Then they jumped into the river, trying to anchor themselves in the Spirit River, but usually failed within a second or two. This only intensified their curiosity—how could that person hold on for so long, while they could only last a moment or two? Could it be that the unknown gas had granted him some advantage, allowing him to persevere?
It had to be said that curiosity was the wellspring of imagination. Driven by its impulse, they conjured the correct answer in their minds.
After numerous attempts where they jumped directly into the river only to be immediately swept away by the surging Spirit Qi, the adventurers learned their lesson. This time, they opted to start from the lowest reaches of the Spirit Qi river, gradually tracing it upstream.
Although the resistance they encountered grew steadily, this increase was gradual, unlike the sudden shock of plunging directly into the river. Thus, they managed to persevere.
Before long, they understood why Bai Mo had desperately clung on.
The closer they got to the source, the more tempestuous the Spirit Qi tide became, and the greater its benefits for the human body. However, only by steadfastly resisting the current could the Spirit Qi be pressed into their bodies for transformation.
Bruce Pan, the second son of a prominent family, had developed a thrill-seeking habit. With no hope of inheriting the family business yet living a life free of worries, he had originally come to Hawaii to explore volcanoes. However, upon his arrival in Hawaii, the "Spirit Qi Siege" event occurred, and he decided to head straight to the source of the Spirit Qi eruption to investigate.
Bruce Pan, an enthusiast of various extreme sports, surged upstream from the lower reaches of the Spirit River, driven by his insane craving for excitement. He discovered that as he constantly pushed forward, the pressure exerted by the Spirit Qi against his upstream movement rapidly intensified.
But as the pressure mounted, he also noticed that not only was his physical conditioning rapidly improving, but it also felt as though a force within his body was on the verge of erupting. It seemed to be just a hair's breadth short, leaving him quite uncomfortable.
Although maintaining his position here was already pushing him to his limits, the madness in his bones and his curiosity about the power about to erupt within his body compelled him to relentlessly, step by arduous step, push forward.
Finally, after another dozen steps, the Spirit River suddenly erupted with a "boom," as a ball of flame burst forth from the river's surface. Only then did Bruce Pan realize that the force within his body, eager to erupt, was fire.
To his astonishment, he then discovered that he seemed to have gained a kind of instinctive bodily memory; he could now project flames from various parts of his body!
Bruce Pan excitedly played around with this evidently unscientific superpower. Having loved Marvel series since childhood, his mind was now completely consumed by the word "Ability User."
The moment he relaxed even slightly, he immediately lost his footing in the Spirit River and was swept back to the starting point. However, as he lay on the ground, the fervent light in his eyes remained undimmed.
After witnessing the first "crab-eater" reap tangible and significant benefits, no one, whether already by the Spirit River or still downstream, could remain calm. If even an Ability User could be produced, then the world had truly gone mad, and they, too, should embrace a little madness.
The atmosphere around them began to turn fervent. Many rushed to the very downstream, starting their ascent towards the source from there. Some, unable to wait, didn't even bother going to the furthest downstream point, instead leaping directly into the less turbulent sections of the Spirit River and furiously pushing forward.
The infectious frenzy seemed to spread. Even those who had initially only intended to admire the peculiar scenery of the Spirit River now plunged into its waters. For a time, the Spirit River seemed to transform into a river of treasures.
With the emergence of the first person to gain an ability, the birth of the second Ability User attracted considerably less attention.
Chef Wolf, originally a head chef at a local restaurant in Hawaii, was not one to stay out of trouble. This time, he had come to the Spirit River to join the excitement, and upon seeing someone acquire an ability, he, too, plunged into the Spirit River with envious eyes.
After stubbornly pushing his way to the middle reaches, he discovered that with a surge of Spirit Qi, his entire body's skin suddenly became incredibly tough, like sheet metal, and also turned a gleaming silver, making him look exactly like a Terminator.
Learning from the first Ability User who was swept away by relaxing, Wolf forced himself to calm down. As he steadily pushed forward, he began to familiarize himself with his new ability. Just as he was practicing his power, a wave of intense hunger suddenly assaulted him. Distracted for a moment, he too was swept away by the Spirit Tide...
The struggling masses downstream all looked towards the place where the Spirit Qi had surged, surprised to see a "Terminator" standing on the river. With a quick association, they realized this was the second person to successfully acquire an ability, and it seemed to be a skin-strengthening type.
The second success further ignited the crowd's fervor. If someone could look down from the sky, they would see a horde of creatures, like rabid dogs, desperately struggling towards the river's source. Many, however, were swept back to the starting point shortly after setting out, only to pick themselves up and charge again.
As for who that "someone" looking down from the sky might be? Naturally, it was Bai Mo. His divine sense perception was no different from an aerial view. While painstakingly holding on, he also allocated a sliver of his consciousness to control his perception, observing the people downstream.
Bai Mo observed the two individuals who had just awakened abilities. They were roughly able to reach the upper sections of the downstream area, which was already the limit for ordinary people who hadn't undergone much prior enhancement. Of course, for Bai Mo, who was situated in the upper-middle reaches, this might sound like "talking without back pain"—after all, he had already undergone a relatively significant amount of enhancement beforehand.
The fanatics came in waves, one after another, pressing onward. Aside from those temporarily resting due to exhaustion, everyone was attempting to challenge their limits—the third, the fourth...
In just a single day, eight Ability Users were born at this volcanic crater. The others, too, found themselves able to endure longer in the Spirit Tide, and their physical conditioning improved to varying degrees.
However, unlike Bai Mo, who possessed an evolved organ like the "Energy-Absorbing Skin" that could greatly increase the speed of Spirit Qi absorption, they could only rely on breathing in small amounts of Spirit Qi and the pressure of the Spirit Tide to force wisps of Spirit Qi through their skin.
By evening, the adventurers, having endured a day of madness, paused their struggle. Everyone then discovered that upon leaving the Spirit River and returning to the environment of thin Spirit Qi mixed with air, an intense hunger rapidly assaulted their minds. All they could think about was eating! Eating! Eating!
Fortunately, most of those who came to watch the excitement by the river were experienced adventurers, each having brought along sufficient food.
The animals in the forest had mostly hidden themselves, digesting the gains from the previous great Spirit Tide. Those lacking food found even hunting to be an unlikely prospect.
After a day of madness, most of the adventurers lay in their tents, quietly savoring and processing the day's harvest.