"Jin Qu, we must look further ahead. This group of young people, all ability users with good academic backgrounds, may not be outstanding in all aspects right now."
"But their primary mission is to leverage their knowledge and status as ability users to become pioneers in this field, forging a path to enhance human quality using this new substance, Spirit Qi. Who can guarantee that in ten years, they won't become the backbone of the Huaxia Federation?"
"All that talk is just about hedging our bets. During the Spirit River Autumn, I personally went down to the river too, but unfortunately, my luck wasn't great; I didn't gain any so-called abilities. I'm a straightforward man, I won't waste words. Let's go directly and see how the next batch of young people is."
The two slowly began to walk downstairs, with faint glimpses of what appeared to be guards moving around them.
"Everyone, please follow me." At 9:50, the office staff began to gather those who had completed their check-in procedures and led them to the waiting room.
"Please wait patiently outside until your number is called. Test-takers whose numbers are called, please enter the interview room promptly. Thank you for your cooperation," said the staff member leading the group.
Bai Mo looked at the number tag he had received when he registered—it read 27. He then swept his divine sense around and found that, including himself, there were exactly 27 people in this round, making him the last one. He figured he would have to wait quite a while.
Of those who went in before him, a small number emerged looking crestfallen after just two or three minutes, while others walked out expressionlessly. After watching a few, Bai Mo lost interest in observing further.
He rarely paid attention to things unrelated to himself, and instead sat down in a corner to continue preparing his upcoming speech.
Unusually, the atmosphere in the waiting room was quite oppressive. No one spoke, and even those who knew each other only exchanged occasional glances.
Because they had been recommended for this test, each of them had been warned about its importance. A small number who had received insider information even knew the caliber of the interviewers inside, so even if they grew impatient, they tried their best to restrain themselves and remain silent.
Sitting in a corner of the waiting room, he clearly lacked such awareness and paid little attention to his surroundings, busying himself with his own affairs.
When Bai Mo first entered the waiting room, he had already directed his divine sense toward the interview room.
Inside, there were two interviewers, surrounded by a large contingent of armed guards. From this, he deduced that the people inside were not simple, and it also meant that the venue was very secure, with nothing needing his particular attention.
One by one, the people in the waiting room entered the interview room and left with varying moods. It was about two hours later before it was finally Bai Mo's turn.
"Number 27, Bai Mo, please come to the interview room," came the voice of the staff member at the interview room door.
"Mm." Hearing his name, he snapped out of his reverie, responded, and walked toward the interview room. By this point, he was the only one left in the entire waiting room.
Upon entering the interview room, as he had perceived with his divine sense, two people were seated inside. One of them, estimated to be over 50 years old, sat steadily and upright on a stool. Even without a military uniform, it was easy to tell he came from a military background.
The other was an old man who appeared to be in his early seventies, with a head of white hair, but his eyes were still bright and sharp—clearly someone who had long held a high position and was adept at strategizing. Around them were fully armed guards, staring intently at everyone who entered.
"Good afternoon," Bai Mo greeted politely.
"Your name is Bai Mo, and you were recommended by Professor Zhao Jia Sen?"
"Yes."
"It says here the reason for your recommendation is that you have a special feeling for Spirit Qi, and you're potentially able to develop related applications for it? Is this your newly acquired ability?" The old man played the role of a diligent interviewer.
"I merely have some ideas about the use of Spirit Qi; it's not exactly a 'special feeling.' As for the ability itself, the power I gained from the Spirit River allows me to observe, to a certain extent, the flow of a special energy within other people's bodies—an energy I call Spirit Energy."
"Then tell me your thoughts on Spirit Qi," the white-haired old man continued to ask.
"In my view, Spirit Qi is a special form of energy. When living beings absorb this energy, it not only improves their physical quality and strengthens their physique, but also, to some extent, induces biological evolution."
"We, the so-called 'Ability Users,' are essentially just individuals whose certain bodily organs underwent evolution during the previous Spirit River impact. Some functions were greatly enhanced, or new functions emerged, which is why we manifest things similar to superpowers," Bai Mo explained to the old man in a serious, methodical manner.
"According to my previous research, absorbed Spirit Qi significantly improves physical quality and also has a certain lifespan-extending effect."
"Continue."
Upon hearing the words "lifespan-extending," the two men for the first time gave their full attention to the young man before them.
What Bai Mo had mentioned earlier was largely similar to what they had heard from other interviewees, so it hadn't particularly caught their attention.
But the words "lifespan-extending" were different. As long as the young man in front of them wasn't foolish, he should have understood what those two words meant to an old man with one foot already in the grave.
...
"Spirit Qi indeed has such an effect; it's just that the amount we actually absorb daily is too small, so there's no noticeable change. After being absorbed by the human body, it transforms into that special energy I mentioned earlier—Spirit Energy. Spirit Energy can modify our bodies, making people stronger and more vibrant."
"What evidence do you have?" The old man's tone grew serious, asking almost in an interrogative manner.
One of the most painful things is when great hopes fail to materialize, and the old man clearly did not want such a thing to happen to himself.
"My ability allows me to observe the flow of Spirit Energy and its generation. Based on my estimations, ordinary people can only truly absorb about three parts per thousand of the total Spirit Qi they inhale; the rest flows back into the atmosphere.
As for the previous Spirit River, I believe it was a rare opportunity for a high concentration of Spirit Qi to gather. Staying in it not only offered the potential to awaken abilities but also, to some extent, improved one's physique.
However, due to the immense force of the Spirit River, it carried a certain danger, so many people with poor health, such as most elderly individuals, chose not to enter. It's truly a great loss, I must say."
Bai Mo began to prescribe the right medicine.
As expected, after he spoke to this point, a hint of regret flickered in the old man's eyes, though he quickly concealed it.
"Regarding the issue of Spirit Qi absorption, I have some ideas, but they might require a certain amount of time and research funding. I believe that given time, we can definitely develop methods for ordinary people to absorb Spirit Qi more effectively," Bai Mo began to "draw a big picture."
With his abilities, obtaining illicit funds would be no challenge, but what he truly wanted was to seize this opportunity to penetrate the upper echelons and acquire core research findings from the Huaxia Federation.
Compared to these strictly confidential research results, known only to relevant researchers and high-level officials, the little funding he might secure was insignificant.
However, he still had to feign a great deal of concern to avoid arousing suspicion from the other party.