Chapter 2 The First Master

"Welcome to the brand-new martial arts VR game, where you will experience sensory stimulation like never before. The new neural sharing technology allows you to perceive this virtual world through vision, touch, and even taste. Every key NPC is powered by an intelligent cloud database to make judgments nearly indistinguishable from real humans, allowing players to truly immerse themselves in the thrill of galloping through Jianghu as a hero."

"Whether it's soaring into the sky and walking on walls or applying the 'Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms' from the stories, it will all become reality."

"Please continue to support Huaxia Longxiang Industries. We strive to provide you with better services. For any questions, please call our customer service number…"

The pleasant voice by his ear, akin to music, ceased, and suddenly various figures appeared before the bewildered young man—an elegant Swordsman in white, wielding a Green Bamboo Long Staff, shirtless, open-hearted youths, and a stern General in armor holding a Spear—all appearing majestic before his eyes.

Such a mythical scene unfolded before him, leaving his mind somewhat baffled. In his short life, he had never experienced anything as extraordinary. While various questions surged in his heart, he knew it was time to make a choice. His gaze swept over those figures resembling Immortals and instinctively settled on the one most familiar to him—

A man dressed in a gray robe, with stern brows and eyes, a bald head devoid of any dark hair, holding an Ebony Staff. The muscles on his body made his loose clothes bulge, and with the young man's movement, a sigh of resignation seemed to rise in the air.

All around him, the elegant Swordsman in white and the open-hearted youths vanished, while the gray-clad man solidified before him, slowly opening his peaceful, clear eyes. His look was serene as he raised his left hand in front of his chest and calmly said,

"Amitabha..."

Bang!

With that long sigh, everything in front of him collapsed. The fairy-like scene disappeared, and a graceful green mountain rose from the ground, accompanied by leisurely floating clouds and distant bell chimes. The youth then found himself on a mountain path, and soon a solemn building hidden among the trees was visible. As he stood there in disbelief, someone grasped his hand. Turning to look, he saw the gray-clad man by his side, holding the Staff and looking at the green mountains, he said in an even tone,

"Our meeting at the foot of this mountain is fate. If you long to traverse Jianghu, why not join me in climbing this mountain? Shaolin is a major school of martial arts in the world, integrating Zen and martial arts. If you join, you might also learn skills to become a hero of the world."

"No... Uncle, I still have duties back in my village. I haven't fed the pigs at the Innkeeper's house today, and I cannot afford to delay."

The young man looked at the youth who gave him a sense of familiarity, scratching his head as he emphasized, "And we just met, I don't even know your name."

"You don't want to learn martial arts?"

The young man paused, honestly replied, "I do, but the Innkeeper won't teach me."

"So, what do you think is more important, martial arts or feeding pigs?"

The youth with the serene aura made the young man lower his guard. Scratching his head and somewhat embarrassed, he said, "Feeding pigs, I guess…"

"Why so?"

As they continued up the mountain, the young man, seemingly unaware of the ascent, earnestly said, "Because I promised to feed the Innkeeper's pigs for a year."

"Is that all?"

"A promise must be kept, and it must be done well," the young man responded, pausing before shyly adding, "That's what my dad taught me, and I think he's right."

The youth nodded slightly, fell silent for a moment, and then said, "Your dad has taught you well."

"So, Uncle, please let me go back... I just touched that strange Wrist Guard and ended up here. As for meeting at the foot of the mountain? We really just met... I don't want to enter any Jianghu."

A fleeting stream of data flickered in the youth's eyes, but they quickly cleared up, and he calmly asked, "If not Jianghu, then what do you want to do?"

A flush appeared on the young man's dark face as he scratched the back of his head, his face filled with hope, "I... I want to learn a trade in the village, save money to buy a pair of piglets, one male and one female, then raise them to have many piglets, which I can sell later, and then, then... go ask for the hand of A-Lian from the neighboring house..."

"A-lian?"

The young man seemed curious as he asked, and the boy hung his head, humming and hawing for a while, his face flushed with embarrassment as he said, "She's a pretty girl, I—the innkeeper said she has clear terms and would make a suitable wife..."

Wife?

The clarity in the young man's eyes suddenly turned into a stream of chaotic data, which then sparked a rainbow light, halting his steps as he said solemnly,

"As a monk, one must not fall into the trap of love, and as a Shaolin disciple, even less should speak of love."

"Why? The innkeeper said that this is something a man must have..."

The boy's voice trailed off as the young man turned to face him, looking at him earnestly. Streams of data flashed in his pupils as he selected a reply suitable for the thirteen-year-old boy from an enormous database:

"Because, the woman below the mountain is a tiger."

"A tiger?"

The boy was puzzled, unable to associate the adorable A-lian with a fearsome wild beast, while the young man already continued to lead him uphill, calmly saying,

"It's also because all phenomena are essentially empty. Do you love her because she is cute? But beauty fades swiftly. If she turned into an old lady with white hair, could you still love her?"

The boy was speechless, and the young man continued to say,

"And form is emptiness; emptiness is form. Everything in the world is essentially empty, so why obsess over these illusory things?"

"Emptiness?"

The boy, puzzled, scratched his head while being led up the mountain, curiously asking the young man with a serene face,

"But if you say everything is empty, liking is empty, disliking is also empty, then what is the difference between these two..."

"If both are utterly empty, then isn't the thought of pursuing this emptiness also utterly empty? If everything is empty, what's the point?"

"Is even emptiness itself empty?"

The young man stopped, his figure stiffening slightly, as large patches of blue data streams appeared in his eyes. But, as an NPC in a game, he had very limited data on Buddhist thought stored. After searching briefly, he covered up the question following the system's logic and said softly, "…What is your name?"

"…I'm called Wang Anfeng." The boy scratched his head and smiled naively, "My father said, a breeze came from the east when I was born and settled in the village... My mom thought I was the reincarnation of that breeze, so they named me Anfeng..."

"Good... Anfeng."

The young man murmured it a couple of times, then with a long staff lightly tapped,

"Shaolin, we've arrived..."

Creak—

The ancient temple, age-old yet opening anew, the sturdy, rustic mountain gate slowly opened. Another world unfolded before Wang Anfeng like a scroll painting, causing the boy's eyes to instinctively widen, shining with a strange brilliance.