In Lu Yan's eyes, the entire Yang City incident was shrouded in mystery.
According to his understanding, the whole affair had started with a short viral video. At first, it sparked a wave of attention, and then, out of nowhere, the "Mysterious Man of Mount Taihe" appeared.
From there, a strange "breathing method" was spread around.
And then—nothing more.
The logic behind these actions was completely different from the scam operations that had been popping up in other regions.
So many days had passed, and yet the man behind it never appeared again.
Lu Yan had tried to track down and investigate the girl who uploaded the video, but eventually confirmed she had no involvement—it was purely a coincidence.
As a result, the investigation could only focus on the video itself and the place where the man had appeared.
They had gone to the site at Mount Taihe several times, but found nothing. As for the city-center commercial district—where their hopes had been pinned—the results left the team baffled.
The "mysterious man" seemed to have appeared out of thin air, and disappeared just as suddenly. None of the surrounding street cameras captured his presence.
Worse still, on the day of the event, a strange fog had blanketed the area, obscuring vision. Witnesses couldn't provide any useful descriptions.
"The site has been checked again and again. Forget tracking his movements—we can't even figure out how he appeared on the rooftop. That stone stele was inspected thoroughly, too. Clearly cleaned, not a single fingerprint left behind. Even the handwriting on it… it looks deliberately disguised…"
Across from him, the male investigator listed the findings one by one with a bitter expression.
"As for the video itself, we could extract some information.
The target was of medium build, likely male. He didn't look old, but considering his physical condition… hard to estimate.
His clothes were generic, his face perfectly concealed…"
The female investigator next to him sighed.
"With only that much to go on, it's basically like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Sure, we can narrow it down to the Yang City area. But first, we can't tell if he's a local resident or just a visitor.
Second, given how deliberate his concealment seems, I'm starting to suspect he might not even be from Yang City. He could be from a neighboring city for all we know."
Seeing the frustration on both their faces, Lu Yan sighed as well. He set the file down and tried to reassure them.
"Don't be so impatient. Think about it another way—why do we even need to find him?"
"Leader… what do you mean?" The two looked at him, stunned.
Lu Yan's expression turned serious.
"So far, this mysterious man hasn't committed any crimes. At most, you could call it disturbing the peace—and even that's a stretch.
We have no solid reason to hunt him down.
The real issue isn't who he is. The issue is that this method he left behind… might actually work."
The room fell silent. Lu Yan continued, voice low and thoughtful.
"From our investigations these past days, you've seen it yourselves. Some people have been practicing this breathing technique, and based on feedback, it really does seem to benefit the body.
In fact, I've tried it myself, and confirmed the same.
Most people show only minor improvements. But a few… the changes are significant."
He paused before adding:
"And so far, every change we've seen has been positive."
"So…?"
"So my opinion is that we end the investigation here. As for this method, I want us to prepare a report and send it upward."
"Upward?"
"Yes. Send it to the higher-ups."
Lu Yan's voice grew solemn. "First the Black Box, now the Oasis. The world is no longer what it used to be. We need professionals at the top to analyze this breathing technique.
Right now, it's not getting nearly enough attention."
Hearing this, the two colleagues grew serious. After a moment's hesitation, they both nodded.
"Alright. Let's do it."
With the decision made, the three of them felt as though a weight had been lifted from their shoulders. The female investigator even laughed lightly.
"Too bad, though. What this case really needs is a sensational 'trigger' event. That would make it a lot easier for the higher-ups to pay attention."
Lu Yan could only smile at that.
These days, "masters" were popping up all over the world. Compared to even stranger reports elsewhere, Yang City's case wasn't guaranteed to stand out.
Just then, the female investigator's phone lit up. She picked it up casually, glanced at the screen—and her expression immediately shifted to something complicated.
"What is it?" Lu Yan asked.
She looked up, voice carrying a strange weight.
"That 'trigger'… just arrived."
At the same time, Lin Tuo was having similar thoughts as he observed the cultivation progress in Yang City.
Based on past experience, barring world-shaking anomalies like the Black Box, any new thing needed a process before being accepted by the public.
