Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“Of course I have a point, because that is the truth.”

Liu Li smiled brilliantly. There was no telling whether she had temporarily forgotten the pain inside her head or was merely arguing with her senior brother to stop him from worrying about her.

Clearing her throat, she continued the introduction. “The third type are ‘crystal-processor old grandpas’. In fact, it is rather difficult to distinguish them from the ‘remaining-soul old grandpas’ because they live inside swords, sabers, spears… all kinds of magical equipment and even spiritual puppets.

“The only difference is that the remaining-soul old grandpas are living human beings whose memories are lost while the crystal-processor old grandpas are not human beings but some sort of artificial intelligence. Even if they can activate vivid human-shaped illusions, they are still false. All their reactions are simulated.

“Although they are not humans, the enormous databases of the crystal-processor old grandpas can also store many unparalleled techniques. They can even provide great help in a battle. As excellent mentors and partners, they are very popular!”

“When I first saw you, Grandpa Yao, I mistook you for a ‘crystal-processor old grandpa’. That’s why I said that I would sell you on the black market.” Blushing, Han Te was still arguing for himself. “The crystal-processor old grandpas that have stored a couple of techniques can be sold at a high price on the black market. In that case, we may be able to find a cure for my master’s disease. That was what I thought at the beginning.”

Li Yao’s indicators were blinking. “I’m starting to understand it. However, what are ‘spiritual-beast old grandpas’?”

“They are spiritual beasts, of course,” Liu Li said matter-of-factly.

Li Yao was slightly dazed. “Can animals become ‘old grandpas’, too?”

“Of course they can,” Liu Li said. “Since they have been projected by the ‘angels’ from the Heavenly Rails, the spiritual beasts are part of the ‘aid’ that has been donated to us. Such creatures have been enlightened by the ‘angels’ with wisdom.

“Even after they fall into a strange environment, those spiritual beasts will not attack human beings but will choose a young person from the crowd with whom they will sign a pact of blood. After that, their mind will be connected to the young person’s, and they will fight by each other’s side. Also, they will teach the young person some mysterious techniques without them knowing it.

“Naturally, the spiritual-beast old grandpas aren’t excellent teachers, but their combat ability is often particularly high. Therefore, they have their own advantages compared to other old grandpas.”

Li Yao simulated a voice of relief with the broadcast rune arrays and said, “That explains a lot. What a bizarre new world it is today. To think that there are so many types of old grandpas, and they can even be traded on the market! This is truly unbelievable!

“Then, all the training techniques you have are brought by the old grandpas?”

“Basically, yes.” Liu Li sighed and managed a smile. “Almost everything in the Land of Sins came from the sky as ‘charity’ from the angels. Dehydrated food, high-energy nutrition drugs, standard crystals, water-purging cartridges, old grandpas who carry tremendous techniques, as well as ordinary people…”

“Wait!” Li Yao hurried to interrupt her. “Ordinary people? You mean, a lot of ordinary persons are projected from the Heavenly Rails, too?”

“Yes. A lot of ordinary people are sent together with the assets every time,” Liu Li said. “They are of different genders and ages, but they have lost all their memories and have to begin a new life in the Land of Sins.

“According to the seniors in the village, those people have all committed crimes in Manjusaka, and their qualifications as ‘angels’ have been stripped, turning them into ‘sinners’. But I’m rather confused. If the adults are really criminals, what kind of unpardonable things could the kids and even the toddlers have done?

“The seniors say that they are the families of the sinners. It is heartbreaking to think that they are banished to the Land of Sins for someone else’s fault.”

Pondering for a moment, Li Yao said, “Resources are insufficient in the Land of Sins. One more mouth means greater consumption of food and water. Will you accept the ordinary people from the sky?”

“It depends. Different villages, forces, and gangs have different styles. Some of them will; some won’t,” Han Te said. “The Village of Peace tries to accept as many ordinary people as we can afford. This is my master’s principle.”

“The more hands, the greater our strength,” Liu Li said solemnly. “Ordinary people are not entirely useless. To struggle to survive in the Land of Sins, we must unite everyone that can be united and activate all their potential. My dad always says that.

“We all believe that he does have a point. Life is very difficult in the Land of Sins. Many villages are now suffering from serious gender imbalance, and some even only have old people and few children. Such villages will perish in the dust of radiation before long.

“Also, my dad often says that we have spent too long in the Land of Sins, and our bodies have shouldered all kinds of strange radiation. It might not influence us very much, but our children will show many sorts of abnormalities.

“As time goes by, after the abnormal bloodlines integrate with each other, humans will gradually be turned into monsters.

