Chapter 1: I Became Xuanzang

Journey to the West: Starting by Joining the Chat Group, Main Text Volume, Chapter 1: I Became Xuanzang. Southern Jambu Continent, within the borders of the Great Tang.

Outside Chang'an City, on a certain green mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, beside a clear little stream, one could see a youth wearing a white monk's robe standing in place, carefully examining the person in the water.

"Setting aside my status, this appearance of mine is peerless; fairies would shed tears upon seeing it, and demons would be unable to move their feet."

The youth is named Xuanzang, a resident of the Great Tang. Of course, not a simple Great Tang resident, but a visitor from beyond the heavens, from another world.

Xuanzang's final memory remained on the Earth Star where he lived suddenly exploding; there was not the slightest warning, and not even a corpse remained.

Upon waking up again, he had already arrived in this world, and in the blink of an eye, eighteen years had passed.

Transmigration? Actually, it's nothing!

It was just that, belatedly, Xuanzang suddenly discovered that this Tang Dynasty was not simple; it did not seem to be a historical space-time in the conventional sense.

It contained myths, and it contained demons and monsters.

For instance, some rumors had come from Chang'an City a while ago: that the remonstrating official Wei Zheng beheaded a Dragon in his dreams.

If Xuanzang's memory had not failed him, this seemed to be a plot point from Journey to the West.

If it really were Journey to the West, then the difficulty of this dungeon had instantly become hell-level, and adding on his own identity as Xuanzang...

"Fortunately, I am a Son of Luck. Following the plot, at worst I can still manage to become a Buddha of Merit and live forever. But since I've already transmigrated, if I don't manage to become the head of Buddhism, wouldn't that be letting down my status as a Transmigrator?"

Xuanzang muttered, then left the stream and walked toward the mountain.

Although the mountain path was rugged, Xuanzang walked as if on flat ground, as if his body were as light as a swallow, without the slightest obstruction.

On the mountain, there was a temple. This temple looked dilapidated, basically having not been renovated for many years; the outer walls were pitted and uneven, too painful to look at.

Such a temple was especially rare in the current prosperous Great Tang.

Looking at the broken temple, Xuanzang also revealed a look of doubt for a moment.

If he really were the future Scripture Seeker, according to the descriptions in Journey to the West, how could he possibly stay in this broken temple?

This temple didn't even have a single believer, only one Old Monk, which completely failed to match his status as a virtuous and eminent monk.

He walked in leisurely, passed through the courtyard, and entered the main hall directly.

It is better not to mention this main hall; there were no gold-patterned pillars, nor were there Dragon-patterned pillars, only a few wooden posts supporting the roof beams.

It is worth mentioning that although this temple was broken, the Golden Body of Rulai enshrined inside was pure gold, with fat ears and a benevolent face!

Xuanzang once suspected that the reason the temple was so broken was because the budget had been spent on the Golden Body.

A golden nest or a silver nest is not as good as one's own dog kennel; although the temple was broken, Xuanzang could not possibly dislike the place that raised him.

Beneath that Golden Body of the Buddha Rulai, an Old Monk sat on a prayer mat.

The Old Monk's Kasaya was covered in patches, and he looked extremely aged, his skin as wrinkled as a hundred-year-old pine tree.

Incense smoke curled around the Old Monk, setting him off to look somewhat like an enlightened, eminent monk.

"Master."

Xuanzang walked over and sat down, face-to-face with the Old Monk.

Hearing this, the Old Monk opened his eyes; his gaze was somewhat wise, and he spoke:

"Xuanzang, you have come."

"Mm." Xuanzang nodded.

"Have you finished your lessons?" the Old Monk asked.

"I haven't," said Xuanzang.

"..." the Old Monk.

"I want to go down the mountain!" Xuanzang continued.

"Why go down the mountain?" the Old Monk asked.

"To return to secular life, enter the world, find a girl, and discuss life!" Xuanzang said bluntly.

"..., disciple, your six senses are not yet pure; what does a monk want with a girl?" the Old Monk said.

