After the Pope left, Adrian stayed alone in the meditation room deep within the Apostolic Palace, slowly closing his eyes and entering a state of meditation.
Candlelight flickered in the room, lighting up his calm face.
With the blessing of his Elemental Control talent, he could clearly sense the energy flowing around him—each breath seemed to pull in the unseen elemental forces in the air. With this help, the improvement in his physical strength went way beyond expectations.
He'd originally thought it'd take at least a month to reach the critical point of the next stage, but actually, after only half a month, Adrian already felt the loosening of that barrier deep within his soul.
He was about to ignite the light of his Cosmo once again.
His consciousness sank continuously until it reached the origin of his soul. A strange but pure light was quietly flickering in that depth, like a newborn star born in eternal night.
"The power of Cosmo..."
"Finally seeing you again."
Adrian stared at that speck of light, a hint of deep nostalgia flashing in his eyes.
But he didn't dwell on sentiment for too long—his gaze quickly returned to sharpness and determination.
"Buzz!"
The next moment, his external body trembled violently. Without a strong enough physical body, even if he successfully ignited his Cosmo, he'd be unable to handle the power feedback it brought.
Right now, Adrian's muscles and bones were trembling at high frequency, and his blood surged like a river.
And deep within his soul, that speck of light began to flicker, contract, and distort violently... until it broke through an invisible threshold...
"Boom!!"
A cosmic big bang, like creating heaven and earth, erupted within his soul.
Countless stars burst forth from the origin, magnificent light spread and flowed, nebulae slowly formed, stars ignited the star sea, planets orbited... A miniature and complete universe was evolving within his soul. This was the root of a Saint's power, named Cosmo, guided by will, awakening the dormant divinity within the human body.
As the universe within his soul kept stabilizing, Adrian's body tremors also gradually stopped. A vast but gentle power began to nourish his physical body in reverse.
His blood, bones, and internal organs all went through a huge leap at this moment.
Now, even without using any supernatural power, he could, with just this body, overpower most so-called superhumans.
Nobody knew that, deep within this quiet Apostolic Palace, a universe had just been reborn within a soul.
"It's still mainly Psychokinesis..."
"But it unexpectedly strengthened the precision and range of Elemental Control."
Adrian slowly opened his eyes, and star rivers flowed and nebulae rose and fell within their depths.
He slightly clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within him, and muttered, "Finally back to the Sixth Sense."
"Yeah... just as I expected."
Between the Fifth Sense and the Sixth Sense is the divide between the mundane and the extraordinary.
A Saint who truly steps into the Sixth Sense won't only awaken their own superpowers but can also break the sound barrier with their physical body, achieving supersonic movement. Their upper limit is crazy high, eventually even... traveling at the speed of light.
This breakthrough also made Adrian more clearly aware of the differences in cultivating Cosmo in the Marvel Universe.
In his previous world, he was someone who broke the boundary between man and god, grasped the Ninth Sense, and killed gods with a mortal body. Even if he ultimately lost to Apollo, nobody could deny his talent and strength.
But even so, at the moment he ignited his Cosmo, he still clearly sensed the existence of an invisible barrier.
Sure, the upper limit had been opened, but the difficulty of cultivation went way beyond that of the Saint Seiya world.
"Maybe... this is the balance of rules in this world," Adrian thought.
In the Saint Seiya world, it was relatively easy for humans to cultivate Cosmo, and it wasn't hard for talented people to grasp the Seventh Sense.
But wanting to break through the Eighth Sense, or even the Ninth Sense, was basically impossible, like it was deliberately chained by the gods.
But here, in the Marvel Universe, entry is crazy difficult, but once Cosmo is successfully ignited, later breakthroughs are smoother than in the previous world.
"...Equivalent exchange?" He gently shook his head, not thinking about it anymore.
He reined in his aura, and the surging energy fluctuations around him gradually calmed down.
"The range and precision of Elemental Control have increased by nearly thirty percent."
"Mutant ability stacked with Cosmo... below Skyfather-level, I should be in the first tier."
Adrian briefly assessed.
But he wasn't getting cocky because of this. After all, this world never lacked monster-level Mutants, and there were also some ridiculously overpowered people.
He still had a long way to go...
The next morning.
Adrian met the first batch of Saint reserve members, carefully picked by the Catholic Church, in the training room on the west side of the Apostolic Palace.
"I've brought the people."
"See if they meet your requirements."
The Pope's voice was gentle but authoritative.
Four young people followed behind the Pope, ranging in age from twelve to sixteen, including two Mutants.
This age group, where the mind is starting to mature and has some learning foundation, is the best period for training.
Adrian's gaze swept over them, and invisible Psychokinesis, like a breeze, brushed past the four, sensing their physical potential and energy fluctuations.
"Their physical qualities are excellent, and they've got the potential to awaken their Cosmo."
He finally nodded.
"Then I'll leave them to you." The Pope showed a satisfied smile. Even though he didn't fully understand what Cosmo really was, he believed what Adrian had promised.
It was a supernatural system that could be spread around, and once cultivated, you could rival real superhumans.
The Pope didn't stick around long and soon left the training room, leaving the space entirely to Adrian.
Adrian turned to the four young people—their eyes held a mix of nervousness, curiosity, and hidden anticipation.
"Starting with you."
"Introduce yourself, including your Mutant abilities."
He looked at the girl standing on the far left.
"Clarisse Ferguson, sixteen years old."
"My ability is spatial teleportation."
The girl stepped forward, her voice clear and calm.
She had an Eastern face but a pair of striking green eyes, giving her a calm and detached vibe.
Adrian had noticed her when he reviewed the material yesterday—she grew up in an orphanage under the Catholic Church, and her Mutant ability had serious strategic value.
"Savis, fifteen years old."
"My ability is physical enhancement, but right now... I'm not sure of its upper limit."
The next boy to speak was noticeably stronger than his peers.
The other two were of ordinary origin, named Estelle and Wright, respectively. Even though they had no Mutant genes, their physical qualities and willpower were pretty outstanding.
The four had different personalities, but their eyes all shone with a desire to get stronger.
Adrian's favorites were, naturally, the two Mutants. It wasn't that he had prejudice against normal people, but Mutants' built-in genetic advantages definitely made it easier for them to accept a system like Cosmo, which needed strong life energy to drive.
"From today, you're the Saint Legion reserves."
"When I think you're capable of standing on your own, you can officially join the Saint Legion."
Adrian's voice suddenly became serious.
"At that point, all supernatural incidents involving the Catholic Church will be handled by you."
"Don't disappoint me."
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