Chapter Twelve: Return! One Hundred Thousand Years After Death, the Legend Lives On!

Altering significant historical events was never an easy task.

After conquering cancer, Lin Qiye had been fretting over this very problem. Unfortunately, even after leading his team of researchers in a decade-long exploration, he still failed to create a truly momentous turning point in history.

He never could have imagined that, on the verge of death, he would witness the awakening of spiritual energy!

It was as if he had traveled the world in search of iron shoes, only to find them effortlessly at his feet.

Lin Qiye displayed a genuine, heartfelt smile. Even though he knew his remaining days were few, the joy in his heart was impossible to conceal.

“Though I don’t know why the revival of spiritual energy has come so suddenly, at last I can be almost certain of securing an S-level rating.”

With delight, Lin Qiye initiated the Genesis Simulation.

This time, he spent a total of 2,000 Progress Points, deducing a remarkably complete cultivation method—The Qi Refinement Technique.

Qi Refinement Technique: Draw in spiritual energy to temper the body, break through the meridians, and by reaching the tenth level, one can roam the earth unchallenged!

“This is enough for humanity to establish itself in the early days of the spiritual revival. As for future paths of cultivation, let the blessings of future generations guide them—I can do no more!”

Lin Qiye shook his head with a light chuckle.

Leveraging his tremendous influence, he immediately announced the Qi Refinement Technique to the entire country.

Lin Qiye’s careful proclamation instantly sparked a nationwide cultivation frenzy.

Within three days, hundreds and thousands of citizens reported feeling the flow of spiritual energy within their bodies while practicing the technique.

For the first time, humanity touched upon the art of cultivation!

A new era—destined to be vast and tumultuous—had quietly begun.

But sadly, Lin Qiye, the very pioneer of this new age, was already at death’s door.

At this moment, Lin Qiye lay on a bed in his private convalescent home, his body bristling with acupuncture needles so densely packed that anyone with trypophobia would have fainted on the spot.

“Hurry, electrolyze! Quickly!”

“No, it’s hopeless. Professor Lin’s dynamic equilibrium has been catastrophically disturbed—it’s the spiritual energy at work!”

“It’s over… Professor Lin… Professor Lin, he…”

“We’re useless! We’re failures!”

The new doctors’ faces were etched with grief.

Yet Lin Qiye laughed heartily.

“Why so remorseful? I’ve had twelve extra years—more than worth it.”

As his words fell, Lin Qiye’s heartbeat gradually flattened into an unbroken line.

The greatest scientist of his era closed his eyes forever.

Though ravaged by illness, Lin Qiye’s final expression was serene and peaceful.

For in this life, he had truly gained beyond measure.

His Life-Lamp Gem was now forged, meaning that upon his return to the main world, Lin Qiye would become a genuine Grand Wanderer—free to traverse countless times and worlds, to simulate lifetimes and reap endless rewards.

He had achieved a leap of existence, a future of infinite possibilities—perhaps even immortality.

With no regrets, Lin Qiye departed content.

But the doctors were lost in mourning.

The newly arrived young doctors wept with wrenching sorrow.

Drawn by Lin Qiye’s charisma, they had taken these positions specifically to care for him, never imagining that they would one day witness their idol’s passing with their own eyes.

It felt as though the world had collapsed, the universe gone silent.

Huddled in corners, they cried until their eyes were swollen and red.

Yet death is final, and none return.

Lin Qiye was gone from the world.

Ten minutes later, his parents burst into the infirmary.

“Son, you promised me today that you’d come home healthy for dinner—I made your favorite braised chicken!”

Lin Qiye’s mother covered her mouth with both hands, weeping uncontrollably.

“My good boy, you’ve never lied to your mother. I believe you’ll come back to me…”

Lin Qiye’s father, suddenly aged by more than a decade, silently let tears fall as he gripped his wife’s hand tightly.

Elsewhere, in a lecture hall at the National Science University, Professor Yuan—mentor and father figure to Lin Qiye—collapsed on the spot upon hearing of his prized pupil’s death.

Twenty minutes after the news broke, every scientist in the country, in unspoken unison, shared an obituary:

“Mr. Lin Qiye, passed away from terminal illness at the age of thirty. We mourn deeply the loss of Mr. Lin Qiye.”

As the obituary spread, rain began to pour over the city of Jiangnan.

The downpour was relentless, the clouds leaden and oppressive, thunder splitting the sky—a scene like the world’s end, as if the heavens themselves mourned Lin Qiye.

Within half an hour, over a million citizens braved the torrential rain, each carrying a single flower, to line the long streets in tribute to Lin Qiye.

