Qianzhou never denied that he also had a second period of indulging in fantasy.

I can't tell you what I thought at that time, but I remember that I was always unwilling to be lonely and ordinary. Tired of his peaceful life (especially when there are a lot of homework and exams), he longs for supernatural powers and events.

I longed for myself to have the power to move mountains and reclaim the sea, and to have the magical power of the Yellow Spring.

It's just that there is nothing in the world that can and can be expected without cost. As Zweig said in "The Beheaded Queen", "She was too young to know all the gifts that fate had given her, and she had already secretly marked the price".

Qianzhou thinks about it now, and he was the same at that time.

After becoming a transcendent, Qianzhou realized that this power was more appropriate than a curse.

If you only stay at the [cornerstone], it is better to say. Although it is only slightly stronger than ordinary people, it does not have to bear many additional dangers - after all, if you just set up the [cornerstone], it still stays in the category of "human".

But as long as you jump over the [Dragon Gate], then everything will be different.

Just as in myths and legends, the carp will transform into a dragon once it successfully jumps over the dragon gate. Once the transcendent jumps over the [Dragon Gate], it means that he has begun to break away from the category of "human". Embarked on a one-way street with no end in sight and no turning back.

This transformation is irreversible and a sublimation from the bottom up. Therefore, sometimes the transcendent who jumps over the [Dragon Gate] is also called the "Ascension".

But this "sublimation" is a curse that accompanies transcendents for life.

Just like the evolution of life, more superior organs and stronger limbs have grown out of chance. But if you don't learn to use it, these uncontrollable "gifts" will kill you.

The transcendent's life is a race against such a curse. No one knows when the power of the transcendent ladder will exceed the threshold they can bear. Therefore, they can only keep running on such an endless road, pursuing the ethereal end.

But the road is not an easy one. There are many obstacles that you want to get through, either because you have immortal intelligence, or you are born well, and you have the shade of your ancestors, and if you don't have neither, then you can only rely on luck.

There are so many people who have embarked on this road, but only a few can really make it to the end. Many more people have been reduced to a corpse on the side of the road, and there are no names left - there are many people who have not even bones left.

Therefore, since the first step has been taken, it has become a luxury to stop. Not to mention that transcendents are attracted to each other, and the aura between each other cannot be hidden at all.

And relying on the law of the Dark Forest (Note 1), you have to make sure that you go far enough on this path to avoid being hunted by others. All kindness needs to be backed up by sufficient strength.

In addition to these, there is another temptation that transcendents cannot be avoided - the abyss.

It's like a massive celestial body inadvertently attracts an asteroid. As the source of the outflow of supernatural power and knowledge, the abyss naturally has a great attraction for the transcendent.

Moreover, the abyssal dharma is more violent but easier to understand than the stable but boring dharma of the present world, and many of the extinct materials of the present world can only be found in the abyss...... For all these reasons, tens of thousands of transcendents choose to venture into the abyss every year. Some of them succeeded in coming back, and some of them either died in the abyss, or were degenerated by the abyss into monsters that were not human or ghostly.

Of course, there are also many people who take the initiative to choose the identity of the present world and take the initiative to embrace the abyss. They sustain their souls and minds while turning the power of the abyss into their own use, transforming them into beings similar to the abyssal race. In this way, they can survive and move in the abyss, and better advance on the transcendent path.

But there is not one in ten worldly transcendents who can do this.

Qianzhou rolled up his sleeves, revealing his white arms. Purple patches constantly appear under the skin, wriggling like maggots. Silver flames ignited from his arm, scorching purple patches.

As the two completely different essentia collided with each other, Qianzhou's skin made a cracking sound and opened one after another, and red blood overflowed.

Qianzhou bit his lip tightly and didn't make a sound.

Although the pain is still unbearable, it is more dangerous than the danger of killing at any time. This can already be considered gentle for the transcendent.

Isn't that the norm for the transcendent?

I don't know how long it took, but the purple patches finally disappeared. Qianzhou's whole body was soaked with sweat, and the whole person was almost lying on the table in collapse.

Cleaning the blood scab off his hands, Qianzhou put his sleeves down again to cover the wound.

Jiang Qinghan's shouts came from outside the door.

Qianzhou answered, adjusted his expression and opened the door.

If I had to choose again, would I still choose to be a transcendent?

Yes, I want to have enough power to rewrite tragedy and choke fate.

............

This plague is much more ferocious than expected, and the root cause of it is well known.

