Tiger Soul Research Institute.
Training Field Center.
Zhang Daowen, bare-chested, stood facing a specially made wooden training post, continuously throwing punches. Sweat poured down his forehead, but his eyes remained firm, and his fists slammed against the wooden post with a "bang bang" sound.
On the other side, Xiao You was lying with her eyes closed on the ground, wriggling like a worm. Her body arched as she slowly crawled around the training field.
Seeing this, Feng Qi's face was full of helplessness.
Xiao You was really lazy.
The day after Xiao You underwent the memory implantation surgery, Feng Qi brought her back to the Tiger Soul Research Institute.
After all, Xiao You didn't like the environment there—or more accurately, she didn't like one specific person there.
So, after dinner that evening, he took Xiao You to the Tiger Soul Research Institute, planning to let her stay there for the coming days.
In the days that followed, Feng Qi had hoped to improve Xiao You's physical fitness through training.
This was partly due to a suggestion from the narrator.
It was theorized that Xiao You's activation of her inherited memories might be related to her physical fitness improvement.
During their journey through the Divine Challenge, Xiao You's physical fitness gradually increased, which might have been the trigger for the activation of her inherited memories.
No matter what the cause, Feng Qi thought it was worth trying.
He wanted to find a way to activate Xiao You's abilities earlier.
So, these past few days, he had hoped that Zhang Daowen's presence would inspire Xiao You to join him in training.
He didn't ask Xiao You to engage in the same intense physical training as Zhang Daowen. Instead, he gave her an easy task—just a few laps around the training field each day.
Xiao You had never refused such requests.
When Feng Qi assigned the task, Xiao You immediately thumped her chest, promising that she would definitely complete the physical training.
And now, this was the result.
At first, Xiao You ran a few steps seriously, but then her pace gradually slowed down, eventually turning into a slow shuffle, and now she was practically wriggling across the field.
With her eyes closed, she moved wherever her instincts guided her, wriggling a few meters here and there.
Occasionally, she would take a nap along the way, then continue wriggling after waking up.
The diligent and hardworking Zhang Daowen was a stark contrast to Xiao You.
The two of them didn't interfere with each other.
Zhang Daowen remained unaffected by Xiao You's laziness, training seriously and persistently, never complaining or crying even when injured.
Xiao You, however, was not influenced by Zhang Daowen's efforts. His dedication did not stir any motivation in her to push herself. She would occasionally even urge Zhang Daowen to take a break, feeling tired for him.
[This proves it's your fault. You made an error in your education, causing the hardworking and self-sufficient Xiao You to become the lazy Xiao You.]
Hearing the narrator's complaint, Feng Qi couldn't help but roll his eyes.
His educational approach to both Xiao You and Zhang Daowen wasn't much different. He couldn't understand why there was such a huge personality gap between them.
[Maybe it's an issue with Breaking Armor, Thunder, and Taihang. Since your teaching methods are similar, it means the problem isn't with you.]
"That makes sense," Feng Qi nodded.
[What makes sense? Are you really passing the blame now? Aren't you embarrassed?]
Ignoring the incessant chatter in his mind, Feng Qi turned his attention to Zhang Daowen.
It was clear that basic physical training was no longer yielding much progress for Zhang Daowen's physical fitness. At this point, based on his current growth, he was ready to begin learning cultivation techniques.
The self-created technique Zhang Daowen brought back this time had already been further refined.
Feng Qi was looking forward to how Zhang Daowen would perform in the new future timeline.
But he wasn't planning to teach him any cultivation techniques in the real timeline.
After all, the real timeline was the starting point of the Sacrifice Line.
If Zhang Daowen learned the cultivation techniques improved in the Sacrifice Line here, it would affect his learning of the updated techniques brought back from the Sacrifice Line later on.
The best start for the Sacrifice Line was to begin with a clean slate, and then have Zhang Daowen continuously improve the cultivation techniques as he learned in the Sacrifice Line, which would allow him to reach further.
What Feng Qi was certain about now was that Zhang Daowen's growth potential had not reached its limit.
Even the Zhang Daowen in the future Dream Realm was not the limit of his growth.
Two main factors influenced Zhang Daowen's development.
The first was the burden of humanity.
In the 1500 years of human history, Zhang Daowen wasn't just the strongest warrior of humanity; he was also humanity's highest leader.
He had many responsibilities to deal with.
This made it difficult for Zhang Daowen to devote all his time to cultivating and improving himself.
This issue couldn't be easily solved at this stage.
Feng Qi had once considered simply allowing Zhang Daowen to focus solely on cultivation, with the internal affairs of humanity being handled by the successive high-ranking leaders of the human race.
