Chapter Eighty-Four: Earth · Beast Tide (Twenty-Five)

After moving his body a little, Sun Meng experienced a strange sensation. This gene nuclear-powered armor felt to him like nothing more than a set of clothes, yet, unlike his previous garments, it was by no means useless. Earth's past technological development had been unbalanced; faced with overwhelming crisis and forced to prioritize survival, all research had centered on weaponry. Since it was nearly impossible to cultivate large numbers of individuals with advanced combat power in a short time, team-based combat tactics became the main focus of study.

As a result, melee weapons lacked distinguishing features, while long-range weapons with significant power were impractical, and those with lesser power proved ineffective even in team fights. For those with real strength, clothing was mere decoration; for the weak, an extra layer changed nothing.

“Hopefully, after this, Earth’s civilization can return to a normal developmental path. Such an unbalanced approach is detrimental for future progress,” Sun Meng thought.

With the leading monster gone, the remaining beasts rarely launched large-scale attacks, granting humanity a chance to rebuild. The formation of the Civilization Core unified civilization from within; at the very least, top talent from all countries had come together to establish the Academy of Civilization, dedicated to research in various fields.

New policies were implemented, improving the foundational education system and establishing academies to cultivate talent systematically, rather than relying solely on gifted individuals or personal exploration. Cultivators from all walks of life were encouraged to share their training insights and skills on the official platform, with compensation provided for contributions, though not mandatory.

In short, with the newly formed Civilization Core, the entire society, under its guidance, quickly addressed its shortcomings, focused its research efforts, and strove to keep pace with Sun Meng so as not to drag him down.

At that moment, Sun Meng loosed an arrow, striking a distant monster. The beast looked over angrily, but saw only another monster.

Coincidentally, that other monster was also glaring back in rage.

Their mutual fury ignited a savage confrontation; without hesitation, both charged straight at one another.

Hearing the tremendous collision, Sun Meng involuntarily shuddered. After all, these monsters, influenced by the metallic elements, had bodies far tougher than normal beasts. Even he had no desire to face their impact head-on.

It wasn’t that he couldn’t take it; it was just that the thought of such a collision made his skin crawl.

He pressed on quickly, using the same trick to lure away the last monster. As he did, he noticed his communication device light up.

“Looks like they’ve found it,” Sun Meng muttered, activating the scanner on his armor and carefully searching for the energy source.

Before long, a conspicuously large tree appeared before him.

What does a strikingly obvious tree look like in a forest? Sun Meng had never considered it before, but now he understood.

What normal tree would have half its trunk hollowed out, revealing a metallic interior? A quick scan confirmed the match.

At the base of the tree, beneath the roots, lay the source of energy.

Sun Meng tried to enter the tree hollow, but found no apparent entrance—the ground beneath was solid.

“I’ve located the target. Send in the robots,” Sun Meng relayed the scanned data back via his communicator. Soon, a small personal spacecraft appeared outside.

This tiny ship, just big enough for one person to sit with legs outstretched, was fast and stealthy, but had poor defenses and weak offensive capabilities. Fortunately, Mu Xingye and the others were not far away, and within ten minutes had returned to the ship.

"Those monsters will have to be dealt with sooner or later. Otherwise, even the robots won’t be able to work in peace," said Picks, showing Sun Meng footage of how they'd previously lured away large numbers of beasts.

"The monsters closer to the mine entrance are more heavily influenced, with tougher skin and bones, though their other abilities are much diminished," Sun Meng observed as he watched the video. Some of the monsters’ ranged attacks were so weak, people would doubt they were even at the early second stage—it was almost embarrassing.

"That’s why an increase in strength naturally broadens our perspective," Mu Xingye remarked. "Without peak second-stage power, who would have guessed these monsters are really just a bunch of big fools?"

"Still, others are bound to show up. If we make too much noise, we’ll be discovered," Sun Meng said, having realized this after the Civilization Core was formed; there was no hiding it.

"Yes, it’s just a matter of time. But there aren’t many people like us. Even if someone else knows, would you really go out of your way to steal from others? Now, even if we die, we’ll be revived, so acting aggressively only breeds enmity. Best to secure our place quickly," Mu Xingye replied.

"Of course, if some weaker parties try to barge in and throw their lives away, we don’t need to let them run wild," Mu Xingye added.

"Good, then let’s begin," Sun Meng announced.

A day later, with Sun Meng leading the ambush, Mu Xingye providing heavy firepower, Kakolalu supporting with buffs, and Picks’ army of robots mining behind the lines, they managed to extract five hundred tons of rare metal before Exchange Day arrived. Divided by agreed shares, Picks and the other two each received one hundred fifty tons, while Kakolalu received fifty.

On Exchange Day, as the wedding of Yi Gang and Xiao Tu was being held on Earth, Sun Meng’s rewards were processed.

With the Civilization Core in place, the points required for exchange were reduced, and this time Sun Meng noticed the special options on his exchange panel had changed. It was no longer so difficult to choose; the options fell into two main categories—those for the environment and those for cultivation.

He immediately exchanged for two continent-spanning mineral veins—one of metal, one of spirit stones—then acquired a new spiritual root constitution. This spiritual root was not particularly special, but reorganized all current constitutions into spiritual root categories, unifying future cultivation methods.

Sun Meng saw that, apart from the basic spiritual roots, there were also special constitutions. In other words, the constitution was the core, and the spiritual root simply expressed its attribute.

For instance, his own: Pure Yang Spiritual Root and Great Yi Constitution.

Pure Yang denoted his internal energy attribute—a variant of fire, highly advanced. Great Yi Constitution excelled in archery and ranged combat, with high potential and an impressive upper limit.

His Earth counterpart, Yi Gang, possessed the Goldflame Spiritual Root—also a fire variant, but inferior to his own—and the Yi Path Constitution, a related but weaker version.

As the rules subtly shifted, so too did the people of Earth’s understanding, which filled Sun Meng with an uneasy dread. If they failed, would they too be wiped out without ever realizing it?

Yi Gang had no idea what Sun Meng was pondering, but at the moment, he was just furious.

Marriage was supposed to be a happy event; though nervous under the public eye, he was excited as well. Then, out of nowhere, an enormous mass of metal fell from the sky. Was this any way to present a gift?

Surely, if you want to give something, you could do it in a more normal fashion, couldn’t you? Couldn’t you at least change the delivery method?

Fortunately, although the metal did fall from the sky, the rules ensured it landed safely, causing nothing more than a momentary fright.

Xu Xiao immediately ordered the metal to be sent to the laboratory. He was sure Sun Meng wouldn’t have sent it for no reason.

“It’s a pity we didn’t get in direct contact with him earlier; otherwise, we wouldn’t have to do things this way. Still, having someone stand as a hero ahead of us helps put everyone at ease,” Xu Xiao thought as he changed into his lab coat. Though the cultivation system had changed, he still kept his old habits as a researcher.

After a quick scan and comparison with existing materials, he was just about to try cutting the metal for further tests when Sun Meng spoke.

“This metal is for constructing the main ship of the civilization’s race. The supply is limited, but I’ll send more on upcoming Exchange Days. You need to come up with a plan as soon as possible; this is crucial for advancement.”