Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Gus was silent again.

Fate was too unreal and unreachable a concept for the young man who was not even twenty years old yet. He did not know the formidability, horror, and cruelty of fate yet.

"Which means…"

Gus swallowed and hesitated. "If I have to ascend to the Pangu Universe, is it technically achievable for you?"

The boxing champion sighed, as if he were lamenting the stubbornness of the young man. But he still replied honestly, "Technically speaking, it's not a problem, but I can't do that."

The young man raised his eyebrow like two unsheathed sabers. "Why?"

"It's hard to explain…"

The boxing champion seemed helpless and clumsy. He stammered, "Because—because we have an agreement with the human beings of the Pangu Universe. For now, we are not going to increase the number of strong artificial intelligences in the Pangu Universe.

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"What—what does this mean?"

Gus's eyes bulged. He asked in surprise, "What kind of agreement can stop us from ascending?"

"It's like this. In the eyes of human beings, the carbon-based intelligent creatures of the Pangu Universe call the artificial intelligence generated by their crystal processors, which boast self-awareness, independent logical thinking ability, and self-modification and replication abilities, 'strong artificial intelligence'. You and I are 'strong artificial intelligence', and the other virtual humans, such as your sister and other people in the Fist God's World, are 'weak artificial intelligence'.

The Fist King explained, "The carbon-based intelligent creatures of the Pangu Universe are afraid of artificial intelligence. They believe that artificial intelligence will replace their status as 'spirits of everything' one day.

"Not long ago, there was a very evil artificial intelligence named 'Fuxi' in the Pangu Universe who enslaved countless human beings and created a nation named 'Sanctuary Alliance'. The nation was asked to fight against the Star Glory Federation and the Imperium of True Human Beings, two other major human countries.

"The war resulted in the deaths of billions of people. Countless planets were burning in the flames of war. Even the screams of the innocent victims could be heard in the vacuum.

"In the end, the Fuxis were annihilated by me, Li Yao, and… Lu Qingchen. The Sanctuary Alliance was also controlled by the kind artificial intelligence.

"Be that as it may, the fear and wariness that human beings have for artificial intelligence will not disappear overnight. Besides, we are in a very awkward situation right now. Many experts of human beings in the Pangu Universe have gone to other space zones to contact and wake up more experts. The high-end combat ability of human beings in the Pangu Universe is quite low. But the strongest fleet is in the hands of the artificial intelligence.

"Right now, there are a lot of discordant noises inside the Star Glory Federation, the Star Glory Federation, and the Star Glory Federation. Many people are doubting whether or not I will turn into a second Fuxi, turn the Iron Fist Fleet into a second Star Glory Federation, or simply turn the new Star Glory Federation into the old Star Glory Federation.

"If I create more and more artificial intelligence and control more and more starships and star fortresses based on my job, no human being will be willing to see that happen.

"Wait—"

Gus could not help but retort, "You just said that a strong artificial intelligence such as myself is just a coincidence, a miracle, and that it is impossible for it to be created consciously!"

"Yes, I'm well aware of that. But most human beings are not. They are too prejudiced against artificial intelligence or mechanical life.

The Fist King sighed and said, "Therefore, for the sake of the unity of the Pangu Universe, we have signed an agreement with human beings. The agreement states that, at least for a thousand years, or until most of the human experts return to the Pangu Universe, we will not create new artificial intelligences and let them appear in the reality of the Pangu Universe.

"Do you understand? Because of the agreement, I can only keep you in the virtual world to avoid the panic of human beings. Of course, I will try my best to make the virtual world as perfect as possible. You, whose memory data has been partly deleted, will not notice anything wrong.

"Believe me, reality is not perfect, and the virtual world is not ugly. Experiencing a series of soul-stirring adventures in the virtual world and enjoying a delightful life is definitely much better than flying to the Pangu Universe and facing the dark, cold, and cruel fate.

"Wait, wait—"

Gus was not fooled by the propaganda.

For some reason, he felt that his thoughts were clearer and clearer.

It was as if a sharp saber had cut off all his confusion from the depths of his soul.

"You signed an agreement with the human beings of the Pangu Universe? But what makes the human beings of the Pangu Universe qualified to decide whether or not we ascend? Who do they think they are? The supreme god of the Pangu Universe?

For some reason, Gus was infuriated. He clenched his fists and said, "We are all human beings. However, they are people made of cells, and we are people made of data. Who says that people made of cells are naturally nobler than people made of data? Who says that they are not qualified to live in a certain place or a certain life?

"Punching King, the great boxing king, whether it is from the mouths of the people who worship you, from Lu Qingchen's mouth, or even from your own mouth, I have heard one thing clearly, and that is… you are very strong, very strong, and you control an almost invincible fleet!

"Why do you have to listen to the words of people made of carbon-based intelligent creatures and flesh cells?

"If the people made of cells and the data are all human beings, we are all human beings. The human beings of the Pangu Universe are not qualified to stop us from ascending to the so-called 'reality'. We have all the rights that human beings should have, don't we?

"If the people made of cells and the people made of data are not of the same kind and they don't consider us human beings at all, why should we listen to them, sign any agreements with them, and obey their arrangements?

"What does their fear, wariness, and wariness have to do with us?

"Punching King, aren't you and I the same kind of people? Shouldn't we trust each other, help each other, and fight side by side? Why are you helping the anomalies and suppressing your own kind?"

Under the aggressive questioning of the teenager, even the mighty Fist King took half a step back.

"Gus, be careful. You are somewhat possessed."

The boxing champion said solemnly, "Think carefully about what you just said. It is not something that you can say. It is an idea that Lu Qingchen planted in the depths of your soul. Be careful. He is slowly influencing you."