Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
Inside a quiet room in the Shaolin Temple, Kongwen sat with his eyes closed, his two white brows were longer than his cheeks and drooping, and his mind was still thinking about the mysterious Dharmakaya who had passed by.
Who exactly was he, where did he come from why did himself have totally no impression?
He had attained an Arhat Golden Body for more than a hundred years. He had seen many budding stars attain Dharmakaya and also seen many talented juniors meet with difficulties and became stagnant. He had traveled to both the Eastern Sea and western region, and also the Southern Wasteland and the extreme north. He had mentally traveled between heaven and earth, finding other worlds with living things, but the green-robed man and yellow dress woman had never made an impression in his mind before.
This could either be they had never traveled in the pugilistic world or they were old freaks who had isolated from the world before he crossed the Bronzemen Alley?
Could they be from a hidden sect, like the Lan He Temple that had disappeared without a trace for a few decades?
Thinking of the Lan He Temple made Kongwen’s heart beat faster. Other than seeing it during a magical encounter when he was young, he had often seen this Sambhogakaya pure land during his mental travels after attaining a Golden Body. But after that major change forty years ago, the Lan He Temple could no longer be found. And according to the characteristics of a Sambhogakaya pure land, it shouldn’t disappear inexplicably unless it was completely shattered or there were other reasons. Likewise, other remaining ruined pure lands were also missing.
This led him to think of the mysterious dispersal of the sect’s greatest skill and also the various strange things that happened forty years ago. The answer seemed to be vividly portrayed, but he always just couldn’t figure things out, as though he had forgotten something. But what he was certain was, the truth would be extremely terrifying and could break down one’s will and resistance.
“Namo Amitabha,” Kongwen chanted the name of Buddha in a low voice and decided to mental travel again. He suspected the mysterious Dharmakaya earlier on came from a pure land or cave that had disappeared unexplained. Maybe they had reappeared in the world!
If there still wasn’t any discovery, he would return to the temple and look through the books on the pugilistic world from past generations to see if they were old freaks who hadn’t degenerated with time.
His body turned transparent as his divine sense evolved, and he roamed between heaven and earth.
…
Outside the Grand Hall, a few monks doing miscellaneous work were holding brooms and other objects as they pushed open the ajar gate, planning to clean up the place.
As the gate opened, they saw two glaze lamps in front of the Buddha, silently burning and emitting dull yellow light. The golden-bodied Buddha statue looked very solemn, full of mercy and compassion, and was holding a Udumbara flower between the thumb and middle finger of his right hand. Before the glaze lamp was a silhouette in green with his hair tied up in a cloud-like crown and had graying temples. With his hands behind his back, he was basking in the warm light with his head slightly raised as he looked leisurely at the Buddha statue. Beside him was a woman in a yellow dress standing at where the light was dim, covering some of her beauty but adding tranquility.
There’s someone at the Grand Hall!
Someone intruded the Grand Hall unnoticed!
The miscellaneous monks, unlike the real disciples, were slow to react. They recovered from their shock only after a long while and ran out clumsily. Some shouted out for help while some looked for the elders and leaders nearby.
Shortly after, the Shaolin Formation secretly started — lights flickered in mid-air as the head of Dharma Hall, Kongjian, the head of Bodhi Hall, Wusi, and the head of Discipline Hall, Wujing, etc., arrived first. They were all wearing yellow monk robes with red kasayas, looking solemn as they quietly surrounded Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei.
Meng Qi maintained his composure as he looked at the familiar elders. He placed his hands behind his back and paced at ease. Every step he took not only didn’t add to the monks’ readiness to strike but instead stepped on the rhythm of their internals, continuously disrupting their agglomerating power and making them suffer hence unable to strike.
After another few moments, Abbot Kongwen who had been woken by Xuanbei stepped into the Grand Hall holding a nine-ringed staff. Looking at Meng Qi, he raised one hand and chanted the name of Buddha before saying, “May I know your purpose of coming to Shaolin?”
He had already identified him as the mysterious Dharmakaya earlier on, but did not point fault at the trespassing incident and asked directly about the purpose.
At the same time, he had made a preliminary judgement from Jiang Zhiwei’s breathing and the characteristics of her sword, etc., that she was from the Xijian Pavilion, but her abilities far surpassed the most powerful in the Xijian Pavilion, Zhou Taichong.
Don’t tell me the Xijian Pavilion could still produce such a superb character after being in retreat for almost two hundred years?
But the mysterious Dharmakaya doesn’t look like he’s from the Xijian Pavilion…
Meng Qi smiled as he signaled to the back with his left hand, “Abbot Kongwen, let’s switch places, the host and the guest seemed to be reversed now.”
At this moment, Meng Qi was standing in front of the Buddha statue whereas Kongwen was entering the hall, looking as though the former was the host and the latter the guest.
Seeing Meng Qi’s peaceful attitude with no trace of enmity, Kongwen raised one hand again and took a bow, keeping his alertness, as he interchanged with Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei.
After separating the host from the guest, Meng Qi looked as though he had returned home as he said with ease, “Let’s all take a seat first.”
Without waiting for the Shaolin monks to reply, he sat cross-legged on the cushion directly, with Jiang Zhiwei following closely behind.
“You are indeed composed and easy-going, looking more like a disciple of Zen than me,” Kongwen smiled as he sat down following suit. Kongjian, Wusi, Wujing, Xuanbei, etc., sat down one after another, but still surrounding Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei in the center.
Meng Qi placed his hands naturally on his knees and said smilingly, “I’ve heard of Shaolin’s extensive martial skills, which comprises of as many as four top and seventy-two superb martial arts skills. I happen to also have wide knowledge and good memory, and am known for learning diverse things. I’ve specially come to ask for advice.”
