"Hiss…"
Huo Yu patted her head. Souls… if they're something that need managing, shouldn't that be the underworld's job? What does it have to do with nature?
She was genuinely intimidated by Bai Xuan's abilities.
Well… the underworld probably has nothing to do with nature, right?
"I understand."
Bai Xuan nodded. Su Yue, though an ice-element ability user and naturally cold in demeanor, had a personality that was timid and introverted. She was lively only around people she knew well; otherwise, she mostly stayed quiet.
If she wanted to be effective in future battles, she really needed to grow stronger.
A flower grown in a greenhouse may be beautiful, but it struggles to survive storms. For Su Yue to mature, she needed to undergo the baptism of blood and killing.
As for Bai Xuan?
Even though he hadn't experienced such things, for someone with [Authority of Nature], did it really matter?
Everything could be killed instantly anyway.
The only thing to overcome was fear of blood and killing. That was actually easy—after seeing enough, one simply becomes accustomed to it.
As Huo Yu had said, he was a monster.
A monster that had been above all life since birth.
The gap between him and others would only widen, until his back could no longer be seen.
---
Three days passed in an instant. Bai Xuan and Su Yue were now on the way to the nature reserve.
"Since joining the Spiritual Energy Bureau, apart from those few meetings, you've basically trained alone in the villa?"
Su Yue, dressed in a tracksuit with a custom bulletproof layer underneath, looked at Bai Xuan in shock.
"Yeah… isn't that normal?"
Bai Xuan tilted his head, not seeing anything unusual in his actions.
"Normal people would slack off sometimes, right?"
"And don't you get tired? I get exhausted after an hour of training."
A bitter expression crossed Su Yue's face.
"I'm… a bit special."
Bai Xuan smiled, without further explanation.
Although his strength would continue to grow over time, why not accelerate it?
Besides, staying stagnant would be too boring.
Moreover, although his [Authority of Nature] was terrifyingly powerful and he was the strongest person on Earth in terms of luck, who knew if someone else had awakened a different authority?
Maybe their authority wasn't as strong as [Authority of Nature], but as long as it was still an authority, Bai Xuan's edge would have limits. If the other person worked harder, one day they might surpass him.
He remembered the chat group saying: "Earth's consciousness distributes fragments of world authority to all living beings on Earth."
That meant the distributed authority wasn't limited to [Authority of Nature] alone.
So, this possibility existed.
What Bai Xuan didn't know was that almost all authorities were divided among countless beings. No one could fully control a complete authority… except him.
He alone possessed the full [Authority of Nature].
Because he was special. To Earth, he was the most special existence.
---
Finally, the two arrived at the Hangzhou Nature Reserve.
Before the spiritual revival, this was one of Hangzhou's top scenic spots. After the revival, cleansed by spiritual energy, it seemed even fresher and more beautiful.
"There's a lot more spiritual energy here than in the city. Could it be related to the number of plants?"
Bai Xuan looked around the lush trees of the reserve with interest.
"Maybe… isn't it the same in novels? Spiritual energy is always stronger in forests than in cities."
Su Yue glanced curiously at the surrounding trees.
"Let's go."
Bai Xuan nodded and strode forward. Su Yue hurried to keep up.
She wouldn't dare to stay alone here.
Time passed slowly as they delved deeper.
"Found it."
"Follow me."
Suddenly, a smile appeared on Bai Xuan's face as he walked in a direction, with Su Yue trailing behind, confused.
"Found what? How did you find it? I didn't notice anything!"
Not long after…
"Roar!"
A thunderous roar echoed nearby. In the distance, they saw a gigantic tiger.
Unlike normal tigers, this one was crimson, like burning flames.
Its forehead, normally marked with a "king" symbol, now bore a red fire lotus.
"An… old tiger?"
Su Yue instinctively stepped back, panic written all over her face.
Why was there a tiger here?
No, this was a nature reserve—it made sense to have tigers.
But it was a tiger! Even if they had awakened abilities, they couldn't compete!
And judging by its color, it clearly had awakened powers. Combined with a beast's naturally superior physique, they couldn't win at all!
So… why were only the two of them sent for such a dangerous mission?
Su Yue felt helpless—this was completely unlike what she had imagined.
---
"Want to have some fun with it?"
"Don't worry. As long as you don't die, I can revive you."
Bai Xuan smiled at Su Yue's panicked expression.
"Don't… don't joke."
"Maybe we should just run? It's a tiger! And it has awakened abilities!"
"It would eat us!"
Su Yue shook her head repeatedly, speaking softly.
"Run? Not necessary."
"For you, it's indeed a bit early to fight it."
"Then… this one is my responsibility."
Bai Xuan shook his head and fixed his gaze on the crimson giant tiger.
The tiger seemed to notice him. Its fur bristled, its pupils narrowed, as if staring down a terrifying presence.
Its gaze then locked on Bai Xuan and Su Yue, the pupils tinged with a hint of red.
"Hm?"
Bai Xuan noticed the crimson in its eyes and frowned. In that instant, the tiger produced murderous intent toward them.
Strange… that emotion escalated too quickly.
By tiger habits, it shouldn't show outright killing intent toward prey.
"But since it's showing intent to kill, it'll be treated as a feral beast."
"Hope your meat doesn't disappoint me."
With that, several spears composed of golden elements formed in front of Bai Xuan, faint arcs of electricity flickering along them.
"Boom!"
In an instant, the spears sliced through the air toward the crimson tiger.
"Roar!!!"
The fire lotus on its forehead glowed faintly, and flames erupted all over its body.
Not only that—the heat solidified into a thick defensive armor over its body. Its majestic, beastly face radiated pride, bracing for Bai Xuan's attack.
---