(PS1: This is the story of an ordinary genius, as well as the prequel to the story of "Banquet Venerable" Lu Qingshan. He is Nabini, Feng Lun, Wuka, Shi Huo Venerable, Lord Youhou, Chaos City Lord...)
(PS2: Proceed with caution if you haven't read the original Swallowed Star, or if you came here from the animated adaptation. Readers looking for a super genius, please head over to Swallowed Star: Time Simulation.)
Yongning City, Qin.
Yongning City was incomparably prosperous. Within all of Qin, perhaps only the imperial capital could surpass it.
At the very heart of Yongning City stood a city lord's estate that covered an immense area.
At that moment, the estate was bustling with activity, seemingly hosting a grand banquet.
Yet its innermost area was utterly silent, seemingly unaffected by any of it.
Just then, an old man in black robes appeared in this inner area and quickly approached the door of a secluded chamber.
"Master!"
Upon reaching the chamber, the black-robed old man gently knocked on its door.
Inside the chamber, a young man in yellow robes was sitting cross-legged in meditation.
The young man had short black hair and a resolute face, looking exceedingly imposing.
He was none other than "King Yongning" Lu Qingshan, the strongest man in Qin-and in the entire world!
Hearing the sound outside the chamber, Lu Qingshan promptly asked, "What is it?"
Hearing Lu Qingshan's words, the black-robed old man outside hurriedly replied, "Master, the third young master's Martial Saint banquet is about to begin!"
"Time really does fly!"
Lu Qingshan could not help sighing before sinking into his memories.
Despite his youthful appearance, more than three hundred years had passed since he transmigrated to this world.
When he first transmigrated here, he had been nothing more than an infant in swaddling clothes.
As he grew up, he naturally learned more about this world.
Martial cultivation flourished here, so once Lu Qingshan was able to cultivate, he soon embarked on the path of cultivation.
Cultivation in this world was divided into three tiers: the three stages of Martial Apprentice, the Martial Master Ninth Stage, and Martial Saint.
Ordinary people in this world could generally become Third-Stage Martial Apprentices upon reaching adulthood, but entering the Martial Master realm was quite difficult.
As for Martial Saints, not even one in ten thousand could become one!
The Chu State currently had a population of over a billion, yet it had only eight hundred or so Martial Saints!
As a transmigrator, Lu Qingshan had arrived with a late-bloomer destiny: the longer he lived, the greater his comprehension would become.
Originally, with his Late Bloomer Destiny, Lu Qingshan had thought his first steps on the path of cultivation would be rather difficult, but that he would certainly grow stronger and stronger as time passed.
To Lu Qingshan's surprise, however, he displayed terrifying talent for cultivation the moment he embarked on that path.
He began cultivating at twelve, became a Martial Master within six months, and had already reached Martial Master ninth stage by eighteen.
After spending just two years at Martial Master ninth stage, Lu Qingshan successfully broke through to become a Martial Saint, the youngest the Chu State had seen in thousands of years!
Yet it was only at the moment he broke through to Martial Saint that Lu Qingshan suddenly realized he had actually transmigrated to the Swallowed Star World.
The so-called Martial Master Ninth Stage and the Martial Saint realm were nothing more than Apprentice Level and Planetary Level warriors in the Swallowed Star World.
As for the so-called three stages of Martial Apprentice, they did not even make the cut, corresponding only to the Earthlings' Junior Student, Intermediate Student, and Advanced Student ranks in the original story!
Upon discovering this, Lu Qingshan was initially thrilled, but then became rather dejected.
He was thrilled because he had transmigrated to the Swallowed Star World, an incomparably vast world where even Immortal Gods with eternal lifespans were not considered particularly powerful beings;
Since he had transmigrated here and had the aid of his Late Bloomer Destiny, he would certainly have a very good chance of becoming a pinnacle powerhouse in the future.
His dejection, however, came from not having been born on an inhabited planet connected to cosmic civilization, but instead on this primitive planet named Xuanhuang Star.
According to the explorations of countless powerhouses over long ages, this primitive planet had no products of cosmic civilization whatsoever. Establishing contact with cosmic civilization under such circumstances would undoubtedly be extremely difficult.
In fact, when Lu Qingshan first transmigrated here, the humans of this planet still lived much like people in the ancient history of his previous life, with only the addition of some warriors and demonic beasts.
It was precisely because of this that Lu Qingshan only suspected he had most likely transmigrated to the Swallowed Star World upon breaking through to the Planetary Level (Martial Saint) realm and seeing the peculiar Miniature Planet within his dantian. The thousand-year lifespan of Martial Saints, along with the legendary Martial Gods who could live for ten thousand years, further confirmed this!
After learning that he had transmigrated to the Swallowed Star World, Lu Qingshan naturally made many efforts to establish contact with cosmic civilization.
