Chapter 43 - Shen Vs. Fa

My duel with Fa min was arranged for three days after I woke up.

As promised, I had invited General Bai who was slowly warming up to the idea of me being his son-in-law. Bai Fan was present, as were most of the Fa’s, even Min’s uncle had come to the estate to watch the duel.

We could probably have made a small fortune by selling tickets to the event, but I didn’t want to get Min in trouble, because he was about to break the taboo for harming a prince.

What a pain in the ass, that taboo.

I wore a yellow changshan with the Shen hanzi on the back, while Fa Min wore white with the Fa hanzi in black.

Master Fa began the ceremony by explaining “This duel is between Shen Mu and Fa Min for the Mastery of the Fa School of martial arts. It is a Martial Arts encounter, and only the baser form of elemental breathing will be permitted.”

That was news to me. I had thought we would forego the elemental breathing, but apparently, Min didn’t want that many handicaps.

“General Bai, will you please officiate?” Master Fa asked him because he was the highest official after me in the place, and as the third party, he should be impartial.

The man nodded stoically.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment. I used that time to center myself. Fa Min was not an easy opponent and I wouldn’t be using Chi magic to stay on top, I needed to be at my best.

I could either outlast him by using a mix of wood and wind elemental breathing, or I could go out with fire. Mixing elemental breathing techniques wasn’t easy and I was only beginning to understand how to do it… so it would probably be best to keep it simple until I mastered it.

He knew that I liked to get a sense of my enemies before a fight, but in this case, we knew each other well.

Deciding to break the mold, I began the fire-breathing technique.

I would attack first and see how he would react.

I opened my eyes to see Fa min doing the same.

We cupped our fists in unison and bowed.

“Do not hold back” Fa Min advised “I will give this fight my everything.”

I smiled at him “You are a rare breed, Fa Min. It is an honor to fight with you.”

Remembering our first duel, I adopted the crane style.

He smiled and adopted the snake style.

“This brings back memories,” we said in unison, smiling.

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(From General Bai’s perspective)

I had thought the duel to be a mere formality, having heard the rumors about the star pupil of Fa He Long. And especially after seeing his duel with prince Hui a little over five years ago.

But that was then, and this was now.

The two men before me were very impressive.

They traded blows as if their fists were the wind itself. The prince flowed from one style to the next as if there was no difference between them, which was surprising in itself; but the most surprising thing was that Fa Min was the same. Yes, he wasn’t as fluid as the prince, but he was still very good.

Min evaded a kick by switching from snake to puma in an impossible short instant and retaliated with a string of punches that had the prince on the defensive until he too changed styles.

However, in an instant, something in the prince’s demeanor changed and I could feel the hair on the back of my head rise.

I didn’t know what was going on until I heard my daughter gasp.

I looked away from the fight for an instant, and when my eyes returned to it, I understood what she had seen.

I had been so focused on the exchange that I missed the appearance of the prince.

His clothes were billowing to a nonexistent wind, while his aura shone brightly for all to see… After a moment, the light took form and I couldn’t help but gulp as a dragon made of pure golden light surrounded him.

“Oh dear.” I turned to my left where Fa He Long sat overseeing the duel. The man’s tone was a mixture of pride and worry.

“Wh-what is happening to the prince?” I asked him

His wise eyes were sparkling as he looked at me “it seems the fight has awakened Shen Mu’s spirit animal.”

“His what?” I asked, my eyes going back to the prince, who was on the offensive now. Poor Fa Min was finding it very hard to evade now. It was as if his speed had multiplied.

Fa He Long continued explaining while I stared in awe as both martial artists fought with renewed vigor.

“There are Dao manuals where it is said that everyone has a spiritual form that can only be achieved through strenuous training and meditation. It is common for martial artists to feel a connection to a certain style or form, which is theorized to be a link to our spirit animal. When a person who is a Master uses that preferred style, he feels stronger…. But when a cultivator does it, he can feel the animal coming forth to help.

“Shen Mu is a cultivator like no other I have ever had the honor of teaching. It is as if his spirit already knows the way through the tribulations… as if it is waiting for him to reach the end of the road.” Fa He Long watched his star pupil with an unreadable smile “I am certain that he will achieve divinity one day… or come very close to it. And it seems that his spirit has already decided on its final form.”

The words of the man who was regarded as a National Treasure touched something in me and I too believed that we were witnessing the start of a great legend.

Knowing that he was the man Fan’er had decided to marry, made me incredibly happy.