Su Mu, drawing on the memories of his previous life, arrived early at the tribe where Shennong was destined to be born.
It was a mysterious and ancient tribe called the Lieshan Tribe.
Its name was full of strength and majesty, as if it hinted at the tribe's splendor and glory throughout history.
The Lieshan Tribe lived on a vast stretch of land. Its people lived in harmony with nature, making their living through hunting and farming.
A beautiful and kind-hearted young woman lived in the tribe. Her name was Nü Deng.
One night, as dusk fell and stars filled the sky, Nü Deng drifted off to sleep.
In her dream, she came to a secluded valley surrounded by lush forests and clear streams.
Nü Deng strolled through the valley, feeling the breeze brush her cheeks. Her spirits were high.
Suddenly, she spotted an enormous Lingzhi ahead, glowing with a captivating light.
The Lingzhi stood tall and sturdy, like a small mountain.
Its cap was a vivid red, marked with exquisite patterns and radiating a magical aura.
Deeply captivated by the sight, Nü Deng approached the Lingzhi and examined it closely.
She felt the warm power radiating from it, and it made her feel wonderfully at ease. She reached out and gently touched its surface, entranced by its soft texture.
As soon as she touched it, the Lingzhi transformed into a streak of light and entered Nü Deng's body.
After waking, Nü Deng told her father, the Lieshan Chieftain, about her dream. He paid it no mind, thinking it was nothing more than an ordinary dream.
A few months later, Nü Deng became pregnant. This time, however, no one in the tribe said anything, because Co-Lord Fuxi's mother had had a similar experience.
The people of the tribe took great care of Nü Deng, firmly believing that the child in her womb would be a great sage of the Human Race.
When Nü Deng had been pregnant for eleven years, Su Mu appeared before the Lieshan Chieftain.
"Your daughter's unborn child is fated to become my disciple. I, Su Mu, have come to take him as my apprentice," he said.
When the crowd heard that it was Su Mu, they hurriedly bowed. "Greetings, Immortal Su Mu." Everyone in the Human Race knew that Su Mu was the eldest disciple under Nuwa, the Human Race Holy Mother of the Human Religion.
"It would certainly be a great blessing for him to become your apprentice, Immortal. But my daughter has been pregnant for eleven years. Will she, like Co-Lord Fuxi, carry him for twelve?" the Lieshan Chieftain asked.
"Now," Su Mu replied.
"Ah, Immortal, what do you mean?" the Lieshan Chieftain asked. Just then, Nü Deng was struck by a wave of abdominal pain.
The midwife saw what was happening and knew the birth was imminent. She hurriedly took Nü Deng back to her room.
Everything was already prepared, so there was no need to make any further arrangements.
A baby's cry rang out, and a new life came into the world.
His cry was loud and clear, as if he were announcing his arrival to the world.
Everyone gathered around, their faces alight with joy and anticipation.
This child was Shennong Shi. Even at birth, he displayed an extraordinary bearing. His tiny body radiated an innate authority and wisdom.
His eyes were bright and clear, filled with curiosity about the world around him and a desire to explore it.
Just then, a celestial phenomenon appeared: Purple Qi swept in from the east for thirty thousand li.
Holding the infant, the Lieshan Chieftain asked Su Mu, "Immortal, please give him a name."
"Call him Shennong," Su Mu replied.
Shennong could speak at one, run at three, and had mastered a wealth of knowledge by five. From an early age, he was taught by Su Mu and stayed by his side.
From childhood, Shennong had a keen interest in medicinal properties and an extraordinary gift for them.
He loved observing all things in nature, especially studying the growth habits, physical features, and medicinal properties of different plants.
Gifted and both brave and wise, he displayed remarkable leadership and courage at the age of sixteen, successfully succeeding to the position of Lieshan Chieftain.
It was no easy decision, but his firm convictions, exceptional wisdom, and sense of responsibility toward the tribe won him everyone's trust and support.
When Co-Lord Fuxi heard of Shennong's deeds at the ancestral lands, he put him through a series of tests.
After Shennong passed, Fuxi prepared to pass the position of Co-Lord to him on Mount Tai.
The weather was clear atop Mount Tai, and clouds drifted across the sky. Accompanied by Su Mu, Shennong arrived at the summit.
Fuxi had been waiting for some time. He gazed at Shennong with a kind expression, his eyes full of hope.
After a thousand years as Co-Lord of the Human Race, Fuxi had finally found a worthy successor.
