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 38: Training an Undercover Agent
I don’t know what’s going on today. Before sunrise, the weather was still fair and pleasant, but just as the Sun was about to rise, a wind suddenly picked up, stirring up dark clouds that filled the sky—perhaps preparing to obscure the heavens and prevent anyone from discovering the romantic tryst between the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl that night. As the mountain wind blew, the sword-bearing youth trembled in the gale. He was already exhausted, and with the fierce mountain winds at the summit, he was about to collapse. Gazing up at that detestable monk, the sword-bearing youth had no choice but to come clean: “Master, I’m from the Tian Dao Alliance. I have a meeting here. Please pull me up quickly.” “Tian Dao Alliance！” Huo Yuanzhen knew that the Tian Dao Alliance was a martial arts organization whose main influence lay within Henan Province. It is said that the more powerful martial arts sects in Henan all receive invitations from the Tian Dao Alliance; the Zhongyue Sect on Shaoshi Mountain is a member of the Tian Dao Alliance. The system assigned Huo Yuanzhen three tasks: to master the “Child’s Art,” to make the Shaolin Temple the leading martial arts sect, and to become the leader of the martial arts world. If the Shaolin Temple wishes to become the leading martial arts sect, the first step is to become the leading sect in Henan. Before becoming the leading school in Henan, it must first become the leading school on Shaoshi Mountain. However, whether aiming to be number one in Henan or on Shaoshi Mountain, Huo Yuanzhen faces an unavoidable challenge: he must confront the Tian Dao Alliance. The Tian Dao Sect was founded by the Songshan School. Although Shaoshi Mountain is part of the Songshan mountain range, it is not the main peak. The Songshan School is the leading martial arts school in Henan, located hundreds of li away from Shaoshi Mountain, where Huo Yuanzhen and his disciples are based. Hua Wuji, the Grandmaster of the Songshan School, is a renowned martial arts master in the martial arts world. It is said he has reached the Xiantian realm and is also the foremost martial artist in Henan’s martial arts circles. His Songshan School boasts over a thousand disciples, all of whom are expert swordsmen. Among them, the “Constellation Sword Formation” set up by 108 disciples is particularly formidable; even a Xiantian-level master trapped within it would find it impossible to escape death. Hua Wuji was the founder of the Tian Dao Alliance. Under the slogan of “abiding by Heaven’s will,” he had gathered a large number of martial arts masters under his banner. He personally served as the Alliance Leader, and his followers looked to him for guidance; therefore, the true strength of the Songshan School was far greater than it appeared on the surface. It could be said that this man was the first true obstacle in Huo Yuanzhen’s path to dominance over the Shaolin Temple. Huo Yuanzhen did not even consider sects like the Dharma King Temple to be a threat; given enough time, they would prove no match for him. Although the Zhongyue Sect was much stronger than the Dharma King Temple, within the Tian Dao Alliance, it was merely a mid-tier sect; before Hua Wuji, the Mysterious Immortal Ao Miao was as powerless as a child. Rumors in the martial arts world suggest that the true mastermind behind the Tian Dao Alliance is Military Governor Guan Tianzhao, and the Alliance serves as his vanguard for a planned rebellion. Such alliances do not exist in other provinces; it is precisely because Henan is Guan Tianzhao’s stronghold that a martial arts faction like the Tian Dao Alliance has emerged. Whether or not a rebellion takes place is of no concern to Huo Yuanzhen, but the immediate problem is that if he wants to make a name for himself in Henan, the Tian Dao Alliance stands as a stumbling block, blocking his path—it must be eliminated. If, as the rumors in the martial arts world suggest, Guan Tianzhao is the mastermind behind the Tian Dao Alliance, then Guan Shanyue should know quite a bit about it. However, it would be difficult to get this information from Guan Shanyue, because if the rumors were true, his ultimate enemy would be Guan Shanyue’s son. Therefore, to truly understand the Tian Dao Alliance, he would have to find another way. And since this young man right in front of him was a member of the Tian Dao Alliance, Huo Yuanzhen began to scheme. After a moment’s thought, he tore off a vine from a nearby tree and was just about to pull the boy up when suddenly a woman’s voice rang out from the distance: “Brother Li! You… how come you’ve become a monk?” Huo Yuanzhen spun around abruptly to see a young girl in a yellow robe standing behind him, her eyes brimming with tears as she stared at his back. At that moment, Huo Yuanzhen realized it: the young man down there must be surnamed Li. So these two adulterers… ahem, this couple were celebrating the Qixi Festival romantically, having come all the way to the back mountain of his Shaolin Temple for a date. When the young girl saw Huo Yuanzhen turn around, her sobbing, which had just begun, stopped immediately. “You… you’re not Brother Li? Where is Brother Li?” “Fu, I’m right here.” The listless voice of the sword-bearing youth below drifted up. The girl in the yellow robe hurried over. Seeing the young man with the sword still hanging from the cliff face, she cried out in shock, “Brother Li, what are you doing here? Who knocked you off the cliff? Was it this monk? I’ll avenge you right now!” After speaking, the girl in yellow drew her twin swords and, to everyone’s surprise, turned and charged at Huo Yuanzhen. “Hey!” Huo Yuanzhen suddenly bellowed, his voice booming like spring thunder, causing the girl in yellow to shudder and nearly stumble. To be honest, this young woman in yellow was only of average skill; if she had been a mid-stage Post-Heaven master, she wouldn’t have been so easily subdued by Huo Yuanzhen. Startled, she asked blankly, “What do you want?” Before Huo Yuanzhen could explain, the young man in green below spoke in a faint voice: “Master, please spare