Only at the Mahayana Stage Does the Reversal System Appear - Chapter 239

Chapter 239: Know Your True Heart

The second test wasn’t about testing a cultivator’s talent for treasure hunting, nor was it about their profound knowledge, nor was it about the strength of the spiritual consciousness of those in the Tribulation Crossing or Great Perfection stages.

Xizhi sought Song Ying’s natural intuition.

Painting requires inspiration, intuition, and the ability to discern the truth behind things. Otherwise, it’s mere copying, without innovation or transcendence.

“You’re not bad. I’m very pleased with you.”

Xizhi surveyed Song Ying, his expression unconcealed with joy.

If the first test had left her as merely a decent painter, the second test had already seen her as a potential heir to the Immortal Painting God. As long as she performed well in the third, she was certain to inherit the Immortal Painting God heritage.

“Fairy Xizhi, it’s been five hundred years since we last met,” Jiang Li greeted Xizhi.

Xizhi was truly a stunning fairy, with delicate features and a hint of indifference between her brows, adding to her allure. No wonder so many cultivators were so concerned about her.

“I don’t know you, I’ve never seen you before. Who are you?” Xizhi refused to acknowledge Jiang Li.

Jiang Li’s paintings from five hundred years ago were so ugly they blinded Xizhi, and it took her five hundred years to recover from the shock.

It was unbelievable that someone’s painting skills could be so poor.

Of all the paintings Xizhi had ever seen, Jiang Li’s was the worst.

“This is the Human Emperor Jiang Li,” Qin Luan introduced to Fairy Xizhi.

“I never thought you could become the Human Emperor. I thought it was little Yuyin.” Xizhi was still upset that Yuyin didn’t become the Human Emperor.

At the time, both Jiang Li and Yuyin were only in the Jindan stage, not even considered candidates for the title. Yet, Xizhi saw in both of them the potential to become the Human Emperor, and preferred Yuyin.

“It was a stroke of luck,” Jiang Li said modestly.

“I heard that after you reached the Mahayana stage, the extraterritorial demons that plagued Jiuzhou were no longer a threat. You’ve done well.”

Xizhi had inquired about Jiang Li’s recent situation, having entered the secret realm twice before, and knew that he had thrived in Jiuzhou since leaving the Yunshui Secret Realm.

“Does Fairy Xizhi know anything about the extraterritorial demons?”

“No. I’m just a thought of the Painting Fairy, not all of her memories. My knowledge of the immortal realm is far less than that of Immortal Master Changcun. If you have any questions, you can ask him. He’s quite knowledgeable in the immortal realm.”

Xizhi then asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Seeking to obtain the Painting Fairy inheritance.”

Xizhi rolled her eyes. If Jiang Li could obtain the Painting Fairy inheritance, she would drink up a whole pool of ink.

Xizhi left and went to the third test world to await them.

Aguna, with great luck, had accidentally picked a real fruit without any warning.

“Now for the third test,”

Xizhi said, and everyone was transported to a new small world.

The second test eliminated more people. The only ones still in the secret realm were Jiang Li, Li Er, Qin Luan, and the women behind him. They

were all familiar faces.

“Excuse me, I have a question,” Jiang Li politely interrupted Xizhi.

“Speak.”

“Can you please stop the rain? I like sunshine.”

A steady, gentle drizzle fell in the third world. Xizhi, holding a red oil-paper umbrella, stood before the crowd, ethereal and ethereal.

Xizhi loved the red oil-paper umbrella, finding it beautiful, but holding it directly seemed out of place. So, whenever she appeared, she invoked her authority to make it rain.

Jiang Li said, thank goodness Xizhi possessed an immortal mind, otherwise she would have developed rheumatism long ago.

Mr. Jiang asked if the rain could stop, saying he liked sunshine. Does this mean that rain represents hardship, while sunshine represents hope? Despite the numerous challenges, wave after wave, as long as we hold onto hope and yearn for light, we will eventually ride the wind and waves and see the sun…?

Qin Luan analyzed Jiang Li’s words and felt he had learned a lot.

As expected of Mr. Jiang, every move held profound meaning.

Xi Zhi rolled his eyes at Jiang Li, stopped the drizzle, put away his red oil-paper umbrella, and continued, “The third realm of painting: seeing mountains as mountains, seeing water as water. The third test: Please paint the happiest scene in your mind. It can be something that happened in the past, something that will happen in the future, or something you imagine. There are no restrictions.”

Everyone was stunned, feeling a bit daunted.

Jiang Li pondered what the happiest scene—in other words, the scene he most hoped to see—was.

He hadn’t really thought about it.

Li Er was also pondering: Was marrying Cheng’er the happiest moment in his life?

Or was it the birth of their daughter?

Or their daughter’s wedding… No, no, no, their daughter’s wedding was definitely not a happy moment.

Qin Luan was also wondering what he truly wanted: Jiang Li’s approval, becoming the Human Emperor, or perhaps becoming a peerless master and reaching the end of the immortal path?

The little fox raised its paw. It painted a scene of itself returning to the body stage and becoming the ruler of Qingqiu once again.

“Little fox, are you sure this is your truest thought?”

Xizhi looked at the little fox with a half-smile, which made it feel a little guilty and huddled up. But it still called out, indicating that this was its life goal.

Xizhi was not omniscient and omnipotent. He could not see the little fox’s past and future, nor its truest thoughts, but a painting is a person’s mind. Xizhi could judge through the painting whether the scene in the painting was what the other person had in mind.

Xizhi saw hesitation and concealment in the little fox’s painting, which meant that this painting was not the happiest moment in its mind.

“You might as well think about it again.”

Xizhi left this sentence and floated away.

The little fox scratched its head with its little feet, feeling a little irritated.

Aguna painted her and Qin Luan and his group walking on the map of Jiuzhou, meaning that leaving the Gu tribe and Qin Luan and others to adventure in Jiuzhou was the happiest thing.

Xizhi saw hesitation and concealment in the painting.

“Are you really satisfied with this?” Xizhi smiled and turned to leave.

Song Ying’s painting showed her marrying Qin Luan, with a group of beautiful women standing behind him.

“As long as Qin Luan has you in his heart, you don’t care about his relationships with other women?” Xizhi found Song Ying quite interesting, not only because of the happiest scene, but also because she saw contentment in the painting.

This was the happiest thing she most hoped would happen.

Song Ying didn’t hesitate, saying, “I don’t care. My intuition tells me that Qin Luan will meet more beautiful female cultivators in the future. It’s inevitable. All I can do is maintain my place in his heart.”

Xizhi said nothing and moved on to the next person.

Qin Luan’s painting showed him presiding over the Human Emperor Palace, his posture majestic.

“You want to replace Commander Liu?” Xizhi’s first reaction to seeing someone presiding over the Human Emperor Palace was this.

“I want to become the Human Emperor!” Qin Luan corrected him.

Xizhi saw confusion and bewilderment in the painting.

“Becoming the Human Emperor isn’t what you most want. Think about it again.”

Xizhi sighed. To become an excellent painter, the most important thing is to know your true self. The third level is the real test of this.

Judging from the current situation, only Song Ying knows herself well and has passed the test.

(End of this chapter)