1776

This is very obviously a school.

On the stands, someone was in a middle of a speech:

「 After finishing basic education, you will enter different fields and study skills that are individually suitable to each of you… 」

「 Today, the selection process will begin. Teachers, please head onto the stage for preparation 」

Several teachers who appeared physically strong then carried a heavy metal door from behind onto the stage.

「 Very well, now let me explain the process of the Profession Selection… 」

Standing among the students, Gu Qing Shan carefully listened to their explanation.

It turns out that in this Magic-centric world, children who were around 12 years old would undergo a ceremony called Profession Selection.

Children with wizardry talents were to be raised as pillars for the civilization, while the others would be distributed to various other positions within society, where they would become apprentices in other necessary professions.

After hearing that, Gu Qing Shan stopped listening and instead began to think about what had happened earlier.

——-how did I escape the ape people era?

At the time, I drew a magical rune that far surpassed the comprehension of that era.

As an ‘ape person’, I became the representative of the wisdom of the entire ape people civilization, thus being freed from that ape body and traversing several eras to reach this place.

And now, I’m trapped in the body of a 12-year-old boy.

He tried moving his body a bit.

This is a very weak body that can achieve very little.

—–if I want to head towards the Ultimate Grave as soon as possible, I need to surpass this era right now!

Gu Qing Shan turned around to leave the hall.

“Gourde, you troublemaker, where are you going now?” one of the teachers asked.

“I’m going to the toilet, sir” Gu Qing Shan replied.

“Go and come back quickly, we’re about to begin”

“Yes, sir”

The teacher nodded without saying anything else.

Gu Qing Shan left the hall and entered a relatively secluded walled-off location, then slightly lowered his posture into a basic martial arts stance.

A gust of wind suddenly manifested around Gu Qing Shan, flowing back and forth without dissipating.

—–this stance was taught to him by Lin, a fist technique realized through the martial scripture that she practiced.

This fist technique should have already far surpassed the current magic era.

But nothing happened at all.

Gu Qing Shan still remained a 12-year-old boy.

He muttered: “If the body is the prison of civilization, why can I still not escape after surpassing this civilization?”

After remaining silent for a while, he began to ponder.

The only additional thing I did was to create the stone pike, allowing the ape people to utilize tools in a more refined manner.

If that’s the case, the answer is clear.

——to escape an era and head towards the next era, two general conditions must be met:

First, to trigger a drastic paradigm shift within the entire civilization.

Second, to introduce an achievement and turn it into an established basis, this achievement must be a breakthrough that surpasses the current civilization.

If I can achieve both of these conditions, I’d be able to move on.

This way, I will be continuously leap-frogging forward through different civilizations——

This is much faster compared to remaining within a single civilization.

At least, in the beginning.

Gu Qing Shan pulled back his fist and slowly went back to the hall.

At the door, he ran into the teacher from earlier again.

“Teacher” Gu Qing Shan slightly bowed his head to greet him.

“Hm, what kind of trouble did you stir up again this time?” the teacher cautiously asked.

Gu Qing Shan felt a bit speechless.

——I wonder why the Samsara gave me the identity of a troublemaker?

“Nothing sir, I really just had a stomach ache earlier” Gu Qing Shan earnestly replied.

The teacher seemed unconvinced.

After a while, the teacher continued: “Gourde, you usually like to cause trouble and never train yourself, always slacking in your studies as well; but know that whether or not you can become a knight’s attendant during this occasion would be very important to you, so be serious for once”

Gu Qing Shan was surprised.

——so this body’s innate potential was only ever enough to become a knight’s attendant.

To wield magic, one’s body needs to have an affinity with the elements.

This is innate, which means it’s impossible to change this fact after one is born.

This was a ‘truth’ recognized by the entire world.

——but within a Magic-centric civilization, how could one reach the pinnacle of civilization without being able to study magic?

