683 Epics of Humanity

Test Planet #312.

The million-plus human criminals Xu Jingming had released were scattered across the planet, but the only cosmic lifeform criminal and more than 10,000 humans were confined to an island, courtesy of Xu Jingming.

Without any technological equipment or tools, the humans were left with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

Survival became their only mission, and the planet’s hospitable environment and plentiful fruit didn’t make it easy.

The neighboring humans banded together, forming small tribes.

The tribes grew larger and larger, merging to build cities.

After all, they had received education from the Cosmic Human Alliance, and over the past 20 years, cities had emerged across the planet.

“Recently, there has been an epidemic in the city, and we don’t have any medicine for it. Any ideas?” In the meeting hall, the city lord looked at the officials.

“City Lord, we’ve only been on this unfamiliar planet for about 60 years, and we don’t have any technological equipment. Medical technology has been slow to develop,” one official said. “Our best bet is to get the citizens to focus on cultivating the genetic evolutionary method. The stronger their bodies, the better equipped they’ll be to withstand diseases.”

Another official chimed in, “We can’t rely solely on the evolutionary method. We need to improve the hygiene in the city, encourage more children to be born, and increase our numbers. The more people we have, the stronger we’ll be, and the better we’ll be able to resist enemy city-states.”

The city lord nodded slowly. “Yes, we need to have more children.”

The officials understood the city lord’s true intentions. He didn’t care about his sick and dying citizens, only about maintaining his power. After all, with fewer citizens, the city-state would be vulnerable to being overtaken by enemy city-states.

The planet has no Cosmic Human Alliance laws, and the people living on it were criminals to begin with. We can’t overestimate the benevolence of other city-states, and if we don’t want to be conquered and enslaved, we have to continue strengthening ourselves. The city lord scanned the crowd.

As the meeting was underway in the meeting hall, in the City Lord Residence.

The city lord’s wife was tangled up in the arms of a strapping young buck.

“You’re bold, sleeping with the city lord’s woman?” The city lord’s wife traced a line down the youth’s chiseled chest.

“Not as bold as you, darling,” the handsome youth shot back with a grin.

The city lord’s wife arched an eyebrow in pleasure. “We must proceed with caution. If the old man catches us, it’ll be disastrous.”

“When will we be free from this fear?” the youth whispered. “Madam, we can have everything we desire if we eliminate him.”

The city lord’s wife’s jaw hung open. “You mean…?”

“We’ve already plotted it out. The old man can’t live without you, and with me by your side, we’ll have the city in the palm of our hand,” the youth beamed. “So, what’s it going to be? Are you with me or not?”

“Y-you did this on purpose?” It dawned on her what was happening.

“Great hunters disguise themselves as prey,” the youth cooed. “I learned that from my parents, who were born and bred on this land. You—my dear—come from the stars, so you must know the game.”

The city lord’s wife smiled ruefully. “Do I have a choice?”

“After the city lord finds out you slept with me, he’ll kill you anyways.” The youth smirked. “So, there’s only one option… join me.”

“Then, I have no other choice but to rely on you.” The city lord’s wife’s defiance melted away.

“Madam, you won’t regret it. I really like you,” the handsome youth said, cradling her gently.

…

Half a month later, the city lord was assassinated while touring the city, a fatal blow that left him lifeless in the streets.

Enter Elder Moyou, a man with a vision. He was selected as the new city lord in the subsequent election of the city-state’s senators. And from that moment on, the city-state experienced a rapid transformation.

Moyou was a master strategist, and he swiftly annexed more than ten surrounding city-states. In just 30 short years, he established the first country on the planet, the Mo Nation.

Wherever there are people, there will be war. Xu Jingming had watched everything develop on the planet. The planet has developed in stages, moving from a tribal era to the city-state era. It took them 97 years to finally establish the first human nation on this planet.

Because of lust, power, greed, and all kinds of desires, humans think of all ways to defeat their opponents.

Even in the animal world, beautiful females will attract crazy competition from males. A male might possess a group of females, much like a king having many wives and concubines.

But for the poor, things are even worse. They don’t even have a place to shelter themselves from the elements, let alone food to eat. Some even starve to death on the streets.

Still, there are those who rise above it all, working hard to become stronger, outstanding, and far exceed their peers. In the beginning, it was for food, survival, and the right to reproduce. In the later stages, they pursued beauties, power, big and luxurious residences, hoping to lord over others.

Xu Jingming watched the few people on the planet, his eyes scanning their movements.

There are also those who pursue knowledge and the limits of evolution. They want to create medicine to save more people, develop more scientific equipment to make life easier for people. They have an exuberant thirst for knowledge and higher spiritual pursuits.

