PFC Chapter 807 Self-taught vs. Academic
Chapter 807 Self-taught vs. Academic
Chapter 807 Self-taught vs. Academic
Sephira, a clearing in the forest.
The moon is bright and the stars are few; the chirping of insects can be heard faintly in the quiet forest.
"You two are really bored."
Fu Qinghai looked at the two women and spoke.
"Please, this is a time of reincarnation."
Wei Ran smiled and spread her hands, saying:
"Who's as curly as you?"
Why do you always wear this helmet?
Qi Nia looked at Fu Qinghai with curiosity.
Fu Qinghai wore a strange dark gold iron helmet, without goggles, only a ring of gears shaped like a wide-open mouth.
"This helmet can assist my Force training."
Fu Qinghai explained calmly, his voice coming through the helmet with a strange metallic quality.
Force equipment...
The two women understood.
Force equipment is even rarer than lightsabers.
Since the Jedi-Sith War thousands of years ago, when the Jedi defeated the Sith and became the orthodox practitioners of the Force in the galaxy, methods of using the Force to alter the properties of matter, including Sith alchemy, were banned along with the Sith warriors. Almost all existing Force equipment is now antique.
In reality, Fu Qinghai couldn't hear what the two women were saying at all. The helmet completely blocked his hearing. He was able to communicate smoothly with the two women by sensing their lip movements with his Force perception and by understanding their language and sensing the subtle thoughts in their minds.
"Are you busy, Major?"
Wei Ran tilted her head and deliberately raised an eyebrow, asking:
We didn't disturb your work, did we?
"Get to the point."
Fu Qinghai twitched the corner of his mouth and said.
"If you're not too busy lately..."
Wei Ran slipped his index finger onto the ring at the end of the lightsaber hilt, gently twirled it a few times, and said softly:
"How about you practice your swordplay with us?"
"Practicing swordsmanship?"
Fu Qinghai confirmed it again.
"Yes."
Zinya nodded and continued the conversation:
"Practice makes you stronger. The surviving Jedi don't dare to show their faces, so it's just Wei Ran and me. We're tired of practicing with each other every day, and we need some freshness and new opponents."
The saying "practice makes perfect" is certainly true.
Two key indicators of a Jedi or Sith warrior's combat prowess are lightsaber skills and Force level.
There are indeed a few Jedi Masters and Sith Lords whose Force abilities are so powerful that they no longer bother using lightsabers. However, compared to the mental and physical energy required to activate Force abilities, lightsabers are a simpler and more efficient means of killing.
Fu Qinghai had made up for his shortcomings in Force skills in the recent period of time. As for lightsaber swordsmanship, although he did not think he had any major weaknesses, as Qinia said, practice brings strength, and good swordsmanship also requires diligent practice to maintain the state. Fu Qinghai had indeed not practiced swordsmanship for a long time.
Fu Qinghai often uses chainsaws and power knives in battle, but lightsabers are different. A lightsaber is a special weapon. The blade of a lightsaber has no weight, and the cutting power of a lightsaber far exceeds that of traditional weapons. A lightsaber is a cylindrical body, and it is not single-edged or double-edged, or rather, it is a blade from all 360 degrees.
All of these characteristics mean that using a lightsaber requires a corresponding sword technique. It is difficult to apply the experience of using other weapons to lightsabers because the principles are not the same.
However, just as a game of Go usually requires an equally matched opponent to improve each other's skills, a 9-dan Go master cannot improve by playing against an amateur novice.
Thinking of this, Fu Qinghai's gaze towards the two women in front of him unconsciously carried a hint of suspicion.
"What do you mean? You think we're not good enough?"
Wei Ran understood Fu Qinghai's silence, and immediately showed an incredulous expression, waving her hand in dissatisfaction as she said:
"Do you know who my and Zinya's swordsmanship teacher is? Jedi Master Kelleran Baker! Nicknamed 'Swordsman'! Head Swordsman of the Jedi Order! Compared to you, a self-taught Jedi, he should be more authoritative, right?"
Jedi Master Kelleran Baker?
Fu Qinghai had some impression of him.