Being a knight would naturally be a good second choice, but they’re commonly recognized to be academically inferior, so the research they conduct would always lack reliability, and the resources they obtain are also different.

After remaining silent for a bit, Gu Qing Shan suddenly said: “Teacher, is there still some time until it’s our class’s turn to be tested?”

“Hm, it’s still quite earlier, the device still hasn’t finished its preparation, and your class is last on the list”

“Teacher, I’m a bit hungry, can I go eat something first?” Gu Qing Shan asked.

The teacher looked straight at him.

He appeared apologetic.

“Everyone else is nervous to hell, and you’re here asking to go eat after you’ve asked to go to the toilet; fine, you troublemaker, go ahead, eat quickly and hurry back here” the teacher sighed as he told him.

“Yes, sir” Gu Qing Shan replied.

He turned around and started running towards the cafeteria.

This body seemed to be carrying a small card with a star on it, probably money for daily use.

There should still be enough money on it for a meal.

Gu Qing Shan quickly arrived at the cafeteria and walked up to the meal lady.

“I want this one, this one, this one, this one, and this one as well”

Gu Qing Shan pointed at a bunch of dishes.

“Scan your card” the meal lady told him.

Gu Qing Shan handed his card to her.

A few moments later, after running back and forth a few times, he finished laying out the food he bought on a table.

If this body’s constitution isn’t good enough—–

He took a deep breath and silently equipped the Title [Pure Love Gang].

Then activated the Title Skill!

[Going Cold: You will temporarily gain the ability of one member of the ‘Pure Love Gang’, in exchange for experiencing pain]

[The stronger the power you gain, the more pain you will have to endure, to the point that you can go insane, lose your mind, or even die from it]

[——The greater the gain, the greater the pain]

A tiny pricking pain could be felt.

It entered Gu Qing Shan’s body from the top of his head, causing his entire body to experience a piercing pain.

Gu Qing Shan exhaled deeply after staying motionless for a little bit.

Lines of bloody red text quickly scrolled across this vision:

[You’ve chosen the member of the Pure Love Gang: Su Xue Er]

[You’ve temporarily obtained her ability: Infinite Evolution]

Hunger.

Insatiable hunger began to overtake all his other senses.

Gu Qing Shan picked up a piece of bread on the table and began wolfing it down.

He drank all the milk in a single gulp.

The cake, noodles, meat, and various other dishes were cleaned out without leaving a scrap.

“Excuse me, one more portion please… yes, everything just like earlier”

All the plates were cleaned out.

“I’m sorry, is there anything else to eat?”

The plates were cleaned out yet again.

Until finally, under the cafeteria meal lady’s fearful gaze, Gu Qing Shan finished eating.

He leaned comfortably on his chair and picked up a toothpick.

——now I have enough energy to undergo some basic evolutions.

He closed his eyes and quickly began to heal his body’s hidden injuries.

——even though this body was only 12 years old, some of the inappropriate means of training it had undergone had caused it to accumulate plenty of trauma.

If left unchecked, and if he had continued to train with the same inappropriate methods, this body would most likely break down at the age of around 35, thus becoming a cripple with a body filled with self-inflicted wounds.

From these rough training methods alone, the level of this world’s civilization could be inferred to be quite low.

“Right now, I need to ensure that this body has a better affinity with the elements…”

Gu Qing Shan mused and began to recall this body’s memories.

Only a constitution with a high affinity with the elements would be able to wield magic.

Affinity with the elements…

During meditation, one would be able to communicate with the elements through their mind, resonating one’s thoughts with the elements to mobilize a limited amount of them, using them to formulate constructs.

These formulated constructs would then have infinite possibilities.

In that case, to be able to communicate and control the elements, one must at least possess powerful mental strength.

Gu Qing Shan closed his eyes and began to mobilize the energy in his body to stimulate and develop the innate potential of his brain.

A few moments later.

Gu Qing Shan opened his eyes, once again feeling hungry.

