The Shaolin monk, struck heavily in the abdomen, lay on the ground with his eyes wide in disbelief. "How do you know this move? When did you learn it?"
Jing Mingqiu stepped forward and helped him up. "I just learned it from you. I'm sorry, I'm not very proficient yet, so I might have been a bit heavy-handed."
After helping the Shaolin monk to his feet, Jing Mingqiu, still not satisfied, turned to the abbot watching from the side. "Master, they say Shaolin Temple is the foremost in the martial arts world, with seventy-two unique skills. I promise not to reveal them. Won't you let me try them out?"
The abbot clasped his hands together and performed a Buddhist salute. "Amitabha, benefactor. Those are from martial arts novels and are not real. We practice martial arts only for strengthening our bodies, not for fighting."
"I practice martial arts to protect myself as well. Master, even without the seventy-two unique skills, you must have other techniques. Shaolin Temple even runs a martial arts school; you can't possibly have no real skills, can you?"
Seeing Jing Mingqiu's persistence, the abbot was in a difficult position. Of course, they had real skills, but he dared not use them. What if he injured someone recommended by the highest authorities?
After much thought, the abbot decided to have more people step forward. Relying on their numbers, he hoped to make Jing Mingqiu retreat.
"Benefactor, other techniques are not convenient at the moment. I have a set of eighteen Arhat formations here. Would you like to try it?"
"Sure!"
As the abbot expected, Jing Mingqiu readily agreed.
Watching the eighteen martial monks file out, each holding a staff, Jing Mingqiu took a long staff from the weapon rack, striking a handsome pose reminiscent of Sun Wukong's classic stance.
The abbot murmured a Buddhist chant. "Amitabha, benefactor. A paulownia wood staff carries immense force. Be extremely careful and do not overexert yourself."
"No problem, go ahead and strike. No need to hold back!" Jing Mingqiu stretched his wrist, a flash of cold light glinting from his sleeve. "Let me see how formidable these eighteen Shaolin Bronze statues really are..."
"In that case, Wu Nian, you will spar with this benefactor first!"
"Yes, Abbot."
Wu Nian stepped forward from the group and bowed to Jing Mingqiu. "Benefactor, please forgive me!"
"It's just a spar, there's no need for apologies," Jing Mingqiu said, dismissing the pleasantries. He tightened his grip on the staff and, aiming for Wu Nian's head, executed a powerful downward strike. "Take this!"
Wu Nian dared not be careless. He dodged sideways, then changed his move, extending his staff to strike at Jing Mingqiu's leg, intending to knock him down.
Although Jing Mingqiu had not formally studied martial arts, his reaction time had already surpassed that of ordinary people after taking the gene serum. He quickly sensed Wu Nian's intention and unleashed a sweeping upward strike. The two staffs collided violently.
"Bang!"
With a loud crash, the staff split and shattered into pieces. Because Jing Mingqiu's force was greater, most of the fragments flew towards Wu Nian. To evade them, he was forced to retreat.
Feeling his tiger's mouth numb from the impact, Wu Nian clasped his hands together and managed a Buddhist salute to Jing Mingqiu. "No wonder the benefactor is so valiant; you possess innate divine strength. All monks, listen to my command, change the formation, surround!"
The remaining seventeen martial monks rearranged their formation, grasping their wooden staffs and encircling Jing Mingqiu.
Then, the eighteen Shaolin martial monks let out a synchronized shout. Eighteen staffs attacked Jing Mingqiu from all angles, either sweeping, smashing, striking, or poking.
Facing the combined assault, Jing Mingqiu suddenly felt as if he were roaming the martial world, upholding justice.
A surge of exhilaration flowed through Jing Mingqiu. He gripped his staff and unleashed a horizontal sweep, deflecting all eighteen paulownia wood staffs that came at him. Several staffs that directly collided with his own were broken in half.
