Master of All Masters: The Central Kingdom

By Khen F. Chu

Martial arts and kung fu movies have been quite popular in the English-speaking world for many years since Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan came to prominence. In recent years, some authors have included kung fu elements in writing action novels. Still, fictional novels about the wuxia (the translation of which is “martial arts and chivalry”) genre are rarely seen written in English.
As martial arts are about movements and actions, attempts to write books based on martial arts stories can be met with many difficulties. This book is written from the perspective of how the Chinese view the world of martial arts.
The Central Kingdom is the first book of the Master of All Masters series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Mar 14, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543406641

Khen F. Chu

Khen Chu was an immigrant to Australia in the eighties, and he, like many others, worked very hard throughout his career to provide a better life for his family. Khen has a bachelor of science degree from London and has extensive experience in the banking and IT industries. He is at present the chief operation officer of a mining company based in the Solomon Islands. Khen has always enjoyed reading. Five years ago, even when his life was still extremely hectic, he decided to put his thoughts into writing for a change. After returning from his long days of work, he would spend two to three hours writing every night before he headed to sleep. Master of All Masters: The Central Kingdom is Khen's first novel, and he is currently working on the second book of the Master of All Masters series. The series will be a trilogy.

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Copyright © 2018 by Khen F. Chu.

Library of Congress Control Number:    2018901997

ISBN:                Hardcover                978-1-5434-0666-5

                          Softcover                  978-1-5434-0665-8

                          eBook                      978-1-5434-0664-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 03/13/2018

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CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

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CHAPTER 1     The Warrior Circle

CHAPTER 2     Rhythm of Remedy

CHAPTER 3     The Shaolin Grand Master

CHAPTER 4     The Forbidden Pill

CHAPTER 5     Journey to the Central Kingdom

CHAPTER 6     Principle of Yijin Jing

CHAPTER 7     The Young Warrior from Tai Chi School

CHAPTER 8     The Fearless Sword

CHAPTER 9     The Assassin

CHAPTER 10   The Mystery of Acupuncture

CHAPTER 11   The Impenetrable Block

CHAPTER 12   Dragon Palms vs. Dragon Palms

CHAPTER 13   The East Martial Arts Family

CHAPTER 14   Leader of the Beggars

CHAPTER 15   Summit of Mount Fall

CHAPTER 16   The Secret Healing Place

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT THE BOOK

PROLOGUE

I N THE CENTRAL Kingdom, the warriors practise their martial arts in many different styles, and they gather in groups to form their schools and sects. As their masters always keep their fighting skills secret, very few of them are allowed to learn martial arts from more than one sc hool.

Brought up among the warrior circle by a pair of elite warriors, Burnu possessed tremendous inner power that made him stand out from the other young warriors. His power enabled him to master different forms of martial arts and would lead him to his destiny as a master of his own right within the kingdom.

The warriors from the Central Kingdom had engaged in several battles with the Yuan, their traditional rival warriors, in the past. Burnu’s remarkable talent in various forms of martial arts inspired many young warriors who later on became his friends and followers. Together they united to fight back against a crucial challenge from the Yuan.

CHAPTER 1

The Warrior Circle

W ARRIORS OF THE Central Kingdom believed the balance of the universe relied on yin and yang, two contrasting but coherent forces of energy. These two forces exist everywhere and dwell within everyone. By accumulating this source of energy, a person could have unlimited power to master the different martial arts and be capable of commanding all the martial arts schools and sects in the warrior circle. Ultimately, the individual would become the master of all mas ters.

The Central Kingdom had been in constant conflict with its western neighbour for centuries, and the latest war against the Yuan happened about forty years ago. The Yuan were a tribal nation who lived in a vast area stretching from the Great Western Desert to the grassland the Yuan called the Oasis. In this region, they had formed a kingdom consisting of their five largest tribes. The symbolic meanings of colours played an important role in the lives of the Yuan people. Because of this, each tribe was discerned by the colour of its banner. The banners of the five largest tribes were blue, green, red, white, and yellow.

