Formless Calamity Finger

Monk Tianming returned.

He cast a glance at Li Su and sighed. The Arhat Divine Art, is it? Such a treasure appears only once in a millennium. If possible, I truly wish to see it cultivated to the realm of Great Completion in my lifetime. What a pity, what a pity. Who could have imagined that after finally finding someone with the aptitude to comprehend it, the obstacle wouldn't be a lack of insight, but rather the Shaolin Temple running out of money? Why on earth does the Shaolin Temple take in so many disciples? And shouldn't lay disciples be charged a fee? Giving away martial arts for free is already absurd enough; what would be the harm in collecting some tuition?

Truly.

"Amitabha. Sinful, sinful."

Taking a deep breath, Tianming composed himself and said, "Xuankong, from this moment on, you shall join Xuannan and the others in learning our sect's finger techniques under my guidance."

Li Su was taken aback.

"In terms of internal energy cultivation, you are already among the best of your peers. Buddhist arts prioritize stability; at your current stage, rather than constantly striving for refinement, it is better to pause and dwell for a time."

Tianming said with a solemn expression, "Furthermore, I have observed that in the two years since you began your training, you have never practiced any martial techniques. This is not ideal. Martial arts consist of both 'martial' and 'art'; one must practice the techniques as well as the internal energy. Otherwise, possessing a vast reservoir of True Qi without knowing how to utilize it is equally flawed. Of course, this utilization is not for the sake of fighting others, but to master the control of your True Qi."

Li Su blinked. That made sense. No matter how high one's cultivation, it must be put to use. Besides, he had plenty of time and was in no rush; learning a finger technique wouldn't hurt.

Moreover, his internal energy had already formed a complete cycle, so it would continue to grow even if he didn't practice.

At most, the progress of his Arhat Gong would be slightly delayed, but he wasn't worried. He had all the time in the world; if he couldn't achieve it in this life, he could always do it in the next.

Picking up a charcoal pencil, Li Su wrote: "I will follow your instructions, Master."

Watching Li Su's enlightened expression, the corner of Monk Tianming's eye twitched uncontrollably. After all, he simply couldn't bring himself to tell Xuankong, "You are cultivating too fast, so please stop for a while because the Shaolin Temple can no longer afford your training."

Is martial technique important?

Naturally, it is. After all, it is called "martial art"—the martial comes first, and the art follows.

Li Su and the others would inevitably be sent out into the world eventually. If they only knew how to cultivate energy but lacked martial skills, how could they survive? A single misstep could lead to their downfall.

As for the claim that martial techniques improve True Qi control? That was nonsense. Cultivated energy moves almost at will within the body; how could it possibly be disobedient? In truth, the application of martial techniques to internal arts is not about control, but about transformation.

Furthermore, while others might need to be careful, Xuankong did not.

Although the primary power of the Arhat Divine Art was reflected in the Arhat Golden Body, it did not mean the Arhat True Qi itself was weak. Do not be deceived by its unassuming appearance; its nature was incredibly tyrannical. Once Arhat True Qi of a high level invades another's body, it is akin to thrusting a steel blade inside. With its inherent quality of refusing to merge, combined with its volatile nature, the sensation it caused was something even the most vicious demonic arts could not match.

The position of an Arhat was originally intended for slaying demons.

Do not mention the "demons" in the context of Arhat fruits; matters of mythological faith cannot be conflated with reality, otherwise, why would the Shaolin Temple bother with the Seventy-Two Ultimate Arts?

Ahem! Ahem!

Clearing his throat twice, Tianming said directly, "As long as you understand, sit down. We shall begin the lecture together."

Hearing this, Li Su found an empty cushion and sat down cross-legged.

He sat with Xuannan and the others, wondering which finger technique would be taught.

The Shaolin Temple possessed no shortage of finger techniques.

Li Su knew of several famous ones, such as the Flower-Plucking Finger and Daluoye Finger once used by Jumozhi, as well as the renowned Formless Calamity Finger, which only Xuanbei among the Xuan-generation disciples had successfully mastered.

Wait, Li Su's gaze shifted slightly. Xuanbei was also in the crowd. His brows arched—surely they wouldn't be teaching the Formless Calamity Finger? Hmm, that seemed unlikely. After all, their generation was far too young; the eldest, Xuanci, was only twelve, and the youngest, Xuandu, was only ten.

"You all have been practicing the Dragon Subduing Elephant Taming Art and have attained a certain level of proficiency. Although Xuankong practices the Arhat Gong, he has also reached the basic standard and possesses considerable internal energy.

"Finger techniques rely heavily on internal energy.

"The finger technique I am teaching you today not only requires a certain level of internal energy but also demands great versatility in the manipulation of True Qi. You may attempt to practice it, but do not fixate on the results; treat it as a form of tempering. We shall set a period of two months. If you cannot master the basics by then, you may come to me to exchange it for another method. But remember, do not force your practice. Do you understand?"

"Yes!"

The young monks nodded, their faces filled with anticipation.

Currently, among their generation, only Xuancheng, Xuanci, and Xuanji were learning finger techniques, all of them practicing the Vajra Finger.

Among them, Xuancheng had already achieved considerable proficiency and had begun learning another technique, the Shaolin Dragon Capturing Skill.

Seeing this, some might find it strange: is it truly acceptable to teach such young disciples so many martial arts?

In truth, there was nothing strange about it.

