Chapter 60 Making the Great Vow

Seeing Zhu Guangfa and his daughter leave, Shen Siyuan could not wait to summon the Myriad Soul Banner once again.

A wisp of merit floated onto the Myriad Soul Banner.

The golden radiance, like a golden flood dragon, surged and rolled across the banner's surface, repairing the Myriad Soul Banner.

The originally deep purple flag now emitted faint wisps of golden light, making it look even more magnificent and extraordinary.

Merit was like a universal solvent, capable of transforming into anything desired, achieving any intended effect.

Therefore, Shen Siyuan did not use the remaining wisp of merit to continue repairing the Myriad Soul Banner, nor did he use it to refine his magical power, but instead chose to temper his physical body.

He made this choice because this realm was now devoid of spiritual energy. Even with magical power, it would be like a rootless duckweed, unable to make the slightest progress unless one possessed a vast amount of merit to continuously convert into power, which would be like a bottomless pit.

Using merit to temper the physical body, however, was like taking a potent restorative medicine without any side effects. To lay a foundation for his frail body, it was the most suitable choice for him right now.

Coupled with his own physical training, it would allow the cultivation technique, "The Eighteen Phases of the Great Arhat," to achieve a small measure of success in a short period. This was far more cost-effective than trying to refine magical power. After all, while the path of external physical cultivation still had a heaven-reaching road, the path of internal spiritual cultivation had long been severed.

As the wisp of merit blessed his body, Shen Siyuan did not feel refreshed. Instead, his whole body began to itch, his joints ached violently, and his muscles spasmed. He let out a cry of pain, collapsed to the ground, with tears and snot streaming down his face, twitching like someone suffering from a seizure.

The pain penetrated deep into his marrow, feeling as though someone were sawing his body apart with a saw and smashing all his bones with a hammer.

Shen Siyuan knew very well that this was actually a form of growing pains. Much like children during a growth spurt, whose joints ache because their bones grow too fast due to high levels of activity.

His own bones and muscles had long since set, but now the shackles were broken, and a surge of vitality erupted within him, beginning to regrow. This entire process was compressed into an extremely short timeframe, which was why Shen Siyuan felt such excruciating pain.

Aware of this, he gritted his teeth against the agony and assumed the first posture of "The Eighteen Phases of the Great Arhat."

Each phase of the Great Arhat's Eighteen Phases did not consist of just a single movement, but rather six distinct actions.

These six actions respectively represented the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind—the six roots of Buddhism.

Thus, the entire set comprised a total of one hundred and eight movements.

Previously, even the very first posture of the first phase had made Shen Siyuan sweat profusely. Now, not only did he complete it effortlessly, but he smoothly finished all six movements of the first phase in one go.

He was only stopped at the third movement of the second phase, accompanied by a sudden wave of hunger churning in his stomach.

This was already tremendous progress. Just a few days ago, merely attempting the first posture would drain him immensely, leaving his stomach feeling as though it were on fire; forcing it further would severely deplete his physical vitality and potentially cost him his life.

Yet now, just a single wisp of merit had allowed him to leap past the entire first phase and reach the second level of the second phase.

As Shen Siyuan ended the practice, the pain vanished completely. He felt thoroughly cleansed throughout his body; extending his arms and clenching his fists, he felt brimming with boundless energy.

Lowering his head to touch his abdomen, the once soft and rounded belly now displayed an eight-pack of distinct abs, which felt as hard as iron when pressed gently.

He had not expected the first phase to yield such remarkable results, and Shen Siyuan could not help feeling a surge of joy.

If he managed to master all eighteen phases, he would definitely be considered a miniature superhero in modern society.

However, that would require a massive amount of merit. Although a single wisp had pushed him to the second level of the second phase, by that calculation, mastering all eighteen phases might not actually demand an astronomical amount.

Yet one could not calculate it that way; the phases grew progressively harder the further one went, and the required merit would undoubtedly multiply.

Opening the refrigerator, he found some high-energy food to replenish his physical stamina, and the fierce hunger finally subsided.

Noticing his entire body was soaked in sweat, he grabbed a change of clothes and headed into the bathroom.

Water cascaded down from the showerhead, flowing over the crown of his head, down his cheeks, and tracing a path along his shoulder blades all the way down.

Suddenly, Shen Siyuan clenched his fists and tensed his entire body. The flowing water instantly reacted as if struck by sonic vibrations, shattering into countless tiny droplets that sprayed in all directions.

"This is wonderful..."

Shen Siyuan extended his arms, feeling a wave of emotion in his heart—this was what a true man felt like.

Yet, his thoughts suddenly drifted back to the two wisps of merit he had acquired that night.

One wisp came from helping Du Xiuzhi fulfill her dying wish, which he could understand.

The other wisp came merely from promising Zhu Tingting that he would help her mother re-enter the cycle of reincarnation—he had actually obtained merit for that too.

And that event hadn't even happened yet; it was just a verbal promise.

This reminded him of the mythological legends where the deities Jieyin and Zhunti made forty-great grand vows to attain the Dao and become saints.

Could he follow their example and "buy on credit" from the Heavenly Dao?

At this thought, Shen Siyuan's heart began to thump wildly.

He turned off the shower, stood bare in the bathroom stark naked, and with a solemn expression declared: "If I attain the supreme Dao, I shall restart the cycle of reincarnation, ensuring every living being meets a just end for their good and evil... With compassion for the world, I shall deliver all souls..."

And then—

Shen Siyuan felt like an absolute idiot. A naked idiot swinging his pendulum, feeling so intensely awkward that his toes curled up hard enough to dig out a two-acre plot of land.

On second thought, the idea was absurd. If simply making grand vows could make one a god or a saint, then throughout history, this world would have birthed countless deities.

Attaining sainthood through such a method wasn't something just anyone could achieve. If one wanted to buy on credit, one had to possess the qualifications to do so.

The fact that Shen Siyuan managed to gain a certain amount of merit by making a promise to Zhu Tingting indicated that he indeed possessed some qualifications, albeit very limited ones.

Much like a bank's credit limit—he had a certain quota, but it was small. Trying to take out a massive loan was out of the question, but taking out a micro-loan should still be feasible.

Moreover, the reason for the loan had to be pragmatic, with a clear and concrete goal, devoid of empty rhetoric, in order to successfully "borrow" merit.

Having figured this out, Shen Siyuan hurriedly turned the shower back on to continue his unfinished business.

Just as he stepped out of the bathroom, he saw Doudou riding a wisp of gloomy wind, hurriedly darting in through the window.

"Bad news, bad news..."

"What's bad? Why are you in such a panic?" Shen Siyuan asked with a helpless expression.

"Big Brother Tuber, I saw a strange old grandpa."

"Is there anyone stranger than you?"

Doudou: →_→

"Alright, stop glaring at me with your little eyes. Tell me, what happened?" Shen Siyuan picked up a towel to dry his hair.

"I saw an old grandpa holding a feather duster, and he chased after me. It scared me so much I ran away..."

"A feather duster?" Shen Siyuan asked, looking very surprised.

"What kind of feather duster?"

"The kind with lots of little feathers. I've seen it at grandma's house. Grandpa said when he was little, he used it to spank uncle's butt. I asked grandpa to try spanking me with it once, and grandpa hit me—it hurt so much..." Doudou blabbered on endlessly.

"So you're saying an old grandpa holding a feather duster chased you wanting to spank your butt?" Shen Siyuan wore a wry expression.

Inwardly, however, he couldn't help wondering: Could Doudou have run into another extraordinary person capable of seeing ghosts?