Arakawa Ward wasn't exactly a paradise for civilians.
At best, it ranked somewhere around lower-middle.
As Xi Shenlian strolled down the long street, he could naturally sense the air of age and decay lingering in every corner. It was like watching an old man slowly walking toward the end of his life.
But all of that? Completely irrelevant to him.
Now, no matter where he went, everything felt drenched in sunshine and beauty.
What could he do?
He was already living an invincible, extravagant life. What was there to worry about?
"Ahh!"
"Oh my god!"
"The world is so freaking beautiful!!"
Caught in a rush of emotion, he passed a food cart at the corner and caught a whiff of something savory in the air.
The aroma coming from the bubbling pot was clearly packed with chemical seasoning.
Still, Xi Shenlian didn't care.
He stretched out his hand. And right in front of the stall owner's eyes—like a magic trick—he conjured up a crisp 10,000 yen bill and handed it over.
"I'll take some octopus balls. Extra scallions, extra sauce."
The stall owner blinked, stunned.
"Whoa, that's a neat trick!"
He thought Xi Shenlian was just performing some sleight of hand. Looking a bit embarrassed, he added, "Uh, I don't have that much change right now. Can I just send it to you by mobile?"
"No need for change. Just give me the food."
In this world, online payments had existed for hundreds of years and were incredibly advanced.
But out in more remote areas, where signal coverage was weak or devices often ran out of battery, paper money still had its place.
It was just less common these days.
Hearing Xi Shenlian's words, the stall owner hesitated.
He glanced at the bill, then at Xi Shenlian's somewhat ragged clothes.
"...Are you serious?"
Even though 10,000 yen wasn't a fortune, it was still a full day's wage for a lot of people.
"Of course. I've given you the money. Now give me the food."
"Well, alright."
Still confused but secretly thrilled, the stall owner couldn't help but smile.
…
A few minutes later.
Inside a taxi, food box in hand.
Xi Shenlian picked up a steaming piece of octopus with a toothpick, popped it into his mouth, and began chewing.
"Meh, not bad…"
But the seasoning is too strong…
Even though his first reaction was to complain, he knew full well—
It wasn't the food.
It was him.
Having recently awakened and undergone two full adaptation sessions in the learning space, he'd already gained control over his power output and could avoid accidentally wrecking everything around him.
But some aspects of his body were still too sensitive.
Taste. Smell. Hearing. Vision…
Right now, he could see flowers blooming more than ten kilometers away, hear insects chirping within several kilometers, and even identify the scent of every passerby outside the taxi…
Honestly?
It was too much.
He hadn't fully adjusted to his new sensory capabilities, and it wasn't all that comfortable.
The soundscape was overwhelming—like standing in a bar with every noise cranked to max.
His vision? Too sharp. Seeing the pores on people's faces was more disgusting than impressive.
And his sense of smell? It made the world feel like one giant, awful blend of perfume and public restroom.
He quickly realized that he still needed to refine himself further.
But that was the whole point of this outing.
Besides picking up a few things, he wanted to expose himself to the real world and help his body naturally adjust to its new state.
And he could feel it.
The more he interacted with the environment, the more some instinct deep inside him awakened—quietly fine-tuning his sensory systems.
…
More than twenty minutes later.
After casually tossing a few tens of thousands of yen to the driver, Xi Shenlian arrived at one of the few bustling districts in Arakawa Ward—still chewing the last bite of octopus, calm as ever.
At this point, his taste receptors had adjusted to near-normal levels.
He could finally enjoy food the way it was meant to be enjoyed.
His hearing and vision had also been stimulated and stabilized—he could now toggle between hyper-sensitivity and normalcy at will, like tweaking settings on some precision instrument.
After tossing the empty box into a nearby trash can, he looked up.
His gaze locked onto the sun overhead, growing brighter by the second.
And as he stared—
His pupils shrank automatically, adjusting to the intense light.
His eyes now had the clarity of high-grade telescopes.
To most people, looking at the sun from this angle would feel like staring into a flash grenade.
But for Xi Shenlian? There was no discomfort, no glare—only sharp, clean vision.
His eyes were adapting.
And he had already discovered this in the learning space.
Even in total darkness, he retained most of his sight.
As for breathing?
He could now go an hour without needing a breath—meaning he could swim into the deep sea without equipment.
With his senses and physical body changing so drastically, he couldn't help but feel…
Like he was evolving into something else entirely.
Not long after—
"The life of an ordinary man and the life of a superman…"
Xi Shenlian withdrew his gaze, chuckled softly, and walked toward the street ahead.
This was the district's high-end fashion zone.
A place that, not long ago, he never dared to enter—only dared to pass by.
For the poor, stepping in here felt like a stray dog walking under a spotlight.
But now?
Now he needed to pick out a new outfit.
Never mind the details.
Even if he wasn't cold in the slightest, walking around in a short-sleeved shirt during winter was a bit… off.
And if he was going to live the good life, looking the part was just the beginning.