CHAPTER 307: CHAPTER 307: ANCIENT CULTIVATION CIVILIZATION

After a thorough cleansing, the two of them found eight Soul Beads, all of which were of superior quality. To prevent any oversights, they even crushed all the rocks to dust.

"It must be a deliberate inheritance left by the Fairy Cloud Sect, such painstaking effort," Wang Lan murmured with a sigh.

"All of them are superior Soul Beads. The Star Martial Skills inside must be at least S-grade, or even super S-grade," Yu Ruoyun said, picking up a blue Soul Bead and sinking her spiritual power into it. "Supreme Goodness Like Water? It’s a Water Attribute Star Martial Skill. The grade is indeed very high."

"You’re just going to take a glance?" Wang Lan asked in surprise when he saw Yu Ruoyun withdraw her spiritual power so quickly. "Aren’t you going to learn it?"

"Strictly speaking, these are spoils of war and should be handed over to the country. Besides, we can’t learn so many high-level Star Martial Skills; the nation desperately needs these powerful techniques..."

"What if students obtain a Star Palace Artifact? Do they also have to hand it over to the nation?"

"This... naturally, they don’t have to." Yu Ruoyun had already caught Wang Lan’s drift. "But... Star Martial Skills are different. It’s not that my ideological awareness is really that high, nor am I some kind of saint. An individual’s strength cannot change the strength of a country. Handing these Star Martial Skills over to the country enables it to train more powerful Star Martial Warriors, which will enhance our overall strength. I possess the Dragon Emperor Form, and you have the Phoenix Form. Just mastering one of these skills would be enough to occupy us for a lifetime. Learning more would be biting off more than we can chew. Besides, wouldn’t it be a waste of these other Star Martial Skills?"

"We’ve fallen into such dire straits; we don’t even know if we’ll make it out of here alive..."

"Since we’re taking refuge here, as long as we don’t die, those on the outside will surely try everything to save us. I hadn’t considered that before, but after analyzing it, my life and death are tied to a potential upheaval that could shake Jade Country. Jade Country probably won’t just sit by and watch. If the Five Emperors joined forces, they might be able to reach us here and rescue us."

"Then..." Wang Lan had a look of defeat on his face. "We found eight Soul Beads. It wouldn’t be too much for each of us to learn one, would it?"

"Er..." Meeting Wang Lan’s gaze, Yu Ruoyun hesitated for a long moment before finally nodding. The items were found by them together; it wouldn’t be wrong to call them their fortuitous encounter. If she refused even this request, she would indeed be acting too much like a saint. Yu Ruoyun believed in not biting off more than one could chew, but Wang Lan might not share that sentiment.

"Alright. My innate attribute is fire, so I’ll choose the red one."

"Then I’ll choose the cyan one."

They each selected a Soul Bead and then sat down separately to begin absorbing them.

BUZZ.

As they absorbed the Soul Beads, a vast torrent of information surged into their Spiritual Seas of Consciousness.

"Unlearnable Star Martial Skill detected. Attempting forced loading... Forced loading failed. Host does not meet learning requirements. Seal Star Martial Skill?"

It can be sealed? Wang Lan’s eyes flickered as he selected ’yes’.

Instantly, a new icon appeared on his skill panel, shaped like a book. Wang Lan focused his spiritual power on the book. The displayed skill name was: Infinite Fire Skill.

Indeed, it’s a super S-grade Star Martial Skill, even higher in grade than the Phoenix Form, especially since the learning requirement is the Star Sea realm. The book is just a representation. Once Wang Lan had absorbed the skill, he already understood what the Infinite Fire Skill entailed. It was a Cultivation Technique for practicing five specific types of flames, different from the conventional Star Martial Skills he was familiar with.

If I had to point out the difference, the Star Martial Skills I knew were like a complex martial art manual broken down into individual moves. For example, with the Dragon Subduing Palms, one move like ’Regret of the Proud Dragon’ would be one Star Martial Skill, and ’Divine Dragon Swings its Tail’ would be another. This Infinite Fire Skill, however, was an entire cultivation method for a set of Star Martial Skills. The ’Infinite Fire’ consisted of five types: True Sunfire, which incinerates the earth; Samadhi True Fire, which cannot be extinguished; Netherworld Ghost Fire, which scorches the soul; Red Lotus Karma Fire, which punishes wickedness; and the all-annihilating Nine Heavens Thunder Fire.

