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After packing the books, Tang San led Gu Yuena out of the second floor and continued up the stairs to the third floor.
The third floor was also a library.
Thus, Tang San did not stop to look closely. He continued upwards with Gu Yuena, passing the fourth, fifth, and so on until they reached the twelfth floor, all of which were libraries. However, the higher they went, the fewer books there were, and the more spaces were dedicated to storing soul tools, ranging from second to ninth level.
Gu Yuena eagerly filled her Golden Rope Treasure Pouch with various shiny soul tools, not turning anything down.
From the thirteenth floor to the twenty-fourth, the floors were used for resting, living, and research. They contained dining halls, kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, and laboratories, but no toilets.
It wasn't that the people living inside the Golden Tree didn't need to use the bathroom, but to prevent harmful substances from human waste from polluting the Golden Tree, public restrooms were built at the tree's edge.
Thus, everyone had to leave the Golden Tree to use the restroom.
From the twenty-fifth to the thirty-sixth floor, each floor was a vast space, akin to an unformed dimension in the process of being nurtured.
Tang San, who controlled the Golden Tree, knew that these twelve floors were the most precious. As long as this primordial Golden Tree continued to grow, it could one day root itself into the infinite void, absorbing dimensional energy from the universe. This would continually strengthen the Douluo Continent and develop these twelve semi-dimensional spaces into true microcosmic universes.
Only the initial tree grown from a seed could nurture true microcosmic universes. Trees grown from cuttings would be second-generation and lack this capability.
Moreover, the initial tree must not be greatly disturbed during its nurturing period. Uprooting it and planting it elsewhere would destroy the forming semi-dimensional spaces and deplete the tree's essence, potentially preventing it from ever nurturing new semi-dimensional spaces again.
However, as the Golden Tree grows and its roots reach into the cosmic void, it might expose the Douluo Continent's dimensional coordinates, inviting other races from the universe to invade.
This was both an opportunity and a challenge.
A conservative person might prefer to transplant the Golden Tree elsewhere, sacrificing the twelve semi-dimensional spaces to ensure the Douluo Star's stability for a longer time.
But Tang San thought it best to go with the flow. Fortune and misfortune are intertwined; who can guarantee stability?
The greatest song of humanity is courage!
Without courage, one is just an obstacle to the advancement of civilization, deserving to be trampled and left to die!
Moreover, this Golden Tree was now his possession, almost like an extension of his own body. Anyone who dared to harm it would be annihilated by him!
Suddenly jolted by these thoughts, Tang San shook his head vigorously and muttered to himself, "Why am I thinking this way? I haven't even reached that level... Could it be that even without using my three-headed, six-armed form, its greed, anger, and ignorance are influencing my thoughts, stirring my malevolence? If so, I need to be more objective and less active in my thinking from now on."
Seeing Tang San in deep thought, Gu Yuena asked, puzzled, "Aren't we going up?"
"The top twelve floors are semi-dimensional spaces nurtured by the Golden Tree. Although the edges have living quarters, there's nothing much to see." Tang San explained briefly and prepared to take Gu Yuena down to the lower twelve floors to check if there was a way to avoid the mecha guards.
"Semi-dimensional spaces?" Gu Yuena murmured, "The Golden Tree has such abilities? Amazing. If we could secure it, it might become a safe haven for soul beasts in the future."
Tang San retorted, "Adversity brings growth, while comfort leads to demise."
Pouting, Gu Yuena protested, "How can you say that? I just want a stable place for my soul beast people to live."
Tang San shook his head, "To achieve that, you'd have to eliminate all other creatures besides soul beasts. And even if you succeeded, you'd still face internal competition... Soul beasts prey on each other, don't they? As long as this doesn't change, soul beasts will always be oppressed by humans, who are inherently more united. Soul beasts' unity is superficial, limited to the hundred-thousand-year-old ones. In terms of population, you're at a disadvantage, not to mention in terms of creativity and intellect."
"Soul beasts are intelligent!" Gu Yuena argued.
"I didn't say soul beasts are dumb. But you've lived in human society for years; you must recognize the differences between soul beasts and humans. Soul beasts rely on the power within their bodies and lack the creativity of humans. They are accustomed to their way of life over millennia and do not strive for progress."
Tang San elaborated on the differences between soul beasts and humans. "This is the key distinction: contentment with the environment versus transforming it to suit one's needs. Two attitudes, two choices."
