The next morning, Ren Suo felt something subtly amiss as soon as he woke up.
It was amiss because he felt extremely comfortable.
Normally, Ren Suo was a healthy 22-year-old man who had never encountered any perverted uncles in childhood. He should have woken up with an unvoiced urge to pee and a body that, although awake, still felt a bit floppy as he tried to laze in bed.
However, the moment Ren Suo opened his eyes, he felt his body instantly snap to alertness. Every cell seemed to urge him: stop f***ing sleeping and get excited! It was almost like being a five-year-old again, waking up on the morning he learned he was going to an amusement park.
It was as if he hadn't slept at all, but had merely lain down and woken up instantly.
Ren Suo covered his mouth and breathed out; the pasty taste told him that the microorganisms in his mouth had indeed fermented from not being opened for eight hours.
Ren Suo went to brush his teeth and wash his face. He saw it was already 9:04 in the morning when his phone rang.
Glancing at the caller ID, he answered, "Mom, what's up so early?"
"Hm? I came back yesterday. I'm at home."
"What? A blind date? What blind date? I'm a grown man... Besides, didn't you guys tell me not to date in college? Last time I was home, I saw you cautioning my younger sister over and over..."
A few minutes later, Ren Suo put down his phone with a helpless look on his face.
He couldn't believe his mother was urging him to go on a blind date, especially as he was nearing college graduation. She hoped he'd get married next year and have a child the year after. Preferably, he'd have both a boy and a girl, supporting the national two-child policy for optimal births and upbringing...
Dammit! Ren Suo still remembered his parents constantly telling him not to date throughout middle school, high school, and university. Consequently, he hadn't acquired any 'skills' in the 'dating' department...
Well, that was Ren Suo's last shred of dignity talking. In reality, he had never truly heeded his parents' advice—how could that aspect of life be completely forbidden?
Ren Suo had interacted with girls in clubs and classes, but alas, internet cafes were genuinely more interesting than girls. In the end, he always chose to distance himself from girls and immerse himself in studies and gaming...
Who knew his mom would be in such a hurry? Ren Suo had repeatedly made it clear that he had no interest in meeting girls at this stage. He was on the verge of admitting he was a coward and his experience communicating with girls was stuck at a kindergarten level. Yet, his mom insisted he should at least become friends with an old friend's daughter...
Supposedly, the girl was two years younger than him and only a freshman at a university in Lianjiang City—practically a sweet, tender underclassman. Generally, girls her age wouldn't agree to a blind date, and their parents wouldn't be so eager unless—well—unless she had a reason to be in a hurry...
Nevertheless, his mother was probably just talking. Maybe when Mom shows the girl his photo, the whole thing will fall through, right?
With this thought, Ren Suo relaxed, but then he suddenly remembered something—he had forgotten to tell his parents about the Cultivators.
At the training base, someone had asked if it was possible to pass on their Cultivation Techniques to others. The instructor had responded briskly, "There is no mention from above that the techniques must be kept secret, but the training base is highly confidential. If you're found leaking its location, you'll be prosecuted for leaking classified information."
"However, the key to your Foundation Establishment process in obtaining the Qi Cyclone is not the Breathing Technique itself, but the location where you are—the sports grounds infused with Spiritual Energy. Pure Breathing Techniques are largely meaningless. Even if you teach them to others, they'll only have a chance to perceive Spiritual Energy and cultivate if their Talent is exceptional—meaning they are geniuses many times stronger than you."
"If you have such relatives or friends, please introduce them to us. Even if they were previously well-known businessmen or billionaires, the country is willing to offer them a position that matches their Talent... and a future!"
Although the instructor had put it that way, Ren Suo still wanted his family to try and see if they could sense Spiritual Energy. Yet, this Breathing Technique truly wasn't magical. It even bore traces of the 'Qi Gong' scams from the 1980s. This made it quite a chore to convince family members that the technique could lead to cultivation.
Before cultivating his internal cyclone, Ren Suo couldn't feel any Spiritual Energy when practicing the Breathing Technique outside the sports grounds. Only when practicing within the grounds did he feel as though his body had opened countless mouths, greedily absorbing Spiritual Energy from every corner of space.
Therefore, when ordinary people practiced the Breathing Technique, they likely wouldn't feel anything unless they were the geniuses the instructor mentioned. Such a complex breathing exercise, without positive feedback, would leave them clueless about whether they were doing it correctly, and they would easily give up.
"I'll take a day off to go home and let them try cultivating. Maybe our Ren Family really has a genius... Hm?"
Suddenly, Ren Suo paused, immediately sat up straight on the sofa, and began to practice the Breathing Technique.
The next second, his expression changed dramatically—it was like the thrill of seeing his favorite game suddenly 99% OFF!
He felt the speed at which his body absorbed Spiritual Energy suddenly increase severalfold. Previously, his body was like sipping Spiritual Energy through a straw. Now, it was as if he had pan-fried and stir-fried the Spiritual Energy into a steak and gobbled it up—providing dozens of times more nourishment.
