Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“Therefore, even if Earth is really part of the world of Cultivators and was part of the Star Ocean Imperium ten thousand years ago, it was definitely not a random Sector but a unique existence!” the mental devil observed.

“Chances are that the peaceful Earth at the beginning of the twenty-first century was not what Earth really was! Or maybe, in the Star Ocean Imperium ten thousand years ago, or even in the years of war previously, it was not known as ‘Earth’ at all but something much more famous!”

Li Yao was dazed for a moment. He asked, “Are you suggesting that we might’ve read its name millions of times in the history books but never realized that it was ‘Earth’?”

The mental devil nodded quickly. “Yes. If that’s the case, everything makes sense.”

“Maybe,” Li Yao said, somewhat gloomily. “Right now, we don’t have enough clues. We can deduce however we want, but we can never know the results of the deductions for sure. I really can’t understand that, if the me in the previous life escaped to a place so far away from Earth, why did I conceal the critical information in my soul and only give it out like squeezing toothpaste instead of telling myself the entire truth?”

“It’s a simple question.” The mental devil thought for a moment and replied, “On one hand, the data and shock to the system from the information would have been too immense. If everything is released at once, it would have crushed our brain like a tsunami or a hurricane. Therefore, making ourselves recall it bit by bit as we advance and our soul grows stronger is the safest and most stable approach.”

Li Yao was dazed for a moment and realized that it did make sense.

He clearly remembered the excited feeling of a pounding heart and exploding veins a moment ago.

Despite the fact that he was in the Nascent Soul Stage, the unparalleled excitement had still been too much for him. He had felt that the world was swirling before him. His head had been dizzy, and his heart had been about to rip open his chest and jump out.

If it were in the past, when his Cultivation was not high enough, or when he was still an ordinary person, the burden of such a memory piece would have burnt his brain and deprived him of his full mental faculties.

“On the other hand,” the mental devil continued, “maybe, we are still too weak at present to solve the problems regarding Earth. So, we would merely be bothering ourselves even if we told ourselves the whole truth. That might be why we don’t need to know so much right now.”

“Weak?” Li Yao sniffed. Looking at his palms where spiritual fire was about to pop up, he asked, “Is the legendary Nascent Soul Stage still weak?”

“What about the Nascent Soul Stage?” the mental devil sneered. “Don’t think that it is a big deal. Just think about the capability of Earth first. Let’s forget whether or not there is a deeper truth about Earth and simply focus on the two superficial superpowers. Is a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator enough to deal with almost twenty aircraft carrier groups and tens of thousands of nuclear bombs?”

Li Yao blinked and thought hard for a moment before he was struck by depression.

Yes, after he advanced into the Nascent Soul Stage, one punch from him was more or less enough to blow up a mountain or crush a warship. He was also able to live in the deep sea or a vacuum by himself for a long time now.

Although there were no Cultivators on Earth on the surface, and it was just ordinary people manipulating electric or chemical weapons, it did not mean that he could do whatever he want on Earth.

The most critical problem was the duration of his combat ability—how long he could fight in a battle.

During a battle, a Cultivator had to burn their life and soul incessantly. It was even more so after one advanced into the Nascent Soul Stage.

For a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, every second in their peak state would consume astronomical resources, spiritual energy, soul power, and vitality!

When a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator joined a battle, they would usually only stay in their peak state for several minutes, ten minutes at best.

Most of the time, they would keep themselves in the Building Foundation Stage and the Core Formation Stage and fight in their ‘energy-saving mode’ in order to lengthen the duration of their combat ability.

Only when they encountered a strategic target that was worth their attack would they burn their life and soul and unleash their strongest strike!

For a beginner like Li Yao who was new to the Nascent Soul Stage and seriously short of experience, it was even more so. He felt like he was like a three-year-old who was given an enormous torch as a toy, and he might burn himself up if he played with it carelessly!

Li Yao had run tests on his body before. On the condition that he had swallowed enough strengthening drugs and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in advance, he could stay in his peak state for four to five minutes. If he lingered any longer, his body and soul would be damaged.

Also, however hard he tried to hold back the damage and challenge his limits, it was impossible for him to stay in the peak state for longer than ten minutes, unless he had chance to take drugs continuously during a combat. Even so, it would take some time for the drugs to be digested and absorbed. He was still not able to keep himself in his peak state for long.

Among all the battle-type Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, such a duration was perhaps the shortest, but it could not be helped. Breaking into the Nascent Soul Stage at such a young age was a miracle of miracles itself. It was only natural that he was not as fluent and experienced as those old monsters who were more than one hundred or even two hundred years old.

