The Master’s Enigma of Yin and Yang

This question caught me off guard, prompting a moment of reflection. As I recalled the scarce records within the *Jianghu Annals* concerning the *Sunflower Manual* and its lesser counterpart, the *Evil-Ward Swordplay*, a sudden realization struck me.

It seemed every practitioner who had mastered these unorthodox martial arts had been a man—or rather, had *originally* been a man.

” ‘This, your disciple does not know. Please enlighten me, Master.’ ” I pondered, yet no answer emerged, intensifying the strangeness of the situation. It was commonly understood that men, with their inherent Yang nature, were compelled to castrate themselves to cultivate this particular martial art.

Logic would suggest that women, possessing an innate Yin essence, should be far more suited to its practice. Why, then, throughout centuries of the martial world’s tumultuous history, had not a single woman ever successfully mastered this technique?

‘Could it be that the heroines of the martial world, centuries ago, were prescient? Did they perhaps foresee the current gender imbalance in the Heavenly Dynasty, and thus deliberately left the opportunity for self-castration and cultivation entirely to men?’

‘In a way, this would have helped alleviate the burden some men in the contemporary martial world faced in finding wives.’

Upon hearing my inquiry, the old master offered a profound, enigmatic smile from the shadows. Then, his voice, slow and deliberate, drifted towards me. ” ‘My dear disciple, do you understand the principles of Yin and Yang, of Taiji and the Two Poles?’ ”

” ‘Only a little, just a rudimentary understanding,’ ” I admitted, a hint of embarrassment coloring my tone.

” ‘Heh heh, a rudimentary understanding is quite sufficient,’ ” he chuckled. ” ‘The reason women cannot cultivate the *Sunflower Manual* becomes clear with even a basic grasp of Yin and Yang principles.’ ”

He paused for a moment, then continued, ” ‘The *Sunflower Manual* earns its reputation as a peerless martial art because the internal energy cultivated through its teachings is exceptionally pure. It closely resembles a woman’s innate ultimate Yin energy, granting it extraordinary power and making it virtually invincible.’ ”

” ‘However, according to the profound truth of the Two Principles giving birth to all things, and Yin and Yang counteracting each other, this ultimate Yin and pure internal energy will inevitably spiral out of control if it lacks a comparable innate primal Yang energy to restrain it.’ ”

” ‘In such a case, the consequences range from the dissipation of true qi and the complete loss of martial arts, to the more severe outcome of destroyed meridians and explosive death. While some internal cultivation methods with a more masculine nature can be practiced by women, it is exceedingly difficult—almost impossible—to cultivate the innate Yang qi needed to truly rival the ultimate Yin energy of the *Sunflower Manual*.’ ”

” ‘Thus, despite this martial art being the epitome of Yin and softness, over countless centuries, no woman has ever succeeded in mastering the *Sunflower Manual*.’ ”

Hearing his coherent explanation, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of secret astonishment. I nodded repeatedly, absorbing his words. ” ‘So that’s the truth of it! Your disciple has truly been enlightened!’ ”

He offered a faint, knowing smile at my words, then continued. ” ‘Men, however, are a different case entirely. Regardless of their martial prowess, they are born with an inherent ultimate Yang energy. The challenge lies in the sheer potency of this Yang.’ ”

” ‘When one first attempts to cultivate the *Sunflower Manual* with such an ultimate Yang body, the resulting clash between Yin and Yang will cause immense strain, severely damaging the meridians and crippling their martial arts.’ ”

” ‘Therefore, to truly practice the *Sunflower Manual*, one must undergo self-castration to diminish their primal Yang. This allows the ultimate Yin internal energy cultivated from the *Sunflower Manual* to assert dominance, preventing both qi deviation and the catastrophic destruction of meridians!’ ”

This profound, innate principle of Yin and Yang coexisting and counteracting left me somewhat disoriented. Nevertheless, I could at least partially grasp the precise origin of sayings like, “To cultivate divine power, draw the blade and castrate yourself.”

Even so, I found myself growing increasingly curious about Master’s reasons for divulging all this information to me.

