Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

"Nourishing Essence Pill, Rejuvenating Pill, Fasting Pill, Qi-Boosting Pill, Mind-Concentrating Pill, Heavenly Spirit Pill, Nine-Turn Golden Pill..."

"The Heaven Sword, the Dragon Saber, the Peerless Sword, the Snow Drinking Saber, the Four Swords of Zhuxian, the Landscape Painting, the Universe Cauldron, the Taiji Diagram, the Pangu Axe..."

"The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms, One-Finger Divine Skill, Northern Darkness Divine Art, War God's Manual, Ten Thousand Swords Return to One, Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Gang, Seventy-Two Transformations of the Earthly Fiends, Heavenly Eye Divine Power, Dharma Image of Heaven and Earth, Great Sun Tathagata True Scripture..."

"Spirit Gathering Array, Limitless Immortal Trapping Array, Yin-Yang Dust Array, Nine-Bend Yellow River Array, Myriad Immortals Grand Array, Immortal Slaying Sword Array, Twelve Heavenly Gods and Demons Grand Array..."

Seeing that the Merit Mall had countless pills, formations, supernatural powers and techniques, and divine weapons and magic treasures, Li Xiuyuan was overjoyed and his body was trembling with excitement.

But before long, Li Xiuyuan's mood returned to calm, and even became somewhat heavy.

"These are all good things, but they're way too expensive!"

Below the merit mall, a series of Arabic numerals were so numerous that they made one's eyes dizzy.

"Five Tigers Severing the Gate Blade - 50 Merit Points"

"The Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms - 500 Merit Points".

"War God's Manual - 1500 Merit Points".

"Eight or Nine Revolutions of Skill - 5000 Merit Points".

"The Immortal Execution Sword - 10000 Merit Points".

"Pangu Axe - 1000000 Merit Points".

……

Li Xiuyuan said, "System, the items here are so expensive, who can afford to redeem them?"

He only has ten merit points, and even the lowest-level Five Tigers Severing Gate Blade requires 50 merit points. This mall is simply beyond his reach.

“Master, as long as you continue to work hard, one day you will be able to exchange for any treasure.”

Li Xiuyuan complained, "I know that too, but a crisis is gradually approaching. If we don't increase our strength quickly, we'll have no choice but to possess another body!"

He knew perfectly well that the reincarnation of the Dragon-Subduing Venerable was only to capture the Roc, which was more likely the Golden-Winged Roc, Kong Xuan's half-brother, and possessed great supernatural powers.

However, Li Xiuyuan's skills are weak, and if the other party comes seeking revenge, he may not be able to withstand it.

If he were the true Dragon-Subduing Venerable, he could naturally rely on his memories of his past life to quickly restore his strength. With the help of the Seventeen Arhats, he would naturally not be afraid of the Roc.

But it would probably take Li Xiuyuan several hundred years to grow up.

Most importantly, will the Golden-Winged Roc give him several hundred years?

"Master, after this possession attempt, the system has exhausted all its energy and can no longer attempt to possess another body!"

Li Xiuyuan was extremely frustrated upon hearing this. It meant that if he died this time, he couldn't be resurrected. He pressed on, "System, aren't you kidding me? You sent me to this world, you can't just abandon me!"

"Master, considering your current situation, we can issue you a merit-based beginner gift pack to help you quickly increase your strength."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan was overjoyed and said, "Why didn't you say so sooner? Hurry up and give me the merit-based newbie gift pack!"

“Master, you didn’t ask! How am I supposed to know you need it?”

"Alright, enough chit-chat, let's quickly see what's in the newbie gift pack."

"Oh! Would you like to accept the merit-based newbie gift pack?"

"Yes."

"Ding! Congratulations, Master, you have received the Merit Newbie Gift Pack: Supreme Marrow Cleansing Pill, a storage space of 100 meters in size, and the first volume of the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra."

Li Xiuyuan looked at the golden pill in his hand, about the size of a fingertip, and a strange fragrance wafted into his nostrils. This must be the Supreme Marrow Cleansing Pill! As for the storage space, it was completely integrated into the system, and he could open it with just a thought.

Finally, the Great Sun Tathagata Sutra was already deeply imprinted in Li Xiuyuan's mind.

"Ding, friendly reminder: You need to take the Marrow Cleansing Pill quickly, otherwise its effects will gradually diminish."

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan immediately swallowed the Marrow Cleansing Pill. A powerful medicinal effect flowed into his heart and gradually spread to his limbs and bones.

Li Xiuyuan felt completely limp, as if he were lying in his mother's arms, extremely comfortable, and he felt no pain whatsoever.

Sure enough, novels are all fake. The idea that one has to endure intense pain during marrow cleansing is all a lie.

Chapter 3 Fat Monk Guangliang

What Li Xiuyuan didn't know was that this Supreme Marrow Cleansing Pill was the best of the best among Marrow Cleansing Pills, so naturally he didn't have to suffer any pain, unlike ordinary Marrow Cleansing Pills.

Gradually, Li Xiuyuan felt a cool sensation in his body, and black sweat welled up from his skin, all of which were impurities in the body.

This body was originally that of a mortal, and even if he were the reincarnation of the Dragon-Subduing Venerable, it would be difficult to change his nature. However, after consuming the Supreme Marrow Cleansing Pill, in the world of martial arts, he would probably be a martial arts prodigy, one in a million.

