Goddess Tang Chuan

On the Canghuang Continent.

Tang Chuan observed the third—and final—lucky one he had chosen from God's Perspective.

This lucky one was different from the first two. Tang Chuan had been watching this fellow for a long time.

Tang Chuan had observed him since he was only a few years old and had developed a strong interest in him.

He had now become the recognized "sage" of several nearby tribes.

Yet whenever night fell, the sky filled with stars, or three crescent moons hung high in the heavens,

the sage of this tribe always liked to go alone into the wilderness, gazing blankly and vacantly at the deep night sky.

No one knew what he was thinking, or why a sage would reveal such a dull, numb expression.

He was called a sage because once, lightning had descended from the heavens, splitting a towering tree and igniting a roaring fire. While all the primitive humans knelt on the ground, muttering prayers and begging the gods to calm their anger in utter terror,

he alone stood staring blankly at the blazing flames and the animals fleeing in every direction.

Later, he picked up a dry branch, suppressed the fear etched into his genes, and touched the raging fire.

Humanity's first flame called a "torch" was born!

At the time, Sage Kubana was fifteen years old.

Now, he had reached his prime. At thirty, he had effectively become the spiritual leader of several surrounding tribes.

Yet the habit he had retained since childhood of staring blankly at things remained unchanged.

He himself was merely the leader of a tribe of a thousand people, yet through certain things he had concluded while "daydreaming," he was held in the highest respect by the surrounding tribes.

He had been the first to discover that fire could drive away wild beasts and illuminate the darkness.

To keep the flame from going out, he had selflessly passed fire on to other nearby tribes.

This allowed every tribe to raise campfires and preserve this astonishing masterpiece of nature's mighty power.

After all, primitive humans had not yet learned to make fire by drilling wood. Their only way of obtaining it was to wait for lightning to split and ignite a tree, then preserve and pass it on using dry branches.

If no lightning struck, they could only keep a bonfire burning with flammable materials and preserve the flame over time.

Beyond that, in the years that followed, Kubana discovered that plants were not simply born on their own. He collected and observed plant seeds, and one day, seeds he had placed on the soil sprouted tender shoots.

Thus, the idea that plants could be cultivated began to spread.

However, humanity in this era had only just moved beyond the stage of eating raw meat and drinking blood. With vast land, sparse populations, and lush vegetation, aside from animals that needed to be hunted, there was more than enough wild fruit to eat.

Therefore, the concept of cultivation did not truly spread. Or rather, people only had a vague notion of it, and no one sowed seeds on a large scale to harvest abundant crops.

Kubana himself did not call upon everyone to cultivate crops. He simply liked to classify common plants on wooden boards.

There were only three categories:

Non-toxic, edible.

Non-toxic, inedible.

Toxic, do not eat.

After these plant classification boards were copied and spread,

combined with the fact that he was already the one who had popularized fire, the name of Sage Kubana spread far and wide.

Several nearby large tribes that were fierce in battle and worshiped strength and plunder all treated him with great respect. Never once had they invaded Kubana's tribe!

Sometimes, when they returned laden with spoils, they would even bring some prey to visit Kubana, hoping to learn whether he had discovered anything else that would benefit tribal development.

Perhaps humans worshiped sages on a genetic level.

For thought, and the use of one's hands, were humanity's pride embedded in their genes and bloodline—the traits that distinguished them from every other animal!

Even in later generations, when sages emerged one after another like bamboo shoots after rain and human knowledge became more advanced than ever, people still held an indescribable respect for sages whose names they did not know, whom they had only seen mentioned in books!

It was an instinct born of their bloodline and subconscious.

Not to mention this desolate age. Sages were the pioneers of all human civilization, the milestones of their era!

Even without that concept, instinctive worship alone was enough to let Kubana and his small tribe live exceptionally comfortable and prosperous lives.

Once, when two major tribes went to war, Kubana's tribesmen happened to pass through the area. Before the large tribes had even begun fighting in earnest, they forcibly called a truce, let Kubana's people leave to avoid accidentally harming them, and only then resumed the battle!

Such an honor had, throughout history, belonged to one man alone.

With the wilderness at his back, Kubana stood alone, staring blankly at the stars. The chaotic and hazy thoughts in his mind kept him awake whenever he was alone in the dead of night.

He wanted to fully materialize those thoughts, think them through, and express them, but he could never manage it.

Ultimately, the foundations of civilization were still too weak.

As the first sage, he could not stand upon the shoulders of those who came before him and overlook the whole of civilization.

He possessed boundless potential, yet the foundations of every field still needed Kubana himself to explore.

Written and spoken language were also far too impoverished. He could not even use a single term to name a certain thing.

Although Kubana had already created many words himself, terms such as "fire source," "Record Plank," and "copying and tracing" had all been independently created and spread by him.

But as the first great pioneer, he could not possibly be Cangjie, Shennong, and Newton all at once.

Everything had to be explored, researched, and named through his own mind, starting from the very foundations.

That was more than the human mind could bear, and more than a few short decades could accomplish.

It made Kubana anxious. And that anxiety was why he always liked to stare blankly at indescribable things and sigh in regret.

Human strength had its limits!

Truth was something an entire civilization of wisdom had to explore together!

It could not be borne upon a single person!

As a pioneering trailblazer of his era, Kubana felt profound pain and helplessness.

Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar starry sky, he could not help sighing. "If there is a Mighty Wisdom Projection, could you let me witness the truth of this world, hidden beneath its appearances..."

"Yes!"

A thunderous voice rang out!

Kubana's vacant eyes instantly focused. In shock and awe, he looked upward at the figure who stepped out of the void, clad in a Starlight Gown, wearing an Ancient Crown, her celestial robes fluttering... a goddess.

Ahem.

That was right. Tang Chuan had cross-dressed.

He had no choice. After thinking it over, if he wanted to build a mature social system,

then the gods worshiped by mortals could not all have male faces.

Otherwise, if this continued for too long, it might eventually lead to serious problems.

Men were naturally stronger than women in primitive times to begin with. If he subtly instilled in all mortals the notion that even the gods were all male, civilization might develop some kind of deviation. That would be detrimental to the formation of the faith system and would cost him many potential devout believers.

To accelerate the construction of a complete social structure, there had to be a female deity as an object of civilization's faith, so that mortals of every gender could have their own spiritual idol.

Everyone needed spiritual aspirations, and everyone needed to offer pure faith. That was the most reasonable and profitable choice.

After all, he could not teach them the concept of being genderless or hermaphroditic at this point, could he?

As long as no large population of "human monsters" appeared, who would understand that concept? In the eyes of humans at this moment, one was either male or female!

They would only believe in the appearance of the gods they could see with their own eyes!

Thus, Goddess Tang Chuan was born.