A Hero Born (Legends of the Condor Heroes #1)

by Jin Yong

“Your shifus are well respected in the wulin. I cannot claim an acquaintance, but I have heard many speak of their prowess. You need only learn the skills of one of them to gain a reputation in the martial world. You are working hard. Do you know why you have made so little progress over the last ten years?” “I’m too stupid. My shifus are doing all they can.” “It needn’t be so. It can only be because they do not know how to teach you.” “Please . . . sir . . . I don’t understand.” “You already have a solid grasp of the basics. If we look only to the core martial arts, your current skills are far from inconsequential. But you lost your first real fight to the young Taoist Harmony Yin, and this made you question yourself. On this point, however, you are mistaken.” How does he know about that? Guo Jing wondered. “He performed a somersault, yes, but he used tricks, not skill. Indeed, his mastery of the essentials does not necessarily exceed yours. With such accomplished shifus, I cannot teach you any more than they can.”