Chapter Seventeen: Rebirth!

His body was now completely submerged in the Qingyuan River, carried by the current toward the desolate lower reaches. Icy water flooded his nostrils and mouth, pouring into his windpipe, leaving him unable to breathe.

There was no way for oxygen and carbon dioxide to exchange.

Oxygen in his bloodstream diminished little by little.

His heart raced, blood pressure soared.

The respiratory center shifted from excitement to suppression.

In less than three minutes, Yang Luo would die from asphyxiation.

His heart, already on the verge of collapse, now operated at its very limit under such pressure. The tumor within it hungrily fought for what little nourishment remained—a harbinger of death.

But then—

That crimson light utterly transformed everything.

A blistering force, like the blaze of the noonday sun, erupted within him.

It was a power vast beyond Yang Luo’s understanding or imagination.

Every nerve, every muscle fiber, every bone tensed in an instant, as if bracing for the impact of a tidal wave.

“What… is this…”

The force surged through him, and the cancerous cells, like snow beneath a burning sun, melted away and vanished.

His entire body, battered by this strange energy, experienced an incomprehensible surge of vitality.

Yang Luo recalled that commanding voice.

He remembered the enormous black eagle.

He remembered the red light.

“So… it was this…”

Enlightenment rose quietly within him.

But there was no time for awe.

The power granted by the “Blood of Evolution” was already flooding his brain, and memories—down to his youngest days—came rushing back, reawakening in his mind. It was the precursor to cerebral evolution.

Yang Luo closed his eyes.

He could not breathe, yet he no longer needed to.

The energy from the “Blood of Evolution” had brought him into a state of self-circulation, akin to the legendary “primal breath” of martial tales—a state of innate cultivation.

In that moment, he let go of all thought, quietly savoring the miracle of life.

…

“The first human experimental subject—the ‘Blood of Evolution’ has successfully merged with him.”

Far from the Qingyuan River, dozens of kilometers away in the wilderness, Xi Gu stood on the plain, eyes closed, sensing the connection transmitted from Yang Luo.

The wind drifted quietly. Beside him, Grey Shadow bowed its head docilely, and Xi Gu stroked the fur atop its head, savoring the feedback from this historic moment.

No longer a beast, nor a bird.

For the first time, the “Blood of Evolution” had bestowed power upon a human and forged a link with another.

From a biological standpoint, the genetic gap between Yang Luo and Grey Shadow might be far less than that between Black Moon and Grey Shadow. After all, the first two were both mammals, true beasts—one a carnivore, the other a primate. The latter pair, however, belonged to entirely different classes: one a bird, the other a mammal, diverging at the third tier of taxonomy.

Yet, the information and detail Xi Gu could discern through this soul-deep connection with Yang Luo far surpassed what he had experienced with Grey Shadow or Black Moon.

“As expected… because he’s human…”

Xi Gu pondered silently.

The greatest distinction of humanity lay in its consciousness.

While recent studies—especially with chimpanzees—showed they could craft and use simple tools, crack nuts with stones, fish for termites with twigs, even rapidly distinguish numbers and establish rudimentary neural responses; they could use language in their groups, play rock-paper-scissors with humans…

But as Yang Luo’s innermost world opened itself completely to Xi Gu, the impact was profound.

“No matter how intelligent Grey Shadow or Black Moon have become—about the level of a young teenager—the complexity of human thought is on another order entirely.”

In the swirling currents and overt thoughts of Yang Luo’s consciousness, data streamed into Xi Gu’s mind through the “Blood of Evolution,” like torrents in a digital world.

Setting aside his awe for the moment, Xi Gu focused. Yang Luo’s emerging memories played out before him like a film.

“So, that’s it… Originally a village child, given a chance to attend a prestigious university through diligence. His family fell into debt to support his education, and he succeeded in building a life in Qingxia City.

“…Yet sadly, in the pursuit of a better life through relentless hard work—or perhaps ruthless self-competition—he also brought about his own malignant tumor. Unlucky, truly.”

As Xi Gu coolly analyzed, he could sense every movement of blood, every cellular change within Yang Luo’s body, now utterly clear to him. He understood what would come next as Yang Luo merged with the Blood of Evolution.

“Strength: level 57. Speed: level 54. Neural response: level 55… Overall evaluation: level 56. This is the initial state post-infusion, similar to how Black Moon and Grey Shadow began.

“According to past experiments, once the Blood of Evolution is absorbed, the organism undergoes a ‘rapid growth phase’ lasting from several days to two weeks. We’ll see what Yang Luo becomes by then.”

With these thoughts, Xi Gu’s lips curled into an amused smile.

“Now that the first human experimental subject has been introduced, supernatural power will officially enter the world of mankind.

“…But simply calling it ‘Blood of Evolution’ seems too cheap, too devoid of heritage, too hard to evoke greater connections.

“So, let it begin with Yang Luo… Let the ‘Age of Transcendence’ commence—a new era that seems as if it has existed since antiquity!”

Something interesting was about to begin.

…

Power swelled within him, blazing like the sun.

Memories contracted, past and present echoing together in his heart.

Yang Luo remembered the scent of flowers in his youth, the pains of adolescence—things his mind had long since forgotten, now all vivid once more.

This was the sign of evolution.

This was the herald of transcendence.

He closed his eyes, feeling neither joy nor sorrow, as his body slowly sank to the bottom of the Qingyuan River. A few small fish gathered, brushing past his still form.

Then, in that instant, he opened his eyes.

Every fiber of his being surged at once. The heart pumped forth blood with the force of a hundred thousand tons.

“…Ha!”

As if to defy the pressure of the entire river, Yang Luo’s body convulsed, shooting up from the riverbed!

Sprays of water scattered in all directions. The fish soared skyward with him, only to crash back into the river below.

He stepped upon the water—

And returned to the world of men.

Only the deserted riverbank bore witness to Yang Luo’s extraordinary power; had there been a crowd, a dozen phones would already be streaming him live.

Drenched from head to toe, Yang Luo stood on the shore, dazed, clenching his fists tightly.

“This power…”