Chapter 1 Buying a Stone

Xu Jingming strolled leisurely through the market, observing the various aspects of life within. Suddenly, his gaze swept across the area, and he noticed the goods on a stall in the distance. His eyes lit up, and he walked over.

This vendor was selling handicrafts and looked expectantly at Xu Jingming as he approached the stall.

"Are you selling this stone?" Xu Jingming picked up a seemingly ordinary oval stone from the stall. The other items on the stall were woven bamboo items like baskets, stools, and chairs, but only one stone was present.

At first glance, this stone looked like an ordinary milky-white pebble, except it had cloud-like black patterns on it.

"Yes, yes, yes!" The vendor nodded repeatedly. "This stone feels warm to the touch, and I hit it with a large iron hammer, but it didn't leave a single mark. It must be a treasure."

"Name your price," Xu Jingming said.

The vendor held out a hand solemnly, "Ten taels of silver, at least ten taels of silver."

An average vendor earned only about ten taels of silver for a year of hard work. Selling a slightly special stone for such a high price, the vendor felt he was already being ruthless.

"Alright," Xu Jingming nodded. "Ten taels of silver it is." The vendor was overjoyed to hear this.

However, a neighboring vendor said, "Yue Xiaosan, this is a treasure! Don't just say ten taels of silver, it's probably worth a hundred or a thousand taels!"

"Are you still selling it?" Xu Jingming looked at the vendor and asked with a smile, "If you raise the price, I won't bother."

"Young man, they're trying to trick you," an old man carrying a basket walked past and reminded him. "They quoted ten taels, and now they want a hundred or a thousand taels. These merchants are very cunning."

"Sell, sell, sell!" The vendor glared at the neighboring stall owner and immediately handed the black and white stone to Xu Jingming.

Xu Jingming also took out a silver ingot and gave it to the vendor.

The transaction was complete.

"If I can find stones like this again, will you still want them, sir?" The vendor picked up the silver ingot, wiped it, bit it twice, and then happily hid it in his bosom, chasing after Xu Jingming to ask.

"Yes," Xu Jingming looked at him. "I'll be coming to the market often these days."

"I'll go back and look carefully," the vendor nodded repeatedly. He had accidentally picked it up while cutting bamboo on the mountain. This time, he planned to search carefully. Finding one stone would be equivalent to a year's hard work.

Xu Jingming then left.

"Safe travels, sir," the vendor said obsequiously, then glared at the adjacent vendor. "Old Smoker, were you trying to ruin my business?"

…

Xu Jingming held the oval stone, and his Subduing Demon power poured into it, instantly making the stone scorching hot. Xu Jingming nodded slightly, "The Subduing Demon power of the sixth realm, combined with my self-created divine power, is much more powerful, but it also puts a greater burden on magical artifacts. I need better materials. This stone, combined with some other materials, should be enough to refine a magic seal."

These precious materials could only be utilized by Subduing Demons.

After leaving the market, Xu Jingming continued to stroll around the capital city of Lanping Prefecture.

Whenever he arrived in a place, he would always visit the capital city and also pass through most of the counties within the prefecture.

He observed the lives of all kinds of people in the city, and when he encountered demons, he would capture them and refine their minds! During the refining process, the demons' obsessions and memories were integrated into Xu Jingming's consciousness, allowing Xu Jingming to understand their lives more deeply.

The Subduing Demon world was vast!

After all, eighth-order and seventh-order cosmic lifeforms from a cosmic domain were all in the same Subduing Demon world. Even though the cost of establishing an account was high, and many eighth-order cosmic lifeforms would try other paths, the number of Subduing Demons here was still enormous, and the number of ordinary people was more than ten thousand times greater.

Countless ordinary people also had various fates. Xu Jingming observed and studied them.

******

In addition to studying in the Subduing Demon world, Xu Jingming was also engaged in learning humanities and scientific knowledge.

"Some of the gains I've made from observing the lives of people in the Subduing Demon world have already been summarized in the humanities knowledge of the Cosmic Human Alliance," Xu Jingming sat in his courtyard, looking at the large amount of humanities knowledge on the screen. His brain as an eighth-order cosmic lifeform allowed him to memorize a large amount of knowledge with a single glance, and he had hundreds or thousands of examples from the Subduing Demon world in his mind to verify it.

"Humanities is very important, even though the highest degree is only level sixty."

"There's a saying on Blue Star that character determines destiny. And humanities knowledge determines character and destiny," the more Xu Jingming observed, the more he valued this aspect.

Even though humanities knowledge was vast and there were many important books, Xu Jingming's brain only took half a month to read all the most important books.

"The fate of people."

"The fate of civilizations."

"Over and over again, it's just those things," Xu Jingming looked at the scientific knowledge in front of him. "Scientific knowledge is truly endless."

