He changed Tiwat

Knowing one's shortcomings allows for self-reflection; recognizing one's difficulties allows for self-improvement—this is the principle.

She only stayed in the Guhua Sect for three years. After completing her apprenticeship and returning home, she still had to take care of the business of the "Feiyun Chamber of Commerce" under the title of "Second Young Master". She had to "steal half a day of leisure" to "do chivalrous deeds", so she didn't have much time to continue to improve her martial arts.

In terms of strength, she was on par with her friends Hu Tao, Xiang Ling, and Chong Yun. However, she had been practicing martial arts for a much shorter time than these friends who had family traditions or had learned martial arts from immortals since childhood. It was as if she had made up for their ten years of hard work in three years.

Moreover, her martial arts skills have elements of self-discovery and self-creation. She single-handedly revived the reputation of the Ancient Hua Sect. Strictly speaking, her martial arts talent is superior to that of Hu Tao, Xiang Ling, and Chong Yun. Among the "Four Young Masters of Liyue", Xing Qiu should be the leader in terms of martial arts skills.

However, when compared to people her own age, her abilities are actually somewhat lacking—especially compared to that blonde traveler who appears to be her age, she is far inferior.

...So the person who fought alongside Brother Han against General Leidian and went to Yuanxia Palace was Ying, not her.

Even though she had deliberately followed Brother Han to Daoqi this time, the person who could truly help him on the battlefield was not her fellow disciple and "brother"—this matter had always made Xingqiu very unwilling.

She was determined to hone her martial arts skills upon entering the dojo. Not only did she want to help Brother Han become stronger, but she also wanted to become stronger herself, so that she could keep up with him and stay by his side.

She has been repeatedly thinking about Han Fulai's new interpretation of "pupil technique" during her teaching process, and trying to combine Han Fulai's "pupil technique" with the ancient Hua school's unique skills.

When you approach a question with a specific question in mind, it's always easier to discover the key points.

Xingqiu gradually discovered that some of the moves in her own "Ding'er Manual" were different from the others—they were closer to the "pupil technique" that Han Fulai had described.

All spear techniques have the key principle of "six harmonies," which is further divided into "inner three harmonies" and "outer three harmonies."

The "inner three harmonies" refer to "essence, energy, and spirit," while the "outer three harmonies" refer to "hand, eye, and body." Leaving aside the "inner three harmonies" which emphasize mental and spiritual cultivation, the "outer three harmonies" are the foundation that all spear techniques must focus on—"eyes arrive, hands arrive, and body arrive."

Simply put, wherever your eyes are aiming, your steps must follow to get within attack range, and then your gun must accurately strike the target location.

The principle is not complicated, but to achieve this in actual combat requires at least several years of dedicated practice. Real combat is not training against a stationary target; to hit the target with a single blow, one must have absolute control over the body and weapon, accurate judgment of attack distance, and the ability to predict the opponent's blocking, dodging, and other reactions.

With a long spear in hand, he can aim and shoot precisely on the battlefield. Whether in Liyue or Inazuma, he is qualified to serve as an instructor in the army.

Xingqiu's "Thrusting the Bright Method" has naturally reached the level of "External Three Harmonies." To have such skill in spear fighting at such a young age is something to be proud of. The "Thrusting the Bright Method" that she reinterpreted also has a higher practical value. The old leader of the Guhua Sect back then also praised her genius skills.

However, Xingqiu now has a new understanding of "Ci Ming Fa" or rather, of the entire Guhua School of martial arts.

"Free from all things and weightless, it cuts rain and shines light. It moves like a dragon or snake and cannot be caught. Its blue eyes are swords and its sidelong glances are spears."

—This is the secret manual of the ancient Hua School, which Xingqiu expounded from ancient books. It is also the martial arts insights that the founder of the ancient Hua School truly said and wrote down in person.

In fact, among all the existing martial arts classics of the Gu Hua School, only these two sentences were spoken by Gu Hua himself. All the others were compiled and elaborated by later generations and may not be Gu Hua's original intention.

These two sentences are the general principles of the martial arts techniques "Rain-Cutting Method" and "Bright-Stabbing Method".

Xingqiu's original understanding of this was "the eye of the gods": the phrase "free from matter and without weight" refers to elemental force, which is therefore free from matter and without weight. The following phrase, "He who cuts rain brings rain, he who pierces light brings light," is the name of the ancient Hua School's ultimate technique.

