The world, thanks to Ye Xia and Mo's preparations, was weathering the COVID-19 storm better than in her previous timeline. But by late 2020, a disquieting anomaly emerged. Dubbed "Strain Sigma," it was far more virulent and deadly than the original virus. It also displayed a bizarre characteristic: it seemed to disproportionately target individuals with latent spiritual meridians—those with the potential for cultivation, even if they had never awakened it.
Hospitals affiliated with the Yun-Mo Foundation reported clusters of patients who, before falling ill, had reported strange sensations, vivid dreams, or even minor poltergeist activity. These patients succumbed to Sigma with terrifying speed, their bodies seemingly consumed from within by a fever that burned with an unnatural cold.
"This is no natural mutation," Liam Kane said, his face grim on the holographic display in Ye Xia's command center. He had become the head of their global pandemic response team. "The virus's structure… it's been tampered with. There are… esoteric markers woven into its RNA. It's like a biological curse."
Ye Xia felt a chill that had nothing to do with the air conditioning. Her [Qi Perception], now incredibly refined, had been picking up a faint, sickly-sweet spiritual resonance from the Sigma strain data. It was a signature she recognized—the same corrosive, parasitic energy that had poisoned the Yun family's well and sickened Yun Ming.
"This is the work of a cultivation clan," she stated, her voice cold. "They've weaponized the pandemic."
"But why?" Mo asked, his image flickering beside Liam's. "What do they gain from killing millions?"
"Not killing," Ye Xia corrected, a horrifying theory forming. "Harvesting. What if the virus isn't meant to just kill its hosts? What if it's designed to agitate and gather their latent spiritual energy as they die? Like… squeezing a fruit for its juice."
The implication was monstrous. A clan was using a global pandemic as a giant, macabre battery to power some unimaginable ritual.
[Ding! Host has deduced a major hidden plot affecting global stability. Threat level: Cataclysmic. Expediting system upgrade. Congratulations, Host. The Money Wasting System has reached Level 11!]
The familiar blue screen materialized, but this time it was edged with a pulsating, golden light.
System: Money Wasting System (Level 11)
Host: Ye Xia
Todays Wasting Quota: 100,000,000 RMB
Conversion Rate: 35%
Kai Reserve: 1,200 Units (Condensed Qi)
Cultivation Stage: Late Qi Condensation (Peak)
New Function Unlocked: The System Store.
New Function Unlocked: Conceptual Waste II (Targeted).
Ye Xia's breath caught. The System Store. She focused on it.
[The System Store: Host may now spend accumulated Kai to purchase items, techniques, and information from a multidimensional catalog. Available inventory refreshes monthly and scales with host's cultivation level. Warning: High-level items may have… side effects.]
It was a game-changer. She was no longer limited by the resources of this world. She could buy power directly.
"Liam, Mo, stand by," she said, her mind racing. "I need to make a purchase."