In the third season of The Mandalorian, this black Jedi Master escaped from the Jedi Temple with young Gugu in his arms—I didn't see any lightsaber skills, but his driving skills were definitely impressive.
"Speaking of which, Master Wendu is so powerful, why don't you two, as reincarnators, specifically seek out Master Wendu to become his disciples?"
Fu Qinghai suddenly spoke up, as if he had just thought of something.
He asked this question mainly because, of the seven sword forms of Jedi, he had never learned the sixth and seventh forms, a fact that Fu Qinghai had always regretted. Mace Windu was renowned for his mastery of the seventh form, and if Wei Ran's master were Windu, he might have been able to learn the seventh form from Wei Ran.
“I know Windu and Yoda are powerful, but becoming an apprentice isn’t just about the apprentice’s personal wishes. Besides, you don’t know, the members of the Jedi Council are very busy. Those Jedi Masters are usually tied up with their own affairs and often don’t have time to train their own apprentices. They often leave them to other Jedi Masters to help train. Even if you become an apprentice, you may not get any guidance from them. It’s better to find a less busy master and learn more.”
Wei Ran patiently explained to him.
Fu Qinghai understood. Just like in academia, lab bosses often don't have time to guide graduate students, so they delegate them to other associate professors or their doctoral students.
Compared to Wei Ran and Qi Niya, both of whom were formally trained academics, Fu Qinghai, who had never actually joined the Jedi Order, was indeed a complete amateur.
But he did not doubt his swordsmanship because of this.
Because he believed in his master, Old Man Hu.
"In that case, let's do it."
Fu Qinghai looked at Wei Ran and said seriously.
"Buzzing—"
The green lightsaber in the Farin man's hand was ignited.
Wei Ran held the sword in his right hand, raised it above his left shoulder, and then swung it down diagonally. Finally, he raised the blade again, aimed it at Fu Qinghai, turned his body to the side, and faced him diagonally.
A very standard second starting stance.
"The Way of the Isaramir Lizard".
Fu Qinghai nodded slightly and said.
The second of the Seven Jedi Styles, Macashi, is a debating style, a one-handed sword style, and the preferred sword style in lightsaber duels. It is the most elegant of the six traditional sword styles, adept at quickly penetrating the opponent's defense to deliver a killing blow or disarm them, emphasizing precise strikes and stable footwork.
The Makashi style requires both feet to be in a straight line when moving forward and backward, so Wei Ran was turned sideways to face Fu Qinghai.
During the Jedi-Sis War, the Macashi style was very popular, and lightsaber duels were very frequent. After the war ended and the Sith disappeared, fewer and fewer people learned to use this style of sword because the probability of a Jedi encountering another enemy wielding a lightsaber was almost zero.
At the same time, Zinya bent her knees and jumped up, landing lightly and steadily on the horizontal trunk of a large tree behind her, about three meters above the ground.
She had already chosen an excellent spectator spot where she could clearly see the duel without disturbing the two duelists.
Why don't you draw your sword?
Wei Ran tilted her head and looked at Fu Qinghai with a puzzled expression:
"You don't have your own lightsaber yet, do you?"
"I have a lightsaber."
Fu Qinghai gently shook his head and said:
"But it's not time for me to draw my sword yet."
"Wow……"
Upon hearing this, Zinia, who was sitting on the tree trunk with her legs crossed, raised her eyebrows and let out a malicious exclamation.
“You can be a bit arrogant sometimes, Aoyama.”
Wei Ran frowned and stared intently at him.
"bring it on."
Fu Qinghai didn't bother to explain further; the battle had proven everything. He put his hands behind his back and faced Wei Ran with his head held high.
Wei Ran suddenly attacked with a straight thrust!
Fu Qinghai easily dodged to the side.
Wei Ran twisted his wrist and switched to a sweeping cut.
Fu Qinghai bent over and shrank back to dodge once again.
Wei Ran took a step forward and flicked the tip of his sword upward.
Fu Qinghai took another step back and tilted his head back to avoid it.
The tip of the sword grazed his chin.
"The Way of the Eagle and Bat?"
Wei Ran stopped and stared at Fu Qinghai.
