Can we really call Yin 13 an elite swordsman if he *couldn't* pull back?

[Ken Cheng]

Yin 13 is known as one of the deadliest swordsmen in the Gu Long canon - perhaps even the deadliest?

But by the standards that measure the skill of wulin swordsmen, could he really be considered (what PJ would call) the "peak of perfection" in swordsmanship? The whole thing about him is that his 15th stroke could not be pulled back. Isn't it said somewhere that a swordsman cannot truly be said to have reached the pinnacles of swordsmanship until he has mastered the art of pulling back, at will, any stroke he has stricken?

Yin 13 could not do this.

[PJ]

He hasn't reached the peak of perfection in his swordplay yet.

However, he can defeat most of the people who have reached the peak of perfection in their swordplay.

Because his sword is that much deadlier.

[bliss]

That sword wasn't a sword anymore, it was Death itself. You can withdraw a sword, but you can't pull back the reaper once it is set free.

[PJ]

That sword wasn't a sword anymore, it was Death itself. You can withdraw a sword, but you can't pull back the reaper once it is set free.

Although if he could, he would be even mightier, as in > God.

[bliss]

Ken, I think this illustrates one of the big difference between JY and GL in regards to martial arts philosophy. In JY, there is a lot of emphasis on the beauty and nobility of sword arts/martial arts refinement and level. Martial arts is used for combat, but in many respects is also seen as an art form that pugilists are kin to admire and compare. In GL, the emphasis is usually more on being able to get the kill, whether it be due to pure speed, ability to adapt and react to the environment, or a character's mental state of mind.

[PJ]

Actually, as fitting as it may be:

could he really be considered (what PJ would call) the "peak of perfection" in swordsmanship?

Peak of perfection, peerless under heaven are exactly how it was described:

铁开诚道：「那一剑既然是登峰造极，天下无双的剑法，....

[Candide]

For me, the real peak of perfection is the swordsman questioning the so-called rule of pulling back. "WTF do I have to pull back deadly moves I'm using on some bastard I dislike so much I'm having a duel with, just so that some randoms could call me the bestest swordsman in wulin? To hell with the rule, let's just chop the other guy's head off." Yin 13 hasn't moved beyond being a slave to some random rulebook.