154: Sequence 036: Spark of Civilization

The Lei Yan Divine Dynasty stood majestically at the edge of the Spirit Realm. Three women wielded Divine Artifacts to regulate the earth veins and water elemental forces, harmonizing life, death, and Reincarnation. The Sequence Legion patrolled silently according to strict iron laws, seemingly presenting a vibrant new era.

However, Mo Yuan, the Immortal in a Bottle, who sat within the Chaos Thunder Pool at the core of the Thunder Abyss, subtly furrowed his brow, a brow formed from billions of thunder Dao patterns.

His perception pierced through layers of space, enveloping the entire Divine Dynasty.

He “saw” the strength and order of the Sequence Legion, “saw” the stability of the earth veins and the abundance of water elemental forces, and “saw” the gradual loyalty of the surrendered Cultivators under the allure of resources.

But he also “saw” something deeper—fragility.

The Foundation of the Divine Dynasty still rested on the deterrence of absolute military might and the support of high-end combat power.

The vast majority of Mortal populations incorporated into its rule were ignorant, weak, and short-lived, like reeds in a strong wind. They contributed almost nothing to the Divine Dynasty's operation and, in fact, required resources for protection.

They were the group most “favored” by the Spirit Realm's Heavenly Dao, yet also the most likely to perish due to instability, potentially inviting more direct attention and reckoning from the Heavenly Dao.

More importantly, the civilization level of these Mortals was too backward.

Most were still in primitive stages of slash-and-burn agriculture and knot-tying for record-keeping, with at most some crude Qi Refining methods circulating.

Their wisdom was buried under the pressure of survival, and their potential was wasted in prolonged ignorance.

Waste. Extreme waste.

In the cold core logic of the Immortal in a Bottle, any existence that could not generate value was redundant.

But these Mortals, their Soul Origins were closely linked to the Spirit Realm's Heavenly Dao, and their collective will itself might contain some kind of power... Perhaps, they could be more than just a burden.

A plan rapidly formed in his vast consciousness, which had undergone Fusion with the artifact spirit and absorbed the legacy of the Ancient Civilization.

Since sequences could be used for combat and construction, why not for... enlightenment? For acceleration?

He wanted to create a special sequence, not for destruction, but for construction; not to strengthen individuals, but to elevate an entire civilization!

He wanted to directly “sow” the seeds of knowledge into the depths of the Mortals' consciousness, forcibly raising their civilization level, transforming them from protected subjects into the cornerstone of the Divine Dynasty, and even... future weapons!

“Derive a new sequence blueprint,” the Immortal in a Bottle's will echoed in the Thunder Pool.

“Target: Non-combat type, consciousness-embedding type, information transmission and knowledge catalysis.”

“Basic template: Analyze the Soul fluctuation frequencies of Spirit Realm Mortals, maximize adaptability. Energy structure: Adopt the lowest power consumption spiritual energy resonance mode to ensure long-term existence. Information carrier: Compressed integration of the Ancient Civilization's basic technology tree (excluding high-risk parts) and the enlightenment chapter of the Sentient Thunder Codex.”

“Appearance features: Must possess affinity to reduce rejection. Simulate natural imagery like ‘fireflies’ and ‘starlight’.”

“Naming: [Sequence 036: Civilization Spark].”

The Chaos Thunder Pool responded to the Creator's will.

This time, the churning of the thunderous plasma was no longer destructive, but became exceptionally precise and gentle.

Threads of almost transparent spiritual energy were drawn out, weaving into countless infinitesimally tiny, complex structures that emitted a soft white glow.

Within them lay vast amounts of highly compressed and encrypted knowledge—from the simplest tool making, crop cultivation, writing, and mathematics, to basic principles of mechanics, energy cognition, and even crude methods of Spiritual Qi guidance and application... The external form of these structures was molded into warm, soft orbs of light, the size of a grain of rice, like miniature stars, floating and sinking in the Thunder Pool, silently shimmering and exuding a reassuring aura.

