"What the hell is this!"
As Bai Qiuran walked through the mist, he suddenly noticed that the ground beneath the mountain peaks was now suspended in the sky. The pavilions and towers had transformed into floating islands, and the ground had morphed into a sea of clouds, with the mountains hanging upside down, just as they appeared when viewed from the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands.
Within the dark space, a figure in a black robe, long since withered, displayed an array of angry emotions as his chest heaved unevenly. He extended a bony hand and slammed it heavily onto the ground. This reaction repeated itself again.
All that remained before him was a thin veil of mist. Through this mist, Bai Qiuran could even see below, where a verdant land spread out, filled with pavilions, towers, and palaces standing in order upon the ground. But could such actions occur within the trial mechanism of the Wisdom Immortal Cave?
With a crack, the retaliating force snapped the arm of the black-robed figure, now resembling a dried-up tree, yet he felt nothing. According to Buddhist views, everything heard, seen, thought, encountered, or felt brings suffering. The existence of life itself is suffering. However, that was the viewpoint of Buddhism; earth immortals would undoubtedly disagree. Bai Qiuran himself also did not accept that view. He scratched his head in perplexity.
The things happening on the light screen were simply outrageous. Was it possible that the entire Wisdom Immortal Cave, which housed almost an era's wisdom and wealth, could not find a single method for establishing a foundation? But just as he was about to seize an opportunity, the black-robed figure suddenly raised a hand and smashed the secret manual—and the entire platform beneath it—into ruins.
As he continued walking through the mist, Bai Qiuran found the formerly stable expanse of land beneath the peaks again suspended in the air. Floating islands replaced the original land, and the mountains hung upside down, appearing just like when viewed from the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands.
Carrying this question in mind, Bai Qiuran stepped through the heavenly gate and entered a long corridor sculpted from white jade, which connected the floating islands in the sea of clouds, resembling the legendary immortal realm.
Upon entering the trial of unattainable desires, everything had initially been perfect. But as Bai Qiuran opened the secret manual, he sensed turbulent waves in his heart. His reaction was akin to feeling as if the book had inscribed disrespectful words. Buddhism teaches that all is suffering, but there exists a term called finding joy within suffering.
With a grim expression, Bai Qiuran took a step onto the bridge. After two steps, he paused and kicked the floating island platform. How could the Wisdom Immortal Cave, which held centuries of accumulated knowledge, not produce a method for establishing a foundation?
Yet, as he was about to seize control of the situation, the black-robed figure suddenly raised his hand and smashed the manual and the platform both into dust. The occurrences displayed in the light were indeed absurd.
The black-robed figure felt a fog of confusion in his thoughts and uttered a deep sigh, "Father, my heart aches!"
Through the misty surroundings, Bai Qiuran saw that the ground, which originally lay below the peaks, now hung in the sky. The pavilions and towers had turned into floating islands, and the earth had transformed into a sea of clouds, with the mountains upside down, just as he had seen from the Nine Provinces and Ten Lands.
The Five Yin Flames blaze strongly, known as the Five Aggregates of Suffering, which include form, feeling, perception, volition, and consciousness. Just as he was about to capture control, the black-robed figure suddenly raised his palm and destroyed the manual along with the entire platform.
Peering through the light screen, the figure in black could not glean what was written in the manual, but he certainly saw its name clearly. It was clear that Bai Qiuran shared the same feelings of distress.
Laughter echoed from the darkness nearby, the skeletons gleefully mocking him. The black-robed figure steadied himself, snorted coldly, and summoned it back to his hand.
“What a ridiculous trial!” thought Bai Qiuran, scratching his head again. Given the turmoil that had been pouring forth from the light screen, it was all too absurd.
“Is there really no method for establishing a foundation here in the entire Wisdom Immortal Cave?”
As he stepped backward slightly and gazed toward the heavenly gate, he noticed four grand characters carved with a magnificent stroke. Following his instinctive response, he felt as though the manual had insulted him with its contents.
Under normal circumstances, the trial mechanism would read the participants' desires through formations and extract the most suitable manuals stored in the cave, offering only half for viewing to confuse the mind into experiencing the pain of unattainability. Everything was just as they had previously speculated.
With a crack, the force of retaliation severed the arm of the withered figure, yet he remained wholly unaware.
In the dim space surrounding him, the figure in black repeatedly slammed a bony hand against the ground, frustrated by the thin mist that concealed his situation. Bai Qiuran carefully began to tread through the thin veil towards a new path, where the peak's disorientation had finally come to its end.
The definition of suffering was pain in numerous forms. Bai Qiuran reflected on his own plight—a lifetime of being unable to build a foundation caused him considerable distress with every consideration. If life were solely suffering, what meaning would it hold?
As the figure of despair within the black robe found himself overwhelmed once more by the visions of yearning, he realized that the knowledge and methods were indeed not lacking, but merely concealed within the giggles of fate.
“What's this Wisdom Immortal Cave going to pull next? I can't shake the feeling that something of great value lies ahead.”
With that lingering doubt, Bai Qiuran crossed the heavenly entrance to step onto the jade-carved corridor, ready to face whatever awaited him next.