Realizing his predicament, Bai Mo relaxed his body, ceased his struggles, and allowed himself to be carried downstream by the Spirit River's current. After being swept to the very end of the flow, he used his divine sense to perceive numerous adventurers who had set up camp in that very spot.
Although many of the adventurers had noticed Bai Mo's strangely potent power within the spirit tide earlier that day, none could recall his precise appearance, as he had almost always presented his back to them.
Thus, when the heavily wounded Bai Mo lay at the river's lowest point, many simply assumed one of their own was so desperate for self-improvement they'd even forgo sleep, only to end up covered in injuries—a truly unrewarding endeavor.
He didn't expect anyone to help him; he began to struggle, pulling himself up.
Just as he was cautiously supporting himself, a hand reached out to him.
Bai Mo looked in the direction the hand came from and saw a delicate, handsome face. A slender boy had extended his hand to him.
Taking the boy's hand, he slowly stood up.
"Thank you, may I ask your name?" Bai Mo inquired.
"Li Zheyī, and you?"
"Hei Xue." Bai Mo didn't use his true name. He felt the recent events had drawn too much attention, and he wasn't keen on revealing his real identity, so he casually fabricated an alias.
"Why did you come to this place?" he asked, just to make conversation.
"Because, because I want to find something that can change my destiny!"
Bai Mo watched the boy, who was so earnestly spouting such grandiose pronouncements to a stranger. He didn't interrupt, but waited for him to continue.
"Ever since I was little, I've always been bullied because of my small stature, and with my weak personality, I've always been afraid, too afraid to protect myself. But I've had enough, I've had enough of this life!"
"In this world that has so clearly changed, I want power! I want power that ensures I'll never be bullied again!" The boy's voice wasn't loud, but Bai Mo could feel the intensity of the emotions contained within it.
After the boy had finished pouring out his feelings to a stranger, Bai Mo observed him; he seemed to have shed some of his timidity, and a glimmer of light, named ambition, flickered in his eyes.
He smiled at the interesting boy and said, "Then you'll have to work hard. And as a side note, I'd advise you to spend as much time as possible soaking in the river. There's no need to force yourself to go far upstream; it's far more beneficial to stay for as long as you can in the less strenuous parts of the lower reaches than to forcefully push forward."
To thank the adorably stubborn boy, Bai Mo kindly offered Li Zheyī a few pointers. Of course, how much he would gain depended entirely on the strength of his own resolve.
With that, he wasted no time and quickly shuffled towards where he had parked his car, leaving the thoughtful boy, Li Zheyī, behind.
This forced upgrade had inflicted severe damage upon his body. Although multiple spirit qi baptisms had granted him considerable self-healing abilities, the extensive and heavy injuries across his entire body were still proving quite troublesome to recover from.
It took him several minutes to hobble to his car. He then opened the door and, under the deepening cloak of night, quietly drove away from the Spirit River.
On the way back, he was stopped by a passing jeep.
"Sir, do you know what happened up ahead?" A person stepped out from the passenger seat.
The grim aura on the person's face, despite their plain clothes, made Bai Mo instinctively think they were likely from the military. Seeing a rare Huaxia face, he didn't turn and leave. Even in his current injured state, it was highly unlikely they could truly stop him.
"The Spirit River. A Spirit River that grants power."
"What kind of power can be obtained?" Hearing Bai Mo's words, an old man emerged from the car, followed by another individual who also looked like a bodyguard.
"You look gravely injured. Use this. We're all Huaxia people, no need to be polite." The old man tossed over a bottle of unlabeled ointment.
Bai Mo twisted open the cap, and a rich herbal scent wafted to his nose. However, he didn't apply it immediately; instead, he screwed the cap back on.
"Superpowers." After putting the ointment away, he uttered the three words that stunned everyone else.
"Really?" This time, a seven or eight-year-old girl got out of the car, looking at Bai Mo with curious eyes. Seeing this, the two bodyguards beside her subtly formed a pincer-like formation, guarding the girl's front-left and front-right.
"You can go try it." He no longer had the mind to bother with this group of people. His injuries were growing increasingly severe, and he needed to return to his hotel to rest immediately.
"Elder Hua, why didn't we..." one of the bodyguards asked after Bai Mo had left.
"If you could perceive his danger, how could I not? He is, after all, a Huaxia expert from the same root and origin, and he has already shared valuable information. There's no need to sour our relationship; I still hope to have an opportunity to converse with this young man."
"Xiao Qing, let's continue." The old man signaled for the car to proceed towards the volcano.
"To be able to evoke such a profound sense of extreme danger in me, even when heavily wounded, is truly intriguing."
Bai Mo slept for three full days in the hotel, and in those three days, the world became considerably more lively...
The attention of all parties in Hawaii was almost entirely drawn to the pillar of light, and a large number of personnel were dispatched to the site to investigate the specific situation.
After investigators located the adventurers by the Spirit River, it didn't take long for them to learn that the pillar of light was a phenomenon caused by an unknown powerhouse's ability evolution.
They then received an even more sensational piece of news from the adventurers: the Spirit River could induce the appearance of superpowers in ordinary people!
Originally, the adventurers had intended to unify their statements and keep the latter piece of news confidential, but under the investigators' "silver bullet" tactics, some of the less united adventurers still ended up leaking the information.
Upon hearing this news, almost everyone in Hawaii was shocked. A small fraction, inclined to believe rather than dismiss, immediately drove off to the Spirit River without hesitation.
A smaller portion of people, however, dismissed it as fake news created by reporters desperate for clicks and attention. Yet, since the journey wasn't actually far—only an hour or two by car—most people still drove to the volcano, driven by curiosity to see what the commotion was about.
Thanks to the developed internet and the professionalism of reporters, in less than half a day, major mainstream media outlets worldwide had broadcast this news.
Countless people, harboring all sorts of ideas and dreams, set off towards the Spirit River closest to them. Society quickly began to paralyze. Many government agencies and public transportation services fell into a semi-stalled state as some drivers and civil servants skipped work to pursue their dreams.
Although there were many volcanoes, and even more Spirit Qi rivers spewing forth, they simply couldn't withstand the sheer number of people. A day later, each Spirit Qi river was more crowded than a swimming pool in midsummer.
Moreover, since the middle and upper reaches were completely unsuitable for anyone who hadn't undergone much reinforcement, everyone was forced to cram into the downstream sections, while spectators lined both banks of the river.