Burning the Cosmo (Part One)

In truth, if he could, he would have loved to awaken his Sixth Sense tomorrow. But after this week of training, he clearly realized that this rate of growth was already his limit.

No matter how he improved his training methods or devised new ones, he could not increase his rate of growth any further.

This was the limit of his own talent.

Seeing that Wuxin still looked somewhat dissatisfied, Yuzuriha said with a hint of envy, "You still don't think that's fast enough?"

"Throughout Sanctuary's entire history, aside from those astonishing geniuses, almost no one could compare to you!"

"People like that are rare, but they do exist!"

Wuxin remained unconcerned and continued, "As far as I know, Sanctuary currently has a very young genius whose talent surpasses mine!"

"You even know about him?" Yuzuriha was surprised again.

As a member of Sanctuary, she naturally knew whom Wuxin meant.

"What's so strange about that?"

Wuxin smiled slightly. "I even know about Lord Hakurei. How could I not know about that exceptional genius who's already made a name for himself in Sanctuary?"

"That's true!" Yuzuriha nodded instinctively.

Information about Lord Hakurei was even more closely guarded than information about that person.

"But that aside, where exactly did you learn so much about Sanctuary?" Yuzuriha seized the opportunity to press him.

This was also a task Hakurei had assigned her: to uncover Wuxin's source of information.

Unless they could clear this up, it would be very difficult to feel at ease.

"Well..."

Wuxin scratched his head and gave a dry laugh. "Sorry, but I can't tell you that!"

"If I did, it might bring some unforeseen consequences down on everyone!"

"Don't forget, gods exist in this world!"

As he spoke, he pointed a finger meaningfully toward the sky.

Understanding that Hakurei still had reservations about him, he explained further, "Some things mustn't be spoken aloud. It's best not even to think about them!"

"I even suspect that my appearance here might have been the work of someone up there!"

He had descended into this world as though by a miracle, and it was hard not to associate that with the gods.

No one else could possess such mighty power.

Using a god as an excuse to silence Hakurei and the others could not have been more fitting.

Moreover, his knowledge of the story of The Lost Canvas was equivalent to knowing this world's future.

If that were exposed, not only Sanctuary but even those lofty gods would take an interest in him.

After all, apart from the god who had sent him here, the other gods could not possibly know how the future would change.

So Wuxin would not reveal a single word that he should not say.

"If that's the case, then everything makes sense! We can never imagine the mighty power of the gods!" Yuzuriha's expression grew much more solemn.

With gods involved, she had to restrain her curiosity, however strong it might be.

Yuzuriha did not pursue the matter further and immediately changed the subject. "Your training progress has far exceeded my expectations, so I plan to teach you some basic combat techniques during our upcoming training!"

"Having brute strength without knowing how to use it is a grave mistake on the battlefield!"

"Thank you!"

Wuxin hurried to thank her.

A few hours later, after finishing their training, Yuzuriha found Hakurei inside the stone tower and relayed everything Wuxin had said.

"Possibly a god? What a headache!"

The old man raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce through the stone tower and reach the azure sky outside.

Judging by all the extraordinary qualities Wuxin had displayed so far, it was not impossible that he was connected to a god.

After all, this was an age when myths manifested themselves.

"Grand Elder, what should we do next?" Yuzuriha asked for further instructions.

Hakurei thought for a moment, then turned back. "Judging by the current situation, that suspected god bears us no ill will. For now, stop questioning Wuxin indiscriminately!"

"Also, forget everything you heard from him today. Don't tell a third person!"

"Yes!"

Yuzuriha acknowledged the order.

After sending Yuzuriha away, Hakurei deliberated at length before quietly contacting Sage and Sasha in Sanctuary and relaying Wuxin's words to them as well.

Sage agreed with his elder brother's opinion: unless necessary, they would stop investigating the questions surrounding Wuxin.

By comparison, Sasha, Athena's reincarnation, was much more open-minded.

"Mr. Hakurei, Mr. Sage, I still think your worries are quite unnecessary!"

"I trust my intuition. Wuxin is absolutely not a bad person! I also believe he won't do anything that harms Sanctuary or any of us!"

"Perhaps a friend up in the heavens was bored and deliberately sent Wuxin to my side to keep me entertained! Or perhaps they foresaw some danger and specifically sent Wuxin to help us resolve the crisis!"

"Conversely, if they were our enemies, sending Wuxin to Sanctuary would be completely unnecessary! They would have plenty of better choices, wouldn't they?" Holding her divine staff, Sasha gave the two a confident smile.

