The Genius Youngest Disciple of the Wudang Sect

Chapter 38

Muscle-Tendon Change Classic.

It is a martial art said to have been created by Bodhidharma, one of the founding masters of the Shaolin Temple.

It is also called the Bodhidharma Muscle-Tendon Change Classic, and after this martial art was created, it is no exaggeration to say that all Shaolin martial arts begin with the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic and end with the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic.

"A-Abbot. What do you mean by that?"

The Martial Uncle, who rarely gets flustered, was so flustered that he even stuttered.

In the martial world, stealing and learning someone else's martial arts is a great sin.

Even more so in a sect with strict precepts like Shaolin.

To interpret the Abbot's words now, it was no different from asking if someone who had learned the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic in Shaolin had taught me that martial art, so the Martial Uncle was that flustered.

"I didn't mean anything by it. It just means that Almsgiver Unhwi's body is that well-trained. If it sounded like I was misunderstanding, I apologize."

He apologized so easily.

It's a completely different attitude from most martial arts masters, who are so stiff-necked that they never apologize or express gratitude.

To be honest, I didn't feel that bad.

No, on the contrary, I even feel proud.

'If you had learned our Shaolin's Muscle-Tendon Change Classic from a young age, a peerless martial artist would have been born...!'

That's what the aged Grandmaster Gakil had said to me when I came to the Shaolin Temple for the second time.

At that time, he was amazed to see me, who had risen to the ranks of a master with only third-rate martial arts, regardless of my origin, and he pitied my body and skills, which were inferior to my disposition and senses.

So now, I'm actually happy that he suspects I've learned the Muscle-Tendon Change Classic.

Because it means that my body is well-trained and my skills are filled with the techniques of Wudang, so I have everything.

"I will take it as a compliment. I just need to continue to train my body and mind like this."

Unlike the flustered Martial Uncle, I bowed my head with sincere gratitude.

A strange light appeared in Grandmaster Gakil's eyes as he looked at me.

"Hehe... that's right. Just keep doing as you are now. This, the next Buddhist-Taoist Great War might not be easy."

He smiled brightly and then looked at the Martial Uncle and continued.

"Then shall we talk about what we have to talk about? Almsgiver Unhwi, if you go down right below here, there is a guest hall. Will you go there? If you say you came with Almsgiver Hyeon Yang to see me, they will treat you well."

"Yes, Abbot."

Grandmaster Gakil took the Martial Uncle and went into the Abbot's Room, and I thought as I went down to the guest hall.

'Buddhist-Taoist Great War? The Martial Uncle called it the Dao-Buddhist Great War... the war of nerves had already started with the name.'

I think I know why the ancestors of old didn't come up with a cool name like 'Dragon and Tiger Competing'.

Because then, they might fight over trivial things like who is the dragon and who is the tiger, and who is first and who is second, so they excluded anything ambiguous.

'Anyway, they seem to be the most fair and just, but they're also the most childish.'

I barely swallowed the scoff that was about to come out and started walking towards the path I had just passed.

***

When I announced that I was from Wudang, the monks of the guest hall greeted me warmly.

But their gazes were not entirely filled with goodwill.

'Was the Dao-Buddhist Great War that important?'

The reason they are looking at me like that is obvious.

Seeing my age, it's obvious that I'm a third-generation disciple of Wudang, and then there's a high possibility that I'll be in the Dao-Buddhist Great War.

'This is why we always lost. And it will be the same in the future.'

Unlike them, who are sending me subtle gazes, the Wudang Sect has no interest in the Dao-Buddhist Great War.

If they had considered it important, they would have nagged us to beat Shaolin, or they would have trained hard.

'Do they think it's enough to just train hard as usual and do as well as their skills allow?'

It's a very soft thought, but it seems that the Wudang Sect is more than capable of doing so.

That's how the Tao (道) is.

Abandon greed. Abandon desire. Abandon impulse.

The beginning of the Tao is to abandon all three.

The beginning of learning swordsmanship was ultimately just a means to walk the path of the Tao, and it cannot be said that martial arts are the essence of Wudang.

'But Shaolin is a little different.'

I can't be sure because I didn't have any close martial artists in the Shaolin Temple, but the Shaolin Temple is a little different from the Wudang Sect.

I don't know about the very distant past, but what definitely changed Shaolin was the existence of Bodhidharma.

After Bodhidharma created the seventy-two arts and the one hundred and eight martial arts, they believed that training the body and practicing martial arts was a way to cultivate the Buddhist mind, and they thought that their martial arts not being defeated was also following the will of the Buddha.

So it's only natural that they show their fighting spirit so openly like that.

"How many days do you think you will be staying?"

"It's not me, but my Martial Uncle who is managing the schedule, but he said we would be here for at least three or four days."

"Then please use the room at the very end of this floor. The first floor or the front rooms will be very distracting because many people come and go."

"Thank you for your consideration."

The monk who was taking care of me now seemed to be five or six years older than me, and he introduced himself as Il-yeong.

He also had a solid body, as if he had trained quite hard in martial arts.

No matter how I look at it, it's a mystery how the Shaolin monks have such muscular bodies while being vegetarian.

"May I ask one more thing?"

"Of course. The guest hall is for serving guests, so please speak comfortably."

"By any chance, is there a training ground or a training hall where I can train personally?"

"Oh, a training ground, you say?"

Il-yeong showed great interest in my question.

Although he is in the guest hall now, his foundation is that of a martial artist.

I don't know for sure, but it seems that the Shaolin Temple also has the youngest disciples do these miscellaneous tasks, just like our Wudang.

"Yes. If there's no training ground, an open space is fine too. It doesn't have to be that wide. About two zhang (about 6m) in all directions is enough."

