Had this information not come directly from the state, they truly would have found it hard to believe.
Even with the state confirming it, at first—and for a long time afterward—they still thought it was some kind of elaborate joke.
It was simply too exaggerated.
It was as if they and their awakened abilities were merely incidental byproducts of the spiritual energy revival, while the White Emperor was the true objective behind it all.
Yet no matter how unbelievable it seemed, with the emergence of Devil Fruits, Imperial Arms, Clow Cards, Five Element Armors, and Kamen Rider transformation devices, they had no choice but to believe.
Such items were impossible for Awakened at the current stage to create. Being able to manifest them meant that even if he wasn't a god, he was practically indistinguishable from one.
"The White Emperor..."
Hearing that name, Lin Kai couldn't help but zone out for a moment.
Before he had gained access to the White Emperor's classified files, he had treated him as his imaginary rival.
After all, the White Emperor was publicly recognized as the strongest among the Four Emperors.
Upon arriving at this facility, the first thing he did was apply to review the White Emperor's dossier, hoping to know his adversary and gauge his true strength. The result...
That wasn't human at all!
First Sequence?
Compared to ordinary Awakened, their talent was indeed formidable. But compared to the White Emperor?
It was nothing more than a firefly against the radiant full moon.
Shaking his head slightly, he shifted his gaze toward the Buddhist and Daoist figures in the video.
Xuanzhen, Zhang Daolong, the Martial Monk...
Dao Physique, Sword Bone, Buddha Physique...
These people were likewise rivals that could not be overlooked.
In the projected rankings, Longhu Mountain's Xuanzhen was placed first, ranked even higher than Qin Tian.
Unfortunately, information on him was scarce. Aside from his talent, nobody even knew what abilities he specialized in, making it difficult to estimate his true combat power.
Still, among the peak of the First Sequences, even if a gap existed, it wouldn't be overwhelmingly vast.
Bolstered by the Black Rhino Armor, Lin Kai didn't believe he would lose to him.
"A marriage of mysticism and science—a celestial supercomputing array forged from the World Tree."
"One really can't help but marvel at your imagination."
Inside the Small World, Angel Yan looked at the colossal tree piercing into the sky and couldn't hold back her admiration.
She had never imagined that a mystical artifact could be used to construct a supercomputer.
To utilize it as material, one had to at least parse most of its properties. Yet Zhixin and Bai Xuan had quietly transformed the World Tree into a computation cloud not in the least inferior to the Great Clock—perhaps even superior.
After all, unlike the Great Clock, the World Tree was a product of world will and possessed the property of continuous growth.
Angel Yan's gaze gradually turned toward Zhixin, who sheepishly averted her face beside them.
"Even Queen Keisha doesn't know about this, does she?"
"You really are Queen Keisha's wonderful Right Wing, aren't you!"
Angel Yan said in exasperation.
It wasn't that there was anything wrong with it. Bai Xuan was one of their own, and whatever technology he required, the Angel Civilization would provide unconditionally. But keeping even her in the dark was a bit much!
She was the current crown princess of the Angel Civilization, after all!
"You love-struck girl."
"You're not much better yourself," Bai Xuan remarked dryly upon hearing Angel Yan call Zhixin love-struck.
Strictly speaking, in the Angel Civilization where everyone yearned for true love, practically every angel was love-struck at heart.
No one knew what lengths they would go to under the guidance of love.
"..."
Hearing Bai Xuan's retort, Angel Yan was left utterly speechless.
Her and Zhixin's performances in the original plot really were six of one and half a dozen of the other.
"What does it consume as an energy source?"
After a brief silence, Angel Yan shifted the topic.
"Anything in the universe that can serve as energy."
"Spiritual energy, elements, celestial bodies..."
The World Tree autonomously absorbed energy from the universe without requiring Bai Xuan to actively supply it.
Although it was a top-tier artifact even within the mystical realm, it still required energy to function.
Science and mysticism were identical in this regard.
The only difference was that within the scientific domain, there was no such thing as an infinite energy source. In mysticism, however, things that could be considered virtually infinite were by no means rare.
Take the Infinity Stones, for example. Logically speaking, they couldn't possibly contain infinite energy. Perhaps their power was drawn from the universe, or perhaps their reserves were simply so immense that no civilization could deplete them within a finite timeframe.
Ultimately, there had to be an end—a day when they ran dry.
Yet some things simply did not follow logic.
No matter how unreasonable, they continued to exist.
"Truly defying common sense," Angel Yan remarked with a helpless shake of her head.
Drawing energy autonomously from the universe rather than requiring active resource supply—this alone was something their celestial supercomputers could not match.
Even the Great Clock lacked such an ability.
Furthermore, how long had it been since Loki sent the seed to Bai Xuan for it to sprout, grow, and be remodeled into a celestial supercomputer?
A single month?
In such a fleeting span of time, a hybrid of mysticism and science had been brought to life.
Even without knowing its specific amplification effects, the concept alone was terrifying.
In the known universe, no celestial supercomputer had ever been born at such speed.
The Great Clock took over ten thousand years; the Sacred Treasury took thousands; even a foundational celestial supercomputer like Deno No. 3 required nearly a millennium.
One could only imagine just how astounding the creation before her truly was.
"Now I'm quite curious about how much of a boost this modified World Tree provides you."
"Would you mind letting me experience it?"
"Just experiencing it?" Bai Xuan asked with a light chuckle upon hearing her request.
He didn't believe for a second that Angel Yan was merely curious.
Still, he didn't mind.
He was also eager to see how much progress Angel Yan—and the Angel Civilization as a whole—had made after coming into contact with the chat group.
Whether they had achieved new breakthroughs in scientific research.
In the chat group.
[Ding! Group member Holy Guardian Left Wing has opened the Virtual Battle Arena.]
[Ding! Group member Child of Nature has entered the Virtual Battle Arena.]
Ordinary Group Leader: "???"
Ordinary Group Leader: "Bai Xuan and Angel Yan?"
Ordinary Group Leader: "Why did the two of them suddenly hop into the Virtual Battle Arena?"
Su Yunqing, having just sunk her consciousness into the chat group, heard the announcements and asked in confusion.
Cook Daigu Into Soup: "Probably curious about each other's current strength."
Cook Daigu Into Soup: "After all, aside from the very beginning, Bai Xuan and Angel Yan haven't entered the Virtual Battle Arena together for quite some time."
Demon Queen: "Think bigger. Maybe that little bitch Yan had a fallout with Bai Xuan, but since they can't kill each other for real, they're blowing off steam in the Virtual Battle Arena."
Richest Man in the Lighthouse: "???"
Richest Man in the Lighthouse: "Fallout... Even if someone had a fallout, it'd be Angel Zhixin. What does that have to do with Angel Yan?"
———
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