Chapter 1 A Week of Unremarkable Cultivation

During this week of increasingly intense spirit qi revival, Su Zhou's life was rather ordinary. He lived a tranquil, Buddhist-like life, doing nothing more than planting trees (Wisdom Trees), drinking tea (spiritual plant leaves steeped in water), and cultivating. He was practically like a reclusive immortal from myths and legends.

In the time before school started again, Su Zhou first consolidated his cultivation, making all preparations for a future breakthrough to the Extraordinary Realm. After that, he calmed his heart and focused on studying.

Besides the courses required for the Holy Trial Selection Exam, he also studied extraordinary knowledge under Yala's tutelage.

Rune basics, spirit material properties, spirit plant characteristics, spirit energy circulation principles, the differences and peculiarities of the five major extraordinary foundations: 'True Spirit, Soul, Spirituality, Spirit Energy, Spirit Qi'...

It must be said that Yala was truly a good teacher. Its earnest teachings surpassed everyone else in this world. No problem could stump it. No matter how tricky Su Zhou's questions or arguments were, they would be thoroughly broken down and explained with reason and evidence. This was quite different from its usual image.

And Su Zhou, as a student, was top-notch in the courses he was interested in. Although sometimes his questions seemed like arguments, it was just his instinct. In reality, he genuinely had doubts. Yala's teachings had truly laid a good foundation for his extraordinary path.

"From the mortal realm all the way to the late stage of the Extraordinary Rank, whether it's Spirit Opening, Awakening, or Extraordinary, it's all about strengthening the cultivator's original racial body and gradually making it extraordinary based on that body."

Yala used Su Zhou's spirit energy to condense three-dimensional human figures in mid-air. It was explaining in detail to Su Zhou the purpose of each human organ and each meridian route in most human cultivation methods.

And now, it was explaining to Su Zhou, who was diligently taking notes, the essence of cultivation for most races in the myriad worlds: "The leap from the 'Extraordinary Rank' to the 'Leadership Rank' is a perilous one. The former can be said to be humans with spirit energy organs and extraordinary bodies, while the latter is a completely new species with every corner of their body thoroughly transformed into the extraordinary."

"They have eliminated all the weaknesses of their former bodies and achieved their own 'perfect prototype', possessing unique special abilities and powers."

"Is that so? In that case, doesn't advancing to the Extraordinary Realm for humans mean completely reshaping one's body, replacing everything except the human shape with spirit energy organs?"

Hearing this, Su Zhou couldn't help but touch his head. He asked curiously, "I often see in those online novels settings like 'the human body contains its own small world,' 'the human body is the creation of heaven and earth, favored by the Heavenly Dao,' and 'the human body is inherently perfect and only needs to have its potential developed step by step.'"

"Favored by creation, containing a small world, inherently perfect—such bodies do exist in the heavens, but not in humans like you."

Yala's tone had no contempt or belittlement. It was merely stating a fact: "They are the so-called 'innately extraordinary races'—but are they truly innate? As far as I know, most innately extraordinary races are either the descendants or the families of super beings who have cultivated to the extreme, or they are perfect creations designed by higher-level existences. Naturally, their starting point is higher than 99% of natural races."

"But humans are not. If the human body is perfect, why does human vision have blind spots? Why do humans have wisdom teeth? Why is the human reproductive system designed so abnormally, and why is childbirth so difficult? Why is the design of the human heart and lungs even inferior to that of other creatures on Earth? There are too many problems, Su Zhou. Why do some people have allergic reactions? Why are there nutrients that cannot be absorbed? If it were perfect, these problems should not exist."

"Because you are naturally born species, what you need is not 'perfection' but 'good enough.'"

Explaining this, Yala met Su Zhou's gaze. It returned the spirit energy Su Zhou had lent it, causing the three-dimensional human figure in mid-air to disappear. Then, it said calmly, "Innate creations are bound to have various imperfections. Using acquired wisdom to correct and improve them according to one's own ideas is the meaning of 'civilization' and 'the extraordinary.'"

"This is the essence of cultivation—moreover, scientific technology is cultivation, and extraordinary sublimation is also cultivation. Do not underestimate any path, because 'Dao and Truth' are everywhere and have no high or low distinction."

Yala was very serious and solemn when it said this, and even Su Zhou was affected, becoming more serious than ever before, and fell into contemplation.

But soon, it wagged its tail at Su Zhou, smiled, and interrupted Su Zhou's thoughts: "So, the more you do, the more mistakes you make; the less you do, the fewer mistakes you make. As long as you turn yourself into a long strip without so many messy organs and limbs, you will naturally become perfect!"

As it said this, Yala coiled itself into a ring with a rather self-satisfied air—it had to be said that it really did have a feeling of harmony and completeness!

"Waiting for me here?" Su Zhou was originally still thinking about what could be considered perfect, but at this moment, he understood Yala's meaning and smiled as well.

Yala's meaning was very simple—perfection has no standard definition and depends on personal preference. For example, the perfection in Yala's eyes might be a long strip coiled into a circle, but for him, what would be the point of living if he became an Ouroboros?

