136: Chapter 136 The Sect Leader's Gift: The Ancient Manual of the Thirteen Forms of Tai Chi

Section 1: The Occasion for Gifting the Ancient Manual: Resonance of Inheritance Philosophies

On the evening the global Listening Energy public welfare teaching event concluded, the lights in the Scripture Pavilion of Taiji Villa were brightly lit. Yang Mingyuan held a simple bronze lamp and stood before the bookshelf on the highest floor. His fingertips lightly brushed over a classic text wrapped in dark red silk. The silk was embroidered with a golden Taiji diagram, and although the corners were somewhat worn, it still exuded a solemn aura—this was the supreme treasure of Taiji Villa, the ancient manual of the "Taiji Thirteen Forms." For generations, only the Villa Master and direct Disciples were permitted to read it; even Yang Zhenting had only ever seen its cover.

Chen Wu followed Yang Mingyuan into the Scripture Pavilion, the unique ink fragrance of ancient books and the warm aura of the Leyline Qi Energy lingering in his nose. The "Taiji Guardian" bronze plaque inside the camphor wood box suddenly emitted a faint golden light, resonating with the ancient manual on the shelf. Pale green Qi Energy spread along the bookshelf, forming a miniature Taiji diagram around the manual. "Mr. Chen, do you know why I am bringing out this ancient manual?" Yang Mingyuan turned around, his eyes filled with a complex expression of hesitation and even greater expectation. "This ancient manual records Taiji's most core 'Thirteen Forms Source Energy Technique.' Since the Qing Dynasty, it has never been shared with outsiders. Even core descendants of the Villa must Cultivate for thirty years and fully comprehend the Triple Realm of Soft Energy to be qualified to read it."

Through the holographic projection in the Scripture Pavilion, the global live stream broadcast this scene to the entire world. 88 billion viewers held their breath, and the bullet chat was filled with exclamations: "The ancient manual! It's the Taiji Thirteen Forms!" "Is the Sect Head going to gift it to Teacher Chen? I'm so excited!" Lin Mo's tactical tablet quickly retrieved information on the "Taiji Thirteen Forms": "Records show that the Taiji Thirteen Forms is the foundational energy technique of the Taiji school, consisting of thirteen forms: Ward-off, Roll-back, Press, Push, Pluck, Split, Elbow, Shoulder-strike, Advance, Retreat, Look-left, Gaze-right, and Central-settling. Each form contains 'Yin and Yang Source Energy.' Practiced to the extreme, it can trigger the Qi Energy of heaven and earth. Only three descendants in history have fully mastered it, the last being the Taiji Villa Master Yang Shouren in 1920."

As Chen Wu looked at the ancient manual, the Qi Energy Core and the Qi Energy Taiji diagram in his Dantian resonated. His Xingji Soft Energy began to circulate involuntarily, gradually synchronizing with the Qi Energy frequency of the manual. "Sect Head, although this Junior has comprehended the Triple Realm of Soft Energy and attained basic mastery of Listening Energy, I am ultimately a descendant with a different surname. This manual is your villa's supreme treasure; I do not dare to overstep." He bowed respectfully—not because he didn't want the manual, but because he understood its significance for the Legacy and did not want to put Taiji Villa in a difficult position.

Yang Mingyuan took a step forward and gently placed the manual into Chen Wu's hands: "You are mistaken. The supreme treasures of traditional martial arts are never meant to be 'hidden'; they are meant to be 'passed on'." He opened the first page of the manual, where the words "The Taiji Thirteen Forms are not for private collection, but for traditional martial arts" were written in cinnabar on the yellowed paper. Beside it was Yang Shouren's annotation: "If one encounters a person worthy of the Legacy, it matters not if they have a different surname. The way of traditional martial arts lies in the Dao, not the surname." "Previously, I was always bound by the 'responsibility of the Villa Master,' feeling that the manual could only be passed to descendants of this villa," Yang Mingyuan's voice carried a sense of relief. "It wasn't until I saw you use Xingji Soft Energy to complete the 'Complete Explanation of Taiji Soft Energy' and saw your global public teaching of Listening Energy that I understood the deep meaning of our ancestor Yang Shouren. Passing this manual to you is more valuable than hiding it in the Scripture Pavilion. You can make it benefit more Martial Artists and truly allow the Taiji Thirteen Forms to flourish."

