Empress, You Seem Stronger

Night fell.

The primeval wilderness was far more dangerous by night than in later ages.

The roars of beasts rose and fell in waves. A chill wind whipped up sand and gravel, cutting against the skin like blades.

The newly born human race huddled together, trembling.

They had no fur to ward off the cold, no claws to fight off beasts.

Their eyes were filled with fear and confusion toward this unfamiliar world.

Hunger, cold, and fear—like three great mountains—pressed down on every newborn human.

A young man, the most robust among them, shielded several shivering children in his arms, but his own body shook uncontrollably.

His name was Sui.

He was among the first batch of humans shaped by Empress Nuwa.

And he was the unspoken leader of this group.

But at this moment, even this leader's heart was steeped in despair.

Another clansman had closed his eyes forever in the cold.

If this continued, before the sun rose again, their race—barely born—would vanish completely.

"Empress... why did you create us, only to abandon us?"

Sui cried out in anguish within his heart.

Just as his consciousness grew hazy, on the verge of being swallowed by the cold—

A grand and warm voice, like a sound from beyond the heavens, rang out in his mind.

"Strike wood against wood, and you shall obtain light."

"Ignite wood with wood, and you shall obtain warmth."

Sui jolted awake, his eyes snapping open.

A strange image had appeared in his mind.

In it, someone was holding a sharpened stick, rapidly drilling it into another piece of wood.

As it spun, black powder fell, and faint smoke rose.

Finally, a wisp of orange flame was born from that smoke!

That flame radiated light and heat, driving away darkness and bringing warmth.

"Fire..."

"Light..."

"Warmth..."

A brilliance Sui had never known blazed in his eyes.

He didn't know where the voice or the image came from, but instinct told him it was guidance from the Mother Goddess who created the world—Empress Nuwa!

It was divine revelation!

"Quick! Find wood! Do as I do!"

Sui didn't hesitate. He struggled to his feet, picked up two dry branches, and clumsily began to drill, mimicking the image in his mind.

The surrounding clansmen were drawn by his actions.

They didn't understand what Sui was doing, but seeing his fervent, determined expression, they began to imitate him.

Once, twice, ten times, a hundred times...

Their palms were rubbed raw, blood flowing, but no one stopped.

Because in their leader Sui's eyes, they saw something called "hope."

Finally.

Through Sui's unyielding effort, a faint wisp of smoke rose from where the wood met.

Then, a spark burst forth!

Poof.

A tiny cluster of orange flame successfully ignited the dry grass laid beneath.

Whoosh!

The fire leaped up, instantly illuminating everyone's faces—stunned and overjoyed!

A wave of warmth rushed over them, driving away the biting cold.

The roars of beasts seemed to recede a little, as if afraid of this sudden light.

"Fire!"

"It's fire!"

"We have fire!"

Everyone cheered, dancing and waving their arms, tears of joy streaming down their faces as they gathered around the bonfire.

This was the first thing humanity had ever created with their own hands.

It was the dawn of civilization.

At the same time, inside Nuwa's body.

A heavenly sound rang out in Chen Ran's consciousness.

[Detected: Humanity has successfully drilled wood for fire, igniting the first acquired Fire of Civilization!]

[Human Civilization has taken a critical step forward!]

[Civilization Power +100!]

A pure and vast surge of energy poured into Chen Ran's Spark of Consciousness, solidifying his ethereal flame by the barest fraction.

Then, most of this Civilization Power, following the system's rules, flowed toward the master of this inner space.

[Host Enhancement Initiated!]

[Host 'Nuwa' Saint's Body strength +1%!]

Wa Empress Palace.

On the cloud bed, Nuwa sat with her eyes closed, regulating her breath and refining the wisp of "Innate Spiritual Fire" she had just swallowed.

She felt that, though she had swallowed that flame, it hadn't fully dissipated. Instead, it existed within her body in a peculiar way.

But it brought her no harm—rather, a soothing warmth—so she didn't dwell on it.

Then, without warning.

A strange, warm current surged from deep within her Saint Body for no apparent reason.

This current was vast and pure, carrying a unique essence of "the beginning of all things, the dawn of civilization." It swiftly coursed through her limbs and bones, merging into every corner of her Saint Body.

"Hm?"

Nuwa's eyes snapped open.

She could clearly sense that her indestructible Saint Body had, in that moment, grown a fraction tougher!

Though it was only a negligible fraction, this was a Saint Body!

A Saint—whose Primordial Spirit is entrusted to the Heavenly Dao, immune to eons of tribulation, undying and indestructible.

At this level, any progress, no matter how slight, was as difficult as reaching the heavens.

It required eons of bitter cultivation and enlightenment.

Yet now, without doing anything, just sitting in meditation for a while, her power had increased on its own?

"What's going on?"

Nuwa's delicate brows furrowed, her face full of confusion.

She calculated with her fingers, but the Heavenly Dao was a chaotic blur—she could deduce nothing.

It was as if the source of this power lay entirely outside the Heavenly Dao's jurisdiction.

She cast her divine sense toward the human tribe at the foot of Mount Buzhou.

There, the little creatures she had created were cheering around a bonfire.

The firelight illuminated their vibrant faces and lit up the long, dark night of the Primordial Wilderness.

"Is it them?"

Nuwa fell into thought.

Could it be that humanity's development was bringing her, the "Human Mother Saint," some benefit she couldn't yet understand?

It seemed that creating this weak race wasn't just a simple path to sainthood.