Marvel: I Awake the Little Cosmos-Chapter 532 - 500: If You Walk This Path, Sooner or Later You’ll Have to Pay Up

Chapter 532: Chapter 500: If You Walk This Path, Sooner or Later You’ll Have to Pay Up

An elder once said this:

Power has three realms.

The first realm is known for being ’fast’, ’accurate’, and ’ruthless’, referring to those under thirty wielding the Ziwei Soft Sword, dominating the world.

The second realm is the present.

The heavy sword has no edge, great skill appears clumsy.

This is exactly how Hawk is.

Before coming to this cosmos, after awakening his Little Cosmos, he had always relied on it to dominate the world.

He was fast—fast and accurate!

But—

Unstable!

However, with death highlighting his temporal issues, and Wanda helping him mend his timeline, after retracing his path for over two years, he completely resolved the issue of unstable power.

In the past, when Hawk fought with enemies, he would still focus on flashy moves.

But now.

Let’s take his old rival, Mephisto, for example.

He can throw a seemingly ordinary punch, and Mephisto would be best advised to make a decision within that 0.1 second — surrender on the spot, or else, not even remnants would remain after those 0.1 seconds.

And as Hawk uttered the words "The heavy sword has no edge, great skill appears clumsy," Wanda felt that the aura from Hawk’s body, which she had originally suppressed, was rising at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It seemed that in the next second, Hawk’s Divine Body Power would break through the Crimson Chaos restraint she had set up back then.

But this aura suddenly halted.

Just when Hawk’s Divine Body Power was about to break through Wanda’s power restraint, this surge of power vanished again abruptly.

Wanda’s eyebrows arched.

"Hmm!"

"What’s wrong?"

With his eyes closed, after taking several deep breaths, Hawk opened his eyes, looking at the somewhat puzzled expression of Wanda.

Wanda’s brows furrowed slightly, seemingly having thought of something.

"Is it not time yet?"

"No."

Hawk smiled slightly: "In this act of retracing my path, my time first achieved completion, and now, my mind has also reached a staged completion."

Although "the heavy sword has no edge, great skill appears clumsy" belongs to the second realm of power, it hasn’t reached the third realm of ’everything can be a sword’.

But this statement isn’t just about power; it’s really talking about one’s mental state.

Youth is impetuous and passionate.

Middle age is mature and steady.

Old age is calm and indifferent.

Before coming to this cosmos, Hawk had continually tried to elevate his mind to the highest point using the Mind Gemstone.

But still, that was cheating as well.

But this time, having no intention to cheat, Hawk, in this cosmos, requested Wanda to seal his own body, allowing him to quiet down and finally comprehend the Power of the Mind matching him at this moment.

This is not obtained by cheating with the Mind Gemstone; it’s achieved entirely on his own.

This is truly, in every sense, the return of all great power to oneself.

His time is entirely his own; similarly, his mind is completely his own. Not even Professor X, if ten Professor Xs stood together, could invade—no, not even peek into Hawk’s mind if he wasn’t guarded.

As Wanda listened to Hawk after he paused.

"But?"

"Still missing one!"

"Still missing?"

Hearing this, Wanda looked at Hawk with some curiosity: "What is still missing? I helped you mend your time, and you’ve mended your mind, what’s left?"

Hawk smiled slightly: "Life!"

Wanda, meeting Hawk’s gaze, was first stunned, then her expression turned somewhat incredulous: "You used the Time Gemstone to cheat for time, creating a loophole, and your mind was spurred by the Mind Gemstone, but life... Did you cheat on this too? No, wait, I don’t think there’s a Life Gemstone in the Infinity Gemstones."

Hawk’s lip twitched: "Who says there isn’t a Life Gemstone? Moreover, who says that without a Life Gemstone, cheating isn’t possible?"

His Little Cosmos Cultivation Method is an entire system.

But what’s remarked here isn’t the Eighth Sense concerning life, but what he experienced on the brink of life and death, awakening the Sixth Sense.

It was during the battle at London Stonehenge against Dark Elf Malekith.

Using Malekith, he sent himself to the brink of life and death, and there successfully stepped from a Bronze Saint Warrior with full five senses into a Silver Saint Warrior mastering his Sixth Sense.

But!

"Actually, I cheated that time too."

"..."

Listening to Hawk’s words, Wanda turned silent, looked at Hawk, and after a while, spoke with a very serious tone: "Mr. Hawk Phoenix, you shall never think of involving yourself in the education of our children in the future; your right to educate them has been revoked."

Hawk’s eyebrows arched.

"No way, why?"

