Arhat Gong

"Master, Master, we've been practicing the Eighteen Hands of the Arhat Fist for over a year now, and we've mastered it to the point of perfection. Can we learn some new martial arts now?"

Li Su remained indifferent, but that did not mean the other young monks could endure it.

The chatterbox Xuanci spoke up directly.

Among them, they had all progressed fastest in the Arhat Fist. Even the likes of Xuanku had grasped its subtleties and cultivated qi.

Xuancheng was even more extraordinary; he displayed the full, fierce power of the Arhat Fist. Once he unleashed a set of strikes, even Xuanci, the second-best among them, had to retreat three paces.

Of course, it wasn't just them; the young monks in the hall had all essentially mastered the basics of the Arhat Fist over the past year.

While they had been delighted at first, it had become as tasteless as chewing wax over time.

Hearing Xuanci's words, most of the young monks' eyes lit up, their faces filled with anticipation.

Monk Tianming shook his head. They had mastered the movements, yes, but they still failed to grasp the essence.

The Arhat Fist was merely the entry-level martial art of the Shaolin Temple, yet it was also the foundation of all Shaolin techniques.

It was not difficult, but its potential was astonishing.

When practiced to a high level, it could even cleanse the marrow and transform one's very constitution.

These little ones were all aiming too high and could not endure the loneliness. Even Xuancheng, the most skilled, practiced diligently but was too focused on aggressive advancement, losing his peace of mind.

As for Li Su, he was still hiding his true strength, so he naturally did not catch Monk Tianming's eye.

So be it.

He knew that it was difficult to make a group of restless youngsters practice the Arhat Fist wholeheartedly; after all, he had been through that phase himself and hadn't managed to persist either.

Tianming pondered for a moment. The Shaolin Temple had no shortage of entry-level martial arts.

In terms of combat techniques alone, there were four categories: fist, palm, leg, and staff, with two or three styles in each, totaling nearly ten.

Among them, the Arhat Fist was the most widely taught.

Although it was not the most powerful and had few moves, it excelled as a foundation—a root technique capable of cultivating qi.

Unfortunately, only Xuanci and a few others had managed to cultivate qi so far; the rest were still circling the threshold.

"Very well. You have practiced your fists for a year now, and it is time to begin learning more advanced techniques. I have three styles and one internal art here. You may choose, but you may only practice one. You must master it before you can move on to the next."

Following Monk Tianming's words, the eyes of Xuanci and the others lit up, and even Li Su felt a stir of interest.

Having already opened his Circulation Realm, his practice of the Arhat Fist had become routine; one month of progress now equaled several months of work before. He didn't have much desire for new combat techniques, but since he could learn, he might as well.

As his Arhat Fist grew more profound, his body became increasingly robust. After morning lessons, chores like cleaning took little time, leaving him with plenty of time each day after his eight daily sessions of Arhat Fist.

If possible, he preferred an internal art to focus on while not practicing the Arhat Fist.

"Vajra Palm, Chain Kick, Demon Subduing Staff, and Arhat Gong."

Monk Tianming did not speak in riddles and said directly, "The Vajra Palm is the entry-level art for the Great Strength Vajra Palm. To learn the subsequent techniques, you must master the Vajra Palm and enter the Prajna Hall.

The Chain Kick is the entry-level art for the Shadow-Following Kick; you must enter the Bodhidharma Institute to learn it.

The Demon Subduing Staff is the entry-level art for the Dragon Subduing Elephant Taming Art; you must enter the Prajna Hall to learn it.

The advanced versions of these three are all part of the Shaolin Seventy-Two Arts.

As for the Arhat Gong, you may only learn it after cultivating qi through the Arhat Fist."

"I, I choose the Vajra Palm!"

Xuanci raised his hand and shouted immediately, not even considering the Arhat Gong.

At once, many others followed suit.

However, they were almost all focused on the Vajra Palm, the Chain Kick, and the Demon Subduing Staff.

Monk Tianming was not surprised by this. The Arhat Fist was essentially the same as the three mentioned above, so the Arhat Gong was actually one of the Seventy-Two Arts, originally named the Arhat Divine Art. It was the specialty of the Arhat Hall, but unfortunately, it had extremely high requirements and was too difficult to practice. Currently, only three or five people in Shaolin knew it, and not a single one had mastered it.

With such high thresholds and excessive requirements for one's state of mind, it was difficult for a group of children with no stability to succeed. Even he had found it fraught with obstacles.

How could one year of basic training be enough for advanced Shaolin martial arts? If they tried to learn all three, seven or eight years would pass.

Therefore, he only mentioned the Arhat Gong in passing. Of course, if someone really wanted to practice it, Monk Tianming would not refuse.

The Shaolin Temple was never stingy with teaching its disciples, but there was one requirement: they were not allowed to aim too high or give up easily. Once they started, they had to practice to a certain level. It wasn't strictly about success, but at least they had to invest enough time. Even if the martial art didn't reach perfection, it would temper their character, for the Dharma was the true foundation.

This time, Monk Tianming did not teach them directly but had them choose their groups and stand apart.