Most of the people in the Yuan were originally cattle and sheep farmers. Although they had become more organised and built up new townships in the last hundred years, many of them still preferred the traditional ways of life. Their nomadic character made it hard for them to settle in any place for too long. Clashes often arose when they inadvertently crossed into neighbouring territories.

Yuan warriors loved to hunt and often competed among themselves. They were good horsemen who could ride and fight well at the same time. Their skills in martial arts were developed from their experiences in hunting and battles.

In time, when the climate changed and weather was harsh, the animals needed more land and water. People from the Yuan began to move towards the border near the Central Kingdom. Conflicts grew when both sides fought to safeguard their homeland. Yuan warriors were aggressive and daring. Even if they were beaten back repeatedly, they never ceased to challenge their neighbour, who was many times their size.

The history of the Central Kingdom dated back over four thousand years. It was a huge country with a very large population. Many people of this kingdom had lived in a stable society for a long time, so it was not hard to understand why they were so terrified of war. In the last devastating war against the Yuan, the confrontations left people living along the border region in a state of shock and disarray. Soldiers and warriors of the Yuan were on the rampage, destroying all the villages near the border, before they were finally stopped by Central Kingdom warriors.

The warriors in the Central Kingdom always emphasised self-defence as the root for learning martial arts. But the subsequent development of martial arts over the past few centuries placed more stress on combat and weapon-fighting techniques.

Over the years, various martial arts styles were found and developed by different masters. Most of the masters had their followers, and they went on to set up their schools and sects. While it was good that the martial arts continued advancing and started to thrive in many directions, this often resulted in disagreements among the warriors from different martial arts backgrounds. As quarrels between different schools and sects continued, seven of the leading martial arts schools agreed to form a warrior circle to govern the conduct of warriors and serve as a community to settle their grievances.

The warriors played an important role in defending their country. The emperor of the Central Kingdom entrusted the elite warriors with the training of his army; they were trusted guardians of his palace and valiant defenders of his kingdom.

To protect the Central Kingdom from the assault of the Yuan warriors, the seven leading schools and the largest sect of the country gathered hundreds of their warriors and marched to the border. In two decisive battles, they completely overcame their enemies.

Almost forty years had elapsed since the last war. Talks of resolving the territory dispute had never been fully settled, but the border dividing the two countries had been open for traders and travellers for some years. Border towns had slowly flourished, and people who lived there were once again able to live in peace—at least for now.

It was a fine day. The clouds drifted by in the sunny sky, and a cool breeze gently rustled the surrounding trees. But there was something in the air that disrupted this serene and peaceful scene. The silhouettes of two men were seen sparring aggressively on top of the hill. The fighters were warriors from two of the leading martial arts schools. They fought to decide who was better and stronger in their respective forms of martial arts. It was common for warriors in those days to battle each other to achieve higher recognition in the warrior circle. Sometimes the contest was a serious one, although in this particular match the two warriors were actually good friends.

One of the figures was considerably taller than the other, and his style of fighting involved a string of fast kicking movements. The other figure, almost a head shorter, blocked his opponent’s kicks with his strong, muscular arms. The taller fighter had a long face with a pair of prominent and dark eyebrows. He looked to be in his early twenties. His forehead was wrapped with a purple headband that featured a man performing a flying kick. His uniform was slightly flared. It matched his headband and had the same symbol emblazoned on its upper-left chest area. His name was Rocco.

The other fighter was called Ming—a common name in the Central Kingdom. His look was completely different to Rocco’s. His strong arms bore various scars that shone under the bright and reflecting sunlight. Ming wore a long, flowing, blood-red robe. A black belt with very thin blood-red stripes was wrapped around his waist. He had glossy black hair and was about same age as Rocco.

We don’t seem to be able to decide this time, Ming called out after blocking a string of kicks from Rocco.

This is our eighth meeting since our first fight, so I guess there is no need to rush. Let’s take a break, Rocco answered.

