The universe was quiet and vast.
A B9 Grade spacecraft accelerated at 200 kilometers per second. Inside, over a hundred youths were seeing this kind of sight for the first time in their lives, but they had no time to admire the boundless starry sky displayed by the exterior simulation. They sat cross-legged on the floor, drenched in sweat and grimacing as they struggled against the powerful gravity.
Even with the spacecraft's gravity adjustment system, it couldn't fully offset the tremendous acceleration. The force of twenty thousand times standard planetary gravity, even reduced by ninety percent, was still too much for these youths who had only just reached Planetary Level.
Among them, a youth in a black combat suit sat near the edge of the crowd. Veins stood out on his forehead, but he still focused part of his attention on the blurry birthmark on his chest, shaped like a token.
The youth was named Jiang Yao, and he was a transmigrator.
After dying of a serious illness, he had begun a new life with the cry of an infant.
At first, he'd thought he had been transported to the future. After all, the world he'd been born into had highly advanced technology.
They had even achieved distribution according to need. Food and clothing were readily available, and all basic necessities were provided free of charge.
He'd thanked the merit he'd accumulated in his previous life countless times. He'd never even been willing to step on an ant, so of course Heaven had looked kindly on him. What kind of luck did it take to be born into a world of perfect equality?
But when he started school at five, he realized something was wrong.
The first general studies lesson had dumped all sorts of things on him: seventh-tier universal bloodlines, Apprentice Level, Planetary Level, and the low- and mid-level cosmic civilizations.
It hadn't taken him long to dig out a novel from his now somewhat hazy memories of his previous life: Swallowed Star.
Jiang Yao, who'd been looking forward to enjoying life in a society of perfect equality, was stunned to accept the truth.
The world he'd transmigrated into was a universe where the slave trade thrived and the law of the jungle reigned. It was also a world where power belonged to the individual, the strong could destroy stars, and the undying could live forever.
As soon as he realized this, Jiang Yao started looking for a cheat.
Without one, life in this world would be an uphill struggle, and he'd never have a chance of becoming strong.
Heaven had smiled on him. After more than ten years of searching in vain, his cheat had finally awakened a few days ago, after he broke through to Planetary Level.
The cheat was called the Taihuan Token. It had appeared on his chest as a blurry tattoo resembling a birthmark. Inside was a space, and within that space lived a piglet-like creature with two pairs of wings, who called himself the Taihuan Token Envoy.
According to the Taihuan Token Envoy, it came from a world called the Tianhuang Ancient Continent.
Divine Lord Taihuan, the sect master of the Taihuan Sect under God Emperor Gouchen of the Tianhuang Ancient Continent, had died in a disaster, and the Taihuan Sect had been destroyed.
Fortunately, Divine Lord Taihuan had prepared for this. Before his death, he had cast out 129,600 Taihuan Tokens.
Each Taihuan Token contained Divine Lord Taihuan's inheritance. Once the token's master cultivated to the point where the Taihuan Token Envoy recognized them, they could be guided by the Taihuan Token to the final Inheritance Land of Divine Lord Taihuan. By overcoming trial after trial, they could obtain the ultimate inheritance and become the new Divine Lord Taihuan.
Of course, the condition for obtaining the inheritance was that they would have to rebuild the Taihuan Sect and avenge Divine Lord Taihuan.
And Jiang Yao was the master of one of those Taihuan Tokens.
It seemed that the Taihuan Token was also the reason Jiang Yao had transmigrated into the world of Swallowed Star.
The Taihuan Token had an envoy inside it to help its master cultivate and receive the inheritance.
But Jiang Yao had already automatically translated "Taihuan Token" into "Taihuan System" in his mind. As for the envoy, it was the system's AI.
However, this envoy's attitude toward Jiang Yao had been a case of starting off arrogant and ending up "crazy," leaving him speechless.
