Beginning of Cultivation
Chapter 99: Popularizing Cultivation

Chapter 99: Popularizing Cultivation

After talking about this part, Xia Ni also knew that there would be people whose imagination could fly high and far. So let’s continue:

"I have established the Evaluate Council, a council dedicated to evaluating those qualified to become emperor. They have the authority to depose the emperor if he does not perform well, so the people can rest assured about this selection mechanism. Moreover, the gods will not stand idly by if anyone plots rebellion."

The people fell silent upon hearing this. They were unclear about what a council was, but they certainly knew what gods were. Gods were beings of immense power who had helped them overcome the disaster of the monsters.

If the selection of the emperor involved the gods, it would be difficult for anyone to cause trouble. Moreover, no one would dare to incite rebellion.

Seeing that the crowd had quieted down, Xia Ni continued:

"The third matter I want to announce is that I will rename the dynasty to the Human Kingdom. Now that humanity is unified, and the method of selecting the emperor has changed. A kingdom that exists for humanity, selecting a human as emperor, should be called the Human Kingdom."

Hearing this, the crowd below began to buzz with conversation, and journalists were busily jotting down the significant events of the day.

But that wasn’t all, the truly astonishing news of the day was about to be revealed. The final announcement was something that could shatter many people’s worldview.

"Do you think the beings you revere as gods are very powerful? Do you know how they became so powerful? Today, I will show you how to become as powerful as they are." Xia Ni declared boldly.

The crowd of millions below fell silent, thinking they had misheard. But upon realizing it was the truth, they burst into chaos.

"Is His Majesty serious?"

"We can also gain that power?"

"Ha ha ha, great! Then I won’t have to fear anything anymore."

.....

Seeing the enthusiastic faces of the crowd, Xia Ni could only smile. He thought to himself:

"What are you all laughing about? Do you really think cultivation is a good thing? By normal standards, being a cultivator is probably the worst job in the world."

"We call people like us cultivators. The method for cultivation is to consistently engage in ordinary physical training. During training, you must always push your body to its limits over an extended period without exceeding them to avoid injury.

I understand that people might doubt this approach. Normally, gym workouts don’t operate this way. Exercise and diet routines are very scientific, promoting physical health and mental well-being. However, cultivation is different. It’s about confining yourself, subjecting your body to prolonged pain for decades to breakthrough. This process repeats endlessly, or until death.

If cultivation were a job, it would be the worst job ever. You endure pain without pay, can’t enjoy life, and must risk your life for humanity. Your life end at the day you start cultivating. If you are lucky enough to reach the peak of cultivation, you might have time to do what you like, but this peak is currently just a hypothesis. I don’t know if it’s achievable, so cultivation may likely be about tormenting yourself, getting stronger, then tormenting yourself again until you die."

His words were like a cold bucket of water poured over the heads of the millions below. Moments ago, some had dreams of defeating monsters, becoming superheroes with unparalleled strength, and living a happy life. But now, those thoughts vanished.

As Xia Ni said, the further one goes in cultivation, the more responsibility one bears. At that point, a cultivator’s life is no longer their own but belongs to the world. It’s simply a natural change.

Gradually, cultivators stop being human and become akin to another species. This species exists solely for responsibility, the higher the responsibility they bear, the stronger they become. Those unwilling to bear responsibility can only stop and cannot advance.

Advancing to higher levels of cultivation is like a trade between oneself and the universe, exchanging life, freedom, and everything for the power to protect something other than oneself.

However, there are exceptions. Some have advanced far in cultivation without any responsibilities. These individuals are the most diligent and the luckiest.

But I’m not talking about that small number here. For most cultivators, this seems like a 100% losing trade, right? Yes, you are not mistaken, it is indeed a 100% loss.

But that’s also why high level cultivators are born. The universe needs high level cultivators, so it gives them the opportunity to strive to become stronger. In return, the entire life of a cultivator is dedicated to fulfilling a certain responsibility. In simple terms, they are like machines designed to perform specific tasks. However, that machine must make its own efforts because the rules of the universe don’t allow obtaining something just by desire. There must be action to get results.

That rule is not wrong, and it’s the same in life. It’s not enough to just wish to win the lottery, you have to buy a ticket to win. You can’t gain knowledge just by wanting it, you must study and research to acquire it. Skills don’t improve just by dream, continuous practice is necessary to develop them.

One of the universe’s rules is that there must be action to yield results. Whether the results are good or bad depends on luck. Saying this doesn’t mean that effort has no chance, luck is simply a matter of probability. If one attempt isn’t enough, trying a billion times will eventually work.

Lifespan too short? Then try to extend it. The human body is just a complex machine. Natural death results from some parts failing, leading to the whole system breaking down.

Therefore, finding ways to repair or replace the damaged parts can allow one to live longer. Although humanity currently doesn’t have the technique, it’s not impossible. Humans have developed rapidly, as a young species, reaching this level of progress isn’t easy.

But something is holding humanity back, and it comes from human. Greed, selfishness, stupidity, consider yourself above others, a lack of cooperation... and more. Over time, human cooperation has increased, but it’s still not enough. If people in this generation want to live longer, they must foster a higher level of cooperation among all humanity.

Logically dividing work, a billion people can complete a task that would take one person a billion years. This can be seen as a way to accelerate human development. But the prerequisite is that humanity must achieve a sufficient level of cooperation. Humans do everything to gain greater benefits for themselves, so why not actively cooperate and live for others?

It sounds contradictory, but it’s true. A billion people can complete a task that would take you a billion years alone, and with such speed, the chances of quickly finding ways to extend human lifespan increase. The longer the lifespan, the more time there is to strive, immortality wouldn’t just be a dream. No, it’s not right to use the term ’immortality’. The term ’living as long as the universe’ is more appropriate because if the universe ceases to exist, don’t dream of continuing to live either.

If helping others and living for others can increase one’s benefits countless times, why not do it? Only a fool wouldn’t. But first, humanity must truly unite to achieve this.

I am no different, nor is anyone else. Whether you are the most powerful person in the world, the richest, or the best in a field, a criminal or just a normal person, our time is passing quickly. Soon, we will all die, it is naturally.

However, hope is still there. As long as we are alive and have the opportunity to strive, there is no reason to give up. Who says humans can’t live for millions or billions of years? Let’s keep striving. If one person can’t achieve it, let’s gather all of humanity to try together. Sharing benefits is no big deal as long as our benefits increase manifold.

I don’t know if our generation can succeed in this endeavor, but I know that doing nothing will surely lead to regret. Opportunities are always before us, we just need the courage to seize them.

Strive to have more time for yourself, your family, to witness the world and its wonders, to pursue your dreams and ambitions. Or abandon the only chance we have and die soon after, leaving behind many regrets and unfulfilled desires. Each person only gets one chance, how you choose is up to you. I can’t influence that. But in any case, I wish everyone not to regret their decisions.