The four top skills were — the Buddha’s Palm’s “Smile of Flower-Picking”, the Maha Exorcism Fist, the True Scripture from Grand Phantasia and the Sinew-Changing Scripture.
He’s indeed here for a challenge… Wujing let out a low snort. Since Shaolin started, there had been no lack of such people. The other monks also thought the same way, except Xuanbei who looked grim, because he knew that the other party was a Dharmakaya and the one taking up the challenge could only be the head.
“Amitabha, you have already attained Dharmakaya, so only I can accept this,” Kongwen looked calm.
Dharmakaya? Attained Dharmakaya? It was only now that Kongjian, Wusi, Wujing and the other monks realized how terrifying the other party was. Although they had already known that he was not ordinary and also difficult to judge from his breathing, they didn’t expect him to be a Dharmakaya!
When did such a Dharmakaya appear in this world?
He’s confident in winning the abbot?
Meng Qi said with a smile, “Abbot Kongwen, have you mastered the Seventy-Two Superb Skills?”
“No.” Kongwen answered calmly, “The Seventy-Two Superb Skills are broad and profound. Studying a few of them intensively would be sufficient to achieve zen, and learning all would be energy exhausting and contradictory.
“But I would like to experience all the superb skills to widen my knowledge.” Meng Qi looked around at the monks, “How about this? I’ll restrain my power to an equal level, would you be kind enough to give me advice?”
What was he up to? The Shaolin monks had never met with similar requests. As the head of Dharma Hall, Kongjian took a glance at Kongwen before saying in a low voice, “Amitabha, please receive the Maha Finger then.”
Right after speaking, the ten fingers he placed on the knees flicked one after another, filling the surrounding with swooshing sounds. Pale golden winds of the fingers were in tens of thousands, huge and powerful, and unavoidable.
As the winds appeared, the Shaolin monks saw the ten fingers of the green-robed man also flicking and swooshing, and tens of thousands of pale golden winds of the fingers also shot out from every corner.
Bang bang bang! As the winds of the fingers collided, fierce wind blew in the Grand Hall. Meng Qi actually blocked Kongjian’s Maha Finger perfectly.
“Maha Finger! You also know Maha Finger! Where did you learn it from?” the head of Discipline Hall, Wujing, suddenly stood up filled with hatred.
He actually learned Shaolin’s Maha Finger in secret!
Suddenly, every monk looked at Meng Qi with disdain and hatred.
Meng Qi smiled, “Martial arts of Buddhism originated from Buddha. Since Dharma could comprehend superb skills from the Buddha’s Palm, why couldn’t I do the same? What I’ve mastered is not just only the Seventy-Two Superb Skills!”
The Shaolin monks had become proud and arrogant over time. This had also contributed to Han Guang leading people into diabolism, so they needed to be sized down.
“Then let me experience it!” Wujing raised the knuckle of his right index finger, showing green and red lights. Knocking forward fiercely, an illusory green and red shadow of Ananda appeared and struck at Meng Qi. It was extremely powerful and explosive, especially useful in countering protective skills.
Meng Qi also lifted his right hand and raised the knuckle of his index finger, knocking the head of the illusory shadow of Ananda with green and red lights, splitting it up. Wujing couldn’t withstand the countering force and dropped onto the ground.
It’s really the Ananda Finger! Suddenly, the eminent monks stood up one by one, attacking Meng Qi with the Prajna Palm, Xumi Buddha Palm, Finger of Formless Calamity and Wither Tree Divine Skill, etc., only to have Meng Qi responding back the exact same way.
In the end, they all stared blankly and dropped onto the cushions, unable to believe what they had seen.
The green-robed man opposite really mastered the Seventy-Two Superb Skills all at the same time!
— Not taking into account the Namo Formula and “A Reed Crossing the River” that were difficult to display.
Since Dharma, no one had ever mastered all the superb skills at the same time!
“Amitabha, you have forcefully replicated the superb skills from a Buddhist martial arts,” Kongwen looked on with cold indifference and saw through his potential. He lifted his right hand with the middle and index fingers pressing each other, as though holding a flower, and swept toward Meng Qi while his face showed a quiet and zen smile.
The Flower-Holding Hand placed utmost emphasis on a zen mind. It wasn’t something that could be copied just by sensing its motion and maneuvering the rules of the world!
At this moment, he saw the green-robed man also let out a smile, but behind him was a bodhi tree that was both withered and flourishing. With one hand pointing at heaven and the other at earth, he suddenly transformed into a golden Buddha,filling the space between heaven and earth.
“In Heaven and on Earth, I dominate and control my own destiny!”
As the grand voice entered the ears, the bodhi tree gave out colored lights that pointed to the bottom of hearts, filling the place with zen.
Kongwen seemed to have comprehended something and wanted to grab hold this thought. As for the other monks, they had already lost themselves in the teachings of Buddhism and also the shouting of “I dominate and control my own destiny”.
After that, Kongwen saw the green-robed man slowly get up. With his hands behind his back, he walked out of the Grand Hall with ease and composure.
…
The Living Buddha Hatogtu first arrived at Shaolin, Kongwen was one of the enemies he paid most attention to.
“I have not only gained full recovery but also the opportunity to improve further. I have to challenge strong opponents one by one and win them to accumulated my power and confidence,” Hatogtu slowly walked up the stairs as he controlled his vigor. His mind was filled with thoughts and his spirits were high.
At this moment, he saw a green-robed man and a yellow dress woman coming down from Shaolin. He didn’t care much and walked past them.
It was all peaceful until something struck Hatogtu after he walked another few steps. He turned back and smiled at Jiang Zhiwei, “I have not stepped into the pugilistic world for many years, and now there is actually such a talent from the Xijian Pavilion. How is Zhou Taichong doing now?”
