Guan Neng

Guan Neng (simplified: 关能, traditional: 關能, pinyin: Guān Néng, jyutping: gwaan1 nang4) was the eldest of the Kongtong Five Elders (崆峒五老), a group of senior masters from the Kongtong School who were renowned throughout jianghu and held high status within their school, despite their actual martial arts abilities not matching their reputation. He participated in major events including the Six Schools expedition to Bright Peak and the Slaying Lion Heroes Assembly, and was injured by Xie Xun during the latter’s theft of the Seven Injury Fist manual.

Biography

Early years and status

Guan Neng was one of the five most senior and respected members of the Kongtong School, collectively known as the Kongtong Five Elders. These five masters enjoyed a high reputation throughout the martial arts world and held prestigious positions within their school. However, their actual martial arts abilities did not fully match their renown, a situation that would be exposed during their encounters with more powerful opponents.

The Kongtong Five Elders had all practised the Seven Injury Fist (七伤拳), the Kongtong School’s signature technique. However, because their internal energy was insufficient, they had all sustained internal injuries from practising this technique, which required extremely high levels of internal energy to practise safely.

Encounter with Xie Xun

When Xie Xun, the Golden-Haired Lion King of the Ming Order, sought to learn the Seven Injury Fist, he invaded Qingyang Temple (青阳观) on Kongtong Mountain to steal the technique manual. Guan Neng and the other four elders engaged in battle with Xie Xun to defend their school’s secret technique.

However, with the secret assistance of Cheng Kun (Yuanzhen), Xie Xun was able to defeat the five elders. During this battle, Guan Neng was injured by Xie Xun’s palm strikes. Xie Xun successfully obtained the Seven Injury Fist manual, which he would later use to commit numerous murders in his quest for revenge against Cheng Kun.

At the time when Kongjian, the most senior of Shaolin’s Four Holy Monks, was killed by Xie Xun’s Seven Injury Fist in Luoyang, Guan Neng and the other Kongtong Five Elders were guests at the residence of the Diancang School’s Master Liu (点苍派柳大侠) in Yunnan, which explains why they were not present when Kongjian was killed.

Six Schools expedition to Bright Peak

Guan Neng led the Kongtong School in joining the Six Schools expedition to Bright Peak (光明顶), participating in the coordinated attack on the Ming Order headquarters. During this expedition, he and the Kongtong forces engaged in fierce battles with the Ming Order’s Five Elements Banners (五行旗).

At Bright Peak, the Kongtong elders faced Zhang Wuji, who had emerged as a defender of the Ming Order. Zhang Wuji used the Seven Injury Fist against the Kongtong elders, demonstrating his superior mastery of the technique and successfully subduing them. This confrontation highlighted the difference between Zhang Wuji’s correct practice of the technique, supported by his exceptional internal energy, and the Kongtong elders’ incorrect practice, which had caused them internal injuries.

Slaying Lion Heroes Assembly

Guan Neng participated in the Slaying Lion Heroes Assembly (屠狮大会), where Xie Xun was being held prisoner by the Shaolin Order. This assembly brought together martial artists from throughout jianghu who were interested in obtaining the Dragon-slaying Sabre (屠龙刀) or seeking revenge against Xie Xun.

Resistance against Yuan forces

After the Slaying Lion Heroes Assembly, when the Yuan Dynasty’s Prince Ruyang (汝阳王) Chahan Timur led 20,000 Mongolian troops to attack Shaolin Temple, intending to annihilate all the martial artists gathered there, Guan Neng joined with the other martial artists to resist the Yuan forces and fight for their country. This demonstrated that despite the internal conflicts and personal grudges within jianghu, martial artists could unite against external threats to the nation.

Personality & traits

Reputation versus ability

Guan Neng, like the other Kongtong Five Elders, represented a situation where reputation in jianghu did not necessarily match actual martial arts ability. While the five elders enjoyed high status and were well-known throughout the martial arts world, their abilities were limited by their incorrect practice of the Seven Injury Fist, which had caused them internal injuries that weakened their effectiveness.

