Ryo wakes up early and meditates on his bed. The battle 2 days prior had caused some damage on his meridians and drained his internal energy, the Karateka needs to replendish his Ki for the appointment with the Shaolin monks next week. Therefore, he cannot see Anh Thư's training like usual. However, King is there to do what he can't. Although she has yet to forgiven her husband and has been keeping distance from him, the French woman does not change her mind on helping him confronting the Shaolin monks.
"We will talk about it later. But the future of the Sakazaki household depends on the outcome of your meeting with the people from Shaolin Temple. My daughter's future depends on the outcome of your meeting with the people from Shaolin Temple. As her mother, it is my responsibility to make sure it go well.", that is what King said the day after Ryo's confession. Indeed, if Ryo, as a man of the Sakazaki household, becomes an enemy of Shaolin school and Chinese martial art community, as his daughter, Rose Sakazaki will also be hunted by those who resent their family.
As King and Anh Thư are about to leave, they see an old monk and 2 young monks standing at the door. The girl immediately realizes that old monk is Huican, the Abbott of Shaolin Temple.
"May I meet Master Sakazaki?", Abbott Huican asks. "I have something to discuss with him."
The room that the Sakazakies are living in is small, Ryo realizes he has a guest despite his concentration on meditating. The Karateka takes a deep breathe and releases all the air in his lungs in one powerful exhalation. While building up internal energy, Ki in his system flows fiercely, this breathing method is to put a brake to this process and balance his Ki before canceling the training. Ryo slowly stands up and walks to the door to greet the monk.
"I did not expect your visit. Please come in.", "The Invincible Dragon" says.
Abbott Huican lowers his head, accepting the invitation. He then looks at the young monks, although he does not say a word, everyone understands he is asking these monks to wait outside. The Abbott then comes in the room and sits on a chair prepared by Ryo. The Karateka sits on the opposite chair, while his wife and daughter sit on the bed.
"Sorry for the late introduction.", Ryo says. "You have already met my daughter. The woman beside her is my wife, King. King, this monk is Revered Huican, the Abbott of Shaolin Temple."
Ryo waits for King and Abbott Huican finishing their greetings, he then asks:
"I believe we are supposed to meet next week. If you come here yourself, it must be an urgent business involving us?"
The monk lets out a long sigh as he pulls a bunch of letters out of his pocket. He then says:
"As you may have noticed, someone has spreaded a rumor of you challenging us next week. This has caused a big commotion in the martial art world. Those are letters from different martial art schools and sects showing their interest in this event."
Abbott Huican gives Ryo the letters written in English, and the ones in Chinese to Anh Thư.
From Priest Quanfu - Chief of Wudang sect:
"The Invincible Dragon" is a reputable martial art figure, we believe that he would perform outrageous acts. However, fists and kicks have no eyes, any careless accident can causes great regrets to Chinese and Japanese martial art commuinities. Please excuse us for acting out of line, but Shaolin is the holy ground of Chinese martial arts, Shaolin and Wudang have been allies for centuries, it would be our honor if you allow our 7 best disciples to assist you in securing the Shaolin Temple during Chief Sakazaki's visit.
From Gouken - Master of Ansatsuken's Mu no Ken sect:
Master Ryo Sakazaki is the successor of Master Takuma Sakazaki and a man devoting his life to improve himself. I am certain that he would not challenge your school with malicious intent. I wish this encounter leads to better understanding and friendship between Japanese and Chinese martial arts communities.
From Abbess Jinglien - Chief of Emei sect:
Shaolin Temple is the holy ground of Chinese martial arts. The Japanese brutes forget the birthplace of their martial arts, and dare to challenge Shaolin. Chinese martial art community will not tolerate this aggression and as a Chinese martial art school, Emei will send its best disciples to assist Shaolin in teaching them a lesson.
From Saisyu Kusanagi - Leader of Kusanagi clan and Chizuru Kagura - Member of Yata clan and Reprentative of 3 Sacred Treasures Clan:
"The Invincible Dragon" Ryo Sakazaki is a martial artist of righteous sects who has befriended with countless other martial artists from East to West. We believe that there is a misunderstanding in these recent rumors and that Ryo Sakazaki has no ill will towards Shaolin school. As friends of the Sakazaki household, we would like to help with finding a peaceful solution for your differences.