——among the types of evolution, the evolution of the brain was the most advanced, as well as the most… energy-consuming.

Gu Qing Shan stood up and walked back to the cafeteria counter.

“Excuse me, I’d like to order——-”

“Monster! A monster!” the meal lady from behind the counter screamed in horror and ran away.

“…” Gu Qing Shan.

He looked behind the counter.

Only to see a number of steaming hot meat buns being laid neatly on top of a long dining table.

Gu Qing Shan’s thoughts moved.

Several buns flew by themselves through the window before falling into his hands.

“This kind of mental strength… should be quite strong for children already”

Taking a bite, Gu Qing Shan began walking back to the testing hall.

…

After queuing up for a ridiculously long time, it was finally his turn.

“Gourde, head on stage and conduct your test”

Gu Qing Shan ran up and stood firmly underneath the metal door.

——could my mental strength be a bit too powerful?

It’s not a good idea to startle others, so I should probably lay low in the beginning, considering I don’t know much about this world.

Not to mention, children should know the basic etiquette of self-protection.

Gu Qing Shan felt pleased with himself and subconsciously smiled.

“What are you smiling about?” one of the teachers cautiously asked.

“Nothing sir, I just thought about something funny” Gu Qing Shan hurriedly replied.

“Hmph, you’re Gourde the troublemaker, aren’t you—— alright, today is a big event, so I don’t want to waste time scolding you, are you ready?”

Gu Qing Shan retracted his mental strength by half.

“I’m ready” he said, full of confidence.

“Begin!” the teacher declared.

Bang——–

A deafening noise resounded.

The metal door suddenly broke and fell down into several pieces.

Everyone was shocked.

Complete silence.

Suddenly, a teacher roared in anger: “Gourde, what did you do!!?”

“I didn’t do anything, teacher!”

…

Many years in the future, this day would still be remembered by all.

On this day, the legendary Divine Wizard ate a breakfast big enough for 36 people, then broke his school’s Gate of Tests.

This is very obviously a school.

On the stands, someone was in a middle of a speech:

「 After finishing basic education, you will enter different fields and study skills that are individually suitable to each of you… 」

「 Today, the selection process will begin. Teachers, please head onto the stage for preparation 」

Several teachers who appeared physically strong then carried a heavy metal door from behind onto the stage.

「 Very well, now let me explain the process of the Profession Selection… 」

Standing among the students, Gu Qing Shan carefully listened to their explanation.

It turns out that in this Magic-centric world, children who were around 12 years old would undergo a ceremony called Profession Selection.

Children with wizardry talents were to be raised as pillars for the civilization, while the others would be distributed to various other positions within society, where they would become apprentices in other necessary professions.

After hearing that, Gu Qing Shan stopped listening and instead began to think about what had happened earlier.

——-how did I escape the ape people era?

At the time, I drew a magical rune that far surpassed the comprehension of that era.

As an ‘ape person’, I became the representative of the wisdom of the entire ape people civilization, thus being freed from that ape body and traversing several eras to reach this place.

And now, I’m trapped in the body of a 12-year-old boy.

He tried moving his body a bit.

This is a very weak body that can achieve very little.

—–if I want to head towards the Ultimate Grave as soon as possible, I need to surpass this era right now!

Gu Qing Shan turned around to leave the hall.

“Gourde, you troublemaker, where are you going now?” one of the teachers asked.

“I’m going to the toilet, sir” Gu Qing Shan replied.

“Go and come back quickly, we’re about to begin”

“Yes, sir”

The teacher nodded without saying anything else.

Gu Qing Shan left the hall and entered a relatively secluded walled-off location, then slightly lowered his posture into a basic martial arts stance.

A gust of wind suddenly manifested around Gu Qing Shan, flowing back and forth without dissipating.

—–this stance was taught to him by Lin, a fist technique realized through the martial scripture that she practiced.

This fist technique should have already far surpassed the current magic era.