Fu Qinghai nodded slightly without saying anything.
Each lightsaber style has a corresponding animal, a native creature from the Star Wars universe. The fifth style is also called the Way of the Kretron, symbolizing surging power, while the seventh style is also called the Way of the Onsk, an animal that is highly venomous.
The eagle-bat is a predatory animal with a bird's head and leathery bat wings, known for its agile and varied flight.
The fourth of the Seven Jedi Techniques, Aruta, is an offensive sword style that emphasizes footwork and movement. It demands a high level of stamina and agility and is known for its acrobatic spins, sidesteps, jumps, and somersaults. It creates a comprehensive, three-dimensional offensive and uses unexpected, rapid attacks to break down the opponent's defense.
"I thought someone with your physique..."
Wei Ran looked Fu Qinghai up and down and said:
"They should like the fifth style."
The fifth of the Seven Jedi Styles, Sheen/Jemsol, is the Resolute Style, a two-handed sword style that emphasizes power. It uses overwhelming force to continuously suppress the opponent and is suitable for large, muscular Jedi warriors.
Anakin Skywalker's specialty is the Fifth Form. Anakin Skywalker is 1.88 meters tall, while Fu Qinghai is 1.9 meters tall after shrinking his size. Judging from his physique alone, Fu Qinghai does give the impression that he would be good at the Fifth Form.
Unexpectedly, Fu Qinghai's well-developed and robust muscles and tall and burly physique allowed him to bring the agility of the fourth move to its extreme, making it impossible for Wei Ran to even touch him.
You can't hide forever!
The Farin woman said through gritted teeth.
After saying that, he drew his sword again and attacked.
The second move lacks the expansive vertical and horizontal slashes of the fifth move, as well as the agile footwork of the fourth move, which involves leaping left and right. It focuses on precise thrusts, skillful slicing, and realistic feints, aiming to strike the vital points and kill in one blow.
However, no matter how Wei Ran pressed forward and attacked continuously, thrusting, slicing, cutting, parrying, flicking, and picking, Fu Qinghai kept retreating and dodging. His footwork was so agile that it was like a ghostly trail, and Wei Ran's sword didn't even touch the hem of his clothes.
Wei Ran gradually became a little angry and embarrassed. She felt the same powerlessness and frustration she had when she first started learning lightsaber and faced her swordsmanship teacher. She couldn't help but launch an even more urgent attack, chasing after Fu Qinghai and stabbing him repeatedly. Just when she thought that he would only keep retreating and dodging, Fu Qinghai dodged her stabs, turned sideways and spun to her side, quickly closing the distance.
Suddenly, a foot sticks out.
"Pfft!"
Wei Ran was tripped and fell to the ground.
In an extremely disheveled posture.
Zinya, sitting on the tree trunk, was stunned.
Qingshan didn't even need to draw his lightsaber. With his hands behind his back, he skillfully avoided all of Wei Ran's attacks with his movements, and finally hooked her down with one foot.
Is there really such a big difference between the two of them?
Fu Qinghai reached out his hand to Wei Ran, who was sitting on the ground.
Wei Ran looked up at him hatefully, grabbed the hand that Fu Qinghai offered, and pulled herself up.
The two people stood facing each other again.
"Buzzing sound—"
A roar like a dragon echoed through the woods.
Fu Qinghai finally drew his lightsaber.
"Why is your lightsaber so big?"
The dazzling light of the bright blue shone on Wei Ran's face, revealing her bewildered expression.
"Because I am a Space Marine."
Fu Qinghai offered a brief explanation:
"Strictly speaking, this is called a slate."
"Next move, get ready."
Fu Qinghai spoke up directly to remind him:
"The Way of Kretron!"
Fu Qinghai held the Dragon Sword in one hand, raised it high, and slashed down with a terrifying pressure and an unavoidable speed. The exceptionally thick light sword blade cleaved straight down.
Wei Ran could only grip the sword with both hands and raise it above his head to defend himself.
"Clap!"
Wei Ran's knees buckled and she knelt directly on the ground.
The lightsaber blades repelled each other, and Fu Qinghai's immense strength was transmitted to her hand through the two tightly interlocked blades. Wei Ran simply couldn't withstand this force.
