time, giving him an extra trump card over Senior Brother Liu Chun. Who wins and who loses is hard to say." Hearing these whispers, Liu Chun, over on the training grounds, channeled all his frustration into his palm strikes, his forms growing increasingly vicious. Huang Sihai said, "Liu Chun, what does a single defeat matter? Besides, losing to Gaojiao Qi is nothing to be ashamed of. Don't be impatient." "I understand, Master... In the second-floor competition, I will defeat everyone fair and square!" Liu Chun stated resolutely. Just then, Li Xiuwen arrived at the martial arts hall. Many disciples took the initiative to greet him. Liu Chun felt conflicted. Fortune's wheel had turned, and now it was Ah Wen's time in the limelight. Li Xiuwen headed to the study, found Huang Sihai, and said, "Master, I think I've reached entry level in the movement technique." Huang Sihai's expression turned solemn as he stood up. "Treading water for ten steps without sinking?" Li Xiuwen smiled. "I tried it. It worked fine." Huang Sihai could not help but raise his estimation of Li Xiuwen another notch. *Could he be a diamond in the rough? Is this still not the limit of his comprehension?* Unconsciously, the balance in Old Huang's mind tipped away from Liu Chun and toward Li Xiuwen. He probably had not even realized that lately, he had been paying more attention to Li Xiuwen than to Liu Chun. Huang Sihai said, "Keep working hard. Entry level is only the beginning. Why, even among the second-floor disciples, many have yet to achieve major success in this technique. You still have a long way to go." ... In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of Li Xiuwen's second month studying martial arts. Yesterday, Zhao Dalong had called again, wanting to get together. Li Xiuwen was truly quite busy, so he politely declined. Not wishing to dampen Dalong's spirits, however, he promised that next time, he would drink three penalty cups by way of apology.