Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Like a monkey that was sitting on thorns, Wu Mayan was moving uneasily. His eyes flickered about for quite a long time; he was hesitating. ”Master, I’ve been reflecting on Yan Xibei’s theory about the survival and development of the human civilization. The more I think about it, the more reasonable it appears to me!

”Do you think there’s any chance that he was not possessed by the Blood Demon and he meant what he said and his prediction was true?”

Li Yao was dazed. ”Is this happening? You were gritting your teeth and waving your saber crazily that day. I thought that you would be quite unwavering.”

Wu Mayan lowered his head, somewhat embarrassed. He kicked a pebble into the pond, which raised dull noises, before he said, ”I also found the transformation of my attitude very weird. After prolonged consideration, I finally discovered that the critical factor was that—

”He was too ugly.”

Li Yao was rendered speechless.

Wu Mayan explained carefully, ”My blood was boiling, and my head was seething with fury. Nobody had the time to think about what Yan Xibei was saying. I only saw that he was half a human and half an insect with countless vine-like veins fluctuating on his body. He was exactly what a monster should look like! Of course, I slashed him mercilessly!

”But in my spare time over the last couple of days, I’ve thought about his words, and they began making more and more sense to me.

”Isn’t survival everything for a civilization? All things can happen only if the civilization exists. Once it perishes, hopes and ethics will be no more!

”If some sacrifices and changes must be made for the continuity of the civilization, they seem worthwhile to me.

”If the universe above our heads is truly a ruthless, dark forest, we have no options except to alter ourselves according to the rules of the forest, however cruel they are.

”I cannot find loopholes in Yan Xibei’s theory. The more I think about it, the more I am convinced.

”In my opinion, if Yan Xibei had not looked so disgusting but had looked like a deity wearing a glittering silver robe, many people might have been persuaded by him!

”This is the question that has baffled me for days. Please enlighten me, Master.”

Li Yao blinked and stared at Wu Mayan in silence.

Holding his breath, Wu Mayan looked at him, full of hope.

Li Yao suddenly sighed. He patted Wu Mayan’s shoulder and said solemnly, ”Ah Yan…”

”I’m all ears, Master!” Wu Mayan replied respectfully.

”Look, I’m new to the job of teaching, too. Can we start our discussion from the relatively rudimentary topics?

”You are asking me about the future of humanity in your first class. Isn’t that question too sophisticated? I was not prepared at all. In fact, I haven’t had my lunch yet!

”How about this. I’ll teach you four solutions to the ’Black Tiger Snatching the Heart’ technique. As for the future of human civilization, let’s talk about it later, shall we?”

Wu Mayan was not entirely satisfied. ”Okay…”

Li Yao cleared his throat. Staring at the ripples in the pond, which were calming down, in a daze, he suddenly changed his mind and said, ”Alright, but I don’t know much about the dark forest and the human civilization.

”Let’s talk about a single person. For example, you.

”Is survival the most important thing to you? Are you willing to endure all kinds of sufferings to the extent that you end up completely different just in order to be stronger and survive?”

Wu Mayan was dazed for a moment. Deep in thought, he nodded his head unconfidently a while later. ”It probably is. One only has opportunities when they are alive. Everything will be gone after they are dead.”

”Alright. Let’s assume that there is such an extreme situation. Remember, just an assumption.”

Li Yao tapped his forehead and said, ”You are living in a dark forest that is packed with ferocious animals, traps, and hunters. It is a lawless world where the strong prey on the weak!

”With your current capability, if you walk in any direction, you will be devoured with no bones left in less than half a day.

”At this moment, you suddenly find a book that records an unparalleled technique. If you grasp the technique, you will dominate the dark forest and become invincible. At the very least, you won’t be scared any longer and can live on for a long time!

”Then, will you practice such a technique?”

”Do I even need to think? Of course I will practice it. Only the fools won’t! Whatever price I have to pay, however tedious the process is, I will master the technique!” Wu Mayan blurted out.

Li Yao smiled and said, ”Don’t be hasty. Wait until I’m done. Learning such a technique is not very difficult. However, it requires a prerequisite that you castrate yourself. Do you know what ’castrate’ means? Castrate means—”

Li Yao explained the meaning in great detail. He even picked up a fallen branch and drew a few illustrations of the operation in the mud.

”Huh?” Wu Mayan was dumbfounded. ”What kind of bullsh*t technique is this? I have to chop off my thing before I get to practice it?”

