Chapter 38: The Limits of a Mortal

The first world of creation had come to a perfect end. Just as Jiang Ping was about to take stock of his gains, he furrowed his brow, feeling a slight pain in his fingertip.

He had been too busy watching the destruction of the Original World to notice it before. Now that he was relaxing, the pain became apparent.

Jiang Ping extended his finger and saw a small red dot on the tip, with a thin line of blood seeping from it. He couldn’t help but smile.

“The Ant King has some tricks up his sleeve.”

At the same moment, a wave of energy surged through him; the immense power feedback from the Original World’s destruction had arrived! Mysterious energy flowed out from Genesis across the void. This energy wasn’t just raw power; it also carried strands of law and principles!

Although most of it was absorbed by Genesis, the remaining energy was enough to fill Jiang Ping to the brim.

Jiang Ping closed his eyes to fully feel the effects of the energy from a world’s destruction.

The countless heroes born before him—their power lingered deep within the world after their demise.

Even if the Ant King had set up a grand ritual, energy conservation meant it all cycled back into the world eventually.

Jiang Ping felt his body crackle as if unlocking a genetic lock, making him feel light and spry. The red dot on his fingertip vanished instantaneously, and any flaws in his physique were healed.

His cells continually underwent metabolism, creating new ones that were even stronger and more vibrant.

Streams of profound knowledge flowed into his mind—a culmination of billions of years of wisdom from the Original World.

Blood Burning Technique, Gliding Technique, Dancing in the Air Technique, Flight Technique. Countless incredible techniques were grasped by Jiang Ping, an overwhelming flood of information that without the aid of Genesis, he was sure his head would’ve exploded like a watermelon!

Whew.

After a long moment, Jiang Ping opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air. He frowned at the grime clinging to him before snapping his fingers.

“Cleaning Technique!”

A warm breeze swept over him, washing away all the dirt and leaving him spotless.

As he looked around, the world appeared different—vividly colorful and bright, while conversations from afar echoed in his ears.

His body radiated vitality, like he had boundless energy. Jiang Ping was eager to test just how strong he had become.

“Genesis, how long is my lifespan now?”

This was the most telling indicator of strength. After all, there’s a saying: countless spells and techniques ultimately just seek immortality—the ultimate pursuit of all living beings.

“One thousand years. Based on feedback from the Original World, your physical body has reached the limits of a mortal.”

Jiang Ping couldn’t help but smile; he was now free from all ailments and bursting with incredible strength. Although he had anticipated this since gaining Genesis, he hadn’t expected to achieve such advancement in just over a week! Yet, when he thought of the God-Slaying Star twenty years from now, his gaze dimmed. He was strong now.

However, in the face of that cosmic power, he was no better than an ant!

He wasn’t overly worried; within just over a week, he had grown to this extent. What could twenty years hold? Surely he would become a god in the three-dimensional realm by then! Having initially left behind the trivialities of life, he could now go months without eating. Yet, after evolving to this point, Jiang Ping felt like the reality of Earth was a barren wasteland.

Transcendent energy was almost nonexistent. In such an environment, attempting to cultivate would likely lead to madness rather than progress.

He would still rely on Genesis for evolution! Newly acquired extraordinary powers made Jiang Ping feel like a child having endless fun. But with his surroundings feeling so small, even turning in bed was a challenge! With no choice, Jiang Ping grabbed a small bicycle to venture further into the mountains for his experiments. While he could run, it would be too attention-grabbing, so he chose the bike instead.

Tick-tock, tick-tock.

The old bicycle creaked under him, and Jiang Ping realized he had gained weight without realizing it. He casually cast a reinforcement spell on the bike.

He became a gust of wind, zipping through the streets, while pedestrians didn’t even have time to react.

“Where did that fiery youth come from?”

A middle-aged man muttered, tidying his hair. Upon a closer look, he realized it was merely a bicycle! Without mentioning Jiang Ping’s speed, he surpassed numerous cars, stopping at the foot of a small hill half an hour later.

At the foot of the hill, Jiang Ping snapped his fingers.

“Invisibility Technique! Sound-Cleansing Technique!”

Though the area was sparsely populated, it was wise to be careful. Even though he was strong, he wasn’t invincible in the three-dimensional realm, and he didn’t wish to cause unnecessary trouble.

After all, he was still a Creator God. Though he felt a bit weak at the moment, acting like everyone else would drag down his dignity! He had moved past mundane pursuits.

As he walked into the woods, he spotted a thick tree about 40 centimeters wide. Jiang Ping’s eyes lit up—his right hand turned into a blade and, with a swoosh, the tree came crashing down.

His right hand remained as white as jade.

Boom! With a single punch, he shattered the boulder in front of him. He pushed off his legs, leaving rapid afterimages as he dashed up the steep hillside, eager to test various techniques with his body.

“Wind Blade! Fireball!”

Various spells burst forth from Jiang Ping’s hands, and he reveled in the playfulness. Even though he could utilize far more terrifying techniques in his small world, using them in the familiar reality felt distinct and exciting! On this day, Jiang Ping played hard in the mountains, gaining a rough understanding of his strength. However, he realized that while using magic was exhilarating, replenishing the energy was a colossal hassle!

In reality, it was merely a drop in the bucket, and given the enormous energy he consumed, recovering fully would require plenty of high-energy food.

Considering the current situation, eating plain rice would probably leave him bankrupt in the food stores, and it wouldn’t help at all!

At this thought, Jiang Ping felt a wave of despair; it seemed that sometimes even the strong could starve to death.

The journey ahead is long and arduous; one shouldn’t let small achievements get to their head. He still needed to work on his divine creation! Farming was the way to go—this way, he wouldn’t starve!

With this in mind, Jiang Ping lost interest in lingering. The sky began to turn yellow as the sunset approached. He mounted his bike and set off for home. On the way back, as he waited for a traffic light, he noticed people around him pointing and whispering, especially women, who were stealing glances and seemed eager to strike up conversations.

Are women just bolder nowadays? Jiang Ping was puzzled.

But upon realizing this, he couldn’t help but chuckle; it seemed that after his enhancements, he had become shockingly handsome. Riding so fast earlier had led no one to notice.

Thinking about it, he silently recited a spell, and suddenly his appearance reduced by several times. He was still handsome, but not as breathtaking as before.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Jiang Ping frowned. It was rush hour, and he saw a truck about to run over a little girl.

With a snap of his fingers, an odd sight occurred as the large truck unexpectedly skidded, the front turning sharply to the right.

The girl paled and fell to the ground, trembling at the close call. “Su Jie, are you okay?”

Her companion quickly helped her up.

As the green light turned, Jiang Ping sped past the little girl on his bike.

After the rescue, he left without looking back, keeping his prowess and name hidden.

“Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. I’m just too kind-hearted!” Jiang Ping mused to himself.

He didn’t realize that not long ago, he had just destroyed an entire world! While Thanos merely sought to eliminate half of the universe’s life, Jiang Ping was far more ruthless! “Xiao Ping, you’re back?”

Upon returning home, Jiang Ping heard someone call out to him. To his surprise, it was Aunt Zhao, a neighbor he hadn’t seen in five or six years.

“Aunt Zhao, I just got back a while ago and haven’t visited you yet.”

Jiang Ping replied with a smile.

Aunt Zhao was overly polite, insisting Jiang Ping come over for a visit. Before leaving, she even gifted him a box of eggs. Unable to refuse her kind invitation, he accepted.