Chapter 170 - 115: Warning

Chapter 170: Chapter 115: Warning

Early the next morning, Xu Mo faced east and began his daily routine of Qi Collection. As a wisp of Rising Sun Purple Qi entered his body and pulsed along with his qi and blood, he immediately noticed a difference from before.

For the past ten-plus days, the energy he gained from Qi Collection had always absorbed into his body on its own, nourishing his flesh. Now, however, this energy flowed like a stream into a river, clearly replenishing the qi and blood that had been slightly depleted by his intense cultivation the day before. His once-lacking qi and blood rapidly recovered, stabilizing at a state of complete saturation.

This subtle change brought Xu Mo a sudden flash of insight.

’So that’s how it is. My previous understanding was incomplete,’ Xu Mo realized. ’It’s not that the energy from Qi Collection directly causes a breakthrough. Instead, once the qi and blood for the Cowhide Realm are cultivated to a saturation point, the body spontaneously uses the surplus energy for something deeper—nourishing the tendons and bones to lay the foundation for the Iron Bone Realm. Because I trained so hard, my qi and blood reached saturation early, and I entered this "surplus nourishment" phase ahead of schedule. I just didn’t understand the principle behind it and thought I’d hit a bottleneck.’

With this realization, Xu Mo’s path forward in his cultivation became much clearer. He was no longer confused and began to actively guide the process. Each day, he would first use Qi Collection and a moderate amount of supplements to keep his qi and blood saturated. Then, he would actively circulate his qi and blood, meticulously refining and cleansing his body, providing a deeper level of nourishment to his tendons, membranes, and especially his bones.

As the days passed, this internal nourishment began to show tangible results.

Xu Mo could clearly feel his muscle fibers growing denser and his fascia becoming more resilient, allowing him to withstand greater force during stretches and bursts of power. The most significant change, however, was in his bones. They felt as if they had been tempered a thousand times over; their density seemed to be increasing. Tapping them revealed a hardness and solidity that far surpassed their previous state, and his qi and blood flowed through them more smoothly.

’The Iron Bone Realm is getting closer.’ Feeling the tangible changes in his body, Xu Mo was filled with anticipation.

And so, another ten-plus days passed in a cycle of disciplined cultivation and vigilant observation. On this particular day, Xu Mo had just finished a round of flushing his system with qi and blood and was in the middle of recovering. Suddenly, an unexpected call came through the regional walkie-talkie, which he always kept on.

"C-07, C-07, this is A-02. Do you copy?" It was A-02, the representative from Jiang City.

His voice was as calm and steady as ever, but for him to call out a specific person on the public channel was a first, and it struck Xu Mo as odd.

Xu Mo picked up the walkie-talkie and pressed the talk button. "A-02, this is C-07. Go ahead."

"C-07, switch your walkie-talkie to secure sub-channel 3. I repeat, secure sub-channel 3. Over," A-02 instructed.

Xu Mo did as instructed, switching the walkie-talkie to a channel that was just between the two of them.

"Channel switched. Go ahead, A-02."

The other end was silent for two seconds, as if the speaker was choosing his words carefully. Then, he asked, "Xu Mo, I’d like to ask you something. In the initial phase of the mission, you were alone in the fortress for half a month without making contact with us. During that time, did you ever feel intense loneliness or stress? Did you have an urgent desire to get in touch with the outside world?"

The question was abrupt, and frankly, a bit strange. Xu Mo frowned slightly, his mind filling with suspicion. ’Why would a military representative suddenly be asking about my psychological state? And about something that happened so long ago?’

Strange as it was, Xu Mo answered truthfully, his tone calm. "Thank you for the concern, A-02. During that period, my days were full adapting to the environment, carrying out my observation duties, and doing my personal training. I didn’t feel any unbearable loneliness, and the desire to contact the outside world wasn’t particularly strong."

Xu Mo was telling the truth. For someone like him, accustomed to solitude and strict self-discipline, that period had hardly been an ordeal.

Upon hearing his answer, the radio on the other end fell silent. The silence lasted for seven or eight seconds before A-02’s voice came through again, betraying no emotion. "Alright, understood. Thank you for your cooperation. End of communication."

With that, he ended the brief and bizarre private conversation.

Xu Mo held the walkie-talkie, his brow furrowed. He was completely bewildered. ’What was the meaning of that call? It had no rhyme or reason, focusing only on his past mental state.’

When something seems this strange, it usually means trouble. Xu Mo refused to believe this was just a sudden, compassionate check-in from a superior.

’Something must have happened,’ his intuition told him. And it was very likely related to the answer he had just given.

He began to carefully go over the core of A-02’s questions: "alone," "lonely," "wanting to contact the outside world."

’Why ask about that specifically?’ Xu Mo wondered, pacing. ’Could it be that another Observer in a different fortress has expressed intense loneliness? Or maybe someone tried to make unauthorized contact with the outside world?’

’No, that’s not it.’ Xu Mo dismissed the thought. He rarely spoke himself, but he always kept his walkie-talkie on, just with the volume turned down. There was a near-constant chatter of people talking and communicating over the channel. Under those circumstances, it was unlikely anyone would feel so lonely they’d want to contact the outside world. They might complain about being bored in the fortress and wanting to get out for some fresh air, but that was about it.

The thought made Xu Mo recall his own trips outside the fortress, but he quickly justified them to himself. His actions were reconnaissance, nothing more.