Chapter 28: The Dangers of Awakening

For a moment, she regained her composure and said to Qiu Tu with a determined look, "Don't worry! I will definitely ensure your successful Cataclysm Awakening!"

Having said that, she seemed to have also entered work mode, waving her hand and saying, "Bring paper and pen, I need to write down the other ingredients for the potion."

"Although none of them are rare or precious herbs, they still require some time to prepare."

Qiu Tu glanced at the countdown timer in the upper left corner [46:35:17], then asked, "Is a day and a half enough time?"

Shen Lingshuang thought for a moment, "It shouldn't be a problem."

Qiu Tu was relieved.

So, Qiu Tu fetched some paper and a pen, and Shen Lingshuang quickly wrote down what was needed for the Cataclysmic Potion and the equipment. Qiu Tu carefully folded the note and put it in his pocket, ready to contact Eagle, Ah-Kun, and the others to take care of this matter.

However, after seeing Qiu Tu put away the note, Shen Lingshuang hesitated for a moment before speaking up, "Qiu Tu."

Qiu Tu looked up at her.

Shen Lingshuang said, "Actually... I have some things about the Cataclysmic Potion that I want to discuss with you."

"I think you should be aware of them beforehand."

Shen Lingshuang always appeared to Qiu Tu as carefree and lawless. Now that she was suddenly so serious, Qiu Tu knew what she was about to say must be very important.

Indeed, Shen Lingshuang began to speak slowly,

"From the birth of the first Cataclysmic Potion and the first Cataclysmic, it has now been a full 13 years."

"Research on the Cataclysmic Potion and Cataclysmics by the various Sanctuaries has continued uninterrupted."

"But the more research is done, the more Sanctuaries realize there are significant problems with Cataclysm Awakening."

Pausing, she asked, "You still remember the six Cataclysmic pathways I told you about, don't you?"

Qiu Tu nodded, "I remember. Destruction, Life, Mystery, Immortality, Order, and Chaos."

Shen Lingshuang nodded and then said, "Yes. But do you know why these pathways are named after these particular words?"

Qiu Tu shook his head.

Shen Lingshuang explained, "Because these are the paths that the six pathways follow, and they are also their biggest issue."

Fearing that her explanation might not be clear enough, Shen Lingshuang gave an example, "If you are a Cataclysmic of the Destruction pathway, then all of your actions must align closely with 'Destruction'."

"The more you 'Destroy', the faster your strength will progress."

"Of course, what you 'Destroy' is for you to decide."

"Some people choose to destroy 'Life', others 'Food', and some 'Peace'..."

"Corresponding sub-pathways include 'Slaughter,' 'Gluttony,' 'War'..."

"If it ended there, it might not matter so much. But there is a very terrifying rule on the Cataclysmic pathways."

"That is—if you only follow your path, your strength will improve, but if you betray or stop your path, then your strength will also start to decline rapidly."

At this point, Shen Lingshuang's gaze revealed a deep concern,

"It is under this sort of pressure that many Cataclysmics become increasingly extreme. Their minds even start to deviate from normal, turning completely insane..."

"Now many speculate that there is a problem with the Cataclysmic Potion itself, or that perhaps humans must undergo Cataclysm Awakening on their own, rather than stealing the cataclysmic powers of other beings."

"So... the offspring of the higher-ups in the Sanctuary mostly don't undergo Cataclysm Awakening. They are just ordinary people."

Hearing Shen Lingshuang's words, Qiu Tu was silent for two seconds, and then asked, "Then what about the high-ups of the Sanctuary themselves?"

Shen Lingshuang's eyes were filled with a sorrow so dense it was almost tangible, "They have no choice."

"In the face of the great Cataclysm, in the face of the life-and-death situation of our race, someone must carry the heavy burden and forge ahead."

Qiu Tu fell silent.

Shen Lingshuang looked at him and then said, "That's why I hope you will consider it carefully."

Upon hearing her words, Qiu Tu took a few deep breaths, vigorously rubbed his face, and then said with a smile, "No need to think about it anymore, I will definitely walk this path."

Shen Lingshuang looked at him, puzzled, "Why?"

"If you said you didn't know the dangers of this road, I could understand your choice."

"But you clearly know how dangerous this road is, why do you still want to continue down it?"

She said, "You should know about the dispute over the path of human 'Cataclysm Awakening' in the Sanctuary, right?"

"Ever since the 'Cataclysmic Potion' was researched, the faction advocating for 'stealing mystical powers from other life forms' has been dominant."

"However, with more and more people losing control after using the 'Cataclysmic Potion' over the years."

"Now inside the Sanctuary, the voices of the faction that believes in 'relying on the natural birth of a new mankind through generations of human reproduction, who inherently possess this power' are getting louder and louder."

"You don't have to..."

Qiu Tu, however, waved his hand with a smile and cut off her words, "Even if a new mankind is indeed born in the future, that won't be me, nor you. Am I right?"

"This is a chaotic era where it's every man for himself. If you're not on the dining table, you're on the menu."

"I have seen the qualifications to sit at the dining table and don't want to give up due to my own cowardice, to be slaughtered like pigs and sheep."

"I'd rather have a splendid and illustrious life. Even if it's very short..."

Having said this, Qiu Tu paused for a moment, and then continued softly,

"And besides, although I don't know what dangers humanity has encountered that require the leaders of the Sanctuary to become Cataclysmics and bear the heavy burden."

"But if they can sacrifice themselves for the future of our race, then I can too. I think... I want to walk with them."

Having said that, Qiu Tu stood up and left the courtyard, leaving behind a dashing and resolute silhouette for Shen Lingshuang...

Shen Lingshuang stared blankly at Qiu Tu's retreating figure without snapping back to reality for a long time...

[45:02:01 (Cataclysmic Potion can be produced)]

...

After leaving the courtyard, Qiu Tu gave a few instructions to the rotating scouts and maid at the courtyard entrance, asking them to satisfy Shen Lingshuang's reasonable requests as much as possible during the time they guarded her.

Having interacted with this girl for two days, Qiu Tu had confirmed Crisis Intuition's assessment of her as "having a kind heart."

She was like a cactus that had grown wildly in the apocalypse, thorny on the outside but always maintaining a pure heart at her core.

So within his own authority, Qiu Tu still hoped to make her life as good as possible.

Yep... And it had nothing to do with her Speaker father.

—During today's conversation, Shen Lingshuang had revealed too much information that only the offspring of the high ranks of the Sanctuary would know.

So even if she wasn't the daughter of Shen Yuzhou, the Deputy Speaker of the Supreme Sanctuary Council of the Third Sanctuary, her background must be extraordinary...

With that thought, Qiu Tu left the small courtyard where Shen Lingshuang was being held and headed towards his own residence.

But just halfway there, he received a communication from Fang Ming.

The content was brief, with just one piece of news... the reinforcements Qiu Tu had applied for in his report this afternoon had arrived...