Visualization Meditation

Did I make the wrong choice?

Returning to his monk's quarters, Li Su scratched his head, feeling that the look in Monk Tianming's eyes had been very strange.

Never mind. For him, the Arhat Gong was absolutely necessary to acquire.

It wasn't just that his static meditation practice showed no progress and wouldn't reveal anything to others; more importantly, it was the advanced version of the Arhat Fist, and the two were bound to be highly compatible.

He followed his routine: waking up, morning lessons, cleaning, and cultivation.

Three days passed.

Li Su went to the Arhat Hall alone.

Monk Tianming was there.

"You've come?"

"Sit."

The old monk's expression was calm, lacking the peculiar gaze from three days ago. "The Arhat Gong is the advanced technique of the Arhat Fist. It originally belonged to the Arhat Hall for specialized study, but because the difficulty is extremely high, almost no one has been able to practice it in recent years. Although it is listed among the Shaolin Seventy-Two Arts and ranks in the top ten, I do not actually recommend learning it. It is very likely you will make no progress for decades. Even so, do you still wish to learn it?"

Li Su thought for a moment, took out a charcoal pencil, and wrote: "Does Master mean that to learn the Arhat Gong, one must first join the Arhat Hall?"

"That is not necessary."

Monk Tianming shook his head. "The Arhat Gong is too difficult to practice; almost no one has ever succeeded. However, one must report it if they intend to study it."

Li Su pondered, nodded, and wrote: I will learn it.

Whether he could master it or not didn't matter. His progress with the Arhat Fist was good; at worst, he could wait twenty or thirty years until his seniority was high enough to switch to something else.

"Very well."

Monk Tianming nodded. "The Arhat Gong does not rely on written words, books, or lectures; it seeks only enlightenment. Although it is a static technique, it is truly a method of refinement—cultivating the image of the Arhat among all living beings."

He watched as Monk Tianming sat cross-legged, pressed his palms together, and began to chant sutras silently.

The sound was like Sanskrit chanting, like a hymn, carrying an inexplicable rhythm that tugged at the soul.

As Li Su felt confused, the scenery before his eyes suddenly shifted. Before him was no longer Monk Tianming; in his place sat an Arhat, chanting softly. Golden light seemed to diffuse and permeate his entire body.

It was strange, profound, and indescribable.

The light was multicolored, and the sound left his heart empty and his soul still.

As they pulled at him, the world seemed to change. Everything became crystal clear, and the surrounding space seemed to expand a thousandfold in an instant. Within it, countless worlds were visible, and in each world sat an Arhat. The light grew increasingly dazzling, as if reaching the other shore, his spirit lodging itself between the twin trees.

It felt like a single moment, yet also like countless ages.

Accompanied by an indescribable exhaustion and drowsiness, Li Su blinked and found himself back in the room, facing Monk Tianming once more.

His eyes widened, and Li Su looked at the old monk with shock and bewilderment.

Just now?

Wait, he was in a martial arts world, right? Why did he see an Arhat? Could internal energy really have such an effect?

Monk Tianming smiled. "What did you see?"

Li Su picked up the pen and wrote: "I saw an Arhat!"

"Mm, that is correct. The Arhat Gong has no specific method, no fixed form; it is not recorded in books and cannot be expressed in words. It can only be shown to you in this way, and after this, you must find and realize the path of cultivation through this vision yourself."

Li Su's eyes flickered, and he wrote: "Master, does this mean I must cultivate through visualization?"

"Visualization?" Monk Tianming was startled, then a smile appeared on his face. "That is a very good word. Yes, the Arhat Gong can indeed be called a method of visualization."

"I understand. Thank you, Master, for passing on the technique."

"Mm, go."

Li Su bowed and wrote: "Yes, this disciple takes his leave."

As Li Su reached the threshold, Monk Tianming suddenly said, "Xuankong."

Li Su stopped.

"You... never mind. Go."

When the sound of Li Su's footsteps faded, Monk Tianming shook his head and softly chanted, "Amitabha."

He has become attached to the image...

His original intention had been to ask what kind of scene Li Su had witnessed.

The Arhat Gong was a visualization technique that could only be passed down in this manner, and the recipient would have one chance to see an 'Arhat.'

This Arhat varied depending on the individual.

According to records, there were three levels: a single Arhat, the Eighteen Arhats, and the Five Hundred Arhats.

A single Arhat was the shallowest level. Monk Tianming was at this level; even after thirty years of practicing the Arhat Divine Art, he had only lingered at the threshold.

The Eighteen Arhats were very formidable. The high monks in Shaolin Temple's history who had mastered the Arhat Divine Art were basically at this level.

As for the final level, the Five Hundred Arhats, the only one recorded to have witnessed such a scene was Bodhidharma.

The "five hundred" here did not mean five hundred individuals, but rather served as a metaphor for a vast, uncountable number.

The Arhats seen were numerous, too many to describe, hence the collective term "five hundred."

Li Su answered that he had seen an Arhat; it was likely just one, otherwise, his answer would have been that he saw many Arhats.