Rocco changed his stance to a stationary form as he spoke. Ming did the same. The two exhaled, looked straight forward, and bowed courteously at each other.

They walked slowly to rest under a tree, where they had left their water flasks, snacks, and spare clothing.

So who do you think will be the champion for this year? Rocco asked casually after wiping the sweat from his face with a towel.

It will be Alan or Ye. I can’t see anyone beating either of them, Ming replied without hesitation.

Ye is good at the pattern, but Alan is better in freestyle. I think it will be a very close call between the two, Rocco said. "The pattern’ referred to a series of kicking and punching movements that had to be performed in a particular style. It was the exact opposite of freestyle.

Ming and Rocco had been practising for the under-twenty-five tournament held between their schools. Both schools took their turns holding the event each year. It was intended to encourage young warriors to achieve to their best potential.

The place where Ming and Rocco had chosen to practise was not far from their schools. Hailin was a small country town that was well located for them to meet. No one would disturb them there, as the only people living in the area were farmers who were busy with their tea harvest. Not a soul was around during their practice, since they started in the morning.

Ming took a couple of sweet buns from his bag. He took a bite of one and handed the other to Rocco. What would you like to do next? Ming asked. Both were about to graduate from their schools, and what lay ahead of them seemed to be somewhat uncertain.

Rocco shrugged. I’ve not decided yet. An instructor in my class told me he has contact with a security agency. The firm hires warriors to work as security guards. I will give that a go.

I’d like to be an instructor with the army, Ming said, but he did not sound confident.

It’s well known they always pick warriors from the top schools—not easy for you to get in there. Rocco shook his head. After a pause, he added, It’ll be even harder for me.

I’ve heard they are more lenient nowadays—especially to people who are not born here, Ming said quickly. This time he sounded a bit more certain.

Rocco did not answer. After a short silence, he changed the topic. There are rumours about the Yuan warriors. They may be up to no good. Did you hear about the recent intrusion?

Yes, I heard about it. Happened two months ago. A group of their hunters crossed the border and beat up our farmers. Ming knew about this because such news travelled fast among the schools.

Over the past three years, this has happened more and more often.

Ming lowered his voice. In fact, come to think of it, the chiefs from all the schools went to the capital to see the emperor last year. After the meeting, he ordered the army to recruit more warriors.

So that’s why they have been recruiting more people recently. We might have a chance this time if they can’t fill all the positions. Rocco became more cheerful at the news.

I guess we’ve rested enough. It’s time to get back to training, Ming said. He, too, was a lot more optimistic now.

The practice between Rocco and Ming continued as they sparred against each other with a range of fighting skills they had learned from their schools. Just as during the previous encounters between the two warriors, after exchanging a few hundred blows and kicks, neither of them seemed to be able to gain an advantage.

In the middle of their practice, Rocco’s movements changed spectacularly into a series of kicks that Ming had never encountered before. The superior advance from Rocco was unexpectedly strong, and it forced Ming to back away over ten feet.

This is Shadowless Kick, but you are not supposed to know this advanced kicking form. Ming cried out loud, not believing what he had just seen. As far as he knew, only warriors who had achieved the level of instructor in kick-boxing were allowed to learn it. Ming understood that like him, Rocco was just a senior student.

Rocco did not reply straight away. He smiled and continued to demonstrate the new form of kicking he had learned recently.

Ming was watching with envy. When Rocco finished his last move, he said, "All right, now you can tell me how you came to know this kicking form. Did you learn it in secret?’ Ming suspected that Rocco had not received formal training directly from his master.

No, Rocco said, correcting Ming. We are lucky this year. Master Kim decided to teach Shadowless Kick to students who have been with the school for more than five years.

Rocco had known that it would be impossible to have an advantage over Ming unless he used the new kicking form he had learned recently. He had been training for six years as a student at the Martial Arts School of Kick-Boxing, and he considered himself lucky to have been admitted to the school, because he was not from the Central Kingdom originally. He worked very hard and was often praised by his instructor as one of the most promising students.