From Priest Dazhi - Chief of Kunlun sect, Yue Bujian - Chief of Mount Huo sect, Zhen Yangtao - Chief of Kongtong sect and Duan Zhiming - Head of Duan Clan:
In order to maintain peace in Chinese martial art community, we have concluded that Kyokugen-ryu Karate's challenge to Shaolin Temple should be considered a threat. We have sent our best fighters to persuade "The Invincible Dragon", however the enemy was ferocious and our abilities were limited. As the best of our schools have been defeated, it would be shameful for us to assist Shaolin in the upcoming battles, so please forgive us for not assisting. However, Senior Zhao from Mount Huo sect and Senior Lu from Kongtong sect should be able to give you details about how the Sakazaki father and daughter fight.
From Shizuko Todoh - Current Reprentative of Todoh household and Todoh-ryu Aikijutsu:
The Sakazaki household and their Kyokugen-ryu Karate school are acquaintainces of our Todoh household and Todoh-ryu school. "The Invincible Dragon" is a man of righteousness. We use our reputation to guarantee that he has no ill will towards Shaolin school, or Chinese martial art community.
...
"Why are you showing me these letters?", Ryo stops reading and asks.
"As you can see, Master Sakazaki.", Abbott Huican calmly replies. "This matter is getting out of hand. And we have 2 concerning matters."
"What are those concerns, please enlighten me?", Ryo asks.
"The first matter is that, as you have read, this may create a misunderstanding between Chinese and Japanese martial art communities.", Abbott Huican answers. "If we cannot solve this properly, it may lead to conflicts of different martial art schools, and blood of hundreds, thousands of martial artists may be shed as a result."
"I have explained this before, that we are not here as Kyokugen-ryu Karateka to challenge Shaolin Temple.", Ryo says. "Wudang and Emei schools will send their most respected disciples to witness our meeting. I am certain that they are reputable enough to convince other Chinese martial artists that we have no intention of disrespecting Chinese martial arts."
"Indeed, their presence will solve our first concern.", Abbott Huican says. "The second one, however, is much more problematic."
The old monk stops for a moment, then he suddenly asks:
"Considering that none of the letters or rumors has mentioned it, I think you have not talked about what we discussed in our last meeting to outsiders?"
Ryo and Anh Thư look at Abbott Huican, they still have yet to understood what he is talking about. After a moment, the monk continues:
"Judging from your reaction, it seems you did not spread out the internal matters of our Temple. I am very grateful. Then the solution for these concerns is simple. I suggest you leave Songsang for the moment, we may meet another time when things have eased down."
Ryo lets out a big laugh, he then says:
"Revered Huican, please excuse my rudeness. People think I am challenging your school as a Kyokugen-ryu Karateka. If we retreat now, wouldn't that mean Kyokugen-ryu Karate is just a bunch of big-mouthed cowards? You have not stated your second concern yet, and you expect us to comply and suffer that humiliation?"
"Please calm down, Master Sakazaki.", Abbott Huican says as he calmly takes a notebook out of his robe. "If you agree to leave China for now, Shaolin will guarantee that the reputation of the Sakazaki household and Kyokugen-ryu school will not suffer. We will make sure that other Chinese martial art schools know Shaolin and Kykugen-ryu have settled our differences and Shaolin school holds the skills of Kyokugen-ryu in high regard."
Ryo does not say a word, however Abbott Huican knows the Karateka is still skeptical about his suggestion. The monk continues:
"To further prove our respect towards the Kyokugen-ryu Karate school and show our sincerity, in this notebook is the training methods, strengths and weaknesses, as well as principles to counter of 5 Ultimate Arts of Shaolin."
"What?", Ryo, King and Anh Thư shout in shock. They would never expect the Abbott of Shaolin Temple, who holds one of the highest status in Chinese martial art community, would make such an offer. Abbott Huican seems to pay no mind to the interruption, he resumes his speech:
"Our school has 72 Ultimate Arts in total, covering all field of Chinese martial arts including methods of Qigong; unarmed techniques such as fists, kicks, palm strikes, finger strikes and qinna; weaponized arts such as jianshu, daoshu, qiangshu, even hidden weapons. Most of our armed martial arts have no values to your school. Your Karate also involves finger strikes, but as you've already realized from my poor performance of "Flower Picking Finger" the other day, Kyokugen-ryu Karate's physical finger strikes do not follow the same principles of the finger techniques from our 72 Ultimate Arts, you would probably find practising these techniques pointless. Your Qigong shares lots of similarities with Shaolin's, however we also notice some minor differences. Qi training involves its own risks, we at Shaolin Temple do not have the right knowledge to suggest a Shaolin Qigong that is perfectly compatible to Kyokugen-ryu. So please forgive us for not sharing all of our 72 Ultimate Arts, since the Temple was found in Tang dynasty we have never shared more than 3 to someone who was not from our school.
