Why do I have so many masters?

Wang Anfeng, unaware that a great battle had nearly broken out within the Shaolin Temple, stepped forward to pay his respects to several instructors and then moved in front of the scholar, performing a gesture of respect for his junior, saying,

"Thank you, sir, for the guidance just now."

The middle-aged man who had just been standing by Yu Wen, though born of the battlefield, seemed to have cultivated some martial arts secret techniques, his aura of killing intent incredibly well-concealed. If not for the scholar's reminder in his ear through the Dharma of long-distance audio transmission, he would have had no way of noticing.

Without the initiative, he would be at others' mercy at every turn, and escaping with ease would likely be impossible.

The scholar nodded slightly, seeming unconcerned about such trivial matters, as if the exhaustion from long-distance audio transmission belonged to someone else. He tapped gently several times on the armrest of the bamboo chair and then spoke up, as if giving a casual command,

"Today, your elbow strike failed to defeat your opponent."

"As punishment, you'll practice Shaolin Changquan in Copper Man Lane for three hours. Do you have any objections?!"

Wang Anfeng frowned slightly upon hearing this, then recalled the brief exchange with Xuan Zhu in the alleyway. He thought back to how his 'Reverse Elbow Break' at seventy percent of his strength, when it hit Xuan Zhu, only managed to break his posture and not send him retreating. That's when he realized what the scholar was referring to, and a touch of sentiment couldn't help but surface in his heart.

All this time, he had been focusing on swordsmanship in combat and had not noticed...

A trace of sigh lingered in the youth's heart.

When did it start, that Shaolin Changquan, which he had once relied on, could only be used to disrupt the opponent's movements?

Suppressing these scattered thoughts, Wang Anfeng saluted with a fist and replied,

"I dare not."

"The junior will follow the command."

After saying this, his hands fell to his sides, he stood up straight, and turned to head to Copper Man Lane in the Shaolin Temple to refine his martial arts skills using the images left by the 'Shaolin disciples'.

Yet, he didn't know how long he could sustain combat solely with Shaolin Changquan techniques.

Atop the bluestone, the sound of the monk Ci chanting scriptures had stopped at some point, his fingers moving the prayer beads increasingly slower as if he had fallen into contemplation, his eyes slightly closed. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

The scholar glanced at the monk and a cold smile appeared on his lips before he suddenly asked,

"By the way, lad, what is the name of the move you used today?"

Wang Anfeng didn't know what Mr. Ying intended by asking this question, but upon hearing it, he respectfully responded,

"Sir, it is the 'Reverse Elbow Break' from Shaolin Changquan, why do you ask?"

The scholar waved his hand, saying,

"It's nothing, you may go."

"Yes..."

Wang Anfeng, somewhat puzzled, replied and turned to leave. Now that his martial arts skills had improved, he did not need the help of his masters to reach other mountain peaks; he could use Qinggong as part of his cultivation, and in a moment, he had disappeared from sight.

About a quarter of an hour later, monk Ci huffed and got up from the stone, not sparing the scholar a glance as he left swiftly with Qinggong. Wu Changqing, looking at the monk's retreating figure, stroked his beard and laughed,

"Sir, if you wished to remind the master, you could have just spoken directly, why go to such lengths to provoke him?"

The scholar's face remained coldly amused, offering no reply.

Knowing he would not get an answer, Wu Changqing helplessly shook his head and initiated a change of subject,

"That said, there is still something I don't understand."

The scholar looked at him and said succinctly,

"Speak."

The elder, already accustomed to his temperament, wasn't offended and simply laughed,

"That Lost Treasure, sir, did you only use one piece? What are your plans for the remaining one? Will you refine it into an elixir or turn it into a weapon?"

"Although the young lad's swordsmanship is formidable, if his weapon were to break in someone's hands, I'm afraid he might find himself at a disadvantage. This move should not be taken lightly..."

The scholar's lips curled in scorn as he shook his head,

"The Lost Treasure has its uses for me, as for weapons?"

"Heh... if someone can break a 'Plot Weapon,' giving them another, even better weapon would only lead to a dead end."

Wu Changqing was slightly startled, but then a look of realization appeared on his face, and he stroked his beard without further concern.