"You're right, my lady. Perhaps we really have been overthinking this!" Sage nodded and did not dwell on the subject further.

The three then reached a consensus to suspend their investigation into Wuxin for the time being.

Meanwhile, after Yuzuriha added basic combat techniques to his lessons, Wuxin learned quickly, and his strength improved just as rapidly.

Although he had yet to awaken his Sixth Sense and master the power of Cosmo, the training that pushed him beyond his limits rapidly developed and strengthened his body. Both his speed and strength improved tremendously.

Dealing with ordinary people no longer posed any pressure at all. Forget taking on a hundred alone-even taking on ten thousand would be easy.

Aside from modern firearms, ordinary people could no longer do anything to him.

Unfortunately, human society's technological level currently corresponded to the Middle Ages of his previous life. Gunpowder weapons had only just come into use and were severely lacking in destructive power, while modern firearms were nowhere to be seen.

This also meant that ordinary people could no longer threaten him.

Three months passed in a flash. Through constant training and accumulation, Wuxin approached the threshold of a breakthrough step by step.

Just as he finished writing a poem, his mind suddenly became clear and empty. His entire consciousness seemed to rise into the sky and enter a new level.

He could clearly hear the sound of a breeze stirring grains of sand on the ground. He could also see an ant crawl past his hand, bobbing its head and twitching the fine hairs on its legs.

His five senses had been amplified to the utmost, allowing him to hear more and smell more.

More importantly, beyond his five senses, he had gained another kind of perception, one independent of those five senses.

It was his spiritual perception.

Through constant training and strengthening, accumulating bit by bit, his spiritual power had finally undergone a qualitative transformation. It had reached the point where it could manifest externally and he could actively use it, while his perception had improved further, reaching a new level.

As though a veil had been lifted, the world revealed a new face before his "eyes."

"So this is the Sixth Sense, Manas?" Looking at his palm, Wuxin could not help curling his lips into a smile.

Chapter 10: Burning the Cosmo (Part One)

Wuxin "saw" a universe contained within his body.

It slowly revolved, as though it possessed endless power waiting for him to put it to use.

Looking toward Yuzuriha a short distance away, he "saw" an even more powerful universe within her body, far surpassing his own.

Perhaps sensing his scrutiny, Yuzuriha stopped practicing her combat techniques.

"You've already completed the transformation and reached the Sixth Sense?" Somewhat surprised, Yuzuriha strode over.

"Yes, I can already feel the power of Cosmo!" Wuxin nodded with a smile.

It was not only within their bodies. Their surroundings were also filled with all kinds of free-floating energy, which their bodies slowly absorbed with each breath.

It was precisely the replenishment and tempering provided by that free-floating energy that had allowed him to complete these three months of accumulation and attain his current Sixth Sense, Manas.

"How does it feel?" Yuzuriha asked with a smile.

"Very powerful!"

Wuxin's expression was solemn as he said earnestly, "Before this, I also felt very powerful-far more powerful than ordinary people."

"But after awakening my Sixth Sense, I realized that my strength now is in a completely different dimension from before."

"It feels as though I only need to blow a breath to easily kill my former self!"

"They're two completely different worlds!"

He was glad that he too had reached this extraordinary realm. In this chaotic world, he finally had a small measure of ability to preserve his life.

"As long as you understand the difference!"

Yuzuriha smiled slightly and continued, "Since you've awakened your Sixth Sense, our training can move on to the next stage."

"I'll teach you the basic applications of Cosmo."

"Once you can use the power of Cosmo proficiently, you'll automatically leave behind your status as an Apprentice Saint and become an honorable Saint Candidate."

"Why a candidate? Shouldn't I be a full-fledged Saint?" Wuxin was somewhat puzzled.

He genuinely did not quite understand this small detail about Saints.

Yuzuriha held nothing back and patiently explained, "For Saints, having a Cloth or not makes an enormous difference."

"A Cloth can protect you while also amplifying the power of your Cosmo. Because of this, Saints who were originally evenly matched can end up vastly different in strength due to their Cloths."

"And Sanctuary only has eighty-four Cloths in total. Not every Saint who masters Cosmo can have one, so only Saints who actually obtain a Cloth are full-fledged Saints."

"The other Saints without Cloths can only be considered Saint Candidates, ready to fill a vacant position among the full-fledged Saints at any time."

"So that's how it works. I understand!" Wuxin nodded.

Having a Cloth or not did indeed make a tremendous difference.

For example, if two evenly matched Saints exchanged a desperate blow, one would be wearing a Cloth, while the other would not.