"Whoosh..."
Fu Qinghai extinguished the light stick in his hand.
Wei Ran remained kneeling on the forest floor, her face blank and speechless. She slowly lowered her hands, which were still trembling violently. Her knuckles were stiff and numb, and she was so shaky that she couldn't even press the button to turn off the lightsaber. She tried several times but failed.
She lost, without a doubt, she lost again.
One move, and after he drew his lightsaber, he couldn't even withstand one of his attacks... Thinking of this, Wei Ran felt utterly hopeless.
Suddenly, a gentle and warm power flowed from her fingers and spread all the way to her aching elbow. The warmth subsided wherever it touched, and the Force repaired her slightly torn tendons and minor cracks in her bones.
Wei Ran raised his head and saw Qingshan squatting in front of him, placing a palm on top of his own hands, and a warm and gentle force emanated from his palm.
"Sorry, I've already stopped."
Fu Qinghai uttered words that lacked sincerity.
If I really exert myself, you won't even be able to hold the sword.
Fu Qinghai muttered to himself.
Help me up.
Wei Ran lowered her face, making her expression unreadable.
Fu Qinghai grabbed her under the armpits and lifted her up.
Wei Ran had just straightened up when her knees suddenly buckled again, and she fell forward into Fu Qinghai's arms, embracing him face to face and burying her face in his neck.
Fu Qinghai didn't realize it until the soft jade was in his arms:
Did this woman take advantage of me?
"Um... I'm sorry."
Wei Ran gently pushed Fu Qinghai away with both hands.
She had just secretly taken a deep breath on Qingshan's neck... well, not exactly "secretly," she had openly taken a breath. He smelled quite nice; there was no fragrance or strange smell, just a pleasant aroma.
According to Zinya's pheromone theory.
A pleasant smell at least indicates suitability for mating.
This is a physiological attraction.
"Cough cough."
The Zeltros sitting on the tree trunk coughed softly, indicating that he was starting to find it a little too much to bear.
Wei Ran blushed and didn't turn back to look at her.
"Come on, it's your turn."
Fu Qinghai raised his head and looked at the woman on the tree trunk.
Zinya jumped down from the tree trunk and said awkwardly:
"Um, I guess I'll just... I won't practice?"
"Since we're already here, draw your sword!"
Fu Qinghai doesn't care about this or that. Why did he call me out in the middle of the night to practice swordsmanship with you two? Well then, practice to your heart's content!
"Buzzing—"
Zinya drew her lightsaber and ignited it, the purplish-red blade extending out. She faced Fu Qinghai directly, standing with her feet staggered, one in front of the other, her hands gripping the sword and hanging at her left side.
A very standard starting stance for the sixth move.
No wonder Zinia lacked confidence in her fight against Fu Qinghai.
The sixth of the Jedi Seven, Neman, is the Temperance style, which emphasizes balance. It is not as precise as the second style, nor as defensive as the third style, nor as dynamic as the fourth style, nor as relentlessly suppressive as the fifth style.
The sixth form is also called the Path of Ranke. Fu Qinghai is very familiar with the Ranke beast. This creature has immense strength and thick skin. This metaphor may be meant to express the hope that practitioners of the sixth form are like the Ranke, with both offense and defense and no weaknesses.
Theoretically, the sixth technique draws on the strengths of the previous five techniques, integrating all their advantages and avoiding all their disadvantages. However, in reality, most users of the sixth technique achieve a mixed but not refined result, balanced but mediocre.
The sixth light saber has a nickname, "The Diplomat Style," because many Jedi with less combat experience, such as Jedi Medics, Jedi Ambassadors, Jedi Prophets, and Jedi Researchers—collectively known as Jedi Consuls—choose Neyman as their preferred sword style. For them, wielding a lightsaber is more of an ancient tradition and a ritual; a symbolic, simple learning of lightsaber combat to handle occasional emergencies is sufficient.
Many Jedi Masters who died hastily in the movie were practitioners of the Sixth Form. In Fu Qinghai's understanding, the Sixth Form is a sword style with a low lower limit and a high upper limit. Practitioners of the Sixth Form are either the ultimate noobs or the ultimate masters.
