The aftermath of the competition was even more intense than imagined.
The name "Ghost Needle" spread throughout Mingde Hall overnight, becoming a legendary presence in the mouths of countless young Soul Engineers.
For a time, Fan Yu's shabby C7 Warehouse became a holy site in many people's eyes.
"Senior Lin Feng! Is Mr. Tang Yu free today? I... I have a question about 'Soul Power compression' that I'd like to ask him!"
"Senior! This is a paper on 'miniature formation arrays' that I wrote after pulling three all-nighters. Could you help pass it on to Mr. Tang Yu?"
Every day, Lin Feng was blocked on the road by groups of fanatical young researchers. The light in their eyes was a thirst for technology, but also worship for the young man who had created a miracle.
These people were all fringe figures from Mingde Hall's outer academy, or even its inner academy. They were talented but lacked connections, marginalized by the mainstream. Now, they seemed to have found a new beacon.
"Sir, there are more and more people." Lin Feng handed a thick stack of "papers" and visiting letters to Huo Yuhao, concern on his face. "If this continues, we'll attract too much attention."
"Attention?" Huo Yuhao flipped through the letters, his tone calm. "No, this is only the beginning."
The Ghost team needed to expand, but it would not accept just anyone.
"Give them an opportunity." Huo Yuhao pulled out a blueprint. "This is the tail-fin stabilization module for Ghost Needle. I've broken it down into twenty smaller research topics. Send them out."
"Tell them that whoever can propose a valuable optimization plan for any of those topics within a week will qualify to come to C7 Warehouse for a cup of tea."
This was not recruitment. This was selection!