Chapter 7

Chapter 6: The Founder of Shaolin

‘That sounds like something that could be misunderstood.’

He scratched his cheek, feeling that it was the kind of thing one might say to a lover who had been wronged. Though he had never had a real lover, he had heard enough stories to know that.

‘But more importantly, Master’s tone has returned to normal, hasn’t it?’

Even if he was saying incomprehensible things, that was secondary.

A bald head? What kind of story is that, making one’s head feel empty?

“I only learned what Master taught me.”

“...Really?”

He had never heard that Master Zhang Sanfeng was bald. And it didn’t seem like he had dementia and forgotten what he had taught.

Then there was only one answer.

“Indeed, something about the tone or feeling was different...”

What if the person who passed on the Toding Gong wasn’t Master Zhang Sanfeng?

“Yes, the Toding Gong...”

Master Zhang Sanfeng suddenly asked him to recite the incantation of the Toding Gong. Without hesitation, he recited the incantation.

As soon as he heard the incantation, Master Zhang Sanfeng gritted his teeth. It seemed he immediately recognized what kind of martial art it was.

“...What?”

Divine Skill. That wasn’t a title given to just any martial art.

Moreover, he had clearly mentioned Dharma just now.

Dharma. Dharma Master.

In Sanskrit, Bodhidharma. Known in the Central Plains as Puli Damo, and simply as Dharma.

The founder who first opened the doors of Shaolin in the small forest of Mount Song.

The founder of Mount Tai and the Northern Dipper Shaolin.

A legend who laid the foundation of Buddhist martial arts in the Central Plains martial world.

There were countless other ways to refer to him.

In a certain sense, a name with no less, and perhaps even more, weight than Master Zhang Sanfeng.

“Dharma...?”

Learned martial arts from Dharma?

When he learned martial arts from Master Zhang Sanfeng, it was already an incredibly unrealistic story. It was so unbelievable that he could easily believe it was all a dream if he woke up tomorrow.

‘Wait a moment.’

As the shock of learning martial arts from Dharma momentarily took his breath away, the problems with this situation gradually came to mind.

‘Then, won’t there be a problem?’

A cultivation method is a guide for the mind and the flow of internal energy, the root of martial arts practice.

If the roots of cultivation methods are the same, they can generally coexist to some extent.

However, if the roots are different, the direction and interpretation also differ.

The methods are different, and with different methods, the flow of internal energy is also different. If the two practices conflict, it could lead to self-destruction.

For this reason, most martial arts sects consider learning martial arts from other sects taboo. If caught, one could face severe punishment and expulsion.

It seemed to be a matter of pride, as if learning another sect’s martial arts was a sign of inadequacy.

Currently, he had learned the cultivation methods of the Wudang and Shaolin sects, two different roots.

By his limited knowledge, it sounded very dangerous.

“Then, should I stop learning the Toding Gong, or rather, the Central Plains Divine Skill?”

“Master?”

There was no immediate response.

In fact, he had been prepared for an immediate and stern reply of “Of course!”

But the response was different from what he expected.

“No, that ‘no’ means you shouldn’t stop...”

“Really?”

Master Zhang Sanfeng said it as if his pride was hurt.

Given his pride, which was as high as the heavens, this situation must not have been pleasant.

But despite that, he was willing to endure it to show him a better path.

He valued his disciple’s growth more than his own pride.

It was a natural thing to say, but the world often fails to achieve what is natural.

After all, this was Master Zhang Sanfeng!

A legendary figure in martial arts history.

To be respected more than Master Zhang Sanfeng’s pride...

Thinking about it, a strange excitement welled up in his chest.

“I’m moved, Master.”

Master Zhang Sanfeng snorted, seemingly displeased with his reaction.

Yet, despite his displeasure, there was a hint of embarrassment.

“Thank you.”

The more he heard, the more embarrassed he seemed to be.

Like a celestial being who thought his inner thoughts would be revealed, he avoided the situation.

Indeed, after that, there was no more response.