Xu Jingming didn’t interfere in the matters on the planet at all. He only observed everything.

Silently, time passed by, and in the blink of an eye, a millennium had come and gone.

On the experimental planet, the people had multiplied, forming several powerful countries that had risen. Despite this, the lifespans of planetary lifeforms were still limited, and almost all of the early human criminals had perished.

On this habitable planet, technology had advanced exponentially in the span of a thousand years.

Every habitable planet’s history is a thousand-year saga, an epic for human survival. Xu Jingming gazed out at the planet, his eyes flickering with a hint of admiration. However, he was not just observing this one planet—no, he was also keeping tabs on the other 12,000 experimental planets, each with its own epic to tell.

I’ve studied more than 12,000 experimental planets, collecting data on survivability. But what I’ve seen is that desire plays a massive role in life.

Some would say that one can be firm without desires. But in fact, desire is a force to be reckoned with, a force that holds the power of miracles.

Human science, the evolutionary path of humans. From the humble beginnings of low-dimensional lifeforms to the magnificent heights of high-dimensional existence, it all boiled down to one driving force: desire, Xu Jingming thought. Over 12,000 planets have been subjected to my survivability experiments, resulting in over 10,000 human epics. Each epic represented a different course in desire.

And this lesson has given me a newfound understanding of the Eight Directions Map. Xu Jingming had been stuck at the fourth level—Appetite and Lust—for what felt like an eternity. But now, he had broken through to new heights.

…

Xu Jingming was observing an experimental planet.

“Ming.” A voice sounded.

Xu Jingming turned to see Buxiu, a high-dimensional lifeform garbed in silver and gold. “Ming, our leader is preparing to explore a treasure land in high-dimensional space. He asks if you’re willing to join him.”

“Exploring a treasure land?” Xu Jingming was surprised, his curiosity piqued.

“This treasure land is extraordinary. Of course, there might be hidden dangers. With your Heart Realm lineage’s exploration methods, it will be much smoother. When the time comes, we definitely won’t mistreat you when it comes to distributing the spoils of war,” Buxiu said, his words dripping with intrigue. “As for how they should be distributed, if you have any plans on participating, you can discuss it in detail with my leader.”

What kind of treasure land was it? What were the dangers? What treasures lay hidden within? Buxiu was deliberately vague, tantalizingly so.

If Xu Jingming was willing to participate, he could naturally obtain further information. But if he didn’t participate, there was no need to know.

“There’s no need.” Xu Jingming shook his head. “I’ve been very busy recently.”

Buxiu nodded with a smile. “Alright, I won’t force you.”

As Buxiu departed, Xu Jingming observed the scene with caution. I can’t venture into dangerous places before ascending to the rank of Eternal.

High-dimensional space was fraught with all manner of hazards, and he suspected that he was sought after precisely because the inviter lacked confidence.

I’m only at the Firstborn realm after all, so my life-preservation ability is severely limited, and even a minor mistake could lead to my demise. Xu Jingming was well aware. Half-step third realms, who were more powerful than him, had perished in treacherous terrains.

Over the past thousand years, Xu Jingming had explored nearly 2,000 dominions, which had broadened his horizons.

High-dimensional lifeforms are in a constant struggle for resources and treasure lands. I need to be on my guard against the Abyss Sacrifice school, Xu Jingming pondered.

The Abyss Sacrifice school was infamous for its ruthless tactics and was known to manipulate any situation to their advantage. Any high-dimensional lifeform could be a part of their ranks, and it was impossible to identify them on the surface.

It’s no wonder the lifespans of high-dimensional lifeforms are short, even those of the Heart Realm lineage, who are considered long-lived if they can survive ten Abyssal Eras, Xu Jingming thought, reflecting on the fragility of life in the perils of high-dimensional space.

I won’t take any risks until I reach the Eternal realm. Xu Jingming had already made up his mind.

…

Heart Realm territory, inside the beast hide space.

Xu Jingming sat cross-legged, his eyes closed as he focused on the Eight Directions Map book floating in front of him.

Ever since he learned that the beast hide space’s protection was formidable, his territory’s clone remained hidden within its vast expanse. The other 20 miniature universes occupied only a small fraction of the area.

With the help of the Eight Directions Map’s test, I’ve finally mastered the fourth realm, Appetite and Lust. Xu Jingming smiled.

For over a millennium, he had studied the survival of humans on more than 10,000 experimental planets, deepening his understanding of desire. And his experience within the book space had allowed him to personally experience the effects of appetite and lust.

Through two different experiences—one of observation and analysis, and the other of personal experience—Xu Jingming had completed the fourth level’s test. However, it also made him realize just how difficult it would be to reach the eighth level’s Great Freedom.