GA: Chapter 195 – Human Civilization Needs an Opponent; Grasp This Era
Second Sequence—more numerous than First Sequence, certainly, but still only so many.
The entire Imperial Capital could claim no more than ten ability users at that level.
When war came in the future, creatures of that caliber would pose a terrifying threat to humanity.
Specifically left behind for us—truly, thanks for that. In his heart, Qin Tian made a dry remark, then mentally resolved to mention it to Huoyou when he got back, and see if they could locate those mutant creatures and kill them preemptively.
"Oh? Want to kill them before they become a problem?"
Bai Xuan seemed to read Qin Tian's thoughts and smiled.
"Give it up. It won't work."
"Whatever they were before—once they've awakened powerful aptitude and ability, it means the era has favored them."
"Just like you, Chen Bing, and Huoyou. Your natural gifts have destined all of you to stand at the apex of this era's hierarchy. The same applies to them."
"Even if some of those gifted or high-aptitude mutant creatures die at the hands of something stronger—that doesn't mean their fate has been altered or their fortune gone unfulfilled. That is their fate."
"What's meant to die, no amount of intervention will save. What's not meant to die, no amount of danger will kill."
The reason he had preserved those mutant creatures was partly because he had observed their fortune in the threads of fate—and seen something interesting in their futures.
"Fate—you can see fate?"
Qin Tian looked at Bai Xuan. From his words just now, Bai Xuan seemed to be able to perceive their destinies. But was that actually possible?
Did [Natural Authority] carry the ability to see the future?
"Only parts of it."
Bai Xuan said it lightly. This wasn't an ability he should have originally possessed—but the Chronicle of Ages had granted him the capacity to observe fate.
Though calling it observing fate was perhaps less accurate than saying he was the one who steered the fate of this world.
There were no diverging timelines. What he saw was always a single thread—and whenever he did something that deviated from that thread, the future he could perceive would shift accordingly.
But only he could cause it to shift.
Without his presence, every other person's future had already been decided.
No—even now, with him here, their futures were already set.
Only Bai Xuan could influence the future of this world. Only Bai Xuan could decide which direction it moved.
"Then what does humanity's future look—actually, never mind. That's a pointless question."
"With you here, how bad could humanity's future possibly be?"
Qin Tian's eyes had lit up the moment Bai Xuan confirmed the ability—he'd been about to ask about humanity's fate—then thought of something, and shook his head with a rueful smile instead.
Bai Xuan's existence had already guaranteed that humanity would be the final victor of this era. The outcome was settled. Only the process remained to be written.
"Humanity's growth requires opponents."
"However much we might not want to admit it—threat, danger, and war are the most powerful accelerants for civilizational progress."
"A world with no threat, no danger, complete and absolute peace—everyone would sink into it, growing lazy and slow, and the march of civilization would grind to a halt."
"I'm not saying that kind of peaceful world is without value. But at this point—at the very beginning of the spiritual qi revival—humanity needs to make good use of this rare window of time."
"For a civilization to grow rapidly, a powerful opponent is indispensable."
Bai Xuan spoke gently. He hoped humanity would seize this era well—and make good use of the mysterious force known as spiritual qi.
And beyond that—the spiritual qi revival wasn't limited to Earth. Earth had simply received the greatest portion. In the fate threads he had observed, Earth would welcome new visitors. New civilizations.
Immortal cultivation civilizations. Beast taming civilizations. Demon beast civilizations. Magic civilizations…
He had never imagined Earth would attract so many visitors. Had never imagined Earth's future would be this rich.
"You're the one trusted by Earth and granted its authority—so the way you view things shouldn't only be from a human perspective, but from the perspective of the Earth, of this Earth's civilization. I understand that."
"Not just me. They all do."
To frame it in terms from the Overman universe—Bai Xuan was Earth civilization's chief god. As chief god, his beliefs became the civilization's beliefs.
Qin Tian hadn't watched Overman—but he understood that every person had their own path to walk. Their own Way.
His Way was China. Bai Xuan's Way was the Earth. Was civilization. Was the future.
The two of them talked as they moved without urgency deeper into the wilds. When mutant creatures appeared, Bai Xuan dispatched them casually and stowed the bodies in his spatial ring.
"A civilization's growth takes time—and right now, time is exactly what we have the least of."
"Even though China remains stable for now, many people still feel a deep lack of security. Not just because of the casualties from mutant creatures they see reported online—but more fundamentally, because they feel powerless themselves."
"Because they have no power, in their imagination, encountering a mutant creature leaves them only two choices: die or run. Because they have no power, they can't picture any kind of future for themselves. Some even, because of their powerlessness, turn their resentment onto those who do have strength."
"The spiritual qi revival awakened abilities in ninety-seven percent of the human population—but those with strong cultivation aptitude are rare. The vast majority awakened something, but absorb spiritual qi at agonizingly slow rates. They're not much stronger than ordinary people."
"No—the standard for what counts as ordinary has risen. That's the more accurate framing."
"We've wondered whether there's any way to change this. Whether cultivation techniques, for instance—methods that could accelerate people's training speed—could help."
"If spiritual qi has returned, then perhaps the ancient texts we once considered fictional cultivation methods have gained real utility. But the results have been disappointing."
"Taoism, Buddhism—we tracked down folk sect methods passed down through the generations. None of it has worked."
Qin Tian was about to continue when Bai Xuan cut him off.
"I'm not familiar with how you conducted those experiments—but in the future I've observed, practitioners of real ability have emerged from both Taoism and Buddhism. Golden Light Incantation, Thunder Methods, Sword Riding, the Eight Character Mantra—all of these have appeared."
"When you were experimenting, did you consult anyone from the relevant traditions about whether they had actually succeeded in cultivating? Or did you simply collect the texts, run trials on your own, and never ask the people themselves?"
At that, Qin Tian paused.
He only knew that the research institute had tested cultivation methods and reached the conclusion that they were useless. The details of the process weren't something he'd been involved in.
But Bai Xuan had no reason to lie—which meant those cultivation methods were actually effective?