After the Fire-Worker Monk caused havoc at Shaolin Temple, many eminent monks died from their injuries. The younger generation of disciples, whose Buddhist practice and martial arts skills were still shallow, found it difficult to gain the respect of the people.
The turmoil at Shaolin Temple could not be concealed forever; both inside and outside the temple, there were many twists and turns.
Before his passing, the eminent monk Master Guangde of the Guang generation entrusted the position of abbot of Shaolin Temple to one of his most accomplished disciples, Daoming of the Dao generation.
Not long after, the Mongols and the Song Dynasty joined forces to destroy the Jin Dynasty, but immediately broke their alliance and turned against the Song Dynasty.
The northern lands fell in large numbers, including Shaoshi Mountain, where Shaolin Temple is located.
Having suffered a severe loss of vitality and the double predicament of being occupied by foreign invaders, Shaolin Temple closed its gates and its monks stopped moving around in the martial arts world. Gradually, Shaolin's status in the martial arts world faded.
Fortunately, due to the war, many children and teenagers were displaced and homeless. Shaolin Temple was able to find and rescue them from time to time at the foot of the mountain, so that the source of monks in the temple never stopped.
But the martial arts world will not lose its luster because of Shaolin's absence.
From the Eastern Heretic, the Western Poison, the Southern Emperor, the Northern Beggar, and the Central Divine, to the great hero Guo Jing protecting his country, one after another, the stories of love and hatred in the martial arts world unfold.
...
"Thump~~" "Thump~~" "Thump~~".
The morning bell of Shaolin Temple rings out as a new day begins.
On the second floor of the Sutra Repository, two of the current Shaolin monks were carefully cleaning the building.
However, the library was so large that even two people couldn't finish cleaning it in a short time, and it would naturally get boring after a while.
Not all Shaolin monks are highly proficient in Buddhism, especially the young martial monks, who tend to be quite unconventional.
A monk dusted off his scriptures and then started talking.
“Xuantong, we’ve come to clean the Scripture Pavilion more than once or twice, and we’ve never seen the third door open before. What do you think is inside?”
The other monk seemed somewhat distracted, occasionally gesturing with his hands, clearly pondering a move.
"That's a forbidden area within the temple. What else could it be? Probably some kind of sacred text."
"What kind of manual?"
Another monk asked with a grin.
"Uh, so what if some rare scripture is a martial arts classic? Xuan Kong, why are you asking this? Do you think you have the guts to break the temple rules and go up to the third floor?"
"Of course I don't have the guts. I was just asking, and I knew you idiot would say that."
"The martial arts manuals are all on the second floor, all seventy-two unique skills are here, why would we put them on the third floor? As for rare scriptures, I've never seen anyone go up to maintain them, aren't they afraid of them rotting and being eaten by insects?"
Xuan Tong seemed to have also become interested.
"Then what else could be inside? I've been in Shaolin since I was a child, for over ten years, and I've never seen anyone enter or leave the third level. It's really strange."
Xuan Kong finally heard Xuan Tong ask this question, as if he had been waiting for it all along, and he revealed a smug expression with satisfaction.
“A few days ago, I couldn’t answer either. It seems that the monks of my master’s generation were not very clear either, and the older generation of eminent monks kept silent about it.”
"However, a few days ago, the old monk I often serve finally told me."
"Is it that Dao, who is of the same generation as the abbot, who was mentioned by the old monk?"
"Yes, it's Master Daobei. I didn't dare to ask before, but when I tried, he didn't hide anything at all... I should have asked sooner."
Xuan Tong put down the duster and sat down on the ground just like Xuan Kong, listening attentively to Xuan Kong's words.
Xuan Kong also kept everyone in suspense, directly stating what he knew.
"Master Daobei told me that there are no martial arts manuals or rare scriptures on the third floor of the Sutra Repository, but there is a high-ranking monk there!"
"A high-ranking monk? The golden body of a high-ranking monk after his passing? Shouldn't it be enshrined in a stupa?"
Xuan Tong couldn't help but interject.
"Don't interrupt!"
Xuan Kong was very unhappy with Xuan Tong's interruption.
"It's not a golden statue, but a high-ranking monk who has been in seclusion for decades!"
