A Clash of Gods - Chapter 124

Chapter 124 Purity Scripture
Yang Ning was furious but more shocked.

He knew that the little monk Zhenming was much more powerful in martial skills than him. Zhenming rolled backward briskly like clouds, but Yang Ning couldn’t do that anyway. He thought this was just an ordinary weak monk, but he misjudged unexpectedly and this monk was so awesome.

The little monk moved lightly with enough power at an astonishing speed. Yang Ning’s fighting skill was not weak, but in front of this little monk, he couldn’t react in time.

“Ning, will you chant scriptures at noon?” Zhenming asked again.

Yang Ning knew that he met a powerful martial arts master. This monk was skilled in fighting and was stubborn, taking his master’s words as imperial edicts.

At the moment, if he wouldn’t give up, he might suffer more losses.

Yang Ning certainly knew that it was never too late to avenge himself and that a wise man does not fight when the odds are against him, so he got up and patted his clothes, asking, “Little…Little brother, where did you learn your martial arts from?”

“Master taught me,” Zhenming answered.

Yang Ning showed a thumbs-up sign. “It appears that your master must be a powerful man. It looks that you are talented and more powerful than me.”

Zhenming asked, “Ning, have you learnt martial arts before? You seem to be poor in martial arts.”

Yang Ning cursed in secret and thought, “You just talk about what I don’t want to mention. You are just more powerful than me. Why are you telling the truth?” But he still smiled. “You are right. I seldom practice martial arts…By the way, are you born to be with extraordinary power? I can see that you have much strength.”

Zhenming asked in doubt, “Do I have much strength? I don’t know. Since I was brought to the mountain from childhood by Master, I have been living here with him all the time. I remember that when I was six years old, Master started to teach me Purity Scripture and I cultivated according to its formula. Then I have more and more strength day by day and I am brisk like a bird…”

“Wait!” Yang Ning instantly raised his hand to stop him and opened his eyes wide. “What are you talking about? You have much strength and know how to roll backward because…you cultivate following Purity Scripture?”

Zhenming replied, “Yes. Why did you ask, Ning?”

Yang Ning grabbed Zhenming’s arm and smiled. “Brother, why didn’t you finish your words? You should have said that Purity Scripture can be used to practice martial arts.”

Yang Ning had thought that Purity Scripture was just an ordinary Buddhist Scripture, and he didn’t have an interest in learning it, but hearing Zhenming’s words, he realized that Purity Scripture might be not ordinary.

He was clear that there were many strange people and great masters in this world. Although he was skilled in fighting, he would die miserably if he fought against these great masters with his fighting skills. This teenage monk could defeat him easily, and it could be seen that his martial arts were insignificant in this world.

If he wanted to live on in this world, he needed to make himself stronger.

If Purity Scripture could make him promote his martial skills a lot, of course he needed to study it hard.

However, Zhenming asked in confusion, “Purity Scripture can be used to practice martial arts? I don’t know.” Then he continued, “But if you cultivate Purity Scripture, it can make you get twofold results with half the effort when you practice martial arts. Master has said that Purity Scripture can let me cultivate with a clear head and make my meridians smooth, and he told me that I can’t teach anybody else Purity Scripture, but I don’t know why he told me to teach you this time.”

Yang Ning was stunned for a while but thought, “Purity Scripture can make the meridians smooth. Can it help me cure my wounds after he teaches me the formula of Purity Scripture?”

Zhenming put his palms together and walked out of the courtyard. He looked back, to see that Yang Ning followed him obediently. The little monk came to the huge bell and sat on a rock next to the cliff with his legs crossed. The rock was smooth like a mirror, and it was obvious that somebody sat on it all the year round.

There was also a smooth rock opposite to this one. Yang Ning remembered that this little monk had a master. It appeared that the master and disciple sat in meditation here and cultivated throughout the year.

He didn’t hesitate to sit across from Zhenming and smiled. “Zhenming, do you cultivate here?”

Zhenming answered frankly, “The air here is pure and helpful to cultivating. I started to cultivate here with Master since I was six years old.”

“No wonder you are so powerful in martial arts.” Yang Ning showed a thumbs-up sign. “Zhenming, I think that your martial arts are among the top ones in the Temple of Great Light.”

Zhenming shook his head at once. “No. There are many disciples in the temple, and any of them is more powerful than me.”

Hearing that, Yang Ning was shocked and thought that this little monk had said that there were four hundred to five hundred monks in the Temple of Great Light. If all the others were more powerful than this little monk, how horrible would the temple be? He couldn’t help but ask, “Have you fought against them or competed with them? How do you know that they are more powerful than you?”

The little monk was astonished and then responded, “I have never fought against anybody, and I just practiced martial arts with Master at ordinary times. The people in the Temple of Great Light should cultivate Buddhist Scriptures first and then practice martial arts. All the disciples in the temple should practice marital arts.”

