Chapter 196: Selfish and Capricious
"Spirit Hub melting energy... are you simulating your own Spirit Hub?" Ye Zi, whose thoughts jumped quickly, changed the topic again.
"I am the most easily obtained high-level Ability User experimental sample. It's too difficult to find other living Unmelting Realm cultivators to dissect, and dead people offer no way to observe life activities. Why bother seeking far and wide when the near is at hand?"
"Every Unmelting Realm Ability User is a pillar of their respective sphere; it's impossible to easily abandon them." After echoing this statement, she asked a question that concerned everyone present, "What are your thoughts on the path ahead?"
"You've also completed your brain's spirit energy conversion?" Bai Mo didn't answer directly right away.
Ye Zi nodded.
Upon hearing the words "brain's spirit energy conversion," the attention of those present became even more focused. This was because, with the exception of Chen Bo, several others were more or less trapped at this stage, unable to make any further progress in their power. Thus, they all wished to know an effective method to accelerate the brain's spirit energy conversion.
"I believe the next step is to integrate one's entire body into the Life Field, but beyond that, I have no ideas." Bai Mo paid no heed to the eager gazes of those around him, but continued discussing the question from before.
"After achieving perfection, I believe the Life Field should project out from the body and begin to interfere with the external world." Ye Zi put forth her conjecture.
"As for the specific method, I guess it might be through overflowing mental power seeping outwards..." Chen Bo also joined the discussion on the cutting-edge path.
...
The three individuals, representing different factions, rarely and temporarily cast aside all factional prejudices, openly and honestly discussing the direction of future progress.
Inspired by them, Cheng Mu and the others, who were also in the Unmelting Realm, also occasionally shared some of their own insights, albeit with reservations. Of course, more often they were ruminating on the words of the three.
After all, they had largely reached this stage by relying on Heavenly materials and earthly treasures transported from various regions to the central government, belonging to the "pill-popping" cultivation style. Comparatively, their daily cultivation experiences and reflections were far fewer.
Later, the discussion grew increasingly fervent, and the content began to spread beyond the initial questions. The surroundings even became an experimental ground for their arguments, as all sorts of Spirit Arts continuously roared.
It was also fortunate that Bai Mo had just built an attack absorption system, so the testing of various Spirit Arts did not cause any damage to the experimental ground.
"What are we eating for? What are we sleeping for? We are cultivators!" During this time, the medical team responsible for monitoring Cheng Mu and the others' physical conditions suggested that they eat first and take a nap before resuming the discussion, but he, full of enthusiasm for the conversation, roared back at them.
Facing such a leader, the nursing staff could only leave with a wry smile.
The discussion lasted a full day and night. By the end, there was essentially nothing left to say, and just as they were about to fall into an awkward silence, the crowd finally dispersed.
Everyone had forgotten their original purpose for coming here, but once the leaders' intentions had been determined, these were no longer issues.
The seven individuals subsequently held a meeting with their subordinates, deciding to first carry out the first phase of the pilot project in Tianzhong City, near Tianqing. After its completion and acceptance, they would then consider proceeding with the second phase of promotion.
After the directive was issued from the highest level, relevant personnel began to be deployed and assigned to their respective positions, level by level.
In the name of the Huaxia Federation, and through Bai Mo's connections, a batch of rune-engraving machines was transported from industrial research centers in several Western European countries and delivered to the construction headquarters on the outskirts of Tianzhong City.
Preparations proceeded in an orderly manner. Meanwhile, he held the municipal planning map of Tianzhong City, utilizing his powerful computational ability to single-handedly study the network layout problem for the entire city.
As it concerned his own plan, he could not possibly hand over the design rights to others.
At the same time, the construction of a massive nuclear power plant also began its site selection planning. At least for now, nuclear energy remained the method with the highest relative energy output.
Furthermore, after research reports emerged stating that radiation could promote the proliferation of Spirit Qi, public fear of nuclear power significantly decreased. The fact that the Chernobyl ruins had become a blessed land with a considerably high Spirit Qi concentration directly proved this.
Some people, who deeply believed in achieving success through mutation, even hoped that nuclear power plants would be built near their homes.
Due to the report later released by Zhao Jiasen regarding high-energy radiation accelerating spirit energy conversion, more than a year ago, some individuals who smelled business opportunities and had solid government connections to acquire nuclear materials rushed to establish low-dose radiation cultivation chambers, earning substantial profits through exorbitant fees.
Aside from radiation cultivation chambers, emerging industries centered around Ability Users also included gravity cultivation chambers, mutated animal restaurants, and a series of other establishments.
As more and more upper-echelon figures began their cultivation for longevity and power, the Ability User community gradually concentrated the world's power and wealth, and an increasing number of new industries centered around them emerged.
Although there was still a great distance from the legendary "difference between immortals and mortals," the societal stratification was clearly irreversible. Many ordinary people wished to seize the opportunity, to catch the last train before the complete tearing apart of society and become people of standing.
"Why does the price of this Xuanhuang Fruit change every day!" Inside the elegantly decorated and heavily guarded Xuanhuang Fruit specialty store, a couple with their child complained to the salesperson.
"If you're not buying, please make way; there are many others waiting for their lottery number," the salesperson serving them seemed a bit impatient.
"No, no, no, let us just look a bit longer." Having finally gotten lucky enough to draw a chance to purchase, the couple naturally couldn't bear to give it up, knowing many others were waiting for their spot.
"Hurry up, stop dawdling."
"Two and a half million," the wife whispered to her husband, "our savings of over ten years, if we put them together, should be enough."
"I really didn't expect it was only ten thousand Contribution Points during the first public sale," the husband lamented. "Now, over a year later, it's more than doubled. I really regret not buying it then!"
"Where in this world is there regret medicine?" his wife said. "For our son's future, let's buy it. As long as he becomes a powerful Ability User in a few years, then all our efforts will have been worth it."
"The chance of naturally awakening an ability is only one percent, and who knows when that might happen," he reasoned. "A quick step now means quick steps all the way—buy it!" As a father, he finally made up his mind and bought it with half a lifetime's savings.
After over a year of continuous improvement, the success rate of awakening abilities after consuming Xuanhuang Fruit had approached one hundred percent. Therefore, every vendor promised a free second fruit if the first one was ineffective.
Whether to buy a Xuanhuang Fruit, and if bought, who to use it on, had become an exceedingly difficult choice for countless ordinary families.
For ordinary families who could only afford one Xuanhuang Fruit, this was an even harder problem to deal with than buying a house. A property deed could have more than one name on it, but this item could only be consumed by one person, and families falling out due to disagreements were ubiquitous.
Of course, none of this was within the consideration of Bai Mo, the originator of it all. As early as when the method for making Xuanhuang Fruit spread, he had already achieved his goal, and then left everything else to time to sort out.
At the end of the day, he was merely a somewhat selfish and capricious person.
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