Calling a Deer a Horse

Jiumozhi continued, "Not only the Prajna Palm—the essential principles of the Great Vajra Fist and the secrets of the Maha Finger are still fresh in this humble monk's memory." As he spoke, he launched into a lengthy passage of Sanskrit, reciting a section from a martial arts scripture.

The monks listened closely. Though not every word was exact, it was largely correct, precisely the essential formulas recorded in those three ancient texts.

Even Xuan Cheng was left dumbfounded. The earlier Sanskrit passage could perhaps be explained as something shared between fellow disciples, but he had never mentioned the rest to Song Qingshu. Yet Jiumozhi was able to fluently recite the Sanskrit versions. He could not possibly have prepared them beforehand.

"Could these martial arts truly have come from India?"

That thought suddenly surfaced in the hearts of many monks present. Even Xuan Cheng's conviction wavered, but he quickly came to his senses. This foreign monk must have used some trick. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he pondered it, he could not figure out what it was.

"Amitabha!" Xuan Ci proclaimed a Buddhist invocation. "Ming Wang possesses such a remarkable memory. He merely flipped through the books in silence earlier, yet committed the three essential martial arts texts to memory. Since he is also proficient in Sanskrit, he first translated the formulas into Sanskrit before reciting them in Chinese. This old monk admires you greatly."

At Xuan Ci's words, the monks suddenly understood. They finally saw through the ruse and began denouncing Jiumozhi's shamelessness.

With his trick exposed, Jiumozhi became somewhat angry from embarrassment. Rather than explain himself, he said directly, "If you insist on twisting words, there is nothing this humble monk can do. However, I have a simple method to determine whether the so-called Shaolin Seventy-two Ultimate Skills were