He intended to teach in three sessions.

After waiting a while, everyone had taken their places. Monk Tianming was about to speak when his gaze shifted to the only person who had not joined any group.

Li Su.

"Xuankong?"

Li Su took out a charcoal pencil. He had not spoken, as he had naturally thought of another way, and began to write directly.

"Master, is the Arhat Gong a form of internal meditation?"

He had already reached a high level in the Arhat Fist. Since the Vajra Palm and the others sounded more like combat moves rather than internal cultivation, he had no interest in them.

He was not someone who only had one lifetime; there would be plenty of time for combat techniques later. For him, the most important thing right now was the improvement of his internal energy.

Even if a fight were to break out, there were still a full fifty years left before the start of the Heavenly Dragon era.

Monk Tianming was taken aback; he had never expected that any of his disciples would take an interest in Arhat Gong, but he still nodded and said, "It is indeed a static meditation technique."

Li Su's eyes lit up, and he wrote directly, "Then I choose Arhat Gong!"

Regardless of its rank, the name Arhat Gong sounded perfectly compatible with Arhat Fist. If he could master it, wouldn't the combination of the two allow him to cultivate thirty or fifty years' worth of internal energy in just a single year?

Good heavens, if that were the case, and he cultivated for fifty years, just how immense would his internal energy become?

"This is a static technique, Xuankong."

Monk Tianming couldn't help but say, "Furthermore, as the advanced version of Arhat Fist, it is extremely difficult to practice. Without three or five years, I fear you wouldn't even be able to enter the threshold."

Li Su wrote, "It's fine, Master. To me, Arhat Fist is something I could practice for a lifetime. I simply have nothing else to do when I'm not practicing my fists, and I want to pass the time."

Monk Tianming was stunned. Arhat Fist could be practiced for a lifetime? It had taken him a very, very long time to understand that truth himself. He couldn't help but say, "Xuankong, perform the Arhat Fist for me to see. If it is up to standard, I will teach you Arhat Gong."

Li Su was startled and somewhat surprised, as it had previously been said that one only needed to generate internal energy to learn it.

However, since the words were already spoken, he had no choice but to perform.

After a moment's thought, Li Su stepped back and assumed his stance.

As usual, he did not move quickly. In every move and every form, he prioritized his stance, with the striking technique serving only as a supplement.

Yet, after a single movement, Monk Tianming's eyes brightened, and he couldn't help but clench his fists.

Before, he hadn't looked closely.

This time was different; he was watching intently.

Because of this, he noticed the difference.

Li Su's Arhat Fist was not standard. Compared to the other young monks, one could say the forms were not properly formed, and in some places, they were even outright wrong.

However, in Monk Tianming's eyes, these were not mistakes, but perfect alignment.

Xuankong was not practicing the fist; he was practicing the stance.

Not only that, but someone of his level understood one truth above all else: martial arts techniques were created by people, and every person is different. Therefore, for the same set of techniques, the gap between the creator and the learner is significant, and it only grows wider the further one progresses.

He had originally thought that the most talented of this generation would be Xuancheng, followed by Xuanci.

He never imagined that the silent, unassuming Xuankong was actually the best of them all.

Even though Xuancheng and the others were only performing Arhat Fist, Xuankong was performing his own Arhat Fist.

"That is enough, Xuankong."

Li Su stopped, his heart racing slightly; he had undoubtedly held back.

Even so, he noticed that the old monk's gaze toward him was very strange, like a big bad wolf looking at a little white rabbit.

Had he seen through something? That couldn't be, could it? He had been practicing this way all along...

Monk Tianming smiled and said, "From today on, those who chose Vajra Palm stay behind. Tomorrow is for Chain Kick, the day after for Demon Subduing Staff, and as for you, Xuankong, come back the day after that.

You may all go."

"Yes, Master!"

The group withdrew.

The old monk Tianming stood up immediately and, without hesitation, headed straight for the Mahavira Hall.

"Abbot Brother!"

"Junior Brother Tianming, what brings you here today?"

"There is a disciple I intend to teach Arhat Gong, so I have come to report it."

"Junior Brother, are you serious? How many years has it been since anyone mastered Arhat Gong?"

"It is what he chose, after all."

"He chose it himself?"

"Yes."

"Very well. By the way, Junior Brother, how is your generation of disciples? Are there any with outstanding talent?"

"If I had to say, Xuanci and the others are all quite good, but currently, the best performer is undoubtedly Xuancheng."

"A pity, they are too young. It is hard to see results in just a few years."

"Brother, are you in such a rush?"

"Alas, nowadays, the experts from the Putian Shaolin, Dali Heavenly Dragon, Tianshan Xiaoyao, Western Xia First Class, and many other sects are emerging constantly. Only our Songshan Shaolin has been weak for too long. Sometimes, when one remains silent for too long, it inevitably invites covetous eyes. You should remember the incident at the Quanzhou Shaolin Zen Temple, Junior Brother."

"I understand. If there are suitable disciples, I will recommend them."

"Good, thank you for your hard work, Junior Brother."