"You're not going to chicken out, are you, Lord Madara?"
"Shut up! You're the one who can't handle it!"
"This is slander! It's not like that at all!"
Uchiha Madara slammed his hands down and muttered, his pride flaring.
"I'm going to check the memory replay right now."
Bai Xuan shaking his head at the usual chaos of the chat group, ignored the pinging notifications. Time in this group never made sense—an hour could pass in seconds, or ten minutes could stretch like an eternity. He left the chat, bemused.
Just as he was about to talk to Zhang Weiyang and Sun Qiang nearby, a sudden unease struck him. His eyes darted to the horizon.
A massive crimson bird, like a blazing fireball, was hurtling straight toward them.
"What the hell is that?!"
"A Vermilion Bird? Phoenix? Flamingo?"
"Whatever it is, it's not supposed to appear right now!"
Bai Xuan furrowed his brow, sensing the sheer malice in the creature's gaze. Its eyes fixed on him, full of deadly intent.
"Holy crap… did the sun just get a soul?!"
Sun Qiang, who had been bragging to Zhang Weiyang just moments ago, followed White Ye's gaze. His eyes went wide as he blurted:
"Holy sh— that's a golden crow!"
"You're all colorblind! The sun is orange, this thing is pure crimson! It's definitely a phoenix!"
"Phoenix, my foot! It's just a small fireball… probably some mutated firebird."
"It's fine, it's fine. We've awakened our powers. A firebird showing up is totally normal."
The students, now spotting the crimson bird, excitedly started debating. But the topic quickly turned… weird.
"Those mythical beasts in novels look tasty… I wonder if this bird…"
"Ssshhh~ Watson, you found the loophole."
"I'm from Bashu, this thing looks spicy—let me try it."
"Bashu? That's nothing. I'm from Southern China; I can handle spice like nobody else!"
"Bashu? Southern China? Really? Can you even handle spice? I'm from Jiujiang, just saying."
A few hot-blooded students from spicy provinces began arguing over who could handle heat. Normally, it was harmless… but now, they were arguing over eating a firebird coming at them at full speed.
"Guys… maybe we're discussing this too early. Shouldn't we at least dodge first?"
"It's heading right for us!"
A nearby boy hesitated, voice trembling, only to be met with contemptuous stares from everyone else.
"Run? We're not scared of one bird!"
"Don't forget—we've awakened our powers!"
"We just woke up, but who's afraid of whom?"
The commotion wasn't just among Bai Xuan's group. Students from other classes and even some officials noticed the approaching creature. The principal opened his mouth to stabilize the crowd—but before he could speak, the mutated firebird landed on the playground. Its crimson eyes locked onto Bai Xuan in the crowd.
"Tch!"
Without hesitation, the bird spewed scorching flames from its mouth, aiming directly at the students. Faces went pale as everyone scrambled backward.
"Holy crap! It really is a firebird! It's breathing fire!"
"What the hell? Our powers awakened at the same time. Why is my fire only the size of a lighter, and its flames this massive?!"
"Obviously, you're just weak. Same teacher, same awakening, but huge difference in skill!"
"Enough! Shut up! Right now, the priority is to take it down. This thing actually dared to attack humans!"
"The gap's kinda huge… maybe we should just wait for the military?"
Before the discussion could go further, a young boy with a crisp uniform draped like a cape stepped forward. His sharp gaze scanned the bird as he said with authority:
"The aura has awakened. Powers have surfaced. Everyone now has the chance to change their destiny."
"But this doesn't mean humans are equal—some may surpass others by far."
"The deciding factor is talent!"
"Watch closely. What I possess now is the power that sets me apart from ordinary people from the very start. My path to the pinnacle begins today!"
"Thunder—Converge!"
Blue-purple arcs of lightning gathered around his right fist. In the next instant, he dashed toward the firebird with blinding speed. His electrified punch slammed into its wing, leaving faint scorch marks.
The crimson-eyed bird tilted its head, inspecting the marks on its feathers. It seemed to think: "Is that all?"
"BANG!"
With a casual flap of its wings, it sent the boy flying in a perfect arc across the sky before crashing heavily to the ground.
The onlookers' expressions shifted—from "Who is this poser?" to "Whoa… look at the lightning around him! That speed! He's terrifying!"—and finally to "And that's it? I can do better!"
"Stop staring… my bones are broken!"
"Ssshhh… it hurts so much."
"If I'd known this firebird was this strong, I wouldn't have tried to show off."
"And it's insanely powerful… are we sure it's not cheating?"
The boy, Lei Fei, lay on the ground groaning while observing the others. After a morning of observation, he realized everyone else's powers were far weaker than his. He had assumed he was the genius… only to be instantly crushed by a firebird!
Being crushed was bad enough—but being crushed while showing off? Social death. Total social death.
The surrounding students hesitated, unsure whether to intervene. In an age of viral short videos, they knew careless movement could worsen injuries. The safest bet? Wait for the ambulance. But at this moment…
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