After a long while, Li Xiuyuan felt extremely comfortable all over. Suddenly, a foul smell came over him, and his clothes were stained black, as if he had come from a stinking ditch. He was greatly surprised.

However, the effect was quite good. At this moment, Li Xiuyuan felt clear-headed, and the events of the past surfaced one by one. Even the few times he wet the bed as a child were remembered very clearly.

Moreover, Li Xiuyuan felt his whole body was full of power. With one punch, the explosive force was at least a hundred pounds!

After receiving the merit-based newbie gift pack, Li Xiuyuan felt much better and asked, "System, can you change your voice? You're so cold and emotionless."

"Yes, Master, is this how it is?" A sweet, coquettish voice rang out.

"Holy crap! It's Sister Zhilin!"

This voice makes one's imagination run wild; I'm afraid I'll get tired of just hearing it, so I'd better choose another one!

Seemingly aware of Li Xiuyuan's thoughts, a soft voice asked, "Master, how is this voice?"

Li Xiuyuan asked in confusion, "How do you know what I'm thinking?"

"Master, I know your memories. Many otaku like Sister Zhiling. This is to help you choose the voice based on the general public's opinion."

Li Xiuyuan replied, "Oh! I'll use the second voice."

"Yes, Master! This pure voice will not give you any impure thoughts. The voice source used this time is Guo Biting."

Li Xiuyuan nodded upon hearing this.

Just then, a cheerful voice rang out: "Junior brother, come out quickly."

"Boom!"

A knock on the door startled Li Xiuyuan from his deep thoughts. He immediately went to the door of the meditation room.

But there stood a fat man, dressed in a gray monk's robe, with a fat head and big ears, and a body as big as a water bucket, standing outside the gate.

A name came to mind—Guang Liang, one of the fat and thin fairy children in Mount Ling, who was banished to the mortal world for releasing the Roc.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiuyuan calmly asked, "Guangliang, what do you want with me?"

Etiquette is highly valued in Buddhism. Fortunately, he had only recently been reincarnated, and judging from the Daoji in the TV series, he seemed lazy and unconcerned.

In addition, given his identity as the Dragon-Subduing Venerable, he does have a rather good physique.

Guangliang said in a clear voice, "Junior brother, Master told me to take you to the meditation room. Come with me quickly!"

He was surprised. Lingyin Temple had not accepted any disciples for many years. He never expected that when he came to ask to become a disciple yesterday, the master would actually agree.

Now that Li Xiuyuan has been summoned over, it can be considered a formal apprenticeship!

Li Xiuyuan nodded upon hearing this and replied, "Okay, then lead the way quickly!"

He tried to be as rude as possible, after all, the original owner was the Venerable Dragon Subduer, and ordinary monks could not compare to him.

Guangliang frowned upon hearing this, but still began to lead the way, and the two headed towards the main hall of the temple.

Stone unicorns lie buried beneath spring grasses, while the desolate Bronze Sparrow Terrace faces the evening clouds.

The ancient temple looked desolate, but that made sense, considering there were only four or five monks, including Li Xiuyuan.

Before long, under Guangliang's guidance, Li Xiuyuan entered the main hall, where there was only one Buddha statue, namely Shakyamuni, also known as the Tathagata Buddha.

The golden Buddha statue, so lifelike, illuminated the main hall.

After Li Xiuyuan walked in, he smiled and said, "Master, what brings you here?"

He had a lazy demeanor and little manners, as if the person in front of him was not his master at all.

Ahead stood an elderly monk, whose Dharma name was Huiming. His face was covered with wrinkles. He said, "Now that you have entered the Buddhist order, you can no longer use your secular name. Your master will give you a new name, Daoji!"

He showed no anger at Li Xiuyuan's appearance.

Just kidding, the person in front of him is the reincarnation of the Dragon-Subduing Venerable, and has even awakened his memories. Although he is the other party's master, he doesn't think he has any right to control him.

After all, their statuses were vastly different. Back then, he was just an ordinary old monk, but he received a dream from the Buddha and came to Li Family Village when the Dragon-Subduing Venerable was born, which led to the scene of him being named.

With the help of the Buddha, the golden body of the Buddha was placed in Lingyin Temple. Now that the Dragon-Subduing Venerable is in this temple, it is unlikely that an ordinary temple can accommodate him, so the only option is to build a new one.

In the future, Lingyin Temple will not only have a golden statue of Buddha, but also golden statues of various Bodhisattvas and Arhats.

The old monk was the abbot of Lingyin Temple, and naturally, he benefited the most from the construction of this temple.

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan pursed his lips and said, "Well, Daoji it is! If there's nothing else, I'll be going!"

His identity was that of the reincarnation of the Dragon-Subduing Venerable, and the old monk couldn't care less. In the original story, Daoji drank alcohol and ate meat, and his cheap master would at most mention it verbally, but there was no formal ordination.

On the surface, the most important person in Lingyin Temple is naturally the abbot. But in reality, this is not the case. Even the abbot cannot break the rules, but Daoji can.

After all, in his previous life he was the Dragon-Taming Arhat, the leader of the Eighteen Arhats, and the Buddhist precepts rarely applied to him.

For example, Pigsy, the Cleansing Altar Messenger in The Lotus Lantern, still drinks alcohol and eats meat after the Journey to the West. Would Buddha care?

Needless to say, these precepts only apply to ordinary monks, not Sun Wukong.

Huiming was not angry when he saw Daoji leave, and let him go.