Fuxi handed Shennong the token that symbolized the authority of the Co-Lord and said solemnly, "From this day forward, you are the Co-Lord of the Human Race. I hope you will lead the Human Race to prosperity."
Shennong accepted the token, feeling the weight of the responsibility it carried. Facing the mountains, he swore, "I, Shennong, swear here and now that I will not fail Elder Fuxi's trust. I will strive for the well-being of the Human Race."
As Shennong made his vow, brilliant clouds appeared in the sky, and auspicious energy filled the air. Everyone cheered, celebrating the rise of the new Co-Lord.
Holding the Kongtong Seal, Su Mu stepped forward and spoke in a clear, resonant voice: "Fuxi's virtue has brought great benefit to all people under Heaven. He tamed demonic beasts, created rites and music, comprehended the Eight Trigrams, and united the tribes of the Human Race. Chosen by the people as their first Co-Lord, his achievements are worthy of reverence. He should be named the Heavenly Sovereign of the Human Race!"
He looked at the crowd, his gaze firm and bright, then continued, "Today, we bear witness to this. May Heaven and Earth attest to it."
With that, he raised the Kongtong Seal and swung it toward the sky. A dazzling beam of light shot from the seal and soared into the heavens.
Rumble! A vast Golden Cloud of Merit appeared in the sky, and the merit split into four portions.
Six tenths entered Fuxi's body. In an instant, his cultivation advanced through the early, middle, late, and peak stages of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm, then through the early, middle, late, and peak stages of the Primordial Golden Immortal Realm, finally reaching the Sub-Saint Realm before stopping.
Two tenths entered Great Master Xuandu's body, allowing him to break through from the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm to the early Quasi-Saint Realm. Xuandu was delighted. He was a Quasi-Saint now, too.
One tenth of the merit entered Fuxi's Companion Spirit Treasure Fuxi Qin, elevating it to a Supreme Innate Merit Spirit Treasure.
The final tenth flew all the way to the North Sea Demon Master Palace and entered the River Map and Luo Writing. They became Supreme Innate Merit Spirit Treasures, and Kunpeng was overjoyed. "A free win! Hahaha!"
Then he heard Taiqing Laozi's voice transmission: "Our karmic ties are settled."
Kunpeng was on the verge of tears, but still said, "Getting merit for free is pretty good, too."
Shennong returned to the capital and began officially taking charge of the Co-Lord's affairs.
One day, a subordinate reported that the crops people usually planted had a poor survival rate, and many areas had produced no harvest at all.
Shennong had no solution, so he asked Su Mu, "Teacher, what should we do?"
Su Mu smiled slightly and took out the Five Grains Seeds. Only then did he realize that this was when the system's reward was meant to be used.
"These are the Five Grains Seeds: rice, broomcorn millet, foxtail millet, wheat, and beans. Try planting them," Su Mu told Shennong.
Shennong took the seeds and left. After he distributed them and conducted some experiments, they proved to have a high survival rate. The Five Grains soon became widespread throughout the Human Race.
With the food shortage resolved, Shennong faced another problem. His subordinates carried a tribesman to him.
"Co-Lord, this tribesman was poisoned after accidentally eating a plant. There are many unfamiliar plants around every tribe, so cases like this are common. Some plants are harmless, but poisonous ones make people sick," his subordinate explained.
Shennong had his subordinate take the poisoned tribesman for treatment.
Shennong went to Su Mu. "Teacher, I plan to identify all the plants for our people, so they can recognize which plants are poisonous and which are not."
"Go ahead. I look forward to seeing what you accomplish," Su Mu replied. As Shennong set out, Su Mu sent a trace of Wood Origin into his body to protect him from being poisoned along the way.
After Shennong left, Su Mu considered that he could use this time to create a cultivation technique for the Human Race, one that belonged exclusively to them.
He decided to get started and used himself as a reference to create the technique.
While Su Mu worked on a cultivation technique for the Human Race, Shennong sampled the hundred herbs. Whenever he came across a new plant, he recorded it and personally tasted it to see what effects it had.
Many times, he fainted after eating poisonous plants. Fortunately, Su Mu had given him Wood Origin, which kept him from being poisoned to death.
Su Mu's cultivation technique was nearing completion. It was divided into the Mortal Realm and the Martial Realm.
The Mortal Realm consisted of Body Tempering, Bone Forging, Tendon Alteration, and Meridian Cultivation.
The Martial Realm consisted of the Martial Disciple Realm (Earth Immortal), Martial Master Realm (Heavenly Immortal), Martial General Realm (True Immortal), Martial King Realm (Mystic Immortal), Martial Emperor Realm (Golden Immortal), Martial Venerable Realm (Grand Unity Golden Immortal), Martial God Realm (Grand Unity Golden Immortal), and Martial Saint Realm (Quasi-Saint/Primordial Golden Immortal).
