C84

"In the history of mankind, there have been four explosion of civilizations that have been recognized by the scientific community. The first is that human beings have separated themselves from animals, constructed their social systems, and truly become human beings; the second is the so-called Axis Era, which is our period of 100 generations; the third is the Renaissance and the era of great navigation and great geographical discoveries; and the fourth is the age of great technological explosion that we are currently experiencing …" The Taoist patted his backpack and leaned against it comfortably. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and began to slowly narrate:

"About six million years ago, a certain primate in Africa split into two branches, one branch from a Chimpanzee and the other from a human. However, the inconceivable thing was that in six million years, the Chimpanzee had not evolved at all, and from the Lamidan Ape to a human, there were at least twenty types of humans that were born, and eventually evolved into a Homo sapiens of today. But this kind of evolution is not just one line, but many branches parallel. In ancient times, there were many kinds of people on Earth, but they were all eliminated by our ancestors, the Homo sapiens, such as the Neanderthals, who even became food for Homo sapiens. But for the new humans that appeared 200,000 years ago, they lived their original lives without change for 190,000 years, so why did they suddenly build a civilized society in the last 10,000 years? "

I turned on the flashlight in my hand and set it upright on the ground, letting the light shine on the coffin lid and then reflecting back to the various parts of the coffin. The Zombie outside the coffin continued to beat and push, and the sickening moans and howls continued, but we were all completely attracted by the Taoist's story and sat quietly listening in the darkness.

"The latest biological genetic technology has confirmed that there are many genes in the human brain that can improve the rate of evolution, including a gene related to the formation of the cerebral cortex called the human accelerated zone 1." Since this gene appeared in the course of biological evolution, there have only been two base replacements in 300 million years. But in the course of six million years of human evolution, the gene had a mutation of eighteen bases. In other words, of all living things, only human subfamily animals have evolved in the direction of explosive growth in intelligence. "

"And the Axis Era... The Axis Age refers to around 500 BC. This period is a major breakthrough in the spirit of human civilization. In the Axis Age, great spiritual masters appeared in all civilizations — in ancient Greece, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Israel, the Jewish prophets, ancient India, Shakyamuni, China, Confucius, Laozi … "Everyone, the principles they proposed shape different cultures and traditions. In fact, even now, the core of our civilization is still following the foundations laid down during that period. Furthermore, all of the major religions in the world originated from that era …"

"But, at that time, because of the separation of the Mountains and Seas, it was impossible for humans to communicate with each other, so why did such great figures appear in just a few hundred years?"

"There is also the Renaissance to the Great Voyage Age, a period when, although we have nothing to do with China, in the West there are masses of Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio, Galileo, Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and... And so on and so forth, a great number of great scientists, literary scholars, and artists, whom Engels called the Renaissance the greatest and most progressive change that mankind has ever experienced, the era of the need for giants and the production of giants. It can be said that the Renaissance was the turning point in Europe from the dark and obscure Middle Ages to the open and civilized modern society! "

"But why, at that time, did these great masters, like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, pile up and line up? Many of these theories, even from the perspective of modern people, are very forward. There are even some that say that Da Vinci is a transcender from time to time, a person who has transcended the ancient era from the modern world! "" That's true.

"Finally, there is the modern industrial civilization, whose origins are also very strange. From the time Watt invented the steam engine until now, in just a little over 200 years, human society has undergone earth-shattering changes, and these brilliant masters all appeared together. Newton, Bohr, Planck, Darwin, Einstein … These people seemed to have fallen from the sky … By the way, have you seen that photo? "

"It's that photo of the fifth Solvay Physics Conference," the Taoist replied to his own question, "Einstein, Madame Curie, Schrodinger, Bohr, Heisenberg, and so on. Almost everyone in the photo seems to be the founders of various disciplines today, and in today's textbooks, they seem like monuments, but in that picture, they all appeared at the same time!"

"The Dao Lord …" Just then, Mao Tou suddenly wiped his mouth and said: "What do you mean by saying so much?

The Taoist smacked his lips and replied, "According to the research of some organizations in the modern era, every time human civilization develops, there is always the shadow of alchemy behind it!"

"Alchemy?" I couldn't help but ask curiously, "Isn't alchemy a kind of fallacy to refine lead into gold?" What does this have to do with the jade ring? "

"No, no, no …" "Alchemy is not just about refining gold," the Taoist denied. "In fact, both the West and the East have the term 'turning stone into gold', but it is not limited to pure physical gold. It describes a leap of wisdom, an epiphany …"

The Taoist paused for a moment before saying softly, "It's like leaping from a humanoid ape to a human …"

"Then this jade ring …?" I asked.

"It should be the legendary metal stone!" The Taoist replied.

"Ore? Isn't it supposed to be a rock? " Mao Tou interrupted.

The Taoist quickly shot a glance at MaggieQ, then shook his head and said, "The Adamantine is just a general expression. It may be in various forms, but only one thing is unchanged …"

"Biting-tail Snake?" I rushed to say.

"That's right!" The Taoist nodded his head and said, "The Biting-tail Snake has always been the most important symbol in alchemy. It symbolizes the cycle of reincarnation and endless life, but it is still the core organization of alchemists – Formless Academy's totem and badge!"