The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Even though the time hadn't come yet, Shaolin Temple was already bustling with activity. There were so many people that even Shaolin Temple couldn't hold them all. Most of the disciples from various sects were waiting outside. Only famous figures and junior disciples who were valued were allowed to enter the mountain gate at this time.

In front of the main hall, thousands of martial arts practitioners had gathered, and outside there were thousands more...

This is quite a large scale!

Especially since not all of them have arrived yet, the major sects have already obediently entered the gate. However, those who think they can outdo others deliberately slow down their pace as they get closer to the mountain gate, as if they want to show their status by making their appearance last.

Finally, everyone couldn't hold back any longer, and even though they were moving slowly, they had already arrived, so they had no choice but to enter together...

Ding Busan and Ding Busi only realized this after they came in. They wanted to sneak out so that their brother could have a go at the grand finale, but they were persuaded to stop by the two kind young men.

"Heroes of the Ming Cult, Goddess of the Starry Sky, Heroes of the Southern Beggars' Sect, Yipintang of Western Xia, Murong Clan of Suzhou, Duan Clan of Dali... here!"

This wasn't just about strength; it was also because they all genuinely wanted to outdo others—except for Duan Zhengchun, who only came along because he was traveling with the Murong clan.

As for the Murong family... because the Dragon Guard Manor nominally did not want to get involved, they used the Murong family's name.

Other groups, such as the Northern Shaolin Temple, which had already joined forces with the Southern Shaolin Temple under Fang Zheng's personal leadership, as well as the Quanzhen Sect, the Sun Moon Sect, and the Northern Beggars' Gang, had all arrived long ago. However, none of them brought any major figures, as they had no intention of competing for anything.

Because Wudang Mountain was nominally closed off, it seemed that no one came at all, but quite a few tributaries did.

Huang Rong and Gou Zazhong had already mingled with the Xingxiu Sect's group, leaving only Chu Luren...

As soon as everyone entered, they looked around and, finding that Chu Taisui was not there, couldn't help but curse inwardly.

When Duan Yu saw Duan Zhengchun arrive, he couldn't help but rush over to hug his father—it was truly a touching reunion between father and son. It would have been even better if Aunt Qin, Aunt Ruan, and Aunt Li, who was wearing a veil, hadn't been there!

Duan Yu's internal strength has now reached a high level, and he can move through the crowd in the blink of an eye. Even if there are many skilled people among them, no one can react in time, and most of them are covered in cold sweat afterward.

With his keen senses, Duan Yu could naturally see through Li Qingluo's veil even at close range. Therefore, after a tender moment of fatherly love and filial piety with his father, Duan Yu couldn't help but frequently glance at Murong Fu...

Duan Yu really wanted to ask: Father, you brought Aunt Li Qingluo, who doesn't want to reveal her identity, and you even went with the Murong family. Was it... for excitement?

Ding Busan and Ding Busi didn't realize it at first. They thought that Duan Zhengchun's son looked quite like Duan Ma. Since they both had the surname Duan... could Duan Ma also be a relative of the Dali Duan family?

When he turned around, he found that Duan Ma had disappeared. Only then did he realize that this "martial arts-illiterate" Duan Ma was actually Duan Yu, the prince of Dali, and... his movement skills were so amazing.

The two old men were subtly annoyed, feeling that they had been tricked by a wolf in sheep's clothing. They even provoked Zeng Aniu, who "only knew some tricks of the dealer," saying, "Hmph, your new friend doesn't treat you like a friend at all. He didn't even tell you his real identity!"

Zeng Aniu smiled innocently. In fact, he knew that Duan Yu only said his name was "Duan Ma" after he introduced himself as "Zeng Aniu," which was clearly a joke about him not saying his real name.

After all, Ding Busan and Ding Busi couldn't sense it, but the two of them could tell that the other possessed superior martial arts skills!

Truly keeping time, all I heard was...

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tick-tick-tick—

A suona horn sounded, and Chu Luren descended from the sky to the accompaniment of "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer"...

At this moment, he also saw that his third brother had not been informed before, but Chu Luren did not know why he had been with Zhang Wuji before.