The phrase "moving like a dragon or snake, impossible to catch" emphasizes the agility of movement, preventing the enemy from locking onto the target.

"A blue eye is a sword, a sidelong glance is a spear" refers to the characteristics of the "Rain-Cutting Method" and the "Bright-Slaying Method".

"Rain-Cutting Technique" is a sword technique based on the concept of "straightforward action and direct application," with "straight thrust" as the core of its moves. Therefore, her "Rain Curtain Sword," generated from elemental power, also primarily uses straight thrusts as its attack method. Moves like "Painting Rain Enveloping the Mountain" are secondary, while the decisive move to defeat the enemy remains the simultaneous thrust of several swords in "Cutting Rain and Leaving Rainbow."

Rapier emphasizes precision; the sword's power is less than that of a spear, and attacks must strike vital points. Master Gu Hua used the metaphor of "blue eyes" to imply that when using swordsmanship, both eyes must be fixed on the opponent, accurately identifying their weaknesses.

Xingqiu compiled the sword manual based on this, which reads: "The sword splendor of ancient Hua is like rain or drifting splendor. Drifting splendor can be picked up, but rain lines are difficult to draw."

"Ci Ming Fa" is a spear technique. When facing an enemy with a spear, the posture is always sideways. Therefore, Master Gu Hua used "sideways glance" as a metaphor to indicate that the person and the spear are standing in a line, "the spear is in a line", the person and the spear are one, advancing and retreating together.

Xingqiu compiled the spear manual based on this, which reads: "The spear of the ancient Hua is as bright as a lamp. The lamp's brilliance is easily broken and scattered, but it can be gathered again like a burning sunset."

From a purely martial arts perspective, Xingqiu's explanations of the ancient Chinese spear and sword principles are all plausible. Her compiled mental techniques, combined with the elemental power of the "Eye of God," have consistently proven highly effective in actual combat.

But she always had a question in her heart—could she really make the "Liyue countryside as peaceful as a marketplace" by relying solely on the "Rain-Cutting Technique" and the "Brightness-Piercing Technique"? At least Xingqiu herself knew that she, as the holder of the Eye of God, did not have that ability.

But if, as Brother Han said, the "pupil technique" means that the Ancient Hua Ancestor possessed a pair of special eyes that could see the "death gap" in a person's body... then she, and her predecessors of the Ancient Hua Sect, were all wrong in their understanding of the Ancient Hua Sect's unique skills.

The true ancient Chinese martial arts are neither spears nor swords, but a set of movements that make one "detached from the material and weightless, moving like a dragon or snake and impossible to catch" regardless of the weapon used!

Chapter 360 Beat me, and I'll teach you how to defeat General Thunder [4k]

Han Fulai saw Xingqiu suddenly reach out and cover the gun manual on the table.

“…Wrong, all wrong,” she said.

Han Fulai was puzzled: "What's wrong?"

Xingqiu didn't answer. Instead, she pushed aside all the "teaching materials" she had painstakingly compiled and written on the table, just like a writer ruthlessly sweeping a table full of discarded manuscripts into the trash heap.

Han Fulai almost wailed out the word "rice wife" that started with "elegance" and ended with "butterfly" to Xingqiu—he had just been "taking a lesson" with Xingqiu and had seriously memorized the gun manual.

Memorizing those earthworm-like "Ding'er Pu" (a type of Chinese textbook) is no less difficult than memorizing the English for the postgraduate entrance exam. Even elite test-takers like Han Fulai had a headache from memorizing them. Then Xingqiu told him that the textbook was "wrong"... It's like a high school student suddenly hearing that the college entrance exam will be changed to a "new curriculum standard" next year, and suddenly the sky seems to have fallen.

Xingqiu then asked, "Brother Han, you said that you saw the young Gu Hua Ancestor in the illusion of Yuanxia Palace. At that time, Gu Hua Ancestor did not know martial arts, but he could cut through mountains and rocks with the power of his 'pupil technique'?"

Han Fulai didn't know why Xingqiu asked this question, but simply nodded.

Laziness is the standard for test-takers in small towns like Huaxia. They'd fight tooth and nail over something as simple as a school "campus run." Han Fulai is like that, and his roommates are all the same.

Although Gu Hua has some muscles, they are the kind of muscles that a young Shanghai playboy would work out at the gym to attract women. After working out for a while, he noticed that his roommates from Sichuan and Chongqing were secretly admiring him, so he gave up working out.

