Under One Person: My Inner Realm Connects to All Worlds!

Chapter 11 The So-Called Rules

Tang Zongyi changed into a brand new navy blue shirt. His fierce aura during the martial arts competition had been largely subdued, and he now appeared somewhat refined.

He pushed open the carved wooden door and gestured towards the stone table in the courtyard: "Young friend Han, please."

A celadon tea set was already prepared on the stone table, and white steam was rising from the spout of a purple clay teapot.

Han Yun noticed that the four characters "Songfeng Zhuming" (松风煮茗, meaning "Pine Breeze Brewing Tea") were engraved on the teapot. The calligraphy was vigorous and powerful, indicating that it was an extraordinary product. When Tang Zongyi picked up the teapot, the string of Bodhi seeds on his wrist lightly touched the teapot, producing a clear and melodious sound.

"This is Zhengshan Xiaozhong from Wuyi Mountain."

Tang Zongyi poured the amber-colored tea into the cup, and the aroma of the tea was surprisingly mixed with a faint pine smoke scent.

“My grandfather loved this tea the most back then, and decades have passed in the blink of an eye!” Tang Zongyi said with a sigh.

At the same time, I am also impressed by how the younger generation surpasses the older generation. It is truly remarkable that Han Yun has such extraordinary skills at such a young age.

After three rounds of tea, Tang Zongyi gently placed his teacup on the bluestone table. The porcelain bottom touched the stone surface, making a crisp tinkling sound. Han Yun also put down his teacup at the same time.

Tang Zongyi clapped his hands and laughed, "Young friend's agility reminds me of a senior."

Han Yun asked, "Is it the Yanzi Li San you mentioned?"

"Exactly!"

"But actually, Yanzi Li San is not one person, but three. The Yanzi Clan is a single lineage, and after three generations, they disappeared."

Han Yun cupped his hands in greeting and said, "I would like to hear the details!"

"The first master of the Swallow Sect was a man from over a hundred years ago. His surname was Li, his given name was Yunlong, and he came from Cang County, which, like Yuyang, was a hometown of martial arts."

"This place is famous for an iron lion, and later this elder passed the position of sect leader to Li Jinghua, a senior from Zhili."

"Later, Senior Li Jinghua took Li Fen, a righteous man from the previous dynasty, as his disciple. Coincidentally, this Senior Li Fen was also from our Yuyang and had a past relationship with the Tang family ancestor."

"Young friend, your visit today and the 'Swallow Skimming the Water' technique you displayed are remarkably similar to that of Senior Li Fen back then. It truly fills me with emotion!"

Upon hearing this, Han Yun's eyes flashed with surprise, and then he smiled and said, "So Senior Tang has such a connection with the Swallow Sect. To be honest, this movement technique of mine was taught to me by an old man, but I didn't know it had such a background."

What Han Yun said was naturally fabricated, after all, his skills must have some origin.

The "swallow skimming the water three times" technique mentioned by Tang Zongyi is actually called "flying swallow treading on snow" in the Silent Technique. It allows one to walk on water with lightness skills, like a swallow skimming the waves, with one's footsteps landing on the snow without leaving a trace.

Since the other party offered him a vine, Han Yun was naturally happy to climb up it.

Tang Zongyi hurriedly asked, "May I introduce you?"

Han Yun shook his head and said, "That old man has passed away. I don't know his name or identity. He only passed on this movement technique. Otherwise, I wouldn't say that I am a self-taught practitioner."

Tang Zongyi nodded in realization.

Then I thought about the origins of the Swallow Clan. Although Swallow Li San was a righteous thief, he was still a thief in the end. Now we live in modern society, and many traditions have been lost in the rolling tide of history because they could not adapt to the social situation.

The old man declined to reveal his name or background, probably hoping that the boy would grow up to be a "clean person"!

Han Yun was staring at Tang Zongyi, who was lost in thought, unaware that the other had already filled in the blanks in his mind.

Tang Zongyi stroked his beard and nodded, his gaze thoughtfully fixed on the sycamore tree in the corner of the courtyard. A yellow leaf drifted down and landed on the tea tray in the center of the stone table.

"Leaves grow and fall, fate begins and ends!" "Young friend, it is fate that you have come to my Tang family today. Young friend, your movement technique has been greatly improved, but do you know where your biggest weakness is?"

Han Yun's gaze sharpened: "Please enlighten me, senior."

"During the fight just now, you had seven chances to take my eyes."

Tang Zongyi stood with his hands behind his back, the north wind blowing his graying temples: "Three times you could sever my tendons, once you could stab my throat, but you always held back a third of your strength."

Han Yun was silent for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "This junior would not dare to be disrespectful to a senior, especially since we live in a harmonious society..."

"wrong!"

Tang Zongyi suddenly shouted, his voice like thunder: "When martial artists fight, life and death hang by a thread. The world of extraordinary people is not as peaceful as that of ordinary people. If you were to encounter the Quanxing Sect today, or even other martial arts groups in Tianjin, this three-tenths of mercy would be a death warrant!"

"The circle of extraordinary people in Tianjin, especially those sects that specialize in taking on apprentices and teaching, has always been xenophobic. It's a kind of mutual support. This is a broken rule that has existed for more than a hundred years. Although my Tang family disdains it, we have no choice but to abide by it."

"Therefore, I held back very little when we sparred just now, because if I lost, it would mean that you would have the right to establish yourselves in Tianjin."

"Moreover, my Tang family represents the Northern Shaolin lineage. If this were to spread, we would inevitably be humiliated by others."

These words struck Han Yun like a thunderbolt, leaving his ears ringing.

Although he had watched the anime "Under One Person" in his previous life, compared to the real world of supernatural beings, what it showed was ultimately just the tip of the iceberg.

Every place has its own set of rules of conduct. Tianjin is a place that emphasizes xenophobia, which is due to its special geographical environment and many restrictions.

Tianjin is close to the estuary, with constant ship traffic, and it borders Kyoto, but compared to other provinces, Tianjin is actually quite small.

Ultimately, it comes down to a shortage of human resources.

Based on the population red line ratio, there are naturally fewer extraordinary people who can obtain Qi, and each family and sect will receive even fewer disciples. However, due to the benefits of maritime trade, this place is also rich in resources.

Cultivation requires money, and it is important to have a suitable source of wealth, companions, methods, and environment.

This is equivalent to a child carrying gold through the market.

More than a hundred years ago, others would naturally not let go of such a lucrative opportunity. Often, people from other provinces would come to establish their own sects, so the local sects of these extraordinary individuals would unite and oppose outsiders.

This gradually led to the formation of these so-called rules.

Moreover, the world of superhumans is ultimately different from that of ordinary people. In the world of superhumans, it is believed that superhumans themselves can resolve their own affairs, which is often more direct than in the society of ordinary people.

The matter of life-or-death duels may still still exist.

Ultimately, superhumans are simply a group of people who possess extraordinary powers, and even with modern laws and regulations, they might only be somewhat restrained.

Even though he was all-powerful, he chose to maintain a superficial stability and advocated that the people of the Outcasts resolve the issues themselves.

Once you enter the sect of the extraordinary, you are both free and not free.

Freedom means you don't have to worry about too many worldly rules; lack of freedom means you will be rejected by ordinary people, and you will have to hide and conceal things.

Most people with supernatural abilities must abide by the various rules and regulations within their community, which vary depending on the location and the individual, unless they are reckless and unruly individuals of the Quanxing sect.

Once the rules are broken, one must bear the corresponding consequences.

(End of this chapter)