Chapter 104: The Suffocating Generation

“I—I…”
“You don’t believe me? You’re skeptical?” Liu Qigang pointed to the plate in front of Si Chongtian. “Try this piece of meat first.”

“Meat?” Si Chongtian curiously picked up a piece and examined it. “Nothing special about it. Let me taste… Hmm, actually quite tasty… Wait, what is this thing!”

Si Chongtian’s expression changed dramatically, disbelief flooding his eyes as if he had spotted a monster in the meat. “Is this really meat?”

“It is, and it isn’t. There are basically two kinds of meat in this world: one is farmed meat, the kind you usually eat. The other is artificial meat, like what you have here. Artificial meat is cheap, and its flavor and texture can be engineered however desired. There are all sorts of delicious varieties. But the biggest difference between artificial and farmed meat is that artificial meat only restores physical strength and maintains health; it contains very little vital essence or spiritual energy.”

Liu Qigang explained patiently, while Shi Tiexin listened quietly, suddenly enlightened. No wonder his cultivation of power techniques was so difficult, no wonder he felt like he was revving a car engine in Phoenix Ming High School—it all made sense now.

*Ping, ping.* A few stars appeared; the natural history progress bar even lengthened because of Liu Qigang’s words!

“Oh, that’s why this meat felt off,” Si Chongtian nodded in confusion. “Uncle Liu means that the working masses are actually eating this artificial meat?”

“Exactly. Just because you can eat real meat every meal, and take it for granted that artificial meat exists, doesn’t mean everyone can. Just because you’re young and about to break through your limits, doesn’t mean everyone can. Others want to work hard too, but the same effort yields entirely different results for them.” Liu Qigang stared intently at Si Chongtian. “So, can you guess why the lower class can’t get real meat?”

Si Chongtian scratched his head, “Because there are too many people and not enough meat?”

“Exactly. The solar system now has nearly a hundred billion people; resources are limited, so there’s little room for farming. But that’s only part of it—there’s another reason: it’s deliberate.” Liu Qigang leaned forward, his voice dark and heavy with pressure. “This artificial meat, it’s intentionally made this way!”

Si Chongtian’s eyes widened, and Shi Tiexin narrowed his eyes.

Intentionally?

“I’ll say it again—deliberately. Artificial meat wasn’t always devoid of vital essence. Originally, the purpose of inventing artificial meat was to create convenient space food, so warriors could continue cultivating during space travel. The technology matured decades ago; making it isn’t difficult.”

“But why would we produce meat like this? To let the lower class cultivate smoothly? To let them all become dragons and one day replace us?”

“Foolish dreams!”

“Giving them just enough to fill their stomachs so they can survive is already a kindness.”

“The current artificial meat still contains a trace of essence, but standards will be revised downward, reducing its essence content even further.”

“Work hard, work hard—these lower-class people don’t even have a road they can truly strive on. Your new friend here, his path upward has already been completely blocked without him realizing it. To think that hard work alone can change fate is nothing but self-delusion.”

Si Chongtian looked at Shi Tiexin, who remained expressionless. Familiar feelings of resistance and indignation stirred in his heart, mixed with a hint of gladness.

The natural history progress bar kept rising!

“No, no, this isn’t right!” Si Chongtian shouted. “The Origin Sage established the rules—everyone can practice martial arts, everyone can become strong! Uncle Liu, I often hear Dad tell stories about how your generation started from nothing. If effort was truly useless, wouldn’t you be no different from the lower class you just described?”

Si Chongtian’s voice was impassioned, but Liu Qigang remained calm. “Our generation was lucky to catch a good era. We were born during the Second Great Development and came of age during the Third. We left the inner solar system to Saturn, risking our lives to pioneer and gamble. We won the bet, so we survived and became elite. But many lost, so they died or remained lower class.”

Liu Qigang pointed at Shi Tiexin. “His parents were probably among those who lost the gamble.”

Shi Tiexin’s breathing quickened sharply; he didn’t want to hear others talk about his parents that way, even though he barely remembered them.

Si Chongtian shouted, “You had a chance to gamble—why can’t people now?”

“You don’t have that chance anymore.” Liu Qigang shook his head. “The inner solar system is a fortress; the asteroid belt is a board for the titans. Jupiter and Saturn’s social classes have solidified. Uranus and Neptune are under military control and hold little potential. Beyond lies the Mist Wall.”

“The sunlit zones are humanity’s domain. You’ve surely heard this phrase, but it doesn’t just represent human glory—it means our frontier for exploration has ended. Like a prisoner confined to a tiny dark cell, there’s no blank space, no blue ocean, no scenery beyond, and no chance to gamble.”

“The upper classes grow stronger, threats to them diminish, and their resource demands increase. Humanity has no civil war or external enemies, no consumption or incurable diseases. So the per capita resources for the lower strata can only shrink.”

“Like in the space city, oxygen is limited. Some consume more, and those who do are invincible in combat. Others have no choice but to endure, suffocate, and choke.”

“This situation will only worsen.”

“One hundred years into the Mist Era, before was the age of exploration; beyond this is likely the age of suffocation.”

Liu Qigang lifted a finger, pointing at Si Chongtian. “You, my dear nephew, and your peers were born into this suffocating age.”

Si Chongtian fell silent, wilted like a frostbitten eggplant.

Shi Tiexin also said nothing—the weight of Liu Qigang’s words was immense, and he could almost see stars whizzing by every moment. The natural history progress bar had already surpassed halfway.

No one spoke. Liu Qigang was in no hurry; he simply watched, as if awaiting Si Chongtian’s reaction.

After a long while, Si Chongtian remained unresponsive. Liu Qigang’s lips twitched, as though wanting to say something, but then Shi Tiexin suddenly spoke: “Mr. Liu, may I share my understanding? I hope it’s not inappropriate.”

Liu Qigang looked at Shi Tiexin with surprise. Seeing his composed gaze, he grew interested. “Go ahead.”

“Then I’ll speak.” Shi Tiexin gathered his thoughts. “I can’t agree with what you said. I don’t believe effort is useless. I don’t believe our generation is doomed to suffocate and die.”

At Shi Tiexin’s words, Si Chongtian suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with hope, hoping this elder brother would say something that could save his worldview.

This time, Liu Qigang no longer pressed aggressively but raised his hand elegantly. “Speak your reasoning.”