Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

Chapter 4 Lingyin Temple

But Guangliang, who was standing next to him, jumped up and exclaimed in surprise, "Master, he is so disrespectful to his elders and should be disciplined."

Huiming frowned upon hearing this and said, "What precepts are you taking? I didn't see him being rude."

Just kidding, Daoji is his lucky star, and he's also the reincarnation of the Dragon-Subduing Venerable. How could he punish him at will?

This is also why, in the story of Ji Gong, Huiming repeatedly smelled the odor of wine and meat on Daoji, but did not punish him.

Although Guangliang was unwilling, what could he do after his master had already said so?

The poor child still doesn't know Daoji's identity; he is the reincarnation of the Dragon-Subduing Venerable. Although Guangliang has been reincarnated, he has not awakened his memories of his past life.

After leaving the main hall, Li Xiuyuan felt uncomfortable all over. After taking the Supreme Marrow Cleansing Pill, he smelled terrible. If his master hadn't sent Guangliang to call him, he would have gone to take a bath long ago!

Unable to resist any longer, Li Xiuyuan left Lingyin Temple. He found a pool of water in the back mountain and took a nice bath, washing off the mud before standing up.

Li Xiuyuan's skin was incredibly smooth, almost like that of a baby, seemingly due to consuming the Marrow Cleansing Pill.

Having not eaten for half a day, Li Xiuyuan felt he could easily eat a whole cow. So he found a roe deer on the back mountain, lit a fire, and roasted it.

After undergoing marrow cleansing, Li Xiuyuan's body became incredibly agile, making it no problem for him to catch wild animals.

From afar, you could see thick smoke rising into the sky. After a long while, Li Xiuyuan finally finished grilling it. Although the taste wasn't great, it was enough to make him feel about 50% full.

At this moment, Li Xiuyuan had finished digesting the Supreme Marrow Cleansing Pill, and the storage space had also been integrated into the system. As long as he had a thought, he could put anything into it.

Of course, this only applies to items that can be accommodated in storage spaces of 100 cubic meters.

Finally, there is the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra, which is the first volume and only contains the first six levels.

This scripture contains Buddhist practice methods. If you practice it yourself, it won't matter even if others see through your practice later.

The Great Sun Tathagata Sutra: First, one must visualize one's own Shakyamuni in one's mind, forming his personal Buddha image.

Li Xiuyuan sat cross-legged on a large rock, visualizing the image of Shakyamuni Buddha in his mind. He used his own image as the standard for visualization, immersing himself in the profound mystery of the Mahavairocana Sutra.

At the same time, in Li Xiuyuan's sea of ​​consciousness, a small golden Buddha statue was gradually taking shape, a completely miniature version, seemingly accompanied by the sounds of countless believers chanting Buddhist scriptures.

A series of Buddhist chants emanated from his sea of ​​consciousness, forming strands of true energy that converged in his upper dantian.

After a long while, Li Xiuyuan finally opened his eyes. A glint flashed in his eyes, and his entire demeanor changed, as if he were a highly enlightened monk.

At this point, he entered the Qi Refining stage. The path of cultivation is divided into Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Primordial Spirit, Human Immortal...

After reaching the Golden Core stage, each step forward is accompanied by divine punishment. Cultivation is about seizing the power of heaven and earth, and if one wants to become a human immortal, one must overcome three calamities and nine tribulations.

Of course, the Three Calamities are still far from Li Xiuyuan's reach, and the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra he practices is a method given by the system, so this sutra is a method for visualizing his own deity.

If someone else practices the Mahavairocana Sutra but visualizes the Buddha image of Shakyamuni—the golden image of the Tathagata Buddha—the power of the visualization is greatly diminished.

If Li Xiuyuan were to cultivate step by step, he would probably be able to break through to the Golden Core realm in less than thirty years. However, that would still be too slow for him, as the threat of the Golden-Winged Roc could come at any time.

If Li Xiuyuan doesn't want to die a miserable death, the only way to defeat the Golden-Winged Roc is to break through quickly. As for summoning the Seventeen Arhats, he has no way to do that.