The weapons provided for players within the plot had never been known to break.

Even when facing a direct hit from a top evil martial artist at full strength during a plot transition, not the slightest crack had appeared. On the gaming forums of the time, this was listed as a 'plot bug', alongside "the righteous disciples of the righteous path who always talk about chivalry, why do they all have a Robbery Escort Flag in their bags?"

The elderly man glanced at the scholar who was lazily reclining in a bamboo chair and couldn't help but admire him.

Even such minor details had been utilized early on.

He truly deserved to be...

At this thought, his instinct stopped him.

He had spent his life roving through the Jianghu, and even though he now realized that this Jianghu, this world, and the quick-forged grudges and unbridled gallops of the past decades were but a grand illusion of life, whenever he thought of that colossal entity, a slight tremor still ran through the old man's heart.

He looked up at a corner where the warm afternoon sun was magically cast in the sky. The scholar in green clothes, with half-closed eyes, sat back lazily in the bamboo chair, tapping the armrest with his finger as if he was beating the rhythm of 'Peaceful Melody'. His black hair slid down from his temples, his entire being exuding an air of languid ease.

That leading figure in the rumors and this lazy, sun-basking scholar in green, were they really one and the same?

Although they had known each other for a long time, Wu Changqing still found it slightly incredible.

He could only sigh at the vastness of the world and its endless wonders.

Living a long life did have some benefits.

Although there were more disadvantages...

The elder stroked his beard, looking at the lazily sprawled scholar, then suddenly felt tired himself, leaning back into the lounge chair. He gazed at the azure sky above, his mind wandering.

Master Ci must be preparing to teach Anfeng deeper levels of martial arts.

I should also teach him the advanced martial arts of Medicine King Valley... The Spirit Snake Seeking Gap Whip Technique is now but chicken ribs to Anfeng.

It's just that I'm not sure which martial arts Master Ci will pass onto him; I hope they won't be repetitive.

.....................…

Shaolin Temple·Copper Man Lane.

The clear and pure sound of the bell swept through the corridor. Wang Anfeng stood still with his arms crossed in front of him. The golden red characters that covered his bare skin slowly lost their glow and vanished into the youth's body. A figure rapidly retreated away from him, stopping seven steps away.

It was a young man wearing only black pants, with his bare upper body adorned with blooming flowers, an Azure Dragon wrapped around his arm, and a ponytail tied with grass rope over his shoulder. There was always a slight smile on his lips, and he had a forthright and elegant demeanor, which now was slowly fading away.

In their recent exchange, his moves appeared to be simple and direct, but they were strong, forceful, and filled with masculine energy. The sound of a dragon's chant could be heard, a fist and palm technique that was unprecedented for Wang Anfeng, unseen and unheard of, not even mentioned in the travel notes of the Wind Character Tower.

A voice echoed through Copper Man Lane.

"Wang Anfeng, challenge failed."

The candles lining the hallway silently extinguished, and the tightly closed doors opened. Wang Anfeng exhaled, lowered his arms, and winced from the pain of his injuries when his actions triggered the tender areas.

Even within the Shaolin Temple, where healing was far quicker than at the Academy, the pain did not diminish in the slightest.

After massaging several acupoints, the young man turned and walked outside, not quite understanding why Mr. Ying had suddenly arranged for him to spar and practice his fist technique against an opponent.

No sooner had he stepped outside the door than he saw Master Ci, dressed in grey monk's robes, standing not far from the entrance. It seemed he had been there for some time. Wang Anfeng quickly walked up to greet him, but the motion pulled at his injured arms, causing his movements to distort slightly.

Master Ci's brows furrowed slightly. After hearing the young man's explanation, he looked towards the distant peak, narrowing his eyes. After several moments, he withdrew his gaze, turned to the somewhat perplexed Wang Anfeng, raised his hand to gently touch the top of the young man's head, and spoke softly:

"Don't worry, today... your Master will pass on new martial arts to you, which are no worse than his."

"It is the foremost palm technique of Buddhism, endless and insurmountable. Only by comprehending its ultimate rigidity and fullness to achieve ultimate emptiness, can one truly master it."

"Its name is, Prajna Palm."

PS: Second update presented.