The Return of the Condor Heroes: Starting with Conquering Huang Rong

At the foot of Shaolin Temple.

A young monk who looked no more than thirty years old was dressed in a gray robe, which was neatly arranged without a single wrinkle.

At this moment, however, he wore a bitter expression and stopped his junior brother, saying, "Junior brother, where are you going? The election ceremony for the abbot candidate is in three days. What are you doing running around at this time?"

The junior disciple, also dressed in a gray monk's robe, had varying degrees of wear and tear on the hem, cuffs, and collar. Although it was still relatively clean, the front of his robe was slightly open, making him appear more capable and dashing.

At this moment, his voice was slightly angry: "Senior Brother Wuxiang, what does this election ceremony have to do with us? It's Senior Brother Tianming's anyway. I just don't understand, Shaolin has been closed for forty or fifty years now, why continue like this? Even if you become the abbot, will it still be the same? What about the country then?"

Senior Brother Wuxiang still had a sour look on his face, but his tone was a bit harsher: "Wuse, what are you saying about whether the country is safe or not? You've run away again? Senior Brother Tianming is still in prison, be careful you don't get punished again."

"Senior brother, the world is about to descend into chaos. Shaolin is the pinnacle of the martial arts world. How can we remain hidden from the world at this time? Wouldn't that make us a laughingstock?"

Wu Xiang sighed and said, "Junior brother, how could you not know the situation in the temple? Although it has recovered somewhat in recent years, a large number of experts left back then. Otherwise, why would Abbot Ku Cheng have entrusted the temple's affairs to Senior Brother Tian Ming only a dozen or so years after that incident?"

"Now that my senior brother has been managing the temple for over twenty years, what is there for you to complain about?"

"Senior brother, I've already said that I admire Senior Brother Tianming wholeheartedly, and I really have no interest in that position." Wuse's tone was full of helplessness.

Wu Xiang, naturally aware of his junior brother's character, seized the opportunity to voice his doubts: "Then why did you attack Senior Brother Tianming yesterday, and why did you leave the temple today?"

"Senior brother, when I left the temple last time, I already discovered that the world was about to descend into chaos and the people were suffering terribly. I couldn't bear to see this, so yesterday I went to find Senior Brother Tianming, but he seemed indifferent to the matter and did not approve of Shaolin opening its gates. I was so angry that I..."

Wu Xiang said helplessly, "Junior brother, senior brother also has his difficulties. Shaolin Temple really can't withstand any more setbacks now."

"I know, so if you don't care, I will. I will go down the mountain today."

Wuxiang grabbed Wuse, who was about to rush forward.

With his mind made up, Wu Se was unwilling to give up. He immediately used the Oriole's Falling Branch technique of the Arhat Fist to neutralize Wu Xiang's claw attack and tried to leap down the mountain.

Unfortunately, Wuxiang knew his junior brother too well. Seeing his junior brother's stance, he knew what he was going to do. He grabbed him and seized him in an instant, reaching his hands down to Wuse's left shoulder, intending to restrain Wuse.

Wu Se was shocked. When did this senior brother learn close-quarters grappling techniques? But he reacted quickly. He probably learned the Eighteen Grappling Techniques. How could he have left the temple?

Wu Se was anxious and had no time to think. With his right hand, his five fingers were like hooks, light and swift, and he grabbed Wu Xiang's right hand on his shoulder. The force went straight from his fingertips to Wu Xiang's arm.

Wu Xiang was startled, his right hand jerked, and he instantly left Wuse's shoulder.

He was utterly shocked, and his face now contorted with rage: "Colorless, this... what kind of claw technique is this? No, this is the Dragon Claw Hand of Lawyer Ji from the Disciplinary Hall!"

"How did you learn this Dragon Claw technique of enforcement and seizure in the Arhat Hall! Wuse, answer me."

Wu Xiang was no longer holding back. His legs followed Wu Se like a shadow, and Wu Se could not leave Wu Xiang's side for even a moment. No matter how fast he ran, he could not leave Wu Xiang's range.

Wu Se was shocked. He had always known that his senior brother was powerful, but he was actually proficient in so many unique skills. The key was that his Shadowless Kick had reached a high level, and he had never seen his senior brother use it before. He knew that he had no chance of shaking off Wu Xiang.

