Hearing Marcus's pointed questioning, Clark slowly lowered his head in shame. He'd been trying so hard to impress his godfather with his strength, but instead of receiving praise, he could sense that Marcus was genuinely upset with him.
"I understand that you want to perform well," Marcus said, his voice carrying a mixture of concern and frustration. "But with the kind of reckless force you just used, you're going to be the only one who gets hurt in the end!"
Marcus was indeed angry, though his anger came from a place of deep caring. While he knew that Clark's Kryptonian physiology would allow him to recover from most injuries relatively quickly, he didn't want Clark to develop habits of fighting with such desperate, all-or-nothing approaches.
After all, Kryptonians weren't completely invincible. Despite their incredible abilities, they had vulnerabilities—most notably their weakness to kryptonite. If Clark became accustomed to using maximum force in every situation, he would be completely helpless once that weakness was exploited.
"If you always fight by pushing yourself to the absolute limit," Marcus continued, "then the moment your abilities are weakened or compromised, you'll have no backup plan. You'll be the one in danger."
Following Marcus's stern lecture, Clark began to understand his godfather's concerns. His approach had been too impulsive, too focused on immediate results rather than long-term effectiveness.
In the days that followed, Clark became much more disciplined in his training. He practiced the Crushing Punch technique with careful attention to form and control, focusing on understanding the subtle changes that different approaches brought to his movements.
Marcus was very pleased with Clark's progress. Since the boy had gained access to his superpowers, his mastery of the Crushing Punch had begun accelerating significantly. More importantly, after being corrected about his reckless approach, Clark had stopped pursuing raw power at the expense of technique and safety.
Clark could feel his abilities continuing to develop day by day. His strength was steadily increasing, and this gradual improvement would become his greatest asset. Even in just a few days, his power had grown noticeably, and the force he could generate was considerably stronger than before.
This steady development was the best proof that his superpowers were still evolving. He didn't need to risk injury by using maximum force—patience and consistent training would bring him far greater results.
Whoosh!
Strong winds whistled across the farm as Clark practiced, and several large trees swayed and rustled in response to the air currents he was generating.
"Very good," Marcus observed with satisfaction. "Clark has mastered this technique quite well."
The rolling gale that accompanied Clark's strikes had become his favorite aspect of the Crushing Punch. The ability to generate powerful winds through controlled physical force made him feel like he was performing magic rather than simply fighting.
Of course, compared to Marcus's demonstrations, the winds Clark could produce were still relatively modest.
"Godfather, how do you think I'm doing?" Clark asked eagerly, seeking feedback on his latest attempts.
"You're doing very well," Marcus replied encouragingly. "As long as you keep practicing consistently, those winds will become stronger and stronger."
After receiving Marcus's positive assessment, Clark nodded excitedly. He looked forward to the day when he could create genuine storms with a single technique.
After staying on the farm for an extended period, Marcus had taught Clark with serious dedication. In addition to helping him refine the Crushing Punch, Marcus had also guided Clark in learning to control and integrate his various superpowers.
Although Clark's abilities were still developing, he had made remarkable progress in understanding how to use his different capabilities effectively and safely.
Most importantly, Clark had internalized the lesson about keeping his superpowers secret from the outside world. In front of other people, he remained simply a child with good grades and impressive physical fitness—no one suspected that he possessed extraordinary abilities.
Just after Christmas, Marcus finally announced his intention to say goodbye to Clark, Jonathan, and Martha.
He had remained on the farm long enough, and now he planned to return to Gotham to check on his two students there. More than that, he was preparing to bid farewell to everyone before departing for other worlds entirely.
At the prospect of parting, Clark became visibly sad. He had grown accustomed to having his godfather with him every day, sharing meals, training sessions, and quiet conversations. Now that Marcus was preparing to leave, the Kent family had no reasonable way to ask him to stay.
"Alright, Clark," Marcus said gently, ruffling the boy's hair one final time. "The next time we meet, I hope you'll have become a truly strong man."
He turned to smile and wave at Jonathan and Martha, who had gathered to see him off despite their own sadness at his departure.