Each type of flame had different effects, and their destructive power increased progressively. True Sunfire was pure light and heat, while Samadhi True Fire was undoubtedly the ultimate tool for reducing enemies to ashes. Once touched by Samadhi True Fire, it wouldn’t extinguish until its target was completely incinerated. This flame alone could instantly kill a vast number of foes. The Netherworld Ghost Fire and Red Lotus Karma Fire were even more terrifying, both being insidious attacks that were incredibly difficult to defend against.

Even though I can’t use it yet, I’m very satisfied with this. At least it will be very convenient to use with my Flame Sword in the future.

When Wang Lan opened his eyes, he saw Yu Ruoyun opening hers at the same moment.

"It’s a Wind Attribute Cultivation Technique... This is a Cultivation Technique from the Ancient Era! A Cultivation Technique that could form the foundation of an entire Star Martial System... Wang Lan, these Soul Beads are too important to Jade Country! We must deliver them, even if it means risking our lives!" Yu Ruoyun exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.

"An Ancient Era Cultivation Technique? Are you saying... that in Ancient Times, we actually had complete Cultivation Techniques?"

"Yes!" Yu Ruoyun’s face was flushed as she nodded vigorously. "Ever since humanity appeared, Star Martial Warriors have been born among us. Many powerful Star Martial Warriors from the Ancient Era left behind myths and legends. Although these legends may have been exaggerated, we once did possess an advanced and complete cultivation system. But all of that was shattered by the invasions of the Demon Clan. According to records, the first invasion by the Demon Clan occurred during the era of the goddess Nüwa. Legend has it that the heavens and earth were fractured, and Extraterrestrial Demons poured into the mortal realm through the cracks in the sky, slaughtering all living beings. Nüwa led the human race in resistance and ultimately refined five-colored stones to mend the heavens, sealing the breach and keeping the Extraterrestrial Demons confined to the outer chaos. But the lands ravaged by the Extraterrestrial Demons were left in ruins, with catastrophic losses of life."

"Afterward, similar legends of great calamities continued to circulate. However, three thousand years ago, legends of ancient powerhouses became scarce. Still, some Qi Cultivator sects continued to widely accept disciples and pass on their teachings. By two thousand years ago, even those Qi Cultivator sects had vanished, with only occasional legends of Land Immortals surfacing. Even with such sporadic traces, some families and individuals connected to the Ancient Immortal Gates have passed down their heritage to this day. Do you know of the Lv Family?"

"The Lv Family?"

"Yes, the Aolai Lv Family. They claim to be descendants of disciples from an Ancient Immortal Gate, the Sunlight Sword Sect. Their family indeed possesses many ancient oracle bone steles. While it’s possible they fabricated this history, there’s also a significant chance it’s true. And now, this Fairy Cloud Sect and its remaining legacy are irrefutable proof. In Ancient Times, there existed a Star Martial Art civilization far superior to our current one, possessing a complete heritage. Yet, due to repeated invasions by the Demon Clan, this heritage was severed, and the civilization was destroyed. The Nine-layer Pagoda, the Azure Dragon Skill, and the Star Palace Artifacts we’ve excavated from Different Dimensional Spaces over the years all attest to this."

"So... assuming the ancient cultivation civilization could have been preserved until now, how much stronger would humanity be?" Wang Lan asked curiously.

A person’s status truly determines their perspective. No matter how exceptional I might be, for the past seventeen years, I was merely an ordinary citizen. An ordinary citizen has limited access to information. Even when exposed to some, it could have been deliberately arranged, meaning what I saw wasn’t necessarily the truth. Without detailed information, without correct materials, even the brightest mind is no different from an ignorant fool. Wang Lan didn’t feel ashamed about this; asking questions when he didn’t understand had always been his habit.

