"Thump."
The call ended. Qingshui placed his phone back on the desk and resumed browsing the page on his computer.
His fight with the Blizzard Group had been too disruptive, leading nearby residents to mistakenly believe a powerful Monster was causing trouble.
When the association checked, they saw Qingshui's, Fubuki's, Mountain Ape's, and Eyelashes's phone signals all in that location, and immediately understood what had happened.
The association knew Fubuki possessed top A-Class strength and that Qingshui's strength was definitely no less than Fubuki's. The power gap between them was likely not as significant as between Fubuki and other B-Class Heroes. If a conflict broke out, the chances of an accident were quite high.
Coincidentally, Tatsumaki had just finished a mission in City E, right next to City D, where she had suppressed a Dragon-level Monster. So, they directly notified Tatsumaki, asking her to come and keep an eye on things.
Fortunately, it seemed nothing serious had occurred, and it even appeared that Black Whirlwind Samurai had the upper hand.
This prompted the association to re-evaluate Qingshui's strength.
...
...
Yi Ren World.
Capital City, a certain biological research institute at Peking University.
Inside a laboratory with extremely high security measures.
Qingshui moved his eyes from the microscope's eyepiece, jotted down some new discoveries in a nearby notebook, and then picked up a golden branch.
In front of him, there was another golden branch of similar texture, cultivated in a pot and covered with a transparent bag with a hole in it.
These were the spoils of war that Zhang Chulan, Feng Baobao, and their group had brought back from Nason Island.
More accurately, they were stolen.
Nason Island was now history. The Divine Tree had been burned, the Nason Guard was almost completely annihilated, and the Nason King was missing.
Zhang Chulan's trip to Nason Island was ostensibly as a member of the observation group for the bloody battle of succession for the throne. His actual mission was to investigate information related to Nason Island. On a deeper level, it was naturally to explore the connection between some of the old residents on the island and the Jiashen Rebellion, the Thirty-Six Thieves, especially Wugensheng, in order to further uncover the truth about Feng Baobao's origins.
Of course, besides that, there was also the task Qingshui had given him—to obtain a living sample of the Nason Sacred Tree.
Zhang Chulan was a clever young man, resourceful and adaptable. He successfully brought back several sections of the Nason Sacred Tree branches. Two branches were with Qingshui, and several others were being researched elsewhere.
"It can turn everyone born on Nason Island into an Innate Anomalous Human. If nothing unexpected happens, the highly diffusive volatile substance secreted by this tree must have played a crucial role in this process."
Inside two control experiment glass cabinets, there were four white mice.
Two small, two large, with one large and one small forming a group. The two large ones were female, previously pregnant, and the two small ones were newly born.
Both female white mice had similar gestation periods. One of them, during its pregnancy, would have this volatile substance released into the glass cabinet where it resided on a regular daily basis.
The offspring born to this female white mouse, apart from being healthier in various aspects, seemed to have no other differences.
However, if someone with cultivation achievements were to carefully examine the two newborn white mice, they would discover that the healthier one had more abundant Innate Qi within its body.
But the gestation period for white mice is only about twenty days, so in such a short time, the effect of the volatile substance would be relatively limited.
Of course, while the length of gestation has a significant impact, the Innate Qi contained within the species itself at birth also plays a role.
Humans, as the wisest of all beings, have a ten-month gestation period, which is only considered average to above average.
However, the Innate Qi contained in humans at birth is inherently the most abundant, and the strength of the human Primordial Spirit is also the strongest among Earth species. This not only makes humans the race with the highest innate wisdom, but also, from the embryonic stage, the Primordial Spirit will subtly strengthen the Innate Qi through the activity of internal energy during the development of life.
If a certain animal has some fortuitous encounter, for example, receiving human incense offerings, collecting human thoughts and beliefs, or by good luck swallowing some heaven-and-earth treasure, then it can also strengthen its Primordial Spirit and Innate Qi, naturally mastering the operation and use of Qi. Then it can become a Chuma Immortal of the Northeast, or a Demon—the so-called legends of Demons eating humans are because humans contain more Innate Qi, which for these Demons is another type of heaven-and-earth treasure.