"As far as I know, no guest has ever requested a training ground, so may I go and check for a moment?"

"Of course. You don't have to go to any trouble."

"Haha. Please wait here for a moment."

Il-yeong left me here and then disappeared somewhere.

He reappeared when not even a moment had passed.

He said with a happy face, "He said it's okay to use the training ground."

"Ah, really?"

"Yes. But there is one problem."

"What problem?"

"Since we originally emphasize group training, we don't have a separate personal training ground. So we were thinking of giving you a corner of the training ground that our great disciples use, would that be okay?"

"So you're saying I should train together in the place where other people are training?"

"Yes. That's what I mean."

I had a dazed expression, as I had never thought that Shaolin would come out like this.

Originally, in the martial world, watching someone else's training is one of the greatest discourtesies.

But if we train together in one training ground, I will also see their training, and they will also see my training.

'This is no joke.'

To be honest, until now, I had only thought of the martial monks of Shaolin as stiff, old-fashioned, and inflexible.

Because all the martial monks I met while being active in the martial world were like that.

But, the martial monks I've met since coming to the Shaolin Temple now are not like that at all.

It seems that each of them has their own personality, and they are a little more free.

"Thank you so much for giving me a spot like that. If other people are also training together, I'll be able to train without worrying about the people around me."

At my words, Il-yeong's eyebrows twitched slightly.

He must have thought I would refuse.

"Ah, I understand. I will convey it so."

"Yes. Can I start training right now?"

"Of course. Our training ground is always open. Please follow me. I will guide you."

"Then could you wait for a moment? I'll just put down this bundle and come back down. You said it's the room at the very end of this floor, right?"

"That's right."

I expressed my gratitude to him and then smiled brightly as I climbed the stairs leading to the second floor.

'It's a good opportunity to watch how Shaolin trains.'

The reason I immediately accepted his proposal was because I thought it was a good opportunity to see Shaolin's training methods and martial arts.

Of course, I also have to show them my training method... but I have no intention of showing them Wudang's martial arts.

'Today, I'm not going to do sword art training, but 'my' training.'

Endless physical training.

Because I'm only going to do training that they can watch as much as they want.

***

"Wow."

After leaving a note for the Martial Uncle that I was going to the training ground, I followed him to the training ground.

As soon as I entered this place, I couldn't help but let out a cry of admiration.

'Bald heads here, bald heads there.'

On the rather large training ground, which seemed to be made of hard stone, dozens of monks were busily moving their bodies and training.

"Almsgiver, you can use that side."

As if it had already been discussed, only one corner was not being used.

"But, is it okay for you to show me all your training like this?"

"Yes. It's okay."

"Really?"

As soon as he said it was okay, I blatantly turned my head and started watching the monks train.

Until now, my eyes hurt from peeking with sidelong glances, so it's a relief.

"Ahem, ahem."

Then, Il-yeong looked at me and cleared his throat.

He must have never thought I would look so openly.

"Haha, I'll stop joking. I should start training now too."

"Yes. Please do as you please for as long as you want."

As soon as Il-yeong had brought me, as if his job was done, he left the training ground.

He probably went to do the job of greeting guests at the guest hall.

"Alright. Then shall I break a sweat today too?"

Although the Martial Uncle is a person without moderation, in fact, I am also a similar type of person.

To think that I came to train again after being tormented so much until just now.

But, I have to train my body well now so that I can use stronger martial arts when I grow up later.

If martial arts are the flowers and trees that grow splendidly, the body is the earth where they will take root.

You shouldn't be lazy in preparing the ground.

After stretching my arms and legs and doing some warm-up exercises, I was about to start with light push-ups and was lying flat on the floor.

"Almsgiver, could you spare me a moment?"

"Time?"

A monk approached me and said.

I, who had been lying down awkwardly, got up, dusted myself off, and looked at him.

His skin was noticeably darker than the other monks, and there were two red dots on his forehead.

'What. He's faster than I thought.'

Actually, I had been thinking that one of them would approach me at some point.

Because no matter how I thought about it, I thought there was only one reason why they would give me a training ground when I wasn't even from the same sect.

'They must want to have a spar with me.'

But, I thought they would approach me after watching me train for a bit, but I didn't expect them to approach me before I even started properly.

"If it's okay with you, almsgiver, how about we have an opportunity to exchange the martial arts of our respective sects? If you're uncomfortable, you can refuse."

He said with a kind smile.

But those kind words sounded to me like this.

'Let's have a spar. If you're scared, you can run away.'

A smile hung on my lips without my knowledge.

When I secretly glanced around, everyone was watching this way with faces full of expectation.

This is the first time I've met the young martial monks of Shaolin.

'They still lack cultivation. Well, this is the time when their hot blood is boiling.'

The Shaolin monks I saw in the martial world were all masters who had finished their character cultivation, and these were young martial monks who couldn't control their hot blood.

'Then I, as a senior should give them some teachings.'

When my thoughts reached that point, I nodded my head towards him.

"Alright. But isn't it boring to just do it?"

"Boring?"

"Yes. Rather than just having a spar, let's each put up a condition, and the loser will grant the winner's condition."

"Do you have a condition you want to put up, almsgiver?"

I nodded my head and then said, "Yes. If I win, please teach me the secret of how the Shaolin monks' bodies are so strong. The method of having such a large and sturdy body even while being vegetarian."

Seeing them hesitate at my words, I added one more thing.

"Ah, if it's difficult to teach me, we don't have to have a spar. But, isn't it just a matter of winning no matter what condition is put up...?"

I can see the monk's eyes wavering.

The provocation had worked properly.

(End of Chapter)