Chapter 157: I’d rather die from holding in my pee, be embarrassed for life, I…

Chapter 157 "I'd rather die humiliated, holding it in forever, than..."

It felt like walking into a dead end, with no way out in sight.

Just as everyone was overwhelmed with anxiety, Sheng Qingquan's expression suddenly relaxed.

"Fortunately, heaven always leaves a door open!"

"Gasp!" Like hearing a divine melody in their darkest hour, a staff member who had been so anxious that a rash of blisters erupted around his mouth finally felt the pain. He hurriedly grabbed a healing device for treatment.

Modern medicine sure has its perks. In the past, blisters could form in mere moments but getting rid of them wasn’t easy, often taking half a month. Now, it took less than a minute for his previously throbbing mouth to return to normal, the skin around it smooth and clean, with no trace of blisters left.

Hopefully, this disaster would vanish just as completely as those blisters.

"At last, we can relax." The group shrugged off their gloom, ready to listen carefully to the proposed solution and how they could contribute.

"The reason everything seems capable of awakening to sentience in mere moments—even cases like Yin Xingyi's foster mother, who took human form in such a short time—is partly due to her extraordinary talent and effort, but also partly due to external assistance."

The scholars among them immediately thought of one possibility.

"*Emperor’s Elixir*?"

Who doesn’t know the myths? Not to mention, in many fantasy and Immortal Cultivation novels, the *Emperor’s Elixir* is a classic plot device. Ordinary plants, animals, or objects can gain sentience overnight after encountering it, while average demons undergo transformations, eventually becoming Great Demons.

After a few tales like that, it’s unmistakable.

"The book *Zi Bu Yu* mentions that the *Emperor’s Elixir* appears once every sixty years, and consuming it can grant millennia of cultivation overnight."

If true, it explained everything.

Sheng Qingquan, too, had immediately thought of the *Emperor’s Elixir*.

"It's not the *Emperor’s Elixir*, but similar to how the legendary elixir is said to be refined moonlight essence, the Spirit Mist that appears on Tianlan Star is also a boon from the heavens."

"Spirit Mist and Spirit Rain are natural phenomena that occur only when spiritual energy grows dense enough."

"The Spiritual Resurgence on Tianlan Star has been violently sudden—like a water bottle hitting the ground and bursting. Though the bottle itself doesn’t break, only developing fine cracks, the trapped water gushes out frantically through those gaps, spreading into a vast puddle in an instant."

"To be precise, the spiritual energy on Tianlan Star after the resurgence isn’t actually abundant—it’s downright thin, really."

"But even in its scarcity, there was a surge period where this energy coalesced into a fleeting Spirit Mist."

"Though the mist enveloped the entire planet for mere seconds, it was so wispy it simply faded."

"And this so-called Spirit Mist was more mist than spirit—mostly water, with only trace amounts of Spirit Essence."

"Not everything touched by the mist gained sentience."

"The moisture content in the Spirit Mist was extremely high—literally just water, with only a scant amount of spiritual essence mixed in."

"Only those that came into contact with and absorbed the essence truly benefited."

"Like that grass-woven locust—it gained sentience the moment it was finished, before even touching the ground."

"That's because among the grass used to weave the locust, there was one leaf that didn’t absorb the essence, but the plant next to it did. Being nearby, it came into contact with the overflowing aura and gained some benefit."

"However, these benefits weren’t enough to awaken its sentience. The grass-weaver himself was somewhat special—during the weaving process, he inadvertently handled the grass in a certain way, and thus the locust he crafted became animate."

"As for the pig about to be slaughtered, it awakened not due to the threat of death, but because its owner, before deciding to butcher it, starved it for a few meals to clear its intestines. During those days, it was only given water and nothing else."

"Coincidentally, the last scoop of water contained an extremely faint trace of Spirit Essence."

"Left untouched, the container holding the water would have eventually become sentient as the Spirit Essence was absorbed. But the pig got lucky and drank the water, and so it was the one that gained sentience."

"However, the Spirit Essence in the water was far too sparse, which is why it took some time for the pig to fully awaken. That’s why it only escaped when it was about to be taken for slaughter."

