"Haha, what kind of logic is it for the host to urge guests to leave as soon as they arrive? Abbot, you should first witness the unique skills of my Free and Unfettered Sect before making a decision. Madam, please take out that jade staff," Wu Yazi laughed.
"Esteemed monks, please look carefully." Li Qiushui smiled charmingly, then pulled a green stick from her lower back.
"The Beggars' Sect's Dog-Beating Stick?" Qian Su blurted out.
"It's not the Beggars' Sect's prized Dog-Beating Stick, it's just similar. Could it be that the Free and Unfettered Sect's ultimate technique is also a staff technique?" Qianxin murmured.
Wu Yazi smiled slightly, "Next, I will use the Tianshan Six Yang Palm, the ultimate technique of the Xiaoyao Sect, to fight against the Beggar Clan's Dog-Beating Staff Technique. I would like to ask the Abbot and all the eminent monks to appreciate it. Madam, please."
"Be careful, my husband, I won't hold back." Li Qiushui said, then swung her stick at Wuyazi.
Wu Yazi also shook his palms to meet Li Qiushui's challenge. The two of them fought in the shocked gaze of a group of monks from Shaolin Temple. The fight became faster and fiercer, almost like a couple turning against each other.
"I must say, it was quite a good fight, Junior Brother Lingmen, don't you think?" The young and strong monk of the Ling generation stared intently at Li Qiushui.
"Senior Brother Lingchong, they're not just pretty to look at. That female benefactor seems to be really fighting, and the martial arts of these two are truly exquisite."
Lingmen initially didn't want to watch, but once he realized the two were really fighting, he found himself unconsciously drawn in.
With so many Shaolin disciples, those qualified to watch the battle are the best of their generation. Lingmen is the number one of the Ling generation, while Lingchong is slightly inferior, but not by much.
As for the Xuan generation, they are all still little kids. The oldest, Xuan Ci, is only eleven years old. He and seven other children were granted the right to watch the battle. The youngest of them is only three years old and is named Xuan Cheng.
These eight monks of the Xuan generation have Dharma names that are compassionate, compassionate, arduous, and serene. They are considered the future flowers of Shaolin and are all highly talented martial arts geniuses.
"Senior brother, is Uncle-Master Lingchong hiding some kind of weapon down there?" Xuancheng asked in a low voice, pointing to the bulge on Lingchong's pants.
Xuan Ci glanced at Ling Chong, then slapped Xuan Cheng on the head, "Watch the martial arts competition properly, don't watch what you shouldn't be watching!"
"Oh, Xuan Cheng knows he was wrong. He's watching the martial arts competition instead of his senior brother." Xuan Cheng rubbed his head. "Senior brother, that female benefactor is really beautiful."
“Hmm, she is quite beautiful… Forgive me, forgive me, Amitabha Buddha, Junior Brother Xuancheng, you have broken the precept against lust. You are not allowed to look at female benefactors, you can only look at male benefactors.” Xuanci said seriously.
“Oh, Xuan Cheng knows he was wrong. He only looked at the male benefactor and not the female benefactor.” Xuan Cheng pouted. “But the female benefactor’s martial arts seem to be more powerful. Moreover, the two of them are fighting at close range. How can you only look at one and not the other? Uncle Ling Chong and Master’s eyes are clearly on that female benefactor as well.”
Xuan Ci scratched his head. "Uh, well... just focus on watching the martial arts competition and don't say anything more!"
"Oh." Xuan Cheng said, gradually becoming engrossed in the martial arts moves of the two people competing in the arena.
In fact, most of the high monks were initially staring at Wuyazi, and were too embarrassed to stare at the women, but as the fight went on, everyone was drawn to Li Qiushui.
While her good looks are one aspect, the main reason is that Li Qiushui's Dog-Beating Stick Technique is exceptionally beautiful.
Even Abbot Qianxin of Shaolin Temple and Head of the Disciplinary Hall Qiansu were mesmerized, not even blinking!
Wu Yazi smiled slightly. They took the bait so quickly. Who said that monks are detached from worldly desires and have no wants?
At this moment, a rather handsome young monk came to Xuancheng's side, and then...
Xuan Cheng seemed to have made up his mind, and slowly uttered two words.
"agree."
Chapter 416 A Gamble
Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui went to Shaolin Temple and proposed a martial arts contest to wager on the secret manuals of martial arts. However, Abbot Qianxin refused to even discuss it and asked them to go back.
However, Wu Yazi had anticipated this situation and his solution was simple: he would fight Li Qiushui first.
Is Shaolin Temple really not interested in the martial arts of other schools?
Perhaps that's really the case.
Because the 72 Shaolin skills are all top-notch martial arts, plus other martial arts such as the Yi Jin Jing, even if one starts practicing from childhood and dies, one could never finish practicing them all. So what is the point of other schools' martial arts?
But if a martial art superior to the Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts is presented to Shaolin, and is relatively easy to learn, would those monks not be tempted?
Regardless of whether they are monks or not, everyone here practices martial arts and wants to become stronger; there is no doubt about that.
Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui were fighting in a dazzling display, and they had almost finished demonstrating the Thirty-Six Styles of Dog-Beating Stick Technique. Many of the rather vulgar moves, when performed by Li Qiushui, had a unique beauty and appeal.
For example, there's the mother dog protecting her cub move, as well as poking a dog's buttocks, a mad dog biting a monkey, and so on.
The key point is that Li Qiushui's Dog-Beating Stick Technique is not only beautiful, but also quite powerful. The arena where the two are fighting is now in ruins, and it looks like she really wants to beat Wu Yazi to death.
Of course, Wu Yazi had the Northern Darkness True Qi protecting him, so he could fight him at will; otherwise, Jiang Kuang, the leader of the Beggars' Sect, would not have been defeated by Wu Yazi.
Qian Su gasped, "Abbot, why do I feel that this female benefactor's Dog-Beating Stick Technique is even better than that brat Jiang Kuang's? How could she have such skill without ten years of hard practice?"
Qianxin had already noticed this, but the more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. "Junior brother, I had the same question. These two only obtained the Dog-Beating Staff Technique from the Beggars' Sect yesterday. Even if they practiced all night long, they couldn't possibly reach this level. However, the essence of the Dog-Beating Staff Technique lies in the last move, which this girl shouldn't be able to use."
Just then, Qian Su suddenly widened his eyes, "Abbot, could that posture be...?"
"Hiss..." Qianxin gasped, that was the final move of the Dog-Beating Stick Technique, "No Dogs Under Heaven!"
Puff puff puff...
With a magnificent spin by Li Qiushui, a series of explosions far exceeding the effects of five-cent special effects appeared around her, and Wu Yazi was also forced to retreat several steps by this move.
This time, it wasn't that Wu Yazi deliberately let him win; rather, the final move of the Dog-Beating Stick Technique, "No Dogs Under Heaven," was more powerful than the previous thirty-five moves combined. It was the true essence of the Dog-Beating Stick Technique, and its power was naturally extremely strong.
"This female benefactor has actually mastered the Beggars' Sect's signature technique, the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, to such a high level in such a short time. She even uses the most difficult move, 'No Dogs Under Heaven,' so well. Her talent is unparalleled in my life. I admire her greatly. I have truly broadened my horizons today," Qianxin exclaimed.
Qian Su dared not act rashly at this moment. The martial arts skills of these two disciples of the Xiaoyao Sect were so high that he was ashamed. Originally, he had planned to shamelessly go down into the arena to compete and teach these two ignorant juniors a lesson.
Now, he feels that if he were to actually participate in the competition, he'd probably want to crawl into a hole and disappear. How could he possibly have the face to live?
"Thank you for the praise, Abbot. However, the reason I can use the Beggars' Sect's Dog-Beating Staff Technique so well is not entirely due to my high talent. Or rather, the technique I used is not the real Dog-Beating Staff Technique. This is a long story, and it involves the secrets of my Free and Unfettered Sect, so it's not appropriate to say it in front of so many people." Li Qiushui tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear.
Qianxin's eyes lit up, as if he understood something. "In that case, please come into the inner hall for a chat. Those of the Qian and Cheng generations, please come with me. Those of the Sheng generation, please guard the entrances and exits of the inner hall. No one may enter without permission. Disciples of the Ling and Xuan generations, please wait outside the hall."
"Yes, Abbot!" the monks replied in unison.
“That’s excellent,” Wu Yazi said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
The group entered the inner hall one after another and sat down, devoutly putting their hands together and saying, "Amitabha, you two benefactors can speak frankly now."
Wu Yazi looked at the Beggars' Sect members and said, "My wife didn't explain things clearly just now. She used the Dog-Beating Stick Technique, but she practiced the Lesser Formless Skill, a unique skill of my Free and Unfettered Sect."
"The Lesser Formless Skill?" All the eminent monks present, including Qianxin, were completely bewildered.
Li Qiushui's expression changed slightly. Could it be that the Shaolin monk with extraordinary martial arts skills from yesterday was not among these people? Could there be a terrifying existence in Shaolin above the abbot?
The young monk from yesterday did not show up today. He must be the old monk's disciple, and he did not tell the abbot of Shaolin about the Xiaoyao Sect.
Wu Yazi had previously suspected that these eminent monks, including Abbot Qianxin of Shaolin, did not know much about the Xiaoyao Sect, or at least not much about it; otherwise, they would not have questioned the Xiaoyao Sect's martial arts.
Now it's becoming increasingly clear that these people are very likely completely unaware of the Free and Unfettered Sect.
Of course, there is another possibility: that the old monk with extraordinary martial arts skills from yesterday is hiding among these people, but pretending to be ignorant. That would be even more terrifying!
Therefore, Wu Yazi and Li Qiushui felt even more that they had to keep a low profile; seriously injuring or killing Shaolin disciples was absolutely unacceptable.
"What you may not know is that the Xiaoyao Sect's ultimate skill, the Xiaowuxiang Gong, is formless and untraceable. As long as one possesses this skill and knows the moves of other martial arts, one can imitate other people's ultimate skills and even surpass the orthodox successors. It is difficult for those who have not learned this skill to distinguish it."
