Chapter 40: Leveling Up While Lying Down

"The trick lies in your willpower and your ability to control even the tiniest muscles in your body."

Shen You walked down the street back to the store, carrying shopping bags filled to the brim from his recent grocery trip, patiently educating Kara who was walking beside him.

"Only listen to what you want to hear. Block out everything else. Focus all your attention on a single object," Shen You explained.

Kara walked beside him, wearing a headset-like device on her little golden head. It was a soundproofing device that Shen You had specially crafted for her overnight, designed to help her block out all external noises. For a normal person, wearing this thing would basically make them deaf—no matter how hard someone clapped right next to their ear, they wouldn't hear it. But for Kara, it only reduced her hearing to a certain extent, filtering out distant sounds.

That's right, the little Kryptonian's body had started to develop again, and this time, it was her ears that were causing problems.

In fact, her super hearing had already started to awaken, but it was sporadic—sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't—and the farthest she could hear was a street away where an old lady was yelling.

But this week, things seemed to have worsened. The range of sounds she could hear was expanding, as if the entire city's noise was rushing into her ears like a roaring sea. It almost overloaded the Kryptonian girl's nerves; at its worst, she almost rolled her eyes and fainted on the spot.

Ordinary people who have never experienced this simply can't imagine what kind of pain it is—it's as if the entire world has turned into a giant engine, roaring non-stop in your ears.

Shen You also had super hearing, but it wasn't nearly as exaggerated as the Kryptonians who could hear across the globe. He had never experienced nerve overload due to hearing issues either, because from the moment his senses began to develop, he underwent systematic training and received professional guidance from teachers in the Land of Light. From a young age, he was able to control his senses with ease.

Because of this, he did have some insights into sensory control.

"We'll start with something simple. Focus on listening for specific content. Concentrate all your attention on the object you want to hear and block out everything else."

Shen You explained patiently.

Helping Kara train also allowed him to review the basic knowledge of various courses. Besides, watching a Kryptonian girl transform from a delicate beauty into a goddess who could tear battleships apart under his guidance gave him a strange sense of satisfaction, like nurturing a character.

"For example, over there," Shen You casually pointed to a man and a woman chatting at the corner of the street. "Try to listen to what they are saying."

Kara took off her headphones, closed her eyes, and gritted her teeth to endure the overwhelming noise coming from all directions. She did her best to filter out the noise and focus her attention.

"I think... I can hear them," she said, her face lighting up with excitement. "It actually works! The man is saying... 'I brought tools to unclog the drain. Do you need me to help you unclog it?' And the woman says, 'Sure, but you'd better remember to bring lubricant. It's been quite dry here these past few days.'"

Kara looked at Shen You with a puzzled, innocent expression. "What does that mean? Did I mishear something? Why does it sound strange?"

Shen You cleared his throat and quickly put the noise-canceling headphones back on her. "You heard right. The man is probably here to fix the pipes."

Kara seemed half-convinced, still a bit doubtful, but she nodded to show she accepted the explanation. The old wizard walking beside them, carrying a newly bought barbecue grill, spat and muttered, "The world is getting worse and worse! Young people these days..."

That evening...

The old wizard was holding a transparent magic array constructed of blue light in his hand. In front of him was a projection formed by magical energy.

It was an island.

With detailed topography and curves, one could clearly see the outlines of mountains, hills, valleys, and rivers through the magical light and shadow. Even the waves crashing against the coast were vividly presented.

"Pal, did you record the coordinates?" Shen You asked.

"I've marked the location. The address is named 'Paradise Island'," Pal replied. "Planning the flight route to 'Paradise Island' now."

Shen You was quite satisfied and expressed his admiration at the right moment. "Impressive, really impressive. I can't believe you found this island shielded by the gods in such a short time..."

"It's nothing. Truly great wizards are never complacent about their achievements," the old wizard stroked his beard and leaned back with a smug expression. "Like me, who has protected the mortal world for 9,000 years and suppressed countless demons, the 'Wizard of the Present' who safeguards earthly magic—did I ever mention this?"

Probably around three thousand times a week, Shen You thought.

Shen You said, "By the way, about the trial we talked about last time..."

"Ha, of course, no problem," the old wizard stroked his beard, his expression saying, "You've got potential." "It's rare to see such an enterprising young person these days. Too bad, if you were human, you'd definitely be the best successor to my divine power..."