"As for the rest—whether it was the large rock, the refrigerator, the computer, or the painting—the mist seeped everywhere. Even items kept indoors had a chance to gain sentience if they were lucky, not to mention stones exposed outdoors."

"So, it’s not like any random bowl or pen can become sentient. Without the right opportunity, these bowls and pens will forever remain ordinary bowls and ordinary pens?"

At this point, the crowd finally grasped the situation.

It wasn’t as dire as they had imagined.

"In reality, sentient spirits don’t consider unawakened beings as their own kind."

"It’s like humans and monkeys or apes—no matter how similar they are, would you see monkeys or apes as fellow humans?"

"If they were really considered equals, what zoo would dare to lock people inside? If any zoo tried, the moment they started selling tickets, the police would be at their door on the first day, ready to throw them in jail."

"It’s just that during this period, a freakishly high number of spirits gained sentience, making it seem like anything could under any circumstance."

"Especially since these spirits were in a trance-like state when they awakened. They didn’t remember what happened at the moment of their awakening, nor did they realize how much they had benefited."

"So, when one blade of grass awakened, it figured all grass could too. When one light bulb awakened, it assumed all light bulbs could."

"They don’t look at ordinary plants or appliances as their kin—they see them as potential kin, believing they’d soon have countless kin."

"But in reality, that’s impossible."

"Once they understand this, without any effort from humans, the spirits themselves will separate themselves from mundane objects."

"But here’s the problem—how do we make them realize this?"

"Those Spirit Essences were mixed into the mist, invisible, colorless, and odorless—unlike the legendary 'Celestial Nectar,' which takes the form of olives and falls from the sky like golden threads."

"It looks like a meteor shower, immediately recognizable."

"Perhaps laboratories could monitor the presence of spiritual energy and produce reports."

But Sheng Qingquan doubted that spirits could make sense of these technical reports or believe their contents in a short time.

Sheng Qingquan tried to find a solution in the plot, but to no avail. If there had been a way, the original story wouldn’t have deteriorated to such a bleak point between the two races.

"As long as the core conflict is resolved, the subsequent issues won’t even be problems."

"With aliens already existing, humans raised on myths and legends—could they really fail to accept spirits?"

"And whether they’re spirits or sentient objects, their memories have always included humans. From the beginning, they’ve shared this planet."

"Many spirits’ original forms were even created by humans. If they can accept bodies crafted by humans, why not humans themselves? Why would they reject them?"

"Humans and spirits have always been deeply intertwined. There are shared bonds between them."

"The planet Tianlan is so vast, and the universe even more so. The Spiritual Resurgence continues—it’s just that the celestial blessings have ceased. But wiping out humanity or exterminating the yao race won’t make the heavens bestow any extra gifts. Things will remain unchanged."

"There might be competition over resources, but it can definitely be kept within reasonable limits."

There’s no need for it to be a fight to the death.

"Most importantly, Tianlan has external enemies watching closely."

"Perhaps the authorities could list out all the past adversaries, along with the crises Tianlan has faced in recent years."

"With formidable foes looming and Tianlan being so weak, how can we not unite against them instead of weakening ourselves from within?"

"Right, absolutely!" someone in the building exclaimed in agreement upon Sheng Qingquan’s reminder. "We’re on the same side!"

"Tianlan is our shared mother planet—it belongs to both humans and the yao race. Of course, we must protect it together."

"Think about those terrifying enemies. Tianlan is so technologically backward, yet its resources are so abundant. How many aliens have their eyes on it?"

"Internal conflicts only happen because we feel too safe. If we ramp up the urgency, they probably won’t even think of fighting."

"To protect our mother planet and our resources, we must rally every available ally and focus our aggression outward."

Some staff members even began contacting the authorities to gather the documentation.

"Over the years, while we’ve made efforts to conceal the incidents during crises, evidence remains. And often, we only cleared humans, not plants, animals, buildings, or objects."

"Maybe some of them were present at the time."

"As long as even one witnessed the scene and their memory remains intact, that would serve as eyewitness testimony."