Xuanzang's expression did not change, and he said:

"The old gentleman Lu Xun said, of the three unfilial acts, having no descendants is the greatest! Can the disciple really be a bachelor monk for his whole life? Look at the disciple's appearance, it is the best in the Great Tang; this is Heaven rewarding me with food. If I return to secular life, at worst I could still become a prince consort~"

The Old Monk looked at Xuanzang's handsome face and revealed a look of contemplation; it was only after a long while that he said:

"Disciple, once you marry a wife, you cannot become a Buddha."

"Master, that sounds as if one could become a Buddha just by not marrying. You yourself have practiced for most of your life, and yet you are still..."

Xuanzang only gestured with his eyes and did not continue, fearing he would hurt the Old Monk's self-esteem.

"Xuanzang, the red dust of the secular world passes in a flash. Beautiful women are nothing but pink skeletons," the Old Monk advised.

"Lu Xun once said, walk your own path and let others talk," Xuanzang replied.

The Old Monk's expression finally sank, as if he could no longer hold it together, and he said in a low voice:

"Rebellious disciple, you want to go down the mountain? No way."

"..." Xuanzang.

Xuanzang did not want to continue this topic, but instead looked at the Golden Body of Rulai and asked:

"Master, our temple is so broken, why is this Golden Body so extravagant? Since there is such a bright Golden Body, why does no one come to worship?"

Hearing this, the Old Monk spoke indifferently:

"My Buddha only saves those with money!"

"My Buddha does not save the poor!"

"My Buddha is merciful, Amituofo!"

"Master, is it really okay for you to say that?" Xuanzang had not expected the Old Monk to be so blunt.

The Old Monk glanced at Xuanzang and said:

"Don't worry about those details."

"Alright, Master, you continue studying the Buddhist Dharma." Xuanzang stood up from the prayer mat and left directly.

Walking to the doorway, the Old Monk suddenly remembered something and said:

"Xuanzang, you keep mentioning Lu Xun; who is he?"

"Ask your Buddha." Xuanzang did not look back.

"Rebellious disciple," the Old Monk muttered.

Returning to his meditation room, Xuanzang took a roasted chicken out from his robes and began to eat.

Since he could not go down the mountain to Chang'an, he could only hunt wild game himself to make do and supplement his nutrition.

"I wonder when the Old Monk will let me leave," Xuanzang sighed.

He recited silently in his heart: "System, open the personal attribute panel."

The next second, a light screen appeared before Xuanzang's eyes.

【Name: Xuanzang】

【Age: Eighteen】

【Realm: Perfection of Refining Spirit into Void.】

【Cultivation Method: Nothingness.】

【Skill: Basic Attack!】

"I'm just a little bit away from breaking through Refining Spirit into Void; when that time comes, I'll battle the Old Monk again."

Xuanzang thought to himself that if he could go down the mountain, he would have done so long ago.

It was a pity that the Old Monk only looked old, but his strength was extremely monstrous.

No matter how much Xuanzang's strength increased, the Old Monk's strength was always just a tiny bit higher than his.

It was just like a boss in a game, no matter how you fought, you couldn't kill it...

As for Xuanzang himself, he was naturally not the weakling Tang Sanzang from Journey to the West who had a combat power of five.

At the age of six, he had bound himself to a cheat called the "Heavenly Dao Rewards Diligence System."

The function of this cheat was very simple: it issued some simple diligence tasks to increase his strength.

For example, twenty push-ups in a minute, one hundred breaths in a minute, running two laps around the temple, punching...

In nearly twelve years, Xuanzang had gone from a mere mortal to an Immortal Cultivation big shot at the Refining Spirit into Void realm, though of course, this was limited to within the territory of the Human Race in Renjian.

Besides increasing strength, the system had not yet displayed any other Absorption.

Such as drawing a prize, selling a Skin, or anything of the sort...

"Forget about the Old Monk; since I can't go down the mountain, I'll continue to develop stealthily," Xuanzang muttered to himself.

Just at this moment, a "ding-dong" sound came from his mind!

"Ding-dong, the Heavens Chat Group invites you to join. Do you wish to join?"