First, it had looked down on Jiang Yao for being so weak that the Taihuan Token had only awakened from its slumber once he reached Planetary Level. Then it had spoken with haughty disdain about how "Divine Lord Taihuan was an invincible being whom even God Emperors treated with respect" and how "receiving Divine Lord Taihuan's inheritance was a tremendous opportunity."
But when the Taihuan Token Envoy started communicating with Jiang Yao and learning about this world, it had gone "crazy." The more it learned, the crazier it got.
Even now, the envoy inside the Taihuan Token, with its two pairs of wings and piglet-like body, still hadn't recovered.
Inside the Taihuan Token's void space, the winged pig flew back and forth. As it received information from the Taihuan Token about how the spacecraft had completed its acceleration and entered the Dark Universe, it stared at the dazzling scene on the screen, which looked like a sea of lights, and muttered to itself.
"How could this be... It's impossible... Could this be another Source World?"
"Impossible... Impossible... This shouldn't be happening."
"Am I dreaming? I must be dreaming!"
"I'm not even alive, so how could I dream? Hm, it must be an illusion!"
What should I do if my cheat has gone crazy?
Jiang Yao watched the pig in the Taihuan Token acting berserk, feeling both helpless and amused.
He'd heard of hosts who'd been driven to the brink of madness by systems or other cheats, like Fan Jin after passing the imperial examination. He'd never heard of a system being so shocked by its host that it went crazy.
Though helpless, Jiang Yao couldn't help but wonder.
Judging by the envoy's behavior and the other information it had revealed, it wasn't hard to guess that the 129,600 Taihuan Tokens cast out after Divine Lord Taihuan's death were all supposed to be in the Tianhuang Ancient Continent.
Yet somehow, one token—at least Jiang Yao's—had ended up outside the Tianhuang Ancient Continent, in another Source World.
Given that, the pig's reaction seemed understandable, but there was still something strange about it.
Look at it optimistically, and this was a fortuitous encounter like finding a secret manual after falling off a cliff.
Look at it pessimistically...
Divine Lord Taihuan had died in a disaster and scattered tens of thousands of Taihuan Tokens, claiming they contained his inheritance. Once a token's master reached the point where the Taihuan Token Envoy recognized them, they would be guided to Divine Lord Taihuan's final Inheritance Land. If they passed trial after trial, they could obtain the ultimate inheritance and become the new Divine Lord Taihuan.
Tsk, tsk. That so-called Inheritance Land might well be a one-way trip, like throwing meat buns to a dog.
With his extensive experience reading novels, Jiang Yao had already cooked up a story about Divine Lord Taihuan laying a grand scheme to resurrect himself after death.
From raising pigs to eat and heal himself to secretly possessing someone, Jiang Yao had come up with several possibilities in a single thought.
Still, he wasn't about to reject a cheat, no matter how poisonous it might be.
Even if it was a scheme, there'd have to be some sweet rewards along the way. You had to feed pigs to fatten them up before slaughtering them, after all.
Besides, from the envoy's words, Jiang Yao was fairly sure something had gone wrong with his Taihuan Token. It might even have disrupted Divine Lord Taihuan's entire plan.
Being in a different Source World was like being separated by a firewall. Even if Divine Lord Taihuan had some means at his disposal, he might not be able to reach into this world.
And Jiang Yao knew his own limits. Without a cheat, given his talent, he might not even reach World Lord or Domain Lord, let alone become an Immortal God.
Never mind that he was planning to cling to the Galaxy Overlord's coattails in the future.
His body belonged to the Lingtong Race, a top-tier seventh-level Human Race bloodline with an average lifespan of over two hundred years. Adults reached Apprentice Level 7.
Their advanced civilization was the Xuanshang Universe Kingdom, an unknown number of light-years from the Ganwu Universe Kingdom.