The DC magic side always made Shen You feel uneasy because he didn't quite understand its principles. If possible, he hoped to practice and enhance his own magic resistance, or explore its operating principles and routes.

The Ultra Race had a huge advantage that many other superpower systems couldn't match—its abilities were not only derived from racial talents but also supported by a systematic and scientific learning framework. Based on their knowledge system, they could explore and understand new abilities and phenomena they had never encountered before.

And right now, there was a top-tier DC wizard in front of him—although his power was not what it used to be, his theoretical knowledge was still top-notch. Shen You certainly wouldn't miss the opportunity to learn.

"Let's start with simple illusions," the old wizard said with a smile. "These are common control techniques with strong deceptive effects that can even use the target's inner darkness to enhance the effect. Let's see how you handle this type."

"Okay," Shen You took a deep breath and got ready.

The old wizard began to cast a spell. A string of words in a language Shen You had never heard, like chanting scriptures, accompanied the rapid changes of hand gestures.

A light blue path wove a complex magic circle in his palms. Then the old wizard opened his eyes wide and lightly tapped the magic circle, which instantly transformed into thousands of butterflies that fluttered towards Shen You and quickly dissipated.

Then, the old wizard and Shen You stared at each other, wide-eyed.

After a while, Shen You couldn't help but ask, "Has it... started?"

The old wizard maintained his outstretched palms, and the atmosphere was awkward for a moment.

Then he withdrew his palms and said gloomily, "It's already over."

Shen You: "?"

He looked around and confirmed that he was still sitting on a chair in the kitchen.

But it seemed like nothing had changed?

The old wizard was also a bit puzzled by this reaction.

That shouldn't be right!

Even when facing stronger demons or wizards, they might have powerful methods and techniques to easily dissolve his spells, but it shouldn't be to the point where there was no reaction at all, right?

Could it be that this alien's mental power was so incredibly strong?

"Ahem," the old wizard cleared his throat twice to alleviate the awkwardness. "It seems you've had some mental training, and this kind of child's play spell doesn't work on you. It looks like I'll have to show a bit of real skill."

He then said solemnly, "This next spell is quite dangerous. If you notice anything wrong, blink as fast as you can. I'll immediately dispel the spell to avoid any adverse effects."

Shen You nodded. "Okay."

The old wizard began to cast another spell.

It was another string of incantations, ending with a line in plain language.

"…O supreme gods, O demon of fear, heed my call and become a wave of terror!"

With a loud shout, a light blue magic circle spun between his palms, and an overwhelming sense of dread seemed to engulf everything!

A few seconds after the spell was cast, Shen You's pupils contracted, and his expression changed...

The old wizard's eyes lit up.

Aha, he knew it!

To be honest, when that spell hit earlier and registered "HP-0," he was a bit nervous.

He was a proud wizard, the mighty Shazam. Although his magic power was at its end, if someone just stood there and let him attack, only for all his skills to miss—where would he put his old face?

Fortunately, things hadn't gotten too embarrassing… Oh, right, he needed to dispel the spell quickly. He liked this young alien a lot, and it wouldn't be good if his mind was really damaged...

But before he could do anything else, Shen You suddenly stood up.

"Please wait a moment, pause," he said, and then he strode through the kitchen.

"Kara? I just used X-ray vision and saw green peppers in the trash outside. Did you throw them away?"

The little girl, who was memorizing vocabulary, was startled and her eyes darted around guiltily. "No, no I didn't."

Shen You raised an eyebrow. "Really? Then repeat after me, 'The House of El never lies.'"

"The House of El never lies... okay, okay, it was me," Kara pouted, putting down her textbook. "But they

 taste so bad! Why do humans invent such horrible things..."

"No picky eating," Shen You said earnestly, then muttered, "Besides, they're delicious..."

"I'm sorry, I won't do it again," Kara admitted her mistake obediently.

Having obtained the confession, Shen You nodded in satisfaction and returned to the kitchen to sit back in his chair.

"Ah, sorry, got distracted there. Shall we continue... huh? What's wrong with you?"

Turning around, he saw that the old wizard's face was already flushed bright red.

"Hmph," the old wizard snorted heavily and flung his hands down. "This wizard is done."

With that, he stormed off.

Shen You: "?"