However, Li Yao estimated that, even for the most experienced Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators who were most adept at controlling themselves precisely, it was hardly likely that they could stay in their peak state for longer than twenty minutes.

Everybody would get exhausted. Fighting was an exhausting activity. The Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were human beings, too. Ergo, the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators could be exhausted.

The logic was quite simple.

Li Yao ran a simulation inside his brain. If the two superpowers on Earth at the beginning of the twenty-first century in his memory were his opponents, the battlefield was the Pacific Ocean, and he was faced with almost ten aircraft carrier groups and hundreds of fourth-generation and fifth-generation supersonic stealth fighter jets, the consequence would likely be…

He would blow up a hundred or so supersonic fighter jets with his immense capability. With any luck, he would even have the opportunity to break through the air-defense fire network, sneak into one of the aircraft carriers, and sink it!

But there would be no later.

After taking down one aircraft carrier group, his spiritual energy would be drained. He could only wait to be killed or flee in a hurry.

But the world was a world devoid of spiritual energy. Even if he managed to escape from the battlefield, there would be no place where he could rest and recover himself!

All in all, it might be as easy as pie for a Cultivator to fight ordinary people.

But however impressive the Cultivator’s appetite was, their stomach would still explode if they ate hundreds of pies in a row!

“Alright. You’re right. We are not capable enough yet. It is meaningless for us to consider those things. What can we do other than look at each other even if we know the truth about the Vulture Plan?”

Li Yao leapt up and warmed up his wrists and ankles against the freezing wind at the window. Looking at the brightness of dawn appearing on the horizon, he grinned, with glittering brilliance beaming out of his eyes. “If we are not capable yet, we must train ourselves harder, harder, and harder! The Nascent Soul Stage is not the end; it is just a new beginning for me!

“Hehe. At the very least, we already know now that Earth exists and is connected to the world of Cultivators in ways we can’t understand.

“If they are connected, I will definitely be able to find Earth after I advance into higher levels!

“However, the mysteries of Earth can wait. The most important enemy right now is still the Imperium of True Human Beings!”

Li Yao had thought very rationally about his previous life and his current one.

However weird the dream that had been haunting him was, it was just a dream after all.

Everything that had happened in the past should be left to the past, and everything that was yet to happen should be embraced in the future. No matter what he had been in the past, he was now a Cultivator of the Heaven’s Origin Sector and a citizen of the Star Glory Federation!

His family, friends, and compatriots lived in this place. Of course, he would fight until the end to protect everything that mattered to him!

Maybe, after defeating the Imperium of True Human Beings, he would see if he could return to Earth if opportunity arose.

But before all that, he should crush the Imperium of True Human Beings, the most wicked of all the civilizations of human beings!

Li Yao was suddenly amused when he thought about that. He realized that the hesitation that he had a moment ago was utterly unnecessary. As long as he passed the test of the Imperium of True Human Beings, the problem would be solved by itself.

The reason was simple. Even if ‘Earth’ did exist, it was nothing more than a single habitable planet. How awesome could a single planet be?

The Imperium of True Human Beings, on the other hand, was very likely to have controlled hundreds of Sectors. There must be at least hundreds of habitable planets in its territory.

If they truly defeated the Imperium of True Human Beings, it meant that the Star Glory Federation would be the strongest country of human beings in the sea of stars.

By then, would it not be more than simple to uncover the mysteries about Earth?

On the other hand, if they failed to defeat the Imperium of True Human Beings…

Then, Li Yao estimated that he must have already been killed in battle. The things about Earth would be none of his business anymore!

That’s right. No matter where the future leads me, my own strength is what matters most. I cannot be sluggish and must go on to train myself!

There are too many mysteries in the sea of stars waiting to be explored by me. I can’t wait to march to the center of the three thousand Sectors now!

The dawn was about to come, and Li Yao could not have been more excited. Instead of taking another nap, he cleaned himself and left his shabby ‘new home’.

The Grand Desolate Plateau was still under construction. Tents and super heavy engineering magical equipment were everywhere. There were also round, silver buildings that looked like enormous eggshells on the ground.

They were the half-permanent hard-shell tents built with the technology imported from the Flying Star Sector. The defense rune arrays outside of the buildings were enough to withstand the scourge of level-nine wind and storms. The reconstruction committee and some other temporary agencies, as well as the refining workshops and the crystal warehouses that required absolutely stability, were all based inside such buildings.