Chapter 25: The Strongest Is Already Among Us! (Double-Length Chapter)
City No. 079.
7:00 AM.
For the first time, Jiang Zhe was abruptly awakened in the early morning—his uncle had come to inform him about what had happened at the Temple of War during the night.
His uncle patted him on the shoulder and said, "From now on, your safety in public is guaranteed. No more assassination attempts."
Jiang Zhe didn't take it too seriously.
With the Black God Combat Suit and his skyrocketing strength, who could assassinate him now? Unless the top assassin himself, Hong, came in person.
What really bothered him were the decisions Hong and Thor had made in response to the assassination attempt—those had left him frowning.
His uncle, Jiang Chengbo, noticed his displeasure and tried to soothe him. "It's impossible to completely wipe out the Wang family. The economic shock would ripple across Hanxia, even the whole world."
"We can only chip away at them slowly."
"Heh, but after this incident, our Jiang family stands to gain a lot of commercial resources. With some accumulation, we'll be able to purchase more Dragon Blood and Jade Marrow."
Wealth feeds warriors—and nothing makes a battle-hardened killer like Jiang Chengbo happier than getting his hands on a massive stockpile of cultivation resources.
He personally didn't need them, but the Jiang family had five youngsters starving for resources.
And then there was his freakishly gifted nephew, who probably needed multiple times more than usual.
Jiang Zhe nodded, though he still muttered, "Feels a bit anticlimactic…"
Jiang Chengbo responded, "When we return to the base city, Jia Yi will come with representatives from the Wang family to offer a formal apology. That'll be another opportunity to squeeze them."
Jiang Zhe didn't argue further.
But in his heart, he made a note—if it's inconvenient to move against the Wang family now, there'd be plenty of chances once Earth connects with the broader universe. He'd make them pay then.
He changed the subject: "What about the two King-level beasts?"
"You're still worried about that? Two council members working together to kill one King-level beast—that's child's play. Not to mention, we also got a Black God Combat Suit last night. You don't need to worry about our safety."
"Tsk tsk… That Randolph. Gave us both Jade Marrow and the Black God Suit. Truly an international friend!"
Jiang Zhe squinted suspiciously. "Uncle, is this really why you woke me up so early?"
"To attend morning lessons!"
"…Huh?"
Jiang Zhe was confused. Combat training this early?
He looked around. The old man wasn't here. So, was he really off chasing that mythical Kui Ox?
Jiang Chengbo reminded him, "Don't tell me you think you've already mastered the Xingyi style?"
Jiang Zhe froze. He suddenly remembered there was still one piece missing—his grandfather's so-called extra lesson. He still hadn't learned the final component of the Six Arts of Xingyi: 'Thunder Voice'.
"Come. Up to the rooftop. Morning is the best time to study Thunder Voice—it's the time for breath exchange and spiritual cleansing!"
---
On the rooftop of the high-end apartment building…
Bathed in golden sunlight and September's early autumn breeze, Jiang Chengbo began demonstrating the mysteries of the sixth Xingyi Art—Thunder Voice.
He calmed his breathing, closed his mouth tightly, and let his chest and abdomen swell and contract.
Grumble—Hrrrr—
A rumbling sound—like a deep, resonating purr, almost like something you'd hear from a big cat.
But the volume was shockingly loud, like muffled thunder.
With a sudden grunt, he glared at Jiang Zhe, signaling him to pay attention.
Genetic energy surged through his body. His chest and belly inflated like a balloon, making him look like a croaking giant toad.
He resembled the stereotypical masters practicing "Toad Gong" in martial arts films.
Jiang Zhe, a body-training specialist, quickly deduced the technique's structure: it was a "gather—release" mechanism.
Immediately, he activated the Black God Suit to seal his ears just in time.
Sure enough—
Jiang Chengbo gave a cheeky grin and suddenly roared.
"Ha!"
A terrifying wave of sound erupted.
The shockwave was so strong it became almost tangible.
The rooftop cracked. Concrete pipes burst, solar panels shattered, and debris flew everywhere.
Jiang Zhe, only a few meters from the blast zone, took the full brunt. Even with the suit on, it felt like a sledgehammer slammed into his chest. His head buzzed. His organs trembled.