Grandpa Wang's dry tobacco pipe made a dull thud in the Scripture Pavilion as the old man pulled out the "Ancient Manual Chapter" of the "tombskeeper team records." Between the yellowed pages was a 1921 photograph of Chen Wu's Great-grandfather and Yang Shouren. On the back of the photo was written: "Taiji and Xingyi are originally of one family." "Your great-grandfather and Ancestor Yang Shouren were close friends back then. Ancestor Yang wanted to pass the foundational energy techniques of the Taiji Thirteen Forms to your great-grandfather, but unfortunately, the war prevented it," the pipe pointed at the manual. "Your receiving this manual today fulfills the wishes of two ancestors and is the destiny of traditional martial arts!" The bronze plaque in the camphor box and the ancient manual fully resonated, with pale gold and pale green Qi Energy intertwining to form a "Taiji-Xingji Symbiosis" totem in the center of the pavilion, as if witnessing this century-spanning inheritance.

Section 2: Deciphering the Ancient Manual: The True Essence of Yin and Yang Source Energy

Chen Wu held the ancient manual of the "Taiji Thirteen Forms," his fingertips lightly brushing the yellowed pages. The manual had thirteen pages in total, each corresponding to a form. Not only were there diagrams of the Moves, but also detailed annotations of the Qi Energy flow, and even cultivation insights from descendants of past generations. Most miraculously, when his Xingji Soft Energy was injected into the pages, the Moves in the diagrams would Move automatically, forming a 3D projection in the air that demonstrated the most standard energy trajectories, more intuitive than any instructional video.

"The first form, 'Ward-off,' is the foundation of the Taiji Thirteen Forms," Yang Mingyuan pointed to the first page. "What looks like a simple arm-raising movement actually contains 'Yin and Yang Source Energy'—the outside of the arm is Yang, and the inside is Yin. Yang energy focuses on defense, while Yin energy focuses on guiding. Both must circulate synchronously to achieve the effect of 'Ward-off being like a shield, yet able to guide energy.'" As he spoke, Innate Soft Energy expanded across his arm. The Yang energy on the outside was as hard as armor, while the Yin energy on the inside was as fluid as water, perfectly matching the energy technique in the projection.

Chen Wu practiced along with the projection, and his Xingji Soft Energy gradually merged with the Taiji Source Energy. The hard energy on the outside of his arm circulated according to the Yang energy trajectory, while the soft energy on the inside guided according to the Yin energy trajectory. When the two synchronized, a miraculous scene occurred: a pale green Qi Energy shield formed around his arm. Lin Mo intentionally poked at the shield with a Qi Energy pen; not only did the pen fail to pierce it, but it was guided by the Yin energy to change direction, sliding harmlessly to the side along the shield's trajectory. "It works!" Lin Mo's tablet showed that Chen Wu's Ward-off defense efficiency reached 90% and guiding efficiency reached 85%, far exceeding the average level of the young descendants of Taiji Villa.

The seventh page of the manual, "Elbow," caught Chen Wu's eye even more. The diagram noted: "Elbow energy does not rely solely on arm strength; it must borrow Dantian Qi Energy. Yang energy gathers at the tip of the elbow, while Yin energy disperses to the sides of the elbow. When hardness and softness complement each other, one can break defenses and dissipate force." Chen Wu practiced according to the diagram, gathering Xingji Hard Energy at the tip of his elbow and dispersing Xingji Soft Energy to the sides. He lightly struck a training post in the pavilion with his elbow. The hard energy hit the post like a thunderclap, but instead of causing violent destruction, it was guided by the soft energy into the base of the post. The post only swayed slightly, but the Qi Energy spread through it, shaking the surrounding dust in all directions.

