The Great Martial Arts World: Hot Topics and Great Heroes

Pure Zen masters like Master Guanxin actually agreed with this statement at this time—after all, Zen Buddhism is different from Tantric Buddhism; it has never been about secret transmission, and there is nothing in Buddhist scriptures that cannot be revealed…

Have Shaolin been mingling in the martial arts world for too long, getting used to relying on their strength and ruthlessness?

Although they didn't think the Indians were right to spy on martial arts, and Shaolin, as a martial arts sect, wouldn't bother with imprisoning people if they wanted to, they had already planted the seed in Guan Xin and others' minds that "Shaolin's actions are too much like those of a martial arts sect, and they are drifting further and further away from our Zen sect."

Even though the martial arts practitioners present understood that the Venerable Shenshan was up to something, they simply watched the spectacle, since it was a matter for the Zen sect itself.

only...

"Well said!" Chu Luren suddenly exclaimed in praise, and responded with enthusiastic applause to Shenshan's eloquent speech.

When the leaders of the Righteous Alliance saw their leader taking the lead, they all cheered and applauded. In an instant, applause resounded from all directions!

Some reckless individuals who weren't actually from the Righteous Alliance also joined in the fun.

When they first saw Chu Luren's reaction, Xuan Ci and the others had serious expressions, thinking that Chu Luren was trying to embarrass Shaolin and was no longer following the rules. However, the more they thought about it, the more they felt something was wrong, and their gazes toward Shenshan became strange.

Shenshan, on the other hand, was initially quite pleased to see Chu Taisui standing on his side this time. However, upon closer inspection, he realized the true meaning behind Chu Taisui's applause...

"Look how magnanimous the people on that sacred mountain are!"

"That's right, Shaolin should learn more from them!"

"They're all disciples of Zen Buddhism, so why is there such a big difference between them as monks?"

"What a fine 'If any hero were to come to Qingliang Temple and steal our boxing and sword manuals'... Heh!"

"Why 'who else'? If we're talking about 'heroes and heroines,' isn't that the leader of the Righteous Alliance...?"

"Watch your mouth, I'm warning you!"

Did I say anything unpleasant?

……

Shenshan's face turned pale!

However, it was impossible for him to swallow his words at this point, so he could only comfort himself: Anyway, compared to Shaolin, Qingliang Temple doesn't have any superior martial arts...

For a moment, Xuanci and the others didn't know who suffered the greater loss after Shenshan's unreasonable and disruptive behavior.

But they don't need to compare themselves!

After all, Shaolin Temple did not want to sacrifice its reputation as a Buddhist sect and the martial arts collection of Qingliang Temple to perish together.

Xuanci originally had another "secret technique" that could connect the "theft of Shaolin martial arts" with the "devastation of the people of China" to argue with the Zen masters about the importance of keeping martial arts secret.

However, since Chu Luren had just brought up this matter, Xuan Ci couldn't bring himself to bring it up again...

At this moment, Zhe Luoxing began to criticize Shaolin for unreasonably detaining his senior brother in broken Chinese, with every sentence mentioning "Buddhist scriptures and martial arts passed down by Bodhidharma," accusing Shaolin of being faithless and heartless.

People in the martial arts world don't buy into this, but Zen masters like Guanxin think it makes a lot of sense.

“Amitabha. Since Brother Zheluoxing mentioned Bodhidharma, that makes sense. Brother Zheluoxing only needs to state his request, and our temple can respectfully copy down the martial arts scriptures left by Bodhidharma and present them to you. However, what Brother Zheluoxing stole are all Chinese martial arts created by our temple's past masters, which are completely different from the Indian martial arts of visualization within the body and the seven chakras and three meridians. How can they be confused…”

Xuan Ci quickly prepared another explanation, and... it was indeed very reasonable.

Although there are many important scriptures left by Bodhidharma, they all have one thing in common: the more powerful the martial art, the more it emphasizes the state of mind, which is actually not that important.