” ‘Hmm, your disciple can understand some of it, but I still don’t grasp the specific connection between what Master is saying and not needing to castrate oneself for cultivation.’ ”

” ‘According to your earlier explanation, Master, isn’t there truly no other path to cultivating the *Sunflower Manual* apart from self-castration to diminish one’s Yang?’ ”

” ‘My foolish disciple,’ ” he chided gently. ” ‘The purpose of diminishing one’s Yang meridians for cultivation is to weaken the Yang energy at the outset of practicing this internal art, thereby allowing the pure Yin internal energy to gain dominance.’ ”

” ‘However, the residual innate Yang energy acts as a crucial restraint, preventing qi deviation. Subsequently, as the pure Yin internal energy cultivated from the *Sunflower Manual* progressively deepens each day, the innate Yang energy must also gradually increase to effectively control this true qi.’ ”

” ‘If this internal art is cultivated to its pinnacle, the innate Yang energy within the body—the force that restrains the Yin energy—will be nearly identical to what it was before self-castration. The only difference is that due to the initial process of weakening Yang to nourish Yin, and the inversion of guest and host, the internal aura will consistently remain dominated by the power of Yin and softness.’ ” He spoke voluminously, his explanation flowing without interruption.

The more I listened, the more bewildered I became. I waited until he paused, seemingly for a brief rest, before finally interjecting. ” ‘But, your disciple still doesn’t understand. What does this have to do with not needing to castr… not needing to draw the blade and castrate oneself?’ ”

” ‘You appear shrewd, young man, yet in practice, you are utterly obtuse!’ ” he exclaimed, shaking his head with a hint of exasperation. ” ‘If drawing the blade and self-castration is merely a temporary expedient to *begin* cultivating the *Sunflower Manual*, and later, once the divine skill is fully perfected, the innate Yang energy within the body has already returned to its original state…’ ”

” ‘Then, if one could possess the perfected Yin-soft internal energy from the very outset, wouldn’t they be able to make the Yin energy dominant without ever needing to castrate themselves, and thereby master this divine art?’ ”

” ‘Furthermore, since Yin and Yang energies, despite their differing roles, tend towards a balanced mutual restraint, there would be no risk of internal energy spiraling out of control or qi deviation!’ ”

” ‘But, Master, how could something like cultivating internal energy possibly reach a state of complete mastery right from the very beginning?’ ” Feeling a touch of injustice at his chiding, I promptly voiced my thoughts without further reservation.

” ‘Since your Master dares to make such a claim, it naturally follows that there is a method for you, my disciple, to achieve full mastery of this divine skill from the very outset!’ ”

” ‘What? Do you not trust your Master?’ ” He seemed to catch the hint of resentment in my tone, yet merely offered a slight, indifferent chuckle in response.

I was stunned once more by his words, and found myself mumbling, ” ‘It’s not that I don’t believe you, Master. It’s just that this matter seems a bit too…’ ”

” ‘A bit too fanciful, perhaps? A mere pipe dream?’ ” he inquired, a slight smile playing on his lips.

” ‘Your disciple would not dare to speak ill of Master,’ ” I retorted. ” ‘However, if there truly were a method that allowed one to achieve full mastery of a divine skill from the very beginning, then martial arts academies like Tianwu University would seem utterly superfluous. Everyone would simply be able to directly master peerless martial arts!’ ”

I felt a touch underestimated by his words, which made my own reply a little less deferential than it might have been.

” ‘Your words are not entirely incorrect,’ ” he conceded, his tone softening slightly. ” ‘It is merely that you, my disciple, have not yet grasped your Master’s method. Indeed, there exists no way in this world for one to achieve instant, gratuitous mastery of martial arts.’ ”

” ‘However, if this method were not without its severe cost, then such a feat might indeed be possible!’ ” He answered with a faint, distant air, and for a fleeting moment, an ineffable melancholy seemed to cloud his features.

” ‘Master, you…’ ” I began, having noticed the sudden shift in his demeanor, unable to stop myself from calling out.

He merely waved a dismissive hand. The melancholic expression vanished as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by an air of solemn gravity.

” ‘If your Master were to directly transfer to you this ultimate Yin internal energy, cultivated from the *Sunflower Manual* and long since perfected to its apex, then wouldn’t that suffice?’ “