Before learning the evolution method, Xu Jingming was a science student, but the knowledge he learned at that time was still very superficial.

Now, as an eighth-order cosmic lifeform, with a large amount of knowledge from the Primordial Research Institute available for him to read, he could even read the manuscripts of many great scholars, which naturally helped Xu Jingming greatly.

"Jingming, what are you looking at?" Li Miaomiao walked over, took a glance from a distance, and felt dizzy from the dense characters. "All kinds of characters."

"Those are just special meaning characters that can make formulas more concise," Xu Jingming said with a sigh. "Miaomiao, scientific knowledge is really amazing. Can you believe that just a few formulas can be used as the basis to deduce thousands of formulas that explain the meaning of all things in the universe?"

Li Miaomiao blinked as she listened.

"Yes."

Xu Jingming looked up at the sky, "When you suddenly realize that those few formulas, those few theorems, have already explained the vast and immense laws of the universe, you will feel shocked. This is the power of knowledge."

"Having understood knowledge, you can use a little flame to unleash the power to destroy stars."

"But also, you can transform a barren planet into a habitable planet," Xu Jingming's eyes were filled with longing. "I really yearn to become a Source Lifeform. Source Lifeforms can control the primal forces of the universe. As long as you master knowledge, you can use the primal forces of the universe to realize all kinds of ideas."

Li Miaomiao smiled. "Who doesn't want to become a Source Lifeform? Everyone in the Blue Star civilization is looking forward to someone becoming a Source Lifeform. But it's too difficult. I don't know how many star systems, how many tens of thousands of years, it takes to give birth to a Source Lifeform."

"Yes, it's too difficult," Xu Jingming nodded. Even with the core chapter of the Cosmic Human Supreme Inheritance, the *Yuanchu Star Conjecture*, he would need a very long time to become a Source Lifeform.

Xu Jingming buried himself in reading scientific knowledge again.

The accumulation of scientific knowledge would also allow him to understand the *Light Chapter* more deeply, understand the existence of the Yuanchu Star, and improve the effect of his visualization.

.

The accumulation of knowledge must rely on time to slowly accumulate. No matter how good the method is, you have to learn steadily step by step.

Observing sentient beings and refining their minds in the Subduing Demon world.

Learning humanities and scientific knowledge and studying the *Light Chapter* in the real world.

Xu Jingming was growing every day, and he felt that time was passing so quickly. In the blink of an eye, Xu Jingming had been an eighth-order cosmic lifeform for ten years.

*****

Blue Star, Coastal City.

Ding-ling-ling!

Along with the ringing of the school bell, many students walked out of the campus.

"See you in the virtual world tonight."

"Class Two, don't run away tonight. We, Class One, will fight you five-on-five!"

"Who's afraid of who?"

The students were talking, and they were all very excited.

As minors, they still had to attend classes at school during the day and get along with their peers. Only when they returned home could they enter the virtual world.

"Look, Xu Lixing."

"Xu Lixing from Class Three, Grade One."

"Her father is Xu Jingming, the number one person on Blue Star. It hasn't even been two years since the evolution method was popularized, and Xu Jingming has already become a seventh-order cosmic lifeform. Xu Lixing is twelve years old this year and won first place in the global youth competition. She's really amazing."

A group of students looked at a girl in the distance, as if they were looking at a celebrity.

Xu Lixing was indeed a big celebrity on Blue Star. From the time she started kindergarten, she was the focus of everyone's attention, with a large number of media outlets following and reporting on her news.

"Let's go, let's go home."

Xu Lixing got into a small flying vehicle by the roadside. These small flying vehicles were still very common on Blue Star, with more than ten million vehicles worldwide. It was believed that in a few decades, they would completely replace cars.

"Okay." The butler robot, Xiaowu, sat in the flying vehicle and personally came to pick up Xu Lixing.

"Aunt Xiaowu," Xu Lixing couldn't help but say, "Ever since I won first place in the global youth competition, people have been taking pictures of me wherever I go."

"Lixing, haven't you been used to it since you were little?" Butler Xiaowu said with a smile.

"It's different. It's much crazier now than it was in the past. I'm a little troubled," Xu Lixing covered her forehead, but there was still a hint of excitement in her eyes. She really liked being pursued.

Butler Xiaowu said, "According to your dad, reaching the fifth stage at twelve years old, there are billions of people with higher talents than you in countless civilizations in the universe."

"I'm the global champion!" Xu Lixing stared.

"But you've been practicing martial arts since elementary school. Your dad personally taught you, and you've been learning for nearly ten years before reaching the fifth stage," Butler Xiaowu said.

"I've already worked very hard. My parents are very strict. I was at the third stage at the age of seven, the fourth stage at the age of ten, and this year I reached the fifth stage and won first place in the global youth competition. When people mention me, who doesn't give me a thumbs up? Speaking of which, my dad only reached the fifth stage at the age of thirty. Hmph, watch how I surpass him in the future," Xu Lixing said.

