Eldest brother and the other sages could only look dumbfounded at their senior's decision as Krishna left the hut to go out of the deep forest. The saffron robed lady was impatient, and asked softy,

"Why did you let him leave, Vashi? Shouldn't he follow the same path as ours? Facing tribulations in the Observable Universe with cultivators loitering around is a better experience than spending time in mortal world."

First brother looked lovingly at his wife, "Aru!" For a second he faltered as if refusing to speak further. Taking a deep breath he continued reluctantly, "It is not solely my decision. When the Old Senior of Third Generation was leaving, he relayed a message to me discreetly with his divine sense that none of us must hinder Krishna's path and his decisions unless they conflict with Sagely consciousness."

Third Senior Sister was sad at Krishna's departure, when she gazed at him for the first time, he brought to her memories of her own firstborn and her motherly feelings had awakened from slumber. She wanted to protect him and keep him close to her.

Old Seventh sighed, "Even though I am the Seventh, this junior has a path surpassing me. It's just a matter of 100-200 yrs. We would meet again. That would be the moment, when we would check if he has made any breakthroughs."

Old Fifth interrupted, "The lad wants to live through all phases of human life to it's fullest in an intense manner, including facing the experience of death. In this way, his one life would be tantamount to hundreds of lives being lived. This is not the first time someone has taken such path, but this is also not easy, since there is a hefty chance that one may sink into mortal attachments and lose their direction."

Old Fourth finishing his current candy, licked his lips and fingers like a kid, "It's easy to maintain the direction and not forget one's nature even this path, if one lives with extreme intensity. He just has to keep meditating though, or if he would be tied down. I root for him that he wouldn't disappoint us."

"I root for him too! He passed my test, with all laurels. I know his determination would glimmer in all his deeds." The huffled voice was Old Sixth joined in

Second Senior scoffed, "Do you think this is some show going on with one rooting and one not? What's next, a betting match ?"

Everyone began to chuckle heartily.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Krishna had reached the southern edges of the forest now, after a fortnight of ceaseless travelling and bearing terrible weather and beasts on the way. However, none of these changes could hinder him now, the animals didn't dare to hurt him, but weren't even scared of him. Wherever he rested, they gathered like pets as if to curry favour with him, sage unlike a cultivator sits in the nature's lap and all forms of nature uphold the Sage as they value sentiments and nature's debt. Krishna being from this planet, would support the planet if he wanted to resolve part of his nature's debt. Mother planet knew this well, and she was content beyond words. Life aura circled Krishna as he was nature's child itself. On the fifteenth day, he reached the hermitage of Sandipani. Sandipani saw Krishna through his internal sense and was humbled upon witnessing his holiness. He prostrated, but Krishna lifted him up, and accepted him as his mortal master thereby finishing his studies in mortal politics, medicine, war tactics etc. All these studies took him a year at most, due to his fertile mind, and experience undergone in the virtual realm. He could compare to those old monster cultivators who had lived for hundreds and thousands of years. He left with his big brother to the kingdom, and was appointed the crown prince. Making his name throughout the planet, he was widely respected and beloved of many. Exploring all dimensions of life, he never forgot he was, since his meditation was painstaking and unstoppable in any situation. Due to his compassion, he left his own experiences and knowledge of the cosmic laws and their interpretation in human plane to his beloved friend which became a classic book for millenniums. Setting an ideal, he tried to reunite warrior values and ascetic values to reform the mortal society with spiritual rulers. Due to such a massive undertaking, he had to step into filthy politics which he despised. Yet he gave his best in whatever he do, although he didn't succeeded in this vision, yet he was able to influence huge parts of the mainland by his vision. After major wars recounted in human history, which we won't discuss here since it's recounted in most mortal historical events throughout Planet Mo Quan. His deeds, and gloriousness wafted beyond planet into the endless Outer Void, inspiring many people. He became an object of worship in his later years. But when his kingdom fell due to the sins of his own heirs, he finally left after bidding goodbye to few of his mortal sages who knew some truth of his real path, and his true identity, that of the Eighth Sage of the Eleventh generation.

Leaving all mortal ties and his family members to whom he had fulfilled all his debts, he had fulfilled ancestral debt and his debt to his mortal master Sandipani. Each human had Three Primary Debts, one of ancestral, one of master and guru and the third being most important, the debt of nature. If one doesn't fulfil the debt of nature, one may become a powerful God King but never a True Sage. Out of these, Krishna had completed two of them, and the last was partially completed. He had lived the life of a mortal to it's fullest, getting bursts of enlightenments in wake many times in his life. Now, out of 114 thousand petalled lotuses, he had succeeded in blooming 4 more, with 84 lotuses bloomed, now there were 30 more lotuses still left. In all of the generations after the creation of the current universe, no one was ever able to bloom 114 lotuses, except the progenitor Shiva himself, who could match a Primordial God hypothetically, his power scale is beyond measure, so it's beyond the perception of almost all cultivators and many Sages as well. No one knows, if Shiva is still alive in his original form or undergoing reincarnation. It's said that theoretically, one can only work upon 108 lotuses through a human body, as they are manifested in body. The rest are 6 of which 2 lie beyond human body, and the 4 remaining ones blossom as a result of the 108 blooming. Upon cracking the secrets of the 95 lotuses one becomes a True Sage. Old Seventh, ahead of everyone, was able to perceive and open up only 91 of them. Old Sixth was suppressing and had only till now unlocked 87, rest of the sage's progress was in the range of 85-90.

Krishna hoped to target those 2 which lied beyond the body, during his death process. If he wished, he could have lived for thousands of years in the mortal world without any problem, but so as to not topple the laws of mortal plane, he let his body age, and at 150 yrs of age, he thought it was high time to give his best shot and meet the Seven Sages.

Gazing at the soaring skies, he was solidifying his intent and dissolving any pending karma in the mortal realm, through his divine sense. Resting in the lotus pose, the planet's life aura manifested as a lotus seat on which he appeared to be sitting, seeming like the God of Enlightenment himself. The divine discus rotated above his head, showing everyone that this man was a representative of the law of Dharma.