Chapter 668: The Axe‑Old Man's Gift

The Primal Man's body spanned all directions, his head opened the yet‑unformed dome, his feet pierced the still‑unsolid abyss.

A thousand heads, a thousand eyes, a thousand feet; each head thought, each eye gazed, each foot stepped on a possible dimension.

The next moment,

Yu Lin lifted his right hand, brought together his middle two fingers, and slowly traced a line down the center of the Primal Man's chest, from top to bottom.

There was no blood and no wound.

A fissure split the Primal Man's body down the middle; it did not seem torn by external force, but rather as if the fissure had always been there, and Yu Lin merely helped it find itself.

The crack extended from the throat downward, passing the chest, passing the abdomen, and reaching the lowest part.

The Primal Man's body began to differentiate.

From his head flew out the BoluoMen.

From his "wisdom" they emerged.

The four faces of the BoluoMen each faced east, west, south, and north, holding Vedic Scrolls in their hands, chanting the syllables of creation.

They hovered above the Primal Man's head, light spilling from them and illuminating the yet‑unformed heavens.

From his arms and shoulders flew out the ChaDili.

Broad arms, wide shoulders, one hand wielding a sword, the other gripping a shield.

Their breath was fierce, like iron and fire, standing on the Primal Man's left and right, guarding the four‑faced BoluoMen.

From his legs and thighs flew out the Vaishya.

There were many many of them, dozens, hundreds of times more than the BoluoMen and ChaDili combined!

Some bore plow‑handles, some held counting rods, some cradled grain, some led livestock.

They stood on both sides of the Primal Man's lower body, and the soil beneath their feet began to become fertile.

From his feet and soles sank the Shudra.

They did not "fly out" like the previous three, but settled down, like silt sinking to the bottom of water.

They were silent, without light, without weapons, without Vedic texts, only rough hands and silent hearts.

They fell to the deepest layer of the earth, supporting everything above.

From then on.

The caste system famed by later generations was thus born, but the four categories that emerged then have little to do with the later imposed titles.

"Continue."

Yu Lin did not stop.

His fingertips still pressed on the Primal Man's chest, continuing to carve downward.

The Primal Man's body continued to differentiate.

From his heart flew out the moon.

The heart is soft, the moon is soft as well.

Moonlight poured down, landing on the BoluoMen's Scrolls, on the ChaDili's sword blade, on the Vaishya's grain, on the Shudra's shoulders.

Moonlight had no heat, but it made all outlines clear.

From his eyes rolled out the sun.

The eyes are scorching, the sun is scorching too.

The sun hung at the highest point of the sky. It shone thousands of times brighter than the moon, its rays reaching every corner, revealing the shadow of every existence.

Wind drifted from his breath, and the inhaled air turned into clouds.

The wind ran across the earth, carrying the moon's softness and the sun's heat to every place.

Clouds piled in the sky, blocking the overly strong sunlight, and the first rain fell.

From the navel sprang the void, from the head sprang the heavens, from the feet sprang the earth, from the ears sprang the four directions.

Thus the world was constructed.

"Enough."

Yu Lin clapped his hands, let out a light sigh, and his form dissolved into WhiteLight.

He returned directly to the present world.

Outside the window it was evening; orange‑red light fell on the floor, tinting the whole room in warm hues.

The dragon elders were absent, the Computer was off.

Yu Lin walked to the sofa and sat down, taking out the Primal Man's Origin.

The orb of light was small, heavy, hovering in his palm.

He removed the already‑merged Origin Scale from the fish, placing the two items together, one on the left and one on the right.

The Primal Man's Origin leaned toward it, the Scale offered no resistance.

At the instant the two lights touched, the Primal Man's Origin turned into liquid, seeping into the Scale's veins.

Various world or origin outlines appeared on the surface of the Scale; those outlines ran through the Primal Man's vessels, spreading from the palm to the fingertips, then retreating back to the palm.

The light dimmed then brightened, brightened then dimmed, repeating several times before stabilizing, its color deeper and purer than before.

