If not for a sudden glance at the calendar, Lin Tuo would have almost forgotten this holiday.
In previous years, around this time, media outlets would bombard him with Qixi Festival marketing, enough to roast a single dog like him inside and out. But this year was a little different.
Qixi happened to coincide with the appearance of the "Oasis," and people's attention couldn't be split between two hot topics. Aside from young couples still being enthusiastic, most discussions revolved around matters concerning the fate of humanity.
Not the most romantic topics, admittedly.
In contrast, the one who should care most—Lin Tuo himself—seemed irresponsibly indifferent.
He simply took Huaxi out, found a restaurant without Qixi promotions, filled their stomachs, then headed straight to the bustling snack street. They ate from one end to the other, cheerful and relaxed.
They even watched an outdoor performance. By the time they teleported back, it was already past ten at night.
Huaxi turned toward her room for washing up and cultivation.
Lin Tuo washed his face first, then dragged a chair over to sit beside the Sand Table.
He pulled out his phone and skimmed through the news. Just as expected, every media headline was about the Oasis and the shocking possibility of a terrestrial-like civilization.
Further developments would have to wait for excavation to progress.
In truth, Lin Tuo thought these people had been absurdly lucky.
Although the underground ruins of the Oasis were extensive, with time acceleration most objects had decayed. Only a small number might be preserved due to special burial conditions or sealed environments. The amount was limited.
Yet these people had stumbled upon them on their very first day.
Shaking his head, Lin Tuo sighed briefly, then set the matter aside and turned to the Sand Table.
"Switch, Yang City."
With a thought, he tapped the card representing Yang City. At once, the flowing light and shadows on the long table shifted, and the Evolution Sand Table switched from the Oasis back to Yang City in observation mode.
The central districts glowed brightly with lights, while the outskirts grew sparser, twinkling like scattered stars under a bird's-eye view.
Tonight Yang City was clear, which also made it much easier to observe Ether.
Above the Sand Table, wisps of pale blue-white cyclones swirled. Looking closely, one could see countless "Ether lines" descending from the heavens, connecting every corner of the city.
These elongated threads weren't taut but had a supple resilience, like smoke drifting in the wind—linking sky and earth, Ether and humanity.
Each line marked an individual practicing the Azure Spirit Breathing Technique, who had already entered the introductory stage.
Depending on talent, the thickness of these Ether lines varied.
"Mm, there really are more than a few days ago." There were too many lines to count individually. Lin Tuo estimated there were now several thousand.
That meant at this very moment in Yang City, thousands of people had sensed Ether and were absorbing it.
The number sounded small, but considering that time had already sifted out the initial casual dabblers, those remaining were people who had persisted.
So the number was acceptable.
"Still a bit too few though."
Pondering, Lin Tuo's gaze swept across the dozens of thicker Ether lines.
They were scattered irregularly. Two in particular drew his attention.
One pointed toward his former company's office building—though he couldn't see exactly who it was.
The other pointed straight at Lishan, his own area—and belonged to Huaxi.
"Didn't expect the little girl to have decent talent." A smile tugged at Lin Tuo's lips. Considering she was an Evolver, it wasn't too surprising.
He'd long suspected that the "abilities" of Evolvers were simply another way of harnessing Ether.
With that thought, Lin Tuo raised his hand again and, using the Sand Table's authority, forcibly interfered with Ether distribution, enriching the concentration around these dozens of "seed players."
Silently, pale-blue energy spread out and gathered at certain spots.
Next door, in her pink pajamas, Huaxi sat cross-legged on her bed, barefoot, earnestly practicing the Breathing Technique.
Invisible to normal eyes, Ether slowly drifted into her nose and mouth with her breathing. Most dispersed, but a small portion stayed within.
Suddenly, she vaguely felt that mysterious energy she'd been sensing grow much denser. Puzzled, but without time to overthink, she absorbed frantically.
…
Inside a downtown office building—Lin Tuo's former company.
The employees had long gone home. Only department manager Li Tai remained, sitting cross-legged before a window.
Breathing slowly in rhythm, he suddenly opened his eyes, a mix of delight and doubt flashing in them:
"That energy… it feels stronger again!"
This was the second time he'd experienced this.
He vividly remembered that on the very first night he'd tried the Breathing Technique, he'd successfully alleviated the pain from his chronic occupational illness.
Over the following weeks, he'd kept at it, but the energy never felt as abundant as that first time.
He'd wondered if the "first time" had been special, or if perhaps this office was simply a better spot than his home.
That was why he'd been sleeping over at the company so often.
Meanwhile, his body had been gradually changing. Small improvements, but steady ones.
He'd stopped taking medication, his neck pain was gone, and most importantly, his mind was sharper, his thinking clearer.
Outsiders only noticed he looked healthier lately, but only he understood the real reason—this mysterious Breathing Technique.
He'd even visited his parents to personally teach them. Unfortunately, perhaps because of their age, their results were very poor.
Now, sensing the denser energy again, Li Tai was overjoyed. Without hesitation, he closed his eyes and resumed cultivation.
…
"Stronger energy?" In an apartment building elsewhere in Yang City, Jiang Yishan—who had once witnessed the "mysterious martial artist of Taihe Mountain" with her friend—arched a brow.
Then, without even opening her eyes, she steadied her breath and focused on cultivation.
Moonlight streamed into her room, casting silver radiance across her tanned skin, as if cloaking her in lunar brilliance.
…
At the same time, across Yang City, dozens of gifted practitioners faintly sensed the shift in "heaven and earth energy."
By contrast, the thousands of others remained oblivious.
…
Meanwhile, in a solemn building far from the crowds, lights still burned late into the night.
On the third floor, a man in casual clothes with a buzz cut deliberately broke from cultivation.
The moment he opened his eyes, footsteps arrived outside his office door.
"Come in," he said.
The door opened. A young man and woman entered. "Boss, your hearing's way too sharp."
Lu Yan rose, glancing at the woman. "No, you're just walking too loudly."
"I forgot to change shoes." She grinned, then added, "Were you testing that Breathing Technique again?"
Lu Yan nodded, gesturing to the sofa. "Sit. Well? Any results from the assignment I gave you?"
"See for yourself." The young man sighed and handed him a file.
Lu Yan accepted it, sat down, and began to read. The deeper he read, the tighter his brow furrowed. Finally, he set it down, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples, clearly pained.
A week ago, Yang City's higher authorities had received reports about the Azure Spirit Breathing Technique. They dispatched a small investigation team to deal with it.
There were only three members, with Lu Yan as the leader.
At first, they thought it was just another scam, like many that had recently cropped up—charlatans using the chaos to profit. They'd personally dealt with two or three such cases already.
It should have been easy.
But to their surprise, days passed and not only had they failed to find the mysterious originator—by now, even their leader, Lu Yan, had been "drawn in."
(End of Chapter)