This generation of disciples was simply exceptionally gifted, far surpassing those of the past. They could often master the taught techniques rapidly. During the Tianlong era, the Xuan-generation disciples were generally at a first-rate level, only suppressed because of super-first-rate figures like Xiao Feng.

Otherwise, why would the Abbot and the others be suffering from such headaches?

Under normal circumstances, practicing Arhat Fist for two years to gain a basic grasp was considered acceptable, followed by two years for another technique, and four years for an advanced one. With other delays in between, a decade would pass in the blink of an eye.

Ten years for two introductory techniques and one advanced one—that was not much at all.

Now, less than three years had passed, and they were already being taught finger techniques—something that should have happened over a decade later.

It was also because the Shaolin Temple had been suffering from a lack of successors in recent years. Tianjian had made the request, and Tianming had opened the path; otherwise, even Xuancheng should not have been taught the Dragon Capturing Skill so soon.

Monk Tianming took a deep breath, his expression quite solemn as he said, "The finger technique I shall now impart to you is called the Formless Calamity Finger."

Xuannan and the others had yet to react, but Li Su could not help but shrink his pupils, drawing a sharp breath in secret.

Holy crap, what is the old master thinking?

The Formless Calamity Finger? In the original story, it was only slightly inferior to the Six Meridians Divine Sword and the Canhe Finger, right? Even the Dali One Finger wasn't as strong.

This leap in difficulty is a bit too much.

Tianming smiled. "This Formless Calamity Finger is the premier finger technique of Shaolin, and simultaneously, the premier finger technique under heaven."

Hiss!

Xuannan and the others could not help but widen their eyes, their faces filled with excitement.

After all, they were just young monks; how could they not be stirred upon hearing the words "number one in the world"?

Li Su was stunned. Old monk, you're blowing smoke. The Formless Calamity Finger sounded high and mighty, but compared to Tianlong Temple's Six Meridians Divine Sword or Gusu's Canhe Finger, it clearly lacked a certain something. The Canhe Finger was one thing—it was merely described, Murong Fu never practiced the Daoist arts, and it barely appeared in the original text—but the Six Meridians Divine Sword was different. Whenever Duan Yu unleashed it, Jumozhi could only scramble away in defeat.

Watching the excited crowd, a hint of a smile appeared in Tianming's eyes.

The Formless Calamity Finger was undoubtedly Shaolin Temple's premier finger technique, and its power went without saying. In truth, a group of children shouldn't have been learning such a lethal technique, but one had to save where one could; hadn't the Arhat Divine Art already been suspended? The temple needed time, otherwise, if things continued like this, they would truly be reduced to eating dirt.

As for whether any of these children could master it? Heh, what a joke. The difficulty of the Formless Calamity Finger was on par with the Indestructible Diamond Divine Art; who knew how long it would take just to get through the door?

As if to prove just how formidable the Formless Calamity Finger was, Monk Tianming raised his hand, his thumb pressing against the first joint of his middle finger. As his true qi converged, it formed a surge of energy in his hand, and he pointed it out.

Pfft!

The next moment, a prayer mat a full ten feet away ignited without a breeze, leaving a scorched patch.

"It burned! It burned!"

Xuannan and the others couldn't help but shout out loud.

Li Su was also filled with astonishment. Master's strength isn't bad at all; he's on par with the Jumozhi I saw on TV back in the day.

However, compared to the Six Meridians Divine Sword, it was lacking by more than just a little.

Thinking this, Li Su couldn't help but pout. No matter how he looked at it, this Formless Calamity Finger looked flashy enough, but it really couldn't compare to those other finger techniques.

Not to mention the rapid-fire Daluoye Finger, even the Flower-Plucking Finger's ability to pluck leaves and flowers looked far more impressive than this.

Scorched?

It looked intimidating, but martial arts were meant for combat and lethality; whether something was scorched or not didn't hold much significance.

Whether a finger strike left a scorch mark or punched a hole through someone, the effect might differ, but the result was essentially the same.

Just as Li Su was dismissing it, Monk Tianming smiled and sighed, "When one first begins to practice the Formless Calamity Finger, one must use all five fingers."

"At the fingertips, there are five layers of energy: stillness, vibration, contraction, forward spiral, and reverse spiral."

"When these five energies merge into one, they generate a fire-like finger force; that is the initial mastery of the Formless Calamity Finger."

"This is the Five-Finger Realm!"

"By using one less finger while maintaining the same energy, the power increases by one level; that is the Four-Finger Realm. When one reaches the point where a single finger strike contains all five energies merged into one, that is the highest realm."

"I am ashamed to say that my own Formless Calamity Finger has only just entered the door. With all five fingers firing, the energy is scattered, and the range is only ten feet. If one could master it to perfection, a single strike could reach thirty feet. Those struck by it would feel as if burned by fire, their entire bodies turning charred black before they perish. It can be called unparalleled in offense, its power immense beyond compare. In all the world, no finger force can surpass it; those who are struck will be charred from head to toe, with no hope of survival. Even the world-renowned Six Meridians Divine Sword of Tianlong Temple or the Canhe Finger of the Gusu Murong family cannot exceed the power of a single finger of the Formless Calamity Finger."

Hiss!

Following Monk Tianming's words, Li Su finally couldn't help but gasp, truly frightened.

That strike just now was only the entry level of the Formless Calamity Finger?

Wasn't that about the level of Jumozhi???

Is this really the Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils I read about???