"Meet directly in front of the experiment building tomorrow morning after breakfast. Remember, the meeting time is 7:30."
After the Spiritual Energy Technique had been imparted, Zhao Jingzhong reminded them. He then had them put away their Crystal Bodies and led them out of the experiment building.
The other trainees also filed out, visibly excited. Some even attempted to use "Clothing" and "Lock," though they often ended up just turning their faces red with the effort.
"You all got it, right?" Yuan Dang asked.
"Of course, we got it," Xie Qiansi said. "Direct understanding, no need for verbal instruction. Awesome! This is the learning method of Cultivators!"
Another trainee from Squad Eight said, "I initially thought we'd be learning some metaphysical methodologies, like the Divine Treasury or the Gate of Profound Mystery or something. My classical Chinese isn't so good... I didn't expect it to be direct Knowledge transfer."
"If we had this method back when we were in school, we wouldn't have needed to waste so much time in class. We could have had a lot more fun."
"This way of teaching will definitely lead to a major change in the education industry. It seems like the teaching profession won't last long."
"Maybe soon we'll be able to master all sorts of Knowledge—not to mention at least the Knowledge equivalent of a bachelor's degree in every subject."
Qiao Muyi alone threw a damper on things. "Did any of you notice that your Qi Cyclone is almost exhausted?"
Everyone was taken aback momentarily. Their Qi Cyclones hadn't reached the stage of essence transformation, so normally they couldn't feel much of their status. But now, when they used the Breathing Technique, they found that only a strand or two of airflow was left in their Qi Cyclones. It only formed a vortex when they drew in Spiritual Energy.
"This Spiritual Energy Technique download probably requires the use of one's own Spiritual Energy, which is why a Qi Cyclone is needed for the transfer," Li Qingxuan explained. "The consumed Spiritual Energy can't be much; it must be the amount a common person has when they first unlock their Qi Cyclone."
"The Spiritual Energy Recognition Class mentioned before that the Qi Cyclones in the formation stage and stage of essence transformation are not much different. These past few days of cultivating have just accelerated the conversion of the cyclones, but the quantity of Inner Spiritual Qi hasn't actually increased. So if the government has precise control over the Spiritual Energy expended during the transfer, they can indeed target the 'intended audience' for the technology transfer," she added.
After learning this information, the trainees were somewhat astonished, but soon someone reacted, "So, this download consumes one's own Spiritual Energy? Then, if it's downloading other Knowledge..."
"It would likely need it as well. And, speaking of Clothing and Lock, these two techniques... well, they are just about sensation, which seems to have a small amount of information. If you were to transmit them over a network, it might only be a few bits. But if you're looking to download textbook Knowledge, you wouldn't be able to bear it without several Mbit, and much of the Knowledge requires imagery and practice; it could reach several Gbit," someone analyzed.
Yuan Dang nodded and added, "So, downloading Knowledge is feasible. But first, you need someone willing to upload it, and second, you need enough Spiritual Energy to sustain such a fearsome consumption."
"To put it simply, we're still in the dial-up era, so don't expect content from the fiber-optic age just yet."
The trainees took this in stride. After all, as the country's first batch of Cultivator Civil Servants, they would enjoy whatever was coming their way eventually. For the moment, they were among the top 1% of Cultivators globally and had just learned two Spiritual Energy Techniques that could turn them into Supermen. What more could they want?
At that moment, Ren Suo walked up to Qiao Muyi, tapped her shoulder, and said in a low voice, "Muyi, I have something I want to discuss with you privately."
However, Qiao Muyi first glanced at Li Qingxuan and the others before replying, "Mm."
The two silently dispersed with the crowd, but attentive observers naturally noticed their actions. Xie Qiansi and her roommates all saw their friend's movements and kept silent. After a while, Li Qingxuan and the others also noticed Qiao Muyi and Ren Suo were gone. But being adults, naturally...
Well, everybody understood the implications.
The two in question were now heading in the direction of the base's supermarket, but Ren Suo had no intention of going somewhere crowded. He pointed to a Small Grove not far away, an area of greenery that had not been completely cleared in the base, and suggested, "Let's talk over there."
Qiao Muyi nodded and followed Ren Suo towards the Small Grove, but before Ren Suo could enter, she stopped and said, "Here is fine."
"Here?" Ren Suo looked around. There was no one else nearby, which seemed okay. "Alright."
Just now, when I patted Qiao Muyi on the shoulder, I discovered that I only needed to spend 3,000 seconds to obtain the Key from the awake Qiao Muyi. An hour consists of only 3,600 seconds, and now I can get the Key in less than an hour of continuous contact with Qiao Muyi. This shows that our relationship has greatly improved from the previous nine thousand-plus seconds. Tomorrow will be the fifth day, and we're going to take a ride back to the city at noon. I don't know what kind of work the National Security Bureau will assign us after we return, or whether we'll be sent to other cities for business trips or even long-term appointments. We've learned Cultivation Techniques and Spiritual Energy Techniques; can we really say 'no' to the nation's orders? Today is my best chance to obtain Qiao Muyi's Key. After all, once we return, everyone will have cell phones, and these few days of collective living won't count for much. I also don't know if Qiao Muyi will be very busy after returning. If I don't act now, this matter could be indefinitely delayed. I've never been a procrastinator. I always believed in doing the hard work first and enjoying the rewards later—the typical student who got everything done ahead of time. If I didn't do my homework on the first day of summer vacation, then I definitely wouldn't do it at all. I quickly calculate my purchasing power upon seeing something I want and buy it immediately, never wasting time.
Ren Suo looked at Qiao Muyi with a somewhat complex expression. I need a reason for her to willingly fall asleep in front of me. Just as he was fabricating one, Qiao Muyi suddenly said, "I'm not one to dilly-dally, so... we can only be friends."
"Mhm, mhm... huh?" Ren Suo made a questioning sound with his nose.
"I'm sorry. Although you're a nice person, I'm currently not planning on dating," Qiao Muyi said. "Moreover, your gender doesn't quite meet my requirements."
What the—? Ren Suo was dumbfounded. He tried to reach out and grab Qiao Muyi to explain, but she deftly avoided his wandering hand and said, "I'm going back first. See you tomorrow."
Then Qiao Muyi seemed to flash a satisfied smile and scurried away, leaving Ren Suo standing alone at the edge of the Small Grove, like a petrified piece of large trash—commonly known as a fool.
At this moment, Ren Suo recalled his behavior over the past few days:
Chatting with Qiao Muyi and the others;
Going to the girls' dormitory to play cards;
Insisting on eating with them;
Butting in on their discussions whenever he could...
Could it be that I was mistaken for flirting and hitting on them?! As a Reservist otaku who already had a gaming console as a 'wife,' I for the first time realized what I had done over these days. Although I don't have that 'too shy to talk to girls' affliction, I normally wouldn't chat with girls either... Well, okay, I'm just a bit shy, a typical single guy. That's pretty normal for single guys. However, these days, I regarded 'obtaining the Key' as a game mission, treating Qiao Muyi as an NPC. Knowing there was such a thing as indirect favorability, I tried my best to 'conquer' Qiao Muyi. Now, in hindsight, I realize that my actions were very much in line with the culture of today's Mysterious Country for deepening favorability. I thought of the 'admiring' looks from Xie Qiansi and the others, the strange smiles from the girls... I've been misunderstood by them, by all the girls! I really want to catch up to Qiao Muyi and shout, "I just wanted you to sleep! I never thought about dating you!"
"PFFT... HA HA HA."
Ren Suo turned around and saw that there was actually someone in the grassy area of the Small Grove.