"Hiss~~ Really? Decades? They would have starved to death in a few dozen days!"
"Tsk tsk tsk, Junior Brother Xuantong, monks don't lie. You don't understand this, do you? You must have heard the story of Bodhidharma facing the wall for more than ten years, right?"
Do you remember when I told you about the Bodhisattva's miraculous appearance at the Sutra Repository when we were little?
Xuan Tong recalled for a moment.
"Was it that time you said there were bodhisattvas chanting sutras in the library?"
"Yes, that was the time when Master Daobei told me that it was the Bodhi chanting of a high monk, which would sound from time to time. At first, when he was in seclusion, the sound could be heard throughout half the temple. Later, it became fainter and fainter, but the Zen meaning became more and more profound. Now, only those with affinity can hear it!"
Xuan Tong chuckled.
"So you're a person with a karmic connection to the high monk?"
"Um... well, not really. I only heard it when I was a kid, and it's been so many years since I've heard it before~"
"Oh, right, I also know who's inside."
Who is it?
Xuan Kong smiled mysteriously.
"That's the abbot's senior brother, the Dao Yuan monk of the Dao generation!"
Xuan Tong was marveling at this when suddenly...
With a loud "boom",
Immediately afterwards, the entire library began to shake violently with a loud rumble.
"Oh no, is the earth dragon turning over?"
"Get out of here quickly! The library is about to collapse!!"
But immediately, faint golden light shone through the corridor leading to the third floor.
"Ooh~~~~" "Lumble~~~~~" "Ooh~~~~" "Lumble~~~~~". . . . . .
The dragon's roar and the elephant's cry echoed each other.
The entire Shaolin Temple was alarmed.
"The eighteenth level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, Nine Dragons and Nine Elephants, Dragon Elephant Arhat, has finally been mastered..."
Daoyuan stood up somewhat dazedly. He only knew that a long time had passed, but he didn't know exactly how long.
Apart from the space of about ten feet around where he sat cross-legged, the dust on the other three floors was thicker than the books themselves.
His monk's robes were barely holding on; with the slightest movement, they were torn to shreds.
Dragging his tattered clothes, he left a long trail on the dusty floor of the three-story scripture pavilion.
On the second floor of the Sutra Repository, Xuan Tong and Xuan Kong were preparing to escape when they saw the building stop shaking and heard the roar of dragons and the cry of elephants. They were at a loss.
"Bang!"
The three-story wooden door opened, and a thin figure walked out. His eyebrows and beard were white, but his face was ruddy and full. His long eyebrows drooped down, and his beard was of unknown length. The only strange thing was that his hair had not grown; he was still bald.
Although he was dressed in tattered clothes, his "high monk demeanor" was hard to conceal.
The two shouted it out almost instinctively in unison.
"The Venerable Monk Daoyuan!"
...
Upon emerging from seclusion, Daoyuan learned that he had been in seclusion for decades, during which time Shaolin had weathered many storms, and even his master, Guangde, had long since passed away. This left Daoyuan speechless and deeply saddened.
However, his emergence from seclusion is great news for Shaolin Temple. With the Venerable Monk Daoyuan in charge, the day when Shaolin regains its status in the martial arts world is certainly not far off.
As someone who was once a youth in the Earth sphere, although the Legend of the Condor Heroes series is a book from the old Earth era, it has remained popular as a classic martial arts novel, and has been adapted into film and television series by directors in later generations.
He only needed to ask the monks in the temple to find out that Guo Jing was stationed in Xiangyang City, and he immediately understood what world and era he was in.
Although the Shaolin monks regarded him as a living Arhat, Daoyuan had been itching to see the show and couldn't possibly miss it.
Therefore, as soon as the monk Daoyuan emerged from seclusion, he applied to his junior abbot to go down the mountain.
Xiangyang was a solid defensive line against the Mongol army's southward invasion.
Thanks to the presence of the contemporary hero Guo Jing, the Mongols were unable to capture the city after a long siege.
On this day, in order to discuss how to jointly resist the invasion of the Mongol army, Guo Jing convened a heroes' assembly, inviting heroes from all walks of life who were willing to resist the Mongols to gather in Xiangyang City.
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