If one possesses the secret manuals of other martial arts, and uses the Lesser Formless Skill as an aid, the cultivation of any martial art will be twice as effective with half the effort; one can say that mastering one skill leads to mastering all others.
I've heard that Shaolin has seventy-two unique skills, but apart from Bodhidharma, no one has mastered them all. It's probably the best that later generations can learn twenty or thirty of them. How many of these skills have you all learned?
But what if we use the Lesser Formless Skill as an aid? How many of the Seventy-Two Ultimate Skills can you all master then?" Wu Yazi smiled slightly.
At this moment, only heavy breathing could be heard in the room.
All the eminent monks, including Abbot Qianxin of Shaolin, understood what the Lesser Formless Skill meant to Shaolin.
For a long time, Shaolin has been a treasure trove that it could not utilize. Not to mention the Yi Jin Jing, which is entirely in Sanskrit, few people have mastered even the Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts.
Some highly difficult skills are so difficult that on average, only one person might learn them every hundred years. There are even many skills that no one may have ever mastered!
This is undoubtedly a disgrace to Shaolin.
Even more tragically, the overall trend over the past few centuries has been a clear decrease in the number of people who have mastered the Seventy-Two Arts.
Qianxin even worried that one day in the future, the successors of the Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts would completely disappear from Shaolin, and there would not be a single person in the entire Shaolin who had mastered any one of the Seventy-Two Arts!
Is that still the Shaolin Seventy-Two Arts?
All the Shaolin monks present looked at Abbot Qianxin with burning fervor in their eyes.
I'm taking the gamble for the Lesser Formless Skill!
Chapter 417 Fate (2-in-1)
Qianxin naturally noticed the earnest gazes of the Shaolin monks in the room and understood their meaning.
However, Qianxin did not rush to express his opinion, but closed his eyes and pondered quietly.
Wu Yazi was not in a hurry. He believed that the Lesser Formless Skill was an irresistible temptation for Shaolin, and judging from the expressions of the monks around him, they seemed to be tempted.
However, the final decision rests with Abbot Qianxin of Shaolin. If he can resist the temptation, Wuyazi will be out of options. The high monk who threatened Li Qiushui yesterday was definitely not just bluffing; force is out of the question.
Qianxin remained silent for a moment, then sighed inwardly and said softly, "Isn't the Lesser Formless Skill a priceless treasure that the Free and Unfettered Sect cannot pass on to outsiders? Are you two so confident that you can defeat my Shaolin disciples and win my Shaolin's unparalleled skill? Does your master, or rather the leader of the Free and Unfettered Sect, agree to this?"
"Our master has already traveled the world and embarked on the path of cultivation. As for the leader of the Xiaoyao Sect, that is me. Even if I fail, I believe Shaolin will still treasure the Xiaowuxiang Gong as the supreme skill of Shaolin and will certainly not disgrace the name of this divine skill."
"Without further ado, I would like to use the Xiaoyao Sect's ultimate skill, the Xiaowuxiang Gong, to wager on the secret manuals of all the Shaolin's ultimate skills. I wonder if Abbot Qianxin would agree?" Wuyazi said solemnly.
"So you are the leader of the Free and Unfettered Sect. My apologies for not recognizing you. However, it is a bit too greedy of you to bet all the Shaolin arts with just a Lesser Formless Skill. The Yi Jin Jing is out of the question, but the Seventy-Two Shaolin Arts are negotiable. You may choose any three from them," Qianxin said expressionlessly.
Wu Yazi smiled, stood up and said, "In that case, this junior will take his leave. If you eminent monks wish to forcibly seize the Lesser Formless Skill, you are welcome to try. Madam, let's go."
Li Qiushui stood up, smiled slightly, then turned and followed Wu Yazi out.
Qianxin frowned, as if he was considering something. Although these two were highly skilled in martial arts, if everyone rushed at them, they could definitely capture them. But Shaolin is a Buddhist sect, how could they act in such a way?
The Lesser Formless Skill is so important to Shaolin, does that really allow the Free and Unfettered Sect to make such an exorbitant demand? Do they really not want Shaolin's secret technique anymore?
"Please wait, esteemed benefactors!" Qian Su shouted as Wu Ya Zi reached the door.
Wu Yazi stopped in his tracks. "What brings you here, Master Qiansu?"
"This matter is of great importance. May we have the opportunity to discuss it?" Qian Su said, forcing himself to speak.
"Oh, alright. My wife and I will go for a walk outside first. Call us back after you've discussed things." Wu Yazi said, and he and Li Qiushui continued to walk outside, but were blocked by several Shaolin disciples guarding the gate.
"Abbot Qianxin, Master Qiansu, are you planning to place my husband and me under house arrest?" Li Qiushui smiled slightly.
Qianxin sighed, “You two are overthinking things. How could Shaolin do such a despicable thing? However, it would be best if you two did not go too far from here. We will soon come up with a solution. If you still wish to leave then, then you may leave.”
"Very well." Wu Yazi said, and then left the inner hall with Li Qiushui.