Chapter Fifteen: An Unexpected Discovery

Since he had already completed cultivating all the techniques he possessed, and after three years of life here had failed to uncover any secrets hidden within these mountains, nor had his research into the other two items he’d found on Earth yielded anything of value, he felt there was little point in remaining. Though he was fond of solitude and enjoyed traveling alone, that did not mean he was willing to spend the rest of his life in such an environment. On Earth, he often traveled alone during his free time because he still had family, friends, and a lover; aside from traveling or carrying out missions, he could still spend time with them. But on this unfamiliar planet, he had no friends, family, or beloved; he needed to seek out other intelligent beings, or people from other planets, and attempt to interact with them, so he could quickly understand this world. Although he had embarked upon the path of cultivation, he knew little about it, and his progress was still shallow, so his thoughts and actions remained much like those of an ordinary person.

After standing at the cave entrance for a while, he returned inside, ready to gather his belongings and leave. Despite having lived there for three years, he felt little attachment to the place. Life here had been too dull, and nothing had stirred his emotions; thus, the decision was not a difficult one, unless he wished to consign himself to a lifetime of lonely isolation.

He began by packing away the cold-weather clothing he’d fashioned from animal pelts, stored in a makeshift cabinet in the corner. When he left Earth, he’d worn only an overcoat and a t-shirt. Upon first arriving, it had been the beginning of autumn on this planet—no need for extra warmth. But as temperatures dropped, although his spacesuit could keep him alive in extreme cold or heat, it was hardly practical to wear it every day. He placed all the pelt garments into a self-made leather trunk. Next, he took up the woven mat he’d crafted from vines in the forest, folded it neatly, and packed it as well.

He had used this mat for nearly three years. It measured about three by three meters, and thanks to the tough vines, it had withstood his daily meditation, cultivation, and physical training—practiced as his father had taught him—without any noticeable wear. As he finished packing and was about to leave, he suddenly noticed that, where the mat had worn away the stone’s surface, faint, square-shaped symbols resembling characters were now exposed. This discovery halted his departure, and he hurried over to examine them closely.

Since only a small portion was visible, he could not tell much at first. He took out his multipurpose knife and carefully scraped away the stone’s top layer. He noticed the surface stone was not hard and seemed to differ from the stone beneath, as if the upper layer had formed from dust settling over time. As he continued to scrape, more characters appeared. Judging by their features and the patterns of their arrangement, he could now be fairly certain these were indeed written characters, though he had yet to study them in detail. When he finally cleared the surface and revealed the full inscription, he found he did not recognize the script, but it seemed vaguely familiar.

Suddenly, he understood—the writing was strikingly similar to the standardized script he’d seen in films about the First Emperor of Qin after the unification of the Six Kingdoms. The realization made him tremble with excitement. If this were true, it meant he was not the first to have come here—someone from Earth had preceded him to this planet, likely not long after the Qin Dynasty itself. Given the primitive technology of that era, how had that person arrived? And where had he gone after? Perhaps the answer lay within this very inscription.

With this in mind, he immediately took his MVP5 from his backpack and began scanning the stone surface. If these were truly Qin-era characters, his MVP5’s database ought to contain records of them and could even translate them into modern script. Fortunately, he had brought the MVP5 on this mission, and, being solar-powered, it was still operational. Otherwise, he might have missed a tremendous opportunity. Since he was now engaged in cultivation, or perhaps even the path of immortality, he knew that serendipity was essential for progress.

Once he finished scanning, the computer automatically began comparing the text to its database. Soon, the analysis was complete: these were indeed Qin Dynasty characters. The scan was not perfect, given the stone’s condition, so the computer was making corrections; the translation would be ready soon. Seeing this confirmation, he knew his guess had been right: someone from China during the Qin Dynasty had indeed been here. The odds of such a coincidence—a script from another planet identical to that of Qin China—were simply too small to believe otherwise. As he waited for the computer to finish processing, he stared intently at the screen.

“To the one fated to find this: if you can comprehend these words, you too must hail from the Water-Blue Star. I do not know what has become of the Qin Dynasty I founded; perhaps you can answer this, though I shall never hear the reply. When I sought immortality throughout the land, many believed me mad, a tyrant. Yet they knew not that immortality is indeed possible in this world, for I once obtained a cultivation manual. Only after practicing it and acquiring a measure of magical power did I come to believe the postscript about the path of cultivation. Ordinary humans can become cultivators by refining true essence and magical power, and, with sufficient mastery, can attain eternal life and miracles beyond imagination. The manual revealed that our world is a spherical planet, known to cultivators as the Water-Blue Star. For reasons unknown even to the manual’s author, this planet was abandoned by the cultivation world, and, as its spiritual energy ebbed away, became unsuitable for further cultivation. Though one could still practice the art, progress would be slow, and, by my estimation, one could reach only the Spirit-Concentration Stage at most. However, the text mentioned an ancient elixir hidden in a mysterious place. Should one find and consume it, one might reach the Golden Core Stage and then use a teleportation array on a nearby planet to depart Water-Blue Star. After unifying the nation, I devoted the empire’s resources to searching for this elixir. In the end, I found it, and, upon reaching the peak of Spirit-Concentration, took it. Its power was overwhelming; I fell into a death-like state, only to awaken in a tomb, my cultivation advanced to the Golden Core Stage. With my abilities thus enhanced, I resolved to use the nearby teleportation array to leave, seeking a world more suited to cultivation to pursue immortality and supreme power. What happened after, even I do not know. When next I awoke, I found myself in this mountain cave on this planet. Behind the stone wall at the deepest point of the cave, I discovered a hidden chamber. Yet I was gravely injured, knowing my end was near. I placed the cultivation manual within, sealed the chamber with my last strength, and awaited my passing here. In my final moments, I hoped that one destined would find my teachings and the contents of the chamber I left unopened. Thus, I leave these words behind. —The Last Testament of Ying Zheng, the First Emperor.”

After reading the translation, Li Xingyu was deeply shaken—by both the content of the inscription and the identity of its author. To think that the one who had arrived here, thousands of years before him, was none other than the First Emperor of Qin.

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