In the original story, Yin Xingyi’s sworn mother could still come looking for her sworn son, clearly retaining her past memories.

"If they don’t believe humans, surely they’ll believe fellow yao?"

"And if they still don’t, though it’s not ideal to hope for it, another Doomsday crisis might make them see the truth firsthand."

The more the staff spoke, the more animated they grew—all traces of gloom long forgotten.

"Even if there’s no new apocalypse, the existence of aliens is undeniable. If necessary, we can take them to meet the aliens."

"The world is so vast, and there are so many aliens. Some are friendly, but many races covet Tianlan. Protecting it will be an uphill battle!"

"You can never have too many allies—why would we weaken ourselves?"

Seeing is believing, and Sheng Qingquan thought the same.

But since nothing major had happened in over a year, he didn’t think of his special ability. Instead, another thought occurred to him.

"Spirit Essence has to be valuable, right?"

One of Sheng Qingquan’s eyes suddenly turned gold.

At that moment, when he looked at things, the situation changed.

His gaze fell on the golden finger, and only a single line of small text appeared above the page:

"Crafted using arcane methods, contains an unknown energy of extremely high potency—beyond analysis."

Sheng Qingquan wasn’t surprised as he shifted his gaze away.

He had possessed this cheat ability for quite some time and had long used it to examine his own special power. The same line of text had always appeared when he used it.

Though named 'Treasure Appraisal Spirit Eye,' it couldn’t identify every treasure.

But for him, it was sufficient for now.

Sheng Qingquan looked at empty space, ignoring the other objects in the background, and *saw* the air.

Before the Spiritual Resurgence, appraising the air would only yield the words 'composite gases, fundamental energy.' A more detailed look would reveal the composition table of the air’s substances.

Unlike now: Sheng Qingquan observed an additional string of analysis.

“There's some unknown energy here. Currently low in quantity, but concentration is slowly increasing.”

After he determined this was Spirit Essence, the ‘unknown energy’ in his vision changed to the words ‘Spirit Essence.’

“Since I can see Spirit Essence in the air, then when Spirit Mist appears, I should also be able to see the essence within it.”

“I remember at the beginning of the month, the authorities put together a list of gear from dungeons in the first half of the year. There seemed to be a combo item called ‘Shared Vision’?”

“As long as I wear the main unit, whoever wears the sub-unit can see everything I see.”

“And the item even has a recording function!”

Sheng Qingquan called the Liaison officer to inquire and, upon confirming the item was still available, felt some relief: “Put in a request for this for me!”

He then explained what he'd just observed and shared his thoughts.

This could actually work!

Now, the key question was—when would that Spirit Mist show up?

He couldn't risk sleeping through it.

The reason Sheng Qingquan didn’t want to miss witnessing this Spirit Mist wasn’t just to preserve video evidence—it was also because—

“Diliujiang (Celestial Nectar) can only be used by yao creatures. Some records even impose stricter restrictions, stating only plants can absorb it.”

“But this Spirit Mist is different.”

“For humans, this mist also holds benefits.”

Though Sheng Qingquan was just one person and couldn’t harvest all the essence—even if he could, he shouldn’t. The gifts of heaven and earth belong to all living things. Humans hogging it all would just be greedy.

Too much greed always backfires.

Moreover, the Spirit Essence within the mist couldn’t be preserved for long. After a day and night, it would vanish completely, reverting to ordinary Spirit Essence and dispersing into the world.

But maybe he could gather a bit extra when the mist appeared, just within his line of sight?

Maybe he could give humanity a better shot?

An opportunity was just that—not a guarantee. The outcome would still depend on luck.

After discussing it, the higher-ups agreed it was worth a shot.

As they hashed out the details, Sheng Qingquan focused on reading the novel, trying to nail down exactly when the Spirit Mist would appear.

There was no other way—the mist would only last a few seconds. Just blinking at the wrong time and you'd miss it.

By then, it would be too late to regret.

"Di Liu Jiang," as written in *Zi Bu Yu*, states it appears annually on the 15th of July. But Spirit Mist isn’t mentioned the same way.