Which type are you?
Fu Qinghai looked up at Qi Niya.
"I'm not good at lightsaber combat."
Zinya also readily admitted:
“But you said you haven’t learned the sixth move. If you want to learn this sword move, I can practice a few moves with you.”
"Right on my mind."
Fu Qinghai smiled upon hearing this.
The two quickly engaged in combat.
Learning from Wei Ran's experience, Fu Qinghai further suppressed his strength and speed, essentially feeding Qi Niya his moves, allowing her to showcase her lightsaber skills as much as possible.
Objectively speaking, Zinya's lightsaber fighting skills are indeed slightly inferior to Wei Ran's, but she is not an absolute noob. On the contrary, it is obvious that she has more practical experience than those mediocre Jedi Masters who are easily defeated.
According to Wei Ran, at least three or four Imperial Inquisitors had died at their hands. As for why three or four instead of three or four, it was because two Inquisitors escaped with serious injuries, and it was uncertain whether they died in the end.
Fu Qinghai has never learned the sixth form.
Because Old Man Hu didn't teach him.
The reason why Old Man Hu didn't teach him was that he didn't know how either.
Now it seems the old man was lying again.
Once Fu Qinghai truly understood what the sixth sword move was, he realized that as long as he could master the first five moves, he would automatically master the sixth move.
Therefore, Old Man Hu did not teach Fu Qinghai.
It's not because he can't.
It's completely unnecessary.
The second form specializes in one-on-one lightsaber duels, but its weakness lies in its inability to withstand attacks from multiple opponents or burst energy beams. The third form precisely addresses this weakness. The third form specializes in lightsaber defense, but its weakness is a lack of counter-attack options; the fifth form again compensates for this. The fourth form trains movement skills, the fifth form unleashes power, and the first form is the prerequisite and foundation for using a lightsaber…
The first five styles are complementary to each other.
Fu Qinghai realized the truth during the relaxed battle.
This sword practice wasn't entirely without its benefits.
"In addition to incorporating the previous five forms, the sixth form also encourages the integration of Force skills into combat. The most commonly used are Force Push and Force Grab, which, when combined with a lightsaber, achieve a synergistic effect greater than the sum of its parts. Using a lightsaber to fight while simultaneously unleashing Force skills is a challenge for many Jedi."
"I can't breathe," Zinia said in a moment.
It's just multitasking. For a new, all-different Space Marine with the brain of Mordor, this kind of multi-threaded, multi-tasking analytical processing ability is basic and not worth mentioning.
"Hmm, are there any others?"
Fu Qinghai stopped and asked.
"It's gone."
"Zinya shook her head and said."
"Have you rested enough?"
Fu Qinghai turned to look at Wei Ran beside him:
"You two can come at me together, we haven't practiced enough today."
Without a word, Wei Ran sprang to her feet, drew her lightsaber, and assumed a fighting stance. The two women, each wielding a lightsaber, surrounded Fu Qinghai from the left and right. Only then did Fu Qinghai finally feel a long-lost sense of oppression.
That's what makes sword practice meaningful.
Fu Qinghai held the sword in one hand, raising it above his brow bone, the tip pointing at the two women in front of him. He stretched his other hand forward, fingers slightly spread – the third move, the starting stance of Suolesu.
I'll definitely train you two to the bone tonight.
…………
The next morning.
Imperial military base, commander's office.
"The appointment from the Imperial Command will be issued soon."
Governor Papinus's projection flickered slightly:
"You're about to get promoted, kid."
"Thank you for your guidance, sir!"
Fu Qinghai stood at attention, saluted, and shouted loudly.
"There's something else."
Governor Papinus continued:
"Next week, there's a banquet in the Sammon Sector for the birthday of Senior Sector Governor Estol. You'll be attending on behalf of the young officers of the Mari Sector, so make sure you look your best."
"Yes, sir."
Fu Qinghai agreed without asking further questions.
The blue holographic projection went out.
Fu Qinghai sat back down behind his desk. There was a letter on the desk. He opened the envelope and found an invitation inside.
…………