Volume Two: Inheriting the Legacy, Embroidered Uniforms Stained with Blood Chapter 130: The Four Poles of Formlessness

Jingkong said, "Since you two esteemed guests have proposed a three-bout challenge, it is not that our Great Brightness Temple seeks conflict; however, as you have come from afar to propose this, our temple must oblige. That said, although there has been a minor history between White Cloud Island and our temple, there is no true enmity between us. Let these three bouts be a friendly exchange; please refrain from causing injury."

Chi Danmei smiled enchantingly, "Rest assured, Master. We come only for a friendly exchange, not to foster grudges."

Jingkong was calculating in his heart. The demands clearly set forth by the visitors were to compete in formation tactics, hand-to-hand combat, and swordsmanship. Past his prime, he was discerning enough to realize that Bai Yuhe’s swordsmanship was undoubtedly exceptional. While the Great Brightness Temple had no shortage of masters in the way of the sword, their premier swordsman, Jingtong, had departed for the imperial capital to attend the Water and Land Grand Assembly. If Jingtong were present, he could have matched Bai Yuhe, but looking among the monks now, Jingkong feared no one could rival him. In the art of the sword, they had effectively lost before the first blow was struck.

Jingkong knew well that the Pure Heart Pavilion was the most sacred sanctum of the Great Brightness Temple. Housing the martial scriptures of successive generations, it was the very heart of the temple, guarded at all times and protected by hidden mechanisms. To let an outsider enter and glimpse the scriptures would be akin to having a dagger driven into the temple's heart. Had it been anyone else, the temple would have flatly refused, regardless of the odds of victory, never offering a chance for anyone to approach the pavilion. But being disciples of the Master of White Cloud Island, the situation was vastly different.

The Great Brightness Temple was no ordinary monastery; it was a royal temple. Since the founding of the Great Chu Dynasty, it had held a lofty status within the realm. It did not rely on the alms of pilgrims for survival, as it possessed its own fiefdoms which provided more than enough for its expenses. Buddhism flourished in Great Chu, and the populace held the faith in high regard. As the foremost temple in the world, the Great Brightness Temple stood as the beacon of Southern Chu Buddhism. While its monks did not venture out to proselytize, its transcendent status afforded it extraordinary influence. The Southern Chu court treated the temple with the utmost respect, and in reality, the temple served as a trump card for the dynasty. If the court controlled the secular government, the temple provided religious protection for that power; the two were mutually reinforcing and protective.

A typical monastery might not concern itself with the politics of Southern Chu, but the Great Brightness Temple could not afford to be so detached. Jingkong understood the precarious balance: while Northern Han and Southern Chu stood in confrontation, and Eastern Qi remained aloof, the intensifying conflict made it impossible for Eastern Qi to remain neutral forever. Both the North and the South were desperate to win Eastern Qi over. The fact that the Eastern Qi delegation had come to mourn the passing of the Southern Chu Emperor was a significant opportunity, and the Southern Chu court naturally placed great importance on them; otherwise, they would not have had the Vice Minister of Rites personally lead Chi Danmei and her party up the mountain.

Chi Danmei was a disciple of the Master of White Cloud Island, and that Master was the Imperial Preceptor of Eastern Qi. Jingkong knew that while the Master of White Cloud Island lived in seclusion on the island, preferring the life of a wandering crane, his status in Eastern Qi was transcendent. A single word from him could sway the national policy. Because of this, the Great Brightness Temple had to tread carefully for the sake of Southern Chu. To fall out with White Cloud Island would be to fall out with Eastern Qi, and the relationship between the two nations would inevitably suffer.

Knowing he could not refuse the three-bout challenge, Jingkong, as the leader, had to decide immediately without hesitation. He could not allow them into the Pure Heart Pavilion, yet he could not reject their terms. The only path was to secure two victories out of three. Since the swordsmanship bout was a lost cause, they had to win the other two. After weighing his options, Jingkong felt there was still a chance.

Jingneng stood up and said, "I have long heard that the Master of White Cloud Island’s martial arts have reached a divine, transcendent realm. Since you are his disciples, your skills must be extraordinary. I wish to challenge you in hand-to-hand combat. May I ask who will accept?"