As Sheng Qingquan worried, he noticed a detail.

"In the original story, after the godmother arrived and the misunderstanding was cleared up, the Yin family wanted to take her out for a feast. But the godmother had no appetite and declined the invitation, asking just for a bowl of noodles at home."

"At first, I thought the godmother was afraid that if the Yin family took her out for a big meal or bought too many ingredients, it might attract trouble—what if they encountered spirits formed from those ingredients?"

"Would any being stand by idly seeing their kin turned into food?"

"A fight would be inevitable."

"Unnecessary."

"But she couldn’t refuse the Yin family’s enthusiasm, so she settled for a simple bowl of noodles."

"Now it seems there’s more to it."

["'After I awakened, the first scent I truly noticed wasn’t the fragrance of flowers or grass carried by the wind, nor the earthy aroma of soil. It was the strong, savory aroma of noodles.'"]

["'Many households in the village were making noodles, filling the whole village with that smell. It left a deep impression. Along the way, I often caught the same scent, yet with slight twists—likely from different recipes. Back then, I really wanted to taste it.'"]

["'And I still remember when I was young, you held a bowl of noodles, worried I might go hungry, and secretly buried it at my feet. Sadly, I knew nothing then and never got to taste that bowl of noodles. Even now, I still regret it.'"]

"Isn’t she just saying this to convince us?" Father Yin was puzzled. Though he recalled his son doing such things in childhood, more than once.

Still, serving just a bowl of noodles to a guest—especially a relative meeting for the first time—felt too cheap.

Even if the noodles were loaded with luxury ingredients, it was still just a bowl of noodles. Hardly suitable as the only dish. She must have been using these words to convince them.

Reading meaning into the noodles to prove she truly wanted nothing more.

Sheng Qingquan initially thought the same. But what if it was genuine?

"Perhaps the godmother wasn’t overcomplicating it—she was simply speaking from the heart."

"Noodles are indeed a common staple. But Yunteng City is in the south, where rice is the main staple. Noodles aren’t rare; in fact, they’re a local specialty, often served at banquets."

"Normally, though, you wouldn’t see a whole village making noodles simultaneously, nor so many households along the way doing the same."

"If they did, there’s just one reason."

Sheng Qingquan glanced at the calendar.

Tomorrow was the summer solstice.

"Yunteng City has a custom of having noodles on the summer solstice."

"Usually at noon. The original story mentioned the godmother, after becoming human, remembered her godson and his address, and came straight over."

Sheng Qingquan knew where Yin Xingyi’s hometown was. It was nearby—even if the godmother didn’t know how to take a bus, it’d only be a two- or three-hour walk. And being a spirit, she’d move quicker.

"So, she became conscious on the day of the summer solstice."

"The exact time was likely noon. Noodles are most fragrant when boiling—when eaten, the scent’s already faded as it wafted away."

"People in Yunteng City typically finish lunch by noon. Villagers eat even earlier. Since meals are prepared ahead, the most likely time frame would be between ten and twelve."

As a native of Yunteng City, Sheng Qingquan was well aware of local customs. With this timeframe, even if further analysis wasn’t possible, it was sufficient.

The Spiritual Resurgence wasn’t localized—it was happening across the entire planet.

The Spirit Mist wasn’t confined to specific areas; the entire planet would be shrouded in it.

During first contact with aliens, the officials had been transparent, and this time was no different.

Given the urgency, the government didn’t hesitate.

That very night, official notifications were issued through various channels.

"Such obscure wording… Between nine in the morning and two in the afternoon tomorrow, there might be a Spirit Mist. It’s advised that everyone be outside during this window. With luck, you might obtain Spirit Essence. Avoid staying indoors—don’t miss this opportunity and regret it later."

Someone blinked in disbelief after reading the official announcement.

Refreshing the page repeatedly didn’t make the top announcement disappear, nor did the authorities issue any corrections or apologies for a mistaken draft.

On top of that, identical messages were received via SMS, and neighborhood broadcasts echoed similar warnings.

