Expectations for the Future

The sinking of the [Atlantis Continent].

For all of human civilization, it not only caused an immense catastrophe, triggering a great regression of knowledge and a massive decline in population...

It also symbolized humanity's exit from super-ancient history, ushering in the chapter of ancient history—the [1st Epoch].

And throughout this process, the influence of the Awakened continued unabated.

In the many subsequent [Epochs] of time.

Within the total historical progression of [45 Epochs], roughly [38 Epochs] saw history turn a new page due to upheavals caused by various Awakened.

In other words, the Awakened had triggered at least thirty-eight World War-level cataclysms...

Incidentally.

As for the remaining seven, tracing them back to their roots still tied them inextricably to the Awakened...

To this day.

Even setting aside the yet-to-be-fully-verified matter of the sunken [Atlantis Continent], The Awakened's recorded feats include punching through continental shelves, generating super-tsunamis, establishing global unified empires, physically flying beyond the planet to explore the stars, slaughtering hundreds of billions of Ancient Humans to destroy old civilizations and cause technological regression...

Across various eras, they served as [Nobles], [Leaders], [Gods], [Rulers], [Destroyers]...

Thus.

Precisely because of this.

Their power and dominance were utterly impossible to conceal.

Even ordinary people, raising their heads at night to glance at the moon over five million kilometers away, could vaguely see countless scratches upon its surface.

And those scratches—or great canyons—were among the traces left behind by certain Awakened when history turned a new page.

In this world's hundred-thousand-year recorded human history.

The Awakened have always stood at the apex of the human hierarchy!

Even in modern times, this remains true.

It's just that, due to various ideological shifts, the disparity in status is no longer as stark or blatant as before.

And precisely because of this.

When Xi Shenlian gradually awakened his own power half a month ago, His desire for a sugar mommy instantly underwent an upgrade!

It transformed into wanting a beautiful sugar mommy and many very beautiful sugar mommies.

These two mental processes represented, respectively, his lingering uncertainty about whether he was an Awakened and his complete confirmation that he was one.

He understood that once things were confirmed, Even if he were merely an Awakened of the lowest potential, it would still be enough to realize his ambitions.

Furthermore.

Over this half-month period, As his traits slowly awakened, the memories of this life and his previous life continuously complemented each other, finally culminating today in the full awakening of his past-life wisdom.

In the ten-plus years before this, Because the memories of his previous life were chaotically presented in this life's mind, He would occasionally feel as if scenes from his past life flashed before his eyes.

Or he would involuntarily blurt out a few words of Chinese or English from that life.

In the context of this world, those languages from his past life were undeniably out of place.

Take English, for example.

The English of his past life differed vastly from the English of this life.

Suffice it to say, the letters were similar, but once formed into sentences, they were completely unrelated.

Thus, Xi Shenlian's habit of occasionally spouting phrases from his past life easily made people think he was talking nonsense—the kind of nonsense that ordinary people couldn't understand at all.

Coupled with the fact that he sometimes inexplicably saw and heard many hallucinations, Walking on a flat road yet seeing himself descending stairs, Walking down a street yet hearing a BGM from the animal kingdom...

These various anomalies directly branded him in many people's eyes as someone who looked good but had some mental issues.

Even the orphanage director who had taken him in could only shake her head and sigh.

Exclaiming that if it weren't for his occasional mental instability, Xi Shenlian would have been adopted long ago.

As an aside.

The origin of his name, Xi Shenlian, was actually quite simple. The orphanage director found him near a temple west of the orphanage, and since he looked perfectly fine—like a delicate jade carving—yet was inexplicably abandoned, which was truly pitiful, the director simply gave him the name [Xi Shenlian], a name that sounded somewhat feminine but could be used by a man, with a very straightforward meaning.

Of course...

Later, as Xi Shenlian slowly grew up and began to display his occasional abnormal words and actions, the dean immediately felt she understood why he had been abandoned back then.

Presumably, right after birth, his parents had detected that his mind wasn't quite right...

Even Xi Shenlian himself had thought the same in the past.

It made him more or less feel a bit inferior, and he always refused to be adopted.

As for that matter.

Now, Xi Shenlian had nothing to say except a single: "Damn!"

At this moment.

After sorting out his thoughts.

Xi Shenlian closed his diary.

Then casually tore at it.

The dozens-of-pages-thick diary was ripped apart, folded together again, and torn back and forth...

In no time, he had shredded it into small pieces, which he then tossed into the trash can beside him.

After all, why would a proper person keep a diary?

They simply wouldn't.

Having done that.

He clenched his fist.

Couldn't help but sigh:

"Speaking of which... I should have a few tons of strength by now, right..."

Tearing apart a diary of dozens of pages barehanded—an ordinary person from his past life could also do that.

But tearing it in half, into quarters, eighths, sixteenths... and then folding those layers together and still tearing them apart as easily as a single sheet of paper—that was completely beyond what an ordinary person could achieve.

Having said that.

He looked at the table in front of him.

A solid, old wooden table about five centimeters thick.

This was one of the pieces of furniture that came with the cheap apartment he rented.

He placed his left hand on the table's surface, and with a slight press of his five fingers.

Amid a faint cracking sound.

His long, slender fingers left clear traces on the table.

As if they had been struck or smashed by a tool.

And as Xi Shenlian continued to increase his force, his fingers sank deeper and deeper, causing the tabletop to break apart.

Finally.

Without much effort, Xi Shenlian tore a chunk of wood from the solid table with his bare hands, gripping it in his palm.

Leaving a large, through-and-through hole in the table.

And he also had a feeling.

That if he wanted to, he could casually punch through the wall of the room he was living in...

Thinking of this.

He reached out his other hand and brought it together with the hand holding the wood fragment, sandwiching the wood chips and sawdust between them.

Then his hands began to rub together rapidly.

Two seconds later.

Amid the high-speed friction.

Thick smoke started rising from the sawdust being repeatedly ground between his palms.

When Xi Shenlian opened his hands.

Soon after.

Flames began to slowly rise from the sawdust.

Right there in his hands.

But he didn't feel any heat at all.

Not even a single mark on his skin.

Witnessing this scene.

A smile spread across Xi Shenlian's face, faintly illuminated by the flames.

'Just awakened, and my strength, speed, and defense are all far beyond ordinary people...'

'Not bad at all...'

As someone who had already been a solitary figure in his past life, he now held plenty of anticipation for the life awaiting him in this one.

P.S.:

Still writing one chapter and posting one chapter, no backlog, no outline.

Dammit.

I've been gaming for days, yet it still feels like I've done nothing at all...