Chapter 169: History

"Alright, I will handle the relevant procedures. All you need to do is take the college entrance examination in June!" said Master Garen with a hearty laugh.

He did not mention the difficulties involved. The First Eridania Academy was no ordinary institution; even with his status as a Transcendent, he had to cash in a considerable number of favors to secure a transfer for David from the war zone, and that was only because of David's exceptional academic performance.

"Uncle Garen, thank you for the trouble!" David understood this implicitly. Spanning such a vast distance, getting into the finest university across eighty administrative planets in a single star sector was no easy feat for a student from an outer star domain.

"Why are you being so formal with me, child? You have now officially become my disciple. Next, I will tell you some matters regarding cultivation. What I am about to say must not be spoken of to outsiders, as it involves history that even the government refuses to acknowledge," Garen said with a wave of his hand.

David immediately straightened his posture, realizing he was about to hear some of the deepest secrets of this world.

"David, do you know the origin of mecha warriors?" Garen asked with a smile.

"Yes. According to history books, in order to combat the Zerg, the Federation designed and manufactured powered exoskeletons that could be used by individual soldiers. Through millennia of improvements, modern mecha warriors gradually came to be," David gave the standard answer, which was the explanation ingrained in his knowledge system.

"Haha, the truth is that the physical techniques we practice originate from the Gods-fall World. It's just that the cultivation methods of the Gods-fall World are completely incompatible with us people of the Interstellar Federation. Back in the era before the Zerg emerged, when the Interstellar Federation was at war with the Gods-fall World, the Federation acquired their cultivation methods.

"At that time, the Interstellar Federation could only rely on massive fleets to contend with the powerhouses of the Gods-fall World, and the resources of the war stars were almost entirely monopolized by them.

"During that period, Federation scientists conducted frantic research. Countless prisoners of war from the Gods-fall World, Federation death-row inmates, and even elite soldiers became experimental subjects.

"When the Zerg invaded the war stars, the Interstellar Federation and the Gods-fall World joined forces. Because of the overwhelming strength of the Zerg, the Gods-fall World made public some of their lower-tier cultivation methods to help the Interstellar Federation boost individual combat power to resist the Zerg.

"It was a time of racial survival or extinction, and the law granted scientists even greater authority. Backed by the support of the Gods-fall World, they initiated even more insane experiments.

"Over the next millennium, a complete physical cultivation system emerged, along with ultra-powerful exoskeleton armor designed exclusively for mecha warriors, giving birth to the first generation of mecha warriors." Garen smiled as he recounted that chapter of history, though his smile was tinged with vicissitudes.

"Why don't we directly use the cultivation methods of the Gods-fall World?" David asked out of curiosity.

He had long since heard that powerhouses of the Gods-fall World could single-handedly slaughter powerful Tier 2 and Tier 3 Zerg, and could even fight Tier 4 Zerg. If a cultivation system of this caliber were popularized within the Federation, just how many powerhouses would it produce?

"Because our constitutions are fundamentally incapable of practicing the cultivation methods of the Gods-fall World. Every powerhouse in the Gods-fall World must possess a special bloodline, which they call a God-gifted Bloodline.

"God-gifted bloodlines hold a pivotal status in the Gods-fall World; only those who possess them can practice their cultivation methods," Garen replied.

David immediately thought of the knowledge orb of the Knight Breathing Technique (Level 80 Mastery, prerequisite conditions not met) residing within the Shadow Servant. He now understood why he had been unable to absorb and fuse with that knowledge orb.

This Knight Breathing Technique was likely an original cultivation method of the Gods-fall World, and the armor formed of white light worn by Trainer Jeremy and Officer Cush during combat was probably a secret art of the Gods-fall World as well.

No wonder David had never seen such a secret art on anyone else apart from those two mysterious organization members.

"Uncle Garen, with the Federation's scientific system, is it still impossible to decipher the secret of the God-gifted Bloodline and replicate it?" David asked another question.

He knew very well that Interstellar Federation medicine, spared no expense, could almost regenerate the entire body's cells down to the last molecule.

Judging solely by gene repair fluid, research into the human body had clearly completely mastered genetic-level knowledge, and David believed Federation medical research went far beyond that.

"The knowledge system of the Gods-fall World and our Federation's knowledge system are two entirely different realms. The Gods-fall World leans more toward the mystical, and the God-gifted bloodline is the most inexplicable phenomenon of all.

"It is said that scientists once attempted to extract a God-gifted bloodline, but the moment it was injected into a Federation human, it caused the subject to die instantly," Garen said, shaking his head.

