Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 6

The moment this was mentioned, everyone was tense. The word ‘death’ was too distant for the children, let alone the scattering of their souls.

“In the early stages of life, any species is at its most vulnerable. This is especially true for us, the Tianxiu people.”

“Because our souls are reincarnated, the loss of any soul is an irreversible loss for the entire tribe. To maintain our population, every adult Tianxiu will spare no effort to protect the lives of the young. As fledglings, you must always remember that nothing is more precious than your life. Always prioritize self-protection. When in danger, the primary choice is to flee. Never be reckless or try to show off your strength. Do you understand?” Zhi Shang advised solemnly.

A sense of purpose filled the hearts of every student present. For the first time, they realized how important it was to protect themselves.

“So, what are the lives of people from other planets like, those who don’t have souls and reincarnation?”

“That’s a good question,” praised Zhi Shang. “Every species has its unique way of reproducing. Take, for example, the beings from the nearby planet Wolfsbane.” He adjusted a projection device, and a three-dimensional image of a Wolfsbane inhabitant appeared.

“The children of the Wolfsbane people are entirely beastly. Compared to other species’ young, Wolfsbane children born in a wild state have stronger survival abilities, but their period of higher intelligence comes a bit later. Over their childhood, they gradually master the ability to transform. By adolescence, they can effortlessly switch between their two forms. Their average lifespan is between two to three hundred years, with their prime lasting about 97% of their life. Just like their prepubescent stage, during their brief old age, they can exist only in their beast form, and then they die.”

“When a Wolfsbane dies, others will return their bodies to the earth. Interestingly, even though they are carnivores, they have a stronger belief in the earth than any other race. The food they rely on comes from the planet, and in death, they become nutrients to nourish the soil in return. This is a tribe filled with wild instincts, who love nature, value freedom, and now, they are our vassals.”

“What does ‘vassal’ mean?”

“It means a tribe that has been defeated in war and has chosen to surrender. Every year they present tribute to signify their subjugation. There are six such nations in this galaxy.”

The students exclaimed in surprise. “Are we really that strong?”

Zhi Shang smiled. “You’ll find out when you become adults and get the opportunity to travel to other planets. The differences between us and other species are not just in the way we reproduce.”

The students listened with rapt attention. “Are there other ways of reproducing?”

“Yes, there are.” Zhi Shang clicked the remote, and the holographic projection changed. “This is a human from Earth, quite far from us. They are born in this small baby form.”

An image of a human baby crawling in mid-air was shown, occasionally trying to stand, falling, and trying again.

“Wow, that’s so cute!” many female students couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Human babies are born with no memory or survival skills, which means they have to learn as much as they can in the shortest amount of time. From basic walking, eating, speaking to self-protection, all these skills must be acquired.”

“Isn’t that exhausting?”

“It is, but it’s also fulfilling. We Tianxiu might never truly understand the joy they call ‘childhood’.”

The baby eventually stood up after multiple attempts and started walking, running, jumping without any assistance, transitioning into a form resembling a young Tianxiu.

“What you’re seeing now is a human teenager, about fifteen or sixteen years old. They have a standardized age of adulthood, typically eighteen, though it may vary. Crossing this age indicates that one is an adult, regardless of their mental maturity.”

“Upon reaching adulthood, humans can legally mate and reproduce. Most countries practice monogamy, but their marital systems are not as steadfast as the Tianxiu’s and can be dissolved anytime.”

The projection continued, quickly showing the students the cycle of a human’s life: adulthood, partnership, reproduction, aging, and finally death, ending in ashes.

“It’s truly incredible.” They were shocked upon learning for the first time that in the vast universe, there existed species that lived in such a form.

“Earthlings have a much shorter lifespan compared to us. Because they reproduce sexually, everyone has a family. In the language of Earth, these family members are called father, mother, brother, sister…”

The students also unconsciously murmured these unfamiliar words, finding them surprisingly easy to pronounce.

“The people of Tianxiu don’t have such a large family system as Earthlings, and there’s no blood relation. However, we can also have family,” he said with a smile, looking at Yao Tai. “A’Yao is my family. In the future, you too will have families of your own.”

“But we don’t have brothers or sisters…”

Zhi Shang thought for a moment. “Has anyone ever wondered, since we are transformed from souls, where our names come from?”

Everyone realized they had never thought about this question and were completely clueless.

“The answer lies in the energy chambers. After each soul returns, we place them in sequence. Each chamber has its surname, and there’s a fixed order for given names. By combining the two, we get everyone’s current names.”

Realization dawned on everyone.

“So… I’ve secretly thought this way. Those who slumber and awaken in the same energy chamber as us, sharing the same surname, aren’t they our siblings?”

“Ah,” many had a sudden epiphany, “Without even realizing, we have so many family members. Doctor, may I take a look at the energy chamber where I was placed?”

“Of course.” Zhi Shang smiled. “You can search for your surnames on the panel to my right and find your respective chambers there.”

Excited, the students rushed to the panel. Ling Xiao, with his sharp eyes, quickly found his family’s section. Following the signs, he realized the hall was even more vast than he had imagined. All the staff members he encountered were using small vehicles to move around, indicating the vast expanse of the place.

“Ling, Ling, Ling…” He searched among the chambers until he found his family’s chamber.

“This is where I woke up…” He touched the chamber’s seal, feeling a deep sense of connection.

Names of those who had awakened from this chamber were densely recorded on its side. Ling Xiao’s name was clearly at the end. Those before him were his ancestors.

