Suiren Shi's Awakening to the Foundation of the Human Dao-and the Beginning of the Reckoning!

Suiren Shi stood dazed atop the Heavenly Stele, gazing down at the sea of people below, at faces both young and old.

Myriad myriad members of the Human Race knelt upon the ground, looking up at him.

Their eyes held reverence, fervor, and hope.

But more than anything, they held confusion.

After a hundred years of cultivation, some had proved the Profound Immortal Dao, while others remained True Immortals.

Some had advanced by leaps and bounds, while others had made no progress at all.

That was talent.

That was one's roots.

That was fate.

Suiren Shi slowly closed his eyes.

He remembered long ago.

Back then, the Human Race had just emerged. They ate raw meat and drank blood, no different from beasts.

He, Youchao Shi, and Ziyi Shi had led several hundred tribespeople, struggling to survive in the wilderness.

In those days, they knew nothing of cultivation, techniques, or realms.

They knew only how to survive.

Survival was everything.

Then their master came.

He taught them martial arts, raised the Heavenly Stele, and took them as disciples.

Only then had the Human Race become what it was today.

But how was the Human Race of today any different from the Human Race of old?

Their cultivation was higher, their realms stronger, and their lifespans longer.

But what of those who couldn't cultivate?

What of those with mediocre talent?

What were they supposed to do?

Suiren Shi opened his eyes.

Deep within his aged yet resolute gaze, a flicker of understanding appeared.

He turned and looked toward Xuandu.

Xuandu stood with his hands behind his back, his green robes stirring slightly, his gaze calm as he looked at him.

There was no sorrow or joy, anger or majesty in his eyes.

Only calm.

Yet beneath that calm, he seemed to