Goddess Tang Chuan

On the Canghuang Continent.

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

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

Ever since he was a few years old, Tang Chuan had observed him and developed a deep interest.

He had now become the universally recognized "Sage" of several surrounding tribes.

Yet whenever night fell, the stars filled the sky, or three crescent moons hung high in the heavens, this Sage of the tribe would always go alone into the wilderness, staring blankly and dully up at the profound starry sky.

No one knew what he was thinking, or why a Sage would show such a vacant, numb expression.

He was called a Sage because, when thunder once struck the earth, splitting a towering tree and igniting a raging fire, all the ancient humans knelt, murmuring prayers, begging the gods to calm their wrath, trembling in terror, only this man stared at the blazing flames and the scattering animals, lost in thought.

Later, he picked up a dry branch, suppressed the fear ingrained in his genes, and touched the roaring fire.

Thus, humanity's first torch was born!

At that time, Sage Kubana was fifteen years old.

Now, in his prime at thirty, he had become the spiritual leader of several surrounding tribes.

But the habit he had since childhood—of staring blankly at something while lost in thought—remained.

He himself was merely the leader of a tribe of a thousand people, yet because of the things he summarized through his "blank staring," he was deeply respected by the surrounding tribes.

He was the first to discover that fire could drive away beasts and illuminate the darkness.

And to prevent the flame from dying out, he selflessly passed the fire to other tribes around him, so that all groups could raise their own fires and preserve this awe-inspiring masterpiece of nature's power.

After all, ancient humans did not yet know how to drill wood for fire; their only source of flame was waiting for thunder to split and ignite a tree, then using dry branches to keep and pass it on.

If no thunder struck, they could only use combustibles to start a fire and preserve the flame for a long time.

Beyond that, in the years that followed, Kubana discovered that plants did not simply exist on their own. He collected and observed plant seeds, and one day, seeds placed on soil actually sprouted.

Thus, the concept of planting crops spread.

But in this era, humanity had only just transitioned from eating raw meat and drinking blood. With vast lands, sparse populations, and lush vegetation, wild fruits were more than enough to eat, aside from the need to hunt animals.

So the idea of planting did not spread widely. People had only a vague notion, but no one actually sowed seeds on a large scale to harvest crops.

Kubana himself did not urge everyone to plant. He simply liked to classify common plants on wooden planks.

Into three categories:

Non-toxic, edible.

Non-toxic, inedible.

Toxic, do not eat.

When these plant-classification planks were replicated and spread, combined with his role as the popularizer of fire, the name "Sage Kubana" became widely known.

Several large tribes, fierce in battle and worshiping strength and plunder, held him in great respect and never invaded Kubana's tribe!

Sometimes, when returning from a successful hunt, they would even send him game, visiting to see if he had discovered anything new that could benefit tribal development.

Perhaps humans, on a genetic level, revere those who are wise.

Because thinking and using the hands to act upon those thoughts—this is the pride embedded in human genes and blood, the trait that sets them apart from all other animals!

Even in later ages, when sages sprang up like bamboo shoots after rain and human knowledge reached unprecedented heights, people still held an indescribable respect for those sages they had never met, whose names they only knew from books!

This is an instinct from the blood, a subconscious impulse.

Let alone in this barren era—a sage was the pioneer of all human civilization, a milestone of the age!

Without even a concept for it, instinctive reverence alone was enough to let Kubana and his small tribe live a life of great comfort and abundance.

Once, when two large tribes were about to go to war, Kubana's people passed through the area. Before the battle had turned bloody, the great tribes actually called a truce, letting Kubana's people leave to avoid accidental harm, then resumed fighting!

Such an honor, in all of history, belonged to one man alone.

Kubana sat alone in the wilderness, staring blankly at the starry sky. The chaotic, hazy thoughts in his mind often kept him from sleeping on these lonely nights.

He wanted to fully crystallize those thoughts, to express them, but he never could.

In the end, the foundation of civilization was too weak.

As the first sage, he could not stand on the shoulders of predecessors to overlook the entire civilization.

He had boundless potential, but the basics of everything still required Kubana to explore on his own.

Language and writing were too impoverished; he could not even use a term to name a thing.

Though Kubana had already created many words—"fire source," "record plank," "replicate and trace"—these terms were his own inventions, spread by him.

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

All of this—starting from the most fundamental principles, exploring, researching, and naming—had to be borne by a single mind.

This was something the human form of thought could not sustain, nor could it be accomplished within the span of a few short decades.

This filled Kubana with anxiety, and the result of that anxiety was that he often found himself staring at those indescribable things, lost in a daze, sighing in lament.

Human strength has its limits!

Truth is something that an entire intelligent civilization explores and obtains together!

It is not something to be borne by a single individual!

As a pioneering trailblazer of the era, Kubana felt a deep pain and helplessness.

He gazed at this starry sky, both familiar and alien, and couldn't help but sigh: "If the Mighty Wisdom Projection exists, could you let me see the truth hidden beneath the surface of this world..."

"Yes!"

A thunderous voice rang out!

Kubana's dull eyes instantly focused, and he stared in shock at the figure emerging from the void above—a goddess draped in a Starlight Gown, crowned with an Ancient Crown, her celestial robes fluttering in the wind.

Ahem.

That's right, Tang Chuan had changed outfits.

He had no choice. After much deliberation, if he wanted to build a mature social system, then the deities worshipped by mortals couldn't all have male faces.

Otherwise, in the long run, it might lead to serious problems.

In ancient times, males naturally surpassed females in physical strength. If he subtly instilled in all mortals the concept that even the gods were exclusively male, the development of civilization might veer off course, harming the formation of a belief system and losing many potential devout followers.

To accelerate the construction of a well-rounded social structure, a female deity was necessary as a civilizational faith, so that mortals of both genders could have their own spiritual idol.

When everyone has spiritual aspirations and everyone offers pure faith, that is the most reasonable and maximally beneficial choice.

After all, at this stage, he couldn't exactly instill in them the concept of being genderless or androgynous, could he?

Without a large population of "hermaphrodites," who would understand that concept? In the eyes of humanity at this time, it was male or female!

They would only believe in the form of the deity they saw with their own eyes!

And so, Goddess Tang Chuan was born.