Chapter Two: Who Will Be the First Among the Ten Thousand Worlds?
The Devourer of Worlds.
The Extraterrestrial Battlefield.
As the immense curtain of light stretched across the heavens, Luo Feng, aboard an F-class spaceship, wore an expression of grave concern.
Initially, he suspected it to be the work of the Mechanical Race. However, upon further reflection, he dismissed this thought. Despite their advanced technology, the Mechanical Race was not so vastly superior to humanity.
If this was not the work of an alien faction, then who could it be?
Master Chaos City Lord had mentioned that even the great powers of the Cosmic Sea did not possess such capabilities.
Such power, if it appeared in the Primordial Universe, would surely stir monumental waves!
Luo Feng's face was stern. He intended to continue his training but could not afford to be careless given the stakes for humanity's survival.
"Baba Ta, contact the Master!" Luo Feng commanded.
The intelligent lifeform, Baba Ta, swiftly connected to the Chaos City Lord upon realizing the gravity of the situation.
"Master! The extraterrestrial battlefield has been struck by a sudden upheaval! A massive curtain has descended from the heavens. We are unsure of the force behind it!" Luo Feng reported solemnly.
On the other end, the Chaos City Lord fell silent for a moment before responding.
"I have also witnessed this in the Primordial Universe... Luo Feng, return to the Primordial Universe immediately. Countless alien races regard you as a thorn in their side, eager to eliminate you. I will seek an audience with the Great Axe and the Original Ancestor. What kind of being could unveil the Ten Thousand Worlds?"
Even Master Chaos City Lord, a being standing at the pinnacle of the universe, could not fathom the nature of this grand curtain.
Luo Feng's scalp tingled.
He looked up again at the vast curtain obscuring the sky.
What kind of extraordinary being warranted such a grand, world-shaking revelation?
**The supreme beings of countless dimensions focused their attention on the unfolding events.**
Yet, they could find no clues, no traces of the force behind it.
Their awe was matched only by their insatiable curiosity.
The Ten Thousand Worlds had chosen only ten individuals for exposure. Who could possibly make it to this list? What made these individuals so remarkable?
At this moment, the Ten Thousand Worlds seemed to stand still.
Han Li remained motionless within the array, Luo Feng refrained from further actions, Xiao Yan set aside his heavy ruler, and Wang Lin stood outside the barrier...
The sky displayed a scene with the words of the preface.
**"He is the little mage of the Human Teachings of the Primordial World. He is the imperial censor and powerful official of the Heavenly Court. He is the Sage of Survival and the Sage of Stability."**
**"He is known as the Madman of Self-Slaying Realms and excels in the art of reducing bones to ashes."**
**"Stability etched into his heart, he achieves sainthood through safety and painlessness."**
Meanwhile, in the northeastern part of the East Victory Shenzhou of the Primordial World, a vast, delicate formation resembling an inverted glazed bowl enveloped several ethereal mountain peaks.
Li Changshou, accompanied by his junior sister Lan Ling'e, descended in front of the Hundred Wonders Hall within the Duxian Gate.
A gathering of hundreds of figures had assembled.
Standing behind Master Qi Yuan Daoist, Li Changshou quietly admonished his junior sister who stood beside him.
"The Primordial World is treacherous and filled with experts. While kindness is commendable, one must act according to one's capabilities."
"How do you know that those who do evil do not conceal their true strength? How can you be sure that there are no significant causes and effects in your encounters?"
"One must strategize before acting. Without ninety percent certainty, how can one take action?"
Lan Ling'e, standing beside her senior brother, blinked timidly, about to respond, when she suddenly noticed an anomaly outside the Duxian Gate and exclaimed, "Senior Brother! Look, what is that?!"
Observing the phenomenon outside, Master Qi Yuan Daoist continued to calculate with a furrowed brow.
Outside the Little Qiong Peak, a sky curtain had appeared, beginning to play a video.
As the preface appeared on the screen, everyone in front of the hall began to discuss it.
Only Li Changshou remained silent, feeling that something was amiss.
Hearing his junior sister's question, Li Changshou shook his head, "Master and many elders cannot decipher it, so how can I? From the scale of this spectacle, it must involve great causes and effects; I dare not touch it."
Ling'e nodded vigorously, clearly understanding the gravity of her senior brother's guidance.
**As the preface ended, the grand curtain began its revelation.**
**"In the first episode of the Peculiar Exposures, the Sage of Survival Li Changshou, nicknamed Nine-Tenths, is from the East Victory Shenzhou of the Primordial World and is the second disciple under Master Qi Yuan of the Duxian Gate."**
With the accompanying voiceover, the grand curtain revealed Li Changshou's visage.
Li Changshou stared, dumbfounded, at the light curtain outside Little Qiong Peak.
"Uh... Senior Brother, you've been exposed," Ling'e said with wide, surprised eyes, pointing at the curtain.
Upon hearing this, Master Qi Yuan Daoist looked at Li Changshou with a curious expression.
At the same moment, all present turned their gaze toward Li Changshou.
Li Changshou's brows twitched violently.
He had always kept a low profile, and being the center of attention like this was deeply unsettling.
"Who is this person, to be called a Sage?"
The unfamiliar disciples from Little Qiong Peak looked on with bewilderment.
Many elders were also shocked, having never anticipated that an ordinary disciple from their sect would be the first to be exposed. They wondered what was so extraordinary about him.
"Master Qi Yuan Daoist has three disciples. The eldest is missing, and this Li Changshou, whom I am somewhat familiar with, is very ordinary, usually ranking outside the top hundred in sect competitions!"
Some familiar with Little Qiong Peak and feeling themselves superior to Li Changshou spoke with resentment, as if Li Changshou had stolen their fortune.
**Meanwhile, in the extraterrestrial battlefield, Luo Feng appeared somewhat dazed.**
**"Sage of Survival"?**
**"Nine-Tenths"?**
It indeed sounded quite peculiar.
However, his focus was not on this at the moment.
This exposure was showcasing the most astonishing individuals of the Ten Thousand Worlds.
Although Luo Feng himself was a prodigy rarely seen in billions of years in the Primordial Universe, in the grand tapestry of humanity's history, he did not dare claim to be the most exceptional.
Let alone among the myriad races of the Primordial Universe, where countless prodigies existed.
Was Li Changshou truly worthy?
**"Among the Ten Thousand Worlds, some worlds explore the source of life, while others develop mechanical technology... Among them is the Primordial World, boundless and divided into five regions, where Li Changshou was born into an ordinary family in the northwest of East Victory Shenzhou..."**
With the voiceover, the curtain displayed the corresponding scenes.
A little boy, dressed in split pants and sporting small horns, ran across a grassy field.
Behind him followed a woman in simple clothes, stretching her arms to prevent the boy from falling.
Not far off was a small wooden house.
Outside the house, a robust man worked shirtless, pounding a farming tool.
This was Li Changshou's family environment.
**"Such a humble existence!"**
**"In such a small place, we could easily flatten it with a single strike."**
**"With ordinary parents, if Li Changshou were to become extraordinary, he must have had other opportunities!"**
Other cultivators of the Ten Thousand Worlds commented.
Indeed, no matter the world, the threshold to becoming a cultivator was always high.
One either came from a powerful and influential family or possessed immense wealth.
Ordinary commoners rarely had access to cultivation.
With survival being a daily challenge, where would they find a path to cultivation?
The resources required for cultivation were even more inaccessible to the poor.
Theoretically, Li Changshou's family conditions had largely ruled out the possibility of cultivation.
Yet!
The exposure in the Ten Thousand Worlds was surely more than this. It could not simply feature an ordinary person.