School of Jian-Fa

Origins.

Brac, also known as the Nameless, started the first fight school in Zegon. Having earned a reputation as a victorious warrior with a unique style of combat during the years he travelled the lands, word spread across the kingdom and the School had no difficulties with enrollment. When Brac's best pupil become qualified to take over his position as a teacher in the School, he left his teachings written in scrolls and embarked on another journey. He returned several years later and left behind 10 final scrolls which taught of a new philosophy of self-enlightenment before leaving for good. Years passed, and a handful of Brac's pupils were able to manifest the enigmatic powers depicted in the final scrolls. They left the School and opened branches in other parts of Zegon to spread the philosophy. The new branches focused more on teaching the philosophy, and accept pupils from all walks of life.

The technique and philosophy of Jian-Fa.

Jian-Fa is a combat technique developed by Brac when he was young. Jian-Fa utilizes two swords, each sword designed specially to be lighter and slimmer than the swords used by the Army. Jian-Fa's techniques focus on agile movement, counter-attacks, and quick and precise strikes.

The School of Jian-Fa also teaches the philosophy of self-enlightenment, discovered by Brac while he was meditating to prepare his mind for an upcoming duel. Before Brac left his School, he only taught basic meditation techniques to his pupils. Brac returned from his journey years later. He brought back with him the philosophy of The Two Stems of Perfection, written in 10 long scrolls. He then flew away on his swords, leaving his successors to decipher and learn from the teachings in the scrolls. It took some only several months to fully understand Brac's teachings, while some took years. Those who were enlightened began to teach the philosophy to their pupils.

The Two Stems of Perfection is a philosophy based on strengthening the Body and honing the Mind. To strengthen the Body, students must perfect their combat techniques and achieve "becoming one with the swords" through endless practice. To sharpen the Mind, pupils must tap into the reservoir of their inner self and manifest the hidden power physically through countless sessions of intensive meditation. Both stems of perfection must be practiced in tandem and at the pupils' own pace.

The structure of the School of Jian-Fa.

The School of Jian-Fa and each of its branches are headed by a Grand Master, with a number of Pugilists who serves as combat instructors. The Two Stems of Perfection is taught only by the Grand Masters, who will also lead the daily meditation sessions held 3 times a day.

When pupils of the School have completed their combat regime and meditation training, they will be given a choice to stay or leave. The choice of pursuing The Two Stems of Perfection is left entirely up to the pupils. The School is responsible only for showing them the Path.

This simple structure was adopted later by other fight schools.

The School and its influence in the Kingdom of Zegon.

With the opening of the other branches of the School, the Kingdom of Zegon witnessed a new kind of magic that these "Enlightened" wield, mystical powers that allow them to attack from a distance with a sweep of their sword.

Many pupils among the newly enrolled were veteran fighters; soldiers, hunters, and even other Pathwalkers, who was eager to learn the secret to this power. These veterans enrolled solely to learn how to manifest the power and was not interested in the combat techniques of Jian-Fa. They soon came to realize the amount of dedication needed to pursue and embrace the philosophy. Many of them who were unable to give up their life to embark on a journey towards self-enlightenment quit after awhile. However, there are some who gave up their old life and pursued a new Path.

Very soon, many new fight schools began to appear. Most of the new fight schools were opened by the veterans who chose to pursue the Path of the Enlightened. Besides teaching the combat techniques that they have developed themselves, they also invite Grand Masters from the School of Jian-Fa to teach The Two Stems of Perfection. Over the years, those veterans went on to become Grand Masters themselves and took over the teachings.

With the other fight schools gradually becoming independent of the School of Jian-Fa, a pugilistic world within the society of the kingdom was established, 60 years after Brac first started his own fight school.

The School and the Path of the Enlightened.

All practitioners of The Two Stems of Perfection follow the Path of the Enlightened. Before the philosophy was spread across the kingdom, there was only two titles associated to the Path; Grand Master and Nameless. Grand Masters are Pathwalkers who have successfully manifested the mystical powers. Nameless, derived from Brac's parting speech when he left for good, represents total enlightenment, and is the goal for the practitioners of the philosophy.

After the other fight schools began to accept pupils and the philosophy of self-enlightenment became widely popular, a new tradition to follow in Brac's shoes appeared. Gradually, new titles were given to the Pathwalkers to identify them. The titles Duelist, Pugilist, Supreme Master, and Nameless are now used to identify the Pathwalkers.

A Duelist is a new practitioner of The Two Stems of Perfection. She has chosen to walk the Path of the Enlightened after completing all the training provided by the fight school she was enrolled in, and embark on a journey across the kingdom to strengthen her Body by challenging other Duelists to a duel.