Yang Ning finally sighed with relief and questioned, “You never competed with others. How do you know that you are inferior to them in martial arts?”

The little monk raised his head and rubbed his bald head. “I am stupid and make progress in martial arts slowly, and I haven’t practiced for long, so the other disciples must be more powerful than me.”

“Zhenming, you said that we can’t say something improper, but it turns out that you just guessed.” Yang Ning sighed. “You never competed with them, so you can’t tell who is more powerful. You said that you are stupid, and it might be true, but perhaps some people are stupider and make progress more slowly than you. In the future, don’t say that all people are more powerful than you. If I really believe your words, wouldn’t I be scared to death?”

“Why would you be scared?” The little monk was confused. “But I did guess that. It’s my fault. There must be…nobody who is stupider than me in the Temple of Great Light.” He paused for a while and then added, “There is a martial competition in the temple every year, and all the monks here should be present. I have seen the other disciples’ competition, and their martial arts are really wonderful. I feel ashamed of my inferiority.”

Yang Ning stated, “Why didn’t you take part in it? If you attend it, you won’t necessarily be defeated by them.”

He didn’t flatter Zhenming, but he was defeated by this little monk easily just now. If this monk was the least powerful in the Temple of Great Light, then anybody in the temple could bully Yang Ning. At this thought, he felt depressed. Yang Ning’s depression would be relieved only when he proved that Zhenming’s martial arts were awesome and he could defeat most of people in the temple.

But this little monk didn’t understand Yang Ning and spoke modestly. Yang Ning was furious and wanted to grab a stone and smash that bald head.

The little monk didn’t know Yang Ning’s grievance and irritated him more. “The ones who can attend the martial competition are the disciples with great martial skills. I am poor in martial arts, so I can’t attend it, and Master has only one disciple, me. He told me not to fight against anybody else, especially the disciples in the temple, so he didn’t let me take part in the competition.”

“It’s not that you are poor in martial arts. In the final analysis, your master didn’t allow you to join in the contest.” Yang Ning made a judgment immediately and then asked in surprise, “Your master has only one disciple?”

The little monk nodded. “Yes. Except the abbot, each eminent monk whose name has the word Jing has his own disciples, and the other masters have at least twenty to thirty disciples for each. Only my master has accepted one disciple.” He looked at Yang Ning and continued, “But since Master told me to teach you Purity Scripture, he must prepare to accept you as his disciple.”

Yang Ning pondered for a while and then asked, “Zhenming, do you know the Shaolin Monastery?”

The temple that he was most familiar with was certainly the Shaolin Monastery. When the marital world was mentioned in many books, the Shaolin Monastery was the most famous building. He didn’t know if it existed in this world.

“The Shaolin Monastery?” The little monk was surprised. “What is it?”

Yang Ning doubted that Zhenming didn’t even know the Shaolin Monastery, so he explained, “The Shaolin Monastery is the biggest temple in the world, and there are many martial monks there, like the Temple of Great Light. There is a saying… Oh, right. The martial arts originate from the Shaolin Monastery. Have you heard about it?”

The little monk shook his head. “No, I haven’t, but as far as I know, the biggest temple in the world is always the Temple of Great Light.”

Yang Ning laughed. “Perhaps you seldom go down the mountain and haven’t heard about it. There are only several hundred people in the Temple of Great Light. In fact, it’s not a big temple. There are thousands of people in a real big temple. The Temple of Great Light is inferior to any of them.”

The little monk responded seriously, “I have very limited knowledge and scanty information. Master didn’t talk about the Shaolin Monastery with me, so I don’t know.” Then he murmured, “But if the Shaolin Monastery is the biggest in the world, Master would have told me. He mentioned dozens of famous temples, and I remember them clearly, but I have never heard about the Shaolin Monastery.” He paused for a while and finally asked, “After Master comes back, I will ask him. Ning, do you know how to direct your strength?”

“Direct the strength?” Yang Ning frowned. “Do you mean breathing?”

The little monk pondered for a while and then expressed, “It’s like breathing, but…it is different. Directing the strength is the foundation of practicing martial arts. Only when you direct the strength to the whole body can your hands and feet move freely and you have plentiful breaths…” After pausing for a moment, he added, “The formula of Purity Scripture can teach you how to breathe out and direct the strength.”

Yang Ning was surer that Purity Scripture must be a martial scripture to practice breathing.

Duan Canghai had said that the source of Yang Ning’s suffering was that he had too much genuine qi hoarding in his body, but he didn’t know how to direct the strength, so he couldn’t direct the genuine qi in his body to use it by himself.

It seemed that when it started to rain, somebody came to give him an umbrella, and what he needed came automatically. This little monk would teach Yang Ning how to direct the strength, and it just came in time.