Ten miles of sorrow, with grief filling every corner.

Media outlets began publishing tributes.

“Alas! Our nation has lost a true treasure!
In just thirty short years, Lin Qiye conquered cancer and over thirty other diseases, saving billions from the agony and financial ruin of illness worldwide.
Even on the verge of death, he dragged his ailing body to create the Qi Refinement Technique…
Too many achievements to list—a peerless national hero, a sage for the ages!” — National Daily

“Mr. Lin Qiye’s passing is the greatest loss in human history. The world should weep. Even ten thousand years from now, humanity will still grieve…” — International Media

The words of the media were filled with sorrow.

Lin Qiye’s life story was once again told around the world.

He became the most influential figure of the century, his flawless image a beacon for young people to strive toward.

He was precocious as a child, a dazzling prodigy.

He was heroic in youth, achieving greatness early.

His life was marked by virtue and selfless love.

His only regret: throughout his ascetic existence, he never fell in love.

He dedicated his entire life to science and to humanity.

Even on his deathbed, he left a legacy of immense weight—the Qi Refinement Technique.

Humanity thanked Lin Qiye, with admiration, with tears, with ninety-degree bows toward Jiangnan.

They studied the Qi Refinement Technique with genuine reverence.

From this point on, humanity entered the Era of Qi Refinement.

Ten years later.

Year 10 of the Qi Refinement Era.

The nation’s cultivators were stronger than ever, slaying the mutated beasts that threatened the earth.

Year 20.

National genius Qin Jiuru was the first to perfect all ten levels of the Qi Refinement Technique.

Following inspiration, he naturally comprehended the next realm—Foundation Building.

Emulating Lin Qiye’s selflessness, he added the method of breaking through to Foundation Building as the second page of the Qi Refinement Technique.

Year 30.

The nation unified the globe and entered an era of unmatched prosperity.

Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators could traverse star systems with the strength of their bodies alone.

But then, Foundation Establishment experts discovered that the “universe” containing their blue planet had an edge—they had reached the world’s boundary.

Alas, no matter how Qin Jiuru struggled, he could not shake the barrier.

Year 100.

The nation’s strongest, Qin Jiuru, while patrolling the ocean’s depths, discovered a mysterious orb.

Upon swallowing it, he broke through to the Golden Core realm—his lifespan now extended up to five centuries!

He perfected the Golden Core technique, adding its mysteries as the third page of the Qi Refinement Technique.

Year 200.

Qin Jiuru reached the peak of the Golden Core stage; over five hundred cultivators in the nation achieved Golden Core status.

Year 500, six thousand Golden Core masters tore open a rift in the world’s barrier and began to explore new universes.

Year 1,000, the nation’s universe had fully conquered a new universe, merging the two worlds.

The nation’s universe rose in rank—from a micro-universe to a small universe.

The next day, the leader of the cultivator alliance scattered a handful of soil from the heart of the new universe upon Lin Qiye’s grave.

Cultivators from across the universe gathered before Lin Qiye’s memorial statue to honor the sage.

Lin Qiye’s spirit, having created the Qi Refinement Technique with his final breath, remained a guiding star for all cultivators, remembered through the ages.

Year 1,200.

The nation’s universe discovered and conquered several more small universes, ushering in the Age of Ascension.

Year 50,000.

The nation swept across countless worlds, becoming a super-giant universe in its era.

At last, they encountered a rival of equal strength!

Thus began a struggle spanning a hundred thousand years…

At the edge where two universes met, the cultivators surged forward like locusts, their flying swords blotting out the sky as they clashed with the mighty Tiger God clan—muscle-bound, tiger-headed warriors in dense battle formations.

“Charge! Wherever spiritual energy reaches, there shall be our nation’s land! All sons and daughters of our nation, cut down every foe!”

“Conquer the Tiger God universe! Scatter a handful of earth from its heart upon Elder Lin’s grave! This is the ultimate romance passed down through fifty thousand years!”

“Elder Lin’s spirit will forever light our path!”

…

[Your S+ rating allows you to view up to 150,000 years into the future.]

[You have perished in the simulation. This simulated life has ended. Your soul and body are returning.]

A sweeping epic spanning a hundred thousand years flashed before Lin Qiye’s eyes at the speed of light.

He found himself moved to tears.

“I never thought that a mere traveler like myself would leave such an enduring mark on the universe of my nation.

If only I could have lived for fifty thousand years—I would have earned a sea of Progress Points!”

Lin Qiye sighed in wonder.

Still, to achieve so much on only his second simulation, he was more than satisfied.

His delight brimmed over, his heart full of secret joy.

For this time, the reward was dazzling beyond imagination!