In less than two days, more than 30 percent of Enron's people were infected. Symptoms are accompanied by a range of complications such as high fever, vomiting, dehydration, etc.

"So what's the matter with calling me?" asked Qianzhou.

Qianzhou was called by Jiang Qinghan to Jiang Xuance and Pei Xing's room. On the table, as always, there were all kinds of strange bottles and cans.

I don't know how Pei Xing usually endures it. But I heard that it seems that they were roommates when they were at White Deer Academy, maybe they have lived there for many years.

The four of them gathered together and watched Jiang Xuance record something on a piece of paper.

After a while, Jiang Xuance raised his head: "This plague is very strange. ”

At this time, Qianzhou had already roughly guessed what he was going to say.

Sure enough, Jiang Xuance continued: "I took some samples for testing, and found that these plagues have the effect of extraordinary power. And it's from the same source as the [Poison] you received. ”

"Same as I thought. Qianzhou nodded.

"Since this plague is caused by a supernatural force, there must be a source. Jiang Xuance unfolded a simple map.

The map is actually quite rudimentary and entirely hand-drawn. Judging by the rough lines, the maker of the map should lack a lot of tools when drawing.

But even so, Qianshu can still see the general outline of Enron on the map. Some of the key landforms are also accurately represented.

"Where did you get this map?" asked Qianzhou curiously.

"It was hand-painted by me and Pei Xing. Jiang Xuance was a little complacent, "In the past few days, we have measured Enron and its vicinity with our feet, and we plan to record it and bring it back to the academy for archiving. ”

"Remarkable. Qianzhou praised.

Pei Xing also interjected at this time: "That being said, this map was basically drawn by me alone. You're just walking around with me a few times. ”

"How many laps do you call that, I'm going to break my leg!"

"Alright, alright. Jiang Qinghan interrupted the bickering between the two, "Hurry up and get down to business." ”

"Oh. ”

Although it is clear that Jiang Xuance is the elder brother, he always feels that Jiang Qinghan's status is a little higher.

Jiang Xuance spread the map on the table, pointed to the map and said, "I counted the number of infected people. It was this area that was first found to be infected, and then it continued backwards. ”

Qian Zhou followed Jiang Xuance's finger and swept his gaze across the map in turn.

"It's ......" Qianzhou seems to have found a pattern.

"The plague appeared along the Firmament!" Jiang Xuance made the final decision.

"So?"

"So if we look upstream of the Vault, we might be able to find the cause of the plague. Jiang Xuance put the map away.

"What did you call me for?" asked Qianzhou.

"Because you have the sharpest sense of essentia, and you have also been in direct contact with [Curse Poison]. ”

"I'm a tool man. Qianzhou said, but there was no resistance.

After all, Jiang Xuance is a member of the medical family, and it is difficult to be indifferent when encountering this kind of thing.

"And when are we going to go?"

"Now. In this matter, Jiang Xuance behaved quite resolutely.

The four of them walked out in groups, and happened to meet the old man in the courtyard.

The face of the past seemed to be worse than yesterday, sitting in a wooden wheelchair, pushed by Liya from behind. The magnificent red hair also lost its luster, like fluffy grass.

"What happened to you back in the day?" asked Qianzhou.

"It's just that I'm not feeling well. It's just an old problem, just rest for a while. In the past, he said weakly, "But where are you going, teacher?"

"Go and explore the upper reaches of the Dome Bay. Hyun Ce said that the source of the plague may be there. ”

He lowered his eyes as if he wanted to say something. But after a pause, he just said, "Then teacher, please be careful, go early and come back early." ”

"We will. ”

Note 1: The Law of the Dark Forest, from Liu Cixin's "The Three-Body Problem". The views are as follows:

The universe is a dark forest, and every civilization is a hunter with a gun, sneaking through the forest like a ghost, gently brushing away the branches that stand in the way, trying not to make a sound from his steps, and even breathing carefully: he must be careful, because the forest is full of hunters who are just like him, and if he finds another life, there is only one thing he can do: shoot and destroy it. In this forest, others are hell, eternal threats, and any life that reveals its existence will soon be wiped out.

This is the hypothetical picture of cosmic civilization in the novel, an explanation of Fermi's paradox.

Completely alien to the Transcendent, contact is similar. In the absence of certainty as to whether the other party has good intentions, either you act as the evil party or have the power to ignore any malice – of course, this is only the extreme case.