As soon as Chu Luren landed, he let out three loud laughs in the style of a martial arts master: "Hahaha, Abbot Xuanci, Abbot Fangzheng, our alliance is not late, is it?"

Many people were displeased to see that Chu Luren was deliberately acting arrogantly.

Of course, few dared to show it on their faces, but that certainly included Duan Zhengchun, who was humming in disbelief—this kid didn't even bother to pay his respects to Uncle Duan first, really…

Huh? My daughter didn't come either?

Are they all pretending not to know me?

Seeing his father constantly looking in the direction of his younger sisters, Duan Yu couldn't help but whisper, "If my mother were here, I wouldn't come over either."

As a result, he was glared at by Duan Zhengchun...

"Hehe, what are you saying, my dear nephew? If your mother were here, your father wouldn't dare to come either." Qin Hongmian's attitude towards Duan Yu was alright, but she was mainly mocking Duan Zhengchun.

Duan Zhengchun: ...

On the other side, Chu Luren said, "Alright! Everyone's almost here. Abbots, let's get down to business!"

Chu Luren didn't want to give others the chance to arrive later than him...

However, Xuanci and Fangzheng tolerated his arrogant behavior to some extent, which made many people in the martial arts world sense something else.

Xuan Ci and Fang Zheng exchanged pleasantries for a while, but in the end, it was Xuan Ci, the host, who stepped forward to say a few words.

But just then, a booming voice rang out: "Wait!"

Judging from the powerful voice, many people recognized the person as Shenshan from Qingliang Temple. Despite his small stature, he had a rare loud voice in the martial arts world.

and……

When everyone saw that Shenshan, though also a Buddhist, had brought a group of monks and deliberately appeared last, they all understood that he was probably up to no good!

Chapter 771 Bandit Xuanci, Speak Up!

"So it's the Venerable Shenshan from Qingliang Temple. I'm so sorry for not greeting you sooner. All the disciples have paid their respects," Xuanci introduced to the Shaolin disciples around him.

Upon seeing this, Chu Luren curled his lip and said, "Master Shenshan is too late... And National Preceptor Kumozhi, who ruined the Buddha image in Bodhidharma Cave at Northern Shaolin, still dares to come here now?"

“Amitabha, it seems that Layman Chu has many misunderstandings about the Ming King. The Buddha image in the Bodhidharma Cave was broken by Guihai’s single slash. As for why I am here today, I am indeed a little late, but it is because this matter is of great importance and I had to invite all the masters to come together.” Shenshan obviously did not want to get entangled with Chu Luren any longer.

Chu Luren merely glanced at Kumārajīva, unable to sense any instability in his condition at this moment, fearing that... he had fallen even deeper into demonic possession!

Many people were actually eager for the Lion-Slaying Assembly, but since the Venerable Master Shenshan had already said so, no one stepped forward to interrupt him.

Then, Shenshan introduced the monks who came with him one by one: Master Guanxin of Daxiangguo Temple in Kaifeng Prefecture, Master Daoqing of Pudu Temple in Jiangnan, Master Juexian of Donglin Temple in Lushan, and Master Rongzhi of Jingying Temple in Chang'an, as well as two Indian masters, Zheluoxing and Nimoxing, and the Tibetan national teacher, the Great Wheel King Kumārajīva, whose identity had just been revealed by Chu Luren!

Most of the people in the martial arts world present had never heard of the four masters mentioned above, but this made Xuan Ci and Fang Zheng even more cautious.

They were not famous in the martial arts world and did not know martial arts, but they were all highly accomplished Buddhist masters!

After the monks exchanged greetings, Xuanci asked, "Brother Shenshan, what did you mean by 'matters of great importance' just now...?"

They were both Buddhist monks. Xuanci politely addressed him as "Senior Brother," and Shenshan also addressed him as "Senior Brother Xuanci." However, what he said was shocking!

