Chapter 36: The Eighteen Arhats Formation

  "Hmm, you'd better consolidate your skills for a while, and then follow me to Shaolin."

  Lu Zhen, who had already withdrawn his palms behind him after Lin Ping's breakthrough, stopped the changes in his fingers and looked at Lin Ping, who had entered the Pre-Heavenly realm. His face was expressionless, as if Lin Ping's advancement to the Pre-Heavenly realm was a matter of course.

  He just nodded slightly, gave a slight reminder, and then plunged into the practice of changing the "Yi Yang Zhi" finger method again. After all, although the ultimate skill is wonderful, if you don't practice hard and diligently, it's difficult to enter the grand hall.

  A few days later, outside the Shaolin Temple in Songshan, which was shrouded in winter sunshine, two extraordinary young men arrived. They were none other than Luo Zhan and Lin Pingzhi, who had rushed to their destination after a long and arduous journey.

  "Yes, this is Shaolin Temple, but it's quite different from what people know in later generations."

  Looking at the majestic temple in front of him, Lin Pingzhi nodded slightly and whispered something to himself before turning to Lin Pingzhi beside him and instructing him to do something. Then he stepped alone onto the steps and entered the temple gate.

  "Clang"

  "Clang", "Clang"......

  After a cup of tea, Luo Zhuang walked to the gate of "Fangzhang Hall" and was blocked by the gatekeeper monk. As Shaolin Temple is the Mount Tai of the martial arts world, even the powerful "Sun Moon Divine Sect" dare not provoke it recklessly.

  Inside, there are strict rules and a group of powerful monks. The most famous ones are the "Fangzhang Hall", "Dharma Hall", "Vinaya Hall" and "Scripture Library". These are not places that ordinary people can enter casually.

  "The Bodhi is originally no tree, and the bright mirror is also not a stand!"

  "Originally there was not a single thing, where did the dust come from?"

  Suddenly, Luo Zhen, who was blocked outside the "Fangzhang Hall", felt a stir in his heart and, with the residual sound of the morning bell and evening drum still echoing within the temple, he performed the "Lion's Roar" - an ultimate Buddhist skill - and recited a Zen poem.

  Suddenly, a loud and clear voice was heard, majestic and upright, as if the Arhats were chanting, like the roar of lions and the howling of elephants, blending with the resonant sound of bronze bells, yet without any sense of oppression, spreading far and wide, as if it were heavenly music.

  "Amitabha Buddha"

  Immediately, Luo Zhuang's voice had just fallen, but the sound of "Fangzhang Hall" nearby suddenly rose, with a loud and clear Buddhist chant, like the morning bell and evening drum, making people reflect deeply. Between the lines, it was actually more than one move beyond Luo Zhuang's previous one.

  Obviously, the high-ranking monk who recites this "Buddha's name" has already reached the state of "integration and thorough understanding" in his Buddhist studies, far surpassing Luo Zhu's rapid attainment of the "Nine Yang Divine Merit" and "Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi" to the point of "entering the hall".

  "How dare you! You reckless thief! Stealing our Buddha's ultimate technique, 'Lion's Roar'!"

  Not long after, inside the "Fangzhang Hall" there was still no movement, but from a distance, a group of monks suddenly rushed out, led by a monk with dark yellow skin, like bronze casting, his eyes wide open in anger, just like a Vajra Buddha.

  Behind him, eighteen bald monks with bright eyes and bulging temples on both sides, obviously all in the initial stage of congenital cultivation. This is a part of Shaolin Temple's hidden strength.

  "Good timing! Luo is just about to witness the power of Shaolin's 'Eighteen Arhats Formation'!"

  A crowd of martial monks surrounded him, Luo Zhan was slightly taken aback at first, but after a moment's thought, he understood the situation and didn't take it to heart. His eyes shone brightly as he stared at the group of martial monks opposite him who were as fierce as live dragons and tigers.

  "Form up!"

  Upon hearing Luo Zhan's words, Jin Gang Wu Seng didn't say much either. With a wave of his palm, which was as big as a fan, he gave the order.

  "Yes!"

  The next moment, with the thunderous response of the eighteen innate martial monks, in the blink of an eye, Luo Zhan was already surrounded by the "Eighteen Arhat Formation", it was clear that the coordination between these eighteen monks was extremely tacit.