We know that Kyokugen-ryu Karate was founded by the first Mr. Karate, Takuma Sakazaki, who spreaded terror across the martial art world decades ago. The techniques passed down by him are powerful and terrifying. As his successor, you do not need skills from other schools to claim the title of "The Invincible Dragon". However the 5 Arts in this notebook are not completely useless. "Wind Chasing Staff" is the most aggressive form of Gunshu in Shaolin, Master Sakazaki and Young Lady Sakazaki had already experienced these strikes from our first meeting. "Great Vajra Fist" consists of a variety of explosive punch techniques. Palm techniques in "Prajna Palm" are more complicated yet less powerful than Kyokugen-ryu Karate's "Kou-ou Ken" and "Haoh Shoukou Ken", however its focus on energy and movement effieciency would intergrate well with palm techniques used in your school. Shaolin's "Dragon Claw" is a complex and lethal qinna martial art that focusing on attacking pressure points and weak spots on the body. "Divine Rooster" consists of 18 different kick variations, they are not as devastating as 12 Roads of Tan Tui, however these kicks are much more cunning and lethal.
These 5 Arts, each of them covers a form of fighting, punch, palm strike, kick, grappling and weapon, in addition their principles are relatively similar to those from Kyokugen-ryu Karate. They may not be good enough to replace your favourite Karate techniques, however I believe that as a Karateka, you would find these martial arts worth researching and they would complement well with your existing skills."
While Ryo, King and Anh Thư have not figured out how to respond to Abbott Huican offer yet, the old monk calmly says as he looks up:
"It seems Master Sakazaki and his family still have their doubts. Fortunately, there is a fifth person lurking this room. Based on his breathing, he is likely an expert of some form of Ninjutsu. Shall I demonstrate the prowess of "Major Vajra Fist", "Prajna Palm", "Dragon Claw" and "Divine Rooster" to prove our sincerity?"
"This stalker is Eiji Kisargi from Kisaragi clan.", Ryo calmly replies as he point toward a corner on the ceil, out of sights of people from beneath. "That ninja has been hiding here since dawn, he probably is waiting for my wife and kid to leave to ambush me. I would appreciate if you chase him off."
Eiji Kisaragi is a formidable assassin from Kisaragi ninja clan. Unlike Shiranui clan's flamboyant Ninjutsu, ninjas from Kisaragi clan are more specialized in stealth and physical combat. However, Ryo and Eiji have been fighting each other for so long, as the ninja gradually improves his skills in assassination, the Karate also develops his senses and awareness. "The Invincible Dragon" now can sense bloodthirst from people around him; unless he is too exhausted like the incident with the Hizoku years ago, nobody can sneak on him.
Abbott Huican, however, has not faced constant assassination threats from elite ninjas like Ryo. However, decades of conditioning advanced Shaolin Qigong have granted him extremely powerful internal energy, which enhances his senses. Additionally, as Eiji is too fixated on his rival, he did not pay enough attention to the old monk, who he did not think highly of. If the ninja had looked out for people surrounding Ryo, he would have noticed the monk's suspicion and adjusted his breathing to stay hidden.
While Ryo is talking to the old monk, from the corner, a shadow suddenly appears, its movement is as fast as an arrow.
"Curse you, Ryo Sakazaki. So you've known I was here and was waiting for me to show myself.", Eiji Kisargi says while throwing a handful of kunais toward the Karateka and the Abbott as he launches toward the door, trying to escape.
"How many years have we been doing this same stuff?", Ryo says as he jumps out of his chair and lands in front of King and Anh Thư, covers them from the flying blades with his big and muscular body, his hands are ready to parry the attacks. "I can sense your bloodthirst from miles away."
The Karateka has already in his Tiger stance, ready to sweep any attack targeting him and his family. However, that effort is not needed. While the kunais are still traveling on their paths, Abbott Huican effortlessly swings his palms and the blades fall on the the ground one by one. Those palms do not catch or sweep the attacks away, instead they release an amount of Qi, just enough to stop the blades' movements.
