A young man born in the 1980s is unexpectedly transported to ancient times and awakens as a monk. Before he can adjust, he discovers that he has also become the abbot of a struggling monastery and has been assigned an “Abbot System” with increasingly ambitious goals. The system expects him to master difficult martial arts, rebuild Shaolin's reputation, and eventually lead the wider martial world. He would much rather live an ordinary life, but abandoning the role is not so simple. Reluctantly, he begins strengthening the monastery and discovers that leadership may demand more of him than martial skill alone.
Chapter 28: The Three Major Rewards
The first jackpot light shot out. Although Huo Yuanzhen had drawn a grand prize, that didn’t mean he’d definitely get something good. What if the grand prize turned out to be just three silver taels? Then he’d be crying his eyes out. There might be a pattern to the drawing process, but the jackpot light spot was completely beyond his control—it was automated and entirely down to luck. After spinning a few times, the first light dot finally came to a stop. Huo Yuanzhen took a closer look and couldn’t help but furrow his brow. What was this? A White Horse! Sure enough, the first grand prize light had come to a stop on the image of the White Horse. The first prize in June was a horse. Before Huo Yuanzhen had a chance to assess the horse’s quality, the second spot shot out again. After spinning about seven or eight times, the momentum faded, and the light spot came to rest on the “Temple Gate Construction Permit.” Huo Yuanzhen was very pleased with this prize. Now that his temple was built and he had a pagoda, he absolutely needed a proper entrance gate as well. A mountain gate is different from a temple gate; it refers to the massive gatehouse at the entrance to the mountain—something like an archway. Passing through the mountain gate leads to the bluestone steps up the mountain, marking the official entry into the Shaolin Region. Amid his excitement, he continued to watch the light points in motion. A third light dot shot out. Having obtained the Mountain Gate Construction Order, Huo Yuanzhen felt much more at ease; he no longer cared much about the remaining items. Getting a good one was a matter of luck, and if he didn’t, it didn’t matter. As it turned out, with this carefree attitude, the very last light point actually settled on *Crossing the River on a Single Reed*. Huo Yuanzhen was familiar with “Crossing the Yangtze River on a Single Reed”—a secret manual on lightness skills. Legend has it that when Patriarch Damo traveled to the East, he did not take a boat when passing the Yangtze River; instead, he broke off a reed by the riverbank and stepped on it to cross the river directly. Later, martial artists studied and deciphered Damo’s extraordinary lightness skills, and there were indeed those who could achieve the level of “Crossing the Yangtze on a Single Reed.” However, this style of lightness kung fu was not easy to master; one had to be taught the methods of lightening the body by a master to reach that level. Obtaining this secret manual was of immense significance to Huo Yuanzhen. Agility is also a key criterion for evaluating a martial arts master; even if your internal energy surpasses your opponent’s, without good agility, you will be powerless against them. Moreover, lightness skills are distinct from internal energy; mastering the art of lightness does not require the expenditure of internal energy, which is most practical for Huo Yuanzhen at this stage. While obtaining this secret manual on lightness skills might not fundamentally enhance Huo Yuanzhen’s combat prowess, it is absolutely invaluable when it comes to escaping danger. After drawing the three prizes, the June raffle came to an end. Once the draw was over, Huo Yuanzhen didn’t claim his prizes immediately—after all, one of the prizes was a White Horse, and it would be hard to explain if it started neighing inside the house. The Construction Decree could be explained away as a miracle from the Buddha, but surely this White Horse couldn’t have been a gift from the Buddha—if that were the case, the Buddha would have far too much free time on his hands. He went outside alone and made his way to the back of the Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda, where no one could see him, and claimed his prizes. The secret manual and the Construction Order token were both quite small, so he tucked them away right away, but the White Horse was rather conspicuous. Generally speaking, red or black horses tend to be quite tall and sturdy, but the White Horse was clearly an exception. Standing still, it was actually about the same height as Huo Yuanzhen, who was over 1. 8 meters tall. Its entire body was pure white, with only a ring of black fur around its hooves, giving it an exceptionally majestic appearance. As soon as the White Horse appeared, it came straight to Huo Yuanzhen’s side and gently nuzzled his cheek with its muzzle. Having been summoned by the system, it recognized only Huo Yuanzhen as its master. After stroking the horse’s mane for a moment, Huo Yuanzhen did not mount it right away; even without riding it, he knew this was undoubtedly a thousand-li steed. Huo Yuanzhen instructed it to stand at the entrance to the pagoda. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the White Horse understood perfectly and obediently walked to the entrance to take its place. Carrying the secret manual and the construction token he had obtained, Huo Yuanzhen returned to his room. Living with several monks was indeed somewhat inconvenient. Although he would soon be able to move into a bedroom, Huo Yuanzhen still wanted to have his own private quarters. Lost in thought, he returned to his room, closed the door, and first took out the “Crossing the River on a Single Reed” lightness skill manual. “Crossing the River on a Single Reed” was considered an advanced form of lightness kung fu; it likely ranked among the best in the martial arts world. Huo Yuanzhen had never even dreamed he’d be able to get his hands on such a valuable manual—it was truly an unexpected delight. Filled with excitement, she opened the manual. The text and diagrams inside quickly entered Yuanzhen's mind, and she began to comprehend and master them mentally. About half an hour later, that mystical power faded, and Huo Yuanzhen had fully mastered this supreme lightness skill. The greatest advantage of “Crossing the River on a Single Reed” is that, as long as there is even the