Dawn of a New Era-Chapter 581 - 555: The Eerie Stillness—Refining the Self (Part 3)
More than half a year has passed since the last war, and Hedong City has recovered significantly, with scarcely any trace of the war left.
There are more factories in the suburbs, and the industrial area has been continuously expanding.
Looking from afar, the chimneys stand like a forest, spewing thick smoke day and night.
Electricity supply is still inadequate, and most factories are powered by coal steam.
Many people speaking foreign languages or broken Chinese are now on the roads.
Most of them come from the four Southeast Asian countries that were part of the God of Blood’s territory. Clearly, Jiangnan Province has accommodated a large number of refugees during this period.
...
Another world, desert.
Chen Shouyi was enveloped in a mist of blood, emanating waves of heat. He practiced Horizontal Training thirty-six seven times in a row and finally stopped, his muscles twitching with spasms, his body teetering on the edge of collapse.
"It’s been half a month of stagnation, and it’s still not working!" he exhaled a breath of scorching white air, shaking his head.
Even without looking at the attribute panel, Chen Shouyi knew it had no effect.
19.9 seemed to be the limit of the mundane. No matter how he trained during this time, he couldn’t break it.
"Do I really have to become a god like the Barbarian God through faith?" a thought lingered in his mind.
For him.
Becoming a god is merely a matter of desire.
He had two opportunities to receive a Divine Position, but he abandoned them both.
One was the "Ocean" Divine Position, the other was the "Bloody" Divine Position.
Along with his hundreds of thousands of followers and influence.
As long as he obtained the Divine Position in advance, he could ignite the Divine Fire to become a Demigod in just over a decade and, within a century, become a True God with Weak Divine Power.
Of course, this was only a thought, becoming a god had no allure for someone like him who had killed two True Gods.
Firstly, it took too long, he might even weaken after igniting the Divine Fire.
Secondly, becoming a god imposed too many restrictions, not only shackled by faith but also bound by Original Force.
Unlike now, even without a trace of Original Force, he at most could not use innate abilities, but still possessed near Demigod strength.
Most crucially, once he became a god, he might forever bid farewell to the mortal world.
Whether it’s because the Divine Power brought by faith couldn’t perfectly restrain like self-will, or the uncontrolled nature of the Divine Fire, all gods radiate Divine Power. Ordinary people might still endure a Demigod’s Divine Power.
However, a True God’s Divine Power could shatter ordinary people’s souls, frightening them to death.
Chen Shouyi sighed, glanced at his blood and sweat-covered body, and with a thought, blood mist erupted from his body, instantly becoming clean.
At this moment, the Shell Lady slowly flew over, landing on Chen Shouyi’s shoulder, carrying a floral scent.
"Good Giant, look at me, am I pretty?" the Shell Lady tugged at Chen Shouyi’s ear, asking coquettishly.
At her words, Chen Shouyi turned his head, seeing the Shell Lady with her head adorned with various wildflowers, looking colorful, paired with a pink princess dress, she seemed like a Flower Fairy from a fairy tale.
Truly a little vain.
"Very pretty!" Chen Shouyi glanced at her, complying.
"Little Dot thinks so too." The Shell Lady nodded, then glanced at Chen Shouyi’s head: "Good Giant, wait here, Little Dot will be right back."
Saying this, she left Chen Shouyi’s shoulder and quickly flew off into the distance.
Chen Shouyi didn’t have to wonder long before she returned, holding a small red flower much larger than her own body: "Good Giant, this is for you, if you wear it on your head, you’ll be pretty too!"
Chen Shouyi, internally silent, said: "Good Giants don’t need to look pretty, so they don’t wear flowers."
The Shell Lady tilted her head, contemplating earnestly: "But you already look quite bad!"
Chen Shouyi’s face darkened.
This little creature, truly unlikable.
...
After dinner.
Chen Shouyi lay on the bed, reading a book, while waiting for the Energy Accumulation on the attribute panel to approach twenty-seven points.
Regarding whether to optimize introspection or wait until it accumulates to 81 points to optimize the Horizontal Training thirty-six, he had already made up his mind.
Over the past few days, he vaguely suspected that his delay in breaking through might be due to the obvious imbalance between his physical and mental attributes.
Just like a common being lighting the Divine Fire to step into the Demigod stage, it requires not only a physique and a large amount of Power of Faith but also a more mysterious and unfathomable soul.
Perhaps when will and perception both reach 19.9, there might be a turning point.
Of course, this is just a speculation.
But this speculation alone was enough to make him give it a try.
As time ticked closer.
His heart started to pound intensely.
He wondered what changes might happen with this meditation? 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
As soon as the time came.
He immediately tossed aside the book, opened the attribute panel, and chose introspection to optimize himself.
...
A familiar drowsiness crept over him.
He quickly entered a dream.
The introspection technique was rapidly deduced, optimized again and again, and meditation went deeper and deeper.
Quiet!
Tranquility!
The entire consciousness and subconscious were gradually mastered by him completely.
His awareness was clear and tranquil, here he could see a multitude of complex and chaotic information.
This is the unknown information within the subconscious.
Normally imperceptible, yet subtly influencing a person’s mindset and spirit.
This information includes behavior patterns from acquired experiences and experiences, as well as innate information passed down through generations via hereditary genes.
For example, when encountering man-eating beasts.
Some freeze up in terror, unable to move.
Some collapse, soiling themselves.
Some turn and flee.
Some bravely charge forward.
From a racial perspective, choosing bravery or cowardice has no significance. Surviving and passing on genes through the generations is the best choice. These "excellent" choices, proven survivable, also pass down through genetic information, subtly influencing behavior.
When crisis comes, the same choices proven correct before are made.
The saying "three years old sees the future" reflects this reality!
Of course, the postnatal environment and education can also overturn everything.
In the dream, he passively read this extensive information.
This information truly holds little meaning to someone like Chen Shouyi, who completely controls his consciousness, serving only as a deeper understanding of himself.
The evolution wasn’t over.
When he finished "reading" all sub-conscious information.
His entire consciousness suddenly trembled.
A glimmer of light,
started to appear slowly from the depths of consciousness!
This was an unimaginable light, colorful and ever-changing, as if a rapidly shifting kaleidoscope.
Strange, mysterious, it seemed to contain infinite information, like the world’s truth.
Chen Shouyi only glanced a few times, and his mind turned blank.
He suddenly snapped awake.
Chen Shouyi opened his eyes, panting heavily, his eyes blankly gazing at the ceiling, his face filled with shock.
He felt his mind thoroughly exhausted, his head aching as if splitting, his thoughts somewhat dull.
"What... what is this?" he murmured to himself.
...
ps: Being a little late, it shouldn’t matter...right?
