Quan jing (1978)

Long Yilang (Jackie Chan) is a clever disciple at Shaolin Temple, though somewhat foolish, and is often punished for getting into trouble. His master is Elder Huikong. Yilang is assigned to guard the Sutra Library, which is rumored to be haunted, but he goes there as ordered. It turns out the five ghosts are the Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Crane, and Leopard of Chinese legend, who come from a book called Five-Element Fist. At first, they give Yilang a terrible time. Later, he discovers their weakness: the five must return to the book to sleep. He wets the book with his urine and pretends to tear it up, making them believe they will never have a place to stay. The five ghosts submit to him and teach him Five-Element Fist, a style that is the bane of Seven-Kill Fist. The thirty-second abbot of Shaolin Temple, Master Huiming, is inscrutable. His true identity is Lu Qingtian, a notorious bandit. Seeking revenge because Shaolin Temple caused him to lose the position of martial arts alliance leader years ago, and coveting Shaolin’s martial arts manuals, he conceals his identity and enters the temple as a monk. He steals the Seven-Kill Fist manual from the Sutra Library and gives it to his son, Lu Qing. Once Lu Qing masters the style, he stirs up turmoil throughout the martial world, kills many martial artists, and declares that he will seize the position of alliance leader. To help his son take the position and eliminate his greatest obstacle, Lu Qingtian betrays Shaolin: he uses a fake Vajra Palm to assassinate Shi Yingfeng, the Wudang leader who came seeking help, and frames his junior fellow monk Huigu, the only person at the temple who knows Vajra Palm. He later kills another junior fellow monk, Huicheng. Yilang’s master, Master Huikong, realizes that the Vajra Palm was counterfeit and suspects that something is amiss. First, he helps Huigu and Shi Yingfeng’s daughter leave Shaolin Temple temporarily. He then decides to send a Shaolin disciple to stop the culprit’s murderous rampage. Yilang passes through the Eighteen Arhats formation and is permitted to leave the temple. Together with the Wudang leader’s daughter, he gathers information in the martial world about the man who knows Seven-Kill Fist and lures him to Shaolin Temple. With the help of five masters, Yilang kills him and the abbot of Shaolin Temple, restoring righteousness to the martial world.