If the original version of the Yi Jin Jing were to be widely circulated in the martial arts world, those who could master it would undoubtedly be highly skilled practitioners of Zen Buddhism!

However, at this moment, Kumārajīva smiled slightly and said, "Haha, what I said to Master Xuannan at Leigu Mountain before, perhaps I forgot, or perhaps I didn't convey it to Abbot Xuanci?"

Upon seeing Kumārajīva step forward, both Xuan Nan, who had experienced his abilities at Leigu Mountain, and Xuan Ci, who knew of his skills, changed their expressions.

Kumārajīva continued, “After years of research, I have discovered that most of the martial arts of Shaolin Temple, if not all of them, at least seven or eight out of ten, are transmitted from India, with only minor modifications. Therefore, they claim to be the orthodox school of martial arts. There is even a saying in China that ‘all martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin’, which is rather… hehe.”

Kumārajīva didn't say everything, but his contempt was already evident!

"I don't know where the Imperial Preceptor learned my Shaolin martial arts from, yet he speaks so recklessly. Is this the behavior of a high monk?" Xuanji couldn't help but rebuke.

"Alas, this humble monk is worried that your temple's words have led to the casual mastery of sixty or seventy martial arts originally from India. If Shaolin insists on going its own way, then the high monks who have mastered 'Shaolin Kung Fu' might as well spar with this humble monk one by one... This humble monk will never bully others with force, let's see who is lying!" Kumārajīva acted as if he was too embarrassed to expose them.

The group of martial arts practitioners immediately became interested again—unlike the messy argument at the sacred mountain earlier, this Tibetan national teacher was directly questioning whether Shaolin martial arts originated from India? Or were they just minor modifications?

Moreover, judging from this, it's clear that they want to compete with Shaolin in martial arts, and they've even "casually mastered sixty or seventy different styles"... Tsk tsk, is this the literary style of Tibet?

Xuan Ci and the others already sensed something was wrong, after all, Xuan Nan had witnessed Kumārajīva using the Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts.

However, being stuck here like this, it's not an option not to make a move, otherwise wouldn't I be the one who becomes the "thief"?

Even though Master Guanxin and the others didn't understand martial arts, they felt that what Kumārajīva said made sense. Guanxin even nodded and said, "That's right. Moreover, the Shaolin Zen masters have always said that the more profound the Zen martial arts, the more they are connected with the profound Buddhist teachings. If the National Preceptor can really win in Zen martial arts... Amitabha."

Indeed, in the Zen community, whenever someone accuses Shaolin of relying on martial arts to bully others, Shaolin always uses the same excuse, except for "strengthening the body and improving health." There are indeed many examples of great Zen masters who never practiced martial arts in their lives but suddenly became masters in their later years. When Shaolin says this, no one can say anything.

However, this leads to a paradox: whoever is more skilled in Zen martial arts has a higher level of Zen cultivation...

If Kumārajīva defeated the Shaolin monks using Zen martial arts, wouldn't he be a higher Zen monk than the Shaolin monks? Would Kumārajīva lie to frame you?

If Shaolin denies this, then... well, let's just say Amitabha!

Chu Luren's expression suddenly shifted: Whoever has the higher level of Zen martial arts, their Zen Buddhist cultivation is necessarily higher? EMMM…

Chapter 773 Skill Overwhelms North and South

As he spoke, before Xuanci and the others could respond, Kumārajīva stepped forward and said, “I have heard that Shaolin regards Prajñā Palm, Vajra Palm, and Maha Finger as the seventy-two Shaolin skills and authentic Shaolin martial arts. It just so happens that I learned three similar skills in India. I would like to ask the two abbots, all the masters, and all the experts from the Central Plains to take a look at my skills!”

As Kumārajīva spoke, he made a fierce, Vajra-like gesture, and with a sweeping, powerful palm strike, he struck the bronze incense burner in front of the main hall, a distance of several feet, with a force that would require several people to encircle…

The bronze cauldron resonated with a metallic sound and simultaneously rose higher from the ground—the entire cauldron remained completely still except for the ashes inside, without even stirring them!