"The extraordinary is the sublimation of life, the leap of the mind, and a multiple-choice question with a thousand faces and ten thousand paths. Although there is one great path that leads directly to the truth, which can serve as a universal order, as the extraordinary become stronger and stronger, they will inevitably embark on their own unique paths."

As an extraordinary who was halfway between the Extraordinary and Awakening realms, Su Zhou also understood why Yala was telling him these truths at this time: "Become what you want to be, and don't waver from your original intention. Don't think that A is perfect now, so you become A, and then think that B is perfect, so you become B. That will only result in a Frankensteinian mess, and there will be no progress possible except for starting all over again."

--It seems that the wisdom added by the Wisdom Fruit has really all gone to the extraordinary aspect.

Realizing that Su Zhou had quickly understood its meaning in this regard, Yala couldn't help but nod in satisfaction. It continued, "Therefore, you cannot completely learn my path. You must have your own ideas, understand the many basics of the extraordinary yourself, and build your own foundation and system before you can cultivate my 'Sacred Geometry Second Order.' Otherwise, even if it's not a castle in the air, what you ultimately achieve will only be a second me, a second Holy Serpent Spirit."

"Learning without thinking is futile; thinking without learning is perilous. Learning and cultivation, thinking and practice must go hand in hand; otherwise, you will only be a lost soul destined to wander in the sea of suffering."

Yala's words were simple and unadorned, great truths that even elementary school teachers could say, but having personally experienced so many battles, Su Zhou had an extraordinary feeling about this, and his understanding was far deeper than in the past dozen years.

Soon, amidst such teachings, the heavy snow dissipated, and the accumulated snow gradually melted.

And on the 17th, the day before school started, which was also Aunt Wen's birthday, Su Zhou personally went to the Shao residence to hint to Shao Qiming to investigate the current situation of the Tang family.

"Wh... what?! The Tang family's senior executives are suspected of bribery and bid-rigging, colluding with officials and businessmen in secret, and now the management has all been arrested... Hengcheng Safe Energy Company has been sealed off by the authorities?!"

"No, this is obviously a cover-up news story!"

In his own room, looking at the local news that had just been released, Shao Qiming first shook his head in shock, then calmly looked up at Su Zhou, whose smile couldn't be stopped: "You've already... been there?"

"You bet!" Su Zhou gave a spirited thumbs up and clicked his tongue twice: "It's just that they were too weak, far less strong than I imagined. They didn't even have exoskeletons and machine gun fire. I thought the difficulty would at least be similar to infiltrating the Umbrella Corporation in a biohazard disaster."

"Even the military's exoskeletons are equipped by elite units. You expect a local aristocratic family to produce war-grade military equipment? And the Umbrella Corporation? The Umbrella Corporation is a super-corporation that can call in nuclear strikes. You're comparing them to a local powerful family?"

Even Shao Qiming couldn't help but complain, but then there was a moment of silence.

After a while, Shao Qiming laughed and then laughed heartily: "Haha, I really don't know what to say... really, thank you very much, both for the lungs that allow me to laugh so heartily now and for the talent brought by the Wisdom Fruit. I can't say anything but thank you."

"Hey, with our relationship, there's no need to say thank you. You might as well think about inviting me to a good meal somewhere." Su Zhou waved his hand, obviously not caring, and Shao Qiming replied with a smile, "Not needing to is one thing, that's a matter of relationship, but gratitude must be expressed, that's a matter of attitude."

Saying this, he closed his computer: "Remember, if there's anything you need, just say it. As long as I can do it, I will do my best to help you."

Su Zhou was also not polite: "It's okay. If I want to advance, I'm afraid I'll need you to collect all kinds of materials—get your money ready!"

"As long as it can be solved with money, it's not a problem."

In such a cheerful atmosphere, Su Zhou returned to school.

Although he could completely skip school, study at home, and have Yala teach him extraordinary knowledge, and then take the Holy Trial Selection Exam again, communicating with people was also a form of cultivation.

According to Yala, living the secluded life of an eighty-one-year-old man when he was only eighteen would inevitably lead to psychological problems, and it didn't need a contractor who was stiff and boring to talk to.

"Isn't that right? Living a retired life before the age of twenty is really... enviable!"

Joking aside, Su Zhou also agreed with Yala's statement.

As a result, the next day, after arriving at school, things became a bit complicated.

He didn't know what was going on, but the first and second classes for the senior year were all self-study. The teachers didn't know where they had gone, and the whole class was relying on their relatively good class discipline to read in their seats. However, private discussions between deskmates couldn't be stopped.

"Have you heard? It seems that several official cars from various academies have come today."

"Yeah, I saw it too. Someone is pulling up a curtain in the auditorium. I don't know what they're doing."

"Could it be a test?"

Everyone was curious about what was happening to cause the current situation. Some of the bolder ones even secretly went to explore the area around the auditorium during class breaks, but they were stopped by the school's security guards and returned empty-handed.

At the beginning of the third class, the school broadcast urgently announced: "Senior students, please bring your student IDs and paper and pens and go to the auditorium to prepare for a test."

"After the test, there will be important procedures for registration."