Kongtong School (simplified: 崆峒派, traditional: 崆峒派, pinyin: Kōngtóng Pài, jyutping: hung1 tung4 paai3) is one of the six orthodox sects in The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Sabre. Based on Mount Kongtong (崆峒山) in Gansu, it is known for the Seven-Injury Fist (七伤拳) and the Kongtong Five Elders (崆峒五老). The school participated in the six sects’ siege of Bright Peak.
Structure
Kongtong Five Elders
The Kongtong Five Elders are the school’s senior masters. Tang Wenliang, Zong Weixia, and Chang Jingzhi are among them. Chang Jingzhi practised the Seven-Injury Fist and attempted to sneak-attack Zhang Wuji during the Bright Summit battle; Xiaozhao intervened and foiled him.
Notable disciples
Jian Jie, known as Saint Hand Jialan (圣手伽蓝), was a Kongtong disciple who was poisoned by the Golden Flower Matriarch. During a famine he plotted with others to eat Zhang Wuji and Yang Buhui, but Zhang Wuji poisoned them in self-defence.
Martial arts
Seven-Injury Fist
The Seven-Injury Fist is the Kongtong School’s signature technique. It strikes seven internal organs (heart, liver, spleen, lung, kidney, yang bladder, yin bladder) and can inflict severe internal damage. However, improper cultivation damages the practitioner’s own organs; Xie Xun learned the technique and suffered internal injury as a result.
Five Fists of Kongtong
The Five Fists of Kongtong represent another pillar of the school’s combat system.
Six sects’ siege
The Kongtong School joined the Shaolin Order, Wudang Order, Emei Order, Kunlun School, and Huashan School in besieging Bright Peak. Mo He Ba Si of the Diamond Gate once fought the Kongtong Five Elders to a draw during a擂臺比武 (platform contest).
Behind the scenes
Significance
The Kongtong School represents orthodox martial arts tradition in the novel. Its Seven-Injury Fist exemplifies techniques that offer great power at a cost, and the school’s participation in the Bright Peak siege highlights the conflict between orthodox and unorthodox factions.
See also
- Seven-Injury Fist — Kongtong signature technique
- Chang Jingzhi — Kongtong Five Elder
- Jian Jie — Kongtong disciple
- Bright Peak — Site of the six sects’ siege