Chapter 6: Luohan Fist

... ...

Xuanxin smiled and said: "The major sects of the Great Jin, such as the Zhenwu Sect, Xuantian Sect, Xijian Pavilion, Huanhua Sword Sect, Qingchen Sect, and the Dajiang Gang, have been invited by our Shaolin Temple. They have sent their skilled masters along with young disciples to discuss martial arts together. In fact, this is an opportunity for the exceptionally talented young disciples of each sect to engage in combat and exchange skills, thereby broadening their horizons."

"Luohan Quan? Isn't this the martial art that you senior brothers usually practice?" Meng Qi quickly leaned forward to take a look

Upon hearing such words from her most trusted senior brother, Zhenhui immediately set aside the scriptures and joined Mengqi and Zhenyong in cleaning the scripture repository

Meng Qi felt a surge of joy in his heart, yet he asked with some hesitation, "Is this really possible?"

Upon entering the Sutra Repository, Meng Qi poured himself a glass of plain water from the table, tilted his head back, and drank it down. The journey had indeed been too long, and the autumn heat was particularly fierce, leaving him parched!

Then let us set off said Zhen Yong with a laugh

As soon as this vital energy was infused, Meng Qi immediately felt a surge in all three hundred sixty-five major acupoints throughout his body, with the vital energy gushing forth, as if the main meridians had been washed by a flood, each one expanding, aptly described by the saying "When the energy is full, the meridians naturally open"

Meng Qi was momentarily rendered speechless

Kong Hui opened her eyelids, her eyes hazily glanced at Meng Qi, and she said slowly: "The Luohan Fist is widely practiced and has no particular distinction."

Meng Qi inhaled sharply, for these were all the great sects of martial arts in the world that Xuanzhi had mentioned! For instance, the Zhenwu Sect and the Xuantian Sect are two of the three Daoist sects, while the Xijian Pavilion and the Huanhua Sword Sect belong to the Six Sword Sects. The Qingchen Sect and the Dajiang Gang are ranked among the Six Great Powers of the world

"Zhen Ding, the lecture hall will be closed for the next two days. You are responsible for cleaning the Zen Heart Courtyard and must not disturb the esteemed guests." On that morning, after having breakfast, Meng Qi was called over by Xuan Xin.

The old monk had withered yellow eyebrows and deeply wrinkled skin, appearing as if he could collapse at any moment; at this moment, he was dozing with his eyes seemingly half-closed.

"Hmm, is she a peerless expert?" Zhenhui asked with both curiosity and joy

Meng Qi slowly opened his eyes, feeling refreshed all over, as if he had boundless energy, realizing that he had taken the first step in his martial arts cultivation

Meng Qi chuckled and said: "The story of Xia Yuhe by the Daming Lake"

Zhen Yong shook his head: "It seems I have upset my stomach."

Hmm. Meng Qi still felt uneasy, so he picked up the martial arts manual, returned to the first floor, and planned to inquire with the old monk in charge of the scripture lending.

"Hehe, Zhen Ding, do you need your senior brother to give you some guidance?" Zhen Yong said with a smile.

Indeed, this was something that Senior Brother secretly informed me about!" Zhenhui was flipping through it with great seriousness

According to Xuánxīn, this elder monk in charge of the guard is named "Kōnghuì," and belongs to the same generation as the abbot Kōngwén, which is three generations higher than Mèngqí—Shaolin follows the order of "Xīnkōng Wúxuán Zhēn, Qīngjìng Zhìhuì Shēn"

Xuanxin watched Mengqi's silhouette, the smile on her face gradually fading, leaving only a trace at the corner of her mouth

Hehe. Meng Qi could only respond this way, and then he tidied up his comical mood and said, "Junior brother, don't be anxious. After all, we have to come here every day. Let's clean up first, otherwise we will be punished."

In other words, one can learn by oneself! Meng Qi thought joyfully in his heart, although this is a very ordinary martial art, it is ultimately better than having nothing at all

Puh, Meng Qi spat out a mouthful of water, splattering it all over his head and face. Is this fellow deeply addicted to martial arts and fantasy stories? Or does he trust himself so much that he believes whatever he says?