Yu Lin summoned the fish, pressing this Scale onto its back.

The moment the Scale adhered, most of the fish's scales lit up.

Red, gold, cyan, white, black, purple—lights of various colors ignited on the fish's back in succession, like a row of lit lamps.

The light spread from the fish's head to its tail, from its back to its belly, the whole fish seemed immersed in molten gems.

After shining for a few breaths, the light gradually dimmed, returning to its normal color.

Yu Lin counted the lit scales on the fish's back, then looked at the two spots that remained dark.

One was near the gills, the other at the base of the tail. He touched his chin.

"Still missing two, next should—"

Thump thump thump.

The knocking interrupted his words.

"Hmm?" Yu Lin looked toward the doorway, a look of surprise appearing on his face.

He got up and walked over, pulling the door open.

Outside the door stood the old man who chopped trees, dressed in a gray coarse cloth robe, an axe hanging from his waist.

The wrinkles on his face were a bit fewer than the last time they met, and his hair and beard were still long, speckled gray, hanging over his chest and back.

His complexion was good, his eyes shone as if he were not an old man.

"Sir, why, is the tree cutting done, and you come today to return the axe?"

The old man grinned, showing a few teeth.

"Kid, this axe of yours is quite handy."

"I'm not using yours for free; today I came specifically to buy this axe outright."

He took the axe from his waist, flipped it in his hand so the blade faced upward, and waved it before Yu Lin.

The axe looked the same as before, with a bluish‑gray blade and a dark brown wooden handle.

But after a closer look one could see a difference: a faint mist clung to the axe body, though it wasn't real fog—an enigmatic aura.

The old man re‑hung the axe on his waist, and the next moment thrust his hand into his own chest!

His fingers sank through the skin, groped inside the thorax a few times, and extracted a Light Cluster.

The Light Cluster was small, barely fitting in his palm, its surface swirling with a kaleidoscope of colors!

The old man shoved the Light Cluster into Yu Lin's hand.

"Here, take it."

Yu Lin lowered his head and stared at the Light Cluster in his palm.

It felt warm,

The old man's hand withdrew, the wound in his chest sealed automatically, and even the folds in his clothing returned to normal.

He patted his chest, waved at Yu Lin, turned, and walked toward the stairs.

His steps were swift; in a few strides he rounded the stair corner and vanished.

Footsteps echoed from the hallway, growing farther until they fell completely silent.

As if fearing he might not agree,

Yu Lin stood in the doorway, watching the direction where the old man disappeared, and shook his head helplessly.

He withdrew his gaze, closed the door, turned, and walked back to the sofa.

A fish leapt from his brow, opened its mouth, and swallowed the kaleidoscopic Light Cluster.

The Light Cluster rolled once in the fish's mouth, then slid down its throat.

The fish's belly swelled briefly, then deflated.

Text floated before Yu Lin's eyes.

【Mission: Help Pangu Open the World】

【Reward: Pangu Origin】

【Mission Completed】

【Reward Obtained】

The Pangu Origin was spat out from the fish's mouth and landed in Yu Lin's palm.

It wasn't as bright as other origins; it was even a bit dim, its aura heavy.

Yu Lin placed the Pangu Origin together with the previously fused Scale.

The gray‑white light drifted over, neither resisting nor eager, simply seeping slowly into the Scale's pattern.

The color on the Scale began to shift, from kaleidoscopic to gray‑white, then back to kaleidoscopic; after several cycles it settled at a new equilibrium!

Yu Lin summoned the fish, pressing the Scale onto the spot near its gills on its back.

The moment the Scale adhered, the fish's glow brightened again.

This time, almost all the Scales lit up, except the one at the base of the tail.

That Scale remained dim!

Yu Lin looked at the dim Scale and stroked his chin.

"One still missing."

He stood up and walked to the window.

Outside, the sky had darkened, streetlights glowed, and the wind blew in with an early‑autumn chill.

He stood by the window for a while, then turned, walked back to the sofa, sat down, and slipped the fish back into his brow.

One still missing, no rush.