"Jin Qu, what was the meaning of that?" the elder asked after Bai Mo left, dismissing the surrounding guards. He found the officer's final demeanor quite strange; it was the kind of treatment one reserved for a peer or friend.
"That aura alone wouldn't have made me treat him with such solemnity. The military isn't without abilities that purely intimidate people."
"Are you saying he might just be all show, using illusory power to intimidate us, but with very low actual combat strength?"
"I originally thought that was a possibility, but do you know what kind of fabric his clothes were made of?" the middle-aged officer asked offhandedly.
"What does that have to do with anything? How would I know such a thing?"
"If I'm not mistaken, that clothing had a layer of UHM fiber woven into it."
"Get to the point."
"This fiber is one of the toughest currently available, a crucial material for cutting-edge bulletproof vests. With the thickness of UHM woven into his clothing, even if a Jurassic Tyrannosaurus Rex were resurrected, tearing it would be no easy feat. Yet, he unintentionally... that was pure, unadulterated brute force."
"Perhaps we should count ourselves lucky that we've met the right person this time," the elder said after listening.
"I hope he can truly achieve something. The times have changed, but I still want to catch the last train."
His health consultant had subtly hinted that he might have less than a decade left, so he wanted to try anything that offered even a glimmer of hope. His personal involvement in the interviews for the Tianhai region was also due to this consideration. Otherwise, the mere interviews for a group of newcomers certainly wouldn't have required his presence.
...
"What's wrong with spending a little money to buy some hope? They're willing to halt countless projects and allocate massive financial budgets to establish an unprecedented Spirit Energy Research Institute, all for this very reason."
"Interests were aligned to an unprecedented degree; there was no bickering at all, and the decision was made in three days."
"Because eternal life encompasses all desires."
The two, who had known each other for decades, clearly had a very good relationship.
"The world is indeed changing. People like him will likely become more common."
"Youth is truly wonderful."
"The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment," the middle-aged man still reminded him.
"Your body is still perfectly fine; how could you understand the feelings of us old folks, plagued by aches and ailments? I lack nothing, yet even an extra ounce or two of rice must be carefully weighed by my nutritionist, leaving me half-full, half-hungry all year round."
"I can afford to eat anything, but I can't eat anything."
At these words, the middle-aged officer simply smiled and said nothing more, knowing that no words would help. The two left the office, escorted by guards.
...
Bai Mo had custom-ordered his clothes online, because his rapidly surging power was difficult to precisely control; ordinary fabrics were simply unwearable, tearing into shreds with the slightest exertion. Unfortunately, he had still underestimated his destructive power. Perhaps a fabric woven purely from UHM fiber could withstand it completely, but blended clothing was still too flimsy.
"For that collaboration, I'll just repackage the method of absorbing Spirit Qi from Spirit Stones and give it to them. Anyway, at this stage, my demand for Spirit Stones is almost zero, and the efficiency of heating Spirit Stones to absorb Spirit Qi can't compare to the acceleration I achieve with my psionic power. I might as well just sell it to them as a research result."
"However, handing them the heating method directly isn't good either. The method is too simple; they'll definitely think I'm swindling funds. Even though I just accidentally exposed my power and intimidated them, it would still invite a heap of trouble."
Bai Mo knew that these powerful figures' money wasn't so easily taken. They could tolerate failed investments, or efforts that yielded no results, but they would absolutely not tolerate being fooled. After all, life wasn't some feel-good "chicken soup" anecdote; if they really spent tens of millions to buy the four words "heating Spirit Stones," any subsequent cooperation would likely fall through immediately.
"I truly envy eras where might makes right; there's no need for so many twists and turns."
"Unfortunately, at my current stage, I'm not strong enough. I still need to cultivate good relations with them and integrate myself into the core of Huaxia."
"...I'd also tested the Spirit Stone material before; even after pulverizing it, heating it can still release Spirit Qi, and it's a one-time release. Although it's a bit more wasteful than heating a whole stone, the advantage is a much larger burst quantity. Or, I could leverage this: mix the Spirit Stone powder with some high-priced calming incense, then add it to candles. This would achieve the effect of releasing Spirit Qi when the candle is lit, and the incense also has a certain calming effect, which should lead to a better psychological impact."
He already had a comprehensive plan: to tie these candles to his own fortuitous encounter, then present these "encounters" to the nation, thereby establishing a connection with the leadership.
