One Sentence of True Teaching, Ten Thousand Scrolls of False Teaching
The rule of the national martial arts world was that the strong reigned supreme.
The abbot was bound to be Shaolin Temple's foremost expert in the open, and the heads of the six halls were bound to rank among its top ten experts in the open.
Spending a great deal of time cultivating meant having only a little time to study the theory of national martial arts.
Mo Wenjian had just gained more than a century's worth of theoretical knowledge of national martial arts. Although his strength fell far short of the abbot's and the six hall heads', his knowledge gave him an overwhelming advantage.
Mo Wenjian could not help feeling a sense of superiority, like a top high school student meeting a struggling middle schooler.
"You are all experts renowned throughout the martial world, yet you still find the Marrow Cleansing Classic obscure and difficult to understand. Ordinary monks of meager strength must find it even harder to comprehend. Tomorrow, I will hold a lecture on the classic in the Bodhidharma Hall. All Shaolin monks may come and listen!" Mo Wenjian was full of assurance now, so he sounded exceptionally confident.
"The Buddha's child brings salvation to all living beings. This is truly Shaolin's good fortune and a blessing for the martial world!" The head of the Arhat Hall stepped forward and offered a measured bit of flattery.
"We will discuss the Marrow Cleansing Classic tomorrow. For now, let us talk about you!" Mo Wenjian sat down on a meditation cushion as he spoke.
"Please enlighten us, Buddha's child!" The eminent monks sat down on meditation cushions after him and, as one, turned to look at Mo Wenjian.
"Abbot, how many chi tall are you?" Mo Wenjian looked first at Abbot Xingshan.
"In answer to the Buddha's child, this humble monk is eight chi tall!" Abbot Xingshan answered at once, without even thinking.
"Head of the Bodhi Hall, how many chi tall are you?" Mo Wenjian turned to look at the head of the Bodhi Hall.
"In answer to the Buddha's child, this humble monk is seven chi tall!" The head of the Bodhi Hall likewise answered immediately, without the slightest hesitation.
"Every cultivation manual says the Dantian lies three cun below the navel. Are your Dantians located exactly three cun below your navels?" Mo Wenjian glanced at the eminent monks and continued his questioning.
"My Dantian is located slightly more than three cun below my navel!" Abbot Xingshan thought for a moment and answered uncertainly. After all, no one would make a point of measuring it.
"My Dantian should be located slightly less than three cun below my navel!" The head of the Bodhi Hall hesitated briefly and answered in an uncertain tone.
"To believe a book entirely is worse than having no book at all. When cultivating according to a manual, some errors are unavoidable. With an expert's guidance, one can just about correct some obvious mistakes. Without an expert's guidance, one can only keep following the steps and making the same mistakes. Some people are clearly exceptionally gifted, yet their cultivation progress is less than satisfactory. Most of the time, that is because they copy a tiger by drawing a cat, without understanding the true essence of the Cultivation Method!" These were the lessons Mo Wenjian had spent a lifetime drawing from experience.
"This... The original Cultivation Methods were written by Patriarch Bodhidharma himself, and there are also the annotations and insights of eminent monks throughout the generations. Surely there cannot be any major problems?" The head of the Bodhidharma Hall greatly admired Patriarch Bodhidharma and firmly believed that he too was a reincarnation of Buddha. Although mindful of Mo Wenjian's status as the Buddha's child, he still stepped forward to defend Patriarch Bodhidharma.
"In the hearts of a thousand warrior monks, there are a thousand Patriarch Bodhidharmas. The Seventy-Two Supreme Skills written by Patriarch Bodhidharma himself hold different True Intentions of Buddhist teachings in the eyes of different warrior monks. Take Shaolin Temple's introductory Arhat Fist: some warrior monks believe it is merely a basic martial art, while others believe that the Eighteen Arhat Fist represents the eighteen arhats, and that every move contains endless mysteries. Cultivated to the highest realm, the left hand subdues a dragon and the right hand tames a tiger. When both hands strike together, that is the Dragon-Subduing Tiger-Taming Great Strength Divine Ability!" Patriarch Bodhidharma had founded Shaolin Temple, and discussing him at Shaolin Temple was in itself highly inappropriate. Mo Wenjian shifted the topic away from Patriarch Bodhidharma.
"Please make it clear to us, Buddha's child!" The head of the Arhat Hall felt as though he were lost among clouds and mist, unable to understand what Mo Wenjian was trying to say.
