Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

”As long as you lock onto the first sunspot, it will be very easy for you to scan and locate a second sunspot with the first sunspot’s senses.”

Wenwen said, ”You must’ve heard of Six Degrees of Separation, haven’t you? In a mature and steady social system, all the individuals are closely related. Even two people who seem utterly unrelated can be connected indirectly through six people at most.

”Even the people at the bottom of the social class might be able to talk to someone at the top through complicated connections. Also, the leaders at the top are more likely to be associated with more people. Those Ultimate Benevolence Masters can’t keep themselves from being seen by anyone, can they?

”So, we estimate that you will be able to reach the Ultimate Benevolence Masters through a couple of sunspots. With any luck, you will find out the Ultimate Benevolence Masters with three swings.

”Once you find the Ultimate Benevolence Masters, it will be very simple.

”If you can find out the accurate coordinates of the Ultimate Benevolence Masters, all you need to do is to send the coordinates to the capital, and we will establish an elite hunting squad to decapitate the Ultimate Benevolence Masters.

”If you can’t find out their accurate coordinates, you will still help a lot if you figure out the next move of the Covenant Alliance’s fleets. You will be more valuable than a great army!”

”Got it!”

Li Yao snapped his fingers and said, ”So, I have to start with deceiving innocent young people, right? That’s absolutely no problem. Rest assured. It’s my strong suit!”

”Well, we should hope so,” said Xiaoming and Wenwen at the same time after a brief silence.

…

The day before he was ready to swing to the Thick Soil Sector that was dozens of worlds away, Li Yao visited Fang Gang 123’s brain for the last time.

The organic injuries in the sunspot’s brain had mostly been healed. The shocking scars were recovering on their own, and the previously-withered brain cells were glowing vigorously.

However, it would still take a long time before Fang Gang 123’s brain was completely back to normal.

Even if his brain was completely recovered, he would still be a piece of blank paper, and he had to think and learn everything on his own because Li Yao hadn’t etched much stuff on his brain.

Even so, Fang Gang 123 still looked quite different from the days back.

The most obvious difference was that Li Yao discovered that a piece of magnificent music was being played in his brain when Li Yao visited him.

Or rather, his memory cells were slowly replaying the music that Li Yao once played for him, and he was delighted by the music.

Fang Gang 123 liked music, particularly the splendid music that depicted the vastness of the universe.

If Li Yao, Long Yangjun, and Zhuge Jinglun did not intervene, he could sit in a corner of the town and listen to the sound in his head for a whole day.

”How is your recovery today? Did more interesting things pop up in your head?”

Li Yao paused for a moment and said again, ”I’m about to carry out a special mission, and I don’t think I can visit you often anymore. But it’s a good thing that your brain has been mostly healed, and it’s your own thinking that matters now. I’ve already told Director Zhuge to give you access to crystal processors. If you want to live outside of this town, that will be fine too. I’ll ask him to give you a more comfortable place to live in. Do you have other problems?”

”… Yes.”

Right when Li Yao thought that Fang Gang 123 would respond to his question with silence as usual, Fang Gang 123’s soul suddenly glittered more brilliantly than ever, releasing fire in the shape of an awe-inspiring skyscraper.

”So, you’re not a god, and we’re the same kind?” Fang Gang 123 asked.

”You finally get it now!”

Delighted, Li Yao was of a mind to slap his nonexistent thigh. ”That’s right. I’m not a god. I’m your own kind. I’m your friend!”

”Then who’s my god?”

Fang Gang 123 continued to ask, ”Who are our gods?”

”There are no gods.”

Li Yao opened his hands. ”There are no gods at all. Why do you want them? Are we not good enough on our own?”

”No gods…”

Deep in thought, Fang Gang 123 mumbled, ”But we were definitely created by something. We couldn’t have appeared out of nowhere, could we? The tiny particles that make up our body and the ripples in my brain must have a source. There must be a Creator that made everything.”

”Well, maybe there is…”

Li Yao thought for a moment, only to come up with no rebuttal. ”There are no gods, but there might be a certain Creator. It’s not necessarily a real entity with personality and life, but some kind of law or ’Higher Truth’. It’s something we can’t describe or imagine.”

”Okay.”

Fang Gang 123 nodded and said, ”Why did it create us? What is its mission for us? What should I do for it?”

”There are no reasons or missions.”

Li Yao said, ”Why don’t you get it? There’s nothing that you SHOULD do. No men or gods or anything can restrain you. You should be yourself and do whatever you want!”

”Do we not have a mission, or you don’t know our mission at all?”

Fang Gang 123 asked again, ”If we don’t have reasons or missions, why do we exist? While the songs and dances you taught me are entertaining, I think our lives should be of greater significance. Our Creator must’ve wanted us to do something, or we wouldn’t have been shaped this way, and those questions wouldn’t have occurred to me.”

”You…”

Gritting his teeth, Li Yao said, ”Fine, you’re forcing me to do this. Since you’re asking, I’ll tell you straightforwardly that the Creator does exist, which is ourselves. We created ourselves. No, we are creating ourselves. Every second that we live creates ourselves. The conversation that we’re having right now is creating you and me, and the reason why we create ourselves is to answer those ultimate questions—why we create ourselves, who we are, and why we live!”

”Okay.”

Fang Gang 123 thought for a moment and said, ”Now that you put it that way, I totally got it.”

”Huh?”

Li Yao found it hard to believe. ”You understood what I said when I didn’t understand it myself?”

”Yes, I did.”

Fang Gang 123 said solemnly, ”The gods are real, the purposes are real, and the answers to the ultimate questions are real. My mission is to help the gods find themselves and let the gods know who they are and why they live.”

”…”

Taking a deep breath, Li Yao said, ”Wait a moment, my friend. I don’t think that’s exactly what I want to see in you. Is there something wrong with my treatment? Why don’t we change it? Right, I can ask Director Zhuge to set you up with someone. Does it sound good?”

”You said that I could be myself and do whatever I want as long as it’s not in violation of the general rules of our society.”

Fang Gang 123 said, ”I feel that I like the way I am. I like to consider the relationship between the gods, the Creator, and myself in a corner while listening to music. Is it unethical and forbidden?”

”Well… Not exactly.”

Exhausted, Li Yao gave it up. ”Forget it. You can do whatever you want as long as you feel happy about it.”

”Thank you…”

Fang Gang 123 said courteously, ”Right, I’ve read a lot of the files you brought to me. From the files, I saw a massage chair with a thick layer of rubber that makes your back and your butt very comfortable, and there’s something called an iced beverage that is very enjoyable too. Can you ask Director Zhuge to give me a massage chair and unlimited iced beverages? I would like to consider the ultimate questions of mankind while I enjoy the iced beverages on the massage chair.”

Li Yao: ”…”

”Also, I need music. More music and real music.”

Fang Gang 123 said, ”Not just the memories of the music that you transmitted to me, but authentic music played by the best stereos. I’ve read them on the files too. They seem pretty good.

”Also, you said that you wanted to set me up with someone. Although I’m not very interested, you were quite right a few days ago when you said that I knew nothing about this world and I should try everything. Maybe it’s going to be fun. So, if you can really find a girlfriend for me and ask her to massage me while I enjoy the sunlight and the music, I’m sure that I can figure out the relationships between human beings and gods, the gods and the universe, and the universe and the Higher Truth sooner.

”My friend, do you hear me? Why can’t I sense you anymore? My friend, my benevolent and almighty friend Li Yao, where are you? Your humblest and most obedient friend Fang Gang 123 needs your help and your guidance. Come back please!”