When he realized that an immeasurably vast expanse of space separated the Lingtong Race from Earth, Jiang Yao still hadn't given up on the idea of clinging to someone powerful. After all, the Galaxy Overlord was a great being who would lead the Human Race to the peak of the Universe Ocean, defeat the World Beasts, and break through reincarnation.
There was nothing shameful about clinging to someone like that, was there?
The Chaos City Lord, the Human Race, and even the Primal Universe's will had to rely on the Galaxy Overlord. What did a nobody like him have to be proud of?
But since reality had placed countless light-years between him and Luo Feng, perhaps even an immeasurable span of time, he'd have to rely on himself until he could get close to him.
No matter how brilliant the Galaxy Overlord was, and no matter how powerful the Human Race was as a whole, neither changed the fact that the law of the jungle still ruled within the Human Race.
The pressure of survival rekindled Jiang Yao's drive after years of searching for a cheat in vain. He threw himself into cultivation with everything he had.
At the very least, he had to live long enough to cling to someone powerful, right?
The world of Swallowed Star wasn't suited to playing it safe, and pretending to be weak while hiding your strength was even less suitable. If you pretended to be a pig, you'd never become a tiger in this lifetime.
While you were sweating over cultivating genetic energy, a genius could use Nutrient Solution to go from Level 1 straight to Level 9.
While you schemed and fought to enter secret realms and gain experience, a genius could sit at home, overwhelmed by the hundreds or thousands of secret realms with open invitations and all kinds of missions.
Those who got ahead early stayed ahead.
Keeping a low profile was something geniuses like Kedi and Luo Feng could afford to consider. If you wanted to become strong, you had to shine as brightly as possible on the road to growth. The brighter you shone, the more resources would be invested in you.
Most members of the Lingtong Race could reach Apprentice Level 9 before the age of fifty.
But Planetary Level was a major hurdle. Although plenty of Lingtong people crossed that threshold after the age of a hundred, their clan wouldn't spend resources cultivating them.
Only those who broke through to Planetary Level within twenty-five years were considered promising candidates. They would be taken to Yanhe Planet, the stronghold of the Lingtong Race's branch in the Yanhe Star System, where they would receive cultivation, resources, and secret techniques.
Perhaps because the transmigrator's soul had fused with that of the native, Jiang Yao's talent was considered top-tier on his planet. After nineteen years of effort, he finally broke through to Planetary Level. Half a year later, he boarded the regular shuttle.
The Lingtong Race was a major power in the Yanhe Star System. It controlled tens of thousands of inhabited planets, including hundreds devoted to raising and educating children and youths.
The Lingtong Race raised its children communally. Young Lingtong people were gathered on designated planets to study and train, and had to leave the planet where they grew up once they turned thirty.
Promising candidates who reached Planetary Level before the age of twenty-five were picked up regularly and taken to Yanhe Planet for training. The spacecraft they were on was one of the regular shuttles that transported young geniuses.
Once they reached Yanhe Planet, they would still have to undergo an aptitude assessment. They'd be given resources according to their talent, so Jiang Yao was trying to calm the pig in the Taihuan Token and get his inheritance as soon as possible.
At the safety hatch, a burly man with his eyes closed "surveyed" the youths struggling inside.
"This batch doesn't look as promising as the last one."
A middle-aged woman beside him, also with her eyes closed, spoke gently. "Prose, you're too hard on the children. Most of them have only just reached Planetary Level, and none of them have learned secret techniques yet. You can't tell much at this stage."
"Hmph." Prose, who looked like a burly man, grunted. "At least you can tell the strength of their Spiritual Force."
"Our Lingtong Race has nothing special about our bodies, and those who've just reached Planetary Level naturally can't cultivate physical secret techniques. But their Spiritual Force and willpower can show who has talent. Even if those with weak Spiritual Force and willpower reach Stellar Level one day and awaken their Lingtong, they won't get far. They're not worth investing too many resources in."
The middle-aged woman sighed. "You can't expect every batch of children to have a genius on Gaichen's level."
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