"Take the same Cultivation Method, annotated by an eminent monk eight chi tall. A warrior monk who is eight chi tall will find it natural to cultivate, while a warrior monk who is six chi tall will find it very awkward. Shaolin's Seventy-Two Supreme Skills are the same, but the warrior monks who cultivate them are different. You can make minute adjustments to a Cultivation Method according to your own circumstances, until its compatibility comes infinitely close to one hundred percent!" Mo Wenjian subconsciously looked at Abbot Xingshan. Because both of them primarily cultivated the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic, Mo Wenjian could clearly see that Abbot Xingshan's Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic had some flaws.
"The master leads you through the door, but cultivation depends on the individual. I understand!" Abbot Xingshan burst out laughing. Forgetting all about his image as an eminent monk, he eagerly assumed the postures of the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic.
Every minute adjustment to a movement slightly improved his compatibility with the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic.
As his compatibility with the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic continued to rise, Abbot Xingshan's Qi and Blood surged again and again.
Abbot Xingshan had cultivated the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic for decades and knew every detail inside out.
By the time he finished adjusting one complete set of the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic, his compatibility had already come infinitely close to one hundred percent.
"Boom!"
The Qi and Blood in Abbot Xingshan's body reached a certain limit.
With a roar, his Qi and Blood underwent a qualitative transformation.
Qi and Blood emerged from his body, forming a layer of Body-Protecting Gang Qi.
At the sight, the eyes of the six hall heads widened involuntarily.
A Gang Force national martial arts grandmaster was an expert who stood at the very pinnacle of the world.
Body-Protecting Gang Qi was indestructible; even a cannon bombardment could not pierce it.
Only a Gang Force national martial arts grandmaster of the same level had a chance of piercing Body-Protecting Gang Qi.
The Great Qing Dynasty's greatest reliance in dominating the world was its eight banner lords, who had reached the Gang Force realm.
"One sentence of true teaching is worth ten thousand scrolls of false teaching. A single pointer from the Buddha's child has been worth more than ten years of my arduous cultivation. I have no way to repay this kindness of helping me attain the Dao. If the Buddha's child has any orders in the future, I will climb mountains of blades and descend into seas of fire without so much as furrowing my brow!" The first thing Abbot Xingshan did after breaking through his bottleneck was pledge his loyalty to Mo Wenjian. This was the most basic political correctness.
"This was the result of your long accumulation finally bearing fruit, Abbot. I truly would not dare claim the credit!" Mo Wenjian knew very well that the more a moment like this came, the less arrogant he could afford to be, so he appeared very humble.
"While the abbot becoming a Gang Force national martial arts grandmaster is certainly a cause for celebration, the Buddha's child awakening more of his Suhui from his previous life is the true source of Shaolin Temple's good fortune!" The head of the Bodhi Hall had originally had no hope of becoming a Gang Force national martial arts grandmaster, but Abbot Xingshan's success showed him a chance to defy heaven and change his fate.
"According to Shaolin Temple's rules, once one becomes a Gang Force national martial arts grandmaster, one must withdraw at the height of one's success. I have decided to resign as abbot immediately and become the Buddha's child's dedicated Dao protector!" As Abbot Xingshan spoke, he placed the nine-ringed monk's staff, which represented the abbot's authority, on the offering table before the statue of the Tathagata.
"As the saying goes, a country cannot go a day without a ruler, and a household cannot go a day without a master. We ask the Buddha's child to tell us who should succeed to the position of abbot!" According to Shaolin Temple's rules, the six hall heads should have jointly nominated the next abbot, but now they entrusted the choice to Mo Wenjian.
"Let Master Xingku inherit the position of abbot!" Mo Wenjian thought for a moment and ultimately decided on Master Xingku.
"Good!" The six hall heads exchanged glances and nodded in unison.
Master Xingku had brought Mo Wenjian back to Shaolin Temple, becoming its greatest contributor in a hundred years.
For all these years, Shaolin Temple's Cultivation Resources had been fully available to Master Xingku.
Although Master Xingku's strength was still some distance from that of a Gang Force national martial arts grandmaster,
he was already one of Shaolin Temple's foremost representatives in the open.
Even if he did not rank in the top ten, he would not rank lower than the top twenty.
Once Master Xingku learned the Muscle-Tendon Changing Classic, the supreme art that guarded the temple, and received Mo Wenjian's personal guidance, he would presumably soon become Shaolin Temple's foremost expert in the open.
Although there was some self-interest mixed into this decision, it did not violate Shaolin Temple's rules.