"These candles will undoubtedly satisfy them greatly, and then I can use the opportunity to propose becoming a formal member of the Spirit Energy Research Institute, gaining access to Huaxia's cutting-edge research. Following that, I can play the long game, using the reputation of those two 'secret manuals' to acquire even more..."
Leveraging his limited advantage of information asymmetry, he set up this small scheme. Bai Mo knew well that merely having a head start of a few months in obtaining Spirit Stones was far from enough to give him a significant lead on the cultivation path. Rather than letting this advantage slowly dwindle, he might as well make a one-time deal, selling the information about the Spirit Stones for a good price and quickly integrating himself into the circles of the powerful elite. An ordinary student simply couldn't compare to someone from the powerful elite who could freely command vast resources.
...
Bai Mo went alone to the bustling, mixed-bag wholesale market.
He ran around to several places before finally gathering all these small items.
"Luckily, I picked up some Spirit Stones back in Hawaii, saving me the trouble of searching for stones on volcanoes. It's not easy to find a volcano here in Tianhai."
Carrying a few bags of materials and tools, Bai Mo put them down in his dormitory and immediately set about realizing the idea he'd had earlier that afternoon.
Following an online tutorial for making handmade candles, he first set up the heating equipment, then chopped up the beeswax and placed it inside to melt. He carefully controlled the temperature, keeping it between 145 and 170 degrees. Once all the beeswax had melted, he added the Spirit Stone powder and aromatherapy essential oils...
Bai Mo methodically followed the steps he'd found online. As a science student who spent a lot of time in laboratories, he was adept at performing such small experiments. Without a single mistake, he created his first Spirit Stone candle.
Once the experimental product cooled down, he began evaluating the finished item he had created.
"Too little Spirit Stone powder, too much essential oil, insufficient Spirit Qi release effect; needs improvement."
...
One experiment after another, tirelessly seeking the optimal ratio, before he knew it, it was deep into the night again.
After completing the candles, he looked at his finished products and still felt that there was no real technical content in them. It was purely exploiting information asymmetry, and it definitely wouldn't stay hidden for long. The only reason it could succeed in fooling anyone was that, at this time, Spirit Stones were nothing more than broken rocks found at the foot of volcanoes in everyone's eyes; no one could imagine such miraculous effects.
However, he had no intention of collecting a large quantity and waiting for them to appreciate in value.
Because Spirit Stones were not a scarce commodity... you could find handfuls of them under every volcano. Rather than toiling away as a black market miner, it was better to research how to ascend and enter the core of the research institute.
A significant portion of Huaxia's entire cultivation resources would certainly become experimental samples for the Spirit Energy Research Institute. As long as he held an official position within the institute and applied for them under the guise of experimental needs, these small items would be inexhaustible.
Of course, the most important point was that surface-level Spirit Stones no longer had a significant effect on Bai Mo. He suspected there might be higher-grade Spirit Stones deep underground, but those weren't something a single person could dig up alone.
...
"I have, at most, about a month of information advantage left. The matter of Spirit Stones can't be kept secret for much longer, especially since my mentor's paper on adding Spirit Stones to steel has likely almost completed detailed verification and is entering its final publication stage."
"Once it's made public, the existence of Spirit Stones will enter many people's vision. I need to use this time gap to complete my capital accumulation..."
...
The next day, a little past nine, he arrived as scheduled at the Martial Arts Association, only to see an incredibly grand, ancient-style building standing before him.
Although the number of people practicing martial arts was dwindling, it was ultimately an activity for the wealthy and leisured. This group of well-off martial artists sought grandeur wherever they went, so naturally, a martial arts center like the Martial Arts Association was built by such people with carved beams and painted pillars, exuding magnificent aura.
Just as he reached the entrance, Bai Mo suddenly recalled a common trope from the novels he used to read. If he simply walked straight in, would a few disciples of the association appear to block him, or would the greeters outside look down on him, a young man dressed ordinarily, and bar his entry?
Falling into this idle fantasy, Bai Mo, too lazy to encounter such imagined troubles, opted to call Hua Taishan directly.
"Good morning, Elder Hua. I'm currently at the entrance of your Martial Arts Association. May I ask how to enter?"
"You're here so early? Just walk straight in and go up to the second floor."