Therefore, Gu Hua is actually a complete novice in martial arts, and in a real fight, he would probably be no match for Xing Qiu, who could easily defeat him with one hand.

Xingqiu, however, seemed to have confirmed some crucial clue, and nodded silently: "...That's it...No wonder the power of the Ancient Hua Sect's ultimate techniques has always differed from historical records; it's precisely because we lack true 'pupil techniques'..."

She was, after all, a martial arts genius, and her understanding of martial arts principles far surpassed her age. She could expound on the unique skills of the Ancient Hua School based solely on the records in ancient books, which was enough to demonstrate her talent.

Unfortunately, the Guhua School itself has declined in its lineage, and there are no renowned masters or elders within the school who can guide her and help her reach even greater heights, which is why she has not yet made a breakthrough.

The information Han Fulai provided about "pupil techniques" just happened to resolve her doubts about the ancient Hua school of martial arts.

She suddenly stood up, ran to the wall of the dojo, and picked up a bamboo sword and a bamboo spear.

Then she tossed the bamboo spear to Han Fulai.

"Brother Han, lend me a hand!"

In fact, not only Han Fulai discovered that the martial arts of the Guhua School were flashy but impractical, but Xingqiu also experienced it firsthand.

The reason why Chairman Yun agreed to let her learn martial arts at the Guhua Sect was because he saw that the Guhua Sect's martial arts were flashy but impractical. He only wanted her to learn a few fancy moves to satisfy her martial arts fantasies. He never intended for her to actually learn martial arts.

If one really wants to learn martial arts, isn't the Yun family's "Flag Spear Technique" strong enough? Her cousin Yun Jin's "Flag Spear Technique" is so good that she could become an instructor in the Thousand Rock Army.

You must know that the Yun family had an ancestor named Yun Huang, who gave up the family business and only wanted to become a female knight-errant and wander the world. President Yun must be wary of Xing Qiu becoming the next Yun Huang...

In fact, Xingqiu's ability to develop his current martial arts skills was an accident in everyone's eyes. His achievements can be mainly attributed to two points—

First, she has divine eyes.

Secondly, she did not follow the ancient manual exactly when practicing.

Although Gu Hua is revered as the founder of the Gu Hua School, he has never established a school or accepted disciples.

Strictly speaking, Gu Hua's identity from beginning to end was that of a "wandering knight," not a "sect leader." After Bai Chen told him about the future, Gu Hua's "main task" became "to uphold justice and accumulate public support," leaving him with neither the time nor the inclination to teach his disciples.

The predecessor of the Gu Hua faction was a militia group composed of villagers who had been helped by Gu Hua. They called themselves the "Gu Hua Group" and followed Gu Hua voluntarily, without any formal master-disciple relationship between them. It is likely that these admirers could provide him with "power of will," which is why Gu Hua did not refuse the "Gu Hua Group's" pursuit, and this gradually evolved into the Gu Hua faction of later generations.

The martial arts of the Gu Hua School were essentially created by Gu Hua's followers who admired his heroic fighting style and learned them on their own. In other words, the martial arts of the Gu Hua School were "re-creations".

These "secondary creations" of martial arts were repeatedly "third" and "fourth" over thousands of years, eventually becoming the ancient manuals and unique techniques of the Guhua School that we know today.

Xingqiu's personality has always been unconventional, as evidenced by her decision to abandon her privileged life as a pampered young lady and instead choose to fight for justice. How could a mere ancient manual possibly restrain her?

She practiced the skills according to the ancient manual, but found that the effect in actual combat was not good. She did not think that she was practicing incorrectly, but that the ancient manual itself had problems and should be changed.

Such thoughts would certainly be considered "betraying one's master and ancestors" if they were placed on an ordinary disciple, but the declining Guhua Sect had no right to reprimand the second young master of the "Feiyun Chamber of Commerce" for being rebellious—Xingqiu had entered the sect with her own funds, and her tuition alone could support the entire Guhua Sect... Moreover, she also possessed the Divine Eye.

So the second young lady modified the ancient score according to her own ideas, and it actually turned out to be perfect.

The sword and spear manuals she taught Han Fulai were mostly modified by her in conjunction with the elemental properties of the Eye of God; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were Xingqiu's own creations.

Although the moves and movements retain many of the stances from ancient manuals, the actual application has undergone a process of refinement and simplification, making it quite different from the original.

Apart from a few moves that were appreciated by Xingqiu because they were "very martial arts-like" and her aesthetic sense, such as "Painting Rain Covering the Mountain," she modified all the other moves according to her own ideas.

