Chapter 168: The Descent of a Deity, the Birth of the Five Elements Spiritual Roots

[Thus, the Mythic Era's Period of Turmoil came to an end.]

[The Black and White Ancestors, shocked and humbled, asked the deity for their name and sought to understand their level of cultivation. For the first time, they learned of a concept from the deity's words: the existence of "God."]

[Based on the cultivation hierarchy provided, the two Ancestors realized that gods, though not part of the established system, must far surpass even the highest level the Ancestral Realm.]

[After all, by their calculations, they were at the Creation Realm. Yet, the deity had effortlessly overpowered them. Only something beyond the Ancestral Realm could explain such strength!]

[Humbled by their weakness, the two Ancestors felt deeply ashamed. To call themselves "Ancestors" without having truly reached the Ancestral Realm seemed like nothing but self-deception.]

[Under the deity's mediation, they swore an oath to diligently cultivate the Yin-Yang Creation of Divine Art without further conflict. They resolved to break through to the Ancestral Realm and become worthy of the title of "Ancestor."]

Bai Ze's designed cultivation hierarchy wasn't particularly powerful.

In this hierarchy, the Ancestral Realm was equivalent to barely reaching the Transcendent level of beings.

The two Ancestors still had a long way to go, so being at the Creation Realm was entirely fitting.

[Seeing their sincerity, the deity imparted additional techniques to the two Ancestors.]

[Beyond advancing through the absorption of spiritual energy, the deity also introduced methods such as consuming spiritual fruits, drinking celestial springs, mining spiritual veins, and utilizing the energy within spirit stones.]

[The deity even taught them how to gather celestial herbs, craft alchemical furnaces, and create the most primitive alchemical techniques!]

[Grateful for the teachings, the two Ancestors repeatedly bowed in thanks. The deity, satisfied with the result, soon departed the world.]

[Afterward, under the leadership of the Black and White Ancestors, their tribes obediently ceased all conflicts and returned to their respective domains.]

[This event was immortalized in the celestial calendar.]

[It came to be known as The Descent of the Divine.]

[It symbolized the arrival of the divine to guide and enlighten sentient beings.]

The Period of Divine Descent

[At this point, the Mythic Era entered the Period of Divine Descent.]

[By the late First Era, after returning to their tribes, the two Ancestors went into deep seclusion. The dissemination of the cultivation system caused a fervor among their people, greatly accelerating their cultivation speed and producing numerous high-level practitioners.]

[However, as these individuals grew stronger, the societal structure began to shift.]

[Practitioners at the Nirvana and Creation Realms, emboldened by their power, no longer wished to remain subordinate to the two Ancestors. While the Ancestors remained in seclusion, these practitioners launched large-scale recruitment efforts, leading like-minded individuals to establish their factions and claim dominion over different regions.]

The Early Second Era

[During the long seclusion of the two Ancestors, their tribes fell into decline as more and more members were drawn away to join other factions. The Black and White Tribes began to wither and fade into obscurity.]

[At the same time, the racial branch evolution ability was activated for a second time!]

[Diverse non-human creatures, unique in form and appearance, were graced by the power of this talent. Half of them retained their original forms but gained the ability to cultivate, becoming known as Demonic Beasts!]

[The other half, however, developed human-like bodies with hands and feet, while maintaining their animalistic facial features. These beings became known as Demonfolk!]

[, Unlike the Demonic Beasts, Demonfolk possessed human-level intelligence.]

[From the shadows, they observed humanity's cultivation hierarchy and techniques, and they began their path of cultivation.]

[During this Period of Divine Descent, the world's population of creatures not only soared, but their cultivation levels also rapidly increased.]

[The total number of species exceeded 500, and the population surpassed 100,000.]

[With heightened intelligence, many creatures established powerful factions.]

[The influence of destiny persisted, as countless prodigies emerged. They refined the foundational techniques created by the two Ancestors and developed countless derivative techniques, benefiting countless beings.]

[Among them were many geniuses who took unconventional paths, specializing in auxiliary skills such as forging, alchemy, and array formations.]

[They even mined spiritual veins and used bronze to forge their earliest magical tools, enhancing their combat capabilities.]

[Thus, humanity officially entered the Bronze Age.]

[During this time, six original sects rose to prominence: the Sword Sect, Bow Sect, Spear Sect, Forging Sect, Alchemy Sect, and Array Sect.]

[Meanwhile, the original Black and White Tribes fell into obscurity, fading into the vast sea of sentient beings.]

[The celestial calendar marked the end of the Period of Divine Descent.]

[The Mythic Era transitioned to the Six-Sect Era of Prosperity.]

Mid-Second Era

[By this time, the leaders of the six major sects had all reached the Creation Realm, with their sects boasting numerous powerful practitioners and thousands of disciples, dominating the world.]

[These sects aggressively expanded their influence, recruiting disciples on a massive scale to suppress the growth of smaller sects in border regions.]

[However, as time passed, humanity's rapid absorption of spiritual energy, combined with similar practices among the Demonfolk, began to deplete the world's reserves of celestial energy.]

[This depletion manifested as a slowing cultivation rate across all levels. Practitioners found it increasingly difficult to advance.]

[The six sect leaders, standing at the peak of humanity, noticed this alarming trend and convened an emergency meeting.]

[Together, they devised a controversial solution: a reform of the foundational cultivation system that would further stratify society.]

[The key feature of this reform was the introduction of the concept of the Five Elements Spiritual Roots gold, wood, water, fire, and earth.]

[Under this system, individuals would be categorized based on their elemental affinity. Those deemed to have no spiritual roots would be unable to cultivate and thus excluded from the system.]

[This ensured that only those considered "geniuses" could continue to progress in cultivation, while others would be led to believe that their lack of talent was an inherent limitation.]

[This method, while controversial, was seen as a way to reduce the consumption of celestial energy while preserving the cultivation system. To the six sect leaders, it was the perfect solution.]

"Such a method is truly ruthless," Bai Ze muttered as he observed the unfolding events.

Controlling people's minds and severing their potential at birth this method created an insurmountable divide between classes.

Those deemed incapable of cultivation were destined to live ordinary, unremarkable lives.

"Though this approach is effective, it raises an important question," he continued.

"How can they be so certain that their judgment of 'genius' aligns with the world's judgment?"

"Perhaps, in the end, only a great revolutionary or divine intervention will bring about true change."

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