Traditional martial arts—while he had read plenty of thrilling plots in novels where a master could "kill a man in ten steps, leaving no trace for a thousand miles"—in reality, he had never heard of anyone alive boasting such glorious combat achievements. The internet was, instead, rife with news of flashy, impractical martial artists getting thoroughly beaten.
So, when Bai Mo saw the words "traditional martial arts," his heart couldn't help but skip a beat.
Regardless, Bai Mo still felt that it was never a bad thing to know more powerful figures. Living a life free of worries, he harbored no resentment towards the wealthy, nor did he entertain any thoughts of fawning over them or acting as a lackey. However, he also clearly understood that perhaps just a single word from them could save an ordinary person twenty years of struggle.
The emergence of the Spirit River made Bai Mo realize that a new era was rapidly approaching. He needed to seize every possible opportunity to reach the pinnacle with the utmost speed.
Everyone believed they would be the protagonist, and he was no exception.
...
Not long after returning from Hawaii, Bai Mo received a notification from Zhao Jia Sen, asking him to come to his office as there was something very important to discuss.
"Knock, knock, knock," he gently rapped on his mentor's office door.
"Come in."
"Hello, Professor. May I ask what you needed me for?" he inquired directly.
"Xiao Mo, I asked you to come today because I wanted to talk to you about this Spirit Steel."
"Understood, Professor. Please, go on," he thought to himself. "You've already taken all the credit, what else is there to discuss? Are you going to make me a second author?"
"Regarding the discovery of this Spirit Steel material, I've repeated the experiments several times, and indeed, just as in your previous tests, it provides an unprecedented enhancement to steel's properties."
"Then I subjected these steel samples to X-ray diffraction to examine their lattice structure, and found that, starting from the microscopic level, this new material is completely different from ordinary steel..." Zhao Jia Sen spoke at length about research-related topics, essentially explaining that he had personally conducted multiple experiments and ultimately arrived at certain conclusions.
"You're aware of the recent Spirit Tide event that first appeared in Hawaii, causing a global sensation? A Spirit River emerged from the very volcano where I collected my samples. After my tests here, these samples were also found to contain substances highly similar to Spirit Qi."
"Yes, I did find a large quantity of similar stones at the location you mentioned in Hawaii, and I collected some samples before preparing to leave."
"Now, the higher-ups are attaching immense importance to the use and properties of this newly emerged Spirit Qi. Many of the older leaders, I imagine, have seen the great benefits Spirit Qi offers to the human body."
"But constrained by their physical condition, they can't personally enter the river. So, they've mobilized a vast number of related researchers from across the country to form an enormous department, hoping to quickly develop methods that will allow even the elderly to absorb Spirit Qi and improve their bodies."
"Old folks like us aren't even nimble enough to walk usually, so entering the Spirit River and enduring it isn't realistic," Zhao Jia Sen, who usually maintained a stern expression, surprisingly revealed a rare smile, appearing to be in excellent spirits.
"So, Professor, you've been invited into this research department because of your previous discovery of Spirit Steel?" Bai Mo voiced his guess.
"That's right. Because of the Spirit Steel discovery, the people above felt that my finding indicated a unique perspective on this new thing called Spirit Qi, so they pulled me into the research group."
"And now, I'm giving you an opportunity."
"Spirit Qi is an unprecedented new phenomenon; there's been no prior research experience with anything similar. The higher-ups also feel that the research department needs active young minds like yours."
"Young people like yourselves may lack research experience, but precisely because you aren't constrained by fixed mindsets, you're more likely to discover new research directions."
"I recommended you to them. There might be a test later, and I hope you can pass it to become a member of this Huaxia institute, which gathers countless scientific elites. After all, Spirit Qi research is undoubtedly the future mainstream."
"Perhaps one day, we'll be able to synthesize a material like Spirit Qi," Zhao Jia Sen said in a rapid succession of words.
Although he was fond of fame, he also cared deeply about the development of academia and didn't want to see this talented young man under his wing completely buried.
"Thank you for your recommendation. What preparations do I need to make for this test?" Bai Mo asked.
"I'm not entirely sure myself, but it will probably involve questions about your conjectures and understanding of Spirit Qi. No one has officially interacted with it before, so the questions are hard to design; they can only be broad. But it's also a bit like just going through the motions; anyone who gets a recommendation is usually quite capable, so you don't need to worry too much."
"Alright, thank you, Professor. Is there anything else?" Having received this news, he prepared to leave the office.
As Bai Mo expected, Huaxia had already begun ceaselessly establishing relevant research institutes. Some had recognized the immense value behind Spirit Qi, a force that would profoundly change the entire world.
"Nothing else... for now. Just keep an eye on your phone these next few days. Someone will call you with the time and location of the test. I hope to see you in the Spirit Qi Research Institute; do well." Zhao Jia Sen gently patted Bai Mo's shoulder.
After leaving his mentor's office, he once again began contemplating his future development.
"My current combat power isn't stable. My psionic power's destructive range is only about a twenty-meter radius. Beyond that, it would require more time for thought and development to exert its full output. But at least within twenty meters, the method of directly destroying enemies' internal bodies with psionic power truly makes me unrivaled in close combat."
"However, this isn't the era of cold weapon close combat. Long-range thermal weapon warfare is the mainstream. A twenty-meter kill zone is indeed too short."
"Even for assassination, it's sometimes inferior to an ordinary sniper, after all, my main ability is primarily auxiliary psionic power."
"As for the next step, besides slowly continuing to absorb Spirit Qi, there are no other good new ideas for now. Entering the Spirit Qi Research Institute and seeing the ideas of other intelligent people is the correct choice."
Having decided to "rely on a big tree for shade," Bai Mo resolved to return to his dorm, search for relevant information online, and roughly prepare what he needed to say, striving to get into the institute first.
He had just returned to his dorm and was about to open his computer when his phone suddenly rang.
"An unfamiliar number. Whatever, I'll answer it. Maybe it's the test notification."
"Hello, may I speak with Mr. Bai Mo?" A soft, pleasant female voice came from the other end of the line.
"Yes, this is he. What can I do for you?"
"I am a staff member from the Huaxia Spirit Qi Research Institute. I'm calling to inform you that your interview will be held in five days, on December 9th, at No. 13 Chang'an Street in Tianhai City, which is the newly established Tianhai office of the Huaxia Spirit Qi Research Institute. Do you have any questions?"
"Thank you for the notification." He was always a man of few words when dealing with strangers.
After Spirit Qi appeared all over the world, Bai Mo initially felt a sense of melancholy and loss. After all, what was originally his unique "cheat" was now known to everyone; in a while, perhaps everyone would have one.
But on the other hand, he also felt the heavy pressure that had weighed on his heart suddenly vanish. With fewer secrets that couldn't be exposed, his entire being felt much lighter. He no longer had to think about how to hide himself every day, like an underground spy.
Carrying such a massive psychological burden was, in fact, an extremely painful thing, especially since he was originally just an ordinary person who had never received any special training.