The Era of Cultivation Begins for Everyone

Helu City, Hongfu Restaurant.

A corner beside the staircase on the second floor.

Lin Yi held a Source Energy Crystal in his hand. The source energy within it was slowly drawn out, then followed a strange path, circulating through his depleted meridians with difficulty but steadily. As it brought a faint tingling warmth, like the winter sun, it quietly nourished and strengthened his body.

He sank his awareness into himself, carefully savoring the long-missed, reassuring feeling of his strength slowly growing. The faint roars and explosions in the distance seemed to be cut off in another world.

This process of focusing on becoming stronger had been one of the few moments of comfort in Lin Yi's struggle to survive in his previous life.

Just then, a hurried patter of footsteps approached.

"Brother Yi, quick! Look at this!"

Chen Yu's face was flushed with excitement. He nearly threw himself at Lin Yi, then shoved his phone into his hands.

Lin Yi was forcibly pulled out of his cultivation.

It felt like—well. Anyway, it was a little annoying.

But when he saw the mingled joy and hope shining in Chen Yu's eyes, he swallowed the words that had been about to come out.

Forget it. I'll tell him next time that he can't shout like that beside someone who's cultivating.

That's only because it's me. A beginner who's just started cultivating and can't control source energy well might lose focus and fail to control the energy flowing out of the crystal. It wouldn't cause serious injury, but the crystal would definitely go to waste.

Lin Yi grumbled inwardly for a moment, then took the phone.

The familiar Emergency Center website appeared on the screen, but unlike before, when it had contained just one lonely link, it now had a great deal of new content.

There were dense notices in the format of official documents, along with many concise but striking images.

The images showed the Abyss Beasts identified so far, with captions such as "Abyss Beast—Corrosive Abyssal Wolf."

Lin Yi's heart gave a sudden jolt, and his eyes raced down the page.

[...Following deliberation by the Supreme Command, the "Kindling" Survivor Shelter Plan will take effect immediately.]

[...Based on current intelligence and analysis, creatures invading from other dimensions will officially be named "Abyss Beasts." Their nests will be provisionally classified into six levels according to energy response intensity and overall threat level: micro, small, medium, large, colossal, and Main Nest.]

[...Attached are the characteristics of each nest level, diagrams estimating the extent of their territories, and a guide to identifying relatively safe "Gap Zones."]

[...Attached are the full text of the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique, an overview video, and an instructional video covering Part One.]

[...Survivors far from designated settlements are advised, after ensuring their absolute safety, to carefully assess the risks and make their way to the nearest Gap Zone when the opportunity arises. They may wait there for rescue or travel on their own to the nearest settlement and seek shelter.]

[...The military and local armed forces will organize full-scale search-and-rescue and evacuation operations, escorting our fellow citizens to settlements.]

[...All citizens are urged to store and record this information immediately. Groups sheltering together should conserve their phone batteries and take turns using them when necessary. Power, communications, and internet access will be completely cut off in the near future.]

Every word struck Lin Yi's heart like a heavy hammer.

His breath caught without him realizing it.

This... How could this be?!

Even Lin Yi, with his composure, was momentarily stunned.

The authorities' response was vastly different from what he remembered from his previous life.

In his previous life, the first few days after the disaster broke out had been sheer hell.

The authorities' enormous war machine had bled itself dry trying to defend vital strategic locations. It had been powerless to help the civilians scattered across the country, and unable even to establish effective contact with them.

It wasn't until three days after the disaster began that a few locations for large "safe zones" had trickled out over the radio, along with calls for survivors to make their own way there.

There had been no detailed maps of the nests, no clearly defined "Gap Zones," and certainly no release of the full text of the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique.

As for organized military rescue operations?

After the early fighting over strategic locations had consumed so much of the military's strength, such a thing had been little more than a pipe dream.

But Lin Yi could understand.

The authorities back then hadn't refused to save people; they'd truly been powerless. Forced to make cruel choices, they could only prioritize preserving the last kindling of civilization's resistance and the core of its military forces.

But now?!

How long had it been?

From the outbreak of the disaster until now, barely half a day had passed.

It wasn't even dark outside yet!

The authorities had not only built a preliminary threat-assessment system with astonishing speed, named the Abyss Beasts, learned the basic rules governing their territories, and mapped out the Gap Zones in detail, but had also announced plans for large-scale rescue operations and the establishment of so many settlements?

Such efficiency, such decisions, such resolve... They were worlds apart from the tragic, helpless struggle of his previous life!

"But... why?"

After the immense shock, Lin Yi began thinking rapidly.

Why?

Why was there such a huge difference between this life and his previous one?

Could it be because of that video of mine?

After considering it from every angle, Lin Yi felt that his video was the only variable.