"It would be a world-altering difference!" Yu Ruoyun declared. "If the ancient cultivation civilization had endured to this day, the Demon Clan probably wouldn’t dare to invade us anymore. With our technological civilization combined with that cultivation civilization, we might even be able to fight our way back into the Demon World!"

"Is it really that exaggerated? If the ancient cultivation civilization was so powerful, why was it gradually driven to decline by the Demon Clan’s attacks?"

"The eras were different! How could the number of Star Martial Warriors in Ancient Times compare to now? Research from the human gene pool indicates that the number of Star Martial Warriors has been continuously increasing with human evolution. Two thousand years ago, during the Great Tang Dynasty, in the reign of Emperor Ming, an inscription from the Mount Tai Fengshan sacrificial ceremony stated, ’I command fifty thousand Heavenly Soldiers, bearing the destiny of millions.’ During Emperor Ming’s era, it had been one hundred and ten years since the last Demon Clan invasion, and the Great Tang Dynasty was at its zenith. The policy of the Great Tang Dynasty was to not overlook a single Star Martial Warrior; all Star Martial Warriors were conscripted into the Heavenly Soldier Army. Even those not actively serving in the military had to be registered with the Heavenly Soldier Army. So, when Emperor Ming claimed to have fifty thousand Heavenly Soldiers, it likely meant the Great Tang Dynasty had fifty thousand Star Martial Warriors. Compared to the population of less than two hundred million at the time, this ratio is only one-tenth of what it is now. Before the advent of Soul Resonance Technology, the most recent census of Star Martial Warriors in Jade Country, with a population of four hundred million, counted two hundred thousand. Compared to the Tang Dynasty period, this ratio has doubled. Extrapolating from that, when the ancient cultivation civilization was flourishing, the total population of the Central Plains was perhaps only fifty to sixty million. The number of naturally awakened Star Martial Warriors might have been only around ten thousand. For ten thousand individuals to repeatedly repel the Demon Clan’s armies... one can only imagine how powerful they must have been back then! The ancient cultivation civilization was diverse and focused heavily on the aspect of ’cultivation,’ unlike now, where the focus is on continuous self-improvement. Some scholars speculate that perhaps in Ancient Times, there was a cultivation system that, like our education system, allowed for gradual progression and wasn’t solely dependent on innate talent. If that ancient civilization’s heritage had survived to this day, with Jade Country’s two million Star Martial Warriors, what would we have to fear from the Demon Clan?"

All Wang Lan could think was, Impressive! She’s absolutely right, no argument there!

As Yu Ruoyun finished speaking, she looked at the six remaining Soul Beads with a regretful expression. It’s such a pity. These ancient Cultivation Techniques are too profound. They might be the ultimate God Skill Masteries of the Fairy Cloud Sect. They probably didn’t anticipate that their descendants wouldn’t need these ultimate skills the most, but rather the basic cultivation methods!

"They also wouldn’t have expected that the vast cultivation civilization would be gradually destroyed by the Demon Clan, severing the lineage," Wang Lan remarked. "But then again, if the cultivation civilization hadn’t been destroyed, we might not have developed our technological civilization. Perhaps... it would have been eliminated as heresy in its nascent stages."

"Perhaps," Yu Ruoyun conceded. She stood up and looked at the mess behind them. "We’ve gained so much from this place. Let’s clean up this debris. Since we’ve received their legacy, we can consider ourselves indirect disciples of the Fairy Cloud Sect."

Cleaning up, even without tools, wouldn’t have been a difficult task for two powerful Star Martial Warriors like Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun. However, to show their respect, they went outside to gather some branches and dry grass to fashion simple brooms and dusters.

"Wang Lan—" Yu Ruoyun, who had been busy and was now sweating, turned around to find Wang Lan gone. In that instant, she once again revealed a more vulnerable, feminine side. Not seeing her companion, she called out in a panic.

"I just went to the latrine! Don’t come over here!" Wang Lan shouted hastily, hearing her voice drawing nearer.

As he was zipping up his pants, Wang Lan suddenly froze.

Damn it! I didn’t even realize I’d put my underwear on inside out.