But nothing happened at all.

Gu Qing Shan still remained a 12-year-old boy.

He muttered: “If the body is the prison of civilization, why can I still not escape after surpassing this civilization?”

After remaining silent for a while, he began to ponder.

The only additional thing I did was to create the stone pike, allowing the ape people to utilize tools in a more refined manner.

If that’s the case, the answer is clear.

——to escape an era and head towards the next era, two general conditions must be met:

First, to trigger a drastic paradigm shift within the entire civilization.

Second, to introduce an achievement and turn it into an established basis, this achievement must be a breakthrough that surpasses the current civilization.

If I can achieve both of these conditions, I’d be able to move on.

This way, I will be continuously leap-frogging forward through different civilizations——

This is much faster compared to remaining within a single civilization.

At least, in the beginning.

Gu Qing Shan pulled back his fist and slowly went back to the hall.

At the door, he ran into the teacher from earlier again.

“Teacher” Gu Qing Shan slightly bowed his head to greet him.

“Hm, what kind of trouble did you stir up again this time?” the teacher cautiously asked.

Gu Qing Shan felt a bit speechless.

——I wonder why the Samsara gave me the identity of a troublemaker?

“Nothing sir, I really just had a stomach ache earlier” Gu Qing Shan earnestly replied.

The teacher seemed unconvinced.

After a while, the teacher continued: “Gourde, you usually like to cause trouble and never train yourself, always slacking in your studies as well; but know that whether or not you can become a knight’s attendant during this occasion would be very important to you, so be serious for once”

Gu Qing Shan was surprised.

——so this body’s innate potential was only ever enough to become a knight’s attendant.

To wield magic, one’s body needs to have an affinity with the elements.

This is innate, which means it’s impossible to change this fact after one is born.

This was a ‘truth’ recognized by the entire world.

——but within a Magic-centric civilization, how could one reach the pinnacle of civilization without being able to study magic?

Being a knight would naturally be a good second choice, but they’re commonly recognized to be academically inferior, so the research they conduct would always lack reliability, and the resources they obtain are also different.

After remaining silent for a bit, Gu Qing Shan suddenly said: “Teacher, is there still some time until it’s our class’s turn to be tested?”

“Hm, it’s still quite earlier, the device still hasn’t finished its preparation, and your class is last on the list”

“Teacher, I’m a bit hungry, can I go eat something first?” Gu Qing Shan asked.

The teacher looked straight at him.

He appeared apologetic.

“Everyone else is nervous to hell, and you’re here asking to go eat after you’ve asked to go to the toilet; fine, you troublemaker, go ahead, eat quickly and hurry back here” the teacher sighed as he told him.

“Yes, sir” Gu Qing Shan replied.

He turned around and started running towards the cafeteria.

This body seemed to be carrying a small card with a star on it, probably money for daily use.

There should still be enough money on it for a meal.

Gu Qing Shan quickly arrived at the cafeteria and walked up to the meal lady.

“I want this one, this one, this one, this one, and this one as well”

Gu Qing Shan pointed at a bunch of dishes.

“Scan your card” the meal lady told him.

Gu Qing Shan handed his card to her.

A few moments later, after running back and forth a few times, he finished laying out the food he bought on a table.

If this body’s constitution isn’t good enough—–

He took a deep breath and silently equipped the Title [Pure Love Gang].

Then activated the Title Skill!

[Going Cold: You will temporarily gain the ability of one member of the ‘Pure Love Gang’, in exchange for experiencing pain]

[The stronger the power you gain, the more pain you will have to endure, to the point that you can go insane, lose your mind, or even die from it]

[——The greater the gain, the greater the pain]

A tiny pricking pain could be felt.

It entered Gu Qing Shan’s body from the top of his head, causing his entire body to experience a piercing pain.

Gu Qing Shan exhaled deeply after staying motionless for a little bit.