In the silence, he pinched his cheek.

It hurt.

“It’s not a dream.”

If this were a dream, it would be the worst nightmare ever. They say that giving and taking away is the dirtiest and most despicable thing in the world.

If all of this were really a dream and he woke up to see the ceiling of the Wudang lay disciple’s quarters, he was prepared to cry until his voice was hoarse for four days and nights.

“After Master Zhang Sanfeng, now Dharma Master.”

He didn’t know how he had connected with the heavens, but it was undoubtedly the greatest fortune in the martial world.

Every martial artist desires a master or a great expert who can teach them the right path and enlightenment.

Some are willing to die, or at least pretend to, to receive a single lesson.

Even a moment of learning can be considered a stroke of luck.

He had experienced such luck twice.

Master Zhang Sanfeng taught him the method of physical training and the Qingming Cultivation Method, and Dharma, upon seeing him, taught him the Toding Gong and the Central Plains Divine Skill to fill in the gaps. Master Zhang Sanfeng, upon confirming this, was now sharpening his sword to prepare something even better.

Could there be a greater fortune for a martial artist?

“Is this real?”

Just thinking about it made him feel full. A sense of fulfillment filled him as if everything was complete.

He pinched his cheek several more times.

A silly laugh escaped his lips, which were stretched from the pinch.

Now, it was only a path of flowers.

***

...Or so he thought.

“I didn’t hear that right?”

“That’s a bit absurd.”

Everything that had happened so far was already unrealistic, but this was taking it a step further.

“So, both of you...”

Not only Master Zhang Sanfeng but also Dharma Master were willing to be his masters.

Should he now call Dharma Master?

After Master Zhang Sanfeng, now Dharma Master?

The relationship between master and disciple is not just about teaching. Both of them must know that. Yet, they still wanted to take him as a disciple.

It was an absurd proposition.

“Is this really okay?”

Had he owed them something in the past?

“Master Zhang Sanfeng doesn’t seem like the type to owe debts.”

Master Zhang Sanfeng let out a cough, as if he had been hit in the side.

Dharma Master spoke in his place.

Lian Qingyun repeated the mention of an unexpected martial art.

“Yijinjing?”

“That Yijinjing? The supreme divine skill of Shaolin...?”

Among the many famous martial arts of Shaolin, the Yijinjing was always mentioned as one of the top few.

This was Master Zhang Sanfeng’s voice.

It was a slightly reproachful tone.

“Why the Yijinjing?”

He had a hunch, but he asked hesitantly.

The answer came.

“...I’ve learned the Yijinjing?”

“...”

Isn’t that usually called plagiarism, Master?

“I invoke the right to remain silent.”

Let’s think positively. The important thing is that he had learned the Yijinjing. Moreover, it was the Yijinjing that the celestial Master Zhang Sanfeng had tailored for him.

“The Yijinjing...”

It seemed like today was a day of constant surprises.

“Is it okay for me to learn it?”

The Yijinjing, created by Dharma. The creator himself had given permission. It sounded fine until this point.

“Yes!”

He immediately answered, knowing the implications.

If asked where he learned the Yijinjing, and he said Dharma Master taught him, the response would be obvious.

“Where did you learn this?”

“Dharma Master taught me!”

“You’re mad!”

Well, if I were a Shaolin disciple and heard that, I’d probably break a bowl in anger.

“Whatever.”

Bodhidharma is my master.

Now, not only Master Zhang Sanfeng but also Dharma can be my master.

It’s a dream that any martial artist could aspire to.

Or, is it too absurd to be a dream?

He had never felt that Master Zhang Sanfeng’s teachings were insufficient, but the fact that Bodhidharma, of all people, was not just teaching him a martial art but becoming his master made him laugh uncontrollably.

Master Zhang Sanfeng’s voice, tinged with a strange tone, echoed.

It sounded sharp and pointed.

“I feel quite honored...”

“R...really?”

His pride was palpable.

Well, he is a worthy figure.

“So, it’s all good, right?”

