Generally speaking, Jin Yong will not change historical facts or the fate of some historical figures, but only polish them from the perspective of martial arts, so there will be historical figures whose fate has been rewritten, such as Duan Yu (prototype is Duan) and of course Zhang Sanfeng. Let's talk about why Zhang Sanfeng can become a master from the perspective of martial arts.
First, Zhang Sanfeng's position in Jin Yong's works
There are many mythical figures in Wulin in Jin Yong's works, most of whom only live in legends, such as "Demonbane" mentioned in "The Condor Heroes", who has never lost in the Jianghu for more than 30 years, leaving several powerful swords, which were trained into black iron swords after being taken by Yang Guo; For example, Wang Zhongyang mentioned above, as a master who won the name of "the best in the world" in the first Huashan sword, only lives in people's memory; There's also the bard's father in "Tian Ba Long Department". Several of his disciples are top experts in Wulin, but he himself disappeared after he got the magic book of Spring Valley.
Zhang Sanfeng is a living martial arts myth, and he officially appeared in the book. Usually, the author will only set the "protagonist" as this situation, such as the Stone World in "Chivalrous Man", and Duan Yu and Zhang Sanfeng mentioned above. As a small role, why can he become a master?
The answer is simple. He was a master in history, but as mentioned above, Jin Yong polished his life in the way of martial arts, that is to say, from the perspective of martial arts, he actually became a master for another reason, and he got the guidance of a master.
Second, Zhang Sanfeng's master
Who is Zhang Sanfeng's master? Zhang Sanfeng made a brief appearance at the end of The Condor Heroes and also appeared in The Dragon Slayer, so it can be said that his master was clearly explained in these two works.
Zhang Sanfeng's first teacher was Zen master Jue Yuan, and Zen master Jue Yuan was an honest monk. He was originally a monk in charge of books in the Buddhist Sutra Hall of Shaolin Temple, and he didn't have any profound martial arts. Inadvertently saw "Jiuyang Zhen Jing" and learned a profound internal skill, which he didn't know. Zhang Sanfeng also practiced a part of Jiuyang Zhen Jing without knowing it, while Jue Yuan was meditating on what he had learned before he died.
Besides Jue Yuan, there is also a master who has a mentoring relationship with Zhang Sanfeng. That man is "crazy in the west" Yang Guo. At the end of "The Condor Heroes", after the third sword discussion in Huashan Mountain, Jue Yuan took Zhang Sanfeng to catch up with Yin Kexi and Xiaoxiangzi who stole the classics. They are no match for Xiaoxiangzi and Yin Kexi, so Yang Guo showed Zhang Sanfeng some tricks to help him defeat Yin Kexi.
But obviously, whether it is Jue Yuan or Yang Guo, the martial arts they taught Zhang Sanfeng can still make Zhang Sanfeng walk in the Jianghu, but it is far from enough to support him to become a master. The mentor who benefited Zhang Sanfeng the most was not Jue Yuan and Zhang Sanfeng. They can't be compared.
Third, experts.
Only a small part of Jiuyang's martial arts and a few tricks mentioned by Yang can not make Zhang Sanfeng a master of later generations. The most representative martial art in Zhang Sanfeng is Tai Chi. Who taught Tai Chi? The exact question should be "Who made him realize it?" The answer is simple. This person's name is clearly mentioned in the newly revised edition of "Eternal Dragon Slayer".
The original book said: "He has been taught by Jue Yuan for a long time, and this book" Jiuyang Zhen Jing "has been memorized five or six times. In the past ten years, his internal strength has made great progress. Later, he read more Taoist scriptures and gained more experience in Taoist cultivation of qi. One day, I wandered in the mountains, looked up at the clouds and looked down at the flowing water, and suddenly thought of what Laozi said,' Weakness is better than strength' and' extremes must be reversed' ... He meditated in the cave for seven days and seven nights, and suddenly realized the truth that martial arts should be combined with yin and yang, and couldn't help laughing. "
Yes, let Zhang Sanfeng understand the way of mutual assistance of Yin and Yang, is Lao Tzu, the famous Taoist ancestor. Jin Yong didn't introduce the role of Lao Zi into the story until the new edition, but this person is far from Jue Yuan and Yang Guo.
Readers often regard Zhang Sanfeng and Dharma as the strongest characters in Jin Yong's works, but they are not. In the newly revised edition, the person who is on par with Dharma should be Lao Zi, and Zhang Sanfeng is only one of his descendants. The characters in the story also explain why Zhang Sanfeng can reach the martial arts level in the book.