The words of his senior brother left no doubt that Monk Tianming was not as relaxed as he appeared. The fate of Quanzhou Shaolin Zen Temple had undoubtedly sounded a massive alarm. For these past few decades, Putian Shaolin Temple had been continuously sending disciples down the mountain, solely as a deterrent.

Let us wait and see.

"Xuancheng is performing well. If he continues like this, I shall recommend him to be placed over there."

Monk Tianming paused. As for Xuankong, even if he truly possessed extraordinary talent, without several years of time, the Arhat Divine Art was essentially a lost cause. Let him be a spare move for now.

Returning to his usual place of practice in a somewhat dazed state, Li Su sat on the steps, his expression strange.

This is a martial arts novel, right?

This is Jin Da's system, right?

Even Arhats have appeared.

Recalling the scene deep within his mind, Li Su could not help but twitch the corner of his mouth. This Arhat Gong shouldn't be a martial art that allows one to become an Arhat upon reaching the final stage, should it?

After resting for a while and waiting for his energy to recover, Li Su picked up a broom and began to sweep.

Before long, Xuanci and the others ran over as well.

They helped with the sweeping, and once finished, the group immediately and impatiently began to practice the newly learned martial arts.

Vajra Palm, Demon Subduing Staff.

Led by Xuanci, the four—Xuanci, Xuancheng, Xuanku, and Xuannan—were all practicing the palm technique.

The other three were practicing the staff technique.

It seemed no one was learning the leg technique.

However, that was not surprising.

In fact, those who chose the Chain Kick were few and far between.

Having been at Shaolin Temple for over two years, most people knew that while Shaolin had the most hand techniques, it was not devoid of leg techniques; however, compared to the arts performed with both hands, the gap was immense.

Undoubtedly, with new techniques in hand—Xuancheng aside—Xuanci and the others were full of vigor, just as they had been when they first practiced the Arhat Fist, incredibly earnest.

Watching the seven of them perform their techniques, Li Su smiled, set down his broom, and sat cross-legged in the corner.

He intended to try out the Arhat Gong. Whether he could master it was secondary; passing the time was the main goal. Given the spirit of these fellows, especially Xuancheng, there was no chance they would stop before dark.

Visualization, is it?

Li Su was somewhat curious. He was no stranger to the term; it appeared often in novels, though usually in xianxia novels rather than martial arts ones.

He just wondered what was different about visualization in the world of martial arts.

With a shift of his intent, Li Su began to recall the scene he had witnessed.

As his memory stirred, the image of the Arhat he had seen appeared immediately. However, unlike when Monk Tianming had transmitted it, it was very hazy. It seemed to be chanting, yet no sound could be heard.

He tried to see it more clearly, only to find that the more he tried, the blurrier it became. Not only that, but his thoughts grew increasingly chaotic, unable to focus.

After a moment, Li Su could not help but open his eyes and catch his breath.

He discovered that after that attempt at visualization, not only was he unable to enter a meditative state, but his internal energy had also become disordered.

Is that the extent of what I can see for now? Unaccountably, this feeling surfaced in Li Su's mind.

He closed his eyes, rested for a while, and once his spirit was replenished, he began to visualize again.

This time, he did not pursue clarity. Once the Arhat appeared, Li Su simply watched it quietly and began to feel it.

Sure enough, with this approach, the previous agitation vanished. Furthermore, his body and mind gradually became refreshed and clear.

He sat for several hours.

The sky soon turned dark, and Xuanci and the others stopped. After glancing at Li Su, who was sitting in meditative silence, they did not disturb him and left directly.

After more than two years together, they were all basically familiar with each other.

Xuankong was slightly unsociable, but that was likely due to his inability to speak. Most importantly, if there was something to be done, you didn't even need to ask; he would take the initiative to complete your tasks for you.

Hoo!

The sky turned completely dark. Li Su let out a long breath, having completed one session of Arhat Gong practice.

Opening his eyes, a strange expression appeared on his face.

Didn't the old monk Tianming say that Arhat Gong was very difficult to practice? It didn't seem difficult to him at all.

Moreover, after practicing it once, Li Su understood one thing: why the old monk said Arhat Gong was for "refining."

Because after that session, his internal energy had not increased at all; instead, it had shrunk.

Li Su was not panicked by this. He could feel that the shrunken energy had not diminished in quantity, but had become more condensed.

Is Arhat Fist for nourishing, and Arhat Gong for refining?

Feeling the state of his body, Li Su was somewhat stunned. Undoubtedly, these Buddhist martial arts and Taoist techniques followed completely different paths.

No wonder the cultivation of Shaolin Temple techniques requires the accompaniment of Buddhist dharma.

So, the meditation technique was actually refining qi? No wonder a single slip-up could lead to a deviation in cultivation, and one that was essentially impossible to save, with the only solution being to dissolve one's entire cultivation base.

The fist techniques were already incredibly fierce, and the refining method of the meditation technique only served to make that already fierce qi even more solid and concentrated.

Exhaling a long breath, Li Su stood up and began to practice the Arhat Fist.

He was filled with anticipation; if he were to practice the Arhat Fist in conjunction with the Arhat Gong, year after year, what would it eventually become? Would it be able to rival top-tier supreme techniques like the Nine Yang Divine Skill?