Li Yao tapped a stone and said, ”Assumption. I already said that it was only an assumption. Now, will you practice the technique?”

Wu Mayan’s eyelids were trembling as he said, ”W—well, aren’t there any alternative techniques?”

”No.”

Li Yao shook his head. ”Other techniques are too weak. Only this unparalleled technique can allow you to survive in the dark forest.”

”That’s too outrageous!” His eyes bloodshot, Wu Mayan couldn’t help but look at groins. He hesitated for a while and asked, ”Are there any consequences after I castrate myself?”

”There might not be many.”

Li Yao tilted his head and thought hard for a while, before he replied, ”But castrating yourself is not as simple as that. After you castrate yourself, your body will change, and your psychological state will be gradually affected, too. Due to the lack of testosterone, you will lose all your sex drive, and there is the possibility of hair loss. In addition, you will experience frequent hot flashes, and more fat will accumulate around your chest area. You understand the kind of misunderstandings that a build-up of fat in that area could lead to, don’t you?”

Wu Mayan shuttered in coldness. ”I do.”

”That’s good. You can make a choice now,” Li Yao said. ”Death? Or invincibility as the king in the dark forest after you grasp the unparalleled technique?”

Wu Mayan was silent for a long time, before he sighed and replied, ”I might as well choose to die.”

”Therefore, you think that part of you is more important than your life, and you would rather die than to have it castrated, right?” Li Yao said.

Wu Mayan was dazed. Deep in thought, he replied slowly, ”I’m getting what you are trying to say, Master. If I would rather die before part of me is castrated; there must be something about a civilization and a species that they are unwilling to let go of, sort of like…”

Li Yao added, ”Sort of like the ’thing’ for a civilization.”

Wu Mayan slapped his thigh and said, ”Yes. Like the ’thing’ for the civilization. They do not want to be castrated even if they have to die!”

Li Yao grinned and said, ”More or less. In fact, the question has bothered me for a long time, too. Many times, I thought, what if Yan Xibei was never possessed by the Blood Demon and was speaking the truth? Were we doing the right thing if that was the case?

”However, just a moment ago, I suddenly thought everything through.

”The biggest difference between us and Yan Xibei is not about the Blood Stripe Virus. Even if he was not possessed, we would still be the opposite kinds of people.

”For some people, there is always something that they would rather die than give away. Awesome as the unparalleled technique may be, we will only wipe our ass with it.

”But if it were Yan Xibei, he might really castrate himself in order to get started with the technique.

”Different ideologies lead to different paths. Maybe the universe above our heads is truly a ruthless, dark forest, but I won’t castrate the most precious things for me to survive in the forest. If I am not lucky enough and I have to die, so be it!”

Wu Mayan pondered for a while and mumbled, ”You do have a point, but I feel something is wrong. We were talking about the future of humanity a while ago. How did the topic change to castration?”

”It’s the same thing.” Li Yao blinked and said assuredly, ”If you castrate yourself, you will have no children. What is the future of humanity if they don’t have posterity?”

…

Another half month passed. Li Yao had consolidated his stance in the superlative height of the Building Foundation Stage. His spiritual energy could be transformed between liquid and gas at his will, and his understanding about the reverberation of fighting will had reached a whole new level, too.

Sparkle returned with trophies galore. With the state-of-the-art drilling technology, the crew members had cruised below the ground of Iron Plateau and explored a lot of ancient cities of the Flying Star Sector that had been buried five thousand years ago. Their adventures had awarded them with abundant remains of magical equipment and useful Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

The communication between Iron Plateau natives and space residents had become smoother and smoother. The two parties had established an association of communication that was responsible for the subsequent issues of trade and transportation.

Many well-respected professors and leaders from Flying Star University and Heavenly Saints Institute, the two best colleges in the Flying Star Sector, arrived in Iron Plateau after a long trip.

Ostensibly, they’d come to express their gratitude in person to the Iron Plateau natives for saving the twenty students.

In fact, they were the representatives of Cultivators who had come to discuss the cooperation of a deeper level formally.

After all, the Great Horn Exo Society was too insignificant to make promises for all the Cultivators in space.

The presidents and professors of the two colleges, on the other hand, were in the academic circle. They did not belong to the six sects of Heavenly Saints City, and yet they boasted enough prestige and influence among Cultivators. Therefore, they were the perfect representatives for the negotiation.

Everything was progressing smoothly. Iron Plateau was entering a new era of hope.

For Li Yao, it was time to leave Iron Plateau and embark on a new trip of training!