A Visit to Shaolin

On a mountain road in the wilderness, Li Wei and his two companions rode horses at a rapid pace.

When I first entered this mission world, the time recorded on the Black Paper was the seventh day of the seventh lunar month. Now, it is the eighteenth day of the ninth lunar month, and more than two months have passed since the mission began.

The horses traveled along a mountain path that led directly to the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song. After bidding farewell to Feng Qingyang at the Cliff of Contemplation on Mount Hua, Li Wei and his companions headed towards the Shaolin Temple.

It was Li Wei's idea to come here.

He came here to find someone, someone Li Wei suddenly thought of, someone from whom he might be able to significantly improve his cultivation.

The horse's hooves pounded the mountain path, kicking up a lot of dust. After traveling for a while, Li Wei could vaguely see the outline of the ancient temple hidden in the mountains.

Below the mountain was a huge blue stone. A monk dressed in a gray robe stood there, his hands clasped together. Upon seeing Li Wei and the others, he simply said softly, "Amitabha. Benefactors have arrived at the Shaolin Temple territory. Please state your purpose."

In this mission world, Shaolin pinnacle of the martial arts world, holding a transcendent position. Its numerous eminent monks far surpass the Shaolin of Li Wei's era. Therefore, as a major martial arts sect, it is especially necessary to set up a dismounting stone and welcoming monks at the foot of the mountain.

Li Wei didn't come here to smash up the mountain gate this time. In fact, let alone Li Wei, even a grandmaster-level martial arts expert wouldn't dare to be too presumptuous here.

So, Li Wei, Linghu Chong, and Duan Yu jumped off their horses together, walked up to the monk's hat, and bowed, saying, "Master, I wish to enter the temple to pay homage to Buddha. Would you be so kind as to grant me entry?"

To worship Buddha?

The monk was taken aback. Very few people usually came to Shaolin Temple to worship Buddha. Even if they did, they were usually the leaders or disciples of famous sects. He had never seen an ordinary person come to worship Buddha.

This is because this is the inner courtyard of Shaolin Temple, also known as the Martial Arts Academy, while the outer courtyard is more than ten miles away, where people receive offerings of incense.

After sizing up Li Wei and his companions, the monk realized that they were all martial arts practitioners. He didn't say anything more, led them up to the foot of the mountain gate, and handed them over to the welcoming monks there.

Along the way, Li Wei was amazed by the beautiful scenery outside the Shaolin Temple gate. It was a quiet and ancient place, truly an excellent place for masters to cultivate.

At the main gate, Li Wei stared intently at the two monks sweeping the floor, but upon seeing their ages, he shook his head. Clearly, these two were not the people he was looking for.

Following another disciple, Li Wei and his companions entered the temple. When they reached a secluded corner, Li Wei suddenly asked the disciple, "Master, do you know where the Shaolin Temple's Sutra Repository is located?"

The monk was greatly alarmed, and a hint of wariness appeared in his eyes as he looked at Li Wei and the others.

"Three benefactors, our temple's Sutra Repository is a forbidden area, strictly off-limits to outsiders. Please refrain from asking this humble monk such questions. The Buddha worship hall is just ahead. Please, three benefactors."

Li Wei chuckled, then suddenly appeared in front of the monk, swiftly tapping his neck with his finger. The bald monk offered no resistance and fell straight to the ground, unconscious.

"Tie him up, gag him tightly with a strip of cloth, and throw him into that woodshed we just passed by," Li Wei said to Linghu Chong and Duan Yu beside him.

Having spent some time with Li Wei, the two men knew that Li Wei acted with discretion and restraint, so they didn't waste any words and simply did as he said. In no time, they had completed the task cleanly and efficiently.

"Let's go to the Sutra Repository. When I asked that monk earlier, he glanced to the west. The Sutra Repository is very likely over there." Li Wei took the lead and walked forward.

Following behind Li Wei, Linghu Chong asked curiously, "Brother Li, forgive my bluntness, but why are we going to such lengths to infiltrate Shaolin Temple? You wouldn't happen to be after the Shaolin Temple's Sutra Repository, would you?"

Linghu Chong knew very well that Shaolin Temple was a place where hidden talents lurked, and the slightest mistake could lead to utter ruin.

Li Wei chuckled and said, "Don't worry, I'm just going to find someone, someone who is more important than the top-tier martial arts techniques in the Sutra Repository."

The three of them dodged several monks and slowly made their way to the west side of Shaolin Temple. Sure enough, from a distance, they saw an ancient pavilion with a sign that read "Sutra Repository".

Just then, Li Wei sighed inwardly, because he sensed several powerful auras rapidly approaching from behind, indicating that someone had discovered someone had infiltrated the temple.

Sure enough, a few moments later, several senior monks came into view. Judging from their subtle yet powerful aura, they were all martial monks who had practiced martial arts for many years.

"Three benefactors, please wait. What is your purpose in trespassing into Shaolin?" the leading monk asked in a deep voice.

