18: Chapter 18 White Mist!

Su Ye looked at the broken tree trunk and revealed a satisfied smile.

Is this what power feels like?

Cultivation is indeed feasible!

Absorb spiritual energy, and then evolve.

Allowing the human body to possess superhuman strength and numerous changes—this is the extraordinary!

Transcending the ordinary, breaking shackles, and evolving brilliantly?

Su Ye clenched his fist, feeling the surging power between his knuckles, and a wave of indescribable exhilaration welled up in his heart.

He also realized the key to this breakthrough. It was because he had personally touched Ye Tong's chest at the Marathon site and sensed the resonance pattern between that budding Fire Embryo and the heart. This allowed him to find the prototype of a Breathing Technique. He had also left his contact information; if he could come into contact with Ye Tong again in the future, perhaps he could make further progress. However, Su Ye knew he couldn't rush it.

He stretched his body, which emitted a series of crackling sounds.

"Breathing is indeed the best method in cultivation. The spiritual energy between heaven and earth must be integrated into the body using the correct Breathing Technique."

Su Ye whispered to himself, his eyes flashing with the light of excitement.

However, he was also very clear that what he currently mastered was only the most basic breathing rhythm. In the end, it was just a prototype—rough and simple. It couldn't even be called a 'technique'; it could be described as a skill. Although the effect of five strands entering his body simultaneously just now was astonishing, he could feel that quite a bit of spiritual energy had dissipated during the conduction process. The amount actually absorbed by his body was probably only sixty to seventy percent.

If he could continue to optimize this breathing rhythm, find a more precise frequency, and a more efficient intake-output mode, then the absorption efficiency could reach a new level.

The more Su Ye thought about it, the bolder he became. Perhaps he could create a true Breathing Technique himself?

Having just achieved results, Su Ye felt immense confidence.

He moved his limbs a bit, preparing to leave this forest and head back.

However, after taking just a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

Something's wrong.

Su Ye frowned.

The surrounding air had changed.

Su Ye's perception spread out. He found that the mist in the forest seemed to have become much thicker. It wasn't the thin mist of early morning, but a heavy white fog with a slight luster. It was being birthed from heaven and earth, surging from all directions and enveloping the entire forest.

"White mist?"

It was crystal clear and dreamlike.

Su Ye initially thought it was because the forest's ecology was well-preserved and the water vapor was abundant, so mist was normal.

But when he walked out of the forest and returned to the previous Marathon track, his expression changed.

This place was also filled with the eerie white mist.

The entire track was shrouded in the vast white fog. Visibility had dropped sharply; things more than ten meters away could no longer be seen clearly. The lively atmosphere of the Marathon had been completely dispelled. Figures on the track appeared indistinctly in the mist, and many people were running outward in a panic.

"What happened? Why is this mist so thick?"

"It's so dense, I can't see anything!"

"This mist gives me an uncomfortable feeling. My head is a bit dizzy; I need to get home quickly."

The surrounding voices were noisy and panicked. Some covered their mouths and noses as they walked quickly, while others stood in place, at a loss.

Su Ye stood in the mist, feeling its texture.

Ordinary people only felt "uncomfortable" or "dizzy," but Su Ye could feel much more.

This mist was mixed with spiritual energy.

A massive amount of spiritual energy.

It was more than ten times denser than the thin threads of spiritual energy usually found in the air. The entire white mist was like a thick soup brewed from spiritual energy, pouring down and soaking the entire city.

Su Ye's heart skipped a beat.

This wasn't a normal natural phenomenon.

A phenomenon triggered by spiritual energy?

A spiritual energy... invasion?

The power of that spiritual energy mixed with the celestial phenomenon made Su Ye feel uneasy. This level of spiritual energy concentration was like throwing someone who couldn't swim into the deep end; ordinary people simply couldn't withstand it.

The mist was eerie. Although Su Ye had just mastered the prototype of the Breathing Technique, it was better not to take risks. He knew when to advance and when to retreat; the unknown was always the most dangerous.

Su Ye lowered his posture and walked quickly through the mist-shrouded streets, heading toward his residence.

Along the way, he saw many abnormal sights.

Skyscrapers were swallowed by the white mist, with only the outlines of their tops visible, as if floating on a sea of clouds. Streetlights emitted a hazy glow in the fog. Vehicles drove slowly with their hazard lights on, and the sound of horns rose and fell. Someone was crouching by the roadside retching, someone was leaning against a wall moving step by step, and an old man had collapsed directly onto a bench at a bus stop while people nearby were frantically calling emergency services.

Su Ye quickened his pace.

...

Back at his residence, he locked the door and drew the curtains.

Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Su Ye sat at his desk and took out his phone.

The internet had already exploded.

All sorts of posts were flooding in. Short video platforms were full of footage of the white mist enveloping the city, with skyscrapers appearing indistinctly in the fog like scenes from a doomsday movie.

"What's happening to Jiang City? This mist is way too thick!"

"It's not just Jiang City; I've seen it in the neighboring province too. The whole sky has turned white!"

"Does anyone else feel like this mist isn't normal? I walked in the fog for ten minutes and felt dizzy and nauseous. I only felt better after getting home."

"The wild flowers downstairs seem to have 'come alive.' The leaves are moving—moving on their own even without wind! I filmed a video, take a look!"

Below were various replies: "Brother, did you eat some wild mushrooms?" "Must be a hallucination, hahaha." "I suggest seeing a doctor."

But Su Ye knew that what that person said might be true.

With the birth of the spiritual energy white mist, plants might be more sensitive to spiritual energy than animals. Abnormal movements were normal.

He continued scrolling down.

Soon, an official announcement appeared on the trending searches.

The Jiangnan Province Meteorological Bureau issued an emergency statement: "The widespread thick fog today is a phenomenon caused by the superposition of radiation fog and advection fog due to recent sudden temperature changes. It is a rare but normal meteorological event and is expected to gradually dissipate within the next six to twelve hours. Residents are advised to reduce outdoor activities and pay attention to traffic safety."

Su Ye looked at this statement, his lips twitching slightly.

Superposition of radiation fog and advection fog?

In June?

Sudden temperature change?

Today's high was thirty-two degrees and the low was twenty-four. Where did this sudden temperature change come from?

This rhetoric might be enough to fool ordinary people, but it was far from enough to fool a self-proclaimed medical master's student with some common sense who was also an extraordinary cultivator.

Su Ye put down his phone and leaned against the back of his chair, his gaze darkening.

He was certain in his heart: nature had already begun to change.

The influx of spiritual energy was no longer a silent infiltration; it had begun to affect the real world in visible ways. The white mist, the abnormal movements of plants, and the physical discomfort of ordinary people were all chain reactions after the spiritual energy concentration broke through a certain critical point.

And the official attitude was also very clear. They must have already noticed something; otherwise, they wouldn't have released a "meteorological statement" full of loopholes so quickly to appease the public.

They were covering it up.

Or rather, they were buying time.

Su Ye closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

The white mist outside the window was still thick, and a sliver of faint light seeped through the gap in the curtains. The concentration of spiritual energy in the air was several times higher than usual. He didn't even need to consciously perceive it to feel those threads of spiritual energy gently brushing across the surface of his skin.

It seemed that before figuring out the official attitude, he still needed to keep a low profile.

Su Ye opened his eyes, his gaze calm and profound.

The storm was coming.

And he had to become strong enough before the storm arrived.