"This technique is from "Prajna Palm". "Unrivaled Heaven" is its name.", Abbott Huican says as he stops another kunai with his left palm. However, this time his palm releases more energy, enough to launch the blade back at the ninja with the speed of a bullet.
"These palm strikes are not as powerful as "Kou-ou Ken", "Haoh Shoukou Ken" or "Haoh Shikou Ken" of our school, however Shaolin's "Prajna Palm" exceeds Kyokugen-ryu Karate in terms of complexity and variety of applications.", Ryo thinks.
Eiji threw those blades in order to distract Ryo and the monk, giving him a moment to escape, he did not expect Abbott Huican could reflect them back at him. The ninja quickly pulls out another kunai from inside his clothes and sweep the returning blades effortlessly. However, due to the moment of shock prior, Eiji has lost his chance of escaping. Worse, the monk has ultilized that delay in the assassin's action to close the distance.
Eiji has finally realized that this old monk is a real threat, however he does not panic. The ninja immediately swings his hand outward, the kunai in that hand would soon pierce the monk's chest. Huican calmly pushes his left palm that is in claw form forward, intercepting the attack. However, that stab is merely a feint. As he sees the monk trying to catch his strike, the kunai in Eiji's hand immediately changes its trajectory, slip out of his opponent's defense and stab the old man's right shoulder. Despite the sudden threat, Abbott Huican's left claw keeps chasing the kunai, like the shadow cannot be separated from its body. Meanwhile, his right hand, also in claw form, is reaching Eiji's neck. If the ninja does not cancel his attack and retreat, the monk will catch both his neck and wrist, completely neutralizing his skills.
With no other option, Eiji quickly pulls his hand away from the opponent's left claw while stepping backward to avoid the right claw that is approaching his throat. Seeing that the target is out of reach, Huican suddenly changes the movement of his right claw, it swings quickly to the side, attacking the right shoulder. This movement happens too fast and sudden, Eiji knows that he cannot get away in time, therefore he quickly retreats the kunai and points it toward the monk's right hand. If Huican does not cancel this attack, the blade will pierce through his hand.
"Be careful!", Ryo shouts.
However, Abbott Huican's offense does not stop. His right claw slows down a little so that his left claw grabs Eiji's right wrist first. Huican now has control over the ninja's hand, he drags the blade away while his right claw continues its offense, 3 fingers of that hand hook to the opponent's right armpit, sealing 3 pressure points and numbing his entire right shoulder and arm. The monk now has complete control over Eiji's right arm, he pulls it to the ninja's back, manipulates it to turn him away, then forces him to kneel down with a kick to the back of his knee.
"Dragon Claw.", Anh Thư mumbles.
Despite its low volume, Abbott Huican has no trouble noticing the girl's remark. He calmly says:
"Young Lady Sakazaki is knowledgeable. This is indeed one of Shaolin's 72 Ultimate Arts, "Dragon Claw". While Japanese, Mongolian and Western grappling arts prioritize forcing the opponent on the ground and seeking a dominating position there, "Dragon Claw" of our temple seeks control in standup exchanges, through manipulating joints and pressure points."
While the monk is saying, Eiji has been finding a way to escape. He drops the kunai in his right hand and catches it with his left, then swings it backward, his intention is to stab the opponent while he is distracted. However, Abbott Huican has never lost focus on the assassin, he immediately jumps away from the sneak attack, but that also means Eiji has successfully escaped from his "Dragon Claw". The ninja ultilizes that moment to quickly create a distance between them.
The old monk does not allow his opponent to escape, he makes a big leap to the air, closing the distance and performing 3 ferocious kicks in mid-air that target the left hand, chest and chin. Eiji is too focus on escaping and lets his guard down, the first kick catches him by surprise and successfully blows the kunai in his hand away. But after that kick, the ninja is awared of his opponent's attacks, he is able to pull his arms up to cover his chest and head in time.
After 3 fierce jump kicks, Abbott Huican's feet touch the ground. He immediately turns his body, a sweep to Eiji's leg. The ninja realizes that gesture, he concentrates power into his knees, ready to launch himself up and evade the attack. However, that is merely a feint. As he sees the Japanese lowers his center of gravity to generate power for the jump, the monk suddenly thrusts his leg up, attacking the stomach. This attack is tricky to defense against, and Eiji's current movement makes it impossible to raise his knee to protect the lower body, however, with his agility, the ninja lets his feet off the ground, and with a spin in mid-air, he barely slips away from the attack.
