Jiu Yang Zhen Jing
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In the wuxia universe created by Jinyong, the Jiu Yang Zhen Jing (Traditional Chinese: 九陽真經; Simplified Chinese: 九阳真经) lit. 9 Yang True Classic, is a fictional martial arts manual, originating from the Shaolin Sect. Those who study the martial arts contain within will have his Inner Strength improved tremendously.
This manual was first mentioned indirectly towards the end of Return of the Condor Heroes, and formally appeared in the sequel The Heavenly Sword and the Dragon Saber. In the story, the manual was found by the protagonist Zhang Wuji, where it was stuffed into the stomach (subcutaneously) of a giant gorilla.
[edit] History
Jiu Yang Zhen Jing's history is sketchy. It has been rumored that Shaolin's founder, Bodhidharma or Da Mo, was the creator of the Jiu Yang Zhen Jing, but this has never been verified. The manual's existence was unknown to the pugilistic world until the end of the ROCH storyline, when the Mongolian thugs Yin Kexi and Xiao Xiangzi stole the manual from Shaolin Temple.
Shaolin librarian Jue Yuan and his young disciple, Zhang Junbao pursued Yin Kexi and Xiao Xiangzi to Hua Shan, where the newly-named New Five Greats (Eastern Heretic Huang Yaoshi, Western Crazy Yang Guo, Southern Monk Yideng, Northern Hero Guo Jing, and Central Child Zhou Botong) were paying their respects to fallen Greats Northern Beggar Hong Qigong and Western Venom Ouyang Feng.
With the help of Yang Guo, Zhang Junbao was able to thwart Yin Kexi and Xiao Xiangzi, but the Jiu Yang Zhen Jing was nowhere to be found. Unbeknownst to all present at Mountain Hua, Yin Kexi had hidden the Jiu Yang Zhen Jing in the abdomen of a large gorilla. On his deathbed, Yin Kexi made a confession to Kunlun Bai elder He Zudao, but Yin Kexi slurred the final statement and instead of hearing "The book is in the gorilla", He Zudao heard "The book is in the oil", which mystified everyone for a century.
Jue Yuan the Monk had memorized the text of the Jiu Yang Zhen Jing, and before his death three years after the book was lost, he managed a deathbed recital of the text that Zhang Junbao, Guo Xiang, and a high-ranking Shaolin monk named Mo Shi were each able to memorize various parts of. Zhang Junbao and Guo Xiang were able to incorporate various principles of the Jiu Yang Zhen Jing into their personal kungfu and the kungfu of the sects they eventually founded, Wudang Pai and E'Mei Pai, as did Wu Se for Shaolin.
No one, however, possessed the complete Jiu Yang Zhen Jing again for a century until the young hero Zhang Wuji, son of Zhang Sanfeng's student Zhang Chuisan and future leader of the Ming Cult, found the gorilla, amazingly still alive, that Yin Kexi had hidden the Jiu Yang Zhen Jing in a century earlier and liberated the books from concealment. The 15-year old Zhang Wuji spent the next five years learning the Jiu Yang Zhen Jing; soon after the completion of his studies at age 20, he stumbled upon the sacred Ming Cult kung fu Qian Kun Da Nuo Yi (Heaven and Earth Big Reversal; Chinese: 乾坤大挪移), making him one of the most powerful men of his time.