He was tall and muscular, with fists the size of a child's head. What was even more alarming was that his monk's robes seemed a size too small, stretched taut by his powerful muscles as if they were about to burst.

The others also had prominent temples and bodies that looked like Steel Sinews and Iron Bones. They were not good people either. However, in Li Wei's eyes, these monks could only be considered first-rate experts at best, not even sect leaders.

"Brother Linghu, Brother Duan, you two hold these monks off. I'll be right back. If they can't find that person, unless it's a sect leader-level expert, they won't be able to stop us," Li Wei said calmly.

He spoke with ample confidence. Along the way, his Sunflower Divine Skill had become increasingly refined, and he had mastered the Misty Cloud Thirteen Forms and Mist Swordplay. While the Mount Heng Swordsmanship wasn't considered a peerless martial art, its power at its peak was considerable. Linghu Chong and Duan Yu were also practicing top-tier martial arts, and both possessed excellent aptitude. More importantly, Li Wei discovered that he could allocate his cultivation points to these two, a discovery that greatly delighted Li Wei.

Therefore, what should have been a journey of three to five days took Li Wei more than half a month to complete. Along the way, whenever he encountered a martial arts master, he would challenge them to a duel. When he heard of bandits or outlaws, Li Wei get extremely excited and would often lead Linghu Chong and Duan Yu to raid their hideout. For example, the three of them wiped out a bandit stronghold, gaining more than 300 cultivation points in total.

The three of them split the 300 cultivation points equally, and their martial arts skills improved significantly. Li Wei's Misty Cloud Thirteen Forms reached its peak through this skill.

In fact, on the Black Paper, the progress of each martial art was divided into a very detailed level system, with all martial arts divided into levels 1 to 10.

Li Wei had checked his various martial arts skills using the Black Paper. Currently, he had mastered three martial arts: Sunflower Divine Skill at level 2, Misty Cloud Thirteen Forms at level 9, and Arhat Fist at level 3. Basically, Arhat Fist was just a useless skill.

As for Linghu Chong, his Mount Hua Sword Technique reached level 7, while his Nine Swords of Dugu was level 3, and Duan Yu's Six Meridian Divine Sword was level 4. Their cultivation speed was relatively fast.

Such combat strength is more than enough to deal with some mountain bandits, and even in Shaolin Temple, they would be able to put up a fight. Of course, this is against ordinary masters. If it were a true high monk, even the three of them together would probably not be enough.

Unfortunately, those monks were only considered ordinary masters.

With Linghu Chong and Duan Yu holding him back, Li Wei entered the Sutra Repository smoothly.

The Shaolin Sutra Repository contains countless top-tier martial arts techniques.

In Li Wei's understanding, the number one fighter in Jin Yong's martial arts world is none other than Dharma. This is not just something he made up, but the result of Li Wei's careful analysis.

The Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts and the Muscle-Tendon Scripture) are all top-tier martial arts techniques that originated from this Bodhidharma. It is also said in the martial arts world that he could cross a river using only a straw, which gives a glimpse into his martial arts prowess.

Of course, Li Wei wasn't looking for Bodhidharma this time; after all, this number one martial artist had been dead for countless years. Li Wei was looking for another super master.

Shaolin, the Sweeper Monk

This person is quite remarkable. Although he doesn't appear in the game "Jin Yong's Heroes," Li Wei still wants to try his luck. It would be best if he could get some guidance from him, but even if he can't, he can probably get a lot of cultivation points by sparring with him.

Upon entering the Sutra Repository, Li Wei was surprised to find that there wasn't a single martial arts manual on the bookshelves. He guessed they were all hidden in a secret room, and he didn't see the Sweeper Monk either.

"Could it be that, like in the game, the Sweeper Monk doesn't exist in this mission world?" Li Wei thought with some frustration. He knew that if he didn't find the old monk, he would have to leave as soon as possible, otherwise, once the real masters of Shaolin Temple arrived, he wouldn't be able to leave even if he wanted to.

Upon reaching the second floor, Li Wei still couldn't find anyone. However, the bookshelves on the second floor were filled with many booklets, all containing Shaolin arts techniques. Li Wei spotted at least one that he recognized, a martial arts manual called "Great Strength Vajra Finger."

Resisting the urge to take it, Li Wei continued up to the third floor. Still, no one was there. Here, the martial arts manuals were even more advanced, but Li Wei still didn't look at them.

"Does that person really not exist?" The Sutra Repository only has three floors. Li Wei knew he had to leave, otherwise, if the abbot of Shaolin came, things would get complicated.

As Li Wei came down from the third floor, he suddenly heard a clattering sound.

It's the sound of sweeping.

Li Wei's spirits lifted, but at the same time, a sense of doubt arose in his mind. When he first came in, he hadn't seen a single person. How could there be people here in such a short time?

Sure enough, in the lobby on the first floor, a hunchbacked old monk was diligently sweeping the floor. Judging from his meticulous manner, he had obviously been sweeping for a long time.

But when Li Wei arrived, he didn't see anyone. Suddenly, Li Wei felt that something was strange.