Moreover, Li Xiuyuan wouldn't be foolish enough to summon it, since he was possessed by another body. If he were to actually summon it, he would probably be exposed!

After all, Li Xiuyuan did not have the memories of the Dragon-Subduing Venerable, but only inherited the memories of his reincarnated self.

However, with the existence of the [Saint Buddha System], Li Xiuyuan was confident that he could rival the Golden-Winged Roc in a short period of time, at most in a hundred years. But would the other party give him a hundred years?

Therefore, Li Xiuyuan's current task is still to achieve a rapid breakthrough; this is the most important thing.

First, accumulate merit points, and then follow the steps to practice the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra!

…………

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, two years have passed since Li Xiuyuan came to this world. Due to the [Holy Buddha System], he needs to obtain a large number of merit points.

Therefore, Li Xiuyuan could be seen within a 50-mile radius of Lingyin Temple. He did good deeds all the time, which made the surrounding people love him very much. He was even known as a living Buddha and holy monk. If anyone dared to speak ill of him, they would be dragged over and beaten up.

Li Xiuyuan has worked so hard to help others and has also gained a lot. His merit points have skyrocketed to more than 500!

In addition, Li Xiuyuan's cultivation level has reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, and the Great Perfection of the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra has been achieved. In this world where immortals, demons, Buddhas, and monsters coexist, although he is very weak, he has barely gained some strength.

In three years, Lingyin Temple has changed a lot. First of all, the desolate ancient temple has long since become a temple with thriving incense offerings.

Moreover, all the golden Buddha statues, from the Tathagata Buddha to the Bodhisattvas and the Eighteen Arhats, stand prominently in the main hall. These statues are lifelike and radiate golden light.

In Lingyin Temple, there is a monk dressed in a robe, with delicate features and sharp angles. His hair is only a few centimeters long. He looks like a monk but is not a monk. If someone sees him, they will know that this is the hairstyle of a lay disciple.

Generally speaking, lay Buddhist disciples who leave the monastic community look like this after a few years.

Chapter 5 Skill Exchange

Li Xiuyuan found his hair too long and troublesome, so he cut it off. In the original novel, when he had long hair, Abbot Huiming of Lingyin Temple wouldn't say anything. Now that he's cut it off, he'll say even less.

With Li Xiuyuan's attire, if he were to walk outside, an ordinary person could immediately tell that he was a Buddhist.

In three years, with Li Xiuyuan's help, Lingyin Temple became incredibly popular, with no other temple within a hundred miles able to compare.

This was naturally due to Li Xiuyuan's persistent efforts in spreading Buddhism and helping others at the foot of the mountain, which made Lingyin Temple flourish. He was not like the Ji Gong in the original story, wearing a tattered monk's robe and not bathing for months.

Li Xiuyuan was very thin-skinned. Dressed in clean clothes, he bowed to the Buddha statue in the main hall and said, "Master, fellow disciples, I am leaving! Don't miss me."

The portly monk Guangliang said loudly, "Junior brother, you should go soon! Our Lingyin Temple can do without anyone."

Over the past three years, he had caught Daoji breaking the rules multiple times and reported it to his master, but no one punished him, which really angered him, and he wished the other would leave immediately.

Beside Guangliang was a man in a gray monk's robe with a thin face. His Buddhist name was Biqing, and he had entered Lingyin Temple two years ago.

Indeed, he was one of the fat and thin fairy children in Mount Ling, and he was also involved in letting the Golden-Winged Roc go.

Over the years, Lingyin Temple has recruited more than ten disciples, and Na Biqing is one of them.

Bi Qing agreed, “Yes! Uncle Daoji, don’t worry, Lingyin Temple will be just as good without you.”

Li Xiuyuan smiled slightly upon hearing this. He didn't care. In the past three years, he had been staying in Lingyin Temple and had long been a thorn in Guangliang's side because of his great reputation.

