After stepping out onto the street, Bai Xuan casually bought some breakfast and greeted his neighbors like usual.
As he ate, he walked toward the school. But the moment he arrived, a strange expression suddenly appeared on his face.
Perhaps due to the [Authority of Nature], he could vaguely sense other people's emotions.
How should he put it…
Excitement. Confidence. Pride.
Even those who were usually introverted or somewhat insecure now seemed oddly self-assured. Their eyes carried traces of emotions he couldn't quite understand.
"Looking down on others" might not be the perfect description—
…but it was something along those lines.
It was like they had suddenly realized they were the protagonists of the world, treating everyone else as mere side characters or extras on their path to growth.
They all seemed to believe they were the most special person in existence.
Hiss…
It couldn't be what I'm thinking, right?
The corner of Bai Xuan's eye twitched slightly.
Could it be that they had also awakened some kind of ability… and now each of them thought they were the only one who had?
Even believing themselves to be the chosen protagonist?
If that were true—
then they clearly hadn't read enough novels!
At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Morning, Xiao Bai."
"How'd you sleep last night?"
"…?"
"Maybe I'm out of touch with the times, but I've never heard anyone greet someone in the morning by asking how they slept."
"Anyone listening would think I had some kind of wild night yesterday."
Bai Xuan rolled his eyes, then turned around with a faint smile.
"Weige, you were watching too, right? The Seven-Star Alignment last night?"
Zhang Weiyang clicked his tongue.
"I seriously don't know what my dad was thinking giving me this name. Why didn't he just swap the characters?"
"I even asked him to change it, and he refused."
"Just wait till he's old—I'm pulling his oxygen tube."
As a kid, he hadn't understood anything. But growing up, he realized just how… unfortunate his name sounded.
Luckily, at their age, classmates more or less understood the implication and tried to avoid using the more embarrassing nickname.
But even "Weige" wasn't exactly great—just slightly better.
After a brief complaint, Zhang Weiyang continued:
"I wanted to see the Seven-Star Alignment, but it rained, so no luck."
"But… did you feel it?"
"Like your body changed somehow?"
His voice lowered.
"This morning, when I was washing my face, I suddenly realized I could control water… even condense water balls from the air."
"The power isn't that strong yet, but I can feel it getting stronger over time."
Bai Xuan's eyes lit up slightly.
Controlling water… forming water spheres…
That was clearly a water-element ability.
Not bad at all.
Then he looked at him curiously.
"You're just telling me like that? Isn't it risky?"
"Shouldn't you keep it secret?"
Zhang Weiyang shrugged nonchalantly.
"I am keeping it secret—I only told you."
"And honestly, I don't think there's much point hiding it."
"Even if I used my brain—or my butt—I wouldn't believe I'm the only one who awakened powers."
"What are the chances? I didn't even see the alignment, and I'm the chosen one?"
Bai Xuan thought silently:
Actually… that's entirely possible.
Just not for you—for me.
If not for the chat group selecting a member, there wouldn't even be any spiritual awakening, let alone abilities.
But Zhang Weiyang's way of thinking was only shared by a minority.
From what Bai Xuan sensed, most people were itching to show off their powers—but were holding back out of fear of being taken away and studied.
They wanted to secretly grow stronger first…
…and only show off once they had the strength to protect themselves.
"Let's go. Class is about to start."
"I have a feeling we're about to see quite a show."
Bai Xuan smiled and stepped into the classroom, casually scanning the room.
It was practically written all over their faces:
Excited.
Wanting to show off but holding back.
I'm the chosen one.
I'm the protagonist.
Ah… the purity of youth.
Even after reading countless novels and watching anime, their mentality was still so simple.
How interesting.
Of course, not everyone could hold back.
After all, what kind of teenager gets superpowers and doesn't try to show off?
Sure enough—
In Bai Xuan's line of sight, a boy sitting diagonally across from him couldn't resist anymore. He turned to the girl behind him and said:
"Hey, check this out—I'll show you a magic trick."
"This is just a normal eraser, right?"
"Watch closely… rise!"
Under the girl's indifferent gaze—one that clearly said 'I'll just watch you show off'—
…the eraser actually trembled…
…and slowly floated into the air.
Yes.
It floated.
In an instant, the girl froze.
Not just her—everyone watching was stunned.
Even Bai Xuan showed a hint of surprise.
Is this telekinesis?
Gravity manipulation? Levitation? Wind element?
No… wind and gravity seemed unlikely.
With his [Authority of Nature] and the title [Child of Nature], he could also control elements. If it were wind, he would definitely sense it.
Gravity followed similar principles.
As for levitation… he wasn't too familiar, but it reminded him of something like the floating ability from certain pirate-themed powers.
Still, it didn't quite match.
That left—
Telekinesis.
But even that seemed a bit too exaggerated.
True telekinesis—mind over matter—was a terrifying, almost limitless power if fully developed.
What the boy displayed now felt more like a weaker version—
psychokinetic force.
Similar in name, but vastly different in scale.
Meanwhile, the boy, seeing his classmates staring at him in shock, grinned smugly and said:
"So? Lele, stunned, aren't you?"
"Tell me—am I awesome or what?!"
"Uh…"
Lele snapped out of her daze and hesitated before replying:
"Not exactly stunned… more like surprised."
"But if it's just this…"
"I think I can do it too."
Then, right in front of him—
She waved her hand.
A faint breeze seemed to pass by.
And the pencil in front of her… slowly floated up, just like the eraser.
"…Nani?!"
"What the hell is this?!"
Sun Qiang stared at the floating pencil like he'd just seen a ghost.
He looked at Lele.
Then at the pencil.
His expression suddenly changed as he muttered something incomprehensible:
"Every destined protagonist must have a rival who stands against him…"
"But why—why is that rival you?!"
His eyes filled with sorrow and despair as he looked at her.
Lele, on the other hand, just stared at him—
completely speechless.