But this would lead to a problem.
Without a spiritual leader, the human race would experience internal divisions in ideology and opinions, leading to the fragmentation of thoughts within humanity. This could result in many irreparable consequences.
Such a situation would not necessarily happen.
But at least Feng Qi had already seen it once in the future.
At that time, humanity had split internally, and some of the human race members even allied with the Rift Heaven Divine Clan, becoming enslaved beings. They were given parasitic, twisted creatures fused with their bodies, and could no longer be considered human.
These enslaved humans also launched a frenzied hunt against the remaining Dawn human race members.
Feng Qi did not want such a scene to occur again.
Zhang Daowen had an exceptionally long lifespan, and with him at the helm, humanity had a stabilizing anchor.
Becoming the leader of humanity was the path Feng Qi had chosen for Zhang Daowen, and Zhang Daowen spent his life carrying it out.
In the end, the fight for the rise of humanity had become Zhang Daowen's obsession.
In the future dream realm, Zhang Daowen finally let go of his responsibilities toward humanity and focused solely on cultivation because humanity had nearly reached its end.
As the strongest warrior of humanity, Zhang Daowen had to increase his strength as much as possible to maintain deterrence over surrounding forces. Only then could humanity survive and continue to develop.
Thus, the burden of humanity was one of the two main factors that prevented Zhang Daowen from growing to his full potential.
The other factor was related to Zhang Daowen's self-created cultivation technique.
Although each iteration of his self-created cultivation technique was further refined with every sacrifice line, it still paled in comparison to the techniques created by the clans behind him, who had spent tens of thousands of years or even longer developing their techniques.
Xiao You was the perfect example of this.
Xiao You didn't need to create a cultivation technique suited to herself. The inherited knowledge stored in her mind served as the best teacher, helping her easily find the perfect path for herself, perfectly matched.
But Zhang Daowen was different.
He didn't have inherited knowledge. Despite his exceptional talent, everything had to start from scratch.
The process of trial and error was inevitable. His self-created technique had no reference, and with no clan members to help him, he was constantly progressing alone, with the future shrouded in fog.
Fortunately, Zhang Daowen's character was strong, and he had a resilience that even Feng Qi admired.
Faced with the twisting road ahead for humanity, and the flaws in his cultivation technique… he never gave up. He forged his own path.
In the future, people would refer to Zhang Daowen as "Old Ancestor."
This title might sound strange.
After all, Zhang Daowen's roots were not in humanity, but Feng Qi felt that he fully deserved the title.
Humanity's growth history was written by countless heroes, with each era having its own remarkable stories documented.
But Zhang Daowen was both the enforcer and the witness.
As the relay runners around him changed, he was the only one who consistently stood at the forefront of humanity's growth.
He truly deserved the title "Old Ancestor."
"Uncle Qi."
At this moment, a young voice interrupted Feng Qi's thoughts.
Looking up, he saw Zhang Daowen, drenched in sweat, with a radiant smile on his face. His breathing was rapid, his body rising and falling with each breath. In his right hand, he held a glass bottle filled with blue liquid, which he handed to Feng Qi:
"Uncle Qi, this is the spiritual plant drink Uncle Mist taught me to make. It's good for the body if consumed long-term. It's really tasty, you should try it."
Taking the glass bottle from Zhang Daowen's hand, Feng Qi smiled and ruffled Zhang Daowen's head:
"Thank you, it must be very tasty."
"Mm." Zhang Daowen nodded vigorously, his expression filled with anticipation, waiting for Feng Qi's feedback.
At this moment, Xiao You, who had been slowly wriggling, suddenly lifted her head, as if she had sniffed something. She closed her eyes and arched her body, quickly making her way toward Feng Qi, muttering:
"Wait for me, I want to try too."
Moving at several times the speed of her training, Xiao You crawled up to the sofa, then stretched her hand toward the glass bottle in Feng Qi's hand:
"Let me have the first sip."
"Mm, that's fine." Before Feng Qi could respond, Zhang Daowen had already nodded and agreed.
Knowing Xiao You's love for food, Feng Qi, although helpless, handed the glass bottle to her.
Xiao You immediately unscrewed the bottle. As the fragrance of the plant drink filled the air, her eyes began to shine:
"Wow, it looks really delicious."
She tilted her head back and gulped down several large mouthfuls, then sighed contentedly, her face full of satisfaction.
However, Xiao You didn't finish it. Habitually, she handed the rest of the drink to Feng Qi:
"Boss, you drink some too."
