Chapter 163: Version Update

Five months passed in the blink of an eye.

In those five months, the entire world underwent earth-shattering change.

As spiritual energy density gradually increased, the arrival of the spiritual revival became a known fact to the public. Every day, countless people explored famous mountains and rivers, delving into ancient texts in search of anything related to spiritual energy.

Though such findings couldn’t spark direct transformations in ordinary people, they could bring unimaginable wealth.

Even a mere passage referencing spiritual energy, or a single seed infused with it, could be sold for millions.

A global spirit-hunting craze was born.

Even conventional commodities began to market themselves with so-called “spirit-infused” concepts.

In the stock market, any industry remotely related to spiritual energy saw meteoric rises. Spirit health products, spirit wellness teas, spirit-flavored liquor—these became the hottest trends in emerging industries.

At the heart of this spiritual revival era stood none other than Luocheng.

What had once been a third-tier city seemed to transform overnight into something straight out of an ancient dynasty, becoming an irreplaceable core city of the Federation.

Housing prices soared tenfold in just a few months. Nobles, tycoons, and elites all fought to gain a foothold in Luocheng, plunging the small city into a phase of rapid development.

Mount Beimang, ever since its spirit vein was revealed, had been declared a military zone, off-limits to all.

Nominally in charge of the Mount Beimang Spirit Vein, Li Hao worked with various factions to divide its resources. The forces under his command expanded rapidly.

But what surprised many was that, in this round of spiritual revival, the biggest beneficiary wasn’t the Li family behind Li Hao—but the Federation Archaeological Association.

Once the situation at Mount Beimang stabilized, the renowned federal archaeologist Mu Chunqiu, who had previously explored the Mount Beimang tomb, unveiled a cultivation technique—and demonstrated the power of a Second Layer Qi Refining cultivator.

The first cultivator of the spiritual revival era had emerged, and with it, the age of cultivation officially began.

To obtain the cultivation technique, factions began offering concessions and carved out distinct cultivation zones around Mount Beimang.

All factions scrambled to train their own cultivators, and in just five months, over a hundred cultivators emerged.

If not for the limited availability of spiritual energy, the number could have easily been several times higher.

Amidst this flourishing world where all things strived forward, Lu Yan was about to usher in the next version update.

【Version Update Progress: 99.8%】

Staring at the number, Lu Yan began making final preparations for the incoming update.

During the early part of these five months, Lu Yan spent his time adjusting to his surging cultivation level and began training within the Foundation Establishment Realm.

With the support of the Supreme Dao Foundation, there were almost no bottlenecks for Lu Yan at this stage. As long as he accumulated enough mana, he could smoothly advance to mid-Foundation Establishment.

But this wasn’t as easy as it sounded.

Accumulating mana required vast amounts of spiritual energy—and that was precisely what the Spiritual Revival Version lacked the most.

Lu Yan had tried using spirit energy fission batteries for cultivation, but after reaching Foundation Establishment, the energy demands had increased dozens of times. Even draining an entire battery barely moved the needle toward mid-stage advancement.

Considering how far off the Cyber Version might still be, Lu Yan chose to save the remaining batteries and abandon his training plans for the Urban Version.

Instead, he turned his attention to the Soul Banner.

Back when he had deceived the various factions, Lu Yan fabricated the name “Underworld,” and everyone took it seriously.

Especially after he merged with the Heavenly Dao and manifested the Emperor’s phantom, which everyone took as the symbol of the Lord of the Underworld.

As a result, widespread belief in the Underworld began to bloom among the people.

Every ghost god that had appeared, the Lord of the Underworld, even the Soul Continent itself—were all placed into shrines and worshipped.

The most notable among them was the Mighty Warrior, the first to appear during the Mount Beimang incident.

Ghost gods and the Underworld Lord were too distant and abstract for the common folk, but the Mighty Warrior had been captured in full view and detail by bystanders.

Thus, he received a tremendous amount of incense and wish power, and with Giant Spirit God’s help, successfully advanced to Foundation Establishment and completed his transformation into a ghost god.

Now, he stood among the ranks of the Underworld’s ghost gods, under the divine title: Guardian Deity.

Aside from the Guardian’s massive gain in faith, most of the wish power converged upon the concept of the Underworld itself, adhering to the Soul Banner.

Unfortunately, time had been short, and the accumulated wish power was still insufficient to refine the Soul Continent. Lu Yan temporarily sealed it away.

Once enough wish power was gathered, he planned to use it to refine the Soul Continent and create a true Netherworld Underworld.

After organizing everything, Lu Yan swiftly left Phoenix Manor and chose a secluded place, taking out his preparations.

Hundreds of books—Advanced Mathematics, Calculus Reader, Philosophical Principles in Natural Sciences, and many other textbooks—were stacked all around him.

He also included large collections of Daoist scriptures, Buddhist sutras, and classic philosophical texts from the Hundred Schools of Thought, completely surrounding himself.

Inside his storage pouch, another medium-sized pouch was entirely filled with similar books. If the upcoming version update didn’t yield satisfactory results, he’d save the rest for later versions to ensure a plentiful supply.

Additionally, he had made multiple copies of the Heavenly Dao Code and the Treatise on the Heavenly Dao, and casually tossed in a few gold bricks for good measure.

Once all preparations were complete, Lu Yan waited for the final moment to arrive.

When the progress bar flashed 99.9%, his surroundings began to shift. A familiar version update interface appeared before his eyes.

【Urban 1.0 – Spiritual Revival Version concluded!】

No version divergence value appeared, which was within Lu Yan’s expectations. After all, the spiritual revival version was a brand new one crafted by his own hand.

It perfectly aligned with his interests, so there was no reason to disrupt the version’s internal order.

But then, the interface suddenly went dark.

On the pitch-black background, cracks began to appear within Lu Yan’s field of vision—cracks that carried an indescribable malice.

A chill ran down Lu Yan’s spine.

His divine soul formed hand seals within his Sea of Consciousness, and his soul transformed into a radiant sun, finally dispelling some of that undisguised hostility.

【Version Update Progress Complete.
Please choose one of the following versions to proceed.】

Ascension Version: Since time immemorial, countless prodigies have sought to ascend to the upper realms for freedom and eternal life. But is that freedom truly attainable? Across the ages, who has ever truly attained immortality?

Demon Version: In the primordial era, demons and monsters ran rampant. The gods and Buddhas of the heavens bestowed true techniques, laying the foundation for ten thousand generations of humanity!

Longevity Version: Young friend… what are you hesitating for?

(End of Chapter)