Ren Suo recalled knowledge from the Spiritual Energy Recognition Class: "Once the Qi Cyclone has formed, one officially enters the accumulation and development period. Simultaneously, the active Spiritual Energy within the internal cyclone, due to its continuous rotation, constructs a Qi Cyclone network throughout the cultivator's physical body. This allows the cultivator's Spiritual Energy absorption speed to reach the limit of their Talent. Even in places without concentrated Spiritual Energy, their cultivation pace will not slow."
In other words, before the formation of the Qi Cyclone, Cultivators are like students repeatedly practicing the same knowledge point. No matter how much they practice, they only consolidate that single point without learning anything new. However, once the Qi Cyclone starts rotating, they officially begin learning other knowledge points. Each study session accumulates more knowledge, constantly expanding their intellectual network!
That is to say, Ren Suo had officially stepped into the ranks of Cultivators!
However, Ren Suo soon smiled wryly. My Talent is only 1.25, and my absorption speed after the Qi Cyclone has formed is already this impressive. Those people with Talent over 2.0 must be terrifying...
The time it takes for a Qi Cyclone to start rotating after its initial formation varies from person to person. While this period of cultivation might be slightly shortened with effort, the benefit is limited. That's why the training bases sent them back. Those with a Qi Cyclone were already capable of working; as for when their Qi Cyclone would start rotating, that was up to fate.
Suddenly, his phone lit up. Ren Suo realized that he had been cultivating for nearly an hour; it was already 10 o'clock. Cultivation, with its pleasant sensation of absorbing Spiritual Energy, could easily make one lose track of time.
"Hello, Mr. Suo, this is a notice from the Lian Province National Security Bureau. Congratulations, you have been accepted into the Lianjiang City National Security Bureau's Counter-Special Crime Bureau. Please wait for further notice with detailed information from your assigned unit," a message read.
Ren Suo blinked. Only then did he remember You Jilong mentioning yesterday, when they disbanded, that notifications about job reassignments would arrive within one to three business days. However, this message was abrupt and didn't even provide a contact number for the unit. What was going on?
But even though he was abruptly reassigned to the National Security Bureau, he was still a college senior! Formal work wouldn't start for another month or two. So, there was no rush... Right?
Ren Suo pondered. The National Security Bureau had been so eager to train them and then quickly send them back to their respective cities. It really felt as if they were desperately short-handed...
"Forget it, forget it... First, I'll open the Treasure Box and play the new game!" People tend to feel spirited when something delightful happens, and now that Ren Suo had officially become a Cultivator, he eagerly decided to claim the benefits due to him!
In the National Security Bureau's meeting room, the image on the projection screen froze at the moment the Truth Seeker turned into light.
A CLANG resounded from the doorway as Yu Kuangtu walked in. Behind him, several Black Body Armors carried stacks of files, distributing them to everyone in the meeting room.
Li Dan opened a file and immediately raised his eyebrows. Isn't this scheduled for implementation next month...?
"Yes, as everyone can see, the national search plan must be moved up," Yu Kuangtu said preemptively.
The Black Body Armors looked at each other, and someone said, "Then the subsequent supporting measures..."
"Everything has been moved up as well." Noticing someone about to speak, Yu Kuangtu gestured with a downward press of his hand. "I know, all of us will be involved in each upcoming plan, and currently, we are short-handed. Therefore, the Cultivators who were originally sent back to continue their training will be recalled as soon as possible. You will form teams and begin working."
"Is there such urgency?" someone asked.
"This is not the city's decision, nor the province's decision." Yu Kuangtu gestured vaguely upwards, then towards the screen behind him. "This video, 'If You Are Strong, Climb Ten Thousand Meters,' has pierced the last paper screen. Now the whole world knows that this world... has changed."
"The last Fairy Palace Assassin could be explained away as an exceptionally gifted assassin. His final scene could be attributed to some technique or simply movie special effects. If sparks or Ice Pillars appeared in this new video, we could also claim special effects. What if a True Human appeared? People know such things aren't scientifically possible. As long as there's an explanation, they'll remain skeptical."
"But the woman in this video clearly went five days and nights without sleep, performing an almost Non-Human challenge. That's far more terrifying than Special Abilities. Special Abilities can be faked with visual effects, but a human performing such a feat..."
Yu Kuangtu sighed. "Even if she truly has nothing to do with Cultivators, it doesn't matter anymore because ordinary people won't believe it. Incidents like these are becoming more frequent. The higher-ups want us to quickly gather all domestic cultivation talents. Other countries also seem to have accelerated their Cultivator training programs because of this video."
"Alright, everyone, go get busy," he said.
Yu Kuangtu turned his head, looking at the screen where the blonde woman turned into light and vanished. His eyes filled with both desire and confusion.
Desire, because he hadn't imagined humans could achieve such a feat... What had happened to this blonde woman? Had she transformed into a higher life form? Or had she undergone the currently popular 'transmigration'?
Confusion, because Yu Kuangtu felt that 'Ren Naiser,' who published videos with almost no restrictions, seemed like the mouthpiece of certain factions.
Where did they come from?
What exactly were they trying to do?
Who... stood behind them?