Chapter 501: 500
This kid, what a deep secret he’s hiding.
“What stage has the Great Zen Master taught you in Panchen Finger?”
“One Finger Zen, just finished learning it.”
One Finger Zen? What One Finger Zen?
Ye Tian realized, “It’s the technique using one finger.”
She glanced at him, “That’s Panchen One Finger, and there’s also Panchen Two Fingers.”
“Right, right, right, there’s a move using two fingers that cos after, that’s the Panchen Two Fingers, yeah?”
The Esoteric Master nodded, “Correct, that indeed is the Panchen Two Fingers.”
“But the Great Zen Master said the na of this technique is just a na and not to dwell on it too much. If you obsess over these minor details, you’ll get caught up in appearances and won’t be able to master Panchen Finger.”
“Focusing on the aning rather than the form is the essence of Panchen Finger. From this perspective, your Panchen Finger has reached the stage of Xingyi, but you have also stalled at this level. Overemphasizing aning while ignoring the form is not a sustainable path. It seems that you have not mastered the second layer of Panchen Finger, right?”
“No. It seems like I almost grasped the threshold, but then I was lost in a daze, and couldn’t find the way. With one foot stepped in, but feeling uncomfortable, I could only step back and continue this recursion, a frustrating experience.”
“Try this.”
The Esoteric Master handed over a book, and Ye Tian took it and flipped through it, finding finger techniques similar to Panchen Finger, “What’s this? Also Panchen Finger?”
“No, just so simple auxiliary finger skills. Practicing these is just to give you so concept of form. You have grasped the aning of Panchen Finger. Form and aning cannot be separated; form is like the blade, and aning is the technique of using the blade. Have you ever seen any expert kill with the sword technique without using a weapon? Form and aning complent each other to exert the greatest power, but you are limited to the aning, not realizing that this too is getting caught up in appearances.”
Ye Tian didn’t pick up her thread of conversation but just kept flipping through the book, “Is there sothing particular about this finger technique?”
“The so-called convergence of all things follows the sa principle. Running begins with walking, singing begins with talking; everything has an origin. This finger technique follows the sa principle; they are all the most basic, most common techniques. So, if you practice these well, you should be able to master the form and aning of Panchen Finger.”
After saying this, Ye Tian saw her looking at him as if expecting him to say sothing.
Ye Tian lowered his head to continue reading the book, not finding anything particularly interesting, asking, “How long would it generally take for soone to master these?”
“It depends on individual talent.”
“How do you rate my talent?”
“Anyone who can master Panchen Finger is no ordinary person. So your talent should be not bad. However, there’s not much ti left for you; five days remain. After five days, it will be your day to take the stage for the Seizing Body Conference. That will be the day you fight for your life. Take good care of yourself.”
Her words sounded as if I’m the one who’s supposed to die.
“Boss, can’t you teach Panchen Finger first before anything else?”
The Esoteric Master sighed, “If Panchen Finger could be mastered by anyone, the temple wouldn’t need outsiders to protect the Buddha Bead Relics over the years.”
This sigh was filled with profound helplessness, but Ye Tian had no mind to analyze the emotions within it. What concerned him was how to save his own life, otherwise, he wouldn’t be so desperately playing with his two fingers.
Following the diagrams depicted in the book, Ye Tian brought together his right index and middle fingers, slowly waving them. But after a long ti, it was all in vain; forget about form, he even lost the aning in the end.
“This is not right, I can’t even enter the threshold? How am I supposed to make any progress?” Ye Tian asked, anwhile doubting the usefulness of this particular finger technique. To put it bluntly, he was not a Martial Artist; if it had no use, then it ant it was useless.
“Reflect on it more, don’t be too eager for quick success; otherwise, with your pace, everyone could beco an expert.”
Ye Tian tilted his head and asked, “Boss, if I master Panchen Finger, who would be more formidable, or the Great Zen Master?”
The Esoteric Master did not answer him, instead pointed at the ditation mat in front of the Buddha shrine, “Sit there and you’ll know.”
Ye Tian grimaced, “You’re not serious, are you?”
“Your mind is too impatient; if you are restless, you won’t be able to comprehend the subtleties of this finger technique. Even Bodhidharma faced the wall for eighty years, and you are unwilling to sit on a ditation mat. Go, sit on it. If you can’t comprehend this finger technique, at the Seizing Body Conference you’ll just have to rely on luck.”
Ye Tian obediently sat on the ditation mat.
Indeed, there was a dent under the cushion that made sitting very awkward. Ye Tian shifted several tis but couldn’t get comfortable.
Despite the discomfort, Ye Tian also understood that this was the key to how the Esoteric Master had achieved such cultivation.
“Do Masters all cultivate in this way?”
The Esoteric Master opened her eyes and said, “Not necessarily. The previous Great Zen Master cultivated at the bottom of a lake; amidst the cold winter, the lake was warm as early spring, all because the Great Zen Master’s cultivation reached the heavens. And the three Masters of the Pokun Sect, with Bodhi seeds in their hands, could thrive endlessly, adapting to circumstances. Both Skull Master and the Black Armored Master cultivated Blood Witchcraft, which can both kill and save lives, possessing mastery over life and death; a cultivation thod that also reaches the heavens. As for where they cultivate, they choose places that suit their heart’s desire, whether it’s the peak of a soaring snowy mountain or an 800-ter-deep natural cave. As for , maintaining focus is sufficient.”
“So it ans that where you cultivate totally depends on personal preference?”
The Esoteric Master’s expression turned slightly displeased, “The best place is the most suitable one. The biggest taboo in cultivation is an impatient and restless heart – at the least, it halts progression, and at worst, causes one’s efforts to co to nothing or even to go astray.”
Ye Tian stuck out his tongue and stopped talking, quietly closing his eyes.
Sitting upright on the ditation mat, with eyes closed, Ye Tian deliberated on the various techniques in the finger skill book in his mind.
The first technique was a simple Finger Flipping, with the index and middle fingers together, flipping from the inside of the palm to the outside. It was supposed to be a simple move, but Ye Tian’s dilemma was, why this move was designated as the first in the finger technique, without even a preparatory action.
As Ye Tian pondered in his mind, the movents of his hands didn’t stop either. His right-hand fingers sketched through the air, smoothly as flowing clouds and water, but upon closer inspection, one would see hesitant pauses in his motion, not as fluid as they seed. To the critical eye, it was downright clumsy.
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