"I'm leaving now," Marcus announced. "Until we meet again!"
As he spoke, Marcus became enveloped in thick fog, gradually fading from view until he disappeared completely.
The familiar mist condensed in Wayne Manor as Marcus emerged from his void travel, returning to the place he'd left weeks ago.
"Clark's abilities have definitely awakened," Marcus mused to himself with satisfaction. "I really look forward to seeing how he uses the Crushing Punch when he reaches his full potential."
The mental image of a fully-powered Superman using advanced martial arts techniques brought a smile to Marcus's face as he settled into the manor.
At that moment, Bruce and Selena were still in the library, but both looked distinctly frustrated. They had absorbed a tremendous amount of knowledge during their intensive study period, and now they were attempting to tackle more advanced subjects to continue their improvement.
The problem was that they couldn't understand the material at all. The books they were trying to read were filled with specialized terminology and technical concepts that were completely beyond their current comprehension.
"How are your studies progressing?" Marcus asked, his voice cutting through their concentration.
Both students looked up with slightly glazed expressions, then immediately brightened with surprise and relief.
"Teacher, you're back!" Bruce exclaimed. "Can you help us understand what these terms mean? We've been stuck on this for hours."
Taking the book from Bruce and glancing at the pages, Marcus raised his eyebrows slightly. The material was indeed quite advanced—they had progressed much further than he'd expected.
"These are all relatively specialized concepts," Marcus explained. "If you want to understand them properly, you'll need to master several foundational subjects first."
Although Marcus wasn't a professional scientist, his extensive travels and experiences had exposed him to knowledge from many different fields. He was familiar with most of the terminology they were encountering.
After explaining the various terms and concepts to both students, Marcus looked at them with a serious expression.
"It's genuinely impressive that you've been able to teach yourselves to this level," he said. "But I think it's time for you to consider expanding your education beyond what's available in Gotham. I suggest you travel around the world to study. It will broaden your perspectives and give you access to knowledge and techniques you can't find here."
When Marcus finished speaking, both Bruce and Selena looked stunned—not because of his explanation of the technical terms, but because they heard the unmistakable tone of farewell in his voice.
"Teacher," Selena asked quietly, "are you leaving again?"
"Yes," Marcus confirmed, not attempting to avoid the question. "You're both developing very well now. As long as you continue to apply yourselves, I'm confident you'll keep improving."
This kind of departure had become routine for Marcus—he wasn't disappearing permanently, just traveling to places that were very far away. Since he could always return, it wasn't fundamentally different from taking an extended trip.
"I'll be leaving, and you'll be going out into the world to study," Marcus continued. "I hope that when I return, I'll be able to see how much you've both grown. Consider this our agreement."
Hearing Marcus's words, both students nodded solemnly. They were willing to follow their teacher's guidance, even if it meant separation.
Moreover, Marcus was right about their need for broader education. If they wanted to continue improving their combat capabilities and their ability to help Gotham, they would need to master much more advanced knowledge than what was available locally.
Such comprehensive learning would require years of study, much of it in locations far from Gotham. Even if Marcus remained in the city, they would rarely have opportunities to interact with him during such intensive academic pursuits.
Seeing that both students had accepted his suggestion, Marcus smiled and gestured encouragingly.
"Excellent. When you return after completing your studies, I'll have a special gift waiting for each of you."
The next time they met, Bruce and Selena would be adults, fully trained and ready to take on much greater responsibilities. At that point, Marcus planned to provide them with new weapons as graduation gifts.
These weapons would incorporate more sophisticated amplitude crystals, allowing them to channel and focus their void energy with far greater precision and power than their current equipment permitted.
He wasn't giving them such advanced tools now because, with their current level of strength and experience, weapons of that caliber would be more likely to harm the wielders than help them.
At the mention of Marcus's promised gift, both students' eyes lit up with anticipation. While they had no idea what their teacher might give them, they were already looking forward to earning whatever reward he had in mind.
The prospect of years of challenging study suddenly seemed much more appealing with such a goal to work toward.