And this healthier white mouse, because of its higher Innate Qi content, would have a much lower threshold to become a Chuma Immortal or a demonic creature than its counterparts.
"No wonder. So, the so-called blessing of the Nason Sacred Tree is like this. Humans themselves already contain a lot of Innate Qi. During the ten months of pregnancy, if a pregnant woman lives near the Nason Sacred Tree, she can inhale the volatile substance released into the air by that tree. An adult's physical development has stopped, so they cannot increase their Innate Qi; it will only decrease little by little as life passes.
But when a person lives in this environment from the embryonic stage, they will contain more Innate Qi from birth. As long as the concentration of the volatile substance in the air reaches an appropriate level, the probability of becoming an Innate Anomalous Human is almost 100%."
Qingshui turned his gaze to the golden branch covered by the transparent bag with a hole.
Under the perception of Transparent World, the bottom of this golden branch had already rooted in the soil inside the pot.
Getting a branch to root was not difficult. Zhang Chulan had done his homework before setting off, choosing semi-lignified, relatively fresh branches, which are best for rooting.
After that, he only needed to remove the leaves except for the top, cut off a small section from the bottom at a forty-five-degree angle to increase the water absorption area and improve the survival rate. Finally, after disinfection, soaking it in rooting hormone, and planting it in moist, fertilizer-free soil with careful nurturing, it would root and grow.
The layer of transparent bag with a hole covering it was made of a special material that could collect the volatile substance emitted by the golden branch. The hole and transparency were to avoid obstructing the plant's respiration and photosynthesis.
However, even with this transparent bag, this golden branch was still just a seedling. Even with its many mystical properties, its production efficiency of the volatile substance was not high.
This time, the collection barely managed to fill a small bottle with a capacity of only a few milliliters.
"What exactly is the principle behind this thing strengthening Innate Qi? Any energy must have a source, a source. Not to mention a high-level energy like Innate Qi, which is related to the origin of life. Its source energy shouldn't be so simple. Could it be…"
Qingshui suddenly thought of the Divine Tree in the Naruto World.
How did Chakra come about?
The Ninja World originally had no Chakra. It wasn't until the Otsutsuki Clan arrived and planted the Divine Tree that Chakra began to appear in this world.
Unsurprisingly, Chakra was originally born from natural energy.
But where did natural energy come from? Why didn't the Otsutsuki Clan collect natural energy from other planets? Was it because other planets didn't have it, or the quantity was too small?
So why does the Ninja World have more natural energy? Where is it manifested?
Qingshui continued to deduce and quickly found the answer.
Life.
A planet with life is naturally vastly different from other planets.
Perhaps the existence of life led to natural energy, or perhaps abundant natural energy allowed life to exist.
Qingshui leans towards the idea that the two are complementary and mutually beneficial. When the Divine Tree plunders vast amounts of natural energy, it can cause immense destruction and even extinction of the Ninja World's ecosystem, leading to life gradually disappearing. Conversely, the positive changes that life's activities bring to the environment can lead to the development of certain ecosystems in previously barren places.
What about the Nason Sacred Tree and Innate Qi?
The Divine Tree can absorb natural energy to produce Chakra fruits, and the volatile compounds from the Nason Sacred Tree can imbue life forms with more Innate Qi during their embryonic stage. It's highly probable that this, too, is converted from natural energy.
This is a high-level energy, almost ubiquitous on living planets, and deeply connected to life.
Perhaps these volatile compounds are similar to the Toad Oil from Mount Myōboku, capable of assisting life in sensing natural energy and improving affinity for it.
It's just that life in its embryonic stage possesses the ability to unconsciously absorb natural energy. As the brain develops, intelligence increases, and self-awareness gradually awakens, beings consciously begin to control their bodies and breathing, thereby losing the power to absorb natural energy.