Han Fulai learned spear techniques from her, but he didn't learn the "Gu Hua School's spear techniques"; instead, he learned the "Xing Qiu's spear techniques," except that both of these techniques were called "Ci Ming Fa" (刺明法).

The "moves that are very suitable for 'pupil techniques'" that Xingqiu just saw in her own spear manual were those ancient manual moves that looked rather "flashy but impractical" but were preserved because they "have a strong martial arts flavor".

In normal combat, these moves often create large openings due to their movements, and a missed strike can easily expose a weakness.

For example, the "Painting Rain Enveloping the Mountain" move involves a series of kicks in mid-air, which actually violates the fundamental principle of martial arts that "power originates from the ground." Other martial arts schools' series of kicks simply involve alternating rapid kicks with both legs, always keeping one foot firmly on the ground—only in this way can a person maintain balance, and only then can the kicks generate power.

If you can stay airborne like in "Painting Rain Enveloping the Mountain," it looks impressive, but in actual combat it's just a showy display. Not only are there many openings but the power is weak, and it's also difficult to connect with subsequent combos. If this move fails, you're just waiting to be beaten when you land.

Xingqiu's solution was to thrust out a water sword formed from water elements while kicking. This would not only make up for the lack of power but also have a surprising effect – after all, when people see you kicking, their attention is focused on their legs, and they won't be able to defend against the water sword that follows.

It is also thanks to having the Eye of God that Xingqiu was able to make these flashy but impractical moves both beautiful and effective.

Furthermore, the "Painting Rain Enveloping the Mountain" move is not effective in delivering a decisive blow in combat. Because someone spinning 360 degrees in mid-air can hardly concentrate on controlling water elemental attacks, her water swords are all pre-programmed with their directions. This makes it impossible to adjust the attack in time, and even if the move injures the enemy, it often misses vital points.

Xingqiu himself is certainly aware of the advantages and disadvantages of the move. He usually only uses this move when he has a chance of winning, or when the enemy is relatively weak and he can strike while posing.

—But what if the enemy would die as soon as your attack hits them?

The parts of these moves that are "flashy but impractical" become "feints," and the flaws revealed in the moves become "luring the enemy."

Imagine that when the ancient master Guhua was fighting his enemy, he unleashed these "ultimate moves." The enemy was overjoyed at the sight and was determined to take his life by taking advantage of Guhua's exposed weaknesses, even at the cost of minor injuries. However, he did not expect that the place where he was "minorly injured" was actually a "death trap," where touching it would result in instant death...

In the eyes of the onlookers of the "Gu Hua Group", it became the Gu Hua Ancestor's "Painting Rain Covering the Mountain" one-hit kill, strong, invincible, and super cool!

To imagine even further, if she could also see the "death gaps" on the enemy's body, and if she touched the "death gaps" on the enemy's body, the enemy would die... then she wouldn't need to specifically practice any sword or spear techniques, but should instead specialize in practicing a faster movement technique, using the most efficient way to thrust her weapon into the "death gaps" on the enemy's body.

Thinking further—if she could see the "death gap" on an enemy from hundreds or thousands of meters away, she would definitely throw away her sword and spear, these "short weapons," and run to the Moon Sea Pavilion to learn archery from Miss Gan Yu, so as to take the enemy's head from a thousand meters away!

She was certain that if firearms had existed on the continent of Teyvat thousands of years ago, that ancient ancestor would definitely have become a "sniper".

Xingqiu now fully understands the true meaning of the so-called "rain-cutting method" and "light-piercing method".

What's this about "the one who cuts the rain gets the rain, the one who pierces the light gets the light"? That's just something the literary grandmaster forced together to rhyme, just like Xin Yan would fill in any words for rhyme when writing rock lyrics... It's laughable that later generations racked their brains to come up with countless martial arts principles for it.

The "Rain-Cutting Method" cuts the "dead line" on the enemy's body; the "Bright-Point Thrust Method" stabs the "dead spot" on the enemy's body.

The ultimate goal of all of Master Guhua's techniques is to achieve these two things.

Considering the two weapons used by the ancient master Gu Hua—a greatsword and a spear—the true meaning of "a blue eye is a sword, a side glance is a spear" becomes equally clear.

