Ten Thousand Soul Banner: Deceased, do you have any unfulfilled wishes?
Chapter 60: Making a Great Vow

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: Making a Great Vow

Seeing Zhu Guangfa and his daughter leave, Shen Siyuan couldn’t wait to call forth the Ten Thousand Soul Banner again.

A strand of Merit climbed onto the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.

Golden radiance shimmered like a golden flood dragon traversing and tumbling across the surface of the banner, mending the Ten Thousand Soul Banner.

The originally deep purple banner now emitted strands of golden light, making it look even more luxurious and extraordinary.

Merit, akin to a panacea, can transform into anything one desires, any effect one wishes for.

Therefore, with the remaining strand of Merit, Si Yuan didn’t continue to mend the Ten Thousand Soul Banner, nor did he use it to refine Mana, but rather to temper his physical body.

He made such a choice because in this world, there was no Spiritual Energy, and even with Mana, it would be like a rootless duckweed, making not the slightest progress unless he possessed a vast amount of Merit to convert into Mana, just like a bottomless pit.

Using Merit to temper the body was like taking a powerful tonic, and it even came without any side effects. Utilizing it to lay the foundation for his frail physique was the most suitable option for him at present.

Coupled with his own training, in a short time, he would be able to achieve Small Success with the Great Arhat Eighteen Forms, which was more cost-effective than using it to refine Mana. After all, there’s the Path to Heaven for Outer Cultivation, but the path of Inner Cultivation has long been severed.

As Merit was bestowed upon his body, Si Yuan didn’t feel refreshed or invigorated; instead, his entire body itched, his joints were in excruciating pain, his muscles convulsed, and he cried out before collapsing on the ground, tears and snot flowing, as if he were having a seizure.

The pain burrowing into his bones was like someone sawing his body in half, then taking a hammer and smashing all his bones.

Si Yuan understood clearly that this pain was in fact growing pain, just like when teenagers and children grow and some of their joints hurt. This happens because children are active and their bones grow too quickly.

Whereas Si Yuan’s bones and muscles were already set, but now they were breaking free from their shackles. A new vitality burgeoned within him, beginning a new phase of growth, and this process was compressed into an extremely short span of time, which is why the pain was so unbearable for Si Yuan.

Because he understood, he gritted his teeth and endured the pain as he assumed the first stage of the Great Arhat Eighteen Forms.

Each of the Eighteen Forms of the Great Arhat doesn’t consist of just a single movement; rather, it includes six movements.

These six movements respectively represent the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind – the six roots of Buddhism.

Thus, the Great Arhat Eighteen Forms in total comprise one hundred and eight movements.

Previously, just the first movement of the first stage would make Si Yuan sweat profusely, but now he not only completed it with ease, he also accomplished all six movements of the first stage.

He was only stopped by the third movement of the Second Stage, and then felt a wave of hunger in his abdomen.

This was substantial progress, for in the days prior, merely the first movement would have depleted his energy greatly, making his belly feel afire. Continuing forcefully would have resulted in severe depletion of his body, even costing him his life.

But now, just a strand of Merit had allowed him to leapfrog over the first stage and reach the second layer of the Second Stage.

As Si Yuan finished cultivating, the pain dissipated. He only felt his body was clear and smooth, full of vigorous energy when he extended his arms and clenched his fists.

He lowered his head to touch his abdomen, where the previously round belly now revealed eight solid abdominal muscles. Touching them lightly with his hand, they felt as hard as iron.

He didn’t expect just the first stage to have such an effect; Si Yuan couldn’t help but feel joy.

If he could fully master the Eighteen Forms, he would certainly be considered a small superhero in modern society.

However, a large amount of Merit would be required. Even though a strand of Merit had enabled him to reach the second layer of the Second Stage, it seemed that it wouldn’t take too much Merit to master the Eighteen Forms.

But it couldn’t be calculated like this; the further one progresses in the Eighteen Forms, the more difficult they become, and the more Merit is undoubtedly needed.

He opened the refrigerator, found some high-energy food to replenish his bodily energy, and only then did the hunger subside.

Seeing that his body was soaked in sweat, he took a change of clothes and entered the bathroom.

Water sprayed down from the showerhead, cascading over his head, gliding across his cheeks, and flowing down along his shoulder blades.

Si Yuan suddenly clenched his fists, tensed his entire body, and the water flow, as if vibrated by sound waves, turned into countless small droplets that shot in all directions.

"How wonderful..."

Shen Siyuan extended his arm, sighing inwardly, thinking that this is what a real man is like.

But then he suddenly thought of the two strands of merit he received tonight.

One strand was from helping Du Xiuzhi fulfill her wish, which he could understand.

The other strand, though, was simply for promising Zhu Tingting to help her mother reincarnate, and yet he could still gain merit.

Keep in mind that this had not even happened yet; it was merely a verbal promise.

This made him think of the myths and legends where figures like Jieyin and Zhunti took the forty-eight great vows of the western paradise to achieve saintliness.

So, could he perhaps draw a gourd from the model and ask the Heavenly Dao for credit?

The thought made Shen Siyuan’s heart suddenly pound.

He turned off the shower, standing there in the bathroom, stark naked, and said with a solemn expression: "If I attain the supreme path, I will surely restart the cycle of reincarnation, allowing all sentient beings, good and evil, to have their retribution... To have compassion for the common people, to save and ferry the sentient beings..."

And then—

Shen Siyuan felt he was being a huge idiot, not to mention a naked idiot, and was so embarrassed that his toes almost curled enough to dig out two acres of land.

It seemed impossible that merely by making big vows, one could become gods or saints.

Otherwise, the world would have given birth to countless saints since ancient times.

Not just anyone can achieve saintliness through this method, and not just anyone is eligible for credit. There are qualifications needed.

And by making a promise to Zhu Tingting, Shen Siyuan did indeed gain some merit, which meant he did have some qualifications, albeit limited.

It was like a bank’s credit limit; there was a certain amount, but not a lot. Large loans would definitely be out of the question, but a small loan should still be manageable.

Moreover, the reason for this "loan" must be practical and have a clear objective. Only by not indulging in empty talk could one "borrow" merit.

Realizing this, Shen Siyuan hurriedly turned on the shower again to continue his unfinished business.

As soon as he stepped out of the bathroom, he saw Dou Dou riding a gust of Yin Wind, hastily entering through the window.

"Not good, not good..."

"What’s not good? You’re rushing about all flustered," said Shen Siyuan, somewhat speechlessly.

"Brother Potato, I saw a strange old man."

"Is there anything stranger than you?"

Dou Dou: →_→

"Alright, stop giving me that look with your small eyes. Just tell me, what’s going on?" Shen Siyuan said, picking up a towel to dry his hair.

"I saw an old man with a Chicken Feather Duster, he was chasing after me, and I ran away in fear..."

"Chicken Feather Duster?" Shen Siyuan was quite surprised upon hearing this.

"What Chicken Feather Duster?"

"It’s that kind with lots of feathers. I’ve seen it before at my grandma’s house. Grandpa said it was used to spank my uncle’s butt when he was little. I asked grandpa to try it on me, and it hurt when he hit me..."

Dou Dou chattered on and on.

"So you mean to say an old man was chasing after you with a Chicken Feather Duster wanting to spank you?" Shen Siyuan had a perplexed look on his face.

But inside, he pondered whether Dou Dou had encountered another strange person capable of seeing ghosts.

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