“Ling Yang, Ling Lang, Ling Daoxi… I wonder if they’re still alive,” Ling Xiao muttered.

The names of souls currently in stasis stood out. Ling Xiao couldn’t help but read one out loud. “Ling, Xiao, Lu. You must be my younger brother…”

He found the word, which required the tip of his tongue to come in contact with his teeth twice to pronounce, very endearing. He repeated it clearly, “Brother, brother, I too now have a family.”

He carefully leaned onto the sealed chamber, pressing his ear against it, hoping to hear a heartbeat inside. “I hope you wake up soon…”

Everything around him became quiet, leaving only the rhythmic sound of heartbeats. Ling Xiao closed his eyes, looking so peaceful, as if asleep.

After what felt like a long time, Ling Xiao slowly opened his eyes to see a complicated character in his vision. It took a moment for the image to become clear, revealing the character ‘Ying’.

In his groggy state, Ling Xiao felt that the character looked familiar. He seemed to have seen it somewhere before.

Glancing at his chamber’s “Ling” and then at the neighboring “Ying”, he jumped back half a meter when he caught sight of Ying Feng standing there. How long had he been there? Out of the corner of his eye, he then noticed Ying Feng. He wasn’t sure when Ying Feng had started standing there. Could it be…?

Thinking of his childish behavior just now, Ling Xiao wished he could scoop a ladle of water from the purification pool and pour it over himself, hoping to erase the other’s memory of the incident.

“Why are you here?” Ling Xiao asked, defensively.

Ying Feng gave him a look as if he were crazy, walked straight to the neighboring chamber, which had a soul sleeping inside named Ying Zheng.

Ling Xiao quickly put two and two together, realizing why the character looked familiar. The chamber next to his belonged to Ying Feng’s family. Looking at the distance between the two chambers, not even a meter apart, it was almost like sharing a bed. Had he and Ying Feng been neighbors for the past decade or two during their slumber?

Ying Feng ignored Ling Xiao, who was glaring at him from the side, and mimicked his previous action by raising his right hand, letting it hover in the air. Ling Xiao, for some inexplicable reason, began to feel nervous, swallowing unconsciously. Could he also sense that peculiar feeling?

Neither of them made a sound, and the atmosphere felt as if it had frozen over.

A voice broke the silence. “Huh? You two are here too?”

Ling Xiao, as if suddenly awakened, turned his head to look. “Why are you here?”

The newcomer was Ping Zong. “I’m in this section too.” He pointed to a big character “Ping” next to him, which was just across the aisle from Ling Xiao. “Seems like we were staying close by all along.”

“Yes.” Ling Xiao glanced at Ying Feng, who was still in the same position, motionless. “I wonder what criteria they used to assign these spots.”

“It must be based on pronunciation. Haven’t you noticed? ‘Ling’, ‘Ying’, and ‘Ping’—their pronunciations are all quite similar?”

After some contemplation, Ling Xiao realized it was true. He quickly looked to his left. “It seems so. On my side, it’s ‘Ming’.”

“My neighbor’s is ‘Jing’…and then there’s ‘Bing’.”

The two of them found a new point of interest. They went from one compartment to another, calling out surnames. The previously quiet hall was suddenly filled with their cheerful shouts.

“It’s too noisy,” Ling Xiao heard Ying Feng mutter as he returned to where he started.

Just as Ling Xiao was about to retort, a piercing alarm sounded overhead, one sharp siren after another.

“What’s happening?” Ling Xiao became alert.

“Let’s gather first and then discuss!” Ping Zong was already sprinting toward the control center. Ling Xiao followed closely, but halfway there, he glanced back and noticed that Ying Feng wasn’t following.

He hesitated, slowing down unconsciously. Ping Zong noticed his hesitation. “What’s wrong?”

Ling Xiao clenched his fist. “You go on ahead; I’ll catch up soon!”

“Hey!” Ping Zong tried to call him back, but Ling Xiao had already turned and was sprinting back the way they came, leaving only a blurry silhouette for Ping Zong to see.

With no other option, Ping Zong hurried to the main control area, finally finding relief upon locating Lan Sheng.

“What’s going on?”

Lan Sheng, who had arrived earlier and had some information, replied, “Astronomical warning. A nearby asteroid has unexpectedly disintegrated. It’s predicted that meteors might fall in this vicinity.”

While asteroid disintegration was a common event here, Ping Zong noticed that despite the continuous alarms, all staff were working in an orderly manner with no sign of panic.

The energy storage management panel was quickly switched to a large astronomical monitoring screen. Complex numbers and symbols flickered rapidly on the projection. Lan Sheng and the others didn’t understand it, but they knew the most important structure of Tianxiu displayed at the center of the screen was the Soul Lighthouse.

Security staff began directing students to safe areas, and everyone was anxious, asking the adults questions.

“What exactly is happening?”

“Is this place going to be hit by a meteor?”

“Are we in danger?”

Staff tried to calm the students while maintaining order. “Don’t worry; it’s just a minor incident. The base can ensure everyone’s safety.”

Ping Zong struggled to get to the front of the crowd.

We have one… no, two students who haven’t returned.”

His words caught the attention of the staff. “Where are they?”

“They were last seen in Section G3.”

The staff member quickly relayed this information to a colleague over a communicator. After a brief conversation, he reassured Ping Zong, “Don’t worry, we’ve dispatched staff to that area to search for them. We’ll ensure the safety of every student!”

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