slightest point of leverage, one can maintain a state of weightlessness without expending any internal energy. However, Huo Yuanzhen was still unable to cross the Yangtze River on a single reed, just as Damo had done. This is because the river is filled with strong winds and rough waves; although Huo Yuanzhen had mastered the art of controlling the reed, simultaneously controlling the reed while withstanding the winds and waves was beyond his capabilities. If his inner energy reached a certain level, Huo Yuanzhen would also be able to perform the feat of crossing the Yangtze on a single reed. After mastering “Crossing the Yangtze on a Single Reed,” this manual became just an ordinary manual, so Huo Yuanzhen put it away, with no immediate plans to pass it on. Yijing Iron Head Technique had not yet reached even a basic level of mastery; giving him this profound manual on lightness skills now would be like trying to bite off more than he could chew. It might be suitable for others, but no one else had yet earned Huo Yuanzhen’s complete trust. Among the few Shaolin monks, only Yijing had the makings of a martial artist; the rest simply weren’t cut out for it. Huo Yuanzhen had no intention of having them practice martial arts either. Not every monk in the temple needed to know martial arts—specialization was key—and it was sufficient to have only the Martial Monks train in martial arts. After finishing the manual, Huo Yuanzhen glanced again at the token authorizing the construction of the mountain gate. Thinking of the old man still living outside the gate, a sudden thought crossed Huo Yuanzhen’s mind. This old man had status and standing, and his martial arts skills seemed quite high; he was also a devout Buddhist. His purpose in coming was to obtain a Buddhist ritual object, but at the moment, Huo Yuanzhen had only one Wooden Fish as a Buddhist ritual object, and he really couldn’t bear to part with it. However, judging by the old man’s demeanor, he likely wouldn’t give up easily if he didn’t receive one. After much deliberation, Huo Yuanzhen decided he should take a different approach, and the temple gate construction permit he held in his hand presented a perfect opportunity. No sooner said than done, Huo Yuanzhen left the room once more and made his way directly to the temple gate. As he opened the gate, he suddenly saw the old man standing just outside, looking in. “Oh, aren’t you resting?” Huo Yuanzhen asked as he closed the temple gate. Seeing that it was Huo Yuanzhen coming out, Old Man Guan hurriedly said, “Abbot, I heard someone coming out, so I came out to greet you. I was actually about to rest.” “Hmm,” Huo Yuanzhen nodded. “In my dream, I saw the Buddha once again.” “You! You really communicated with the Buddha?” A look of fervor flashed in Old Man Guan’s eyes as he stared intently at Huo Yuanzhen. “Yes. Since childhood, This Humble Monk has been able to communicate with the Buddha, but the Buddha had never manifested a miracle. This led me to believe it was merely my own hallucination, so I never dared mention it to anyone. However, a few days ago, the Buddha appeared to me in a dream and said He would reveal a miracle at Shaolin. Shortly after, the Shaolin Ten Thousand Buddhas Pagoda appeared, and only then could This Humble Monk confirm that I truly possess the ability to communicate with the Buddha.” “Then… what did the Buddha say?” Old Man Guan practically leaned in close. Huo Yuanzhen took a step forward: “The Buddha appeared to me in a dream and said He would once again perform a miracle here at Shaolin, bestowing upon our monastery the Shaolin Mountain Gate.” Old Man Guan had been somewhat skeptical of Huo Yuanzhen’s words at first, but now that he heard Huo Yuanzhen say the Buddha was about to perform a miracle—something one couldn’t possibly make up, since any lie would be quickly exposed—a fervent gleam returned to Old Man Guan’s eyes. He eagerly followed behind Huo Yuanzhen and, with a bold expression, said: ““Abbot, I am sixty-three years old this year, and I have never witnessed a miracle of the Buddha—I haven’t even truly seen anything with a Buddhist essence. My greatest wish is to obtain an object blessed by the Buddha. I hope the Abbot, in light of my deep devotion, will allow me to tag along and catch a glimpse of the Buddha’s miracle.” Huo Yuanzhen glanced back at Old Man Guan. “Old lay follower, how could a divine miracle of the Buddha be so easily beheld by outsiders when it appears?” “I… I’m not an outsider! I’m a believer too.” “Within the Shaolin Temple, yet not a member of the Shaolin—you are, of course, an outsider. There’s no need to say more; I will not take you with me.” “No! That won’t do. I absolutely must come along.” Unexpectedly, this man in his sixties was now acting like a child, throwing a tantrum and insisting on following Huo Yuanzhen no matter what. Huo Yuanzhen looked at him with a touch of exasperation: “Elder lay follower, if you insist on coming along, This Humble Monk will have no choice but to leave you behind. I’m young and strong—you won’t be able to keep up with me.” To his surprise, Old Man Guan curled his lip. “Abbot, though you are a venerable monk, to think you could outrun an old man like me… Hmph, and I’m not just bragging, but in all of Henan, there are no more than five people who’d dare say that.” “Is that so? If you can keep up, then come on!” No sooner had Huo Yuanzhen finished speaking than his body suddenly soared into the air, landing on the treetops in the grove by the roadside. Though it was his first time using his lightness skills, Huo Yuanzhen executed them with remarkable proficiency; having already fully mastered the “Crossing the River on a Single Reed” technique, reaching the treetops posed no difficulty at all. Seeing Huo Yuanzhen’s extraordinary lightness skills, Old Man Guan was instantly taken aback. He no longer dared to underestimate Huo Yuanzhen in the slightest, so he too leaped into the air and landed on a treetop. However, whether in terms of technique or agility, he fell far short of Huo Yuanzhen by more than one level. Huo Yuanzhen paid him no mind. Spreading his arms wide, his body soared like a wild bird diving into the forest, swiftly vanishing into the distance. For the first time in his life—counting both his past and present lives together—Huo Yuanzhen was incredibly excited to be using his lightness skills. The sensation of soaring freely through the sky made him so exhilarated he wanted to cheer; he quickened his pace and soon left Old Man Guan far behind.