At first, it might circulate only within a small circle.
Outsiders would hear of it, but not take it seriously.
Until one day, an "ignition point" appeared, sparking wider recognition, and pushing it into mainstream awareness.
Lin Tuo believed the "Azure Breath Technique" was right on the cusp of such a breakthrough. He began to seriously consider whether he could do something to speed that up.
Unfortunately, he found no good ideas, and finally gave up around midnight, heading to bed.
In his sleep, Lin Tuo had no idea that the special investigation team had already decided to close the case that night.
Nor did he know that the "ignition point" he'd been waiting for was already on its way.
It wasn't until the next morning that he realized.
When he woke up, checked his phone, and opened his social feed, he was stunned to see it flooded with the same article.
The title was simple:
"Breaking News! Exam Results from Multiple Yang City High Schools Released! Principals Left in Shock!"
Baffled, he tapped the link. It opened to an article from a local Yang City public account.
The writing was straightforward, almost crude:
"Recently, with the new semester beginning, schools conducted placement tests to assess students' holiday learning.
Unexpectedly, the results stunned everyone!"
"…Many schools reported certain 'underachievers' showing massive improvements in scores, enough to draw serious attention…"
"…Upon investigation, it was discovered these students had all, coincidentally, been practicing the recently viral 'Azure Breath Technique'…"
The article was clearly sensationalist, the tone overblown. Lin Tuo only needed a quick skim to grasp it.
Basically, some ordinary students had done unusually well in their placement exams, raising eyebrows. Upon digging, it turned out many of them had tried practicing the breathing method.
Somehow, this marketing account had gotten hold of the story, dressed it up, and spun it with heavy implication.
It didn't outright claim causation, but the innuendo was obvious: the students improved because they practiced the breathing technique.
At the bottom, the view count already showed 100,000+, with over 50,000 likes.
Total reads likely exceeded a million.
The comments were full of parents.
Many shared "personal examples" to prove the article's truth. Others asked if it was real.
Clearly, the story had gone viral among parents in Yang City.
"This is insane…" Lin Tuo muttered, wide awake now.
He shook his head, trying to sort his thoughts.
"So… the breathing method can boost test scores too?"
"No… that's impossible. At least, not in such a short time."
Absorbing Ether and evolving life did improve memory, focus, and reaction time—he himself was proof.
But it had only been a short while since he spread the technique.
Even the dozens of gifted individuals he had personally nurtured hadn't improved that dramatically yet.
For the average student? No way.
At best, there could be small gains. Not the massive leap this article described.
"This marketing account is just exaggerating to grab clicks…" Lin Tuo rubbed his temples, conflicted.
Still, he didn't think it was fabricated outright.
In middle school, grades often fluctuated. Students, driven by curiosity, would be more likely to try the breathing method, even if their parents dismissed it.
If a few stuck with it and absorbed some Ether, minor improvements could happen.
Normally, that wouldn't amount to much.
But with the article's flashy packaging, it had exploded.
"Is this what they call a pillow falling from the sky when you're dozing off?" Lin Tuo muttered with a half-laugh.
Considering how much Chinese parents cared about grades, he didn't even need to imagine what would happen next.
If they were willing to pay tens of thousands for tutoring, how could they ignore a free breathing method?
Closing the article, he checked his chat groups. As expected, every group was buzzing with discussion.
Even his long-dead university alumni chat was alive again.
Graduates who had been out of school for years were joking around, lamenting that they hadn't been born later.
"Has anyone in here tried it yet?" one classmate asked.
"I tried a while back. Didn't feel much, so I quit."
"I didn't, but my boyfriend's been doing it. Honestly, he does seem healthier lately…"
"Hiss… in that case, maybe I should try again. Stick with it this time."
"+1"
"+1"
"+1"
"…What the heck." Lin Tuo shook his head, amused, and didn't join in.
Instead, he went out to greet Hua Xi, who was practicing standing meditation in the yard, then returned to his study.
Now that the breathing method had gone viral on its own, he didn't need to intervene.
Which meant it was time to move on to the matter of the "New Continent."
(End of Chapter)