After Jack Young finished his rant, he glanced back at the monk, only to find Master Golden Wheel frozen in place, thunderstruck. It was as if he'd been hit by five bolts of lightning—his eyes glazed over, muttering under his breath: "Dragon Elephant Wisdom Art? Prajna Wisdom Art? Strength? Wisdom?" As Master Golden Wheel mumbled, the scene around them began to blur, like a painting being washed clean and wiped away, leaving only vague outlines.
Suddenly, Master Golden Wheel threw his head back and laughed, booming, "Hahaha! So that's it, that's it! I always thought myself clever and gifted, but it turns out I've been sprinting down the wrong path my whole life, clueless about the real way!"
With a dramatic wave of his hand, Master Golden Wheel conjured up two massive stone tablets beside him, rumbling as they rose. One was inscribed with "Dragon Elephant," the other with "Prajna."
Sighing, he lamented, "So the secret was here all along! I've spent my life training, with the real deal right under my nose, but I kept turning a blind eye to the true techniques. Tragic, isn't it? Hilarious, really!"
After his dramatic sigh, Master Golden Wheel finally showed some emotion, his face lighting up as he eagerly told Jack Young, "Thanks to your fate and guidance, I've finally grasped the true essence of these arts. The Dragon Elephant Wisdom Art and Prajna Wisdom Art are both carved on these tablets—no more of my own edits or random tweaks. Please, take a look!"
Jack Young stepped up and skimmed the Prajna tablet first. Thousands of words, all about the mind and consciousness—looked a lot like Buddhist meditation techniques at a glance. No wonder a martial arts brute like Master Golden Wheel had ignored it.
In Sanskrit, 'Prajna' means 'great wisdom that knows all things.' Jack Young nodded as he read—well, this actually sounded reasonably legit.
Then he turned to the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Art tablet. It was a bit different from the manual he'd just seen, so he leaned in for a closer look.
While reading, he struck up a chat with the big monk.
"Hey, Master, don't call me arrogant just yet—but how come you're so sure I can't pull off this technique? Didn't you say even a street vendor could master the first level in three months?"
Master Golden Wheel had a whole new opinion of Jack Young now. He chuckled heartily, "No offense, my friend. I was just talking nonsense. When I said you couldn't master it, I didn't mean you couldn't get started—I just meant that if it really took you three months to reach the first level, you'd probably never make it to the sixth. That'd be a big flop for a disciple! It's not that you're lacking talent—actually, your mind's as sharp as a lightning rod, rare indeed. But from what I see, you're more gifted in internal martial arts. This Dragon Elephant Wisdom Art is all about external power, and I don't think it's your cup of tea."
"So basically, I'm not hopeless—just slow. And I'm better off with internal martial arts, not this external stuff, right?" Jack Young shot back, half joking, half skeptical.
"Exactly," Master Golden Wheel nodded. "Plus, not having internal energy is a real drawback. Training Dragon Elephant Wisdom Art gets super demanding later on. Without internal energy to back you up, forcing it could wreck your health. Sure, I know some internal energy techniques, but honestly, they're pretty basic. When my obsession formed, I didn't leave anything special behind, so I can't teach you much."
"Gotcha," Jack said, eyes still glued to the stone tablet but chatting away. "But hey, Master, there's something I've been dying to ask you."
"What's up?"
"Why do you need internal energy for this Dragon Elephant Wisdom Art anyway?"
"Huh?" Master Golden Wheel was totally thrown off, like someone had just asked him why water is wet.
Back when he was alive, if a disciple asked him something this dumb, he’d have kicked them out to sweep the courtyard. But now, being dead and all, he’d mellowed out. Besides, Jack just pointed out the technique was incomplete—and it really was. Maybe this silly question had some hidden meaning. So Master Golden Wheel asked, "Why do you say that, my friend?"
Jack's voice drifted over, patient and persuasive: "Think about it, Master—this Dragon Elephant Wisdom Art comes from India, right? It's the real deal over there. I just checked out the Prajna Wisdom Art, and the training method is totally different from what we do in China. That proves it. But—India doesn't have internal energy!"
Master Golden Wheel jolted like he'd just had a lightbulb moment—something brilliant was about to hit him, full force.