To be precise—
it wasn't just increasing.
It was skyrocketing.
20! 25! 30! 35! 40…
In the blink of an eye, Zhao Xuan's physical constitution had already broken past the 40-point barrier.
And yet—
His body was still climbing, faster and faster.
Zhao Xuan was completely immersed in the feeling of his strength surging upward, unable to pull himself out of it.
Meanwhile—
The white light surrounding him gradually began to fade away.
Zhu Qingtian and the others watched Zhao Xuan silently, their expressions complex.
Some were confused.
Some irritated.
Some mocking.
Finally, Zhu Qingtian broke the silence.
"Brother Zhao, why didn't you choose a Logia-type fruit?"
He frowned in puzzlement.
"Don't tell me… you've never studied the Devil Fruit Catalog?"
That caught the others off guard.
Oh!
Of course—
that must be it!
He must not have seen the catalog.
Otherwise, how could anyone in their right mind not choose a Logia?
The thought made several of them exchange knowing looks, their eyes now filled with pity—
and for some, even a faint trace of gloating amusement.
Zhao Xuan, feeling the tremendous power coursing through his body, simply smiled and shook his head.
"No," he said calmly, "I've read the catalog."
Of course he had.
Two days ago, Zhao Xuan had already memorized every known Logia-type fruit and its appearance by heart.
Originally, he had planned to pick one.
But the allure of the Azure Dragon Form…
was simply too great.
"Then why didn't you pick a Logia?" Zhu Qingtian asked again, still baffled.
The others turned their full attention to Zhao Xuan, curious.
"Because," Zhao Xuan replied with a faint smile, "my intuition told me to choose that fruit instead."
"Your… intuition?"
Everyone frowned.
"Then what kind of fruit was it?" Zhu Qingtian pressed. "A Paramecia?"
"No," Zhao Xuan answered. "It was a Zoan."
The moment those words left his lips—
The group froze.
"What!?"
"A Zoan-type!?"
"You mean your intuition told you to pick a Zoan fruit!?"
They all spoke at once, disbelief written across their faces.
Qiu Ji sneered, folding his arms.
"Zhao Xuan, I honestly thought you'd be a rival worth watching… but I was wrong.
To think you'd throw away a guaranteed Logia because of some gut feeling!
You've really disappointed me."
With that, he turned on his heel and walked out of the Demon Space, his pride restored.
One by one, the others followed him out.
Zhu Qingtian sighed heavily and shook his head.
"Ah, Brother Zhao, you were too reckless this time. Among the three fruit types, Zoan is recognized as the weakest."
Then, softening his tone, he added:
"But don't be too discouraged. Even if you can't become a powerful fruit user, with your talent, you could still master Haki.
I've heard the president of Magic City University—an Eighth-Rank King—has no Devil Fruit at all, yet he's still a Haki Grandmaster."
Zhao Xuan smiled kindly.
"Don't worry, Brother Zhu. I'm not upset. I don't regret my choice."
Zhu Qingtian blinked, then sighed again.
"You… sigh… Brother Zhao, don't hold it in.
It's okay to cry, you know? Bottling up emotions is bad for your health!
Anyway, I'll leave you be."
Clearly—
Zhu Qingtian had completely misunderstood Zhao Xuan, thinking his calmness was forced composure.
He gave him one last pitying look and quickly exited the Demon Space.
Now alone, Zhao Xuan looked around the empty space, utterly speechless.
"Wait—what? I'm not upset!
Why won't any of you believe me?
I can barely stop smiling right now!"
He looked down at his status panel, watching his physical stats rise higher and higher.
"Look at this! How could I not be happy?" he muttered to himself.
In just a short while—
His physique had already surpassed 70.
Although the rate of growth had started to slow slightly—
It was still incredibly fast.
At this pace, Zhao Xuan suspected his physical strength might even break through 100 in one continuous surge.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tongcheng No.1 High School.
Inside the office—
Silence.
Homeroom teacher Zhong Jianguo, Principal Jin Xueyang, and the rest of the faculty sat waiting anxiously for Zhao Xuan's return.
Tick, tock, tick, tock.
Seconds crawled by.
Suddenly—
A strange, powerful wave rippled through the room.
The air shimmered.
Space itself rippled like disturbed water.
A crack tore open in midair—
and under everyone's breathless gaze, Zhao Xuan stepped out, his face glowing with excitement and satisfaction.
The moment they saw his expression, Zhong Jianguo and Jin Xueyang exchanged a glance—
their faces breaking into wide, joyous grins.
"Zhao—!!"
Jin Xueyang beamed, stepping forward to greet him—
—but the words froze in his throat.
His smile vanished.
His eyes widened.
His entire face twisted in shock.
"Th-this… this is—!!"
He stared, unblinking, at Zhao Xuan's right fist—its surface faintly blackened and gleaming like polished metal.
His voice trembled as he spoke the words that silenced the entire room:
"Armament… Haki!?"
The others gasped.
"Impossible!"
"Armament Haki!? That's only possible after reaching a physical strength of 100 or more!"
Everyone's faces turned to sheer disbelief.
A moment later—
Zhao Xuan saw his teacher and the school leaders rubbing their eyes, as if doubting their own vision, before staring at him once more in utter astonishment.