The pilgrims who came to Lingyin Temple all wanted to see Daoji, the living Buddha and holy monk, which made Guangliang extremely depressed. You must know, he was the abbot!

But everyone was focused on Daoji, which naturally made Guangliang resentful. So when he heard the news that Li Xiuyuan was leaving, he was even more eager for it, because only in this way could he control the power of Lingyin Temple.

Li Xiuyuan was perfectly aware of Guangliang's thoughts, but the most important thing in this world was strength. He had been in the temple for three years and had reached the second level of perfection in the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra, but he had not been able to break through.

He wanted to go out and seek opportunities, as the saying goes: "Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles!"

Huiming said, "Daoji, go and come back soon."

Although he was the abbot, he couldn't control Daoji's departures; he could only urge him to return soon!

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will be back in a few years. Until we meet again."

As he spoke, he stepped out of the gate, his steps swift and light, as if he were flying on air, and quickly descended from Lingyin Temple.

The people of this world are no strangers to immortals, Buddhas, demons, and monsters, so they were not too surprised when they saw Li Xiuyuan's speed.

After leaving Lingyin Temple, Li Xiuyuan felt a pang of sadness. He had been in this place for three years, and he was truly reluctant to leave.

Li Xiuyuan said, "System, please check my personal panel."

A series of subtitles appeared in his mind.

Name: Li Xiuyuan (Daoji)

Realm: Foundation Establishment Great Perfection (Grandmaster)

Merit: 582

Skill: Mahavairocana Sutra.

Treasure: 100-meter storage space.

Li Xiuyuan asked, "System, see if there are any martial arts techniques suitable for me."

He is about to leave Lingyin Temple to seek opportunities elsewhere, and he will inevitably encounter many dangers. Therefore, he needs to prepare a powerful martial arts technique in order to unleash his full potential.

"Ding! Master has over 500 merit points. We recommend you exchange them for the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms." A clear, pure voice rang out.

Li Xiuyuan nodded after hearing this and said, "Okay! Exchange it for me."

He is the reincarnation of the Dragon-Subduing Venerable, so the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms are perfectly suited for him. Only by obtaining the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms can one subdue dragons!

"Ding! Congratulations, Master, for spending 500 merit points to obtain the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms."

The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms: This is the ultimate martial art of the Beggars' Sect in martial arts novels. It is the most powerful and domineering palm technique, derived from the supreme essence of the I Ching. Each of the eighteen palm techniques is the ultimate in power and ferocity.

This palm technique was created based on insights from the I Ching. Each move contains the ability to anticipate the enemy's moves and strike when they are unprepared. To unleash its true power, it is best to use someone with great strength. The stronger the strength, the greater the power that can be unleashed.

The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, the supreme martial art of the Beggars' Sect, is a fictional creation in Chinese martial arts novels, but it actually exists in this world. Due to the intrusion of various martial arts worlds, many martial arts techniques coexist in the world.

If Li Xiuyuan wanted them, he could exchange them for merit points, but he could only obtain martial arts techniques from righteous people. This must be the limitation of the merit shop!

The essence of palm techniques kept flooding into his mind.

"The Book of Changes: Qian Hexagram: The Image says: The top line: The dragon in the highest position will have regrets! Fullness cannot last long, rigidity cannot be excessive, going too far is as bad as not going far enough."

"The method of subduing the dragon is easy. Easy means anticipating the enemy's moves, acting in accordance with the heavens' will, and following the heavens' timing. The method of strength is to be firm when it is necessary and gentle when it is necessary."

In a mere instant, Li Xiuyuan received the entire palm technique.

Li Xiuyuan closed his eyes slightly, and the general principles of the palm technique quickly appeared in his mind.

One palm technique after another appeared, and a golden Buddha was constantly practicing one exquisite palm technique after another with a wave of his hand.

The essence of the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms is exactly the opposite of the principle of a bull ramming into a wall.

Once you unleash a move, even if it carries the force of several thousand or ten thousand pounds, it will eventually run out. If the enemy is a master, they will suddenly counterattack the moment you exhaust your strength.