NABC Page 382
Page 382
When Jiang Ning and his companion returned to the guest house, they found a monk standing at the entrance.
At this moment, the monk paced back and forth at the entrance of the guest courtyard, as if he had been waiting for a while.
Upon seeing Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong, the monk stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Esteemed benefactors."
Jiang Ning returned the greeting and then asked, "Is there anything you need, Master?"
The monk said, "Master Bu Huo asked me to inquire whether you two benefactors wish to visit the Sutra Repository today. Our temple's Sutra Repository is ready, and you two benefactors can go in and take a look today if you wish."
Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong were both surprised.
They hadn't expected the other party to be so proactive.
Linghu Chong didn't speak, but looked at Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning smiled and said, "No rush. My fellow disciples and I just finished the Arhat Formation today, and our internal strength and injuries have not yet fully recovered. Let's do it tomorrow. My fellow disciples and I would like to visit your temple's scripture pavilion first thing tomorrow morning."
The monk, having received the answer, nodded: "In that case, I will go back and report to Master Bu Huo and the others."
Jiang Ning smiled and said, "I'm sorry to have troubled you to make this special trip, Master."
The monk smiled and then left.
"We can go into the library tomorrow to take a look."
Linghu Chong's eyes lit up.
The Shaolin Temple's Sutra Repository is world-renowned, and it is said to contain many martial arts manuals from the martial arts world, as well as Shaolin Temple's own secret manuals.
"I just don't know if it has the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic)."
Linghu Chong blurted out something without realizing it.
There might be debate about what the most powerful martial art of Shaolin Temple is, but the most famous is undoubtedly the Yi Jin Jing (Muscle/Tendon Changing Classic).
It is said that the current abbot of Shaolin Temple on Mount Song, Master Fangzheng, has mastered the Yi Jin Jing to a high level and has reached a state of perfection.
Master Fangzheng is now the undisputed leader of the righteous path and the number one master, which shows the value of the Yi Jin Jing.
Hearing Linghu Chong's words, Jiang Ning couldn't help but laugh and say, "I don't think so."
The Yi Jin Jing is a secret manual of the Shaolin Temple on Mount Song; it is unlikely that the Southern Shaolin Temple possesses it.
Linghu Chong thought it made sense; if the Southern Shaolin Temple also had one, then the martial arts world would also spread the word.
"No matter what secrets are inside, just being able to see them will make the trip worthwhile."
Linghu Chong laughed.
He has already set a task for himself.
He has a photographic memory; he can remember anything he has seen clearly if he wants to, and he can even recite it from memory after seeing it only once.
Linghu Chong decided that he would spend the next three days memorizing the secret manuals recorded in the Sutra Pavilion and then bring them back to Mount Hua.
The martial arts techniques recorded in the Sutra Repository may not be the most outstanding, but they are at least quite good. If they can be brought back to Mount Hua, they can add some cultural depth to the mountain.
Moreover, the fact that the Southern Shaolin Temple had previously acknowledged these martial arts manuals to them already indicated that they didn't mind if these manuals were taken away; as long as they could remember them, they could take them if they wanted.
Linghu Chong also wanted to contribute to Mount Hua.
Back at the guest courtyard, Linghu Chong was still somewhat excited.
When Jiang Ning woke up the next day and saw him, he still looked very energetic, guessing that he might have had trouble sleeping the night before.
Early in the morning, the eminent monks, including Bu Huo, sent a young novice to take Jiang Ning and his companion to have breakfast. After they finished eating, they led the two directly to the Sutra Repository.
The Sutra Repository is located in the center of the Southern Shaolin Temple, and is guarded by many monks, making it very secure.
However, at this moment, the doors of the Sutra Repository were wide open, and high-ranking monks from the Southern Shaolin Temple, including Bu Huo, were waiting for Jiang Ning and his companion.
Chapter 512: The Scripture Pavilion
"Gentlemen, thank you for waiting."
Upon seeing the eminent monks, including Bu Huo, waiting for them, Linghu Chong quickly stepped forward and said...
At this moment, Bu Huo and the others had somewhat complicated emotions in their eyes when they saw Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong, but they did not show it.
One of the high monks smiled and asked, "How is Young Master Linghu's injury?"
