C9 Creation

In just a matter of days, Jun Lindao experienced a radical transformation—he had successfully awakened!

He truly had awakened!

It wasn't a dream; he had genuinely achieved awakening.

His strength had tripled, his reflexes had improved by 50%, and he could sprint a hundred meters in under five seconds. His already sharp intellect had been significantly enhanced, granting him an eidetic memory. Although currently limited to memorizing content under a hundred thousand words in a short span, this was a vast improvement over his previous capabilities.

He could even sense a torrent of vast energy within him, boosting his vitality to new heights! He could potentially live to be at least 150 years old!

It felt surreal, a mix of shock and elation.

But along with the excitement, a growing anxiety took root in his heart. Over the last few days, he had administered one to two doses of the Awakening Potion daily. After the ninth dose, his body began to change, and by the tenth, he had awakened.

By his estimation, the Awakening Potion he used was far from the standard potion available two years ago. Only ten doses were needed for his difficult-to-awaken body, leading him to believe it must be the fabled Perfect Potion—there was no other explanation.

The worth of the Perfect Potion was unimaginably high. To Jun Lindao's understanding, such a potion couldn't be purchased with any amount of resources. It had never been traded on the open market, making its value incalculable.

Why would someone invest such an enormous amount of resources in him? What were their intentions?

Jun Lindao pondered this question daily, but with so little information, he could only speculate wildly without any basis.

"Congratulations on your successful awakening," a somewhat familiar voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Jun Lindao turned toward the speaker, his surprise evident. "It's you!"

The newcomer gestured for the medical staff to leave before taking a seat.

With a knowing smile, he addressed Jun Lindao, "I'm sure you have many questions. Don't worry, I'm here now, and I'm ready to answer all of them."

Since his awakening, Jun Lindao had acquired the fundamental abilities of the Awakened, including a significant boost in perception. He could sense the presence and gauge the strength of other Awakened individuals. The stronger they were, the greater the sense of pressure he felt.

When he was just an average person, he treated the elderly Mr. Song with great reverence, aware that the title of "great researcher" carried significant prestige throughout all of Freisean. Now, as Jun Lindao, having awakened to greater strength, his respect for the old man deepened even further. The reason was simple: the sense of pressure emanating from Mr. Song was overwhelming, dwarfing what he had felt from the medical staff previously.

It was like a tiny rabbit standing before a colossal ancient beast.

"Mr. Song, I suspect you want to experiment on me because of my Nine Difficulties Body, correct? What puzzles me is, if you had these plans, you could have acted two years ago. Why wait until now?" Jun Lindao inquired with caution.

"Sharp young man. Indeed, your Nine Difficulties Body intrigues me. The reason for my previous lack of action, and why I've chosen to act now, is quite simple. My understanding of this physique was limited before, but recent guidance has revealed deeper secrets to me, prompting my decision to cultivate your potential. As for these secrets, I'm afraid I can't disclose them just yet. When your power is sufficient, you'll naturally learn all you need to know. Rest assured, I mean you no harm. I intend to bestow upon you benefits, limitless benefits," replied Mr. Song, his imposing aura subsiding into a warm smile.

Jun Lindao felt his tension melt away, realizing the old man had likely exerted his spiritual pressure intentionally, as a test of mettle. The explanation shed some light, yet it left him with more questions than answers.

"Limitless benefits? What's the cost? After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch," Jun Lindao pressed.

He harbored doubts about the old man's intentions. The investment of ten Perfect Potions was a substantial one, and despite Mr. Song's status as a great researcher, it seemed improbable that he could afford to squander such resources on him. At best, Mr. Song could secure a single potion through his connections; acquiring more seemed out of the question. Therefore, the true benefactor, the one capable of providing such assets, must be the "other person" Mr. Song alluded to—the true puppeteer orchestrating everything from behind the scenes.

In this world, there truly is no such thing as a free lunch, especially when it comes to ten Perfect Potions. You can't just buy Perfect Potions with resources—they demand a vast amount of merit points to acquire. Even with my entire fortune as a leading researcher, I could only secure one and a half. But for your cultivation journey, ten Perfect Potions are merely the starting point. They will only initiate your awakening, allowing you to step into the first stage of cultivation. As you progress, your need for resources will grow exponentially. Rest assured, my associates and I stand ready to support you," the elder with the surname Song said, his smile warm and reassuring.

