âIâm actually touched, the genius doctor is indeed a great man!â
âHow couldâve I have suspected him and slandered him in secret! Iâve even loathed him and thought
about killing him when I had the chance!â
âIâm such a short-sighted man! He treats me better than my parents do! Whatâs the use of a little
treasure compared to my life? Itâs bulls*it!â
Maha forced Alexâs acting skills out.
âWho wouldâve thought that an old monk would be so talented at acting. Heâs a natural!â
Alex didnât know that Maha was just busy convincing himself.
âOh no, the Underworld is collapsing. All trialistsâ lives are threatened, and thereâs not much time left!â
âKid, youâre a Buddhist, so Iâll have to guarantee your safety, Run. Flee before itâs too late!â
âYou escaping is better than all of us dying here. You donât know them anyways, they might even come
for you when theyâre out!â
When the trialists heard that, they almost fainted.
âMaster, no. Please!â
âIsnât kindness and saving lives the principles of Buddhism? All of us here are living humans, can you
bear to see so many lives lost?â
âWe wonât trouble the genius doctor, heâs our savior. We swear that weâll definitely protect and love him.
From now on, heâs our second parent!â
There was only one chance at life, and nobody wanted to die. Right at that moment, everyone was
thinking about what death would be like. These trialists were all elites, saints, and geniuses of their
worlds. They came from high social statuses and treated commoners as if they were ants.
They came to the Underworld with the guarantee of evolving. If they knew that they were going to die,
they wouldâve never come⦠In the end, they were about to die here. They couldnât accept such a fate.
Alex turned back and looked at those nervous trialists who spoke such sincere words.
He smiled lightly and said, âItâs not like I want yâall to be my children from now. I just donât wish to pay
such a heavy price-getting attacked after saving youâ¦â
âOkay, might I suggest this? Each of you will have to swear a spiritual blood oath. You will have to refer
to me as your big brother and put me as your priority. Youâll always have to put yourself in my shoes
too.â
âIf Iâm in danger, you guys have to help me immediately. Howâs that?â
âUhmâ¦â
âYou want us to swear⦠A spiritual blood oath?â
âI mean, isnât such an oath too extreme?â
Once the trialists heard that they needed to swear such an oath, many became unhappy. They were all
trialists who had to go through tribulations. Thus, their spiritual blood oath would be very effective,
meaning they had to follow religiously everything they swore.
If they ever betrayed the oath, the consequences were severe. A lightning tribulation would punish
them when it was time for them to pass a trial.
Almost three quarters were unwilling to make an oath. Even though theyâd said sweet things before
this, going as far as comparing Alex to their parents, those were just empty words. When it came to a
critical time, they were also the ones to refuse.
Maha immediately said, âYou all canât even make an oath. Itâs also obvious that youâd look for trouble in
the future.â
âAlex, I know you follow the Buddhist way of kindness, but sometimes, too much kindness results in
cruelty upon yourself. The Siddhartha realm is in such a state today because of this, so⦠Let it go.â
âIf you save them today, they might kill you in the future.â
Alex was ultimately impressed with Mahaâs acting. He must be truly great, going to such extremes.
âMaster, I still believe that humans are inherently kind creatures.â
âHumans can be both kind and evil. It all depends on their experiences. Ksitigarbha had a great wish,
he refused to become a Buddha unless hell was empty. Bodhis, however, can only be created once all
lives are saved.â
âI may not be as great as Ksitigarbha, but I wish to keep some of my kindness. So, those who are
willing to take the oath can come over once. Iâll let you leave first, but Iâll be staying back to protect you
all⦠Be quick!â
As soon as Alex finished speaking, Maha started his convincing act again.
There were illusions and smokescreens of all manner, even random earthquakes, and tsunamisâ¦
He was the controller of Shoraionji Temple, hence he had a better understanding of this world than
these trialists.