“The ‘new sinners’ from the sky have not received excessive radiation. They can bring fresh blood, give birth to healthy children, and ensure the continuity of the village!”

“Besides, ordinary people can grasp many kinds of useful skills, too!” Han Te said with a smile. “Although most of the ‘new sinners’ have lost their memories, they still remember the skills that they make their living on, like maintenance, treatment, hunting, and so on. During difficult times, we just grit our teeth and support each other!

“Those guys who mock my master for being too merciful in famines are all dumbfounded to see the population in the Village of Peace after the environment is slightly more favorable. Haha!”

Covering her face with her quivering hands, Liu Li said gloomily through the gaps of her fingers, “However, we have been told that in many places, and especially in the gangs in the Bloody Worlds, the ordinary people from the sky get exploited brutally.

“They’re lucky if they’re sold as slaves. Sometimes, they are… eaten alive.”

Li Yao’s soul showed no response, not because he was not infuriated, but because his wrath had surpassed the limits.

As thousands of thoughts flowed slowly inside his soul, Li Yao confirmed one last time. “All the Cultivation arts that you have been practicing are brought by the ‘old grandpas’ from the sky. After practicing those arts, did a lot of people have accidents and become… disrupted geniuses, as you said just now?”

Han Te and Liu Li looked at each other and nodded helplessly.

“Yes,” the young man said, “there are a lot of young people in our place who were mentally deranged during training. The Village of Peace alone has witnessed a couple of ‘disrupted geniuses’. Their capability soared quickly, and they were about to be qualified to travel in the Bloody Worlds, but they simply plummeted overnight and became useless people.

“In the villages several square kilometers nearby, such cases are simply too many to be counted. Zhao Heiniu of Big Fish Village, Wang Tiezhu of Double Stones Village, Li Erlong of Four Square Dam… They were all rare geniuses that everybody knew, but they all perished in the end. Even the assistance of a couple of old grandpas was not enough to bring them back. How pitiful!”

“That’s understandable,” Li Yao said. “Your Cultivation plunged overnight, and you are almost a cripple compared to who you were in the past. But you do not strike me as very sorrowful and devastated.”

“It can’t be helped. I’m already used to it!” Han Te shrugged, with an expression on his face that suggested he was not scared of anything. “This is exactly what the Land of Sins is like. A couple of old grandpas fall from the sky every day, and an equal number of geniuses perish every day. If it happens to someone, they can only blame themselves for not being lucky enough. I was already quite lucky not to have been killed. What else could I ask for?”

“If such things are happening all the time,” Li Yao said solemnly, “has it never occurred to you that the Cultivation arts that you have been practicing might have deadly shortcomings?”

Han Te grinned and said, “Of course it has, but can we simply put the powerful, unparalleled techniques aside? Life in the Land of Sins is so difficult. Sometimes, a few lives are lost just because of half a biscuit. Even if you practice an unparalleled technique that has fatal shortcomings, you will not necessarily die on the spot. With any luck, you will live a long time without any accidents.

“However, if you don’t practice the techniques, you will be bullied because you cannot defend yourself. You will not be able to survive half a month here. Everybody can do the calculations, and they already have!”

After thinking carefully for a long time, Li Yao asked, “It’s been hundreds of years since Judgment Day. So, the first batch of old grandpas must’ve arrived from the sky with abundant arts and techniques hundreds of years ago, didn’t they? Have you never tried to modify the unparalleled techniques that you have and make up for the fatal shortcomings during those hundreds of years?”

“The succession of arts and techniques is not as simple as you imagine, Grandpa Yao,” Liu Li explained. “The environment on the Land of Sins is extremely harsh. It is not unusual that a whole village is massacred without a survivor. Most of the villages only have a history of a few decades. Few people have Cultivation arts that can be dated back to hundreds of years ago.

“Besides, in the world of bloody fights where the strong prey on the weak, even if somebody improves an art, they will dedicate all their wisdom to making the art more aggressive, brutal, and powerful. Who cares how much damage the art will cause to themself?”

“It’s exactly like Lightning Strangle, which I’ve been practicing. A lot of people in the Village of Peace practice it. Some people have occasionally met some problems, too. Did none of them, including my master, feel anything wrong?”

Han Te clenched his fists. “But what could we have done even if we knew it? We must still try our best in training because it is the best method of attack of the thunder class. Only with Lightning Strangle can we fight for more food, water, and energy!

“If we practice the arts, we may be mentally deranged, crippled, or killed abruptly in years to come. The consequences are indeed serious. But if we don’t practice the arts, we will not be able to even fight for hot excrement. Everybody will starve to death in a few days!”