"Of course, it's not necessarily that the human way is better. The ultimate goal for both is survival. Perhaps one day, humans will self-destruct while soul beasts continue to thrive."
"But even if humans disappear, some soul beasts might evolve towards human form, eventually leading to the reappearance of humans in this world."
"The more likely scenario is that soul beasts will vanish before humans self-destruct."
Gu Yuena was startled, worrying about the future of soul beasts.
Tang San's words were true; soul beasts lacked the intelligence and creativity of humans. They were content with the status quo. Even if they ventured out to explore, they would merely circle the world without examining the environment closely. If they encountered danger, they would avoid that place forever.
But humans would continue to explore until they conquered the area.
This was the difference.
Even if future human soul masters didn't need soul rings from soul beasts to advance, the increasing human population would inevitably squeeze the soul beasts' living space.
This was a struggle for survival!
Of course, coexistence was possible, but that would mean soul beasts relying on humans, becoming domesticated like cats, dogs, or parrots. However, the wild nature of soul beasts made them difficult to tame. Only the weakest bloodlines could be domesticated by humans. Other soul beasts could only be subdued if she, the Silver Dragon King, achieved the Dragon God status, making all soul beasts submit...
Hmm?
Why was she thinking this way?
Gu Yuena pondered. Was her thinking becoming more like a human's and less like a soul beast's?
Soul beasts were supposed to be her people!
Yet, there were so many enjoyable things in the human world, such as delicious food, fun activities, and beautiful sights. Despite some people's bad intentions, there were also selfless individuals.
Soul beasts had no concept of selflessness. Perhaps Di Tian and others would risk their lives for her, but that was because they were powerful beasts with intelligence comparable to humans. Most soul beasts below ten thousand years were driven by instinct, and their first reaction to danger was to flee.
Moreover, the environment of the Star Dou Forest had remained unchanged for thousands or even tens of thousands of years, making it extremely dull.
More importantly, the Star Dou Forest didn't have Tang San...
[So annoying!]
Gu Yuena's mind raced for a while, making her frustrated. She decided to give up thinking.
[I'm just a clone anyway. I'll let the main body handle it...]
Half a day later, Tang San and Gu Yuena met Yu Tianheng and Dugu Yan in the first-floor hall of the Golden Tree. Their bodies were covered with storage soul tools, indicating they had gained a lot.
"How do we get out now?" Yu Tianheng looked at the door. A tall mecha blocked the entrance. From inside the hall, he could only see its steel legs, but he estimated it to be at least twenty meters tall.
In the hall, Yu Tianheng used his electromagnetic overclocking ability to activate his fourth soul skill, Blue Lightning Dragon Rush, and fired an electromagnetic dragon cannon at the steel legs.
However, the moment the electromagnetic dragon cannon hit the steel, the electricity was absorbed, causing no damage.
"According to the information on the tenth floor, these mechas follow specific protocols. If we hold a piece of the Golden Tree's wood or leaves, they won't attack us because their programming prevents them from damaging the Golden Tree in any way."
Tang San explained and proposed a second method, "Alternatively, we can gain control over the mechas and become their new masters."
"There are two ways to do this: either defeat a fully armed giant mecha in combat or answer the questions in their questionnaire."
The method chosen by the Golden Civilization to select successors was simple: intellectual and physical.
Intellectually, one had to answer a hundred questions covering soul tool knowledge, humanities, geography, astronomy, mathematics, chemistry, and physics.
Physically, one had to duel a giant mecha. A fully armed mecha's strength was equivalent to a ninety-ninth-level peak Douluo!
These mechas were made of at least fusion-grade materials, with truly steel bodies, equipped with intelligent combat AI and large-scale destructive weapons capable of carpet bombing.
Tang San estimated that only a god-level being could easily challenge such a mecha; otherwise, it would be a death wish.
These were the basic requirements set by the Golden Civilization for selecting successors—
All the mechas' intelligent AIs combined formed the most valuable legacy of the Golden Civilization: the Golden Heart, akin to an intelligent supercomputer in the science fiction novels Tang San had read, containing all the Golden Civilization's research and achievements, including the materials Dragon God had been entrusted to destroy.
It could only be said that Dragon God didn't understand technology or its intricacies...
(End of the chapter)