Came across a crazy thread on a Chinese Tanglang forum here.
http://www.wushu2008.cn/viewthread.php?tid=36712&extra=page3D1&page=1
In the Wushu2008 Tanglang forum an anonymous poster said the Wang Chuan Yi lineage was the authentic inheritor (Zhang Men) for 7* Mantis.
They made two points. One, it was Wang Rong Sheng who actually called it Qixing Tanglang. Before him it was never called Qixing. Two, because of Wang Chuan Yis blood relation to Wang Rong Sheng (i.e. grandson), this by default makes his line the most authentic Zhang Men of Qixing Tanglang.
The person also posted an uploaded picture of the front cover of a Quan Pu stating it was the original hand written version passed on from Wang Rong Sheng. They were immediately questioned by the forum members on a number of inconsistencies. Later he said it was an edited version.
The thread also got a little sidetracked with a strange story. They said that Yang Wei Xin, Luo Guang Yu, and Wang Chuan Yi, during their stay in Shanghai collectively decided to divide Ba Zhou and Zhai Yao into 4 and 6 forms respecitvely for future ease of training. Meaning that previously there was only one Ba Zhou and one Zhai Yao.
It was a wierd and heated debate, with obvious jostling for the title of Qixing Zhang Men.
This is one of the primary reasons SOOOOOO many people are turned off by the CMA in general, and the community more specifically.
In the end what the **** does any of it mean??
Sad.
Jake 
Hi Qixing Tanglang,
i have to say i am always interested in anything regarding the 6 route essentials.
and would love to find more about them.
regards Holymantis:D
Essesntials and Elbows
So if I understand correctly this implies that they were one form for seven star to that point but I have the impression that the Meihua and other lines had the essentials as a number of sets also. As for 8 elbows I understand that there are four elbow sets in some lineages of seven star.
I don’t know why but reconstructing history is interesting for some, myself included. Could be that insights can be gleaned from decisions made by key figures in the styles development.
Same argument for studying history of any kind where humans have determines a course of events.
Couple of follow up points.
In my opinion making claims about being the only authentic 7* line is ridiculous. And uploading inconclusive documents claiming to be Wang Rong Shengs original quan pu is pretty cheeky.
KwaiChangKaine. Agreed. I was also under the same impression that Zhai Yao and Ba Shou came from Meihua Tanglang, and as a number of sets.
Holymantis. Going further I have heard the Zhai Yao sets were introduced into the Seven Star lines by Wang Rong Sheng, via Jiang Hua Long from MHTL. But once again there is not any documented evidence of this that I know of, thereby making it impossible to prove, and I guess in actuality pointless to even speculate. My bad as well.
Cheers,
Hi Qixing Tanglang,
From the info that i have gathered over the years.
is that in 7 stars Praying Mantis the three maternal forms/sets of Beng Bu Quan,Lan Jie and Ba Zhao are the original forms/sets created in the Northern Praying Mantis style.
However, the following series of forms/sets are considered to be just as old.
six of these forms/sets grace the syllabus of the 7 Stars Praying Mantis style and are very highly valued.
Zhai Yao means to take out what is vital or essential. they contain techniques which represent a wide spectrum of skills and principles and became the inspiration behind the creation of later forms/sets .Speculation today that the six Zhai Yao forms/sets are actually Plum Blossom Praying Mantis style forms/sets that have been borrowed by the 7 Stars Praying Mantis style.
i myself don’t belive this as the three main divisions occured in the original system which was created by Wang Lang, it is obvious that apart from unique variations in technical emphasis, the main core of forms/sets will be similar and contain the essential standard techniques.
regards holymantis:D
Thanks HolyMantis. Thats interesting information.
From our family lineage Beng Bu, Duo Gang and Shiba Shou are considered core forms.
Just speaking honestly here, that is the first time I have heard Lan Jie and Ba Shou described as core sets to QXTL. Lan Jie and Ba Zhou do exist and have a place in our family 7* system, but they are not considered to be core forms.
From what I have heard according to our own family teachings as well as having read online posts from other 7* family lines, Lan Jie and Ba Zhou seem to be described as being of MHTL in origin. When, where, who, why and how they got into the QXTL system I have absolutely no idea.
But as you alluded to, talking about forms only gets us into narrow discourse. I do agree that in general core technqiues, regardless of forms differences, are consistent through many different Tanglang branches.
Cheers,