Most precipitous drop of overall level of wulin martial arts...late Ming/early Qing?

[Ken Cheng]

Was the most drastic drop in overall wulin martial arts level during the transition from the end of the Ming Dynasty to the beginning of the Qing Dynasty? The discrepancy in overall martial arts level between SWORD STAINED WITH ROYAL BLOOD and DUKE OF MOUNT DEER seems quite drastic, but was the drop between DOMD to BOOK & SWORD: GRATITUDE AND REVENGE/FLYING FOX OF SNOWY MOUNTAIN (mid-Qing era) even greater?

[a_tumiwa]

i think the ming to qing dynasty (SSRB to DOMD) deteriorate much more than DOMD to TBTS/FOX.

DOMD fighters seem didnt impress me much

[Ken Cheng]

There was also likely a precipitous drop between SMILING PROUD WANDERER and SSWRB. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, it would seem, wulin was in serious decline.

[Stance]

There was also likely a precipitous drop between SMILING PROUD WANDERER and SSWRB. By the end of the Ming Dynasty, it would seem, wulin was in serious decline.

Maybe due to the increase use of firearms towards the late Ming and MA is not a match against firearms.