Chapter 9: Dividing the Path

"Hey? Ji Chang, you're up so early!" Just as Ji Chang was sensing the enhanced spiritual power within himself, a voice reached his ears. It was Chen Lingxue, who was on duty.

Ji Chang nodded gently in response. Then, recalling something, he quickly asked, "By the way, Squad Leader, release a bit of the green mist and see if there's any change."

"The green mist I spray from my palm... seems to have become stronger!" Chen Lingxue pondered briefly before replying. She then extended her palm, and clusters of dense green mist sprayed out.

Ji Chang gazed at the dense green mist, now even more concentrated than before. Not only that, but the mist sprayed from Chen Lingxue's palm this time was more akin to droplets than mist.

"What's the specific reason for the increase in strength? I've been researching it continuously. Ever since I took over the watch from Xiao Feng and woke up, I sensed a slight difference compared to yesterday. It was only upon experimentation that I discovered the change in the green mist," Chen Lingxue said, retracting her hand and looking at Ji Chang.

"Perhaps it's due to the passage of time. As time changes, our grasp of extraordinary power is strengthening," Ji Chang mused.

He had just recalled that after returning from fetching water yesterday, he had gone to sleep right after his watch duty and had continued sleeping until now. He hadn't done anything in between. This led Ji Chang to think that maybe it was the passage of time that had made them stronger.

Just then, Huang Mang rubbed his eyes and yawned as he walked out. He muttered, "Ji Ge, what are you guys talking about? What's gotten stronger?"

However, neither Ji Chang nor Chen Lingxue answered at this moment. Instead, they stared in astonishment at Huang Mang's legs.

"Hey? What's wrong with you guys? Why aren't you talking... Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, Huang Mang grew more awake. Following their gazes, he looked at his own legs.

With this glance, Huang Mang exclaimed in shock, "What the heck!"

At this moment, Huang Mang's legs were visibly transforming at a rapid speed. But this time, it wasn't turning into cement; it was becoming metallic!

Approximately a few minutes later, Huang Mang had completely transformed into a metal person.

"Eh? Hehe, even after transforming into a metallic body, it doesn't feel too cumbersome. It's not much different from the sensation of turning into a cement body!" Huang Mang, now fully transformed, lifted his arms and legs, inspecting his body. Then, he turned to Ji Chang beside him and asked, "Ji Ge, what's going on? My extraordinary power didn't turn me into a cement body, right?"

"The extraordinary power you possess seems to transform your body into different materials upon contact," Ji Chang replied, squatting down and picking up a piece of iron scrap that had fallen from the hinge of the bedroom door judging by its rusty condition.

"Ah? Is that so? But... didn't we pass by a metal plate on the way back from fetching water yesterday? Why didn't I transform then?" Huang Mang scratched his head in confusion.

"Our grasp of extraordinary power has grown stronger. Try transforming into a cement body and feel it," Ji Chang gestured.

Huang Mang followed suit, placing his palm against the 'wall' behind him. In the next moment, his metallic body swiftly transformed into a cement-like substance. The transformation was rapid, taking only a couple of breaths before Huang Mang became a cement-like body.

"It's true, the transformation speed has indeed become much faster, and... after transforming, I feel my body is more agile and lighter!" Seeing his cement-like body, Huang Mang's face lit up with joy as he hopped and jumped in place.

He then tried throwing a few punches. Both the speed and strength of his punches had improved!

Perhaps it was Huang Mang's exclamation or the excitement of the moment, but others began to join in as well.

Under Ji Chang and Chen Lingxue's guidance, Wang Lingling also realized with excitement that she could fly higher and faster. Yesterday, she could only reach a height equivalent to one person above the ground, but now it seemed she could go two or three times higher. Moreover, she could maintain her hovering state with her feet off the ground.

Following Ji Chang's instructions, Wang Lingling had a little contest with an ant. Her flying speed was now nearly as fast as the ant's.

Zheng Haiyu's extraordinary power had similarly grown stronger.

Concentrating his focus, even his fingertips were covered in a layer of frost. With Zheng Haiyu's continuous expenditure of spiritual power, the ice shards on his fingers, including the fingernails, gradually accumulated, eventually forming spikes half the length of his body.

This confirmed Ji Chang's previous hypothesis even more. The extraordinary power they possessed was growing stronger with the passage of time.

However, the subsequent revelation from Dong Xuan quickly overturned Ji Chang's conclusion...

Because when Dong Xuan woke up, the flames at her fingertips showed almost no change. They were still quite feeble.

"I understand!" Chen Lingxue, who had been silently observing everyone's changes, suddenly spoke up. "Perhaps our grasp of extraordinary power does indeed strengthen over time. This point requires further observation, considering it hasn't been long since we were shrunk. But now one thing is certain: frequent use of our extraordinary power, leading to a state of spiritual exhaustion, can then enhance our extraordinary power."

As she spoke, Chen Lingxue continued while looking at Ji Chang, "You and Huang Mang were busy fetching water and facing danger on your way back yesterday. Afterward, I used the green mist to set up our temporary base. Lingling was flying around to transport things, Haiyu was constantly using ice shards to seal gaps, and though Dong Xuan exerted a lot of effort, she didn't employ her flames. I believe that's why Dong Xuan's flames haven't strengthened."

Understanding the situation, Ji Chang nodded in agreement and added, "So, as long as we maximize the usage of our extraordinary power to continuously deplete our spiritual power, breaking through our limits, we can enhance our strength!"

Listening to their analysis, the group suddenly realized.

At this moment, Zhou Jun and Xiao Feng cast envious glances at the others.

"Zhou Jun, Xiao Feng, have you noticed any changes? Why don't you touch the cement to see if you sense anything? Or... try holding one of Ji Ge's ants like the Squad Leader did? Try pressing your palm against it..." Huang Mang suggested, looking at the two of them.

Following Huang Mang's words, the two exchanged a glance, wearing wry smiles. Since waking up from their unconsciousness, they hadn't felt anything particularly different. The concept of spiritual power was something they couldn't sense at all. As Huang Mang had just mentioned, they had tried after drinking water last night, but it had no effect.

"Don't worry, maybe it's not the right time yet," Chen Lingxue reassured them.

At that moment, Huang Mang's stomach emitted a series of 'gurgling' sounds. Subsequently, as if infected by the noise, the entire group's stomachs began to voice their protests.

Ji Chang also felt a strong sense of hunger wash over him. Eventually, after a brief discussion, they split into two groups. Ji Chang, Huang Mang, along with Zhou Jun and Wang Lingling, went to the kitchen to find food. Chen Lingxue led the rest to search for containers to store water and any usable items.