"Junior apprentice, what are you looking at?" Meng Qi asked with considerable confusion

... ...

Zhenhui furrowed her brows and said, "Senior brother, if we jump down, will we obtain a peerless secret manual or a divine weapon? No, I didn't see the immortal dancing with a sword..."

"Hey, Zhenhui, what are you doing? Do you like reading Buddhist scriptures?" Zhenyong asked with a mix of amusement and confusion

Master Xuanxin said that Senior Brother Zhenyong is correct. Zhenhui ran out and said loudly

He suppressed the urge to get out of bed and practice Luohan Quan, exhaling deeply. Internally, he did not feel much joy from any significant breakthrough. Firstly, the 'Hundred Days of Foundation' was relatively simple, with no difficulties, merely a natural progression. Secondly, several months had passed, and his Luohan Quan had become somewhat proficient, yet he still saw no hope of leaving the menial labor courtyard.

Due to the need to return for martial arts training, Zhen Yong hurriedly bid farewell, while Meng Qi and Zhen Hui strolled contentedly along the cliff.

The bright moon in the high sky is obscured by dark clouds, the cold wind pierces to the bone, causing the paper-thin windows to creak. Each of the menial monks has been given an additional cotton quilt, yet Zhen Ying and Zhen Guan still curl up in a ball, feeling the chill.

In the midst of speaking, he swiftly ran to the stairway, making a series of thudding footsteps, and disappeared from the sight of Meng Qi and the other person.

And without leaving the auxiliary institute, the more profound martial arts, the divine skills that can transcend the distinction between heaven and man, are absolutely beyond my reach

Ordinary individuals require a certain amount of time for this step, but Meng Qi's body has already completed the 'Hundred Days of Foundation Building.' At this moment, his energy is overflowing, and his meridians are completely unobstructed, all having just begun to connect.

His sharp sarcasm left Meng Qi quite embarrassed, his blood rushing to his face, which turned as red as a ripe tomato. Although he was in his twenties mentally and had considerable social experience, he was still young and impetuous, unable to escape a slight sense of competitiveness. At this moment, being looked down upon like this, and reflecting on the gap between himself and those favored by heaven, it was naturally difficult for him to restrain his emotional fluctuations

Zhenhui's expression was very serious, subtly revealing a hint of hope: "There may be unparalleled divine skills written in the crevices of the scriptures"

Meng Qi was also puzzled by Zhen Hui's actions, so he poured another cup of water, drinking while glancing over.

As Meng Qi walked, he noticed that Zhen Hui's gaze was unusual, constantly fixated on the bottomless abyss outside

After about a quarter of an hour, Zhen Yong returned with a pale face, holding his stomach.

Zhen Yong smiled brightly and said: "Rest assured, all the monks in the temple can freely enter and exit the two lower levels of the Sutra Repository. I just usually don't have the time. If you don't believe me, you can ask Master Xuanxin."

However, Meng Qi was concerned that this would violate the precepts

The Sutra Repository is situated on a cliff at the back of Shaolin Temple, consisting of a four-story old building that stands tall and solitary, making it very conspicuous even to flying birds that approach it

"The Sutra Repository?" Zhen Yong raised his eyebrows and then smiled, revealing a set of white teeth. "Junior Brother Zhen Ding, it just so happens that the martial monks' academy will not practice boxing until after noon. How about I accompany you to the Sutra Repository and help you clean? Hehe, to be honest, I am quite curious about that place too."

Learning martial arts without permission is a violation of the temple rules

After that, until just past noon, Meng Qi and Zhen Hui were practicing martial arts in the Scripture Pavilion, feeling as if all their strength was beginning to coalesce into a single force

Saying this, he glanced sideways at Meng Qi and said, "Why aren't you hurrying to clean the Zen Heart Courtyard?"