School loyalty

Despite the challenges they faced, Guan Neng demonstrated loyalty to the Kongtong School, participating in major events and defending the school’s interests. His willingness to fight Xie Xun to protect the Seven Injury Fist manual, even at the risk of injury, showed his commitment to his school.

Martial arts abilities

Seven Injury Fist

Guan Neng practised the Seven Injury Fist (七伤拳), the Kongtong School’s signature technique and one of its most powerful secret arts. This technique could produce seven different types of internal force with each strike: hard, soft, hard-within-soft, soft-within-hard, horizontal, vertical, and a complex combination. These forces could damage an opponent’s internal organs in devastating ways, making it a formidable technique.

However, the technique had a dangerous requirement: it demanded extremely high levels of internal energy. According to the technique’s principle: “five qi regulate yin and yang, damage the heart and injure the lungs, destroy the liver and intestines, the spirit leaves and the essence is lost, causing confusion, the three burners all reverse, and the soul and spirit fly away” (五行之气调阴阳，损心伤肺摧肝肠，藏离精失意恍惚，三焦齐逆兮魂魄飞扬). The human body’s five elements—heart (fire), lungs (metal), kidneys (water), spleen (earth), and liver (wood)—plus yin and yang, meant that practising the technique would injure all seven aspects. Thus, the saying: “first injure oneself, then injure the enemy” (先伤己，后伤敌).

Because Guan Neng and the other elders did not possess sufficient internal energy, they had all sustained internal injuries from practising this technique. This limited their effectiveness and made them vulnerable to opponents who either had greater internal energy or who practised the technique correctly.

Internal injuries

The internal injuries sustained from practising Seven Injury Fist without sufficient internal energy weakened Guan Neng’s martial arts abilities. These injuries would have affected his internal energy circulation, stamina, and ability to use techniques at full power, making him less effective than he might have been if he had possessed the necessary internal energy to practise the technique safely.

Relationships

With the other Kongtong Five Elders

Guan Neng worked closely with the other four elders: Zong Weixia, Tang Wenliang, Chang Jingzhi, and one other unnamed elder. Together, they represented the leadership of the Kongtong School and participated in major events as a group. Their shared experience of practising Seven Injury Fist and sustaining internal injuries created a bond between them.

With Xie Xun

Guan Neng’s relationship with Xie Xun was one of enmity, as Xie Xun had invaded the Kongtong School to steal the Seven Injury Fist manual and had injured Guan Neng in the process. This conflict was part of the broader tensions between the orthodox schools and the Ming Order, though it was complicated by Xie Xun’s personal quest for revenge against Cheng Kun.

With Zhang Wuji

Guan Neng encountered Zhang Wuji during the Six Schools expedition to Bright Peak, where Zhang Wuji used the Seven Injury Fist against the Kongtong elders. This encounter demonstrated the correct way to practise the technique and highlighted the limitations of the Kongtong elders’ practice.

Behind the scenes

Character significance

Guan Neng represents the Kongtong Five Elders, a group whose story illustrates the dangers of practising powerful martial arts techniques without sufficient internal energy. Their incorrect practice of Seven Injury Fist, which caused them internal injuries, serves as a cautionary example of how techniques that are too advanced for one’s abilities can be harmful rather than beneficial.

Their reputation exceeding their actual abilities also highlights how status and renown in jianghu do not always reflect true martial arts mastery, and how even respected masters can have significant limitations.

Role in the narrative

Guan Neng’s role connects several plot elements: his encounter with Xie Xun explains how Xie Xun obtained the Seven Injury Fist, his participation in the Six Schools expedition connects the Kongtong School to the broader conflicts in the novel, and his presence at the Slaying Lion Heroes Assembly shows the continuing involvement of various schools in the events surrounding Xie Xun and the Dragon-slaying Sabre.