Knowing Rocco would be a level above him from now on, Ming felt totally let down by his school at the moment.

I wish our chief master would say the same thing. We’ve been begging him to start teaching us the Thunder-Hand technique, but he has refused. Ming said, looking obviously annoyed.

Thunder-Hand was one of the top fighting forms based on movements of the body’s upper limbs. It was invented by the founder of the Martial Arts School of Hand Combat and was reputed to be as superior as the Shadowless Kick.

Ming was used to Rocco’s old kicking forms, since they had practised with each other many times in the past, except this time his blocking techniques seemed powerless against the new waves of kicking from Rocco. No matter what he did, the force of the kicks from Rocco overshadowed his blocks. He was certain he would be defeated this time.

During their practice, Ming and Rocco suddenly realised a boy of about age twelve or thirteen had emerged not far from them. He was sitting under a tree and was observing them quietly. Despite both of them being highly trained in martial arts and having a good sense of hearing, neither of them knew how the boy could get so close to them without them noticing. Rocco and Ming stopped at the same time and stared at the intruder.

Thinking he was just a farm boy who lived nearby, Rocco approached and spoke nicely to the boy. Hey, my name is Rocco, and he is Ming. We are from the martial arts schools. You can stay and watch if you like.

The boy did not answer, but he nodded lightly.

Rocco brushed off the idea that this boy could be anyone special. But Ming noticed that his look was different to that of other kids in the Central Kingdom. Somehow he had a feeling this boy was no ordinary kid, and he was right …

The boy had light-brown tidy hair with a pair of almond shaped eyes. He was wearing a sleeveless white waistcoat and a black three-quarter pant. In many ways, he looked like an ordinary boy; but at closer glance, his eyes looked fierce and burned with malice. Another peculiar thing about his appearance was a tattoo of a miniature dragon on the upper part of his left arm. In the Central Kingdom, only parents from families with martial arts backgrounds would tattoo their children with a dragon or phoenix, which symbolised the king and the queen, respectively, of all the animals.

The name of the boy was Burnu. Like Rocco, he had not been born locally. As far as Burnu could remember, he had been living with his godparents ever since he was an infant. They were constantly on the move and had never stayed in the same place for more than a year until they settled down in Hailin when he was seven.

Sometimes when Burnu was alone, he would lie down and strain his memory, trying hard to picture the faces of his parents and to imagine the feeling of their warm embraces.

When Burnu had reached five years old, Jung, his godfather, started to teach him the basic skills of martial arts. Nin, his godmother, insisted on teaching him medical and acupuncture techniques. Burnu found that he could learn most effectively when he watched his godparents practising martial arts with each other.

A master from one of the most well-known martial arts schools, Jung was an expert in sabre fighting techniques. He was among the elite warriors who had been chosen to train the army. In the army, he met Nin, who was a medical master in acupuncture and a martial arts expert skilful with flying needles.

After their marriage, Jung and Nin left the army, and they travelled the country. They had built up a reputation of helping the poor and repelling injustice for ordinary people. Soon warriors in the Central Kingdom were calling them by their nickname—the Righteous Couple—and they became well respected among the warriors.

In their journey, they met a very highly skilled and respectful master in the warrior circle. Jung and Nin were persuaded by this grand master to enter the service of safeguarding the emperor. At the recommendation of the grand master, both of them were enlisted as the loyal guards of the palace and moved to live in Shenyang, the capital.

After watching the practice between Ming and Rocco for a while, Burnu had started to get tired of their ignorance of true martial arts as well as their weaknesses in combat skills. He found it hard to believe that these warriors had received their training from two of the leading martial arts schools in the warrior circle. Their movements lacked inner strength, and their strikes were predictable.

Rocco’s new form, Shadowless Kick, was undeniably a very powerful kicking technique, and it was also extremely difficult to perform well. The fighting form contained twenty-four movements, and each movement had between six to eight variations. Even if Rocco had not been taught the full set of movements, as he was new to it, he could perform the first few moves correctly. He could not master some of the advanced movements and variations owing to his lack of inner strength. Only a senior instructor of the school who had sufficient inner power would be able to execute all the movements properly.