"This is the true essence of 'Yin and Yang Source Energy'!" Yang Mingyuan's eyes were full of excitement. "Previously, when the villa's descendants practiced Elbow energy, either their hard energy was too strong and damaged the post, or their soft energy was too weak to break defenses. Your Fusion of Xingji Fist's hardness and softness perfectly interprets the essence of 'hardness breaks defense, softness dissipates force.' It's more authentic than the Elbow energy I've practiced for twenty years!" He also revealed that the final page of the manual hid a "Secret Realm Clue"—the gate to the "Pavilion of Supreme Treasures" in the Taiji Secret Realm required the "Central-settling" form of the Taiji Thirteen Forms to be fully unlocked. Previous descendants, unable to master Central-settling, had to force the door open, causing damage to some of the treasures.

The Flower Girl's inheritance grass bloomed beside the ancient manual. Its eight-colored petals gently covered the pages, and dewdrops rolled across the leaves, clarifying the blurred cultivation insights in the manual. For instance, on the "Press" page, the note "must borrow the opponent's force to press," which was originally blurred, showed under the reflection of the dewdrops as: "When the opponent's hard energy comes, I guide it with soft energy and use their hard energy to press back, achieving twice the result with half the effort." On the "Push" page, "sink Qi to Dantian" was supplemented with: "When sinking Qi to Dantian, Yang energy treads down while Yin energy lifts up; only with Yin-Yang balance is the push stable." "Elder Zhou said, 'The inheritance grass can awaken the memories of ancient manuals,'" the little girl's fingertip lightly touched a petal. "These clear insights can help you master the Taiji Thirteen Forms faster!"

In the global live stream's bullet chat, viewers were already impatient: "Teacher Chen, hurry up and practice Central-settling! Unlocking the Pavilion of Supreme Treasures depends on you!" "The ancient manual is so amazing, it even has Secret Realm clues. I'm so looking forward to it!" "Taiji Thirteen Forms + Xingji Fist will definitely be invincible!" The Technical Department's "Energy Fusion Analysis" showed that the compatibility between Chen Wu's Xingji Fist and the Taiji Thirteen Forms reached 92%. Specifically, the Fusion of Ward-off, Roll-back, Press, and Push had already reached 98%. He only needed another week of practice to fully master the basic energy techniques of the thirteen forms.

Section 3: Combat Drill: The Xingji Fusion of the Taiji Thirteen Forms

To test the Fusion effect of the Taiji Thirteen Forms and Xingji Fist, Yang Mingyuan proposed a "combat drill" at the Martial Arts Arena. Three core descendants of Taiji Villa would team up to attack Chen Wu using Taiji Power, and Chen Wu would respond with the fused Taiji Thirteen Forms. This would both demonstrate the energy techniques and test their combat effectiveness. The global live stream cameras focused on the Martial Arts Arena once again, as 90 billion viewers looked forward to this exciting "one against three" duel.

The three Taiji descendants were Yang Zhenting (Innate Soft Energy), Yang Zhenyu (Hard-Soft Energy), and Yang Ruoxi (Agile Soft Energy). The three stood in the Taiji Three Powers Formation, with soft energy expanding around them to form a pale green Qi Energy net, surrounding Chen Wu in the center. "Mr. Chen, we are about to attack!" Yang Zhenting was the first to act. The "Roll-back" of the Taiji Thirteen Forms expanded along the Qi Energy net, attempting to lead Chen Wu's soft energy astray. Yang Zhenyu simultaneously launched a "Press," his hard-soft energy pushing toward Chen Wu's chest. Yang Ruoxi used "Pluck," her agile soft energy entwining Chen Wu's arm like silk threads, trying to restrict his movements.

