Shackles of Humanity

The full moon hung in the sky like a silver disk, bathing the world in its light. A sleek yacht sailed across the moonlit sea. It was a beautiful vessel, lacking the distinctive boiler of a steam-powered ship and moving with almost no sound, much like a dolphin leaping from the water.

On the yacht’s deck, Tuoba Ye drained his cup of fine wine in one gulp and exclaimed, ”Old Su, this ship is damn beautiful! It’s strange, the Sea Race has such a small population, how can their shipbuilding be so advanced! Also, what’s powering this thing? I don’t smell any fuel.”

Across from him, Su Chengbo held his glass of red wine elegantly and said with a smile, ”It’s precisely because the Sea Race has a small population that they spare no effort in developing their maritime power. Besides, they have an abundance of Great Elemental Masters of the Water Element who can extract hydrogen from seawater. After liquefaction, the energy efficiency of hydrogen surpasses that of fuel. This is a hydrogen-powered yacht.”

Two young men also stood on the deck. One cradled a sniper rifle he never parted with, while the other wore glasses. They were Tuoba Ye’s two subordinates. The young man with glasses couldn’t help but interject, ”Lord Su, in that case, why don’t we learn this energy extraction technology? The ocean’s water is inexhaustible.”

Su Chengbo turned to look at him and said, ”I’ve long heard that Brother Tuoba has two capable subordinates: one a sniper skilled with kinetic weapons, the other a Fire Element Master. You must be the Fire Element Master, then. In that case, you should know that Elemental Energy is difficult for outsiders to comprehend. Only an Elemental Master who resonates with an element can understand it deeply. The Sea Race has many Water Element Masters, including countless Great Elemental Masters, which is why they can convert Water Element Energy into a form of technology. Our Human Race lacks that ability.”

Xiaohu scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. ”Oh, I was just wondering, if there’s energy in the Water Element that can be burned, could we Fire Element Masters also benefit from it?”

Su Chengbo’s expression turned serious. ”The fact that you could even think of that shows you are quite knowledgeable. You’re right. Heaven and Earth Energy is inherently a cycle of creation and destruction. The Five Elements, in particular, can be converted and flow into one another. Whether you’re a Body Technique Cultivator focusing on Body Refining or an Elemental Master who understands and utilizes external energy, the ultimate goal is to master the Dharma Gates of this cycle!”

Xiaohu thought for a moment, then bowed respectfully to Su Chengbo. ”Thank you for your guidance, Lord Su.”

Tuoba Ye chimed in, ”Old Su, it’s a real shame you’re not a professor at Shangjing University! By the way, are there many guys in your Tri-Eyed Race who know everything under the sun like you do? If you’re all like this, I’ll admit you’ve evolved to be a cut above the Human Race.”

Su Chengbo just smiled without a word. After a long moment, he suddenly asked, ”Brother Tuoba, what do you think of that young man, Luo Kai?”

Tuoba Ye took a big swig of wine and shook his head slightly. ”He’s very impressive. If he can overcome the influence of the Evil Energy, his future achievements will be limitless. It’s just that his personality is a bit strange. I can’t quite put my finger on how.”

Su Chengbo looked up at the full moon and said softly, ”I haven’t had much contact with him, but I have some understanding of him. This young man has a detached nature. The money and power pursued by people of the secular world are like floating clouds to him. He is truly a natural-born cultivator of the ’Dao’!”

Tuoba Ye put down his wine cup, his brow furrowed in thought. Su Chengbo’s words wouldn’t be out of place if spoken about a Body Master, but for a young man in his twenties, it was far too high of praise.

The word ”Dao” is difficult to explain. It can be simply understood as the way all things operate. Both Technology Civilizations and the current biological civilization seek to explore, understand, and apply the way all things operate.

A Human Body Technique Cultivator is only considered to have taken the first step into the ”Dao” of Body Techniques upon reaching the Body Master realm. Only then can they discover a Dharma Gate that suits them by following the operational laws of the universe. Ultimately, the strength of a lifeform is entirely dependent on the depth of its understanding of the ”Dao.”

Tuoba Ye recalled his meeting with Luo Kai and sighed. ”You’re right. A young man building a hut to live alone by the sea, spending his days with only solitude and loneliness for company... that’s not something an ordinary person could do. A person’s ambition grows with their strength. It would be one thing if he were an ordinary person, but this kid’s Body Technique Cultivation is extremely high.”

As he spoke, a nostalgic look appeared on his face. ”When I was young, I dreamed every day of holding the world’s power in my hands and sleeping in the lap of a beautiful woman. It’s only now that those desires have started to fade.”

Su Chengbo said with a laugh, ”Brother Tuoba, you’ve already achieved your dream. I’ve heard that you have twelve wives and concubines, each as beautiful as a flower, and that you enjoy a life of blissful polygamy.”

Tuoba Ye’s old face flushed red, and he said angrily, ”You, Old Su, you just love to expose my faults! Who doesn’t know I was chased out by the tigress at home? Now I have a home I can’t even return to!”

”Haha.” Su Chengbo burst into laughter.

The two young men standing to the side couldn’t help but snicker.

Tuoba Ye picked up a wine bottle and started chugging. After emptying it, he said melancholically, ”When you don’t have them, you’re always thinking about it. Once you have them, they drive you crazy.”

In no time, he had drunk all the fine wine on the deck by himself. An attendant hurriedly brought over another case of wine and cleared away the mess on the deck.

Su Chengbo seemed to think of something and asked, ”A person’s character needs time to mature and settle. There are absolutely no natural-born cultivators of the ’Dao’ in this world. I’ve heard that the Royal Qian Family possesses a technique to revert to one’s youth. Does Brother Tuoba know anything about it?”

Tuoba Ye said dismissively, ”Bullshit ’reverting to youth.’ At best, it’s a technique to preserve one’s looks. You know Emperor Dongyuan has way more wives than I do, and those women are obsessed with this stuff.”

Su Chengbo nodded. ”Oh. I also felt that the young man doesn’t seem like a young man. He should be around our age, at least.”

After a moment, Tuoba Ye changed the subject. ”Old Su, what are you planning to do on this trip back to Shangjing?”

Su Chengbo sighed. ”It’s about my little sister’s schooling. She has never practiced Body Techniques, and those old fossils on the school committee aren’t easy to deal with. I have no choice but to go see my old teacher personally.”

Tuoba Ye said angrily, ”That bunch of old geezers are all stubborn fools! They spend all day dreaming about researching methods for immortality. Shangjing University is doomed in their hands.”

...

When only the two of them were left on the deck, Tuoba Ye dropped his roguish demeanor and asked, ”The Xingma Kingdom is probably done for. Old Su, what are your plans?”

There was no trace of dejection on Su Chengbo’s face. He said calmly, ”We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. The world is a vast place; there will always be a foothold for my Tri-Eyed Race.”

Tuoba Ye sounded a bit exasperated. ”Agh, talking to you is exhausting. Stop speaking in riddles. I know that head of yours is full of ideas. You can’t possibly be betting everything on the Xingma Kingdom.”

Su Chengbo hesitated for a moment before saying, ”After I’m done with my business in Shangjing, I’m thinking of visiting the Land of the Colorful Clouds.”

Tuoba Ye was taken aback. The Land of the Colorful Clouds was the smallest of the nine Human Lordship Kingdoms. In fact, it could hardly be called a kingdom anymore; it was just a single human city standing tall on the Azure Sky Plateau. The Land of the Colorful Clouds sounded wonderful, but it had another name: the City of Sin!