One month had passed since the book banning activities. There were very few mentions of these two books in public, with occasional discussions happening in private.
Human who regretted not having kept both books were filled with remorse. Those who still had both books, despite experiencing the book ban, remained silent, quietly waiting for the storm to pass.
Inside the Royal Palace of the Ancheng City and within the side hall of the Eternal Harmony Palace, the King of the Human sat alone in the main seat, his voice heavy as he asked, “Have they not been found yet?”
Immediately, someone responded, “Your Majesty, the latest information indicates that they have not been found. This ‘passerby’ seems to have vanished into thin air, most likely wandering in the wilderness.”
The King of the Human let out a long sigh, waved his hand slightly, and the person retreated.
At this point, nearly two months had passed since the Elder’s Round Table Meeting. Half a month ago, the other eight elders who had been waiting without results had returned to their respective main cities.
The King of the Human sat quietly on the throne, deep in thought. He muttered, “The ‘passerby’… ‘The Warrior’s Path’… ‘Rune Grandmastery Unveiled’… Is it a blessing or a curse…”
But the King of the Human knew deep down that, for the entire human race, it was a blessing. However, for the major families that made up the ruling class, it was a curse.
And he, representing the interests of the human race, also represented the interests of the major families. How should he choose?
After all, he was a strong figure who had grown up in the old system of the human race. His innermost inclinations naturally leaned toward upholding the existing system, a perspective determined by one’s upbringing and cognition, difficult to change.
The ripples caused by new knowledge would ultimately be quelled with bloodshed.
The ban on these books only delayed the eruption of contradictions. His role was limited to this.
He was too old; he didn’t have much time left to live. What the future held should be left for future generations to earn and decide for themselves.
…
Su Hao once again tested a bomb, this time with eight hundred ‘Explosion’ runes. It created a crater with a diameter of nearly a hundred meters. Even from a distance, the shockwave from the explosion sent Su Hao tumbling.
The ‘Eight Hundred Explosions’ bomb was no longer the size of a basketball but more like a large cooking pot you’d find in a village.
Su Hao could continue to create ‘One Thousand Explosions,’ ‘Ten Thousand Explosions,’ or even higher, but it would require a larger volume to accommodate more runes and more vital energy.
Perhaps crystallized vital energy could be utilized here.
However, Su Hao believed that there was no need for it. Who could withstand the power of the ‘Eight Hundred Explosions’ bomb he had just created? Could even Ancestor-level martial artists endure it? Even Ancestor-level martial artists had flesh and blood.
Could their flesh and blood withstand such power?
Su Hao didn’t think anyone could. If there were someone who could, he would gladly acknowledge them as the strongest.
With the People of the Human Race in control of these bombs, how could wild beasts in the wilderness resist them? Would there still be incidents of wild beasts invading cities and devouring people?
Su Hao smiled, feeling a sense of achievement. He felt liberated throughout his body. This was the sense of accomplishment of making history. This was the pleasure of achieving something from within himself.
In previous lives, he had merely struggled to survive, but in this life, he had finally made a difference. Deep in his heart, he was beginning to accept his own existence, not just as a lonely soul wandering without knowing where he would end up.
He believed that, no matter which world he might end up in the future, he had value and meaning. If he couldn’t achieve self-identity, he worried that, in the long journey, he might turn into a mere shell filled with knowledge but lacking a soul.
After finalizing the plan, Su Hao made another ‘Eight Hundred Explosions’ bomb and embedded many sharp blades inside for added lethality.
Once the bomb was completed, Su Hao put on his Winged Armor, placed the ‘Eight Hundred Explosions’ bomb into a bag, and carried it on his back. He then went outside the cave to begin testing his ability to fly while carrying this heavy load.
There was some influence, but not significant. The main issue was that the stealth flight mode was disrupted and couldn’t achieve true silence.
After returning to the surface, Su Hao placed the ‘Eight Hundred Explosions’ bomb aside and turned his attention to another issue. He couldn’t allow his books, “The Warrior’s Path” and “Rune Grandmastery Unveiled,” to become tools of the ruling class. However, he was powerless to resist the entire advanced class of the human race on his own.
All he could do was plant a seed in people’s hearts and wait for it to sprout. Now, it seemed that the seed had been sown, but it would take many years, and many people might die powerless against the ferocious beasts, before it grew completely.
So, he needed to nurture it a bit more. Su Hao would turn sixteen in three months. He decided that on his sixteenth birthday, he would give the people a great gift. After delivering this gift, he would return to focus on researching how to advance to the Grandmaster level.
There were two paths to advance to the Grandmaster level. One was to join the Ancheng City Guard, work as a runner for eight years, and earn the qualification to advance to the Grandmaster level. However, whether one would be selected in the end was uncertain.
The other path was to kill a large number of Grandmaster-level ferocious beasts in the wilderness and conduct research experiments. This experiment’s duration was also unknown, perhaps one year, five years, or even eight years without guaranteed success.
Therefore, he needed to prepare himself mentally for long periods of seclusion. But his mind was currently in turmoil, making it impossible to focus. The thought of his books, “The Warrior’s Path” and “Rune Grandmastery Unveiled,” being used for control rather than for people’s education and for collectively defending against ferocious beasts weighed heavily on his heart.
His mind was clouded.
“Moreover, advancing to the Grandmaster level is not simple, and the issue of how to transplant runes is a significant problem. It can’t be rushed. First, let’s make the gift! I want to see what they will use to ban my books. So what if it’s the Grandmaster level or Ancestor level?”
But before that, he needed to make some preparations.
“Replicate,” “Attach,” “Etch,” “Diffuse,” “Penetrate,” “Change Color,” “Manipulate,” “Barrier,” “Lock-on”… Su Hao meticulously organized all the runes, beginning to construct the scenario he had imagined.
…
Three months later, a vast clear sky stretched for miles, with a gentle breeze blowing. Suddenly, a deafening roar echoed above the main city of He’an, resembling thunder and lightning, and it continued uninterrupted.
Nearly a million people in the main city immediately rushed outside, looking up at the sky. They had never heard such a deafening sound before, and they were both surprised and frightened. Some decided to stay indoors, trembling with fear.
However, as they followed the sound and looked in its direction, they saw nothing.
“What’s going on?”
“Is it the roar of an Ancestor-level ferocious beast? Is an Ancestor-level beast attacking the main city?”
“It’s very likely. Be prepared. If things go wrong, immediately seek refuge in the palace.”
“Don’t worry! The King of the Human will repel any ferocious beast daring to attack.”
Human discussed and speculated about possible events.
In the royal palace, a sharp-eyed martial artist suddenly pointed in another direction from where the sound was coming, exclaiming, “Look over there! What is that?”
Human squinted and carefully observed for a moment. Only then did they notice a small black dot slowly moving in the sky. However, the actual speed of the black dot wasn’t slow; it just appeared that way due to the great distance.
“What is that thing? A flying ferocious beast? Did it produce the booming sound?”
“It seems so.”
“Quick, report it to the King of the Human!”
“The King of the Human is coming out!”
Human turned around and saw the elderly King of the Human emerging, surrounded by a group of people.
