Bai Mo walked all the way up, but unfortunately, no horde of troublemakers emerged as he had imagined in novel plots.
Utterly bored, he had no choice but to step into the reception hall.
"Elder Hua, good morning."
"Haven't seen you in a few days, you seem to have grown stronger again."
"Oh, not at all, Elder Hua, that's you! You were already old but still robust, and now you've directly become hale and hearty, in the prime of your life!"
After forcing out a couple of awkward compliments, Bai Mo realized he truly wasn't cut out for socializing. He ran out of meaningless pleasantries after just a few sentences, and the atmosphere instantly turned awkward.
Fortunately, Hua Taishan had also experienced similar situations and forcefully kept the conversation going.
As the two chitchatted idly, Hua Taishan's invited friends arrived in the reception hall.
"Elder Hua, why didn't you come out to greet us when we reached the entrance?" Several old men in martial attire walked in.
"Well, I was just chatting a bit too much with this youngster and didn't notice the commotion outside; you were already here. Looks like your qinggong has improved."
The group exchanged a few pleasantries. Then, one of them pointed at Bai Mo and spoke: "So this is the Bai Mo you mentioned, Elder Hua? On the phone, you praised this young man to the skies. He does seem to have some genuine substance, but I'll have to test whether he's just for show. Talking more is pointless; one fight will tell us everything."
"My name is Li Legang, and I'm also a vice-chairman of the association. I'm here to see if Elder Hua was just bragging," the elder, who introduced himself as Li Legang, said.
This group of seasoned veterans was accustomed to judging people by their martial prowess. While it was easy for someone to disguise themselves with words, it was exceedingly difficult to do so through their fists. In evenly matched, high-intensity combat, there was simply no time to concoct lies.
Moreover, each of them had a considerable background, so their way of doing things was naturally more overbearing.
"I really can't fight... I'm just here as a doctor." Bai Mo was clearly unwilling to engage in what he considered meaningless sparring and decided to find any excuse to evade it, dodging whenever possible.
He wasn't some martial artist vying for the title of "strongest under heaven," so he truly wished to respectfully decline such trivial matters. Furthermore, if he were to accidentally use his full strength again, like last time, and knock this old man flat with one punch, it would only cause a heap of trouble.
Last time, he was lucky that Hua Taishan's ability happened to lean heavily towards defense, which prevented any serious incident.
From Li Legang's attire to his familiar way of speaking with Hua Taishan, Bai Mo could guess that this old man was likely one of those "imperial kin" with intricate connections to the higher echelons—the type who could hit others but couldn't be hit themselves. Getting involved with him would undoubtedly lead to all sorts of trouble. The dense array of guards downstairs, which he perceived with his divine sense, also indirectly confirmed his suspicions.
"A doctor? Do you think we'll believe that?"
Bai Mo looked too young; such an excuse held little persuasive power.
"I'm not a doctor in the conventional sense; I'm a spirit energy doctor." Thus, he activated his persuasion mode.
"What exactly is spirit energy?" This time, even Hua Taishan felt a bit confused. He had only intended to introduce this newly acquainted junior to his old friends, but he hadn't expected Bai Mo to pull some new stunts the moment he wasn't paying attention.
"Given your perception of your own bodies, you should be able to detect something akin to internal qi within yourselves."
"Correct."
"Exactly."
Everyone unanimously agreed.
"I call this substance spirit energy, and my ability is to perceive and then consciously interfere with its flow."
"Interesting."
"Continue."
The few individuals who had just been eager to spar to make friends, always prone to brawling at the slightest provocation, were quickly captivated by what Bai Mo said. The topic of fighting was no longer mentioned.
Compared to the prospect of growing stronger themselves, Bai Mo's fighting prowess was utterly irrelevant. They were full of interest in this mysterious power flowing within their bodies, though a hint of worry also lingered deep within them. After all, not everyone could accept this new paradigm as easily and happily as Bai Mo.
Even before, when they first discovered spirit energy, they had already consulted their respective health doctors but had gained no useful information.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what spirit energy is, but one thing is clear: it can promote the evolution of our bodies. And with my ability, I can correct the flow paths of spirit energy within the body, increasing its operational efficiency. That's why I call myself a 'spirit energy doctor'."
"Sometimes, the natural flow of spirit energy can even lead to blockages, which not only stagnate one's cultivation progress but can also cause 'cultivation deviation'!" As he spoke, Bai Mo began to embellish the truth, weaving in content from novels he had read. His words were half-true, half-false.
The natural circulation of spirit energy could indeed cause minor issues; he had encountered them himself. But the "cultivation deviation" part was purely Bai Mo's own fabrication.
"My main focus is on developing methods for physical strengthening. As for combat-related techniques, honestly, I don't understand them at all. All of you present here are the true experts, so I won't make a fool of myself."
"I am Bai Mo. May I ask how I should address all of you?" After speaking at length, it was only then that he remembered he didn't know the names of the others present.
"Li Legang, at your service."
"Lei Dong."
"Mo Buyan."
Without any further pleasantries, they completed their introductions.
...
"This young man is interesting. He seems different from those money-grubbing charlatans."
"Indeed, he seems more reliable than those qigong peddlers from back then."
During a break in the exchange meeting, when Bai Mo temporarily left the venue, several old men sat together, drinking tea and sharing their thoughts. They were all seasoned veterans who had lived through the qigong craze and psychic phenomena craze of years past and were thus quite sensitive to such things.
"Don't even mention those qigong swindlers; I still don't know how we were fooled back then."
"The Spirit River Autumn this time around isn't something those third-rate scams can imitate."
...
After a brief rest, Bai Mo re-entered the conference room, presumably having organized his thoughts.
"Do you have any fire?" Bai Mo suddenly asked. "Matches, or a lighter, either will do."
"I'll have someone bring it up," Lei Dong replied.
After taking the lighter, Bai Mo pulled out the last unconsumed finished candle he had made last night from his pocket and gently lit it.
The others were puzzled.
"This candle can enhance the efficiency of spirit qi absorption. As for its origin... that's temporarily confidential."
"Such a good thing actually exists? How come I've never heard of it in the Li family?"
Bai Mo still maintained a tight-lipped expression.
"Then how many do you have left, and can they be sold?" Lei Dong asked.
"None left, that was the last one."
With that, he placed the lit candle in the middle of the group.