As Kumārajīva said, he did not use force to suppress people; otherwise, even from several feet away, he could have smashed the bronze cauldron to pieces.

Then, Kumārajīva, as if he had a sure thing, changed his fist into a palm and waved his hand at the giant cauldron that had risen seven or eight feet into the air.

But then, the giant cauldron, which had reached a great height and was about to fall due to exhaustion, began to spin rapidly and slowly descend...

After a full three breaths, he descended to a position about ten feet above the ground. At this moment, Kumārajīva stretched out only his index fingers, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and suddenly stretched out his arms and pointed forward!

Vast! Great! Like the void! Self-existent emptiness!

A powerful, piercing aura of "Mahayana" filled the plaza in front of the Mahavira Hall. The bronze cauldron, struck by this golden, fiery finger force, instantly rang like a bell. The incense ash inside rose like a gushing spring, and the ashes that had already burned out were rekindled, shooting into the sky and scattering like fireworks, dazzling even in the daytime...

"Amitabha!"

The four eminent monks, Guanxin, Daoqing, Rongzhi, and Juexian, chanted Buddhist prayers in unison, their gazes toward Kumārajīva filled with admiration and even reverence.

At this moment, the four of them felt more and more that the more profound one's martial arts skills were, the higher one's Zen cultivation level was... quite reliable!

The Zen-like state of mind that Kumārajīva just displayed was almost like giving a sermon on the Vajra, Prajna, and Maha.

Chu Luren couldn't help but look at him with newfound respect; judging from Kumārajīva's Buddhist attainments alone, they indeed seemed to be of a higher level...

If Chu Luren hadn't known about the Bodhidharma Cave, he might have also suspected that Chu Luren had rid himself of his inner demons and achieved perfect Buddhahood.

But now...

In fact, Chu Luren understood the principle that after becoming possessed by demons, one's Zen spirit becomes stronger and one's Zen mind becomes purer!

Therefore, he became even more convinced that Kumārajīva had fallen into demonic possession.

When Kumārajīva saw that no one from either the Northern or Southern Shaolin Temples responded, he took the initiative to say, "Of the so-called Seventy-Two Arts, there are thirteen or fourteen that are particularly difficult to master. It is said that throughout the generations of Shaolin, it is normal that an ordinary generation cannot gather all seventy-two arts. I only obtained these Indian martial arts by chance..."

If, by some chance, no one in your temple has mastered these three techniques, then perhaps Shaolin could send a few eminent monks to demonstrate their most renowned skills, allowing this humble monk to broaden his horizons.”

Kumārajīva appeared humble, but in reality, he was criticizing Shaolin for being unworthy of its reputation!

The martial arts practitioners present could only murmur amongst themselves—even if they couldn't see the intricacies, they could still sense the excitement. Everyone knew how skillful Kumārajīva's moves were.

If Shaolin were truly defeated by the Tibetan National Preceptor in this manner today, then even if it weren't just shit, it would still be shit...

Within a month, everyone in the martial arts world will know that Shaolin martial arts are nothing more than parroting others' ideas, and are far less profound than those of the direct lineage from India. How can they claim to be the leader of the righteous path?

Xuan Ci was uncertain, or rather, he was certain that his signature Vajra Palm technique was no match for this person, and hesitated for a moment.

At this moment, an old monk whom most people in the martial arts world did not recognize stepped forward, put his palms together and said, "The Imperial Preceptor's martial arts are superb, but I am just a humble monk, Xuandu, who has also practiced the Flower-Picking Finger for a few years. Please enlighten me!"

When Xuan Ci saw that his senior brother Xuan Du had stepped forward, he couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief.

Chu Luren also remembered this Xuan Du; he was one of the few top-tier experts in the temple that had been discovered before.