"Senior Brother Xuanci, I have long admired Shaolin Temple, an ancient temple with a history of thousands of years and a leading position in the martial arts world for hundreds of years. Its martial arts are profound and far-reaching. More importantly, it is said that Shaolin Temple has strict discipline and conducts itself fairly... Little did I know that there are many things in the world that are not as good as they seem!"

As soon as Shenshan said this, the surrounding martial arts practitioners began to discuss it. Their impatience from the interruption of the Lion-Slaying Assembly had faded considerably—was this going to be a fight?

Moreover, it wasn't the Beggars' Sect that had previously made the rumors, but rather the monk Shenshan of Qingliang Temple, along with other masters from the Chan Forest, who questioned the rules and regulations of Shaolin.

Okay, let's watch the show first!

Not to mention most of the people present, at least half of them wore expressions of surprise and disbelief, while inwardly chanting: "Let's fight! Let's fight! Let's fight!"

Another 20-30% have already installed it but won't install it at all.

"There must be women hiding in Shaolin! I knew those monks couldn't resist!"

"Bah! If you ask me, they embezzled the Dragon-Slaying Saber..."

"It can't be said that way. Perhaps it's not that serious. Maybe they just secretly took in Guihai Yidao and made him a lackey of the imperial court?"

……

The Shaolin monks, along with other lay disciples and members of various branches and sects, were all anxious and about to reprimand them. However, Xuanci spoke first, saying, "Amitabha! What makes you say such a thing, Brother Shenshan? If anyone in our temple has behaved improperly, please speak up! Those who are guilty should be punished, and those who have made mistakes should be corrected... However, it would be too much for you to erase the thousand-year-old reputation of Shaolin Temple with just one sentence."

Xuan Ci exhaled and spoke, using his powerful internal energy to drown out the jeers and suppress the monks' attempts to argue, lest the young disciples, young and impetuous, start arguing and make things unseemly.

"Brother Xuanci, is a Buddhist temple a bandit stronghold?" Shenshan spoke first to determine the nature of the place.

Xuan Ci didn't take the bait, but he already guessed what Xuan Ci was up to: "This humble monk doesn't understand the meaning behind your words, senior brother. Please enlighten me."

Chu Luren then spoke up, "Hmm? Abbot Xuanci, monks don't lie. When I saw you the other day, during 'this,' didn't you tell me yourself that you were no different from bandits? Why are you confused now?"

As he said "this," Chu Luren also made a gesture of raising a cup to drink tea.

Xuan Ci: ...

Shenshan glanced at Chu Taisui in surprise, not expecting such a helpful assist!

The martial arts heroes were abuzz with discussion—with Chu Tai Sui's reputation... cough cough, I should say prestige, he wouldn't lie, would he?

That must be something Xuan Ci really said!

Everyone can already picture Xuanci and Chu Taisui raising their glasses to drink and chat, with Xuanci even patting his chest and saying, "Brother, don't let my position as the abbot of Shaolin fool you, I'm just like you..."

Xuan Ci's lips twitched with anger. At this point, to avoid losing face by arguing that he was being sarcastic, he could only say, "Amitabha, Layman Chu's words are excellent. It was I who was attached to appearances… all things arise from causes and conditions without inherent existence, all things are subject to fixed laws. The bandit Xuan Ci and the high monk Xuan Ci are indeed the same. It's just that the claim that Shaolin is a bandit stronghold caused me to feel anger. Amitabha…"

Shenshan interrupted, saying, "It's one thing for Senior Brother Xuanci to have a change of heart, but why did he detain outsiders and prevent them from leaving? Senior Brother, can Shaolin Temple still be called a 'benevolent Buddhist site and the ancestral home of Zen' after committing such cruel and tyrannical acts?"

"Senior Brother Shenshan, your words are a bit too much. Just say what you have to say!" Xuanci's tone also stiffened a bit. After all, even a clay figure has some temper, let alone Xuanci when he was young.

Amidst the indignant gazes of the Shaolin monks and lay disciples, and the eager anticipation of others, Shenshan recounted the story in detail. It turned out that the senior brother of Zheluoxing from India, and also the junior brother of Nimoxing, was Poloxing, who had been detained in Shaolin for seven years. Zheluoxing came to visit and inquire but was not allowed to see him, so he sought help from Nimoxing and other eminent monks in the Zen community.