"Blue eyes" is an appreciative gaze, looking at someone directly. Master Guhua meant that when facing an enemy head-on, one should use a greatsword to slash at the "death line" on the enemy's body. "Side glance" is a disdainful gaze, looking at someone out of the corner of one's eye. Master Guhua meant that one should take advantage of someone's unpreparedness to launch a sneak attack and use a long spear to stab the enemy's "death point".

Considering the "minor tricks" of the Guhua School, such as sprinkling lime and poison, this explanation is more in line with the style of the Guhua Ancestor. It seems that the Guhua Ancestor used these tricks to launch sneak attacks and ambushes when she was in a lowly position. The "heart manuals" left by the Guhua Ancestor and her brother Han's explanation that "heart method is the law of punishment" are exactly the same.

When people hear the phrase "winning people over with virtue," they usually think that "virtue" refers to "morality." But in the Guhua School, "not adhering to martial ethics" is the true meaning of "virtue"...

This kind of "unethical" Gu Hua Patriarch, coupled with a movement technique that is "weightless and detached from the material world, moving like a dragon or snake that cannot be caught," earned him the reputation of "the beacon of the underworld"—you can't hit him, and if he touches you, you die. Of course, he can kill demons and gods alike.

Having grasped the truth of the ancient Hua School's martial arts, Xingqiu, holding a bamboo sword, stepped into the bamboo forest.

Xingqiu stood in the woods, turning back with a slight smile.

“Brother Han, when Ancestor Gu Hua roamed Liyue, he relied on two things: ‘eye technique’ and ‘movement technique’.”

"'Rain-Cutting Technique' and 'Bright-Slaying Technique' are merely appearances. In reality, they are methods of attacking the 'Gap of Death' using 'Pupil Technique'. As long as the 'Gap of Death' can be seen, swordsmanship, spearmanship, even bows and arrows, magical artifacts, elemental power... any method that can help Ancestor Guhua strike the 'Gap of Death' can be considered a unique skill of our Guhua School. Even sprinkling lime or spitting fire wine, anything that can subdue the enemy is a good method."

“I don’t have the eyes to see the ‘Gap of Death,’ and neither do the past leaders of the Ancient Hua Sect. So the ancient manuals passed down in our sect, as well as the martial arts I have developed myself, are actually of no help to you.”

"As for the 'body technique' that the Ancient Master Hua was known for, which he described as 'detached from matter and weightless, moving like a dragon or snake that cannot be caught,' there is no lineage to it, and I have never learned it. It seems that the Ancient Master Hua had another extraordinary encounter back then, perhaps it was passed down by that fox girl named Bai Chen... In this regard, I still cannot help you..."

Han Fulai did not speak, nor did he show any disappointment.

He simply looked at her and listened quietly to what she was about to say.

He knew that Xingqiu must have thought of a way to help him.

Xingqiu smiled again: "Brother Han, you want to learn the 'Thorning Technique' in order to challenge General Lei Dian. General Lei Dian is known as the 'originator' of Inazuma martial arts, so he is not someone that can be defeated by conventional martial arts. Even if you really learn my spear technique and footwork, it will probably be useless against an opponent like General Lei Dian. Your only chance of winning is to use the 'Pupil Technique' to win by surprise."

"What you need isn't some gun technique, but a method to strike General Raiden's weakness with 'eye magic,' right?"

"Yes," Han Fu replied.

Xingqiu blinked: "But you already had that method. You've already defeated General Thunder once."

"In the Pure Land of One Heart, I once saw you, Brother Han, use the 'Spear of the God of War' to defeat General Thunder. Why not use the 'Spear of the God of War' again?"

Han Fulai honestly admitted: "That move was only able to be used with the help of the 'power of will' of the Inazuma people. Xingqiu, your 'Shenqiu Picking Up the Sword Record' helped me a lot in this regard... but I can no longer reproduce the 'God of War Spear'."

Xingqiu's smile was somewhat sly: "Because Brother Han, your duel with General Leidian this time wasn't for justice, but for...personal reasons?"

“…Yes.” Han Fulai nodded silently.

"Hmm... I knew it..."

Xingqiu casually picked up his longsword and twirled it a few times, then suddenly raised his hand and pointed the bamboo sword at Han Fulai's chest.

"Then, beat me and I'll teach you how to defeat General Thunder."

Chapter 361 Rain Beats Against Pear Blossoms, Doors Closed Deep, This Body Is Full of Ecstasy [4k]

"Beat me, and I'll teach you how to defeat General Thunder."

Although Xingqiu was smiling when she said this, her eyes were serious.