Monstrous Strength—
Was one of Senju Hashirama's innate, defining abilities.
This power granted him precise control over reiatsu.
By concentrating chakra throughout his entire body, allowing it to coat his surface in a blue-violet aura,
he could then release it outward—without direct contact—creating terrifying shockwaves of force.
The result?
The surrounding environment would collapse and shatter with ease.
It was precisely for this reason that—
The moment Bai Chen heard the system notification,
he immediately changed his mind and accepted Shiba Kaien's invitation.
Because…
Although awakening the Ultimate Sage Body had completely reforged his spiritual body,
and granted him overwhelmingly powerful spiritual energy—
There was still a problem.
That power was too vast.
For the time being, Bai Chen couldn't yet control it perfectly.
He couldn't freely regulate the eruption of reiatsu within his body.
And that—
Was the true reason why, when his power surged earlier,
Kofuseyama, as well as the entire Third District, had suffered such catastrophic damage.
At its core—
It was simply because Bai Chen's reiatsu was too strong.
Even the slightest leakage carried destructive power on the level of a natural disaster.
However—
Once he completed the next check-in and obtained Monstrous Strength,
Bai Chen would be able to do what Hashirama did—
Perfectly control the reiatsu within his body, releasing and restraining it at will.
At the same time—
He would also be able to freely channel that immense reiatsu,
concentrating it into his body, his arms, his legs—
Any part he wished—
Instantly pushing the power of Hakuda to its absolute limit!
Of course,
The prerequisite for successfully checking in—
Was first being brought back to the Shiba residence as a guest.
—
Not long after,
Led by the three Shiba siblings,
Bai Chen arrived at their home—
And successfully completed his long-awaited check-in.
Ding!
"Congratulations, Host. You have successfully arrived at the check-in location. Check-in will now begin."
"Check-in duration: five seconds. Exiting midway will be considered a failure."
Compared to the first check-in, nothing had changed.
Bai Chen was already mentally prepared.
Soon—
As the countdown ended,
the familiar system prompt rang out once more.
Ding!
"Congratulations, Host. Check-in successful!"
"Check-in Reward: Monstrous Strength (Perfect control of reiatsu and reiatsu)!"
The instant the prompt faded—
Bai Chen clearly felt something indescribably profound begin to circulate throughout his spiritual body.
In just a few short moments—
The previously violent, surging reiatsu within him settled completely.
Calm.
Obedient.
Perfectly restrained.
Not only that—
Bai Chen had a powerful intuition—
That with nothing more than a thought,
he could instantly condense his reiatsu,
focusing it into his fists, legs, or any part of his body—
Compressing all of its explosive force into a single point and unleashing it at maximum efficiency!
"Hah…"
"As expected. The reward from the second check-in didn't disappoint at all."
Having grown stronger once again in such a short span of time,
Bai Chen's lips curved into a satisfied smile.
However—
Sitting across from him,
Watching over their teacups—
The expressions of the three Shiba siblings turned distinctly strange.
"Ganju… Kūka…"
"Is it just my imagination…?"
"Why do I feel like Bai Chen got stronger again—just while I was brewing tea?"
Shiba Kaien was at a complete loss.
The way he looked at Bai Chen now—
Was no different from how one would stare at a monster.
Earlier—
On the way back from Kofuseyama,
Kaien hadn't just been making conversation and showing goodwill.
He'd also been discreetly reassessing Bai Chen's strength at close range.
The conclusion he'd reached was this—
Bai Chen's reiatsu was absurdly strong,
but his control over it didn't yet seem fully refined.
Yet now—
They'd barely entered the house.
The steam from the teacups hadn't even dissipated—
And without any warning—
Without Bai Chen doing anything at all—
That overwhelming reiatsu presence had instantly contracted to the point of being almost undetectable!
If Kaien hadn't personally witnessed—
Kofuseyama nearly being erased from existence—
He would have been completely misled into thinking
that Bai Chen was nothing more than a weak, powerless soul.
"Brother Kaien… you're not imagining it."
"Bai Chen's reiatsu really has almost completely vanished."
"I even feel like…"
"He's no longer on the same plane as us."
Leaning in close,
Shiba Ganju whispered carefully, forcing himself to suppress his shock.
At the same time—
He stole a glance at Bai Chen,
who was calmly holding his teacup, completely relaxed.
And in that moment—
Ganju felt nothing but envy.
Lying flat.
Effortless growth.
That was everyone's dream.
And Bai Chen?
He was literally getting stronger just by sitting there and drinking tea.
Was there really anything happier than that?
"Heh…"
"Honestly, compared to being shocked by Bai Chen's strength…"
"I can already imagine what'll happen once he enters the Shinō Academy."
Shiba Kūka, unlike Ganju, looked at Bai Chen with pure admiration.
"Breaking records."
"Crushing history."
"Turning the entire academy—and even the whole Seireitei—upside down."
She could barely wait—
For the day when Bai Chen's sudden rise would shake the Shinō Academy,
and send shockwaves through all of Seireitei.