A day later, in the capital.
At the Spiritual Qi Revival Administration's headquarters, a briefing of the highest importance was underway.
The conference room was small, but its security clearance level was frighteningly high.
Presiding over the briefing was Deputy Director Zhou Weiyong, who was specifically in charge of the "Human Evolution Promotion Plan." He was in his early fifties, with graying hair and sunken eyes. One look at him was enough to tell he had barely slept for days.
Both sides of the long table were packed. The heads of the Research Department, the Experimental Department, the Field Operations Headquarters, and the Strategic Planning Office were all present.
On the projection screen, an anonymously uploaded "Martial Canon" document had been divided into several parts. The table of contents on the first page was clearly visible: "Third-rate to Xiantian Chapter," "Martial Arts Myth Chapter," "Transcendence Chapter," "Heavenly Human Saint Stage Chapter," "Heavenly Human Chapter," and "Star-Pressing Chapter."
Each chapter alone was extensive enough to rival the evolution textbooks compiled within headquarters, and perhaps even surpass them.
The head of the Research Department stood up, unable to suppress the excitement in his voice. "Director Zhou, the results are in. We recruited a total of twenty thousand ordinary test subjects in three batches, all of them unawakened. Before this, no matter what methods we used—genetic induction, spiritual qi immersion, drug stimulation, or mental guidance—the success rate for ordinary people's natural evolution remained stuck at five in ten thousand. That's at most five people out of ten thousand.
"But with this 'Martial Canon,' all they had to do was practice the most basic cultivation using the breathing method in the first chapter, 'Third-rate to Xiantian,' and the success rate shot straight up to twenty-five in ten thousand, or 0.25 percent. A full five times higher!"
A chorus of quiet gasps filled the conference room.
Zhou Weiyong sat up straight, his eyes shining fiercely behind his glasses. "Five times? Was your sample large enough? Is the data reliable?"
"Reliable."
The head of the Research Department was unequivocal. "The three batches of test subjects came from North China, Southwest China, and Southeast China, respectively. We conducted stratified sampling by age, physique, and genotype.
"The results were astonishingly consistent. After ruling out other factors, the evolution rate among those who cultivated the 'Martial Canon' remained stable at around 0.25 percent, more than five times the natural evolution rate.
"Moreover, the various physical indicators of the first-tier awakened who evolved this way were nearly twenty percent higher on average than those of naturally awakened people."
He paused, then added, "And that was only using the most basic part of the first chapter.
"If the results from the later chapters can also be reproduced consistently, the potential increase in the evolution rate... is more than fivefold."
For a moment, no one in the conference room spoke. Only the hum of the projector could be heard.
Zhou Weiyong slowly took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. Then he looked up, his face a mixture of wild joy and shock.
Ever since the Spiritual Qi Revival began, all humanity had been racking its brains over one question: how to help more ordinary people step onto the path of evolution.
All the experiments, all the plans, and all the resources invested had yielded only that cold, nearly hopeless figure of five in ten thousand.
And now, a cultivation technique anonymously dropped into a forum had accomplished something they had previously found utterly unimaginable:
The person who had done this was no mere genius, no monstrous talent, but a being who could leave every researcher of an entire era speechless!
Zhou Weiyong murmured, "The person who created this cultivation technique is supremely intelligent, dazzlingly brilliant, and terrifying to such a degree."
"We need to investigate a person like this, but we absolutely must not alert them."
He put his glasses back on, swept his gaze across the room, and continued, "Add the first two chapters of the 'Martial Canon' to the Spark Plan's top-priority promotion list. All branches are to make organizing cultivation a priority."
But Zhou Weiyong's excitement lasted less than three minutes before he thought of a more serious problem.
He turned the presentation to its final page: a map showing the distribution of population awakening rates across the country.
It was densely covered with red markings representing "low-awakening areas" and "unawakened population."
Since the Spiritual Qi Revival, the official statistics for Xia Kingdom showed an evolution rate of less than 0.05 percent among the ordinary population.
Even after cultivating the first two chapters of the "Martial Canon," it barely reached 0.25 percent.
That meant that, out of a population of 1.4 billion, the number able to step onto the path of evolution was still pitifully small.
"It's still not enough." Zhou Weiyong's voice was heavy. "Twenty-five in ten thousand sounds like a fivefold increase, but across the whole country, that still means only 3.5 million out of 1.4 billion people can reach the threshold of evolution.
"Do you know how much that is? Less than 0.3 percent. And what about the evolved beasts? Their advantage over us is far too great."
His gaze swept over everyone present. No one answered.
Everyone understood that humanity simply could not compare with the speed at which populations of evolved beasts evolved.
On humanity's side, only one evolver emerged from several thousand people. How could they fight?
More crucially, if an incomparably terrifying being appeared among the evolved beasts, humanity would have no future.
Zhou Weiyong took off his glasses and tapped the table over and over with one temple. "From the very beginning, we've had only one goal," he said with utmost seriousness. "To make every ordinary person an evolver.
"At the very least, everyone who wants to become an evolver must have a path to follow.
"If we can't do it, humanity will go extinct.
"Every one of us in this room will bear that debt."
The conference room fell silent for a moment.
The head of the Research Department stood up again. His voice was much calmer than before, but it carried the ruthless determination of someone who had burned his boats. "We're already working overtime to assess the compatibility of the second and third chapters of the 'Martial Canon.' If we can push the evolution rate higher, even if we only double it to 0.5 percent, that would mean several million more people nationwide.
"Combined with the targeted distribution of Evolution Factors, it could theoretically happen faster."
Zhou Weiyong nodded. "Push ahead! You'll have all the resources you need. If you need people, you'll get people; if you need money, you'll get money.
"Also, organize another group of high-tier evolvers to cultivate the 'Martial Canon' to a deeper level and use actual combat data to inform revisions.
"A cultivation technique is dead, but people are alive. There's bound to be some way to improve it further."
After the meeting, everyone hurried away.
Zhou Weiyong stood alone by the window, looking out at the city.
Countless homes shone with light, and people lived and worked in peace and contentment.
But in the next moment, it could all be shattered to pieces.
That was why they had to fight with everything they had to protect it.
Zhou Weiyong murmured, "The person who uploaded the 'Martial Canon' has earned great merit for all humanity, but we can't place our hopes on one person alone."
He turned, picked up the phone, and dialed the numbers of several old friends. In a low voice, he said, "Old friend, we have to give it another fight."
By now, these old fellows had also realized something.
With the Spiritual Qi Revival, they weren't the only old fellows holding the line.
Each generation brings forth its own talented people,
Magic City branch, director's office.
The door was open. Director Qin Wanghai sat behind his desk, an internal bulletin from headquarters displayed on the computer in front of him.
After reading the last line, he took off his glasses and let out a long breath. Then he pressed the intercom on his desk. "Secretary, tell Meng Mingyuan to come to my office."
Before long, Meng Mingyuan arrived.
He stood in the doorway and saluted, dark circles still hanging under his eyes.
He had barely slept these past few days, spending every bit of available rest time in the cultivation room.