"Lixing, all of us, including your dad, are looking forward to you surpassing him," Butler Xiaowu said.

"Just wait and see."

Xu Lixing was full of fighting spirit as she won first place globally for the first time.

Soon, the flying vehicle landed in her courtyard.

"Dad, Mom."

As soon as Xu Lixing walked out of the flying vehicle, she ran to Xu Jingming and Li Miaomiao.

Xu Jingming looked at his daughter. At twelve years old, because she had been practicing the evolution method for many years, she was tall and slender, and her height had already reached 1.75 meters. She was already a big girl.

The older his daughter got, the more worried Xu Jingming became. He didn't know which young man he would benefit in the future. He had to keep a close eye on her.

"Have some fruit," Li Miaomiao pointed to the fruit plate on the side.

"I ate some snacks on the way. I'm going to the virtual world first. Call me when it's time for dinner," Xu Lixing said, and went straight to her bedroom, closed the door, and put on her virtual helmet.

Xu Jingming and Li Miaomiao looked at each other.

"She just called out to me and went upstairs," Xu Jingming shook his head.

"She used to cling to me all the time," Li Miaomiao also looked at the fruit in front of her. "Now that the fruit is ready, she doesn't even eat it. When a daughter grows up, she doesn't listen to her mother."

"Our daughter has also reached the fifth stage, and in a while, she will become a cosmic lifeform and will also have a separate virtual room," Xu Jingming said. "Why do you, as a mother, have to cultivate into a cosmic lifeform yourself?"

"I'm still young, I want to work hard," Li Miaomiao's attitude was very firm.

Xu Jingming nodded and smiled. "Okay, as you wish."

In his own family, besides himself, his father, Xu Hong, relied on his own strength to break through to the fifth stage two years ago and became a cosmic lifeform. Counting it, his father cultivated for eleven years after obtaining the evolution method before becoming a fifth stage.

As for his mother, grandfather, and his parents-in-law, they were relatively inferior in this aspect and had already been assisted by external forces to become cosmic lifeforms.

According to Xu Jingming and Li Miaomiao's decision, they would only be willing to spend money to help their close relatives to become cosmic lifeforms with external forces.

Throughout the cosmic human race, the vast majority of cosmic lifeforms broke through with external forces, and this was the reason why! When one person rose up, they would naturally help their close relatives. Because cosmic lifeforms had very long lifespans, it would even affect subsequent generations, eventually forming a large family.

Virtual World Network, Xu Jingming's personal space.

Xu Jingming sat on the sofa and opened his personal combat strength panel:

Genetic Evolution Method: *Heavenly Serpent Evolution Method* (Cosmic Lifeform Perfection)

Body: 1.06 billion

Skills: Spear Technique (Eighth Order 97%), Shield Technique (Eighth Order 95%), Sword Technique (Eighth Order 93%), Saber Technique (Eighth Order 92%), Staff Technique (Eighth Order 95%), Footwork (Eighth Order 98%), Hidden Weapons (Eighth Order 87%)

Base Combat Strength: 530 billion

Energy: 106 billion Real Combat Bonus: 63x

Combat Strength: 40 trillion (Please follow the regulations of the Cosmic Human Alliance)

Xu Jingming looked at the data and nodded slightly. "With the help of the core chapter of the Primordial Research Institute's Supreme Inheritance, in ten years, I have indeed cultivated my physical body to the limit of the eighth order."

"However, the limit of the eighth order is still far from a Source Lifeform," Xu Jingming was very clear about this.

He gently tapped and opened the hidden data on his personal panel:

Mind Power: 5631

This was the data that had just been tested this year.

"It's very easy to increase the mind power index in the early stages. The average data for the geniuses of the Primordial Research Institute is that eighth-order cosmic lifeforms break through 5000 in 35 years of cultivation, and break through 9000 in 390 years of cultivation... Generally, they become Source Lifeforms within a thousand years."

"And me, in ten years, my mind power index has broken through five thousand."

"According to similar proportions, I should become a Source Lifeform in about two hundred years," Xu Jingming thought.

He reached the limit of the eighth order in just ten years.

But progressing at a similar speed, it would take two hundred years to become a Source Lifeform.

Becoming a Source Lifeform would take twenty times as long as it took to reach the eighth-order limit, and this was on the premise that he could continue to progress. Many eighth-order limits became despairing after a long time and gave up.

This also made the number of Source Lifeforms in the vast cosmic human race extremely rare.

"According to the evaluation of the Primordial Research Institute, my mind power progress is considered relatively fast," Xu Jingming also sighed. "Maintaining this efficiency, it will still take two hundred years to become a Source Lifeform?"