Of course, whether the Nason Sacred Tree truly relies on absorbing natural energy to make newborns Innate Anomalous Humans still needs verification.
And Qingshui has an idea for verification. If the experiment succeeds, it will not only prove this hypothesis correct but also confirm another previous speculation.
A transparent, colorless substance with a hint of earthy scent diffused from the bottle, bringing a cooling sensation akin to diluted medicated oil. Qingshui closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The volatile compounds emanating from the bottle, along with a large amount of air, were inhaled into his lungs, then quickly exhaled, leaving wisps of white mist by Qingshui's mouth.
During this process, Qingshui could clearly feel, with his powerful mental strength, a slight difference compared to when he used Breathing Style in the past.
An indescribable essence entered his bloodstream through his breath, circulating throughout his body, activating and strengthening every cell.
However, this power did not last long and was quickly depleted.
White mist rose from his mouth again, and Qingshui continued to use Breathing Style, comprehending the intricate details and insights within.
The previous hypothesis could now be basically confirmed as correct, and incidentally, it also verified that the powerful origin of Breathing Style indeed comes from natural energy.
However, after understanding these two truths, the next question also arose.
How should he utilize these two pieces of knowledge?
Or rather, how can his main body utilize these two pieces of knowledge to open the door to learning Sage Art?
Many things were no longer significant for him as a clone. In this world, a great nation, made even stronger by the technological revolution he brought, provided him with everything he needed.
Safety, resources, and luck were no longer issues.
What needed strengthening was his main body.
Sage Art could be of immense help to Senju Hashirama at his peak, to Uzumaki Naruto in Six Paths Mode, and even to the Sage of Six Paths.
Qingshui firmly believed that this would help improve his main body's strength.
But before that, it seemed he had some things to resolve.
Vaguely, Qingshui could feel an inexplicable force, clinging to certain pheromones within the volatile compounds he absorbed, invading his mind.
This force would cause people to involuntarily feel a series of emotions like reverence and worship towards the golden branch emitting these volatile compounds.
Until one's mind was completely invaded, making this golden branch seedling the dominant force in one's mind, like a fanatic offering everything to their revered deity.
By then, he would become a puppet of this golden branch.
However, this influence seemed very light for now. If it were a mentally sound adult, it would be easy to resist this influence. But if it were a fetus whose mind had not yet formed and grown, it would probably be affected by the Divine Tree from birth.
Qingshui easily eliminated the effects of these pheromones, recalling those people suppressed beneath the Nason Sacred Tree.
Perhaps this sacred tree's way of survival was precisely this: to herd humans like sheep, as food, and also as companions to protect itself.
It used its volatile compounds to help newborn humans become Anomalous Humans, then selected the leaders of the flock, namely the Nason King and the nine Nason Guards. Through these most devout individuals, the influence was further deepened to better control the population.
And the bloody struggle for the Nason throne was how the Nason Sacred Tree fed.
Through turmoil, it caused a large number of strong individuals to die, becoming powerful nutrients for itself.
It was just a pity that this thing was too sinister, and the Anomalous Human kingdom it created made every ancient ruler wary.
As early as the Roman Empire, this kingdom was jointly breached by several powerful nations of the time and exiled to an island in the ocean, limiting it with scarce land and resources, and thus forgotten by the mainstream world.
The Nason Sacred Tree was also restricted because of this. Even after so many years, it wasn't until modern society that a golden branch was broken, attracting outside attention.
"I still need to find a way to artificially synthesize these volatile compounds. But first, I need to figure out which components of the volatile compounds make people affinity to natural energy, and which components are pheromones that interfere with human consciousness."
Qingshui tapped on the table, recorded his findings on the computer, and after sharing them with several other research institutes studying the golden branch, he began to design the synthesis route based on the detected target molecular structures.
He worked from after lunch until 4:30 PM when Chen Dong, one of his personal bodyguards, came to remind him.
"Professor Zhuo, it's time."
Qingshui looked up at the clock and nodded slightly.
"Let's go, to find Ma Xianhong."
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