"Your sole responsibility is to cultivate! Cultivate diligently! Immerse yourself fully in your cultivation! Do not squander the immense resources we've invested in you. That is how you can repay us."

Jun Lindao listened to the elder's words, his disbelief palpable. Was hard work in cultivation all that was required of him? It seemed absurd. Cultivating a Nine Difficulties Body consumed resources a thousandfold greater than those needed for other exceptional physiques. With the same investment, they could have developed numerous masters—so why pour all that into just one person?

He had only just awakened, and his strength was indistinguishable from that of any other newly Awakened individual. Despite the ten Perfect Potions he had consumed, he wasn't any more powerful than his peers.

Was there something unique about the Nine Difficulties Body that he was missing? Jun Lindao racked his brain for any related information, but came up empty.

"It appears that the common public knowledge doesn't reveal the true mystery of the Nine Difficulties Body. And based on the old man's earlier remarks, even he, as a distinguished researcher, was initially unaware of this secret. It took the insight of someone truly influential behind the scenes for him to uncover it. This suggests that the secret's classification must be at the level of the Great Academy."

In a separate, concealed chamber, a blond man observed the exchange between the elder and Jun Lindao on a large screen.

"Tsk tsk, it took ten of the finest Perfect Potions just to trigger his initial awakening. In our family, it's only once every thousand years that a few geniuses emerge to vie for a single potion. Only the ultimate victor, the top-acknowledged prodigy, earns the right to one. A single potion can perfectly awaken our family's young geniuses, providing them with a solid foundation. Ten Perfect Potions represent a ten-thousand-year share for our spiritual type family, enough for ten true geniuses. And as the Nine Difficulties Body continues to cultivate, the resources required will only multiply." Despite his lofty status and vast wealth, the thought of the future resources needed for the Nine Difficulties Body made the blond man wince.

"No, it's not enough to rely solely on myself. Even with all my wealth, I could only elevate him to the early phase of the third stage. To reach the later stages, or even the fourth stage, I'll need the contribution of other venerable figures. It looks like I'll have to notify those old timers and strike a deal with them. The task of creating a god is too arduous to undertake alone." The blond man sighed.

...

Three years flew by in the blink of an eye.

Jun Lindao, deep within the subterranean city of Freisean, dedicated himself to relentless cultivation, finally mastering the first stage.

He had gleaned more from Academician Soong, such as the existence of a group of seasoned experts who had embarked on a 'create a god' project, with him at its heart. He was that 'god'.

Reflecting on this, he couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. Three years prior, he was nothing but an unawakened nobody, struggling to survive in the slums. Now, he harbored a faint hope of ascending to the exalted status of a 'god'. Fate, it seemed, was full of wonders.

"I've already stated that his breakthrough to the second stage must occur within my lab," a voice declared in a hidden chamber unknown to Jun Lindao, where a crucial discussion about his destiny was unfolding.

"Watson, remember, we're on Freisean. Silently whisking him away to your planet is out of the question. We must tread lightly here, avoiding any disturbance that might rouse the 'Sleepless'. We've suppressed our spiritual power, keeping our auras tightly reined in. Our presence here relies on the spiritual seeds I've sown, allowing us to operate discreetly," the blond man advised his companion in the black robe.

"Crick, your caution is well-founded. Transferring this young one by conventional means could take a decade. While extraordinary measures could relocate him in the blink of an eye, such actions would surely alarm the 'Sleepers'. Should they awaken and discern our breach of the pact, the consequences for our spiritual kind would be dire. Watson and I did not come all this way to provoke a direct confrontation with them," a third, ethereal voice chimed in.

"Hmph, achieving a breakthrough in the Freisean underground city would result in an imperfect ascension. After investing such vast resources, how could we settle for anything less than perfection? The thought of what we've poured into this boy pains me. He must achieve perfection; nothing less will suffice," the black-robed figure stated emphatically.

"I'm aware that if we don't manage to make a theoretical breakthrough, we're going to take a huge hit. The Creation Project isn't just about the three of us; we're standing for the whole spiritual type community. The investment we've poured into this child represents the lifeblood of all the venerable figures within our spiritual type."