[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner":3,"chapter-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-61":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm Not Crazy—This Is the Emperor's Banner",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2291401,4480,"Chapter 61: Taking a Great Vow","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-61",61,"\u003Cp>Seeing Zhu Guangfa and his daughter leave, Shen Siyuan immediately summoned the Ten Thousand Souls Banner again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wisp of merit rose onto the banner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Golden light, like a golden dragon, darted and rolled across the banner’s surface, repairing the Ten Thousand Souls Banner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The originally deep purple flag now shimmered with threads of gold, appearing more noble and extraordinary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Merit is like a universal remedy—it can transform into anything desired, achieving any effect one wishes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So instead of using the remaining wisp of merit to repair the banner or refine magic power, Shen Siyuan used it to forge his physical body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was because the realm had no spiritual energy; even if he gained magic power, it would be like a floating weed without roots, yielding not a single inch of progress, unless he converted vast amounts of merit into magic power—a bottomless pit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Using merit to forge the body was like consuming a supreme tonic, with zero side effects—perfect for laying a foundation for his weak frame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Combined with his own training, he could achieve minor success in the Great Arhat Eighteen Forms in a short time, far more efficient than refining magic power, since external cultivation still had a path forward, while internal cultivation’s path had long been severed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the wisp of merit infused his body, Shen Siyuan did not feel refreshed—he felt itching all over, excruciating joint pain, muscle spasms, cried out in agony, collapsed to the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face, like suffering an epileptic seizure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bone-deep agony felt as if someone had sawed his body open and smashed every bone with a hammer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan knew this was a growth pain, like the joint aches children experience during rapid development, caused by excessive movement and fast bone growth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Shen Siyuan’s bones and muscles had long been set—yet now, the constraints were shattered, a surge of vitality erupted within him, forcing his body to regrow, compressed into an impossibly short time, hence the unbearable pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he understood, he gritted his teeth and endured the pain, assuming the first posture of the Great Arhat Eighteen Forms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each of the Great Arhat Eighteen Forms consisted not of one movement, but six.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These six movements represented the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind—the Six Roots of Buddhism.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the Great Arhat Eighteen Forms totaled one hundred and eight movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where the first posture of the first form had once left him drenched in sweat, he now completed all six postures of the first form effortlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He only stalled at the third posture of the second form, and then felt a wave of hunger in his abdomen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was already a great advance—just days ago, even the first posture had drained him utterly, burning his stomach like fire; pushing further would have caused severe depletion, even death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now, with just one wisp of merit, he had leapt past the first form entirely, reaching the second level of the second form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Shen Siyuan concluded his practice, the pain vanished, replaced by a sense of total clarity—he stretched his arms, clenched his fists, and felt boundless vigor coursing through him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked down at his abdomen; where his belly had once been smooth and round, eight defined abs now stood out—he pressed lightly, and they felt as hard as iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected the first form to have such an effect, and he couldn’t help but feel joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he completed all eighteen forms, in modern society, he’d be a literal little superhero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it would require vast amounts of merit—though one wisp had brought him to the second level of the second form, it seemed the total needed might not be so great.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that calculation was wrong—the later forms grew exponentially harder, demanding far more merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened the fridge, found some high-energy food, replenished his energy, and the hunger finally faded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his body soaked in sweat, he grabbed fresh clothes and entered the bathroom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Water cascaded from the showerhead, flowing over his head, tracing his cheeks, then down his shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan suddenly clenched his fist, tensing his entire body—the water instantly vibrated into droplets, spraying in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perfect…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan extended his arm, sighing inwardly—this was what a real man looked like.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then he remembered the two wisps of merit from last night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One came from helping Du Xiuzhi fulfill her wish—he understood that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other came merely from promising Zhu Tingting he’d help her mother re-enter reincarnation—and he’d still earned merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that promise hadn’t been fulfilled yet—it was only a verbal pledge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made him think of the mythic tales of Amitabha and Prabhutaratna, who swore forty-eight great vows to attain sainthood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could he, too, copy their example—borrow from the Dao?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this thought, Shen Siyuan’s heart began pounding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned off the shower, stood bare in the bathroom, and spoke solemnly: “If I attain the supreme Dao, I shall restore reincarnation, ensuring all beings face the consequences of good and evil… I shall pity mortals, save all sentient life…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan realized he was a complete idiot, a naked idiot waving his big pendulum, so embarrassed even he wanted to dig two acres of holes with his toes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He also realized it was impossible—if making grand vows could make one a god or saint,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>countless deities and sages would have arisen since ancient times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Achieving enlightenment through such a method wasn’t for just anyone—you needed the qualification to borrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since his promise to Zhu Tingting had granted him merit, he clearly had some qualification—just not much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a bank’s credit limit: a small quota, not enough for a massive loan, but small advances should still be possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the loan purpose had to be practical, clearly defined—not empty grandiosity—to “borrow” merit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing this, Shen Siyuan quickly turned the shower back on and resumed his unfinished task.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he stepped out of the bathroom, Dou Dou darted in through the window, riding a gust of yin wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh no, oh no…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong? Why the panic?” Shen Siyuan said, unimpressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big Brother Sweet Potato, I saw a strange old man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is there anyone stranger than you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dou Dou: →_→\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, stop giving me that side-eye. Tell me what happened,” Shen Siyuan said, drying his hair with a towel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I saw an old man holding a feather duster chasing me—I ran away in fear…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Feather duster?” Shen Siyuan blinked in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What feather duster?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know, one with lots of feathers—I saw one at my grandma’s house. Grandpa said he used it to spank Uncle’s butt when he was little. I asked Grandpa to try it on me—he gave me one swat, and it hurt so much…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dou Dou chattered on endlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you’re saying an old man chased you with a feather duster, trying to spank your butt?” Shen Siyuan stared, dumbfounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet inwardly, he wondered—had Dou Dou encountered another rare soul who could see ghosts?\u003C\u002Fp>",1166,"2026-06-20T03:53:08.657Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","d5c85a398ed488071c28ec7d9704777c56134e5ae1fa9d0ed62e326e629dd450","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-62","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-60",623,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-cover.jpg"]