Reborn as a tiger, he was chosen by the nation as its guardian beast.

Gu Xing was stunned for a moment upon hearing Zhang Shouzhou's words.

But the next second, the old dean, who had just been in a sorry state, suddenly burst forth with a terrifying light in his cloudy eyes.

He abruptly pushed away Wang Mingyuan, who was supporting him, and rushed to Zhang Shouzhou, grabbing the old Taoist's arm tightly with both hands.

His movements were so forceful, and his eyes were full of solemnity.

"Master Zhang, I want you to come with me."

Gu Xing's voice was hoarse, yet it carried an undeniable fervor.

Zhang Shouzhou was startled by his sudden action and instinctively tried to break free.

"Dean Gu, what do you mean by this? This humble Taoist priest..."

"Stop arguing with me!"

Gu Xing rudely interrupted him, spitting almost onto the old Taoist's face: "Your physical data, the energy composition within your body, and exactly what your opened Qi Sea looks like—we must record all of this as soon as possible using scientific methods!"

"This is crucial for both our research institute and the continued development and promotion of your guidance techniques."

The director of the Huacheng Research Institute was no longer the composed scholar he once was; he was nothing more than a madman who had discovered an unparalleled treasure.

He doesn't actually care about any ideological debates; he only believes in science.

And now the facts are right before his eyes: a completely new path to transcendence, which can be explained by a completely different set of theories, has appeared vividly before him.

This is much more stimulating than gene-editing drugs!

Nowadays, there are many research institutes in the country that study gene therapy, but there are almost none that study guiding techniques to extraordinary levels or studying the Qi Sea (a concept in Traditional Chinese Medicine).

Gu Xing wanted to be the first.

Wang Mingyuan's lips twitched as he watched this scene, but in the end he didn't dare to step forward to stop it.

He knew Gu Xing, his old friend, all too well. Once he entered this research-obsessed state, he would become oblivious to everything else, even family and friends.

Upon hearing the words "promoting guidance techniques," Zhang Shouzhou's struggles immediately lessened considerably.

Wang Hu watched as Gu Xing practically dragged a bewildered Zhang Shouzhuo down Tianniu Mountain in the still heavy rain, heading towards the research institute without looking back.

Two days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The torrential rain that swept through the entire city of Hwaseong finally showed signs of abating, the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and the long-awaited sunshine appeared.

But under the sunlight, half of Huacheng had been completely submerged. The muddy floodwaters had submerged the streets and some low-lying buildings, creating a scene resembling the end of the world.

However, thanks to the timely national warning and the large-scale evacuation of people organized in advance, coupled with the fact that a large number of troops were already stationed near Wangjia Village, a strategic location, countless soldiers joined the rescue efforts at the most critical moment. As a result, there were no deaths during the entire natural disaster.

This can be considered a miracle, though not a complete miracle.

While everyone was busy dealing with the natural disaster, in a side hall of Zhenyang Temple, Wang Hu was comfortably lying on a high place, enjoying the sunshine after the rain while enthusiastically scrolling through his phone.

Not far away, in a makeshift sterile research room, Gu Xing was staring at the microscope with bloodshot eyes, muttering to himself.

Two days ago, he took Zhang Shouzhuo back to the research institute and used all available instruments to give the old Taoist priest a thorough full-body examination.

The result surprised Gu Xing greatly.

The report showed that none of Zhang Shouzhou's four basic physical attributes exceeded ten points. They were only slightly better than those of an average young adult, with his highest attribute, mental strength, barely reaching seven points.

If Gu Xing hadn't personally witnessed Zhang Shouzhou's uncanny invisibility and his nightmarish spell that rendered people unable to move, he would never have believed that this seemingly ordinary old man was a superhuman who had opened his Qi Sea.

This completely overturned his understanding of supernatural powers!

Driven by immense confusion and intense curiosity, Gu Xing became completely absorbed in his research. He set up a makeshift research lab in the Zhenyang Temple and immersed himself in it, oblivious to everything else around him.

During that time, the old man came out once with two huge dark circles under his eyes.

He found Wang Hu and got straight to the point, wanting a vial of Wang Hu's blood for comparative research.

Furthermore, he offered a price that Wang Hu could not refuse.

One hundred meritorious deeds.

Wang Hu readily agreed on the spot.

Where else can you find such a good thing as earning enough merit points to exchange for a Vermilion Fruit just by lying down and playing on your phone?

He didn't care about those few drops of blood at all.

He is getting stronger every day, and every cell in his body is undergoing a transformation under the nourishment of spiritual energy.

The data we get from his blood today will be outdated tomorrow.

Are you trying to estimate your own strength based on this?

Almost impossible.

Wang Hu wagged his tail, in a great mood, and skillfully continued browsing the news.

On the screen, a barrage of messages came in.

[Hangcheng, stay strong! Nationwide supplies are being urgently sent to aid; the floodwaters will eventually recede!]

Natural disasters are merciless, but humanity is full of love. A salute to all the heroes fighting on the front lines of flood control!

Wang Hu only glanced at these contents briefly; his attention was quickly drawn to several international news items.

Breaking News! A magnitude 8 earthquake struck near Mount Fuji in Japan, completely cutting off communication with the interdimensional rift region!

[Rumors are circulating widely online: Japan's front lines appear to have collapsed; mutants have developed intelligence and can coordinate attacks; the United States is considering withdrawing its troops!]

Wang Hu knew about the earthquake in Japan, and he believed it was related to the spatial rift, or rather, the fluctuations in spiritual energy near the spatial rift, just like the heavy rain in China.

But another piece of news made him narrow his eyes slightly.

The mutants have gained intelligence?

He recalled his experience in that other world.

Because the mutants were controlled by the intelligent agent, and the intelligent agent was unable to control those mutants through spatial rifts before, the mutants lacked a specific strategy when fighting against Japan.

Now that they suddenly possess intelligence, doesn't that mean that intelligent beings from other worlds can invade and take root on Earth through mutations?

This is not good news for them.

He continued scrolling down.

A video news clip popped up, showing the Japanese Foreign Minister at a press conference, weeping and bowing deeply at a 90-degree angle.

"The Earth is a community with a shared future! We share the same fate, and we share the same glory! We earnestly request all countries in the world, especially regional powers, to extend a helping hand and send forces to join the front line in resisting the invasion from another world! Don't let Japan fight alone!"

These words sound grand and dignified, but everyone can see that they are subtly sending a message to China.

After all, when it comes to the pure combat power of the army, in today's world, apart from the increasingly weakened Soviet Union, if China claims to be second, no one dares to claim to be first.

In this war in another world, they want to drag China into it as well.

Wang Hu pursed his lips, finding it somewhat amusing.

They probably still don't know that China has actually been enjoying watching the drama unfold on the other side of the spatial rift!