Each refresh not only kept the announcement intact but also added hundreds of new comments beneath it.

Clearly, this didn’t seem fake.

If it were a hoax, the fallout would be irreparable for official credibility.

Besides, with aliens and kung fu being real, Spiritual Resurgence made perfect sense!

Logical, absolutely logical.

"Ahhhh! I’ve been waiting for this day! Who knew Spiritual Resurgence would actually happen? Living long enough really does bring miracles!"

"I’ve always had zero talent for martial arts—could never develop internal energy. So for the past two years, I’ve been deep into Taoist texts, trying a different path. HA! TAKE THAT! Finally, the day has come—Time to ascend, baby!"

"As a Taoist disciple, with my grasp of Taoist philosophy, this is the Dao is mine!"

"Does that mean Buddhist disciples have an edge too? My grandma’s a devout believer—does that mean I might get a zen grandma upgrade?"

"If I suck at martial arts, does that mean I’ll suck at cultivation too? Freaking out about this—any experts care to explain?"

"Dude, it JUST started—where would experts come from?"

"Probably unrelated. Maybe I’m a martial arts dunce but a cultivation prodigy!"

"Wait, so just going outside tomorrow is enough? No special poses? Shouldn’t we meditate in the lotus position or something?"

"Just meditating won’t cut it, right? What if I practice martial arts outdoors—could I achieve enlightenment in one go?"

"Even though the notice says there *might* be Spirit Mist, Spiritual Resurgence has already begun. I just opened all my windows and doors and am sitting on the balcony zoning out. Has it really started? Why don’t I feel anything?!"

"Holy crap! Bots much?! I just opened a shopping app to order *Tao Te Ching*, but it’s sold out everywhere!"

"Not just *Tao Te Ching*—all religious texts are gone. Even Confucian classics like *The Great Learning* and *The Doctrine of the Mean* are out of stock."

"Cultivating through Confucius, got it! Unearthed my old textbooks. Bless past-me for being a book hoarder!"

"Seriously?! Then Webster’s gonna make me immortal!"

...

"Tomorrow, right? Although it’s mentioned that staying indoors might still give a chance to obtain Spirit Essence, it's better to be outside."

After reading the comments for a while, this person suddenly snapped to attention and quickly switched apps to message his boss, asking for leave tomorrow. But before he could even open the messaging app, a notification about a company-wide holiday popped up.

The boss himself planned to stay outside—heading deep into the mountains and forests, believing the chances of obtaining Spirit Essence would be higher there.

Moreover, the boss wasn’t willing to risk keeping employees working indoors.

What if some employees failed to reap rewards and blamed him for denying them the chance, rather than accepting it as bad luck?

The boss didn’t want to get stabbed.

Besides, if any employees did reap rewards—though no one yet knew exactly what Spirit Essence could do—it was surely something valuable for cultivation. He wasn’t expecting repayment, but building goodwill never hurt.

With that in mind, the boss even shared his "insider tip" with his employees.

Of course, his "insider tip" wasn’t much of an insider secret at all. Many were already planning to get closer to nature—so many that roads were gridlocked even late at night.

The authorities remained silent on this. After all, they weren’t sure whether it would help or not, so they simply let people have their way.

As long as everyone went outdoors, their goal was achieved.

Though the Spirit Mist could seep indoors through cracks in windows and doors, it was still better to be outside, where contact would be more direct. Even standing still outdoors, one might luckily encounter a drifting Spirit Essence particle.

To ensure no one missed out, the authorities even broadened the timeframe.

Compared to missing this opportunity, waiting a few extra hours was nothing.

Of course, for those who truly couldn’t spare much time, the announcement still advised staying outdoors between 10 AM and 12 PM—the peak window for Spirit Mist activity.

If even that wasn’t possible, at least keep windows and doors open indoors.

But realistically, to the public, all this was pointless.

A heaven-sent opportunity was coming. Even if it meant losing their jobs, no one would stay inside tomorrow.

"From 9 AM to 2 PM, right? Tomorrow, even if I wet myself from holding it and live with the shame forever, I’m staying planted outside!"