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Chen Wu took a deep breath. The Qi Energy pill in his Dantian spun rapidly, and the energy techniques of Xingji Fist and the Taiji Thirteen Forms flowed in synchronization—facing the Lu Energy, he used "Peng Energy" to defend; the Yang Energy on the outer side of his arms blocked the Qi Energy net, while the Yin Energy on the inside guided Yang Zhenting's soft energy to change direction. Facing the Ji Energy, he used "An Energy" to neutralize the force, sinking his Qi into his Dantian, stepping down with Yang Energy to stabilize his center of gravity, and lifting with Yin Energy to guide Yang Zhenyu's hard-soft energy toward the ground. Facing the Cai Energy, he used "Lie Energy" to break it; with a gentle twist of his arm, his soft energy coiled along the thread-like Cai Energy, instead guiding Yang Ruoxi's soft energy back onto herself, making her lose her balance.

"What a display of 'overcoming softness with softness'!" Grandmaster Yang Mingyuan's voice was filled with admiration. The attacks from the three Disciples not only failed to injure Chen Wu but were instead guided by his Fusion Energy Technique, causing their Qi Energies to interfere with each other and creating a flaw in the Qi Energy net. Seizing the opportunity, Chen Wu unleashed the "Jin Energy" of the Taiji Thirteen Forms. His footsteps were light yet steady as he moved through the flaw in the Qi Energy net, simultaneously using "Zhou Energy" to gently tap Yang Zhenting's arm—the hard energy broke the defense, the soft energy neutralized the force, and Yang Zhenting's soft energy was instantly disrupted, forcing him to retreat and adjust.

Seeing this, Yang Zhenyu and Yang Ruoxi immediately changed tactics, joining forces to launch a "Kao Energy" attack. Their soft energies merged into one, slamming toward Chen Wu's back. Chen Wu, however, remained unhurried. The "Ding Energy" of the Taiji Thirteen Forms was suddenly deployed—the Qi Energy in his Dantian instantly sank, the hard and soft energies perfectly balanced according to the Yin and Yang ratio, forming a stable Qi Energy field around his body. The Kao Energy slammed into the Qi Energy field and was completely rebounded, pushing Yang Zhenyu and Yang Ruoxi back three steps before they could barely steady themselves.

"Stop!" Grandmaster Yang Mingyuan immediately called a halt, his eyes full of shock. "Ding Energy! You actually comprehended Ding Energy in actual combat!" It must be known that Disciples of Taiji Villa on average take fifteen years of Cultivate to master the basics of Ding Energy. Chen Wu, relying only on the Secret Manual and actual combat, comprehended it in half a day—something that had never happened in the history of Taiji Villa. Slow-motion footage from the global live stream showed that in Chen Wu's Ding Energy field, the Yin and Yang energies were perfectly balanced at a 5:5 ratio without the slightest fluctuation, which was precisely the core of "Ding Energy"—"Yin and Yang balance, Qi Energy stability."

Lin Mo's tablet showed that Chen Wu's mastery of the Taiji Thirteen Forms had increased from 30% to 60%, with his mastery of Ding Energy reaching 80%. The Legacy System recorded a "Taiji Thirteen Forms Actual Combat Breakthrough," awarding 30,000 basic points, which doubled to 60,000. His total points exceeded 17.186 million, leaving him only 2.814 million away from redeeming the "Taiji-Xingji Fusion Module," further narrowing the gap in points needed for the Secret Realm exploration.

Global Legacy of the Secret Manual: A New Situation of Open Sharing

Chen Wu's Taiji Thirteen Forms sparring demonstration allowed traditional Martial Artists worldwide to see the value of the Secret Manual. Grandmaster Yang Mingyuan struck while the iron was hot, announcing the "Taiji Thirteen Forms Secret Manual Global Legacy Plan": "We will digitize the Secret Manual, remove the private clues regarding the Secret Realm, and distribute it for free to all traditional martial arts teaching centers worldwide. At the same time, in collaboration with Chen Wu's team, we will write the 'Taiji Thirteen Forms Xingji Fusion Tutorial,' combining Taiji Power with Xingji Fist so that traditional Martial Artists from different schools can learn. Additionally, we will open the 'Taiji Thirteen Forms Public Welfare Training Class' at Taiji Villa, held once a month, open to all Martial Artists worldwide, with all tuition fees used for the traditional martial arts universal benefit plan."

