New Gods of North America.

Chapter 700 Advancement
"Bam—"

Although Wayne was used to hearing all sorts of explosions, this was actually the first time he had ever heard such a sound underwater.
The sound of the explosion seemed to be slowed down many times over in the water, and a ring of bubbles spread along with the sound of the explosion, accompanied by the "glug glug" sound of the bubbles, making for a rather novel experience.

Because this explosion was triggered by extraordinary abilities, Wayne could even see turbulent lines within it.
Jason's body was like a punctured balloon, instantly transforming from a physical state into a phantom form more befitting his identity as an evil spirit.

Wayne valued his life highly, and had already dashed some distance ahead.
Looking back, Jason looked a bit like a blob of octopus ink that had been spat into the water. His human form was no longer visible. However, the ink blob didn't keep spreading outwards. It remained in an odd but undisturbed state, hovering near where he had originally been lying.

To be fair, this does indeed resemble Freddie Mercury, the "Grey Wolf," more than anything else on his deathbed.

As Wayne surfaced for air, he made a "three" gesture to Inessa and Lina, indicating that everything was still relatively normal, but Wayne was about to do something really stupid.

I threw a small, charged pebble over to "test the waters," and the ink exploded, changing its shape, but it still didn't seem to react to anything living.
The "giant spider jellyfish" next to it was still watching the show, nimbly flapping its wings up and down, seemingly without any danger.

Wayne carefully reached one hand to the very edge of the ink blot.
Try to absorb spiritual power.

Then Wayne realized something was wrong, and a bubbling sound escaped from his mouth.
The "giant spider jellyfish" next to it also sped away and thrashed about several times until it felt safe. Then it finally stopped to continue observing, and one of its long legs scratched what should have been its head, as if it was considering whether to help warn others.

At this moment, the entire blob of "ink" was being rapidly stretched and contracted from the point where it touched Wayne's fingertip, appearing as if it were a normal absorption of light.
For Wayne, it was like a fattened duck having its beak pried open and a feeding tube inserted, with food being poured into its body as if it were free.

It's often said that if perfume is too strong, it will smell bad.
When Wayne started absorbing the ink, he didn't feel any "taste" at all—at first there was a little bit, but then the massive concentration washed over him, leaving his mind almost blank.

Time seemed to stand still at that moment, and the whole world seemed to have completely lost its color and sound.
At this moment, Wayne, both physically and mentally, seemed to have become a "drowning man" in the literal sense, facing not only raging storms but also towering waves, feeling utterly powerless to resist.

Memories began to flash by rapidly, like film reels. Wayne didn't know how long it took before he finally found a small buoy to hold onto in the giant waves.

Then came the feeling of his body swelling and cracking, and he seemed to hear sounds again. The scene in his vision gradually became clearer. Peter the spider had actually swum to his nose and was sticking out a long leg, poking his face.

Peter the Giant Spider's body was already close to the texture of obsidian, and its two large eyes, which defied arthropod biology, were even more captivating.

However, when Wayne looked at it, he seemed to see countless "flashes of inspiration" in it, as dazzling as observing the wonders of the universe through a space telescope.

This impact was even more powerful than before.

To put it simply, if Wayne had previously encountered a storm that he could barely stand up to, now he seemed to be completely blown away by a hurricane, utterly powerless.

But strangely, the slender, long leg that Peter the Spider extended at this moment resembled a sturdy mast stretched out towards Wayne during a hurricane.
Even though Wayne was being blown around by the "hurricane" and was flying sideways, as long as he held on tightly, it was as if he would never be completely dragged into the turbulence.

A sudden realization exploded in Wayne's mind, its presence as intense as the midday sun in summer.

Peter the Spider has been possessed by the "Wise Sage"!
However, He seemed to appear only for a fleeting moment, and amidst the turbulent currents of thought in his mind, Wayne seemed to vaguely understand His meaning.
Wayne's own spiritual power began to resist the infusion of ink, not completely resisting, but rather more like "diverting" or "filtering".

Jason, like Wayne, also possesses his own "core." If Wayne currently only absorbs the portion of Jason's power used for "resurrection," it's like grabbing a gecko's tail—the gecko won't die, but it won't burst Wayne either.
If Wayne were to continue fully absorbing Jason, it would be tantamount to "fission and decomposition" of Jason's core. The resulting burst of spiritual power would truly be befit the rank of a 7th-tier Extraordinary. However, for Wayne, who was currently unable to fully absorb Jason,

That can no longer be called "energy," but should be called "equivalent"...

Thus, the anchor of his thinking was found again, and Wayne obediently avoided the part of the ink that he shouldn't have absorbed, relying on his intuition.

Finally, with what sounded like a "bang,"
Wayne felt the river water around him vanish in an instant, and he himself suddenly returned to the air.

Wayne then realized that this was not his imagination.

Because the river water that had been blasted open quickly flowed back in, slamming Wayne into the muddy riverbed like a torrential downpour...

……

When Wayne, exhausted, floated to the riverbank and lay there resting, it was Inessa, who had already jumped into the water, who helped him half-up onto the shore.

Although Wayne was physically exhausted at the moment, his inner energy and spirit were full.

He was quite happy for a moment, "I feel like I've reached the intermediate level, and some things seem to have changed."

Inessa's expression was not so relaxed: "The rope broke in the explosion just now, and I couldn't pull you up. I thought something was wrong."

She then observed Wayne's appearance for a moment and said, "You may not have fully entered the intermediate stage yet. You seem a bit different from the state I remember. However, if you have an epiphany, then you may have already crossed some key thresholds."

Once ashore, Wayne collapsed onto the ground. He looked around and asked, "Where's Lina?"

Lina's voice sounded rather grumpy at this point: "You blew up my Peter."

Ok? !

Wayne tilted his head back and saw that Lina was holding one of Peter the Spider's long legs in her hand, as if she were holding a dead crab...

and many more,

I think the responsibility for this lies with the "wise sage".

(End of this chapter)