Jingkong said sternly, "Junior Brother Jingneng, step back!" Though his tone was calm, it carried an undeniable authority. Jingneng paused, immediately understood, and bowed, "Yes." He harbored resentment toward these disciples and wished to teach them a lesson, but he knew that as disciples of the Master of White Cloud Island, they were no ordinary foes. Among the thirteen monks of Brightness, the Abbot was peerless. Jingneng knew his own martial arts were merely average, whereas Jingkong’s were among the top three in the temple. Since the three-bout agreement was made, they could not act on impulse; they had to consider the bigger picture. The Abbot himself would have to take the field for the hand-to-hand combat.

Chi Danmei swayed her voluptuous figure and giggled, "Masters, there is no need to argue. As guests from afar, should we not be the ones to choose how we compete?"

Jingkong, knowing her cunning, asked with a smile, "And what does the esteemed Lady Chi propose?" He remained guarded, not immediately agreeing to her terms.

Chi Danmei said, "Each side shall choose their own champions. We have six people here. For swordsmanship, my senior brother shall compete. For the formation battle, the four behind me will compete. As for hand-to-hand combat, I shall offer my own meager skills."

Jingkong nodded, "Very well. And what would you like to challenge first? Our temple focuses on Buddhist teachings and is sparse in martial arts, but we will oblige our guests."

Yang Ning watched on, quite relaxed. Whether the temple or the island won mattered little to him; he favored neither. He welcomed this opportunity to witness a grand spectacle in the Hall of Brightness.

Chi Danmei said, "I have heard your temple has over a dozen formations, the strongest being the 'Subduing Demon Formation' of thirty-six monks. We are not so arrogant as to challenge that with only four. However, I hear your 'Formless Formation' is composed of four; is that so?"

"Lady Chi is well-informed about our temple to know of the Formless Formation," Jingkong replied peacefully. "Indeed, it is a four-person formation."

Chi Danmei raised a jade arm, her slender finger gesturing forward. The four disciples in hemp robes behind her stepped forward, legs apart, hands behind their backs, their expressions cold. "My Master once took a fancy to creating a 'Four Poles Formation' and wishes to test it against your temple’s Formless Formation," Chi Danmei said. "Would that be acceptable?"

Jingkong clasped his hands, "A four-on-four formation is reasonable, fair, and just; I have no reason to refuse." His voice deepened. "Zhenxu, Zhezhao, Zhenhui, Zhenji! Form the Formless Formation!"

As he spoke, four figures emerged from the crowd. Yang Ning noted they all wore yellow belts—disciples of the Kongming Pavilion. The four stood opposite the four hemp-clad figures.

Chi Danmei giggled, "Listen, you four. Keep it to a friendly exchange and do not take lives. This is to fulfill the Master’s wish. If you four lose, you are to commit suicide at the foot of the mountain; we shall take your heads back to the Master!" Her smile remained flower-like and her voice sweet, yet her words sent a chill through the room. Jingkong frowned slightly but said nothing.

"Please!" one of the four monks said, before commanding, "Form up!" The four monks moved with ghostly speed, surrounding the four hemp-clad figures. The four in hemp remained silent, moving in unison to form a small, square formation.

Yang Ning had never truly seen masters deploy formations and found it quite novel. He noticed the two sides did not immediately engage, which puzzled him. He did not realize that unlike individual combat, victory in formation fighting required breaking the opponent's formation; merely injuring a member was not enough if the formation held. Both the Great Brightness Temple and White Cloud Island were top-tier sects, and their formations were not ordinary. They contained profound, hidden variations; a single lapse in judgment could lead to disastrous consequences.

The eight men stood still, observing the characteristics of the other’s formation, looking for a way to break it. To an outsider, they looked like men standing randomly, but the initiated knew this was the critical moment of the duel. The Hall of Brightness was dead silent, all eyes fixed on the eight figures.

Suddenly, a low shout rang out. The four monks lunged forward in unison. To the naked eye, they struck at the exact same moment, as if sharing a single mind. The four hemp-clad figures moved instantly as well. Within a heartbeat, the eight figures were intertwined, a chaotic flurry of motion. Yang Ning saw the monks as the aggressors while the hemp-clad figures seemed to hold their ground in a rigid square. At first, he could distinguish the monks from the outsiders, but soon, they were a blur of movement, and he could no longer tell them apart.