Wuse stopped. At this moment, Wuxiang looked at Wuse with anger on his face. It was clear that as long as Wuse made any further moves, he would take drastic measures to capture Wuse at any time.

"Wuse, you actually violated the temple's ironclad rules by secretly learning the Dragon Claw Hand without a master's instruction! Do you want to die?!"

Wu Xiang could no longer suppress his anger. At this moment, his monk's robes fluttered without wind, and his inner energy surged.

Wuse looked horrified; it had been so long since he had seen his senior brother like this.

They entered the temple together back then and also eliminated villains in the surrounding villages. He always seemed to be meticulous about everything and always had a bitter face. The only time he saw his senior brother get angry was more than ten years ago. It was when his senior brother couldn't save that little girl in time in front of the bandit stronghold. When the girl breathed her last in his arms, Wuse realized what the wrath of Buddha Vajra was.

After that, there were no bandits within a fifty-mile radius of Shaolin Temple. It was at that time that Shaolin Temple's fortunes improved, and more and more disciples came from the surrounding villages.

Seeing his senior brother's angry glare, Wu Se felt a pang of fear and quickly said, "Senior brother, please listen to me."

"Back then, after the Fire Monk incident, the temple established an ironclad rule: anyone who secretly learned martial arts without a master would have their tendons severed, rendering them useless and expelled from the temple. In severe cases, they would be executed."

"But senior brother, when our ancestor Ku Zhi died, our ancestor Ku Hui of the Arhat Hall left for the Western Regions in a fit of rage, taking with him nearly half of our masters, including Uncle-Master Jie Mie and Uncle-Master Ji Fa. And our master died from his serious injuries just a few years later. Shaolin has been in decline ever since."

"Senior brother, what's the real reason behind this? Tell me why!"

Wu Xiang's face was full of anger, but it vanished in an instant, turning into a bitter gourd color. His voice was deep and muffled: "The fault lies in martial arts."

"You're talking nonsense, Wuxiang. You can't fool me, yet you still try to deceive me. Do you think Master Ku Hui's departure was wrong? No, I don't think so. From Huo Toutuo's perspective, what wrong did he do? He was abused for years; he was merely resisting his abusers. What wrong did Master Ku Zhi do? He merely wanted to take Huo Toutuo as his disciple, but held back and was severely injured. What wrong did the nine disciples of the Bodhidharma Hall do? Were they wrong for not being skilled enough?"

"Who was the culprit? It was the abusive kitchen supervisor monk. In the end, it was nothing more than a personal feud between the Fire Monk and this monk. The ones who were severely punished were Dharma Hall and Master Kuzhi."

"Brother Wuxiang, tell me, who exactly is the culprit behind this?"

Even those without color can understand the essence; how could those without form not understand it?

Wu Xiang lowered his head: "Wu Se, the reason Senior Brother Tianming told us all this that day was not so that you would leave Shaolin today."

"At first I thought so too, but it turns out he probably forgot all about it because he saw the abbot's position was so easy to obtain."

Wu Xiang roared, "Wu Se, you bastard!"

For the first time, Wuse showed disappointment: "I thought Tianming was determined to shoulder the responsibility of revitalizing Shaolin, but now it seems he's just a beneficiary of these ironclad rules. Senior brother, do you still believe in him?"

Wu Xiang remained silent for a moment.

The supervising monk had long abused Huo Toutuo. Huo Toutuo secretly studied and diligently learned martial arts, yet even with his extraordinary skills, he dared not rebel. Why?

Because he was afraid, because he knew that none of this was the fault of the supervising monks.

As a result, he rebelled during the entrance exam at the Dharma Hall, and then what?

In the end, it was decided that it was nothing more than a personal grudge between the Fire Monk and the supervising monk.

Why were the lower-ranking monks subjected to prolonged mistreatment without the temple's knowledge or anyone reporting it? Why were the nine disciples defeated by the Fire Monk accused of being unskilled in their studies? Why was the Kuzhi Society responsible for failing to properly discipline the disciples and for making a mistake in battle?

In the end, it was they who were severely punished, while the perpetrators only had to copy a few scriptures and sweep the floor for a few days to get away with it.

The final conclusion was that martial arts were the culprit.

From then on, Shaolin established its strictest temple rules: "Anyone who learns martial arts without being taught by a master shall be executed if the punishment is serious, and have all the tendons and veins in their body severed if the punishment is minor."