Upon hearing this, Linghu Chong said repeatedly, "Thank you for the elixir from your esteemed temple. My injuries have improved, but the elixir is too precious. My brother and I really don't know how to thank you all."
Upon hearing his words, Bu Huo and the others were at a loss for words.
They'd already eaten it, so what could they do? It was given to them by Zen Master Lingxuan. Although they felt heartbroken after finding out, it was too late to change anything.
A high-ranking monk smiled and said, "It's just worldly possessions. There's no need for you two young heroes to thank me. Besides, you were injured while breaking through the formation. Our Southern Shaolin Temple is in the wrong, so it's only right that we do this."
After leaving that topic behind, Bu Huo said, "Young heroes, behind us is the Sutra Repository of my Southern Shaolin Temple. It has three floors. The first floor records martial arts manuals from the martial arts world, as well as the versions improved by our temple's predecessors. The second floor contains the common martial arts of my Southern Shaolin Temple, and the third floor contains the Seventy-Two Ultimate Skills of my Shaolin Temple."
"As previously agreed, Young Hero Jiang may freely view the three floors of our temple's Sutra Repository without any restrictions, while Young Hero Linghu may view the first and second floors for three days."
After explaining the structure of the Scripture Pavilion, Bu Huo added, "Each floor of the Scripture Pavilion has a monk who knows the location of the martial arts manuals in the Scripture Pavilion by heart. You two young heroes can browse through them on your own after entering the Scripture Pavilion. However, if you cannot find the corresponding manual or are interested in a particular type of manual, you can tell them and they can find it for you."
Hearing the other party's detailed and thoughtful arrangements, their willingness to accept defeat, and their attentive service, Linghu Chong couldn't help but feel the magnanimity of the Southern Shaolin Temple.
"Thank you, masters."
Linghu Chong quickly thanked him.
Bu Huo and the others smiled and said, "The two young heroes can enter the Sutra Repository now. We monks still have matters to attend to at the temple, so we will take our leave first."
After saying that, the group of four left.
Jiang Ning looked at the Sutra Repository in front of him. The building was extremely magnificent on the outside, and it felt even more vast inside. The interior was filled with rows of bookshelves, which were densely packed with books.
Knife techniques, sword techniques, leg techniques, palm techniques...
These bookshelves are labeled with categories of martial arts techniques. For example, the row of bookshelves that Jiang Ning saw, which was dedicated to sword techniques, seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see. They were filled with secret manuals recording sword techniques, and the other bookshelves were the same.
Moreover, Jiang Ning also saw books on medicine and other miscellaneous subjects, all of which were available in this library, making it a diverse collection.
Linghu Chong was completely overwhelmed by what he saw.
At this moment, he was only thinking about how he couldn't memorize all the secret manuals of the first level of light, let alone in three days, or even three months.
At that moment, a monk walked over.
"Amitabha, I presume you two are Young Hero Jiang and Young Hero Linghu."
The old monk smiled and said, "This humble monk is in charge of the book arrangement on this floor. If either of you is interested in any particular type of book but cannot find it, please let this humble monk know."
Jiang Ning nodded: "Thank you, Master."
As they spoke, Jiang Ning also observed the old monk.
This old monk looked very old and was thin, but the power he possessed was astonishing, clearly indicating that he was an extremely skilled master.
The old monk was also observing Jiang Ning and Linghu Chong. He was fine when he saw Linghu Chong, but when he saw Jiang Ning, a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. However, he didn't say anything, just nodded and greeted him before walking to a corner to sit down and picking up a book to read.
"So many books, junior brother."
Linghu Chong was speechless.
He needs to remember when to go.
Linghu Chong decided to read on the first floor, and Jiang Ning followed him, wandering around the first floor of the Sutra Pavilion and looking at the books on the shelves.
"Eight Immortals Sword, Twelve Acupoint Strike Techniques, Black Sand Hand..."
Jiang Ning looked at the manuals on the bookshelf, randomly picked up two of them and flipped through them. He found that these martial arts manuals were not particularly profound martial arts. For example, the Black Sand Hand was a special training method that required polishing the hands with sand to develop martial arts skills.
After looking at some of the books on the first floor, I found that although most of the manuals stored on this floor were not too profound, there were still many that could be considered good, especially some medical books, so it could be said that they were diverse and comprehensive.
Jiang Ning told Linghu Chong what was going on and then headed to the second floor of the Sutra Pavilion.