"Simply because you cheated!"

Wanda couldn’t help but roll her eyes: "Are all your current powers gained through cheating?"

Good heavens.

Cheated time, cheated mind.

And now even life was cheated?

Hawk listened to Wanda’s words, standing without a care, and was displeased: "Can you blame me? I’m not Tony Stark, the rich guy who can rely on technology, nor am I lucky like Peter Parker or you, who gained powers by chance or birth."

Wanda looked at Hawk with a smile on her lips.

"Then what are you?"

"The rich rely on technology, the poor rely on mutation."

Hawk expressed a classic quote from the Marvel Cosmos, then looked at Wanda: "I rely on cheating."

Wanda looked into Hawk’s eyes: "Cheating comes with a price, and now is the time for you to pay."

The rich rely on technology, essentially paying with money.

As for the poor relying on mutation, it’s like gambling with one’s luck — take a look at little Spidey. If not for a cheat like Hawk intervening, how many mutated superheroes have lives that are complete?

But Hawk, relying on cheating, essentially hadn’t paid any price.

Yet, as the saying goes.

In the long run, things will have to be paid back one day, after all, things gained by cheating are yours in name, but not in essence.

So—

Bad news.

Hawk needed to walk through the path once again.

But the good news is, for Hawk, retracing the steps is like an open book exam.

Because there’s a difference even between cheats.

Low-level cheating involves copying and handing it in right away without looking. High-level cheating is copying and then quietly memorizing the answers.

Hawk belongs to the latter.

So even if he has to walk the path again, he can quickly hand in a perfect paper again.

The only thing left is the challenge of ’between life and death.’

Wanda was puzzled: "No, life and death, how did you cheat on that then?"

Hawk smiled slightly and glanced at Wanda.

"Did you forget my Divine Authority?"

"Phoenix Undying, only Nirvana."

"But at most, that gives you confidence, it’s not cheating, you know."

Wanda said instinctively, then seemed to think of something, raised an eyebrow, and looked at Hawk: "Don’t tell me, when you were in London, you could have killed Malekith but intentionally lost to edge yourself on the brink of life and death."

Hawk met Wanda’s gaze, nervously touched his nose: "Not exactly sure, after all, I go the stable route, planning defeat before a fight, I had to consider what if the Phoenix Divine Authority wasn’t that effective."

Wanda looked at Hawk, realizing his humility, she opened her mouth again, thoroughly speechless.

"I’m very curious now, this power of yours probably comes from cheating too."

"..."

Hawk didn’t respond.

From a certain angle, Wanda was indeed right.

He remembered the system that waved goodbye right after he started on the Little Cosmos Cultivation path. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Wanda looked at the silent Hawk, feeling somewhat tired, covered her forehead with her hand, seemingly guessing Hawk’s intentions: "So, you’re planning to let the Sentinel Robot send you to the brink of life and death? This time it’s not cheating, right?"

Hawk waved his hand: "No need, just one punch from the Sentinel Robot, and I’ll be reporting in the realm between life and death."

His power had descended, but he didn’t choose to accept it.

The Divine Body Power was also sealed by Wanda.

Given his current state, he wouldn’t even need a Sentinel Robot. A punch from a champion belt holder, and he’d probably be off to Hell’s tavern to drink with his old friend Mephisto.

Wanda suspiciously looked at Hawk: "So, are you really not afraid of dying for real this time?"

Hawk smiled slightly.

"Never held, what to let go?"

"I notice you enjoy saying things rich in Eastern Country philosophy."

"It’s the point."

Hawk didn’t explain: "Never truly perish, then one can’t truly understand perishing. To advance further, I must walk this step again."

For it involves the Eighth Sense of life!

To truly comprehend the Eighth Sense of life, one must first understand what life is, and to do that, one must experience it firsthand.

As the saying goes.

Cheating, sooner or later, must be repaid.

Now it’s time to settle the accounts.

Wanda shook her head, looking worriedly at Hawk: "I’m not talking about that. I’m saying, what if you have no backup and something really goes wrong?"

Hawk laughed upon hearing this.

"Who says I have no backup? I never really put myself in danger."

"I know."

Wanda glanced at Hawk’s smiling face, her tone faintly amused but dropped the topic: "But having a backup is still cheating, isn’t it?"

Hawk waved his hand: "If the backup isn’t with me, then it doesn’t count as cheating."

Wanda raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?"

"Isn’t there you?"

Hawk met Wanda’s gaze with a calm voice: "I believe, even if this time I truly perish, you’ll bring me back."

Wanda: "..."