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"After a century of influence, he dominated the world for fifty years. Such an incredible spirit!" Jun Lindao cradled an ancient tome, his eyes tracing the lines with a mixture of longing and reverence.
The phrase described a paramount being who emerged during humanity's nascent years, long before our ancestors ventured beyond the solar system.
This individual came into being at the twilight of the Earth era, amidst the chaos of the Third World War.
It was a time of extreme turmoil, darkness, bloodshed, and terror—a Great Calamity. Over two hundred nations on Earth were dragged into this unparalleled disaster in human history.
The deployment of the first super nuclear weapon, aptly named Annihilation, to the capital of the then-leading superpower, instantly evaporated over ten million lives. This act triggered a domino effect, plunging the world into nuclear warfare.
Other nations sought revenge, struck preemptively, or acted in self-defense, unleashing their ultimate arsenals. Within mere days, while many were still processing the events, Earth was littered with hundreds of desolate cities, its population decimated from over ten billion to less than three hundred million. Darkness enveloped the world.
In the aftermath of the initial nuclear onslaught, countless lives were lost to shock, fear, helplessness, and despair. Those who survived could scarcely muster the strength to cause further upheaval, and a brief calm settled over the world.
But the hatred festered, deepening with time. After a short respite, conflicts flared with renewed ferocity.
Thus began the Dark Age!
The Dark Age stretched on indefinitely, marked by relentless cycles of attack and retaliation, murder and vengeance. Even without provocation, the impulse to kill persisted.
Pandemics spread, diseases ran rampant, floods were frequent, and a succession of natural and man-made disasters ensued. The landscape was ravaged, society upended, bones littered the seas, and ashen clouds obscured the skies, robbing humanity of the sun's gaze—until his arrival.
With unparalleled wisdom and valor, he put an end to the strife. Universally hailed by Earth's survivors as their leader, he extinguished the flames of hatred, eradicated war, and closed the chapter on the Dark Age. He ushered in the Era of the Universe, propelling humanity into a new epoch of radiance.
His name has since been swept away by the tides of history, with scarcely a fraction of his illustrious acts remembered. Indeed, some cosmic historians harbor skepticism about his very existence, for the tales of his deeds are almost too extraordinary to believe.
The tales of his existence are woven throughout many ancient texts, taking on the air of myth and legend.
Yet Jun Lindao was convinced of his reality.
"I am the carefree Immortal Xiaoyao, transforming into a fluttering dancer that soars everywhere."
Jun Lindao intoned these words, losing himself in their meaning, savoring each nuance.
Legend has it that the ancient humans, with their rudimentary technology, could not forge a super energy cycle within their bodies, leaving them unable to practice cultivation and incredibly frail. But it was 'he' who, through extraordinary means, unlocked the secrets of human cultivation, establishing the super energy cycle within and embarking on the path of cultivation. He was the forefather of all future body cultivators!
He was said to possess knowledge spanning eons, understanding the universe's deepest secrets. With unmatched wisdom, he rapidly elevated Earth's technological level to astounding heights, enabling the once-bound humans to traverse the cosmos in moments and uncover its profound mysteries.
It was he who, single-handedly, confronted the ultimate dark forces of the old era, quelling chaos with a mere gesture. He then taught humanity to dissolve their hatred, end wars, conquer plagues, overcome floods, unite as one, and rejuvenate an exhausted Earth with his miraculous powers, breathing new life into our barren world!
Though his true name remains unknown, his honorific endures—Great Master, the revered title bestowed upon the progenitor of the human race in the cosmic age.
The Great Master, transcendent and supreme; only one who stands above all can be so named.
He was beyond all, and no epithet could encapsulate the reverence he commanded. God, Immortal, Emperor, Sovereign, Monarch, Saint, Ancestor, Spirit... All these glorified terms paled in comparison to him.
Detached from all, only the Great Master reigned supreme!
