Parallel World Lines, Era of Mist (Part 2)

According to later research, the mist, which remains incomprehensible to this day, did not penetrate the solar system, at least not within observable frequency bands. This mist, of unknown origin and form, under a mechanism that humanity couldn't understand at the time, completely enveloped the solar system from the outside.

It neither invaded Neptune's orbit nor did it fail to firmly encircle the solar system.

From this day forward, the river of stars vanished, and the world underwent a great change. Looking up, humans could no longer see the vast expanse of stars. All the stars and constellations were obscured; only the sun still shone in the sky, and the reflections of a few major planets were still barely visible.

Humanity's connection to the deep space beyond the solar system was completely severed by a mass of mist. The entire solar system was like a cosmic black box, utterly unable to glimpse the scenery outside.

Of course, if it were only this, it wouldn't really be much. For the vast majority of humans, not seeing them was just not seeing them. After all, with the development of industry, Earthlings were already finding it increasingly difficult to see the stars.

Even in this world, if the air hadn't been clean and the weather clear last night, and if it hadn't been late enough for ground light pollution to decrease, Shi Tiexin wouldn't have been able to see the stars either, nor would he have thought it strange not to see them.

But the changes that occurred far exceeded humanity's previous expectations.

On January 22, 1919, an Origin Sage emerged. On the same day the solar system entered the mist zone, the Origin Sage enlightened humanity, preaching for twelve days and passing down the great path of martial arts cultivation, igniting the legendary fire of evolution. From this day, martial arts were revived, emerging from the dusty archives of history and stepping into a new era.

Moreover, compared to ancient martial arts and ancient national arts of the past, the new martial arts passed down by the Origin Sage were extremely powerful, had very low barriers to entry, and required less expenditure. Anyone with the will to practice martial arts could do so.

The balance of power between nations changed dramatically from this point on. Martial arts broke the unshakable monopoly of science that had existed since the Industrial Revolution, becoming a new source of power growth for Earth's humanity.

After enlightening the world, the Origin Sage gracefully retired and disappeared into the starry sky. Following the Origin Sage, humanity saw sages emerge generation after generation. Shi Tiexin couldn't fully explain who all the human sages were, as his Natural History was only at the first level of "Good." However, he knew of at least one Science Sage, who was a teacher for all generations.

This Science Sage, in addition to the great path of martial arts, expanded upon the scientific path. This sage closely linked the Thought Energy cultivation methods passed down by the Origin Sage with the study and research of scientific knowledge, opening up a complete and powerful new path for Thought Energy cultivation.

The Six Fundamental Mind Arts that Shi Tiexin currently cultivates, tracing back to their origins, were formulated and established by the Science Sage.

From then on, learning and cultivation merged into one. If one learned well and conducted research well, their cultivation realm would naturally rise layer by layer, advancing like a broken bamboo. From this point, scientists and martial artists became intimately intertwined to a certain extent. The ingrained image of martial artists as brainless fighters, skilled only in combat and not creation, was completely overturned.

Countless individuals of exceptional talent threw themselves into cultivation and learning. With tangible improvements in strength and evolution within reach, public enthusiasm for scientific research also soared to unprecedented heights. Generation after generation of prodigies forged ahead, continuously pushing the limits of cultivation and the boundaries of science forward together, making humanity's technological level unprecedentedly powerful.

In addition to the Science Sage, several other sages emerged among humanity, all of whom profoundly and thoroughly changed humanity's state of existence, even completely reshaping human values and worldviews. Shi Tiexin vaguely knew that the last sage to emerge was the Time-Space Sage, and the appearance of "secret realms" was closely related to the Time-Space Sage.

And besides the extremely limited number of sages, there were many Sub-Sages who replaced the celestial bodies, illuminating the entire sky. These Sub-Sages could not change all of humanity like the sages, but they could each reshape rules and transform the world within a small range.

Individual strength surged, and technological levels advanced by leaps and bounds. Theoretical breakthroughs emerged continuously, and their implementation was faster than imagination. Humanity's vision and level were rising at a speed far exceeding all previous eras.

It could be said that it was a natural progression. Humanity broke free from Earth and began large-scale exploration of the solar system.

From Venus, the closest planet to the sun, to Uranus, the farthest, human footprints could be found everywhere. Outer colonies expanded one after another, and artificial celestial bodies were built one by one. Except for the mist zone beyond Uranus's orbit, humanity managed the entire solar system with great success.

Amidst this immense opportunity for development and the new social landscape, all existing systems and rules no longer matched the pace of human progress. In 1941, amidst various internal and external factors, the nations of humanity put aside their past grievances and disputes, established the Human Federation, and entered the era of great development together.

Thus, humanity rapidly entered its golden age.

Mind Arts and Strength Arts advanced side by side, Science and Divine Arts coexisted. Wherever the sun shone, that was the domain of humanity. Beyond the sun's reach lay the territory of the mist.

This immense wave of change far surpassed any previous artistic, industrial, or technological revolution in history. No one knew if the Origin Sage's enlightenment was related to the sudden appearance of the mist, but the old methods of dating were completely abandoned.

January 22, 1919, was an historical turning point inscribed in the secret manuals of Natural History.

On this day, the Common Era ended, and a New Era began.

Humanity bid farewell to the past and entered the Era of Mist.

However, this world showed no signs of entering the Era of Mist at all. The celestial bodies were still in place, various nations still existed, and wars and conflicts continued. There was no Origin Sage, no Strength Arts or Mind Arts, and no technological explosion.

What exactly was going on?

Where had he come to?

Moreover, when Shi Tiexin asked Zhou Nan about the dating system last night, he discovered another matter that neither surprised him nor failed to amuse him.

That is, the year in this world was not the same as the year in his own world.

Starting from 1919, the old calendar was abolished, and humanity began to use the new New Era calendar for dating. Shi Tiexin remembered vividly that just a few days ago, Tumubao had held a grand "Centennial of Mist" celebration. The event was spectacular, with grand carnivals and various activities said to have taken place from the Central Star, which was Earth, to the farthest Uranus.

There was no mistake about it; in Shi Tiexin's world, it was precisely the Centennial of Mist. Converted to the Western calendar, it should have been 2019. But Zhou Nan said it was 2020. This meant that the time here was about a year behind his own world.

Shi Tiexin himself had vaguely sensed that the body he had descended into was a year older than he was in age. This was not entirely unexpected, as with transmigration happening, anything was possible.

But it was strange, truly strange, making Shi Tiexin feel a sense of subtle peculiarity.