After entering the Martial Saint realm, he began using some of the knowledge he had learned in his previous life to enlighten the humans of Xuanhuang Star!
Although this initially met with some resistance, Lu Qingshan was a Martial Saint, after all, and there were only two thousand or so Martial Saints on all of Xuanhuang Star. Thus, despite encountering some resistance, he was still able to keep pushing it forward.
Later, after this enlightenment ended, all of Xuanhuang Star benefited from technological progress. Lu Qingshan's own nation, Qin, even surpassed the previously stronger Chu State and Wei State because of it, becoming the most powerful of the three nations.
Of course, Lu Qingshan had not been some scientific luminary in his previous life. His understanding of the products of technological civilization, such as steam engines, generators, and atomic bombs, had been superficial; he merely knew some fundamentals thanks to his country's basic education.
Fortunately, the humans of Xuanhuang Star were also highly intelligent. Once enlightened, they could continue developing these technologies by relying on the geniuses who kept emerging, so technology on Xuanhuang Star continued advancing as time passed.
Now, more than three hundred years later, technology on Xuanhuang Star had even surpassed the peak of Lu Qingshan's previous life, and artificial intelligence had already begun to take shape.
Unfortunately, this so-called artificial intelligence was still far removed from the intelligent Optical Computers of the Swallowed Star World, which could create virtual worlds. Moreover, the spaceships developed by Xuanhuang Star's humans could reach a maximum speed of only 2,700 kilometers per second, leaving a long way to go before attaining the speed of light required to enter the Dark Universe.
Furthermore, even if Xuanhuang Star developed spaceships capable of entering the Dark Universe in the future, without cosmic coordinates, it would still be extremely difficult for Lu Qingshan to discover other inhabited planets, let alone establish contact with true cosmic civilization.
Even so, Lu Qingshan had never given up.
No matter what, after finally making it to this Swallowed Star World, I absolutely must see the vast universe where powerhouses gather like clouds!
Lu Qingshan thought to himself, I've already cultivated to Planetary Level eight. With the blessing of my Late Bloomer Destiny, reaching Star Level won't be a problem at all, even on a primitive planet like Xuanhuang Star!
Once I have a lifespan of ten thousand years, technology will surely develop even faster. Perhaps we'll be able to establish contact with cosmic civilization!
Besides, if ten thousand years isn't enough, I'll break through to Universe Level. Then I'll have a lifespan of a hundred thousand years!
Of course, breaking through to Universe Level on Xuanhuang Star would likewise be an incredibly difficult undertaking.
Over Xuanhuang Star's long history, there had been Martial Gods-Star Level powerhouses-who could live for ten thousand years, but never any stronger beings at Universe Level.
That was perfectly normal, though!
After all, under normal development, the hundreds of thousands of inhabited planets in a galaxy would produce only one or two Universe Level powerhouses in a hundred thousand years.
On an ordinary inhabited planet, producing even a single Star Level powerhouse was already an extraordinary feat.
On Xuanhuang Star, the last Martial God (Star Level) powerhouse had appeared sixty or seventy thousand years ago.
This was not because the warriors born on Xuanhuang Star lacked talent, but because the planet had only so many cultivation resources. It simply could not provide enough to produce a Universe Level powerhouse; even resources for Planetary Level powerhouses to cultivate with were scarce!
According to historical records, a Martial God powerhouse on Xuanhuang Star could cultivate for nearly ten thousand years and reach, at most, only Star Level two or three. As for Xuanhuang Star's Planetary Level (Martial Saint) powerhouses, most could reach only Planetary Level five or six even after cultivating for a thousand years.
Only true "super geniuses" had a chance to enter Planetary Level seven, but reaching Planetary Level eight or nine, let alone breaking through to Star Level, remained incredibly difficult.
Yet Lu Qingshan had entered Planetary Level eight after cultivating for only three hundred or so years. He could be considered unique on present-day Xuanhuang Star, and his cultivation speed had even surpassed that of a Martial God powerhouse from the planet.
"Master!"
Just as these various thoughts flashed through Lu Qingshan's mind, the black-robed old man's voice came from outside the door once more.
Hearing the call, Lu Qingshan quickly shook his head, dismissing these thoughts, then slowly walked out of the chamber.
Clatter!
The metal door opened, and Lu Qingshan soon saw the black-robed old man waiting outside. "Uncle Zhong, have all the guests arrived?"
Uncle Zhong's original name was Xu Zhong. He had once borne a blood-deep vendetta, and after Lu Qingshan avenged him, he voluntarily became Lu Qingshan's steward. He had followed Lu Qingshan for nearly three hundred years, always toiling without complaint.
"They have all arrived!"
Hearing Lu Qingshan's question, the black-robed Xu Zhong hurriedly replied with respect, "Everyone is just waiting for you to appear now, Master!"
"Then let's go!"
Lu Qingshan nodded slightly, then strode toward the banquet hall.
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