This decision instantly ignited the global traditional martial arts community. Nurse Emily in London was the first to sign up for the training class: "I want to learn the Taiji Thirteen Forms to use in traditional martial arts rehabilitation therapy at the hospital to help more patients!" Amir in Egypt applied to introduce the digitized Secret Manual to the pyramid teaching site: "After the children learn the Taiji Thirteen Forms, their soft energy will be more solid, and their Listening Energy will improve faster!" Volunteers in Syrian refugee camps sent a request for help: "We hope to apply for spots in the public welfare training class for the children, so they can find hope through traditional martial arts!" Real-time data from the Technical Department showed that in just 24 hours, reservations for the digitized Secret Manual exceeded 5 million copies, and enrollment for the public welfare training class surpassed 100,000, covering 180 countries.

When Chen Wu and Grandmaster Yang Mingyuan co-authored the "Taiji Thirteen Forms Xingji Fusion Tutorial," they specifically incorporated the concept of "tiered teaching": the basic level is suitable for ordinary Martial Artists, explaining a simplified version of the four forms—Peng, Lu, Ji, and An—which can be practiced for 20 minutes a day; the intermediate level is suitable for advanced Martial Artists, explaining the four forms of Cai, Lie, Zhou, and Kao, which need to be practiced in combination with Listening Energy; the high level is suitable for masters, explaining the five forms of Jin, Tui, Gu, Pan, and Ding, which require integrating one's own school's energy techniques—this ensures the universality of the teaching while avoiding "pulling up seedlings to help them grow."

The Flower Girl's inheritance grass bloomed at the tutorial writing site, its eight-colored petals unfolding toward the computer screen. Dewdrops rolled on the leaves, optimizing the energy technique diagrams in the tutorial to be more intuitive—the originally complex Qi Energy trajectories turned into colored lines under the reflection of the dewdrops, with red for Yang Energy, green for Yin Energy, and yellow for the balance points, making it easy for ordinary Martial Artists to understand at a glance. "Elder Zhou said, 'A good tutorial should be understandable by everyone,'" the young girl tapped the screen with her fingertip, "These colored diagrams can help teachers in rural teaching centers teach better and allow children to understand Yin and Yang energy faster!"

The "Secret Manual Legacy" special page on the global live stream updated the learning dynamics from various places in real-time: children at rural teaching centers in China practiced Peng Energy following the simplified diagrams, their movements immature but earnest; patients at the London hospital used the intermediate-level Cai Energy to assist in rehabilitation, and their range of arm motion gradually expanded; Martial Artists in front of the Egyptian pyramids used the high-level Ding Energy to stabilize their Qi Energy, improving their Listening Energy precision by 10%—these scenes were synthesized into a "Global Taiji Thirteen Forms Legacy Map" and played on the big screen at Taiji Villa, with each light point representing a piece of Legacy and a glimmer of hope.

Grandmaster Yang Mingyuan looked at the Legacy Map and suddenly remarked to Chen Wu with emotion: "In the past, I always worried that sharing the Secret Manual would cause Taiji Villa to lose its advantage. Now I realize that the advantage of traditional martial arts has never been 'exclusive Secret Manuals,' but rather 'everyone adding fuel to the fire.'" He gripped Chen Wu's hand. "You have shown me the future of traditional martial arts—open, shared, and integrated. Only such traditional martial arts can survive in the new era and go global!"