Feng Qi wasn't surprised by this.
Although Xiao You was a big eater, she always had principles. Whenever there was food, the first person she thought of was her boss.
Taking the glass bottle that Xiao You handed to him, Feng Qi took a large sip.
The liquid was cool in his mouth, and he could clearly feel the strands of energy spreading inside.
Since it was a drink that Old Mist had taught Zhang Daowen to make, it was evident that this drink had been helpful to Zhang Daowen's growth. After taking a sip, Feng Qi passed it back to Zhang Daowen, complimenting him several times.
Sure enough, a satisfied smile appeared on Zhang Daowen's face, as if he really enjoyed the recognition for the plant-based drink he made.
"Uncle Qi, I'm going to continue my training. I've only completed half of today's task."
"Go ahead."
"Mm."
Zhang Daowen nodded vigorously, then turned and walked away to start his new round of physical training.
At this moment, Feng Qi's gaze shifted to Xiao You, who was lying next to him.
Xiao You pretended not to see him, wriggling over to the corner of the sofa and slowly closing her eyes.
"Training all morning really exhausted Xiao You. It's time for a break."
Feng Qi: ...
Xiao You always found the perfect excuse to slack off. Even though she had been lazing around all morning, she claimed it was because of training. Feng Qi was already used to it, though he found it extremely exasperating.
He immediately lifted Xiao You off the sofa and placed her on the floor.
"Continue training. Otherwise, don't even think about lunch. Think carefully."
"Alright, alright, boss. You're bullying me. What can I do, I'm your loyal little follower. I'll follow your orders and continue to train hard."
Xiao You lay on the floor, not even lifting her head as she spoke.
After that, her back slowly arched, and like a worm, she started wriggling around the training area again.
Hearing this, Feng Qi felt his forehead muscles twitch.
The running training around the training area had been turned into crawling training by Xiao You, something he never expected.
Thankfully, more exercise was still better than no exercise.
Crawling was still a form of training, at least.
Otherwise, Xiao You would just continue lying around next to him, and when she woke up, she'd probably be hungry.
Lately, Xiao You's biggest complaint was about losing her ability to weave energy.
It wasn't because she missed her ability, but because she missed the ability to be lazy.
For instance, her flying mask, which allowed her to fly while sleeping, or the Demon Sword Robe, which had self-cleaning abilities and could be used as a blanket whenever needed.
These were the life-convenience tools in Xiao You's eyes.
As for the combat and defense benefits of these energy devices, Xiao You never cared.
After all, with her boss around, she never needed to fight herself. She was always the toolmaker in the team... the person who made energy tools.
One was lazy, the other was hardworking.
Zhang Daowen and Xiao You had completely different personalities, yet they were both mysteriously shaped by Feng Qi's teachings.
Feng Qi couldn't understand why this was the case.
…
In the days that followed, aside from educating Xiao You and Zhang Daowen, Feng Qi spent the rest of his time recuperating.
The high-intensity, continuous activation of future timelines had placed a huge burden on his mind.
This was why, after each sacrifice line ended, he needed time to recover.
During his time back, he had been busy planning for the future and handling matters related to the Yin Yue Clan and others, never taking a break.
Now, these days were true rest.
However, aside from resting, he still had to visit the Blood Bank at the Crimson Research Institute every day to draw blood for storage.
His blood would be one of the key factors in whether the next sacrifice line would proceed according to plan.
This continued for a month.
When Wei Wei said that the amount of blood stored in the blood bank had reached its storage limit, Feng Qi finally decided to activate a new future line and face the new challenge.
That night.
Feng Qi sat on the sofa in the Crimson Research Institute's room, with Xiao You, who had been "exhausted" from a day of training, soundly sleeping next to him.
On the coffee table in front of him was a bottle of enhanced spiritual calming agent.
This was a preparation made in advance for when the sacrifice line returned.
Each time he came back, the impact of negative emotions and the overlapping memories became more intense, so having the spiritual calming agent prepared was crucial for survival in necessary situations.
After three months of rest in the reality line, Feng Qi felt it was time to start a new timeline.
This time, he would follow the planned future direction and open a path for humanity to grow in faith.
And he would become the guide for humanity on the road to acquiring superpowers.
Countless thoughts swirled in his mind as Feng Qi's emotions ran high.
After a long time, he lay back on the sofa and closed his eyes.
The energy progress bar had already been replenished in advance, reaching 118%. All he needed was to sleep, and a new future would be opened.
His mind, like a mountain, quickly helped his body relax.
His thoughts gradually emptied, and Feng Qi's expression became calm as he lay on the sofa.