"Excellent movement.", Abbott Huican makes a remarks to Eiji, then turns to the Sakazakies: "The 2 kicking techniques I just used was "General From Heaven" and "Scorching The Earth" from "Divine Rooster". My kicks are not as prominent as those of Lady Sakazaki, I hope I did not embarrass myself."
"They did not only do research on my husband's martial art, they also figured out my fighting style as well.", King thinks. "Shaolin is indeed the most influencial school in Chinese martial arts. Except for Geese Howard, none of us in South Town has the resource to do such throughout research on another school."
"And finally, this is "Great Vajra Fist", our most profound striking art.", the monk says as he leaps toward the assassin again.
Abbott Huican makes a big leap, quickly approaching the ninja. Once in range, the monk launches 5 continuous punches to different targets on Eiji's head and body. Compared to "Prajna Palm" and "Dragon Claw", the movements of these punches are not as complex, however they carry tremendous power. If even 1 of these strikes land, it would crush the victim's bones and internal organs immediately. The monk has thrown 18 punches in total, Eiji, as the most elusive fighter alive, relies entirely on his swift movements to evade those fatal attacks. However, the speed and intensity of Abbott Huican is gradually increasing, the Kisaragi ninja quickly realizes he is being trapped inside a ferocious storm of fists.
Over 30 punches have been thrown toward the ninja. Eiji has been excellently dodged all of them, however he cannot return a counter or find a chance to escape, and the barrage of punches is getting tighter and tighter. Ryo, King, Eiji and Abbott Huican all knows that within the next 30 strikes, the assassin will eventually get hit.
The old monk suddenly retreats his hands back to his hips, then thrusts them forward, a double fists pointing at the opponent's chest. This attack is not as fast as the previous ones, however as it covers both the right and left side, the only way to dodge is to retreat. Eiji knows that the monk is intentionally giving him an escape route, he doesn't bother with making a counter of his own and immediately hops backward. Although he has jumped out of striking distance, the power from "Great Vajra Fist" is so enormous that it creates a shock wave continuing to travel toward the target. This shock wave is clearly not as devastating as the punch that created it, however it is still powerful enough to push Eiji a few step further away and inflicts minor damage on him. The ninja feels as if his chest is squeezing his heart, his head is dizzy and he suddenly suffers an urge to vormit.
"We will meet again", Eiji Kisaragi says as he quickly turns away and launches himself out of the door.
Abbott Huican waits a few minutes to make sure the ninja has completely gone, he then says to the young monks standing outside: "Make sure no other people can sneak in."
"Let's continue our discussion.", the Shaolin master turns to the Sakazaki and says. "We already had a witness who can confirm that Kyokugen-ryu Karate did not submit to Shaolin school, and that Shaolin was willing to offer our own Ultimate Arts to your school in exchange for a good relationship between our sects. I hope this solution of mine is good enough to satisfy you, as it does not harm the reputation of either Kyokugen-ryu school or the Sakazaki household."
"Shaolin Kungfu is indeed formidable.", Ryo says. "However, there is something I am wondering. Why is Shaolin showing such favoritism towards Kyokugen-ryu?"
"The answer to your question, is our second concern.", Abbott Huican replies.
"Please elaborate.", Ryo says.
"I did not explain this earlier because there was an outsider in this room.", Abbott Huican says. "Now there are only us from Shaolin Temple and Sakazaki household here, I can discuss with you in details about our issue. It relates to Yijin Jing, our currently missing martial art scripture."
The monk stops for a moment to check the reaction from the Sakazakies. Ryo shows a little interest, but it is more of curiosity than serious concern. His wife and daughter are still paying attention, however they show even less interest in the whereabout of Shaolin's Yijin Jing. Abbott Huican realizes that non-Chinese martial artists don't share the same fascination to "Yijin Jing" as those in Chinese wulin. The leader of Shaolin Temple continues:
"There are 2 major types of Qigong in Chinese martial arts. One follows Taoism teachings, the most famous school of this style is Wudang school, while Hakkyokuseiken is the oldest form of Taoist Qigong. The other type is Qigong of Buddhist teachings, Shaolin is the most known school training in this type of Qigong, Okinawan and Japanese Karate can also trace its root from this type of Qi control. What are the most powerful Qigong methods of those type, however? For Taoist Qigong, it is either Taiji-chuan, "Silkworm Technique" from Wudang, or "8 Trigram Formation" of Hakkyokuseiken. For Buddhist Qigong, within Chinese martial art community, the most respected ones are "9 Yang Divine Technique" and Yijin Jing from Shaolin. During Song dynasty, thanks to a few months training in Yijin Jing, a previously incompetent young man named You Tanzhi was capable of terrorizing the entire Beggar clan, challenging Shaolin Temple and the former Beggar clan leader Qiao Feng."
