Shaolin Temple

The film opens with the chief Shaolin Monks realizing time is running out and that they must train more fighters to face the Qings. This urgency drives a broader recruitment push and reshapes the temple's mission. The mood is tense as the monks prepare for a potential war.

Hai Hsien expresses opposition to training more fighters, arguing against diluting the temple's discipline. Unbeknownst to others, he is secretly working for the court. His dual role foreshadows treachery within Shaolin.

Many men sit outside the temple waiting to be accepted into training. Fang Shih Yu and Ma Chao-hsing are named among those hopefuls. The temple tests their will by making them wait for days.

Fang Shih Yu and Ma Chao-hsing are finally accepted. Fang is frustrated by the obscure Shaolin methods, while Ma Chao-hsing begins learning the five animal styles from the start. Their differing temperaments set up later tensions.

Escaped Ming soldiers Tsai Te-cheng, Hu Te-ti, Yen Yung-chun, and Ma Fu Yi arrive near Shaolin looking for hiding. They hope the temple can shelter them from the Qing. Their arrival marks the beginning of a new influx of potential recruits.

Hu Te-ti suggests they go to Shaolin, and they are instantly accepted. This choice frustrates three other hopefuls Lin Kwong Yao, Huang Sung Han, and Hu Hui Chien. The three are eventually accepted and begin their training.

Tsai Te-cheng learns Wing Chun from a strange female monk, expanding the temple's martial repertoire. Hu Te-ti learns the Iron Whip, adding another distinct style to Shaolin's toolkit. The new instructors and styles broaden the temple's capability and attract attention from within.

Hai Hsien secretly goes to the court and reports to Prince Hoo that Shaolin has been training new fighters. The report deepens Qing suspicions of Shaolin and signals the start of external scrutiny. The court's attention pressures the temple from both inside and outside.

The Qing scheme to destroy Shaolin unfolds as Hai Hsien returns to Shaolin looking to recruit more traitors. His aim is to set up the temple for a raid, leveraging internal treachery. The plan marks a turning point toward an imminent assault.

All the accepted students become close friends and proficient in their kung fu. Fang Shih Yu remains impatient and clashes with Ma Fu Yi. The mounting tension foreshadows the imminent betrayal that will destabilize the temple.

A mysterious figure at night begins teaching Fang Shih Yu the Tiger-Crane style. Fang Shih Yu defeats Ma Fu Yi in a friendly spar, showcasing his growing power. The revelation attracts Hai Hsien's curiosity as he takes Ma Fu Yi under his wing and recruits him as a traitor.

Ma Fu Yi accepts Hai Hsien's recruitment and becomes a traitor aligned with the Qing. The alliance accelerates the plan to strike Shaolin. Internal trust within the temple begins to crumble as loyalty frays.

Thousands of Qing soldiers descend on Shaolin in a brutal assault. An all-out battle erupts and the temple fights valiantly but is overwhelmed by numbers. Eight Shaolin devotees escape the massacre, marking a devastating collapse of the temple's defenses.