Well Shao Lin Monastery has been a huge presence on some of Jin Yong's books and never mentioned in others. I have searched for many threads but still don't have a satisfactory answer so I'm asking here.
Now I read somewhere that the Martial history of Shao Lin started in the Tang*, which would be 7th century A.D. Now, that would put Shao Lin in the time line of every book except (I think) Sword of Jade Maiden<<越女劍>>. Now, in stories such as DGSD it is clear that Shao Lin is extremely powerful, and unlike QZ sect, they did not weaken over time. However, then there is another time lapse (the first being from DGSD to HSDS) and lack of information again on Shao Lin.
The Point:
What did you guys think went on in Shao Lin during all that time to keep them at the top of the Martial World? Everyone else were modifying their own arts and the new generations were becoming stronger and stronger (very arguable, but lets use it for my point right now), how did Shao Lin cope?
It is not explained as well as others like the five alliance in Smiling Proud Wonderer where the martial arts of have a base for dramatic improvement, Shao Lin just spontaneously jumps in power.
Also, why is there so little action from Shao Lin in some books? Besides the fact it wouldn't help the plot, more useless sects have been mentioned.
Lastly, would Shao Lin be the strongest 'sect' of all time?