As a high-ranking official in his previous life, he had naturally studied records of the authorities' early response.

The authorities had obtained the crystal containing the Basic Source Energy Guidance Technique very early on, but the information inside offered only an abstract cultivation path and methods for sensing energy. It said nothing clear about the technique's power or practical value.

With human civilization on the brink of extinction, the leaders could hardly risk the nation's fate—and the lives of countless soldiers and civilians—on a path to individual enhancement that seemed completely unknown and "intangible."

So back then, the highest levels of command had been forced to fight on two fronts.

On one hand, they devoted top resources to deciphering and learning the "Source Energy Guidance Technique," trying to determine whether the so-called source energy cultivation and source energy technology were genuine treasures or poisonous bait. On the other, they spared no cost in fighting for the strategic locations they considered vital.

In the end, they became trapped in a war of attrition, suffered heavy losses, and missed the crucial early window.

But things had changed in this life.

That video of his seemed to have given the highest levels of command a shot in the arm. It had shown them a new, viable path to enhancement and a new way to fight—one that might even suit the new era better after the collapse of the traditional industrial system.

What incredible resolve!

Even Lin Yi, the one who had set all this in motion, couldn't help feeling genuine admiration for the decision-makers.

To make a strategic shift affecting the fate of the entire nation in such a short time, based on nothing more than a video, took extraordinary decisiveness and a powerful sense of responsibility.

They had to do it under the pressure of knowing that one misstep could make them the criminals who led the nation to ruin and extinction.

Putting himself in their shoes, Lin Yi didn't think he could have done it.

"Li Zhenguo... No wonder you all remembered him so fondly."

In his previous life, after rising to the upper ranks, Lin Yi had often heard the older officials gather together and lament the hopeless state of affairs. "If only Chief Li were still here. If he were, things wouldn't have turned out like this..."

According to the stories, this iron-fisted leader, whose immense prestige had kept the various factions in check, had fallen gravely ill from grief during the early days of the apocalypse, as the situation worsened and the casualty figures became horrifying. He had soon passed away.

His successor had also done everything he could, but lacked Li Zhenguo's prestige, resolve, and strategic judgment. As a result, many sound decisions in the middle and later stages had fallen through because of internal squabbling or poor execution, and the various factions had proved difficult to coordinate.

If Li Zhenguo had been the one to defy all opposition and make this decision after seeing the video, then everything made perfect sense.

Perhaps only he had the prestige and resolve to make such a momentous decision with the weight of Mount Tai bearing down on him.

"Brother Yi, look here! There's a full version of the Source Energy Guidance Technique, and your teaching video is attached below! There's also a video explaining the first part."

Chen Yu hadn't noticed the thoughts surging through Lin Yi's mind. He excitedly poked at the phone screen.

"I actually understood the video explaining the first part just now! Uh, I'm not saying you didn't explain it well. It's just that old guy is really good..."

"..."

Lin Yi gave Chen Yu an exasperated pat.

"He's probably an expert at teaching, so of course he explains it better than me."

Lin Yi didn't take it to heart. Every field had its own specialists. An academician teaching math to elementary students wouldn't necessarily do a better job than an elementary school teacher with a senior professional title.

While Chen Yu was excited that he'd learned the opening part of the Guidance Technique, Lin Yi was more concerned with the impact this would have.

The era of source energy cultivation is about to begin across the globe.

It took Lin Yi only a moment to reach that conclusion.

Because Li Zhenguo's decision would affect more than just Xia Kingdom.

It would affect the whole world!

With the apocalyptic crisis suddenly upon them, countries around the world would naturally be in frequent contact, discussing countermeasures and exchanging information.

For example, Xia Kingdom had stopped considering the use of high-yield nuclear weapons because the Ross Federation had already tested two on a remote ice field, with little effect.

Although many low- and mid-level Abyss Beasts had died, the higher-level ones had barely been affected. The nests, too, seemed almost illusory, unaffected by the nuclear strikes.

Now Xia Kingdom had suddenly made a major change in policy and publicly released the complete Source Energy Guidance Technique. It was hard to imagine that other countries wouldn't be influenced.

After all, they wouldn't believe that Eastland acted without reason.

They might not immediately believe that one video had prompted such a change in policy, and would suspect some deeper reason had been kept from them. But since everything was already a mess, they might as well follow suit and learn the technique.

In Lin Yi's view, releasing the source energy cultivation method early could only do good.

In his previous life, after network communications had been cut off, the only way to learn the Source Energy Guidance Technique early on had been to risk killing Abyss Beasts and hope they dropped crystals. Now it was being given away for free, just a click away.

And it came with an overview lesson and an introductory lesson, greatly lowering the barrier to learning it.