According to legend, the sect was founded by a shepherd boy. The boy met an immortal in the Kongtong Mountains, who taught him extraordinary martial arts. The boy was Mulingzi, the founder of the Kongtong Sect. Mulingzi attained a remarkable level of prowess in martial arts and led Kongtong towards its rise to prominence in the wulin as one of the major orthodox sects alongside Shaolin, Wudang and others.