Sister Fu. I know my attitude was bad earlier. Do with me as you will—kill me or flay me—but don’t harm Sister Fu. She’s a good girl.” At that moment, Huo Yuanzhen felt genuinely exasperated. He’d actually intended to save them both—yet one thought he’d knocked the boy off the cliff, while the other suspected he meant to take advantage of the girl. This Humble Monk really came across as that despicable? However, having chosen the path of a venerable monk, Huo Yuanzhen could no longer act as recklessly as other young people. Waving the vine he’d found a couple of times, This Humble Monk Yuanzhen said, “Lady, This Humble Monk believes saving lives is the priority.” The girl in yellow now felt she might have misunderstood the situation. Besides, this monk seemed quite formidable—if he really had knocked Brother Li off the cliff, she’d stand no chance against him. Still, she couldn’t quite let her guard down. She cautiously stepped forward, took the vine, and said, “I’ll do it myself.” Huo Yuanzhen took a step back, happy to watch the spectacle. The girl in yellow still had some strength left; after some effort, she managed to pull her beloved back up. When the two lovers were reunited, though the situation was somewhat awkward, they still longed to embrace each other tenderly. Especially since the sword-bearing youth had nearly fallen to his death, he now craved the girl’s comfort more than ever—but the monk was standing right there, as obtrusive as could be. However, the sword-bearing youth had enough sense to realize that this monk showed no fear in the presence of the two of them—he must have had something to rely on. If they tried to confront him head-on, it likely wouldn’t end well. So, he set aside his pride and said to Huo Yuanzhen, “I am Li Yuntian of the Tian Dao Alliance. May I ask who you are, Master?” “This Humble Monk is Shaolin Yijie, Abbot.” “Abbot! Are you the one who, according to legend, can communicate with the Buddha?” Li Yuntian looked at Huo Yuanzhen in astonishment, his face full of disbelief. “Legends are just legends. Unless you’ve seen it with your own eyes, they’re not to be trusted. In the eyes of most people, the Buddha is a legend; I suppose, in your eyes, This Humble Monk is nothing more than a legend as well.” Li Yuntian nodded, clearly not believing that the monk before him could truly communicate with the Buddha. However, since the rumors were so extraordinary, this monk must truly possess some extraordinary qualities. Although Li Yuntian was arrogant, he knew how to respect those with real ability; at first, he had dismissed Huo Yuanzhen simply because of his young age, but now he dared not do so anymore. Glancing down at his tattered clothes, Li Yuntian thought for a moment and said, “Master, my clothes are in tatters—it really isn’t presentable. I wonder if I could change into something else at your temple.” Huo Yuanzhen had already been planning to find an opportunity to send him to the Shaolin Temple. Hearing him say this, he was naturally more than happy to oblige, but he replied, “The Shaolin Temple has always been open to helping others. If you face practical difficulties, we will certainly lend a hand. However, as this is a Buddhist temple, even if we have clothes, they are monk’s robes—and I’m afraid they wouldn’t match the noble demeanor of a scholar wandering the perilous peaks in his blue robe.” Teased by Huo Yuanzhen, Li Yuntian blushed slightly and replied, “Master, you’re joking. That was just a young man’s rambling back then—please don’t take it seriously.” It was only then that Huang Xiaofu realized her “Big Brother Li” had actually been climbing a mountain, but had gotten stuck halfway up, which was why he’d ended up in such a predicament. With Huo Yuanzhen present, and Li Yuntian looking practically like a Beggar, there was naturally no opportunity for him and Huang Xiaofu to exchange romantic glances. The three of them returned to the Shaolin Temple. Upon their return, Huo Yuanzhen gave Li Yuntian a black, form-fitting outfit worn by lay disciples. This outfit wasn’t as unflattering as the old-fashioned monk’s robes; when he put it on, it looked even more spirited than Li Yuntian’s simple blue robe. After he changed, Huo Yuanzhen smiled at Li Yuntian and said, “Li, the Benefactor, you really do have a certain air of dignity in our Shaolin disciples’ attire. I’ve heard that the Tian Dao Alliance has also standardized their uniforms, so I imagine your attire would be quite ordinary even within the Alliance.” Li Yuntian pursed his lips. “That’s not true at all. I hold a very high position within the Tian Dao Alliance. My father… Never mind, let’s not talk about that.” Since he didn’t say more, Huo Yuanzhen didn’t press the matter—he’d already gotten the answer he was looking for. He’d been worried that Li Yuntian might be a nobody in the Tian Dao Alliance, but since he was an important figure, that made things much easier. Li Yuntian offered Huo Yuanzhen some money, but Huo Yuanzhen declined. Afterward, Li Yuntian prepared to leave with Huang Xiaofu. Huo Yuanzhen made a point of seeing them off. When they reached the grounds of the Shaolin Temple, they saw a large crowd of commoners pouring in. Li Yuntian remarked in surprise, “Oh, even though Shaolin has only one pagoda, it still attracts quite a few worshippers.” Huo Yuanzhen said, “That’s only natural. Today is the Qixi Festival, and a divine miracle has descended upon our Shaolin Temple. These devotees have all come to witness the miracle.” In truth, Huo Yuanzhen hadn’t known beforehand that he’d be able to draw the Bell Tower Construction Order; in fact, he hadn’t even been aware of the Qixi Festival draw in the first place. These people were simply devout followers of the Shaolin faith, though their numbers had dwindled considerably compared to just a few days ago. “A divine miracle today?” Li Yuntian and Huang Xiaofu both looked at Huo Yuanzhen in disbelief. Huo Yuanzhen smiled but didn’t answer; instead, he walked straight toward the temple gate, where he had chosen the site for the bell tower. Li Yuntian and Huang Xiaofu exchanged glances, both seeing in each other’s eyes the intention to stay and watch.
