Super Soldier in the City

The Shaolin Temple is renowned for both "Zen" Buddhism and "martial arts," and is celebrated as the "number one temple under heaven." Situated deep within the dense forests of Shaoshi Mountain in Mount Song, it was named "Shaolin Temple." Established in the Northern Wei Dynasty Taihe Nineteenth Year, Emperor Xiaowen built Shaolin Temple at the northern foot of Shaoshi Mountain in Mount Song, facing the capital Luoyang, to accommodate the esteemed Indian monk Bodhidharma. Shaolin Temple is a world-famous Buddhist temple, one of the ancestral homes of Zen Buddhism, and the birthplace of Shaolin martial arts. It is said that "all martial arts under heaven originate from Shaolin, and Shaolin Kung Fu is the best in the world."

Over the years, Shaolin Temple has flourished, garnering countless accolades, yet increasingly it seems less like a pure land of Buddhism. Li Yifei came here without much expectation, just wanting to explore every corner as thoroughly as possible within his capabilities.

He wandered in leisurely, still surrounded by many tourists. Li Yifei did not blindly search; instead, he projected his presence. It’s a mysterious kind of aura, similar to the lethal air he carried after surviving countless battles in the past. Upon reaching the Innate Realm, Li Yifei mastered this presence, and every Innate Expert has this aura, like Xu Shanshan, Jiang Ningxiang, and especially Murong Yuanqing.

The Shaolin Temple is vast, with hundreds of monks and countless tourists inside. Li Yifei wanted to find some real monks, but the difficulty was immense. So he came up with a good idea: release his presence. A true master here would naturally sense it, and if none did, Li Yifei would simply leave.

Even though there were many people around, no one dared get too close to Li Yifei. They naturally didn’t know why, just that this young man standing there exuded a unique feeling.

This was Li Yifei’s aura, making him stand out.

Li Yifei stood before the mountain gate, looking up at the dignified three large characters above it. The gate’s plaque bore the three characters "Shaolin Temple," personally inscribed by Emperor Kangxi. At the top center of the plaque was the six-character seal "The Treasure of Kangxi’s Imperial Script." In front of the gate, a pair of stone lions faced each other, male and female, carved in the Qing Dynasty. Symmetrical stone arches stood on both sides of the gate’s eight-character wall, with "The Origin of the Sacred Truth" inscribed on the eastern arch and "Bodhidharma’s Founding" inside. The western arch had "Mahayana Sacred Land" inscribed inside and "Songshan Shaoshi Zen Forest" outside. The main gate was built in a single-eaved structure with a xieshan roof, set upon a two-meter-high brick platform, flanked by hard-mountain styled side doors and eight-character walls. Stepping inside, the Maitreya Buddha was enshrined in a niche, with a big belly and smiling face, known as the "Great Happy Buddha." Behind the niche stood a wooden statue of Skanda, holding a staff. The mountain gate’s atmosphere unfolded, and Li Yifei praised to himself the place truly was a Buddhist Holy Land. Just by entering, he felt an ordinary person couldn’t perceive—a warmth, an aura that should be called Buddha’s air.

Beyond the mountain gate was a corridor. On either side were forests of steles under verdant pines and cypresses, called "forest of steles" because of the stele stones. Li Yifei glanced at a few steles and continued forward, as the texts’ profound Buddhism did not relate to what he sought.

Continuing forward, after the forest of steles in the corridor was the Hall of Heavenly Kings, located at the end of the forest, enshrining the Four Heavenly Kings symbolizing "Wind, Temperament, Rain, Conformity." With red walls and green tiles, vividly painted dougong (wooden brackets), there were two Vajra statues on either side of the screen within the doors. The three-bay hall with a double-eaved xieshan roof hosted the majestic and formidable statues of the Four Heavenly Kings inside.

The further Li Yifei went, the stronger he felt the Buddha presence. The nearly two thousand years of Shaolin Temple’s heritage, with countless profound Buddhist monks, endowed it with a Buddha aura surpassing any other Buddhist temple. Enveloped in this aura, Li Yifei’s heart grew increasingly calm, making him feel that, even if he can’t find what he’s looking for, the trip wasn’t in vain.

With the Buddha Sound lingering, the tourists’ expressions turned solemn. Further inside was the Mahavira Hall, enshrining statues of Shakyamuni, Bhaisajyaguru, and Amitabha. The hall’s center displayed the four character painting "Treasure Tree Fragrant Lotus," personally written by Emperor Kangxi. Behind the screen wall was a statue of Avalokiteshvara, and on both sides were statues of the Eighteen Arhats.