Lines of bloody red text quickly scrolled across this vision:

[You’ve chosen the member of the Pure Love Gang: Su Xue Er]

[You’ve temporarily obtained her ability: Infinite Evolution]

Hunger.

Insatiable hunger began to overtake all his other senses.

Gu Qing Shan picked up a piece of bread on the table and began wolfing it down.

He drank all the milk in a single gulp.

The cake, noodles, meat, and various other dishes were cleaned out without leaving a scrap.

“Excuse me, one more portion please… yes, everything just like earlier”

All the plates were cleaned out.

“I’m sorry, is there anything else to eat?”

The plates were cleaned out yet again.

Until finally, under the cafeteria meal lady’s fearful gaze, Gu Qing Shan finished eating.

He leaned comfortably on his chair and picked up a toothpick.

——now I have enough energy to undergo some basic evolutions.

He closed his eyes and quickly began to heal his body’s hidden injuries.

——even though this body was only 12 years old, some of the inappropriate means of training it had undergone had caused it to accumulate plenty of trauma.

If left unchecked, and if he had continued to train with the same inappropriate methods, this body would most likely break down at the age of around 35, thus becoming a cripple with a body filled with self-inflicted wounds.

From these rough training methods alone, the level of this world’s civilization could be inferred to be quite low.

“Right now, I need to ensure that this body has a better affinity with the elements…”

Gu Qing Shan mused and began to recall this body’s memories.

Only a constitution with a high affinity with the elements would be able to wield magic.

Affinity with the elements…

During meditation, one would be able to communicate with the elements through their mind, resonating one’s thoughts with the elements to mobilize a limited amount of them, using them to formulate constructs.

These formulated constructs would then have infinite possibilities.

In that case, to be able to communicate and control the elements, one must at least possess powerful mental strength.

Gu Qing Shan closed his eyes and began to mobilize the energy in his body to stimulate and develop the innate potential of his brain.

A few moments later.

Gu Qing Shan opened his eyes, once again feeling hungry.

——among the types of evolution, the evolution of the brain was the most advanced, as well as the most… energy-consuming.

Gu Qing Shan stood up and walked back to the cafeteria counter.

“Excuse me, I’d like to order——-”

“Monster! A monster!” the meal lady from behind the counter screamed in horror and ran away.

“…” Gu Qing Shan.

He looked behind the counter.

Only to see a number of steaming hot meat buns being laid neatly on top of a long dining table.

Gu Qing Shan’s thoughts moved.

Several buns flew by themselves through the window before falling into his hands.

“This kind of mental strength… should be quite strong for children already”

Taking a bite, Gu Qing Shan began walking back to the testing hall.

…

After queuing up for a ridiculously long time, it was finally his turn.

“Gourde, head on stage and conduct your test”

Gu Qing Shan ran up and stood firmly underneath the metal door.

——could my mental strength be a bit too powerful?

It’s not a good idea to startle others, so I should probably lay low in the beginning, considering I don’t know much about this world.

Not to mention, children should know the basic etiquette of self-protection.

Gu Qing Shan felt pleased with himself and subconsciously smiled.

“What are you smiling about?” one of the teachers cautiously asked.

“Nothing sir, I just thought about something funny” Gu Qing Shan hurriedly replied.

“Hmph, you’re Gourde the troublemaker, aren’t you—— alright, today is a big event, so I don’t want to waste time scolding you, are you ready?”

Gu Qing Shan retracted his mental strength by half.

“I’m ready” he said, full of confidence.

“Begin!” the teacher declared.

Bang——–

A deafening noise resounded.

The metal door suddenly broke and fell down into several pieces.

Everyone was shocked.

Complete silence.

Suddenly, a teacher roared in anger: “Gourde, what did you do!!?”

“I didn’t do anything, teacher!”

…

Many years in the future, this day would still be remembered by all.

On this day, the legendary Divine Wizard ate a breakfast big enough for 36 people, then broke his school’s Gate of Tests.