Several eminent Chan monks, including Guanxin, Daoqing, Rongzhi, and Juexian, came after hearing these words—after all, India is considered the origin of Buddhism, and it would be unreasonable for Shaolin to detain Indian monks without cause.

Seeing Shenshan's self-righteous demeanor, Xuanci felt that he was undermining his ability to tolerate idiots, so he asked Xuanji to explain to everyone on his behalf.

Xuanji, who was in charge of the Discipline Hall and always held considerable authority, spoke passionately about the reasons why Shaolin had done this...

“Back then, this Indian monk who called himself Polo Star came to our temple and said that Buddhism in India was gradually being lost and he hoped to come to China to copy Buddhist scriptures in order to bring Buddhism back to China. We have all heard of this and know that heretical sects are prevalent in India and Buddhism is declining. When we see that an Indian monk wants to spread Buddhism again, we treat him with respect!”

The abbot immediately ordered dozens of monks from the entire temple to help Napoleon copy the scriptures. However, that night, he secretly sneaked into the scripture pavilion to peek at our sect's martial arts. After being discovered, we spoke to him kindly, telling him that these martial arts had nothing to do with Buddhist scriptures and were not from India, and warned him never to enter the secret pavilion again...

Unexpectedly, after copying Buddhist scriptures for several years, Senior Brother Xuanjian discovered that this Polo Star had secretly dug a tunnel and, over the years, had studied all of Shaolin martial arts, even learning three of the Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts! Therefore, he was confined to the temple, where he was treated well for many years, hoping to be converted through Buddhist teachings…”

Upon hearing this, the eminent monks, including Guanxin, all looked enlightened. Although they were not martial artists, they knew some of the rules of the martial world. No wonder Shaolin couldn't sit still after their secret manuals had been seen. They all shook their heads in disbelief.

"So, your temple's prohibition against Zheluoxing and Boluoxing meeting is also out of concern for the leakage of martial arts techniques?" Guanxin asked, speculating.

“That’s right, that makes sense. Otherwise, judging from his words and actions, he doesn’t seem like a pure and virtuous person from the Buddhist sect. He might be trying to spy on my Shaolin martial arts and cause harm to the martial arts world in the Central Plains!” Xuan Ci didn’t forget to add another layer of righteousness.

"Hmm? Does that sound familiar?" Chu Luren interjected, causing many people to look at Xuan Ci with strange expressions.

Xuanci silently chanted Buddhist prayers, but received no response...

However, many casual members of the Righteous Alliance began to stir up trouble and question the "leader" at this time!

Chapter 772 Well said!

After Shaolin explained the matter of Polo Star, the people in the martial arts world present felt that there was nothing interesting to watch. Unless Shaolin was lying, there was nothing wrong with imprisoning Polo Star.

However, Shenshan didn't care. From the beginning, he had no intention of playing the martial arts card. What the martial arts world thought didn't matter, as long as he could gain a foothold in the Zen sect—after all, Zen has never been about secrets, and there was nothing about Buddhist scriptures that couldn't be revealed...

Master Guanxin and others only vaguely knew the "rules of the martial arts world," but they certainly agreed more with the "rules of the Zen school"!

So, Shenshan burst into laughter, which made the morning bell and evening drum of Shaolin Temple tremble slightly. Upon hearing this, Xuanci secretly channeled his inner strength to suppress the laughter and asked, "May I ask, Senior Brother Shenshan, what should be done if someone steals and learns the martial arts of Qingliang Temple like this?"

Upon hearing this, Shenshan said righteously, "The level of martial arts depends entirely on one's cultivation. Fist manuals and sword manuals are secondary! If any hero were to come to Qingliang Temple and steal our fist manuals and sword manuals, what else could I say but admit my incompetence? Do you think someone would take their life just because they saw your martial arts methods? Or would you imprison them for life?"

Shenshan's words clearly meant: We are all members of the Zen school, who cares about the rules of the martial world!