Chapter 27: The Dawn of Wisdom

The information vanished, and Li Shang realized the environment around him was no longer a boundless sea.

Above his head, sunlight danced across the water’s surface in shimmering patches.

At once, he propelled himself upward.

With a splash, he broke through the surface.

The sky overhead was a wash of pink, painted with vibrant auroras. Two suns, each the size of a hen’s egg, hung separately in the southern and northern sky.

Li Shang’s gaze dropped.

Far at the horizon where the sea nearly disappeared, a massive shadow rose above the waves.

[You have discovered a continent.]

[You have lived your whole life in the ocean and have never seen such a thing.]

[You are filled with a desire to explore.]

“Land?” Li Shang eyed the prompt before him and prepared to swim toward it.

But before he could move, he was startled to notice the progress bar below him advancing unexpectedly.

“It seems my progress now depends on how much I explore beyond the sea.”

With this realization, Li Shang did not hesitate any longer and set out at once.

Suddenly, a piercing screech rang from above.

A gigantic shadow blotted out the light overhead.

Li Shang looked up and saw a winged creature, razor-sharp beak agape, diving straight at him.

His pupils contracted sharply.

Without a moment’s pause, he fired a jet of water from his siphon, shooting forward just in time to narrowly evade the deadly attack.

Having dodged, Li Shang immediately dove beneath the waves, not daring to linger in the shallows.

His body was hardly larger than a common grass carp; if this predator snatched him from the water, he would stand no chance.

Yet, as he tried to slip away into the deeper water, he was horrified to find his body suddenly paralyzed.

His health was plummeting at a terrifying speed.

With great effort, he turned his head to see a creature bathed in blue light looming before him.

[You have experienced the first mass extinction.]

[The survivors have become more cunning.]

[Competition for resources is fiercer than ever.]

[Your species could not adapt to the new era.]

[Nature has eliminated you.]

-END-

Evolution Progress: 8

Gene Points: 8

“Damn it!” Li Shang felt an urge to smash his computer right then and there.

He took a deep breath and clicked restart.

Soon, he evolved back to the ninth stage.

But this time, he didn’t rush toward the continent; instead, he checked [Evolutionary Mutation].

He had noticed his gene points had finally reached the minimum needed to unlock it.

[Prompt: Would you like to begin evolutionary mutation?]

[There is a high chance of failure, but a small chance to develop a special gene.]

[The more gene points you invest, the greater your odds of success.]

Gene Points: 20+

[Begin mutation]

Twenty gene points was the minimum required.

After several deaths, he had barely accumulated enough.

After a moment’s hesitation, Li Shang chose to proceed.

He was confident in his luck.

[You have begun evolutionary mutation.]

[Your species is adapting to the environment.]

[In this dangerous era, a powerful survival gene is essential.]

[Your intense desire to reach land has driven your species to evolve…]

[High-Pressure Water Cavity (Rare)]

[Mutation successful.]

[Your species now has the means to protect itself.]

Seeing the prompt, Li Shang didn’t hesitate and immediately respawned.

He returned, reborn with a new organ.

The newly evolved high-pressure water cavity could compress water to a liquid state, then fire it in a jet—much like a water arrow.

Testing it out, Li Shang found that, within a meter, the water jet could easily pierce flesh and bone, but beyond that, its power quickly diminished.

However…

Li Shang was a human being, not a fish.

Humans had reached the pinnacle of evolution because they could think.

Noting the limited range of his new weapon, Li Shang quickly devised a solution: he would store the teeth of other creatures in his mouth.

By firing them with the force of a water jet, he could create the effect of a handgun.

He hunted several creatures in the shallows, extracted their teeth, and stored them in his mouth.

Then, he set out for the continent.

He dared not venture into the deep sea—the unpredictable abilities of deep-sea creatures were too much to handle. He decided to clear the game first and, once he had enough gene points, return for a deep-sea gene harvest.

In the coastal waters, he used his evolved fins to dart forward at speed.

A familiar screech sounded from above.

The same as before, a massive raptor with a three-meter wingspan plummeted from the sky, its sharp beak aimed straight for Li Shang’s head.

This time, Li Shang was ready and calm.

He adjusted his position, mouth opening toward the oncoming predator.

His jaws, lined with fangs, parted slightly as he focused all his strength in his chest, eyes locked on the looming raptor.

He waited.

He waited for the perfect moment for a lethal strike.

As the bird’s beak, glinting coldly, pierced the water’s surface, Li Shang moved.

Dozens of needle-like teeth in his mouth shot out in a blur, propelled by immense water pressure.

With a series of wet thuds, the teeth struck the tough hide like a burst of shotgun pellets.

Driven by force, the teeth punched through the skin, tore into muscle, and reached the vital organs.

The raptor didn’t even have a chance to struggle before the high-pressure water cavity ended its life.

Without delay, Li Shang jetted aside to avoid being crushed by the falling corpse.

Water splashed high, and when the surface finally stilled, the area was stained red with blood.

[You have slain a non-aquatic creature for the first time.]

[You have gained new insight into the world above the water.]

With this prompt, the progress bar crept forward again.

Li Shang no longer paid it any mind and instead turned his attention to the raptor’s corpse, especially its wings—they stirred a fierce longing in his heart.

If only he could acquire the gene for wings—he could soar.

Without hesitation, he devoured the corpse.

[You have consumed an unknown creature.]

[You are absorbing its genes.]

[You have gained…]

[You have gained Distant Vision.]

[You can now see farther.]

As he read the prompt, Li Shang curled his lip. Reality was, as always, less generous than imagination.

This game would not so easily hand out advanced genes.

“Take it slow. Once I’m on land, nothing will escape me.”

With this encouragement to himself, Li Shang continued on.

After killing several more flying creatures, and with his progress bar nearly full, he finally reached the continent’s shore.

From his vantage point, everything was lush and green.

Dense vegetation cloaked the land in a thick, verdant mantle.

[You have reached the edge of the continent.]

[You are filled with curiosity about the world above.]

[You long to set foot on land.]

[Driven by this powerful desire…]

[Your species evolves once more.]

[Your brain grows larger, allowing you to contemplate more complex problems.]

[Your respiratory system is now adapted; you can survive on oxygen alone, without seawater.]

[You have grown legs.]

[On this day…]

[You finally summon the courage to take your species’ first step onto land, embarking on the journey to become a terrestrial creature.]