The anti-Ching patriots have secretly set up their base in Canton, disguised as school masters. During a brutal Manchu attack, Gordon Liu manages to escape and devotes himself to learning Kung-fu at the Shaolin Temple in order to fight back against the oppressive Manchu government.

In a short period of time he masters the deadly use of his fists, feet and palms, along with such weapons as Swords, Triple Section Staff (tri-staff) and the Bo Staff. With his learning now complete, he takes out to seek revenge against the Manchus – engaging in some of the most exciting battles ever staged in the history of martial arts movies.

The film was the number one hit of 1978 in Asia - and won the Best Martial Arts Award at the 24th Asian Film Festival. The film is alternately also known as The Master Killer..