Chapter 29: It Is Always Better to Standup After Falling Down
The storm of the Seventh trial did not last long as the disciples partook in the Eighth Trial. This trial could be considered one of the easiest for Wang Wei.
Because this trial involves arrogance, conceit, and how to deal with failure.
In this trial, Wang Wei finds himself invincible among his peers. No matter what Heaven Chosen he fights against, he will always end up the victor. As time passes, Wang Wei begins to grow a Heart of Invincibility.
He has the confidence that no matter who he faces, he will win in the end. As his arrogance and conceit grow with time, his effort in cultivation starts to lack behind his peers.
Then one day, he faces his first defeat--and it is against an opponent that he had previously won against numerous times. This defeat provides him with a severe blow to his self-esteem.
If it were the other disciples, maybe they would be devastated, then proceed to enter a state of self-blame, lack of confidence, or even severe depression.
But, that did not apply to Wang Wei. To him who have live two lives, he had long learn that one failure does not define who he is as a person or what can he achieve in the future.
In fact, most people spend the majority of their life experiencing one failure after another. However, as long as they succeed the one time that matters, then they can be set for life.
Once someone succeeds, the people around him will not care about all his countless other failures, but focus on the one success; they magnify and glorify that one and only success.
Of course succeeding once does not mean that your path is over and you can enjoy life without an ounce of care from now on.
No, it is the opposite. Once you succeed, you have to reanalyze all past failures and summarize the reason for the one success, then proceed to use the same or better method/ formula to continue to succeed.
With this mindset, Wang Wei soon realizes that the reason for his failure this time is due to the fact that he becomes conceited after succeeding so often.
After being invincible, he did not put as much effort as he did before having such overwhelming strength. He has started to believe that no one would forever be his equal, as such, there is no need to put in so much effort.
While the sin of sloth slowly devours him, his competitors did not slack off for even one day. They were not discouraged from the abundance of failures when facing Wang Wei.
In fact, it was quite the opposite. They work harder than they did before; they put in a hundred times more effort than previously. And eventually, they succeed in defeating a foe that at a certain point of time, they had deemed undefeatable.
Wang Wei learns from the effort and spirit of his competitors. Although his Heart of Invincibility is shattered, he did not mind. He could slowly rebuild it and make it even stronger than before.
Wang Wei did not take long to pass the test of the Eighth Trial after getting over his failure or defeat. The purpose of this trial is to teach disciples the values of constant hard work and the mindset needed when encountering major failures in life.
In this world, cultivating is like a rapidly moving speed train on an endless track. If you slow down even a little bit, other trains might surpass you no matter how far ahead you think you are.
Only by constantly moving forward that you have a slight chance of always keeping an advantage. What is even worse about this speeding train race is the fact that not everyone has the same starting line. As such, if you are not constantly improving and moving forward, no one knows the outcome of the race.
After exiting the Eighth Pagoda Trial, Wang Wei starts to ponder about the meaning of a Heart of Invincibility. In his opinion, no one can truly reach the state of invincibility.
Some cultivators might spend their entire life without losing a single battle. Are they invincible? In Wang Wei’s mind, the answer is no.
The cultivation world is very hierarchical. So what if you are invincible in the Supernatural Realm, can you beat someone in the Shattered Void Realm, or the Saint Realm? The answer is no.
The only reason a person can claim to be invincible is if he spends his entire cultivating career without fighting someone of too much higher cultivation level than him.
As such, the so-called Heart of Invincibility is nothing but the self aggrandizing of some arrogant idiot who lives in a false reality.
Wang Wei did not want such a Heart of Invincibility. In fact, despite Wang Wei’s disdain, he knows that such a thing as Heart of Invincibility is actually very useful to cultivators.
It can increase the confidence of a cultivator in battle, creating a momentum that weakens enemies. Furthermore, anyone who cultivates a Heart of Invincibility will be acknowledged by Heavenly Dao and increase their Qi Luck.
If Dao Heart increases a cultivator’s chance of breaking through higher realm, then a Heart of Invincibility increases their combat power.
To Wang Wei, the so-called Heart of Invincibility is too fragile. All it takes is one defeat or self doubt, then it will shatter. Although Wang Wei has a great deal of confidence in himself, it is not to the point in which he believes that he will never lose a battle or experience failure.
As such, he concludes that the Path of Invincibility is not for him. Despite all of this, this conclusion did not have any effect on him.
The reason is because he has a strong belief: a belief that no matter what misfortune he encounters, no matter what battle he fights, he will have the last laugh. He will be the last man standing. He might not win the first few battles, but when it comes to the ones that truly matter, he will be the final victor.
This belief is of a greater significance and value to him than any precarious Heart of Invincibility.
After setting his mindset in the right direction, Wang Wei begins to prepare for the final trial. He knows that the final trial is actually quite horrible--even according to his standard. As far he is concerned, there is probably no actual way to pass this trial.