Wanjie Chat Group
After a flood of messages and videos, the chat gradually quieted down.
Chu Xuanfeng—still under the nickname [Chu Dashan]—leaned back in his hotel bed, eyes half-lidded.
"...I'm really late compared to that little guy Tanjiro, huh?"
He chuckled, tapping lazily at the group list.
Although part of him had once doubted whether a true god could exist, the evidence was overwhelming now.
One video after another: miracles, thundering divine descents, monstrous strength gained through meditation.
And that feeling — the way meditation had strengthened his body and mind — that couldn't be faked.
Chu Xuanfeng sighed, folding his arms behind his head.
"Maybe... the Eternal God isn't a god from China's traditional pantheon."
"Or maybe... he is. Just by another name."
He remembered the description of the Eternal God's descent:
Eyes like suns, a body larger than the sky itself.
That kind of existence… only Pangu, the creator of heaven and earth, came close.
"Whatever," Chu Xuanfeng muttered, turning off his phone.
"Overthinking won't get me anywhere. Sleep first. Tomorrow's another journey."
The Next Morning
After a long train ride, Chu Xuanfeng finally returned to his hometown.
The train rumbled slowly through hills and plains, but Chu's mind was elsewhere.
He clenched his fists absently.
Ever since practicing Eternal Meditation, his strength had increased to terrifying levels.
One casual punch could smash through thick steel — thousands of kilograms of force condensed into his body.
His senses had sharpened frighteningly; within a hundred meters, he could even hear the buzzing of flies.
"If an opportunity really comes… I will definitely rise to the top!"
He stared out the window at the blurring scenery, his heart burning with excitement.
It was at that moment the fat man beside him — Zhou — suddenly gasped.
"Whirlwind! Bro! Look at this! Plants floating in the sky! It's not fake news!"
"Huh?"
Chu Xuanfeng sat upright immediately.
Plants... floating?
He snatched the phone and scrolled through the news.
There it was — countless reports, images, and videos:
Trees the size of mountains hovering mid-air.
Vines spiraling endlessly into the heavens.
Fields of glowing flowers swaying despite no wind.
—It had begun.
The opportunity the Eternal God mentioned.
Chu Xuanfeng's pupils shrank.
This... this was the world's change!
Passengers nearby noticed too, craning their necks to peer at their screens.
"Hah! Looks fake as hell. Some sci-fi marketing gimmick," a dismissive man said, waving his hand.
But someone else retorted sharply:
"No! Look! The Federation officially confirmed it! It's real news!!"
Several people opened the train windows to see for themselves.
Immediately, a heady fragrance washed over them, thick enough to taste.
Fatty Zhou wiped his mouth, jumped down from the train, and came back moments later — proudly holding a bunch of glittering fruits.
"Look! They smell amazing! I'mma eat!"
"STOP!" Chu Xuanfeng barked instinctively.
But it was too late.
Several others had already taken bites, lured by the tempting fragrance.
Chu Xuanfeng gritted his teeth.
Something wasn't right.
The God had mentioned "opportunity," but opportunity was always accompanied by danger.
He immediately opened the Wanjie chat group.
[Chu Dashan]: "Urgent! Lord God!
Plants are floating into the sky, strange fruits are growing everywhere.
Can we eat them?!"
He even uploaded a shaky video he'd just recorded.
Moments later, a reply came.
[God of Eternity]:
"No. They are poisonous.
Pollen can be harvested, but fruits and plants are unstable.
Do not eat."
Chu Xuanfeng's heart thudded.
His face darkened when he glanced back at Zhou, happily munching away.
[Chu Dashan]: "My friend already ate some.
Will he... uh, die?"
[God of Eternity]:
"No death.
But the body will be unable to handle the energy.
Mutation, sickness, possible deformities.
He must meditate immediately to contain it."
[Chu Dashan]: "Understood!"
He breathed a sigh of relief.
At least Fatty wouldn't drop dead on the spot.
Still, Chu Xuanfeng now viewed the lush fields and vibrant trees outside with caution.
They were beautiful, yes — but dangerous.
The Great Mutation Spreads
All around the world, the phenomenon continued.
Forests grew taller, rivers shined with unnatural light, and even cities found flowers blooming through concrete.
The planet... was awakening.
The Pollen Era had begun.
Chu Xuanfeng quickly sent a message to his parents:
"Don't eat any wild fruits!
I'll explain when I get home!!"
It took hours before the broken tracks were repaired and the train rolled forward again.
But it wasn't the same anymore.
Distances had stretched.
Mountains shifted.
What had once been a hundred miles… was now a thousand.
The natural world was warping.
Chu Xuanfeng quietly sent his friend Zhou — who was now groaning from stomach cramps — home first.
Then, tightening the laces on his shoes, he set off alone toward the mountains.
His goal:
Harvest pollen.
Hunt beasts.
Strengthen himself.
The Taihang Mountains
Strange beasts roamed here now.
Giant birds, like metal helicopters, soared through the clouds.
Vines as thick as buildings wrapped around mountainsides.
Chu Xuanfeng moved like a ghost through the terrain.
Even though he deliberately slowed himself to avoid suspicion, he still moved faster than Olympic sprinters — 30 meters per second at least.
Had he unleashed his full power, he could vanish over the horizon in a blink.
In one afternoon, he killed over ten mutated beasts, each more grotesque and terrifying than the last.
He collected blood samples, strange bones, and pieces of tough, glittering skin.
He even managed to find tiny amounts of golden pollen sticking to some flowers.
Everything he gathered would be priceless for his future growth.
But then…
While climbing a rocky ridge, he encountered it.
A golden calf, larger than a horse, its muscles rippling like molten metal.
It stood proudly atop a boulder, gazing down at him with intelligent, chilling eyes.
Those eyes…
They weren't mindless like the beasts he'd fought before.
They gleamed with understanding.
Recognition.
Chu Xuanfeng's scalp tingled.
This beast… it's sentient!?