Su Mu named it the True Martial Scripture. When Shennong returned after tasting the hundred herbs, Su Mu had him spread the True Martial Scripture throughout the Human Race.
As everyone cultivated the True Martial Scripture, their strength underwent a qualitative transformation. The technique was exceptionally well suited to the Human Race.
When Su Mu saw the entire Human Race cultivating the True Martial Scripture, he spoke in a clear voice: "I, Su Mu of the Human Race, seeing how difficult the path of the Dao is for the Human Race and how hard cultivation can be, have created the True Martial Scripture and spread it throughout the Human Race. I establish Martial Dao among the Human Race. The Human Race must strive ceaselessly for self-improvement. May the Great Dao bear witness!"
The Great Dao responded by sending down a trial: Great Dao Divine Thunder. When Su Mu saw the thunder descending, he went forward to meet it.
Su Mu cultivated the Nine Revolutions Divine Art. With both his physical body and Primordial Spirit at the Primordial Golden Immortal level, he feared no Great Dao Divine Thunder. He withstood nine bolts, and the Great Dao granted his request.
Endless Great Dao Merit emerged, illuminating the entire sky of the Primordial Era.
Nine stone steles appeared within the merit. At first, they were as large as mountains, but as they slowly drew closer to Su Mu, they gradually shrank to about three zhang tall.
When they came to rest around Su Mu, they radiated the aura of Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. All the Great Dao Merit entered the Martial Dao Steles.
"Those whose names are inscribed on a Martial Dao Stele may enjoy Martial Dao Destiny → Martial Fortune Flourishing." This was the inscription on the only golden stele among the nine Martial Dao Steles.
The Great Dao withdrew, and Su Mu put away the nine Martial Dao Steles.
Su Mu established Martial Dao among the Human Race. Grateful for his achievements, the people of the Human Race honored him as the Martial Ancestor.
Shennong also compiled everything he had learned in his life into a book called Shennong Ben Cao Jing, laying a solid foundation for the development of medicine in later generations.
Shennong had fulfilled his mission. All he had to do was find a worthy successor, and then he could pass on the position of Co-Lord.
At that very moment, Nuwa, who had been cultivating in seclusion on Shouyang Mountain, had comprehended the Law of Creation anew.
Nuwa had created the Human Race with the Law of Creation and had already comprehended fifty percent of it. After a thousand years of focused study, she had now comprehended eighty percent.
She was only twenty percent short of mastering the full Law of Creation. Once she did, she would completely control it and become a Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal.
At this moment, she was already at the peak of the Primordial Golden Immortal Realm and was devoting herself wholeheartedly to her studies. As Fuxi attained the Dao, abundant Destiny surged toward Nuwa, while the Martial Dao Destiny from Su Mu's establishment of Martial Dao flowed toward her as well.
Nuwa was both the Human Race Holy Mother and the Human Religion Leader, so she could control all the Destiny of the Human Race. Su Mu was Nuwa's disciple, and he also enjoyed Martial Dao Destiny.
"The Human Race's Destiny has risen so greatly. Could my elder brother have attained the Dao? Wonderful! I'll use this abundant Destiny to comprehend the Law of Creation," Nuwa murmured.
With the power of Destiny, Nuwa comprehended the final twenty percent of the Law of Creation and smoothly broke through her bottleneck, advancing to the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm.
Nuwa clenched her fist slightly, feeling the immense strength she now possessed. So this was what it meant to be a Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal. She was even stronger than a Heavenly Dao Saint.
Nuwa felt that as a first-stage Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal, she could absolutely crush Primordial Lord, a third-stage Heavenly Dao Saint, in a fight.
Nuwa sent a voice transmission to Su Mu. "Disciple, I have successfully broken through to the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm. What should I do next?"
Nuwa knew that she had reached her current level entirely because of Su Mu. If she had not been able to hear his thoughts, she would never have learned those secrets.
So Nuwa trusted and relied on Su Mu deeply. She discussed everything with him.
Su Mu was delighted to hear Nuwa's voice transmission. If his teacher could escape the Heavenly Dao's control, then that meant he could escape it, too. He would be able to make plans of his own.
Su Mu replied to Nuwa, "Teacher, you needn't appear in the Primordial Era just yet. I suspect that when the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors all attain the Dao, the Heavenly Dao faction may target the Human Race."
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