In his youth, Xuanci's martial arts skills were always superior to Xuandu's, and he was one of the top in the Xuan generation. However, the more he practiced, the more he had to compete in Buddhist teachings, the less Xuanci became than Xuandu.

In the original story, when Qiao Feng went to visit Master Zhiguang, five people, including Xuan Du, went to test him. One reason was to test his skills, and the other was to test his character, so as to determine whether he had killed Xuan Ku and the others.

One of them used the "Prajna Palm," and his palm power was very skillful. He was able to strike after the opponent and not reveal his palm power. As a result, when Qiao Feng clashed with him, he mistakenly thought that the other party had not activated his palm power, so he quickly withdrew his own palm power. If the other party had suddenly activated his palm power at this time, he might have been able to kill him with his palm!

However, the other party also felt Qiao Feng's kindness and righteousness, and took a few steps back, so neither side was harmed...

In this way, the high monk was moved by this and comprehended the true meaning of the palm technique. His "Prajna Palm" became even more proficient. At the same time, the five high monks also believed that Qiao Feng was not the real culprit.

Of course, the five of them believed it, but they couldn't convince the rest of Shaolin.

Xuandu then stepped forward, using his most proficient "flower-plucking finger" technique to challenge Kumārajīva. After speaking, he stretched out his hand, mimicking the "flower-plucking smile." At the same time, Xuandu's finger energy turned golden-orange, taking the shape of a golden lotus flower. With a flick of his wrist, the golden lotus flower finger energy seemed like real, light petals, quietly drifting towards Kumārajīva...

Kumārajīva did not use internal or external force to break through, nor did he dodge. Instead, he seemingly rashly reached out and grabbed Xuandu's finger strength!

Logically speaking, this "flower" was formed from true qi and finger strength, and touching it would surely cause injury. However, Kumārajīva not only placed it steadily between his fingers, but also smiled as if he were holding a flower.

Suddenly, everyone around felt a sense of shared understanding and a feeling of being enveloped in Zen-like tranquility...

The golden lotus flower, which had been adorned with the finger, became even more radiant before finally drifting away in the wind.

Xuan Du's face turned pale, realizing that he was no match for him. Not only was his internal strength insufficient, but he was also completely outmatched by the Tibetan national teacher in the "flower-picking finger" technique!

"Amitabha Buddha." Xuandu chanted the Buddha's name and then retreated.

Then Xuanji and two other little-known Shaolin monks from the North and South Shaolin Temples also sought instruction from Kumārajīva using different "Shaolin martial arts techniques," but...

A complete and utter defeat!

As Kumārajīva himself said, he did not use force to suppress others, but rather every move he made displayed the demeanor of Zen Buddhism. This made Shaolin even more pathetic, and Kongxing could not utter words like "a thousand monks rushing up at once".

At this moment, Fang Zheng stepped forward, put his palms together, and said, "The Imperial Preceptor's martial arts are superb and his Buddhist teachings are profound, which is truly admirable. I, Fang Zheng, thought my Zen skills were superb, but today I realize that I am just a monk who recites scriptures... However, this humble monk still has some competitive spirit and would like to compare my scripture recitation with the Imperial Preceptor's."

Many people in the martial arts world have lost their awe of Shaolin because of its repeated setbacks.

Hearing Fangzheng say this, many people secretly sneered – “reciting scriptures”? Who doesn’t know that besides the Thousand-Handed Tathagata Palm, Fangzheng is most famous for this “Vajra Zen Lion’s Roar”?

However, Chu Luren looked at Fang Zheng and felt that this man from the Northern Shaolin Temple was at least more responsible than Xuan Ci—whether he was better or worse, at least he dared to stand up for himself.

It's shameful for the abbot to lose, but does it make him look good to have his disciples lose one by one?

“Good,” said Kumārajīva, his expression kind and gentle.

"When Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound Prajnaparamita..." As soon as Fangzheng opened his mouth, he recited the Heart Sutra, which everyone was familiar with.