The Beginning of the Human Race

The ceremony to worship the Grandmaster concluded, and classes began the very next day.

Before dawn, Wei Yuan finished his morning ablutions early and headed to the small plaza at the valley entrance to wait. The place of instruction was Qisi Hall, thirty li from the valley. A carriage would arrive at a fixed time every morning to pick up new disciples and take them to Qisi Hall; missing it meant having to travel there oneself.

When Wei Yuan arrived at the plaza, several carriages were already parked there. The carriages were pulled by a type of tall, snow-white horse, fifteen feet at the shoulder, with faint wisps of cloud emanating from their hooves. Each carriage bore a different emblem, indicating its destination. Wei Yuan quickly found the carriage heading to Qisi Hall, confirmed his identity with the cultivator driving it, and boarded.

This carriage was two zhang high, like a small moving building, and its interior was also very spacious, with rows of seats capable of holding fifty people. After Wei Yuan boarded, others gradually got on, and once there were over twenty people, no more were allowed.

When everyone was present, the cultivator closed the door and drove the carriage away from the plaza.

As soon as they exited the valley, Wei Yuan felt as if a heavy foot had stomped on his chest. His body was pressed firmly against the back of the seat, unable to move! The scenery outside the window blurred past at incredible speed, yet the carriage itself was exceptionally stable, with only slight vibrations.

Wei Yuan finally managed to recover from the pressure, and before he could even catch his breath, the carriage jolted again, sending him flying forward involuntarily. Fortunately, his reaction was swift, and he grabbed the back of the seat in front of him, bracing himself firmly to avoid crashing into it. However, the other children were not as fortunate. Some didn't react in time and slammed their heads into the seat in front, their foreheads and faces swelling visibly.

Suddenly, shouts and screams erupted from within the carriage.

Amidst the screams, the scenery outside the window changed again, revealing a three-story pavilion.

The carriage door opened, and the cultivator driving it chuckled, "Time was tight today, so we had to rush a bit. If anyone is late tomorrow, we'll have to rush even more."

A boy with a swollen forehead immediately retorted indignantly, "Is a driver this arrogant? And Taichu Palace is so stingy, what kind of shoddy carriage is this? It doesn't even have a wind-controlling formation!"

The cultivator smiled, pretending not to hear.

The boy was about to speak again when a companion beside him covered his mouth.

Wei Yuan disembarked from the carriage and saw the words "Qisi Hall" inscribed on the plaque of the pavilion ahead. The courtyard of Qisi Hall was serene. Along the wall to the side, a clump of emerald bamboo grew, its leaves a vibrant, glistening green. From time to time, wisps of pure energy rose from the bamboo leaves.

Wei Yuan followed the other disciples into Qisi Hall and saw rows of desks arranged inside. One desk bore his name, so he went over and sat down.

Once everyone was seated, a young cultivator with a smiling demeanor walked in from the side. It was none other than the cultivator who had been driving the carriage. He stood at the front of the hall and announced, "I am Feng Chutang. For the next year, I will be responsible for teaching the General History of the Human Race."

The boy who had been shouting earlier was startled and immediately dared not look up.

Taichu Palace placed great importance on this concentrated period of instruction, assigning teachers who were all extraordinary individuals. It was rumored that several among the younger teachers were geniuses with the potential to become True Monarchs. Even prominent families would try to win over these teachers, unwilling to offend them without cause. Disciples from noble clans had all been lectured by their elders before class, instructed to leave a good impression on the teachers.

Fortunately, Feng Chutang paid no mind to the minor incident in the carriage. He began, "The history of our human race can be traced back to three hundred thousand years ago..."

The earliest recorded history of the human race could be traced back to three hundred thousand years ago; anything before that was beyond historical record. At that time, humanity was merely a small tribe among the myriad races, scattered across what is now Eastern Luzhou and Hedongzhou, occupying only a few commanderies, surrounded by alien races.

Humanity was weak then. Many alien races not only raided the borders, burning and looting, but some even consumed humans for food or used them in sacrifices. Therefore, the first chapter of the General History of the Human Race was titled "Chapter on Alien Races," covering humanity's first two hundred thousand years.

Feng Chutang's voice was soft and gentle as he recounted ancient human secrets. As he spoke, several lifelike images appeared before the lecture hall: a man, a woman, and two children. They bore some resemblance to humans but were taller and more robust. The man was about a head taller than Feng Chutang, while the woman was about his height. The boy was labeled as ten years old but was already as tall as an adult human male, and the girl, labeled as six years old, was equivalent to a human child of eleven or twelve.

The most striking feature of these individuals was their pair of gray eyes, their ears were pointed and long, and they had four fingers on each hand.

"These are the Vast Sea Liao Tribe, also known as the Liao people. Many books refer to them as Northern Liao. In reality, this designation is not entirely accurate, as Liao people inhabit not only the north but also the northeast and east. The Liao people are numerous, with countless large and small tribes, and there are as many as nine kingdoms with their own rulers. Currently, the border between the various Liao tribes and our Great Tang stretches for 1.5 million li, making them the alien race with whom we have the deepest entanglement."

"In ancient times, our entire human race was considered a small alien tribe in the eyes of the Vast Sea Liao Tribe. At that time, they would occasionally send troops into our territory to plunder grain and supplies. Slaughter would only occur if resistance was met. If tribute was willingly offered, they would often pass peacefully. Consequently, many chose to offer tribute to ensure their safety. Occasionally, if Liao nobles wished to hunt for sport, human tribes would have to send a team of warriors into a designated hunting ground to act as prey. They could flee or resist, and if they survived, they would receive rewards."

Many students in the audience listened with growing anger. Most of them came from prominent families and were proud. Hearing about this dark period in ancient history, they found it difficult to tolerate.

Feng Chutang's voice seemed to carry a subtle, inexplicable tone as he said, "The Vast Sea Liao Tribe does not eat people, nor do they kill indiscriminately. In their eyes, human women are ugly, so acts of lust and abuse were not common. In the first tens of thousands of years, because many human tribes frequently offered tribute, the Vast Sea Liao Tribe gradually began to regard humans as subordinate tribes and offered them protection. Without the initial protection of the Vast Sea Liao Tribe, humanity might not have survived to the present day."

"Compared to other alien races, the Vast Sea Liao Tribe was relatively more benevolent and gentle towards humans. Although humans were considered inferior, they could still live. In this way, humanity's ancestors endured humiliation and hardship, multiplying and thriving, until the great war between the Wu Yu Tribe and the Vast Sea Liao Tribe broke out."

"At that time, our human territory was located on the border between the two races. The location was not particularly important, and moreover, there were several True Monarchs in our tribe, so our strength was not weak. We lacked the ambition for expansion but were capable of defending our land. Thus, the Vast Sea Liao Tribe entrusted this defense to humanity and mobilized their main army to march west. However, they did not expect that humanity would actually open its borders, allowing the Wu Yu Tribe to advance unimpeded and cut off the rear of the Liao army."

Everyone, including Wei Yuan, was greatly astonished. History was Wei Yuan's strong suit, so he asked, "Teacher, didn't the Wu Yu Tribe always offer our humans as sacrifices to heaven?"