"The wooden staffs are too brittle, not enough of a challenge." Jing Mingqiu casually tossed the broken half-staff aside, walked to the weapon rack, and drew out a bronze staff. "It's better to switch to iron."
Wu Nian and the others turned to ask the abbot's opinion.
The abbot murmured a Buddhist chant. "Benefactor Jing possesses innate divine strength and formidable martial arts. You do not need to hold back."
Having witnessed Jing Mingqiu's prowess and received the abbot's permission, the martial monks no longer hesitated. They fetched bronze staffs from the nearby rack and re-encircled him.
Jing Mingqiu brandished his staff, challenging eighteen opponents simultaneously, showing no fear.
For a time, the clang of metal on metal was incessant.
Although the Shaolin martial monks' strength did not match Jing Mingqiu's, a full-force staff strike on the ground could still leave a small pit in the bluestone floor.
This demonstrated that they were not merely famous for nothing but possessed genuine martial skills.
Unknowingly, Jing Mingqiu had been fighting the eighteen Shaolin martial monks for nearly half an hour. Although his strength was unmatched, his opponents avoided direct contact, retreating immediately after an attack, while others seized the opportunity to harass him.
Facing this tactic, Jing Mingqiu grew increasingly annoyed. Seeing that they intended to wear him down, Jing Mingqiu made a resolute decision and prepared to change his attack method.
"Take this!"
Jing Mingqiu did not dodge. He endured Wu Nian's attack and charged directly forward.
Wu Nian did not expect Jing Mingqiu to charge so directly, and it was too late to retract his strength. Everyone quickly turned their heads, unwilling to witness the sight of Jing Mingqiu's bones breaking.
However, what happened next exceeded everyone's expectations. The staff, imbued with Wu Nian's full strength, struck Jing Mingqiu. Not only was Jing Mingqiu unharmed, but the point of impact emitted a metallic clang.
Under everyone's gaze, Jing Mingqiu tapped the tip of his staff against Wu Nian's throat. "Wu Nian, you lose!"
Wu Nian lowered his weapon, clasped his hands, and said, "Amitabha. Benefactor, your body-hardening techniques have reached the realm of divine perfection. This humble monk is truly impressed."
"What body-hardening techniques? This is the power of technology."
Jing Mingqiu scratched his head, dropped his staff, and pressed a spot on his chest, deactivating the stealth mode of his personal mecha. His clothes reverted to their original appearance, and a sleek mecha suit, from head to toe, enveloped his entire body.
Faced with this scene, which they had only seen in science fiction movies, the many monks of Shaolin Temple involuntarily widened their eyes.
"Wake up," Jing Mingqiu waved his hand in front of Wu Nian. "I am the creator of the new mecha. Isn't it normal for me to wear a mecha?"
"Your staff techniques are very strong. Can you teach them to me? In exchange, I can help you heal any hidden injuries you may have."
Practicing martial arts required tempering the body. Although medicinal herbs were used as aids, some hidden injuries were inevitably sustained during training.
These hidden injuries not only caused pain but also became the biggest obstacles to further advancement in their martial arts.
Wu Nian was very tempted, but as it involved the martial arts inheritance of Shaolin Temple, he dared not make a decision on his own. As he hesitated, the abbot approached, twirling his prayer beads.
"Benefactor Jing, Shaolin Temple has always been open to all. If you wish to learn now, we certainly have no reason to refuse."
"Wu Nian, perform the entire routine first and demonstrate it for Benefactor Jing."
"Yes, Master!"
Wu Nian clasped his hands, bowed slightly, tidied his robes, picked up the iron staff again, and with a loud shout, began to perform and explain.
"Shaolin has thirty-six sets of staff techniques. This set I am performing now is called the Coiling Dragon Staff Technique. It focuses on entanglement and emphasizes hooking, trapping, and hard impact..."
While Jing Mingqiu was displaying his might at Shaolin Temple, on the other side, as the nation intervened, Jing Mingqiu's invention, the medical pod, stirred up a tremendous storm in the online world!