Only at the Mahayana Stage Does the Reversal System Appear - Chapter 371

Chapter 371 Eight Sufferings

The test was over, and the eagle monsters and pigeons were taken away by the Bodhisattva of Incense Elephant. Two of the eagle monsters cried particularly hard, and denounced the human race as cunning and untrustworthy to the Bodhisattva of Incense Elephant.

The Bodhisattva of Incense Elephant had no choice but to comfort the two eagle monsters, telling them that they had encountered an extreme case, that the two people’s way of thinking was different from that of ordinary people, and that they should not extend the exception to the entire human race.

Jiang Li felt that he had proven his wisdom in the first two tests, and that he would definitely be favored by the inheritance of Manjushri Bodhisattva.

Bai Hongtu felt that he had proven his talent in understanding people’s hearts in the first two tests, and that he would definitely be favored by the inheritance of his telepathy.

“A mere inheritance, easy to get.” The two were very proud.

“Now begins the third test. Life has eight sufferings: birth, aging, sickness, death, separation from loved ones, enduring resentment, unfulfilled desires, and the predominance of the five aggregates.”

“Next, you donors will forget everything and experience these eight sufferings in your dreams.”

A cultivator asked, “How do you judge right and wrong?”

Fragrant Elephant Bodhisattva, holding her Buddhist beads, closed her eyes, and smiled serenely. “There is no right or wrong in facing the eight sufferings. This test simply aims to see how you, the donors, respond.”

She bowed to the sky and said, “Please, Sleeping Arhat, pass on the spell.”

Fragrant Elephant Bodhisattva responded to the Secret Realm of All Beings, and a thin, emaciated Arhat appeared in the air. This Arhat was shirtless, sleeping on his side, his features unclear.

As the Sleeping Arhat’s chest rose and fell, the cultivators gradually grew drowsy and fell into a dream.

…

Yuan Wuxing slowly awoke, his mind fuzzy, as if he had forgotten something very important.

“Where is this place?”

Yuan Wuxing found himself unable to move his arms and legs, as if trapped in a cocoon.

But the cocoon was comfortable, a warm atmosphere surrounding him that nurtured his body.

“Innate Qi?” A word suddenly popped up in Yuan Wuxing’s mind, a word he didn’t even understand.

“I remember that innate Qi is produced when a woman is pregnant…”

Thinking exhausted Yuan Wuxing, and he drifted off to sleep. It wasn’t until an unknown amount of time later that he woke up again.

“Wow!”

Yuan Wuxing burst into tears. He was born, and with his birth, his innate Qi dissipated without a trace. He stretched out his tiny hands, but he couldn’t grasp it.

The turbid acquired Qi enveloped Yuan Wuxing, making him feel uncomfortable and burst into tears.

As he grew and adapted to it, he forgot the wonderful experiences he had as a fetus.

This world is divided between immortals and mortals. Immortals are high and mighty, a being unattainable to mortals.

He was born into a wealthy family, well-fed and well-clothed, but he wasn’t satisfied with that.

“I’ve heard there are immortals who transcend the mundane world. I want to cultivate.”

For some reason, Yuan Wuxing yearned to cultivate. Perhaps it was his comfortable life that inspired him to think otherwise, or perhaps he relished the feeling of becoming stronger, or perhaps something else entirely.

A disciple of the immortal family tested Yuan Wuxing’s spiritual roots and ruthlessly rejected them: “Five-element spiritual roots, you’re a waste of spiritual energy. Get lost!”

The disciple threw Yuan Wuxing down the mountain, closed the door, and refused to see him again.

Undeterred, Yuan Wuxing sought out other immortals, but their response was the same:

Five-element spiritual roots were unsuitable for cultivation.

Even the cultivators whispered behind his back, “No wonder your parents named you Yuan Wuxing. They must have known from birth that you were a useless Five-element spiritual root.”

Furious, Yuan Wuxing challenged the cultivator to a duel. The cultivator, with a flick of his sleeve, severely injured Yuan Wuxing and left him to die.

Upon learning of this, Yuan Wuxing’s parents braved the rain and journeyed up the mountain to bring Yuan Wuxing down overnight. They sought treatment from the best doctors, saving his life.

However, his elderly parents caught a cold while hiking in the rain and died. Yuan Wuxing wept bitterly, regretting his devotion to immortality and his lack of time with his parents.

The vast family fortune fell to Yuan Wuxing, who possessed a talent for business. Over the next decade, he multiplied the family fortune several times, becoming a renowned tycoon.

Upon learning of this, an immortal descended the mountain and offered Yuan Wuxing the opportunity to cultivate Qi and become a cultivator, if he was willing to give up his fortune and accumulate merit.

“With my talent, how far can I go on the path to immortality?”

“Five Elements spiritual roots are among the lowest of the low. Even if I cultivate Qi, I’m afraid I’ll only reach the third level of Qi training in my lifetime. It’s difficult to advance beyond that.”

Yuan Wuxing was caught in a dilemma, unwilling to give up his family fortune, yet unwilling to become a cultivator of the lowest order.

He eventually gave up his pursuit of immortality, clinging to his vast family fortune.

He couldn’t let go of his wealth and prestige.

Decades later, Yuan Wuxing fell seriously ill, a disease so incurable that even the immortals proved helpless. For ten years

, Yuan Wuxing suffered from the illness, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted. He ultimately survived, but his senses were shattered

, leaving him feeling worse than death. By this time, his advanced age had forced him to continue managing the family business, but he was unable to do so. His thinking was fragmented and disconnected, leading to numerous missteps and heavy losses.

Yuan Wuxing knew this was due to his age and confusion, a loss of his youth.

The Yuan family’s current success was due to the wise decisions Yuan Wuxing had made in his youth.

However, his age left him without a deterrent.

Aged and frail, he was no match for the scoundrels who sought to seize the family fortune.

Fearing that the family’s assets would be divided up by these scoundrels, the Yuan family effectively sidelined Yuan Wuxing and took matters into their own hands.

Ultimately, Yuan Wuxing was left with nothing.

Yuan Wuxing, penniless and blind, wandered the streets, living in a daze, awaiting death.

“I was born with nothing, and I will die with nothing. So what, so what,” Yuan Wuxing scoffed inwardly.

As his death neared, his consciousness grew increasingly hazy.

Destitute, his senses shattered, his consciousness hazy, Yuan Wuxing shrank into a ball, gradually resembling his form in the womb.

The five elements, gold, wood, water, fire, and earth, the concept of cultivating immortality… the words that had plagued him his entire life swirled in his mind, and he began to reflect and experience enlightenment.

Five elements, five colors, five elements, five colors…

Yuan Wuxing’s fingers formed the outline of a five-colored divine light, and with a gentle touch, all matter in the area vanished.

This flash of five-colored divine light seemed to drain Yuan Wuxing’s entire vitality, and he ultimately died.

Passersby stared in amazement at the destitute old man, who had transformed into a five-colored rainbow before vanishing.

Seeing this, they knelt in worship.

…

The Incense Elephant Bodhisattva raised his head, and the inheritance of the Peacock King took notice, seemingly eyeing a particular candidate.

Following the lineage of the Peacock King, the Bodhisattva Xiangxiang looked at Yuan Wuxing with a look of astonishment. “Donor Yuan Wuxing, of the eight sufferings of life, you experienced the first seven with mediocre results. Only death did you not feel any pain. Instead, you achieved great enlightenment, comprehended the initial form of the Five-Colored Divine Light, and ultimately transformed into a rainbow. Well done, well done.”

(End of this chapter)