Eve of the Secret Realm: Preparations for Ding Energy and the Secret Manual

Three days before the Taiji Secret Realm opened, Chen Wu practiced the Taiji Thirteen Forms beside the "Origin Pool" at Taiji Villa every day. He spread the Secret Manual by the pool, and the Fusion of Xingji Fist and Taiji Power became increasingly smooth: Peng Energy could simultaneously defend against three soft energy attacks, An Energy could precisely neutralize hard energy 20% stronger than his own, and the range of his Ding Energy field expanded from 1 meter to 3 meters. Even Grandmaster Yang Mingyuan exclaimed, "Your Taiji Thirteen Forms have reached the level of a direct Disciple of the Villa, and you have even surpassed me in terms of Fusion."

Lin Mo's tablet showed that Chen Wu's mastery of the Taiji Thirteen Forms had reached 85%, and his Qi Energy stability rate for Ding Energy was 95%, fully meeting the requirements to unlock the gate of the Pavilion of Supreme Treasures. The Legacy System, due to his "Secret Manual Legacy Contribution," awarded an additional 50,000 basic points, which doubled to 100,000. His total points exceeded 17.286 million, leaving him only 2.714 million away from redeeming the "Taiji-Xingji Fusion Module"—based on the points reward for the Secret Realm exploration, as long as he successfully brought out the "Taiji-Xingji fusion jade," he would have enough points to complete another upgrade for Xingji Fist.

Lu Feng's security team and the Taiji Guard completed the "Final Security Plan for the Secret Realm": Lu Feng would take two team members to enter the Secret Realm with Chen Wu, carrying "Qi Energy first aid kits" and the "Secret Realm trap-breaking tools" recorded in the Secret Manual (such as Listening Energy stone fragments and Yin-Yang guiding jade pendants); Li Meng would lead the remaining team members to set up defenses at the entrance of the Secret Realm, forming a "dual defense line" with the assault team from the Special Incident Response Department to prevent overseas imitation organizations from seizing the opportunity to launch a sneak attack; the Technical Department installed "Qi Energy signal repeaters" inside the Secret Realm to ensure smooth communication, allowing for real-time contact even in the Pavilion of Supreme Treasures where signals were weak.

The Flower Girl mixed the "Vitality Dew" and "Resonance Dew" to create a "Secret Realm Energy Technique Strengthener," which she put into 10 miniature jade bottles and distributed to the team members entering the Secret Realm: "Elder Zhou said that although the Qi Energy in the Secret Realm is pure, it easily makes Martial Artists develop 'energy technique dependence,'" she handed the jade bottle to Chen Wu, "This strengthener can maintain the independence of your energy techniques, allowing you to use Taiji Power in the Secret Realm without affecting the hard-soft Fusion of Xingji Fist, and it can also increase the stability rate of Ding Energy at critical moments."

The final scene of the global live stream lingered on Chen Wu standing beside the Origin Pool, holding the "Taiji Thirteen Forms" Secret Manual—his Xingji energy and Taiji Power intertwined around his body, forming a perfect Taiji diagram. The Secret Manual glowed with a pale green light, and the Qi Energy from the Origin Pool flowed along his arms into his body, while the Qi Energy pill in his Dantian spun steadily and powerfully. The final lines of text in the bullet comments scrolled in unison: "The Secret Manual Legacy continues a new chapter, the Thirteen Forms energy fuses with Xingji; the Secret Realm opens, waiting to be explored, the light of traditional martial arts shines upon the world!"

This message was lit up simultaneously by 92 billion viewers, like a river of pale green light, illuminating the Origin Pool of Taiji Villa. Chen Wu knew that the "Taiji Thirteen Forms" Secret Manual was not only a gift from Taiji Villa but also a bridge for the Fusion of traditional martial arts; in the upcoming exploration of the Taiji Secret Realm, he would carry the wisdom of the Secret Manual, the stability of Ding Energy, and the hard-soft nature of Xingji Fist to search for the Taiji-Xingji fusion jade, allowing these two excellent energy techniques of traditional martial arts to truly coexist—this was the expectation of Taiji Villa, the expectation of traditional Martial Artists worldwide, and a crucial step for traditional martial arts culture to reach a new Peak.