Chapter 147: The Origin of the Spirit Peach

“Spiritual Qi?”

Li Hao suddenly stood up, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light.

In the wake of the two major incidents at Mount Beimang and Luocheng, countless theories had surfaced, but the most widely discussed—and accepted—was that of the return of the Spiritual Qi Era.

Many scholars claimed that in ancient times, the world was once filled with spiritual energy. Humans could cultivate with it, ascend to immortality, and live freely and eternally. Most of the myths and legends known today, they argued, were actually real historical events, shaped by those immortals.

But as time passed, the spiritual energy gradually faded, forcing those immortals to abandon this barren world for others.

Ordinary people, left behind in the age of Dharma Decline, forgot the truth of their past, relegating everything to folklore and myth.

This hypothesis had gained broad public support. After all, with the Underworld now manifesting before their eyes, cultivation and immortality no longer seemed far-fetched.

Still, it remained just a civilian theory. No matter how reasonable, it lacked concrete proof.

But if this peach pit truly contained Spiritual Qi, then this single discovery would be the key to validating the entire hypothesis—and the impact would be incalculable.

Spiritual Qi, cultivation, immortality—those few words alone were enough to drive the world mad.

“Seal the information! Immediately seal all knowledge regarding the peach pit—no one is allowed to know!”

Li Hao’s voice was trembling with excitement.

“I’ll have my secretary—no! I’ll go to the lab myself. First, have someone move the peach pit!”

He was just about to head out when—

The door to his office swung open. A stern-looking middle-aged man in a suit stepped in, voice cold:

“Chairman Li, where are you off to in such a hurry?”

Li Hao stiffened, quickly and discreetly covering the file on his desk.

“So it’s Vice Chairman Geng. Entering without knocking? That’s a little rude, isn’t it?”

Geng’s eyes narrowed, and his tone rose with fury:

**“Rude? You sealed the entire site without a word, cut off all communication, blocked everyone out—**how was I supposed to notify you!?”

A languid-looking young councilman who had followed Geng also stepped forward, face dark:

“You were the one who proposed sealing off Mount Beimang. Now you want to seize the benefits alone by locking down the scene too? Do you really think Luocheng answers only to you, Chairman Li?”

Li Hao’s brow furrowed as he scanned the tension-filled room.

Seven council members had arrived, along with a vice chairman—together, they represented the majority of Luocheng’s power blocs.

Had he managed to keep them out from the start, perhaps he could’ve monopolized the fruits of this event.

But now that both sides were standing face-to-face, every move he made was under scrutiny.

Trying to outmaneuver the information network of seven councilmen and one vice chair? Impossible.

The federal government wouldn’t give him time. The corporate tycoons wouldn’t give him time. Once the true major powers set their sights on this, he wouldn’t even get a scrap of soup.

Only by sharing intel and forming alliances could they grab what benefits they could before the giants arrived.

After a moment of thought, Li Hao picked up the document and handed it to Vice Chairman Geng.

“See for yourself.”

As the papers passed hand to hand, the mood in the room shifted.

Vice Chairman Geng’s expression grew grim. Even the lazy-looking young councilman straightened up, eyes sharp.

Each member read the report in turn, and with every page, their expressions changed.

By the end, the room was dead silent.

“…What’s your plan?”

It was Geng who finally broke the silence.

“Cooperation.”
Leaning back in his chair, Li Hao spoke each word slowly and clearly.

“The appearance of Spiritual Qi will overturn everything we know. Forget about bans or restrictions—those are garbage now.”

**“Luocheng is the first place where Spiritual Qi has appeared. That gives us a natural advantage.
If we seize the opportunity now and gain enough benefits, we might just **rise with the tide.”

**“But all of that depends on one thing—we must work together before the big players arrive.”

“How do we cooperate?” the lazy councilman asked coldly.
“There’s only one peach pit infused with Spiritual Qi. There are nine factions here. How do we make sure everyone profits?”

“Idiot!” Li Hao snapped, without hesitation.

The youth’s face darkened. “What did you say?”

Li Hao suddenly stood, towering over the man, eyes burning with contempt.

**“You only care about the profit in front of your face.
You don’t even understand what truly matters.
You’re a **short-sighted fool beyond redemption!”

As he spoke, he waved the document in his hand for all to see.

“The research shows that this peach pit comes from a Spirit Peach that had only just ripened—less than five days old—before being eaten by one of the ghosts.”

**“That proves two things: one, that this fruit is extraordinary—**even a ghost could eat it.
But more importantly, it reveals something *critical*—the *origin* of the Spirit Peach!”**

**“The fruit was freshly picked. The muddle-headed ghosts that returned on their seventh day wouldn’t have had the clarity to pluck it.
Which means it was most likely taken by one of the *ancient battlefield spirits*.
That suggests that the Spirit Peach must have been **plucked from Mount Beimang.”

“And the fact that it grew in under five days matches perfectly with the timing of the recent anomaly—five days ago, Mount Beimang was covered in fog, and the black-armored ghost gods appeared.”

**“All signs point to one location: the **scenic area covered by the fog five days ago.”

A flush of excitement colored Li Hao’s face as he went on:

**“Before the area was sealed, we calculated the fog covered an *eight-kilometer radius*.
Compared to the vastness of Mount Beimang, that’s not large.
Once we narrow it down, **finding the Spirit Peach Tree will not be difficult.”

His words sent a visible ripple through the room.

The council members’ expressions all shifted. No one could hide the eagerness in their eyes now.

“Are you serious?”

“Chairman Li, you’re brilliant!”

“Incredible foresight! To draw such insight from so few clues!”

“We need to immediately form a search team to locate the Spirit Peach Tree in Mount Beimang!”

Only the young councilman remained uncertain. His tone was still cold:

“The location might be right… But don’t forget—the fog messes with the soul. Everyone who wandered in before still hasn’t woken up.”

“And the black-armored ghost god clearly warned: ‘Mount Beimang is forbidden—no living beings may enter.’ So how exactly do you plan to pick the Spirit Peach?”

Li Hao grinned proudly.

**“If the rule says no living beings, then don’t use the living.

**Drones, robotic dogs—slightly modified, they can enter just fine.
After all, they’re not alive, and that means **they don’t break the ghost god’s command.”

(End of Chapter)