Who Let Him Cultivate Immortality

Lu Yang listened in amazement. During his experience with the “Rules of Commoner Town,” he had heard the Daoist Non-Speaker talk about the concept of “rules.”

In the Unity Stage, one begins to grasp rules; in the Tribulation Crossing Stage, one masters a broader range of rules; and immortals, through the power of their ariya-phalas, control the world’s rules.

But he had never imagined that ariya-phalas could even create rules like the “Reincarnation Rule.”

If an immortal could indeed create the rule of reincarnation, then could they create other rules as well? How many seemingly ordinary things today were nonexistent in ancient times and were later created?

Why did the ancient unnamed person refine stars into continents? Was it a manifestation of a certain rule, or was it to create a new rule? Lu Yang looked up at the bright sun in the sky, which also served as the moon, an impossibility in his previous life.

The sun, regarded as the source of life and power, could very well be a manifestation of a certain rule.

Lu Yang bombarded the Everlasting Fairy with questions, and she seemed overwhelmed by the complexity.

“From what I’ve seen and heard since my revival, the present is not much different from ancient times. The refinement of stars into continents and the sun being the moon are significant changes.”

“Since you brought up ariya-phalas, I’ll explain a bit.”

“However, the knowledge of ariya-phalas is too distant for you. Knowing too much now could hinder your future cultivation. I’ll tell you a little. If it were that little girl Yun Zhi, I could tell her much more about ariya-phalas… Oh, she probably doesn’t need me to explain this to her.”

The Everlasting Fairy raised two fingers and started explaining ariya-phalas to Lu Yang: “Ariya-phalas can be divided into two types based on the rules they control.”

“The first type is like the Ariya-Phala of Time, which controls the rule of time. The rule of time exists objectively; the Ariya-Phala of Time allows one to master and alter the existing rule to some extent, depending on the immortal’s capability.”

“The second type is like my Everlasting ariya-phala, which controls the Rule of Everlasting. The Rule of Everlasting is a created rule, nonexistent before. It applies primarily to me… oh, and to Shame Less, but its effect on him is far less.”

(TL Note: His real name is Bu Yaolian but I changed it to Shame Less so it fits the previous joke better. Let me know if I should change it back.)

“Shame Less’s nascent Everlasting ariya-phala only allows him to appear in any statue, a basic immortality rule used for escape. If he dies, he cannot resurrect.”

“But I am different.” The Everlasting Fairy grinned confidently.

“As long as my name is spoken, regardless of time, place, or language, I can revive! This ability makes Ying Tian Immortal and the others very envious!”

“Unfortunately for them, they couldn’t condense an immortality ariya-phala.” The Everlasting Fairy was smug, and rightly so, as the self-proclaimed leader of the Five Ancient Immortals.

Lu Yang suspected that the Everlasting Fairy had an epiphany and grasped the essence of immortality while on the brink of death, condensing her immortality ariya-phala, and then automatically erased the unpleasant memories post-transformation.

“Then there’s Ying Tian Immortal, whose ariya-phala created the ‘Tribulation Rule.’”

“The Tribulation Rule?”

“The most common manifestation is the thunder tribulation during breakthroughs, like from Nascent Soul to Spirit Transformation, and so on. This was not a requirement in ancient times.”

“Ying Tian Immortal believed that cultivators, in their pursuit of speed and power, neglected their mental state, losing the true meaning of cultivation. So, he condensed the ‘Tribulation’ ariya-phala, adding a test for cultivators.”

“This proved to be correct. With the introduction of thunder tribulations, cultivators began to value their mental state, preparing diligently, thus reducing instances of qi deviation.”

“The tribulation ariya-phala is a prime example of a rule imposed on the world, adding a rule for everyone.”

“So you see, if someone condensed the ‘Reincarnation’ ariya-phala after my death, it would be like Ying Tian Immortal and me, creating a new rule out of nothing.”

“It’s just uncertain whether this reincarnation rule applies to specific individuals or everyone.”

The Everlasting Fairy further explained, “If it applies to specific individuals, it means the holder of the nascent reincarnation ariya-phala can reincarnate endlessly, achieving an alternative form of immortality.”

“If it applies to everyone, then everyone would have a past life, including you, Meng Jingzhou, Barbarian Bone, Peach Blossom Leaf, and others. But I doubt this possibility.”

“Why?” Lu Yang asked.

“Think about it, if everyone is reincarnating, it means the total number of souls in the world is fixed.”

Lu Yang nodded.

“Then have you considered how souls appeared in ancient times, before the reincarnation rule?”

Lu Yang was stunned; he hadn’t thought about this.

“In ancient times, a fetus in the womb would naturally absorb the essence of heaven and earth, forming a soul. This essence, invisible and intangible, was the source of souls.”

“The origin of souls was always a mystery. After becoming immortals, we deduced that there existed a previously undiscovered substance called essence, which is the source of souls.”

“The birth of a soul can be seen as a rule, let’s call it the soul rule.”

“If the reincarnation rule applied to everyone, it would conflict with the soul rule. Such a conflict is a taboo in condensing ariya-phalas.”

“No wise immortal would create such a rule.”

Hearing this, Lu Yang asked, “Everlasting Fairy, could your Everlasting rule apply to everyone?”

If the Everlasting rule applied to everyone, it would mean universal immortality, an irresistible temptation.

The Everlasting Fairy denied this: “When I first condensed the Everlasting ariya-phala, I considered this. I thought, why do people strive for higher realms and resources? To become immortals and gain eternal life.”

“If I made everyone immortal, wouldn’t the world be peaceful?”

“I shared this idea with Ying Tian Immortal and the others, and they strongly opposed it, saying I mustn’t have such thoughts.”

(End of the chapter)