These knowledge of Buddhist and Taoist Qigong, Tung Fu Rue and Lee Pai Long has already briefly explained to Ryo, he does not need to interrupt the monk's speech to ask for details. King's training in Ki is completely self-taught from her experience against countless martial artists from South Town, she is not familiar with these concepts and they are not really needed for her improvement in martial art. Anh Thư was taught about Qi by a traditional Chinese martial artist since her childhood, although her Qigong follows the unorthodox methods of Taoist Qigong, she also knows of the existence of the orthodox Taoist and Buddhist ways of Qi. The Sakazakies continue listening to the monk.
"As we discussed in our first meeting, your acquaintance has great relation to the loss of Yijin Jing manual. If anyone knows that this manual is no longer protected within the walls of Shaolin Temple, countless conflicts to claim this supreme Qigong will occur, leading to tremendeous sufferings. Your acquaintaince would likely be the target for the people who crave for this scripture as well. Considering all possible outcomes, the missing of Yijin Jing should not be leaked to martial art communities, your acquaintance would be safe under Shaolin's protection as well. You have read those letters, there will be lots of figures of the martial art world visiting Shaolin Temple that day, it is impossible to hide this information if we continue our discussion that day."
Ryo does not reply immediately. What Abbott Huican said is very reasonable and persuasive. The martial art world, despite various codes of honour, does not lack petty and greedy people who are equipped with the deadliest of skills. Geese Howard murdering his former friend and fellow disciple Jeff Bogard is an example. If these people know that a martial art as powerful as Yijin Jing is no longer protected by Shaolin monks, who knows how many people will die in the struggles to claim possesion of this supreme skilll? He believes that Luan did not steal the manual, however these people would not. She may lose her freedom, but under Shaolin monks' supervision is still better than roaming the world while being targetted by hordes of martial artists.
"My mother is the Deva of Hizoku's South Emperor sect.", Anh Thư suddenly raises her voice. "Unless she is targetted by another Deva, nobody can threaten her. Your worries are not needed."
"Was she not captured by us?", Abbott Huican asks. "If a group of monks can capture her, what makes you think she cannot be threatened from others?"
"Hizoku's Qinggong is originated from Ancient Tomb sect's Qinggong, even if my mother cannot defeat her enemies, she can easily escape.", Anh Thư replies. "You were able to corner her because she was in your establishment. If you fought her outside of the temple, I don't care if it is "18 Louhan Formation" or "Vajra Ring Subdues Evil", you would not catch her."
Abbott Huican's left eyebrow slightly twitches as he listens to the girl's claims. He remember that night, when he heard that someone had intruded the Temple, he and other high-ranked monks immediately charged in. The intruder's Qinggong was magnificient, she quickly slipped through 2 groups of "18 Louhan Formation" that were commanded to secure the place. These monks were not the same as the Copper Louhans that the Sakazaki father and daughter fought the other day, however they were also extremely skilled fighters and used similar "Louhan Formation". His junior Huizhi was the only one quick enough to cut her escape route while she was evading the Louhans' attacks. He and the assassin exchanged strikes for less than 3 seconds, but just as the monk was about to win, his opponent found a chance to escape. If it had not been for 4 other Hui-ranked monks ultilizing that 3 seconds to surround the intruder, she would have escaped.
"Vajra Ring Subdues Evil", however, is not an ordinary formation. Its objective is not for offense or defense, but forming a boundary that prevent anyone inside to escape and everyone outside to get in. During the end of Yuan dynasty, Ming cult leader Zhang Wuji, who had mastered the most extreme of rigid Kungfu, Shaolin's "9 Yang Divine Technique", the most prominent of soft Kungfu, Taiji-Chuan, as well as a few martial arts from Arab regions, such powerful martial artist yet he could not break this formation by himself. Even if Anh Thư's mother is skilled in Qinggong, once the formation is established around her, she cannot escape. The fact that she has been imprisoned here for so long is the proof. However, as a monk of his status, he feels that this matter is not worth to argue with a child, especially when her mother was able to escape Shaolin's "Louhan Formation" and they needed 5 monks of Hui-rank to corner her.