  "Bang......"

  Surrounded in the middle, Luo Zhu suddenly stepped on one foot, and in the next instant, a short sword about a foot long fell into Luo Zhu's outstretched palm, which was exactly the "Fish Gut Short Dagger" given by his master Zhao Wujie.

  "Ah..."

  Immediately, the eighteen Arhats surrounding him shouted in unison, changing their palm techniques to gather into a single palm shadow, like an Arhat dance circle, fiercely and violently pointing directly at Luo Zhan. Observing the power of his palm technique, it was precisely the "Bōrě Palm" from the Earth List's ultimate skills.

  "Breaking Air Style!"

  Gazing at the overwhelming palm shadows, Luo Zhan's expression also became solemn. Suddenly, the "Fish Intestine Short Dagger" in his hand was lifted, and with a spin of his body, he drew out a dazzling light shadow, like a small boat, weaving through the waves of palm wind energy.

  The eighteen Arhats all possessed the realm of the Early Heaven, and at the same time, they displayed the "Prajna Palm" ultimate technique. The aura formed by this move was vast and mighty, even the peak masters of the Pre-Heavenly Realm, such as Zuo Lengchan of the Songshan Sect, Ren Wuxing of the Dayue Cult, Fang Zheng of the Shaolin Temple, and Chongxu of the Wudang Sect, would not dare to confront them alone.

  Facing the overwhelming palm waves, Luo Zhan secretly rejoiced that he had learned the unparalleled sword technique "Dugu Nine Swords" and at the same time, his hand's "Fish Intestine Short Dagger" was already bursting out with a faint misty aura, shaking out in an instant.

  Obviously, the stronger "Jiuyang True Qi" was poured into Lu Zhan's full strength, and it burst out from the blade of the "Fish Intestine Short Dagger" with an almost invincible sword aura.

  "Boom..."

  Both sides are masters of the innate realm, this sudden battle can be described as swift and unbridled. With a loud roar, in an instant, it was like a massive tornado bursting out in the arena, raging wildly.

  With the help of vigorous internal energy and palm wind, Luo Zhan, who was in the middle, spun around and drew out a "Breaking Air Style" sword move. His footsteps moved swiftly as he rose up gently, soaring to a height of two or three zhang. His body paused slightly in mid-air before Luo Zhan took a deep breath and suddenly shot up another zhang or more. The monks who had been scattered by the internal energy were shocked, their eyes wide with amazement.

  "Everyone, acknowledged!"

  After taking a deep breath, Luo Zhuang gently floated down to the ground, his "Fish Intestine Short Blade" sheathed, and with a fist and palm salute, he looked around and spoke in a calm tone.

  Luó Zhàn's sword fell, but the monks didn't move again. The reason was that on their palms, a blood mark was clearly visible. Obviously, if Luó Zhàn hadn't held back, just now with one strike, relying on his unparalleled swordsmanship "Dú Gū Jiǔ Jiàn" (Lonely Nine Swords), he could have disabled the monks' hands.

  "Dugu's Nine Swords! May I ask what is the relationship between Young Master Shi and Senior Feng Qingyang?"

  Suddenly, the Vajra-headed Arhat standing on one side stepped forward and stood in front of Luo Zhan. His eyes were filled with excitement, his face was solemn, and he stared at Luo Zhan and said.

  "It's just family."

  Jin Gang saw the sharp eyes, actually recognized the "Dugu Nine Swords" swordsmanship, Luo Zhan already knew that this person was a high-ranking monk of the Fang character generation without a doubt. He immediately didn't hesitate and directly replied as a disciple of Feng Qingyang.

  Luò Zhàn learned the "Dú Gū Jiǔ Jiàn" from the cave wall of "Sī Guò Yá" on Mount Huà, and it was clear that a hidden strongman, Fēng Qīng Yáng, had intentionally helped him. At this time, Luò Zhàn claimed to be a disciple of Fēng Qīng Yáng, which was quite reasonable.

  Moreover, according to the "The Smiling, Proud Wanderer" world, Feng Qingyang had once helped Shaolin Temple, which led to the later abbot of Shaolin directly giving the "Sinew Changing Classic" to Linghu Chong. In this case, Luo Xuan wanted to gain benefits and naturally needed to learn from it.