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"So... I'm not actually human!"
Upon learning the truth about his origins from Bai Yuekui, Mark's expression was a complex mix of emotions.
Bai Yuekui's father, Bai Jingyu, had discovered a "Mana Prime"—a giant entity dating back 250 million years—in the deep ocean.
Following a series of events, the Mana Prime's right hemisphere and ASH—a super-AI created by Bai Jingyu—were seized by Grey, the Lighthouse's first commander, and used to construct the Clotho System.
Stimulated by ASH's consciousness, the Mana Prime's left hemisphere gave rise to a lifeform known as Lusheng. Mark was one of the clones created using Lusheng as a genetic template.
He was unique, however; among all the clones, he was the only one to possess human emotions and "Life Source."
Theoretically, if he underwent various transformations...
It is possible to achieve the physical state of a "Cranial-Born" being, possessing the same triple-helix DNA as the Mana Giants.
This opens up a possibility of entering the "Scarlet Miasma" and putting a definitive end to the Mana ecosystem. That is precisely why the Clotho System prophesied that he would be the savior.
"Whether or not to enter is up to Goku; I'll support him either way."
The Scarlet Miasma clearly harbors immense danger. Goku has already helped him so much; even for the sake of all humanity, he has no grounds to try and dissuade the boy.
"Enter? Of course I'm going in! I set out on this journey of cultivation specifically to fight against even stronger opponents!"
Goku agreed without a moment's hesitation.
Bai Yuekui had mentioned that the Scarlet Miasma likely contained entities surpassing the Monarch-class Phage Beast—which was exactly what he was hoping for.
Besides, even if he encountered an entity far beyond his current strength, he wouldn't truly be in danger; with a mere closing of his eyes, he could return to the White Space.
"We'd better hurry—I can hardly wait!"
"The apocalypse has dragged on this long; a few more days won't make a difference. Before you go in, I'll help you unlock your latent potential."
Hearing Goku agree so readily, Bai Yuekui breathed a silent sigh of relief.
"Unlocking potential requires specific training and your full cooperation. For now, you should stay here in Dragon-Bone Village."
Unlocking one's source-energy potential isn't something that happens just because you want it to.
There are many people in the village who have never managed to unlock their potential because they couldn't meet the necessary criteria.
Physical constitution is one factor, but mental state and specific techniques are even more critical.
Goku could obliterate a Monarch-class Phage Beast with a single slap, so his physical constitution was clearly up to the task; all that remained was to learn how to control his mental state and master the techniques for unlocking potential.
"No problem."
Goku agreed immediately.
To him, training was nothing out of the ordinary; he had frequently undergone various forms of training at the Lookout.
As long as it meant increasing his strength, none of this mattered to him.
Mark didn't object either; the Lighthouse hovered right above Dragon Bone Village, so there was no fear of traps being set there to harm Goku.
Besides, after this brief interaction, he had developed a certain level of trust in Bai Yuekui.
Most importantly, he had confidence in Goku's abilities.
"I'm heading back to the Lighthouse now. If there's anything you need assistance with, just contact me."
"Send the 'Abyss-Walker' Heavy-Duty Mech down to me. I'll need to pilot it and enter the 'Scarlet Miasma' alongside Mr. Goku."
Bai Yuekui stated her request.
The Abyss-Walker Heavy-Duty Mech was constructed from the remains of a creature that had died after losing control during beast-transformation; consequently, the mech shared a high degree of genetic similarity with Mark.
Furthermore, since the creature originated from the left hemisphere of the 'Mana Primordial Body,' scans revealed that both it and the mech dated back 250 million years.
Piloting the Abyss-Walker would significantly boost her combat power, and the mech's triple-helix DNA structure would allow her to penetrate the interior of the 'Scarlet Miasma.'
She wouldn't be repelled after a mere seconds like before.
Had she not been ambushed by Grey upon entering the Lighthouse—an event that led to the Abyss-Walker being seized—she likely would have already attempted to enter the Scarlet Miasma again to gather intelligence.
Now that Mark had taken control of the Lighthouse and formed an alliance with Dragon Bone Village, reclaiming the Abyss-Walker was a natural next step.
"I'll have the Abyss-Walker sent over as soon as I get back."
Mark nodded, making no move to refuse Bai Yuekui's request.
This concerned the fate of all humanity; let alone the Abyss-Walker, even the entire Lighthouse could be placed at Bai Yuekui's disposal.
"Let's go."
After Mark left, Bai Yuekui took Goku to the training ground beneath the waterfall and began to explain the key principles of unlocking one's latent potential.
"There are three steps involved in mobilizing your 'Source Essence' potential and fully unlocking it. The first step is generating 'Willpower'."
"When people are in extreme environments, they easily generate a powerful force of will— much like the drive to protect one's loved ones when facing danger.
In the past, there were mothers who, in order to save their children, generated such a powerful will that it unlocked their latent potential, allowing them to summon strength far beyond their limits and actually lift a car.
That is the principle at work here.
The second step is 'Source-Matter Turbulence.'
The force of will born from emotion causes the electrical currents between synapses in the brain to amplify continuously, creating a unique electromagnetic field.
Once the intensity reaches a certain level, the body's 'Source-Matter' enters a state of turbulence.
Entering this turbulent state creates an opportunity to unleash the energy lying dormant within the body.
Of course, the process is incredibly painful.
But if you can endure it, the parts of your genes that don't normally code for proteins will be activated.
This significantly accelerates our body's evolution, allowing us to develop new abilities.
That is the 'potential activation' of the third step."
After listening to Bai Yuekui's explanation, Goku looked bewildered— there were simply too many specialized biological terms that he didn't quite understand.
"It seems your level of education isn't very high."
Bai Yuekui raised an eyebrow; she had already sized up Goku's knowledge level.
Then again, that was to be expected—how many people in the apocalypse still had the time and energy to focus on learning?
"You can think of it this way: using intense emotions to trigger a bodily mutation, thereby unlocking your latent potential and gaining greater power.
These emotions can be positive—like joy, love, or gratitude—or negative—like hatred, fear, or even rage."
Bai Yuekui explained the principles of potential unlocking once more, this time in simpler, clearer terms.
This time, Goku finally grasped the concept.
"I did feel my strength increase when I was angry."
He remembered how furious he had been back at Korin Tower when he saw Mercenary Tao kill Upa's father.
His strength had indeed risen a bit back then, though he had still lost to Mercenary Tao in the end.
"Anger alone isn't enough; you need the right techniques to actively trigger that latent potential."
Bai Yuekui explained. In the Old Era, there were many people who would experience sudden, extreme emotional outbursts.
True, but those who actually managed to unlock their latent potential were one in a hundred million.
Dragon Bone Village, however, made it possible for the majority of people to do so.
The ability to unlock this potential naturally stemmed from mastering specific techniques.
Even if an attempt at voluntary activation failed, one could still rely on "phenomenological devices" from the Old Era's Heluo Civilization to force the process.
However, voluntary activation was preferable; the energy within Goku was so immense that the phenomenological devices might not be able to withstand the strain.