"What about the other martial artists?", Abbott Huican asks. "In order to claim Yijin Jing of our school, countless martial artists will fight, steal and murder each other, creating new cycles of hatred and suffering. Don't you think it is terrible?"
The monk remembers a historical document stored in the library of Shaolin Temple, it described the bloody conflicts to claim "9 Yin Manual" during Song dynasty, causing countless sorrows and hatred. There was also the desire to possess "Dragon Slaying Saber" for over a century of Yuan dynasty, and there was the massacres relating to "Bixie Swordsplay" that marked the ends of many bloodlines and schools. Abbott Huican does not want such tragics happen again, especially if it is caused by the incompetence of his school.
"Nobody forces them to fight for the Yijin Jing.", Anh Thư says. "If they die in pursuit of the scripture, it is their choice. You are suggesting that my mother should suffer so that greedy people not killing each other? This is not fair. We will not do as you said."
"Amitabha. Amitabha.", Abbott Huican chants as if he just witnesses something extremely tragic, he then turns to Ryo and says. "I know it is not right to take away someone's freedom to stop a conflict that they have no control , as our knowledge is limited, we cannot think of a better option. I hope that Master and Young Lady Sakazaki would understand and retreat for now. We can discuss this issue later, when the whole Shaolin and Kyokugen-ryu rivalry is settled. In case we manage to recover Yijin Jing before that, I promise that Shaolin will release her immediately."
Ryo still stays silent. Shaolin school suggests him to retreat and guarantees his school's reputation and Luan's safety, even offers these martial art skills that they otherwise would not share to outsiders. If the Karateka accepts their offer, he would prevent bloody conflicts for the missing Yijin Jing while receiving all these benefits. There is no reason for him to refuse.
Anh Thư, however, seems to notice her father's thoughts. She says:
"All those titles, "The Invincible Dragon" or "Mr. Karate", are they all just a bluff? Why does Mr. Karate need to learn martial arts from Shaolin? Why does "The Invincible Dragon" run away from a fight?
King knows the girl is trying to persuade her husband to refuse the offer using his ego. Despite not saying a word, she thinks: "Unlike her father, this girl is cunning."
Ryo also realizes what his daughter is trying to do. Usually, he would not be tricked by such statements. However, despite his interests to these brilliant skills, the Karateka does not have the intention to learn them. In his mind, he has yet to reach the highest level of every Kyokugen-ryu technique, so what is the point of learning skills from other schools? Him retreating may prevent the future of Chinese martial artists killing each other for Yijin Jing, it is indeed a noble act, however, he also understands his daughter's worrying for her mother. In his youth, Ryo also caused a big commotion across South Town to save his sister, and there were innocent people affected by his rampage. The Todoh family was one of those. He suddenly remembers Kasumi Todoh, her love and resentment towards him, that sinful night, his regrets. It would be hypocritical of him to deny his daughter the chance to save her mother. Furthermore, "The Invincible Dragon" also wants to test his skills against the martial masters of Shaolin school.
Ryo announces his decision:
"My talent is limited, I'm afraid these skills would be wasted if they fall into my possession. In my humble opinion, you should give this notebook to someone more talented. As for our meeting, I am a man of my word. I will be at Shaolin Temple on that day."
Hearing Ryo's decision, Anh Thư is the most excited person in the room. King is slightly annoyed that her husband is asking for unneccessary trouble, however she remain mostly indifferent. The most disappointed is Abbott Huican, he stays silent for a moment, as if he is waiting for Ryo to change his mind. The monk then slowly stands up, slightly lowers his head, a gesture to announce his leaving. He says:
"If you insist on continuing our discussion on that day, please do so as the Master of Kyokugen-ryu Karate school. We can manage to hide the true intention of your visiting and the missing of Yijin Jing if people thinks it is merely a challenge between martial art schools. It is also easier to ease the rivalries between Chinese and Japanese martial art communities than the conflicts to claim possession of Yijin Jing."
"As long as we can reach an agreement.", Ryo replies.
"Thank you.", the monk slightly nods his head as he turns and slowly walks out of the room.