Thinking about being caressed in Sakaki's arms, Meow Meow's face lit up with a dreamy, silly smile.
Musashi and Kojiro didn't even notice his increasingly strange expression.
"Meow Meow's been acting dumb lately… did Pikachu shock him silly?"
"Looks like we should take him to see it again, just to be safe."
"Yeah, definitely."
For the next few days, White Ye's life was unusually calm.
He went to school during the day, trained his body at night. The excitement his classmates had felt after gaining their abilities gradually faded with the rhythm of ordinary life and eventually returned to normal.
Even Zhang Weiyang, Sun Qiang, and the others who had insisted on training after school and going for morning runs gave up their plans after two days.
Playing games wasn't more fun? Reading novels wasn't interesting?
Finishing senior-year coursework was exhausting enough; adding physical training on top of that was just impossible.
So… that was that.
A few people who hadn't awakened abilities yet did so during this time, though their powers were weaker than those who awakened initially. Even the first awakenings weren't particularly strong, though.
"Bang!"
"Crack!"
Bai Xuan clenched his fist, and his fingers cracked repeatedly as he swung punches through the air, producing sharp, slicing sounds.
With training, his physical condition was improving rapidly—and the speed was terrifying.
Previously, only his abilities had grown; now, even his body was getting stronger.
Accordingly, the growth of his abilities had slowed slightly. But this "slight" was only relative to the explosive increase in his physical strength. Compared to other ability users, his progress was still shocking.
Through these days of studying himself and Natural Authority, he understood why his body was growing fast and why his abilities' growth had slowed.
It was all because of his subjective consciousness.
At first, abilities grew rapidly because he hadn't cared about other aspects of growth. Natural Authority is linked to nature itself; the revival of spiritual energy benefits the natural world indisputably.
Every living creature that grows stronger also strengthens him as the holder of Natural Authority. The proportion differs, but the sheer number adds up.
This growth is fixed—even if a living being dies, Bai Xuan doesn't weaken because of its death.
Now, his physical growth was rapid because he had started training. Subjectively, he believed that physical strength shouldn't be ignored. So Natural Authority allocated half—or even more—of its power to improving his body.
But nothing comes without a price. Bai Xuan understood this deeply.
Even Saitama, the so-called OP King from One Punch Man, paid a price with his hair and emotions.
"What? You mean Reinhard?"
Come on, that's the author's dad; it doesn't count!
As for the price White Ye had to pay… honestly, even he didn't know.
Even if he asked the chat group, the only reply was:
"As the possessor of Natural Authority, you must bear the responsibilities this planet grants you."
"When you learn to observe the world and think from the perspective of a 'God,'"
The chat group's words were cryptic. Bai Xuan didn't understand them.
He'd just wait. When he became a "God," he would naturally understand.
He clenched his fist and punched the sandbag.
"Boom!"
With a thunderous crash, his right hand pierced straight through the sandbag.
"This kind of power… I probably never even imagined it before."
Bai Xuan shook his head. That was only a fraction of his strength, less than one-tenth.
If he added his abilities… it would be even more terrifying.
"And after fusing the eyes of Uchiha Obito, the Mangekyō Sharingan with Kamui, it actually transformed into a completely different ability."
"I saw the note in the chat group before, but I didn't expect the essence itself to change."
"Still, it's more suited to me than Kamui."
[Left Eye: Oracle]
"What I say is what will be; my words are divine edicts."
[Right Eye: Oracle · Reversal]
"Acting with divine authority carries punishment."
"Humans are unworthy of wielding God's power. When you cannot bear the cost, you may transfer the cost to others."
"Note: Heaven is fair, but you are an exception."
"Note: I suspect you may have a connection with the World Consciousness."
From the chat group's notes alone, the terror of these eyes is obvious. Even the chat group suspected Bai Xuan might have a secret link with the world consciousness.
Otherwise, how could such abilities even exist?
"What? You say these two powers are reflections of my inner self? The Sharingan manifested them based on my heart?"
Do you believe that? The chat group doesn't.
Even if Bai Xuan had such a thought, the Sharingan alone could never produce these terrifying abilities.
Otherwise, Amaterasu wouldn't have become harmless, and Kamui wouldn't have had no flaws.
If it weren't for the World Consciousness, it would have removed Su Yunqing as group leader and let Bai Xuan take the position.
Su Yunqing: ???
Su Yunqing: Please open voice chat.
Bai Xuan didn't even know how to describe these two twisted powers derived from the Mangekyō—they were terrifying! Truly terrifying!
The former lets a human wield divine authority; the latter transfers the cost to others.
"Am I crazy for calling myself God?"
Even if only within his own capacity, it already showcased immense power.
He even began to suspect he might really have a connection with the World Consciousness. Otherwise, why both Natural Authority and Oracle?
"I'm really curious to see how far my future self will grow."
Blessed by Earth and aided by the chat group, he looked forward to the day he would reach that level.
Shaking his head, Bai Xuan decided to eat something.
Since he had started focusing more on physical growth, not only did his body grow faster, but his hunger also increased dramatically.
Food that used to last a week now barely lasted a day.
Luckily, money wasn't an issue; otherwise, just the cost of meals would have been a headache.
After dressing and tidying up, White Ye stepped out of his home.
He wandered along the street until he found a buffet restaurant and walked in without hesitation.
Though he didn't lack money, the most important thing now was to eat until full—not to savor fine cuisine.
A buffet was a perfect choice.
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