They had no offensive power, almost zero defense, and their sole purpose was to find suitable Mortal hosts, integrate into their consciousness, subtly release knowledge, and accelerate their intellectual enlightenment and cognitive evolution.

“Sowing begins.”

The Immortal in a Bottle's thought stirred.

Within the territory of the Lei Yan Divine Dynasty, whether in bustling towns just beginning to flourish or in remote mountain villages, as night fell, the sky quietly changed.

Countless tiny, soft white specks of light, like a reverse meteor shower or dandelion seeds scattered by the wind, silently descended from the sky, showering the earth.

They seemed to possess sentience, precisely avoiding Cultivators and sequence units, drifting and searching for Mortals whose Soul fluctuations were the purest and who most yearned for change.

A young man, laboriously carving runes under an oil lamp, watched as a speck of white light serenely passed through his window and entered his glabella. He was startled, feeling a chill in his mind, followed by a sudden gush of knowledge about “rune structural mechanics” and “basic energy circuits” like a spring. The problems he had pondered over for so long were instantly clear!

An old farmer, toiling in the fields, felt a point of starlight land on the back of his neck. He straightened his back, a hint of confusion in his eyes, then looked at the soil beneath his feet. Words and methods he had never heard of, such as “crop rotation and fallow,” “optimized breeding,” and “simple water irrigation,” inexplicably appeared in his mind.

A little girl caring for her sick younger brother touched a drifting speck of light. Information about “herb identification,” “basic hygiene knowledge,” and “physical methods for cooling” quietly emerged. She looked at her brother's flushed face, her gaze no longer helpless, but now with clear steps for action.

There was no pain, no abnormality, only the quiet infusion of knowledge.

These [Civilization Spark] sequences were extremely tiny. Their integration did not immediately bring about earth-shattering changes, but rather, like true sparks, silently ignited the lamp of wisdom, allowing those Mortals, driven by instinct, to begin experimenting with new tools, new methods, and new ideas.

The change was slow, but it was real.

The next day, the runes the young man carved were significantly smoother and more precise. He even offered suggestions to the village's old rune master.

The old farmer began to try dividing plots and making simple compost.

The little girl used a wet cloth to cool her brother down and went into the wilderness to find several specific herbs.

A spark had begun to spread.

In the city, more rationally structured wooden waterwheels began to appear; in blacksmith shops, people tried to forge more labor-saving and efficient farm tools; some even began to record information using unified symbols... The progress of civilization was being quietly accelerated at a rate exceeding natural laws.

The Immortal in a Bottle silently perceived all of this.

He could feel that the Mortals who carried the “sparks” had more active and orderly mental fluctuations, and their “sense of identity” with the Divine Dynasty was subtly increasing with the benefits brought by knowledge.

They began to produce more food, create more tools, and even some crude creations based on new knowledge emerged.

Although “spiritual energy technology” was still out of reach, at least they had taken the first step from “primitive” to the “steam age” and beyond.

These Mortals were no longer pure consumables.

They were becoming resources, nutrients, and a part of the Divine Dynasty's Foundation.

And all of this happened under the nose of the Heavenly Dao's will, yet because its methods were gentle, did not directly harm human lives, and the changes stemmed from the Mortals' “own” Epiphanies and “inventions,” it maximally circumvented the Heavenly Dao's immediate reaction.

“Sowing is 17.3% complete. Knowledge release progress is slow, estimated to take three generations to complete the basic technology tree enlightenment,” the artifact spirit reported coldly.

“Enough,” the Immortal in a Bottle responded indifferently.

He was not in a hurry for quick results.

The transformation of civilization required time, and what he needed most now was time.

Let the sparks burn silently, let civilization quietly leap forward.

When these Mortals truly understood and mastered the power of combining “spiritual energy” and “technology,” perhaps they would be able to decide for themselves whether to continue believing in the Heavenly Dao high above, or to... embrace the one who gave them knowledge and a future.

Lei Yan Divine Dynasty.

In the Chaos Thunder Pool, countless new, more complex “spark” orbs began to silently gestate.