David couldn't help but lose interest in the knowledge orb of the 'Knight Breathing Technique (Level 80 Mastery, prerequisite conditions not met)'. That knowledge orb was probably destined to remain unusable forever.

"The constantly improving mecha warrior system began with practicing physical techniques to break through the first human limit of one thousand kilograms, all the way to the second limit of two thousand kilograms. For a very long time, mecha warriors remained stalled at this stage.

"It wasn't until a geneticist named Enders discovered that a special genetic fluid could be extracted from the bone marrow of Tier 3 and higher Zerg. When further concocted, this genetic fluid allowed peak mecha warriors to break through the second human strength limit.

"This miraculous potion, known as the Transcendent Potion, shattered the strength bottleneck of Federation mecha warriors. Of the one hundred peak mecha warriors who participated in the experiment, fifty suffered physical paralysis under the effects of the potion, while the other fifty successfully broke through their strength limits.

"However, what followed was the continuous physical collapse of these peak warriors. One by one, they died during the experiments, meeting an end far more tragic than the fifty paralyzed warriors.

"Just when everyone thought the experiment would fail and both the Transcendent Potion and Enders would become a laughingstock, one peak mecha warrior ultimately pulled through. This warrior, named Felton, became the first Transcendent in Federation history.

"Although the Transcendent Potion has undergone numerous revisions since then, reducing the probability of paralysis when breaking the second strength limit, the danger for those who succeed has not diminished at all.

"Further experimentation revealed just how low the probability of becoming a Transcendent truly is: on average, out of one hundred peak mecha warriors who consume the Transcendent Potion, only one will successfully become a Transcendent." Garen paused, seemingly recalling the dangers he had once experienced himself.

David could well imagine the extreme difficulty of becoming a Transcendent. A one percent success rate—how was that any different from buying a lottery ticket?

"A peak mecha warrior who fails the attempt to transcend requires at least a decade or more of recuperation to mend their body, and the success rate of using the Transcendent Potion a second time drops tenfold. Aside from a handful of warriors with heaven-defying luck, almost no one succeeds.

"Bray is currently at the stage of breaking his strength limit and making a push for Transcendence. This period is extremely lengthy; he needs to increase his strength from two thousand kilograms to three thousand two hundred kilograms, and finally break past three thousand two hundred kilograms to become a Transcendent. We call this period the Metamorphosis Phase.

"Mecha warriors in the Metamorphosis Phase possess no combat capability and require massive amounts of medication to repair and sustain their physical needs. At the same time, during periods of physical stability, they must practice physical techniques to increase their strength. Through this continuous cycle of repair and stabilization, they achieve physical metamorphosis." Garen continued his explanation.

The more David heard, the clearer it became just how perilous the path to Transcendence was. Even with Garen's full support, Bray had nearly lost his life.

Since the Transcendent Potion was based on genetic fluid extracted from the bone marrow of Tier 3 and above Zerg, its value was bound to be astronomical.

Coupled with the resources required during the Metamorphosis Phase, and the fact that one could generate no income while lacking combat capability and only consuming resources, a warrior needed to possess an immense family fortune accumulated during their mecha warrior days.

David now understood why Master Garen had cast aside his pride to fight for a larger settlement on his behalf—it was to accumulate greater capital for David's future.

"However, thanks to the 'Elixir of Immortality' you provided, even if Bray fails to promote, his life is at least saved!" Garen said with a smile.

"Uncle Garen, if you need more, I can take out some more!" David said softly.

"No wonder that organization wouldn't let you go. If you had snatched this many 'Elixirs of Immortality' from me, I'd hunt you down too!" Garen glared at David playfully before waving his hand. "Five bottles of the 'Elixir of Immortality' are enough for Bray to use; any more is unnecessary. His foundation is lacking, and he has too strong a competitive streak. If he forced a breakthrough any further, it would be pure luck if he survived."

David nodded and said no more.

"Keep your treasures properly stored. These are all resources, and in the future, these very resources will be your guarantee for becoming a Transcendent. Whenever you see good resources in the future, you must resolutely seize them! No matter how big the trouble is, it doesn't matter; to us, cultivation resources are the most important thing.

"Don't think that breaking through the third strength barrier truly makes you a Transcendent; that is merely a starting point, and even greater consumption awaits you further down the road," Garen said, pointing at David.

He was very pleased that David had been honest with him, but displeased by David's lack of regard for the resources in his possession, which prompted him to offer this reminder.

"David, the First Eridania Academy possesses superior conditions for advancing to Transcendence and more refined cultivation methods. Being there will at least multiply your chances of promoting to a Transcendent several times over, and the more outstanding your performance, the more resources you will receive!" Garen finally revealed the primary reason he was sending David to the First Eridania Academy.