Dr. Long suddenly felt a chill run through her. She knew Feng Qingmo's file well, and knew he had awakened Spiritual Force and was a genuine Spiritual Master.
Though she wasn't a Spiritual Master herself, she knew something about the abilities Spiritual Force could grant. A certain possibility came to mind, and her expression cooled as anger flickered in her icy gaze.
Feng Qingmo could clearly sense the change in Dr. Long's expression. He immediately realized that he had overreacted on instinct. Forcing down the stirrings in his heart, he hurried to explain:
"Dr. Long, I was caught off guard when I was suddenly restrained, so I overreacted. Sorry for the trouble..."
Looking at Feng Qingmo, restrained by metal clasps on the examination bed, Dr. Long's gaze paused briefly on his eyes. She froze for a moment, then the anger slowly faded from her face. Without saying a word, she began entering various parameters on the screen.
At such close range, Feng Qingmo could keenly sense the changes in Dr. Long's presence even without using Spiritual Force. He quietly breathed a sigh of relief, but the stirrings in his heart rose again.
It was no wonder. In both his lives combined, he had never been in a relationship, let alone been this close to a woman of such breathtaking beauty. How could he possibly remain unmoved?
Fortunately, his body was now that of an Intermediate Warrior approaching the Advanced Warrior level. After practicing the Wind-Washing Sword in particular, he had gained increasingly precise control over his body, which kept him from embarrassing himself in front of a beautiful woman.
"Vrrrrr—"
With a low hum, the examination bed began to move, carrying him into a spherical machine. Lights came on, scanning Feng Qingmo's body. Most of them focused on his head.
Seeing the naked human figure on the screen, Dr. Long couldn't help feeling a little awkward. She forced the feeling down and focused on the various parameters appearing on the display.
More than ten minutes later, the machine hummed to life, and the examination bed slowly emerged from the sphere.
"Click, click."
The metal clasps restraining Feng Qingmo automatically released him, and he sat up.
"Dr. Long, do you have the results?" Feng Qingmo asked quietly.
"Come with me. We'll talk outside..." Dr. Long turned, opened the door, and left first.
Feng Qingmo quickly put on his Combat Suit and followed her out of the room.
"Oh, you're done already?"
Huo Haitian looked up at the sound from where he was sitting on the sofa. He still had two small parts in his hands—the decorative puzzle on the coffee table had been taken apart and scattered everywhere.
"Un-cle Huo!" Dr. Long enunciated each syllable.
"Ah!" Hearing her voice, Huo Haitian quickly set down the parts and hurriedly gathered them into a pile. Looking up with an ingratiating smile, he said, "I thought this looked pretty interesting, so I couldn't resist taking it apart. I didn't realize it was so complicated. I can't put it back together now, hehe..."
"It's a Super Luban Lock." Facing Huo Haitian's sheepish smile, Dr. Long sighed helplessly. "With your intelligence, you'd better not try. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't be able to stop yourself from smashing the pieces to bits..."
"Fine," Huo Haitian said with a chuckle. He didn't mind being called stupid. Besides, compared with Dr. Long, his intelligence really wasn't much to speak of. "So, what's the verdict?"
"Feng Qingmo, please sit." Dr. Long settled into an armchair on the other side and motioned for Feng Qingmo to sit beside Huo Haitian.
"After examining him, I found that Feng Qingmo is in excellent health. There's nothing wrong with his body." Dr. Long's voice was cool, but not condescending. "His vision problem isn't caused by a disease, nor is it congenital. It's the result of his optic nerves being compressed over a long period..."
"Can it be treated with surgery?" Feng Qingmo asked.
"No." Dr. Long shook her head. "Even if it were possible, I wouldn't recommend it. The source of the compression is still there. Even if surgery or something like the Water of Life could correct your optic nerves, as long as that source remains, they'll keep being compressed, and your vision won't recover..."
She studied Feng Qingmo. "I have a theory. Would you like to hear it?"
"Of course. Please go ahead, Dr. Long." Hearing that his optic nerves had been compressed for a long time had given Feng Qingmo some ideas of his own, but he still wanted to hear a professional opinion.
Huo Haitian grew serious too and sat up straight.
"Although I'm not a Spiritual Master, I've met several of them and read many papers about Spiritual Masters on the internal network."
"When a Spiritual Master awakens, the eruption of the Spiritual Force core in their Sea of Consciousness puts it under tremendous strain. There have even been cases of people dying or suffering severe injuries during the awakening process..."
Feng Qingmo nodded. Wasn't that exactly why I'd crossed over?
"Your vision problem has been there since childhood, which means it's connected to the Spiritual Force core in your Sea of Consciousness. Some Spiritual Masters suffer from chronic headaches for a long time before awakening. Others develop problems with different bodily functions, such as a diminished sense of smell or hearing. Your problem is with your vision, though your symptoms are more severe than those of others with similar conditions..."
"Then is there still a chance Xiao Mo's vision could recover?" Huo Haitian hurriedly asked.
"Yes. If my theory is correct, your vision will gradually recover as the Spiritual Force core in your Sea of Consciousness continues to dissolve. However..." Dr. Long said slowly.
"However, what?"
"Your optic nerves have been under prolonged compression since childhood. Even if the Spiritual Force core in your Sea of Consciousness dissolves completely and stops compressing them, your optic nerves will still need time to recover. You may even need a medicine like the Water of Life, which can repair damaged tissue..."
"There's another way. If you can break through to Beyond War God, then your optic nerves will definitely recover. According to the research, when humans break through to Beyond War God, their genes undergo a leap, and Genetic Energy restructures their cells..."
"I understand. Thank you, Dr. Long."
"Uncle Huo, I still have a lot to take care of, so I won't keep you. Please, both of you, go." After finishing her explanation, Dr. Long bluntly showed them the door.
"Fine, we'll be going..." Huo Haitian stood up and pulled Feng Qingmo along with him. "Niece, you shouldn't spend all your time cooped up in here. You need to go outside and get some sun once in a while..."
"...I know. Thank you, Uncle Huo." Dr. Long stood and was about to return to her desk. At his words, she paused before thanking him.
Feng Qingmo stopped and nodded toward Dr. Long. "Thank you, Dr. Long. Goodbye!"
His Spiritual Force swept over the scattered parts on the coffee table, and an idea came to him.
While he had been listening intently to Dr. Long, his Spiritual Force had enveloped the pieces as well. In that short time, he had already figured out how they should fit together.
As he was about to leave, his Spiritual Force instantly turned into countless tendrils. Under Dr. Long's astonished gaze, the pieces on the coffee table leaped into the air. With a series of clicks, they assembled into a sphere in moments, then floated slowly in front of her.
"Would you be willing to tell me your name, Dr. Long?" Feng Qingmo asked softly.
Dr. Long reached out and took the sphere from the air. For the first time, a trace of a smile appeared in her cool gaze. "If we get the chance to meet again, I'll tell you next time..."
Before you continue