In the study of Lishan Martial Hall.
Lin Tuo stood still beside the Sand Table, waving his hand to disperse the fog he had forcibly drawn from Mount Taihe, before withdrawing his avatar back into his body.
Once everything was settled, he glanced down at the still-bustling crowds in the central plaza of Yang City. Only then did he exhale softly.
"Everything went smoothly."
Sneaking into the Taihe Mountains with his avatar to carve the cultivation technique onto the giant stone had taken him considerable effort. To be cautious, he had deliberately carved it with his left hand and meticulously erased fingerprints or other traces.
He made sure not to leave behind a single clue.
"Yang City isn't too small, but it's not too big either. Plenty of people witnessed that scene in the plaza, and many recorded it. I expect the contents of this technique will spread online very soon.
Especially here in Yang City, it'll definitely stir further heated discussion…
As for the whole country, it may gain some attention, but probably not too much.
At the end of the day, the level of attention a mysterious martial artist can attract is limited… at least before the technique is proven to actually work."
"Next, as long as the municipal government isn't too slow, they'll definitely launch an investigation and report to higher authorities. Soon enough, a provincial task force may even arrive."
But Lin Tuo wasn't worried about being traced. With the ability of the Evolution Sand Table, he could appear and disappear at will, while altering bodily details to mask his identity. His tracks were impossible to follow.
When the crowd in the plaza gradually dispersed, Lin Tuo stopped thinking about it and went to the training grounds to carry out his daily practice.
At noon, when Lin Tuo went down the mountain for lunch, he could already hear patrons in the tavern discussing the morning's incident.
Chat groups and social media were already filled with circulating videos and photos of the Azure Spirit Breathing Technique.
Many were skeptical, calling it a scam, while others firmly believed:
"It's real! I swear! I was at the city center this morning, I saw it with my own eyes—that person hurled that massive stone slab from the rooftop into the plaza's flowerbed! It left a huge crater!
I even touched it myself—it was solid rock, not some prop! That heavy, and he could throw it so precisely? No normal human could do that!"
One of Lin Tuo's old coworkers claimed confidently in the company chat.
A young intern replied curiously:
"At the city center? I'll go take a look after work."
"Don't bother, the place has already been cordoned off. The municipal authorities took over. I heard the stone's already been removed. No idea if it's true or not.
Shame though… honestly, that stone slab actually looked pretty cool standing there."
"Ah, really?"
Lin Tuo silently lurked in the chat, reading through their discussions without much surprise.
Suddenly, one colleague asked:
"So, what about that Azure Spirit Breathing Technique… could it really work? I mean, it looks kind of like some kind of internal martial arts manual, right?"
Another joked: "I think it looks more like a cultivation method straight out of a novel."
After a pause, he added, "Honestly, I think we should try it. I looked closely—the technique isn't complicated. Just some breathing adjustments. No harm in giving it a shot."
"Eh… shouldn't we wait for official confirmation?"
"Forget that. I'm going to try after work."
"Count me in."
Most of the group were young, brimming with curiosity. A handful were already making plans to practice, and although many stayed silent, Lin Tuo suspected more than a few were tempted.
Feeling reassured, Lin Tuo returned to Lishan after lunch.
In the study, he summoned the virtual panel, switching the Evolution Sand Table to Creation Mode.
The room's light shattered into fragments, then instantly reformed into a vast continent.
After thirty hours of accelerated time, the continent had already changed.
Looking down, Lin Tuo saw that Chi Country's once-chaotic farmlands were now far more orderly. The fields were neatly divided, and even previously barren land had been reclaimed.
Closer inspection revealed peasants pushing new farming machines across the fields.
This was clearly the result of "agricultural reform."
The land was now managed either by large landlords or directly by the state, tilled with modern tools, improved fertilizers, and more scientific planting methods—yielding higher harvests.
Meanwhile, the surplus farm labor had been absorbed into state-run factories, trained and put to work producing fertilizers, pesticides, and farm machinery.
After work, they attended evening schools arranged by the authorities for basic education, forming a positive cycle.
Lin Tuo's eyes shone as he shifted his gaze to the growing factories.
To personally witness a nation's rapid development like this… it was a strange and exhilarating feeling.
"Open the operation log."
At his words, the interface expanded.
[World Year 704,082,300: Agricultural reforms introduced in Chi Country. First state-owned factory established in Tao County to produce agricultural supplies. Supporting laboratory founded as trial project.]
[…One year later, trial expanded. Monarch of the time proposed the first Five-Year Plan.]
[…Year 829: First large textile factory established near Peach River outside Kyoto. New spinning machines disrupted traditional weaving industry.
In the same year, Chi Country invested ten thousand taels of silver into steam engine research, first applied to Xishan Mining. Plans drafted for a new credit currency system… commerce further liberalized.]
[…Year 838: First stock exchange opened in Kyoto, raising vast private capital.]
[…Year 841…]
[…Year 853…]
Lin Tuo read the logs with great interest.
Over time, he had come to understand the rules: the log only recorded milestone events of societal development—the sort that would appear in history books or exam papers.
During periods of rapid progress, the records came frequently, allowing him to capture the general trajectory at a glance.
Later, if something became routine without major change, it was no longer logged.
Closing the log, Lin Tuo turned eagerly to check the "Current Ether Concentration."
It still showed Low, unsurprisingly.
But next to it was a green, upward-pointing arrow—indicating Ether levels were rising.
"This time, it better not be another tiny trickle."
Muttering to himself, Lin Tuo lowered his body over the Sand Table and once again performed the Breathing Technique.
Instantly, wisps of bluish-white Ether from the accelerated world above the continent were drawn into his body.
This time, as the Ether poured in, his skin flushed, heat rose through him like a fever, and sweat beaded on his brow.
Dozens of seconds later, he opened his eyes and asked again:
"How much Ether do I have now?"
A message surfaced in his mind:
[Host Ether reserves: 536 points]
"536?!"
Lin Tuo's spirit jolted.
After purchasing Tongue of All Nations, he had only 24 Ether left. Since then, he had absorbed a handful more, strengthening his body.
But this one draw alone had given him over 500!
Compared to last time, it was a massive leap.
For perspective, Yang City had only ever yielded about 100 Ether to him.
This one breath was worth five Yang Cities!
Of course, it wasn't that simple.
First, Chi Country's population had grown further over the years. Second, what he absorbed wasn't Ether from a single moment—it was accumulated from an entire span of time, thanks to the time acceleration effect.
That explained the fivefold increase.
Moreover, since the two modes consumed energy differently, he suspected the real Ether harvested was much higher—only part of it was lost to the Sand Table's own processes.
"This is the right path. If I had stuck with Observation Mode alone, how long would it have taken to gather 500 points?"
Feeling a rush of elation, Lin Tuo couldn't help but feel a little inflated.
With newfound wealth, naturally, he thought of spending.
He opened the "Store" with a thought. Inside, only one item remained:
[Expand Observation Range: 1,000 points / 10,000 square kilometers]
Seeing the price tag of a thousand, Lin Tuo fell silent for two seconds. The small sense of triumph he'd felt evaporated instantly.
He had thought he'd just struck it rich—yet he couldn't even afford half an upgrade.
With a long sigh and a wry smile, he muttered:
"I'm still dirt poor."