Thirty-One

Ma Ran seemed to have anticipated Liu Huadie's question.

He merely glanced at her, his tone calm as he said, "Concentric and Aero-control."

???

Liu Huadie felt she was struggling to keep up with Ma Ran.

What was this guy even talking about?

Was she experiencing intermittent memory loss and had missed some crucial part of their conversation?

The lines that came out of Ma Ran's mouth, in Liu Huadie's opinion, were like accidentally fast-forwarding through a single-player game's cutscenes; they didn't connect with the preceding dialogue at all!

"The superpower you are about to awaken is called Concentric."

Ma Ran shifted his gaze to He Nanguang, the corners of his lips curling up into a gentle smile. "And his superpower will be called Aero-control."

He Nanguang, who had been standing by the side, enjoying the show, was suddenly pulled onto the stage by Ma Ran, leaving him flustered.

Truth be told, his thoughts were the same as Liu Huadie's; he didn't believe that a so-called "precognition" ability actually existed in this world.

Both of them, having received higher education, found it impossible to believe in the existence of precognition.

In fact, the reactions of He Nanguang and Liu Huadie were the normal ones.

Setting aside the eccentric Wu Di, who had defected at lightning speed, weren't the reactions of the other members of Caolu Academy also quite bizarre?

Heaven knew how much mind-altering potion Ma Ran had fed them!

Even such outrageous claims had people believing them!

And it wasn't just one or two people who believed.

He Nanguang began to doubt whether the members of Caolu Academy had even undergone the Academic Power assessment test.

However, what Ma Ran had just said made He Nanguang start to waver.

The so-called Concentric gave no clues from its literal meaning.

But...

If he wasn't misunderstanding, the words "Aero-control" clearly implied either "flying through the air" or "controlling the air," with little room for a third interpretation.

Ma Ran wasn't being deliberately vague; he was genuinely predicting the future!

Clear, distinct, and forceful.

"Perhaps the 'precognition' ability is a way of gathering information through the subconscious, integrating data without conscious effort, and inferring possible future scenarios..."

He Nanguang conjured a relatively plausible explanation for precognition.

Thinking about it that way, Limited Precognition wasn't impossible; it simply bypassed the thinking process.

Some people with exceptional observational skills and astonishing intelligence appeared to others as if they possessed prophetic abilities, thinking ten steps ahead for every one step they took.

The "Limited Precognition" ability Ma Ran mentioned might operate on a similar principle.

With this thought, He Nanguang instinctively reached for a cigarette and was about to light it.

But as his peripheral vision caught sight of Ma Ran, he sheepishly put the cigarette back into the pack.

He Nanguang wasn't the only one whose thoughts had shifted because of Ma Ran's two sentences.

Liu Huadie also seemed to be in a state of doubt now.

Her brow furrowed, and she stared intently at Ma Ran. "Concentric and Aero-control?"

"Assuming the 'Limited Precognition' ability truly exists."

"When you reveal the future information you've obtained, the future changes."

"But..."

"You didn't pay any 'price' for it."

Like Caolu Academy, Fulan Academy had not produced a single superpower awakener to date.

However, the head of Fulan Academy and the person in charge of Yingchuan Academy had decades of friendship, allowing them to obtain firsthand intelligence and research materials on superpowers promptly.

As the most outstanding member of Fulan Academy, Liu Huadie naturally had access to more information than ordinary members.

She was well aware that superpowers were entirely different from the inner energy system of the Black Rock Martial Way; they could lead to instant ascension, but they also came at a cost.

Different superpowers required different prices to be paid.

Some were minor, some severe, but it was impossible for there to be no cost at all!

Ma Ran maintained an air of calm composure, saying, "Using superpowers and paying a price is a universal rule."

"However, our conversation, including the sentences you just spoke, all fall within the scope of 'Limited Precognition'."

"My words and actions did not cause the future to change."

"Therefore, it only consumed a portion of my energy and inner energy, and no additional price needed to be paid."

His explanation was a bit convoluted.

Even Liu Huadie took some time to sort out her thoughts.

"Understood."

Liu Huadie looked at Ma Ran with complex emotions. "Is everything predetermined?"

After speaking, she took a deep breath, pursed her red lips, and said nothing more.

She didn't want to waste too much brainpower on baseless speculation.

Her rational mind told her that the ability of [Precognition] couldn't possibly exist.

But her intuition told her that Ma Ran's confident assertion about the specific superpowers she and He Nanguang would awaken couldn't have come from nowhere.

It wouldn't be long before President Huang Weiguo arranged for her, He Nanguang, Su Qiangwei, Ma Ran, and others to come into contact with the Victory Encounter Stone and awaken their superpowers.

At that time, the truth would naturally be revealed.

Compared to the more mature Liu Huadie, after hearing Ma Ran's words, Xiao Ming seemed dazed and muttered softly, "Do those who naturally awaken superpowers also have to pay a price when using them?"

"I've never heard of that..."

Su Qiangwei, not far away, interjected casually, "Parachute sellers have never received a bad review."

Dong Huaiming was stunned and chuckled.

What she said actually made some sense...

"[Limited Precognition]... randomly obtaining information from future time nodes..."

Compared to these two companions, Wan Haihao's state of mind wasn't as good.

He could only force a bitter smile.

Was this Ma Ran's secret?

The truth was revealed.

But Wan Haihao didn't feel happy.

Although he didn't have the useless jealousy and resentment of a clown, he still felt a sense of inferiority at this moment.

Ma Ran could guess some of his companions' thoughts.

He wasn't a psychologist and couldn't provide psychological counseling for Wan Haihao.

However...

The second script that existed only in Ma Ran's mind might be able to help Wan Haihao overcome his psychological issues and become a more outstanding protector of Earth civilization.

In the near future, the calamities that would descend upon Earth wouldn't appear one by one like pre-arranged game plots.

Sometimes, alien invaders from different planets would descend upon various parts of the world simultaneously, triggering disasters.

Even if Ma Ran had three heads and six arms, he would still be spread too thin.

Therefore...

It was very important to help his comrades grow quickly and become better.

After the minimum qualification test results for superpower awakening were released, some rejoiced while others despaired.

Including Wan Haihao, all the members who didn't meet the standard returned to their dormitories to diligently cultivate their inner energy.

The few who met the standard, led by President Huang Weiguo, arrived at the sealed area southeast of Caolu Academy.

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