Burnu remembered his first lesson with his godfather. ‘Qi’ is the name used for the inner power in martial arts. It is generated from the yin and yang forces inside your body. Jung said to him.

So the first thing you have to learn is how to control the flow of qi. The strength of your move, whether it is an attacking one or a defending one, will depend on the direction of qi.

When it came to martial arts, Burnu knew that he was somewhat different to other children. None of the martial arts he had learned so far had been difficult for him. Sometimes he wondered if this was normal. The qi inside his body seemed to flow wherever he wanted it to go.

The fighting forms taught by his godparents were of very high standard compared to those of the two warriors in front of him. That made him more annoyed when they kept saying how great their fighting forms were.

Your shadowless kick is truly magnificent, Ming said when Rocco had just performed a stunning-looking turning kick that forced him to retreat a few paces.

I’ve never heard of anyone who was able to block this kicking move before. Rocco replied. His confidence was boosted at Ming’s comment.

The moment after Rocco finished his sentence, they heard a contemptuous laugh. They stopped and turned their heads toward where it came from. To their astonishment, no one except the boy was around.

Not quite believing what he had heard. Rocco asked the boy, Did you hear anything or see anyone?

The boy was still in the same position, and it seemed he had not moved a bit since they last looked at him.

Just when they were unsure if they had heard correctly, the boy started talking. There are at least two mistakes when you execute your kicking form.

Rocco looked stunned. But his surprise quickly turned to anger as he rushed to defend himself. Are you saying the shadowless kick, one of the best kicking forms, has weaknesses?

I am not talking about the martial art you use; I am talking about you, the boy simply replied.

That’s total nonsense, Rocco snarled angrily. He did not believe a twelve- or thirteen-year-old boy could possibly know the weaknesses in his kicking form. He challenged the boy. Just show me how good you are.

Ming was ready to interfere, for he was afraid that Rocco might lose his temper and not be able to control himself. Rocco would be expelled from his school if he was caught thrashing an underage boy. The rules of all the martial arts schools prohibited any of their members from using martial arts skills to bully the weak.

As Ming was about to say something to warn Rocco, he suddenly heard a voice speak out to him. Listen to me carefully; you need to change your position and stance when you are blocking his advances, Burnu gave this instruction to Ming. Not all his kicks have the same power, so avoid the heavy ones and block the light ones.

Ming felt a cold breeze slowly descending over his spine. He realised Rocco had not heard anything when the boy was speaking to him, although Rocco was positioned between them. He knew the boy was using a rare martial arts skill that enabled him to transmit his voice over the air. He had heard about this type of martial art before, but it was the first time he had encountered it. Only warriors with very high inner power could execute it.

If you don’t believe me, just use your kicks against your friend. I’ve already told him how to block them, Burnu said sharply.

You’re a silly kid. This whole thing is a waste of my time. Rocco laughed and turned to say to Ming, Did you hear what he just said?

Ming felt uneasy and was not sure whether he should follow the instruction from this strange boy who apparently was very well versed in martial arts.

Ming, don’t tell me you already know how to block my kicks? Rocco said, prompted by Ming’s hesitation.

Do you remember what I’ve told you? Burnu said to Ming. However, this time he did not use the voice technique, so Rocco could hear him clearly. To Rocco’s disbelief, Ming nodded to the boy as if a master were speaking to him.

Ming, are you all right? Rocco asked, as he could see Ming was not quite himself.

Yes. Ming replied assuredly. He did not know why he listened to this boy, but his instinct told him that it was the right thing to do.

Rocco could not understand how Ming had come to listen to this boy, but he was ready to find out. In that case, let’s continue, he said to Ming, and immediately he moved to a ready stance.

Ming made the first offensive move this time, against a completely unsuspecting Rocco. The move had been engineered by Burnu, and it was meant to take Rocco by surprise.

Rocco was forced back by