With the ancient book in hand, Jun Lindao's thoughts melded with the 'him' within its pages, as if he had become the esteemed ancestor whose vision reshaped the world. After a moment of reflection, he slowly stilled the passionate tide within his heart.
"If only I could emulate his greatness. Alas, I am but a Nine Difficulties Body with meager talent," Jun Lindao lamented, his spirits dimming as he returned to the present.
In his time, the path of human cultivation, originally established by the Grand Supreme, had seen tremendous growth. While the foundational elements remained unchanged from what the Grand Supreme had first introduced, the practice had evolved to become much more intricate and refined. Every human was capable of unlocking the terrifying potential within their bodies to attain incredible power.
Humans possess 23 pairs of chromosomes, with 3.6 billion pairs of DNA bases, each base acting as a code. These billions of bases, arranged in complex patterns, offer nearly limitless possibilities.
Ancient humans could only decipher a fraction of this genetic information. It wasn't until the Grand Supreme became his own test subject and underwent several metamorphoses that the deeper secrets were gradually uncovered.
Upon reaching the age of eighteen, when his body was fully developed, Jun Lindao was granted the chance to undergo a comprehensive analysis of his original genetic makeup.
In today's era, every eighteen-year-old adult is entitled to a free genetic test to assess their cultivation potential and choose the most fitting path for their development.
In this age, cultivation is universal; every person is a cultivator. Yet, one's innate ability to cultivate is predetermined from the start.
Human aptitudes, for instance, are categorized into nine distinct levels, with each level encompassing a variety of sub-ranks and classifications.
The disparity in aptitudes is stark; typically, the cultivation speed of one level is at least twice as fast as the level below it.
A cultivator with third-level talent can cultivate over eight times faster than one at the sixth level, using fewer resources and progressing more rapidly.
The extremes are represented by the first level of mythical aptitude and the ninth level. Cultivators with mythical aptitude appear to have no bounds to their strength, performing one cultivation miracle after another. In contrast, those at the ninth level have such poor cultivation speed that it's at least ten times slower than the eighth level!
The average person's constitution is generally classified as the fifth level, ordinary grade. Anything below the sixth level indicates significantly lower aptitude, with the ninth level being notoriously the most challenging to achieve any cultivation success.
Regrettably, Jun Lindao's "Nine Difficulties Body" is recognized as one of the toughest physiques to cultivate, ranking at the very bottom of these nine levels.
In the Universe Era, every human has the opportunity to awaken their genetic potential by administering the Awakening Potion.
Typically, a single potion can trigger the initial awakening of a human with fifth-grade aptitude. However, the lower the aptitude, the more awakening potions are required, and the higher the quality of those potions must be to ensure a reasonable chance of success.
The Nine Difficulties Body is an exceptionally inferior constitution. The Academy of Science's experimental data indicates that for a Nine Difficulties Body to awaken, it would require nine of the highest-grade, perfect potions. The cost of one perfect potion exceeds that of a thousand ordinary potions.
And this is merely the start.
For a Nine Difficulties Body to progress even a minor realm in their cultivation journey, an enormous amount of resources is necessary. Elevating a Nine Difficulties Body by a single realm requires at least a hundred times the resources compared to someone with a fifth-grade ordinary aptitude. To put it another way, the resources to develop a master with a Nine Difficulties Body could elevate over a hundred individuals to the status of true masters.
The challenge of cultivating with this body is akin to reaching the skies!
"With my aptitude, I fear that even ten thousand years of cultivation wouldn't grant me even a thousandth of the Supreme Ancestor's strength," Jun Lindao said, mocking himself.
"I wonder what kind of aptitude the Supreme Ancestor possessed. Surely, it was one of the most powerful among the mythic aptitudes. Otherwise, how could he have reached such heights in mere decades and ushered in a new era?"
His fervent ambition, sparked by reading the ancient texts, had significantly waned. He couldn't help but bow his head.
Without realizing it, his right hand turned to the next page of the ancient tome.
Written there was a phrase: All living beings can cultivate!
This was the legacy left by the Supreme Lord.