The stairs leading to the second floor were on the right. After Jiang Ning went up the stairs to the second floor, he found an old monk at the top of the stairs.
This is the manager of the second floor.
The old monk was not surprised to see Jiang Ning, as he already knew about it beforehand.
After greeting the old monk, Jiang Ning discovered that he was also a master. It was hard to say exactly how powerful he was, but he was definitely not weak.
Judging from this, the person managing the third floor must be a real expert.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon!
With three such powerful masters just guarding the Sutra Repository, it's hard to believe just how deep the foundation of the Southern Shaolin Temple truly is.
After chatting with the old monk for a few minutes, Jiang Ning turned his attention to the bookshelves on the second floor.
Compared to the vast collection of books on the first floor, the second floor has far fewer, but it contains Shaolin martial arts manuals. Although they are all ordinary techniques, they are still much better than most of the secret manuals stored on the first floor.
"Five Tigers Severing the Gate Saber, Five Harmony Fist, Monkey Fist..."
Jiang Ning walked among the bookshelves on the second floor, looking at the dazzling array of martial arts manuals, all of which were Shaolin martial arts.
After looking around for a while, Jiang Ning decided to go to the third floor of the Sutra Repository.
When Jiang Ning arrived at the stairwell again, the old monk watched him go upstairs with a smile on his face.
Upon reaching the third floor, as expected, Jiang Ning discovered another old monk there. However, the old monk was simply sitting with his eyes closed under the bookshelf, as if he were resting.
Jiang Ning did not disturb him, and looked past the old monk toward the third floor of the Sutra Repository.
Compared to the second floor, the third floor of the library is smaller, but it still contains more than a dozen bookshelves.
Jiang Ning glanced at the secret manuals on the bookshelf, and stopped after just one look.
"Lion's Roar".
Jiang Ning's gaze fell on the manual, and he took it out.
"This is one of the seventy-two unique skills of Shaolin. The Lion's Roar is extremely powerful and is one of the profound internal skills of Shaolin."
Just as Jiang Ning picked up the manual and began to read it, an old voice sounded behind him.
The old monk who was resting under the bookshelf just now has woken up at some point and is now explaining things to Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning looked back and saw the old monk with a smile on his face.
“Benefactor, I see that you are exceptionally intelligent, but if you wish to master this skill, you must understand the Buddhist teachings. If you wish to learn it, I can help you comprehend the Buddhist meaning within.”
Jiang Ning smiled and greeted them.
"Thank you, but not for now."
(The author is taking a day off for Children's Day and will not be updating today.)
Chapter 513: January
The old monk nodded and said nothing more, as if he were just offering a kind reminder.
"The three floors of this Sutra Repository contain seventy-two unique skills of Shaolin. Anyone who can master even one of these skills can become a master in their own right. Many of these skills are unfathomable. Many of my Shaolin predecessors have mastered them to an extraordinary level. However, nowadays, Shaolin has no successors, and many of these seventy-two unique skills are difficult to master."
Jiang Ning nodded.
"Thank you for the reminder, Master."
After speaking, the old monk returned to the bookshelf and closed his eyes to rest.
Jiang Ning glanced at him, then continued looking at the Shaolin martial arts techniques on the bookshelf.
"Dragon Claw Hand, Great Vajra Pestle, Mighty Vajra Finger, Universe in the Sleeve, Vajra Fist..."
Jiang Ning looked at them one by one. These martial arts were all Shaolin's unique skills. Any one of them could cause a frenzy of fighting among people in the martial arts world.
"Prajna Palm?"
Jiang Ning's gaze fell upon a record of a palm technique. He then picked it up and opened it, only to find that it was filled with Buddhist scriptures, which would be incomprehensible to anyone without a background in Buddhism.
Not only this book, but all seventy-two other unique skills are the same.
These unique skills are techniques that Shaolin monks comprehended from Buddhism. Without studying Buddhism, it is impossible to learn these skills. Not to mention practicing them, one cannot even understand the Buddhist language within them.
Jiang Ning had a deep understanding of Taoism and could easily master Taoist martial arts, but he only had a superficial understanding of Buddhism. These skills were like heavenly books in his hands at this moment.
Without looking at any other techniques, Jiang Ning took the Prajna Palm manual and walked towards the old monk.