Meng Qi's expression suddenly froze on his face, it was over, he had led the child astray

He seemed completely unaware of the *Picture* book and continued, "I have heard that among the young disciples from various sects who have come this time, several of them have already entered the Enlightenment Realm before the age of twenty. It is said that they may have the hope of entering the Human Ranking in the future. What about you? What martial arts do you know? What unique skills do you possess? However, our Shaolin Temple also has a wealth of talent, and the current generation of Zhenchang, Zhenben, and Zhenmiao is not inferior to them."

Meng Qigan laughed and said, "Zhenhui is indeed such a serious person"

Ah... Meng Qi's countless anxieties and worries were all transformed into a long sigh

Meng Qi gritted his teeth, calmed his emotions, and walked towards the Zen Heart Courtyard with a broom in hand

Zhen Yong took out that book and handed it to Meng Qi: "Yes, I thought it would be on the upper floor, but I didn't expect it to be on this level"

Meng Qi took it over, greedily flipping through it, wanting to memorize all the contents inside

Zhenhui also widened her distinctly black-and-white eyes, looking at Zhenyong with a hint of excitement

No, it won't do. It must be turned around! Meng Qi thought for a moment, seeing how easily Zhen Hui could be deceived, and thus, partly in an attempt to 'save' him and partly out of a sense of wicked amusement, said: 'Junior brother, let's change the story tonight'

However, Zhenhui walked up to the bookshelf where the Buddhist scriptures were placed, pulling out one book after another and examining each one carefully

"What story?" Zhenhui was very excited

In recent days, he often visited the servant quarters to seek advice from Meng Qi on issues related to literacy and punctuation. He also frequently assisted him and Zhen Hui with various chores, displaying a rather generous personality and being quite eloquent in conversation

Meng Qi was not particularly concerned, as he called out to Zhen Hui to carefully distinguish the classification and storage locations of the Buddhist scriptures, to see if there were any noteworthy aspects.

Zhen Yong pointed to this martial arts manual and said: "Since the manual is placed in a location where all monks can freely enter and borrow it, it indicates that this is a fundamental knowledge that everyone can learn, and it does not violate the temple regulations regarding books."

He joyfully returned to the second floor with the fist manual and solemnly bowed to Zhen Yong, saying, "I kindly ask for your guidance, Senior Brother."

The exceptionally talented young disciple? Meng Qi instinctively asked, as he considered himself a young disciple of the true character generation of Shaolin, inevitably harboring a sense of comparison.

"It should be, it should be," said Zhen Yong with a smile.

Zhen Yong, in a state of confusion, wiped his face and looked at Meng Qi: "Zhen Ding, junior brother, what is so amusing about this? What Zhen Hui, junior brother, said is not without possibility."

Esteemed guest? Master Xuanxin, may I inquire which sect you hail from? Meng Qi wished to clarify this to avoid offending the guest's sensitivities

"Great Uncle, this martial arts manual is not misplaced, is it?" Meng Qi asked cautiously

Meng Qi was completely unaware of this, sitting cross-legged with a tranquil mind, feeling the true energy rising, converging into golden nectar and jade liquid, transforming into the sweet dew of the willow branch, filling the corresponding acupoints.

At a quarter past noon, the cleaning was nearly finished. Just as Meng Qi was about to "browse" the scriptures, Zhen Yong suddenly clutched his stomach and urgently said, "Oh dear, my two junior brothers, there are three urgent matters for a person. I must go take care of one first."

Xuanxin patted his round belly and laughed heartily: "What are you asking this for? Do you think you can compete with them? You, a mere servant monk who has just completed a hundred days of foundation building, are like a toad in the mud compared to them, one a toad and the other a phoenix in the sky. Not to mention competing, you don't even have the qualification to stand together with them"

He also imitated Mengqi and Zhenhui, slowly browsing the titles on the bookshelf. Suddenly, he chuckled and said, "There is actually a manual for 'Luohanquan' here"

As soon as the words were spoken, Zhenhui dashed into Xuanzin's meditation room with a whoosh, leaving Zhenyong momentarily stunned.

"Brother Zhen Yong, are you alright?" Meng Qi asked with concern