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Startled, Jiang Chen turned to look beside him and only then did he realize that Sage, Shaka, Aiolos, and Kanon had all climbed to the top at some point.
"Hahaha! I, your lord and master, have awakened the Sixth Sense! So this is the Cosmos of the Sixth Sense?" Kanon's eyes gleamed with excitement. Feeling the tremendous power coursing through his body, he looked like he couldn't wait to try it out.
Then, as if he remembered something, his gaze snapped toward Jiang Chen.
"Kanon!" Sage called out sharply.
That brought Kanon's bubbling urge under control.
"My lord, thank you for your guidance," Sage bowed deeply toward Dohko, who stood further up the cliff.
"Thank you for your guidance, master!" The others followed suit and bowed as well.
From the moment they began climbing the cliff, they could feel how effective this training truly was.
Now, having awakened the Sixth Sense, they were all the more grateful.
"Very good, In just one year, you've all successfully passed the trial! Now, you may begin the first true phase of your training. There is a pond where you'll find five wooden planks. I will channel my Cosmos into the waterfall above. Your task is to use those planks to withstand the force of my Cosmos. If you can endure it, your training will be complete."
"Go rest for now. Training begins tomorrow."
Dohko's aged voice rang out.
"Yes!"
"Understood!"
Jiang Chen and the others nodded in unison.
Then they all leapt down from the cliff. Now that the oppressive Cosmo atop the cliff had dissipated, everyone landed lightly at the base.
They immediately began foraging for food.
Sage caught several fish from the river, while Aiolos and Kanon headed into the forest and brought back a brown bear and a wild boar. Shaka took on the task of building a fire.
Jiang Chen prepared the ingredients.
Before long, a large batch of roasted meat was ready.
The group began feasting.
As Saint Warriors, their appetites were also huge, but clearly none could match Jiang Chen.
Nearly 90% of the food ended up in Jiang Chen's stomach. But after over a year of living together, the others were used to it.
Soon after they finished eating, Four of the five lay flat on the grassy field, relaxing.
Shaka, however, remained sitting in the lotus position.
"Hey, Shaka, why do you always keep your eyes shut? You've been like this for almost two years now!" Kanon couldn't help but tease him, seeing him still meditating with his eyes closed.
"Buddhism has a form of meditation where the eyes are kept closed. Shaka does this deliberately, to strengthen his Cosmos. By shutting off one of the five senses, in this case, sight, he's able to continuously accumulate Cosmos." Jiang Chen glanced at Kanon and replied in a slightly exasperated tone.
"Really?" Kanon looked intrigued.
Even Sage and Aiolos seemed surprised.
"Yes. By sealing one of the five senses, one can enhance the Cosmos. It also allows me to commune with gods and buddhas," Shaka nodded slightly and explained in a soft voice.
The group nodded thoughtfully, each of them deep in their own thoughts.
Kanon, however, couldn't wait any longer and immediately started trying it himself.
Unfortunately, as expected, Kanon's attempt ended in failure.
Shaka was able to accumulate his Cosmos by shutting off one of his five senses,
But that didn't mean others could do the same.
In fact, most people found it extremely difficult.
The issue wasn't simply about how to shut off the senses, it was about how to increase and accumulate Cosmo.
Merely shutting off one of the five senses wouldn't automatically boost Cosmo's power.
"Tch… how troublesome! How exactly does he even do it?" Kanon opened his eyes, grumbling with clear frustration.
"Don't overthink it. That trick only works for Shaka, no one else can do it." Jiang Chen explained casually.
The others fell into thoughtful silence again. Even Sage and Aiolos, who had originally been tempted to try it themselves, decided to give up.
"Hey, Jiang, how about a little spar between us?" Kanon's eyes sparkled with an idea as he suddenly turned to Jiang Chen, eager and itching for action.
"You want to fight me?" Jiang Chen glanced at him with an amused smirk.
"What? You scared?" Kanon's eyes were full of excitement.
He'd never been willing to admit that Jiang Chen had reached the top of the cliff before him. And more importantly, he had noticed something, Jiang Chen hadn't awakened the Sixth Sense.
At this moment, Kanon was convinced he was stronger.
"Kanon!" Sage couldn't help but frown and scold Kanon again.
"Bro, it's just a spar." Kanon shrugged, then turned back to Jiang Chen with a provocative stare.
"…Very well. I haven't moved around in a while anyway." Jiang Chen nodded slightly, not bothering to refuse. In fact, he was curious, he wanted to test the current level of his own Cosmo.
With Jiang Chen's acceptance, Sage didn't object further. The others stepped back, clearing out an open space for the duel.
"Careful now! I'm not going to hold back!" Kanon exclaimed with excitement, his majestic Cosmo erupting around him, as the stars of Gemini lit up one by one in the sky.
Boom!
In that instant, a massive surge of Cosmo exploded outward as Kanon's aura dramatically intensified. At the same time, Jiang Chen stepped forward, his own Cosmo rising around him.
But unlike Kanon, the sky did not light up with any constellation.
"He really hasn't awakened the Sixth Sense…" Sage and Aiolos exchanged surprised glances. They had previously sensed nothing, but given Jiang Chen's astonishing talent, they had assumed he must have already awakened it.
But now it truly seemed, he hadn't.
"Sage, be ready. If it gets out of hand, step in and stop your brother," Aiolos said quietly.
"…Alright." Sage gave a slight nod.
The five of them had built a solid relationship over the past year. None of them wanted to see Jiang Chen get seriously hurt.
But just as those words left their mouths…
What happened next left both of them wide-eyed in shock.
"Sonic Fist!!"
A powerful force burst out as countless fists shattered the air, raining down instantly toward Jiang Chen.
But Jiang Chen dodged everything with just a single step.
Before Kanon could even react in shock, Jiang Chen's figure had already appeared right in front of him.
"Too slow and you have too many openings." As Jiang Chen's voice echoed, Kanon suddenly felt as if Mount Tai had slammed into his stomach.
Boom!!
His entire body was launched through the air, Crashing violently into the distance.
Just one move.
Only one.
That was all it took to decide the outcome.
Even though Jiang Chen hadn't used his Ki, only Cosmo, his battle experience was far superior to Kanon's. And though he hadn't awakened the Sixth Sense, his Cosmos was far larger than Kanon's.
Naturally, the result was obvious.
In fact, Jiang Chen had held back, he hadn't even unleashed the full force of his Cosmo.
Otherwise, Kanon wouldn't have just been thrown back. He might've been severely injured, maybe even crippled. After all, Jiang Chen now possessed a galaxy-class Cosmos. Even though only the Twelve Zodiac Temples had partially manifested, and were still vague in form—
The power he could draw from them was already equal to the combined Cosmo strength of all Gold Saints at that level.
(End of Chapter)