Debao and his lowlife friends con the visitors to their village, robbing them by day on the road and by night in their scam hostel. When he is framed for the murder of a visiting government official, Debao finds sanctuary with a monk from long-lost Shaolin Temple who trains him both in martial arts and in having empathy for his fellow man. When his master is unexpectedly poisoned, Debao respects his burial wish only to be cornered by government soldiers. Fleeing into nearby catacombs, he uncovers Shaolin Temple's buried secrets. Underground Debao masters his kung fu before resurfacing to confronting the man who scapegoated him, killed his master and now plots to assassinate the Crown Prince. But finding a whole city corrupted by greed, Debao sets aside plans for personal vengeance to fight for social justice in the true spirit of Shaolin.