It seemed so if you only looked at the positives. But there were negatives too.

It’s a situation that any martial artist could dream of, but are there any downsides?

There were.

First, the two of them would... no, they would teach him quite competitively.

While they wouldn’t give harmful teachings, the intensity felt ominous.

Recalling the hellish experience when Master Zhang Sanfeng went a bit crazy at the Wudang Sect, he shuddered. What if Dharma Master joined in?

“Ah...”

It was a path of flowers, but it was also a path of fire.

‘Should I be happy...?’

There’s a saying, “Excess is as bad as deficiency.” Honestly, he was a bit scared.

Just following Master Zhang Sanfeng’s teachings was a struggle.

It was the teaching of a being beyond human. The vastness of it was something he couldn’t fully grasp even if he lived and grew for a long time.

And now, there was another such being?

‘Is this excess?’

He couldn’t help but think so.

But.

‘Xian Dao Hall Master... Yun Shihou!’

The vivid memories of voices and faces.

The times he was belittled and ignored.

‘I’ll crush them all!’

“This is what I wished for.”

His grudge pushed away his worries.

His childhood dreams pushed away his hesitation.

There were people he admired. He had cherished feelings of personal desire and youthful admiration.

He wanted to become a martial artist to achieve those desires and admiration.

Now, the fastest path to that goal was available, and he didn’t want to act like a coward.

He might pause out of fear, but he wouldn’t step back. Stubbornly, even if he collapsed from exhaustion, he would crawl to reach that high place!

“Please take care of me.”

A very excited voice echoed in his head.

It seemed his words had greatly inspired the other.

The excitement would return to his body.

He was prepared to endure it all with dignity.

‘If it were more than two, I might have thought differently.’

What if there were more celestial masters willing to teach him?

For a moment, he imagined it and chuckled.

No way.

***

A space filled with boiling filth.

A place where the stench and dirt were so overwhelming that just breathing felt like it would rot the lungs.

A man with sharp eyes and a beard dipped his hand into the filth.

“Black Wind Demon Emperor. A grand name for a piece of trash.”

“Puhahaha!”

A huge cauldron and the boiling filth within.

The man with a fierce expression plunged his hand into the filth, submerging the being called the Black Wind Demon Emperor.

His hand, which seemed to be turning black from the filth and poison, sizzled and burned, but he didn’t flinch.

“Hmph!”

He casually pulled his hand out of the filth and shook it. Strangely, the hand, which had been a mess of bones a moment ago, was now back to normal.

“Just a bunch of trash, as expected.”

The man with the fierce expression frowned as he listened to the stories of the lower realm.

The demons had fallen.

The pure demons of the past were gone. At least, the demons he remembered no longer existed in the lower realm.

In his time, the demons were pure.

They followed the instincts of the strong without complex calculations.

But after clashing with the united forces of the righteous, the demons learned to band together.

With unity came politics, and with politics came power structures.

They became stronger but also weaker.

“Stupid fools.”

If possible, he wanted to manifest in the lower realm right now and teach them a lesson, showing them what true demons were.

But that was impossible.

“Still, it’s not just my story.”

Just as the demons had degenerated, the martial world of the current lower realm had problems with the righteous as well.

The martial arts of the righteous were strong, but it took a long time to achieve that strength. That’s why young experts came from the demonic path, and old experts came from the righteous path.

In the conflicts between the righteous, the demonic, and the demons, many secrets were lost, and broken martial lineages emerged, causing the righteous to degenerate as well.

They became obsessed with quick achievements, pursuing immediate strength over long-term perfection.

Unable to endure hunger, they resorted to rotten meat.

As a result, the true essence of martial arts was lost.

All that remained was the petty squabbles of humans.

Unless someone emerged to reverse the tide of his time, no one from the righteous, the demonic, or the demons would ever ascend to the heavens.

“Is there anyone useful here?”

The man, once called the “Great Demon” and the “Demon Who Covers the Sky” on earth, muttered as he gazed at the scene of the boiling hell.