He was sent flying off the rooftop like a leaf caught in a hurricane.
Seriously, uncle?
After flying more than twenty meters, he stabilized using his spiritual power and returned to the fractured rooftop.
Confused, he asked, "Why is Thunder Voice a sound-based attack technique?"
Jiang Chengbo chuckled and patted his belly. "Haha, that was just a trick I came up with—got the inspiration from the Kui Ox."
Jiang Zhe suddenly understood. "Uncle, you want me to gain insights from the Kui Ox too?"
"Smart!" Chengbo gave a thumbs up. "With your talent, Thunder Voice should be easy to pick up once you meet the beast."
Then he got serious and began teaching the formal version of Thunder Voice.
---
"Thunder Voice is about combining breath and strength—the Tiger and Leopard Roar!"
"Like tigers and leopards purring when at rest, this breathing stimulates the bones and organs, accelerates metabolism, strengthens the body, and even aids in healing—just like how humans use ultrasound for bone injuries."
"Xingyi is essentially biomimicry."
"The sixth art, Thunder Voice, mimics feline breathing and ties closely to Tiger Form's 'virtual crown-lifting strength'—it massages and strengthens the respiratory system."
"It's divided into internal and external training."
He explained how internal training began with the breathing and vocal system, then gradually opened up the chest, ribs, and back. As the technique deepened, subtle thunder-like sounds would vibrate through the organs, enhancing strength and detoxifying the body.
"Think of it like Daoist breath training or a genetic energy enhancement technique. The goal is full-body refinement."
Chengbo paused. "Xiao Zhe, do you know how to self-heal?"
Jiang Zhe nodded. "When absorbing cosmic energy, I can guide it to the injured areas—perfect for healing."
"Great," Chengbo smiled. "While practicing Thunder Voice, guide energy to your organs. It'll boost your internal resilience and overall constitution."
"Now, follow me."
---
Golden sunlight gleamed as strange "grumble—grumble" sounds echoed across the rooftop.
This was the first time Jiang Chengbo seriously taught his nephew, and he was stunned at the kid's insane learning speed.
After just three demonstrations, Jiang Zhe perfectly mimicked the technique!
If Jiang Wu had been present, he'd definitely shout: "Uncle! Now you know what I went through?! Watching him learn everything on first glance made me feel like a total idiot!"
After 5 minutes, Jiang Zhe learned how to train his breath and voice.
After 10 minutes, he expanded the effect to his torso.
After 20 minutes, he opened his chest, ribs, and back.
By minute 25, he could influence his internal organs—fully mastering the technique.
At minute 27, he stood, inhaled deeply, puffed up like his uncle, and let out a thunderous "Boom!"
Chest and lungs like bellows, breath roaring like thunder!
Jiang Chengbo stopped the timer on his watch and sighed in awe.
"Less than half an hour… And you've achieved what old-school martial artists need decades to master!"
Jiang Zhe shrugged. "Didn't feel that hard."
Chengbo gave a crooked smile. "Your grandpa never taught the third generation Thunder Voice because it takes too long and offers less return compared to the other arts and foundational techniques."
"Really?"
Jiang Zhe sat cross-legged and activated the technique.
He used the bellows breathing, gathered cosmic energy, and guided it into his organs.
A unique tingling filled his chest and abdomen—like the resonance from touching an engine. His internal organs vibrated, showing signs of strengthening.
Even with such a short test run, the benefits were evident.
It really improves toughness and strength!
"Uncle, can we move on to the external part now?" Jiang Zhe stood up, eager for more.
"Thunder Voice's external training combines sound and power, amplifying explosive force."
"For example, I normally exert 5.4x strength using all five arts. But with Thunder Voice, I can hit 6x!"
He demonstrated with a roaring "Ha!" punch—shockwave, pressure, destruction.
Jiang Zhe was stunned. "This… is Baji Quan's 'Xing Qi'?"
"Exactly!" Chengbo gave a thumbs-up. "Your years reading old martial texts weren't wasted."
"Xingyi's Thunder Voice focuses on internal training. Baji's Xing Qi focuses on explosive power. That's why your grandpa merged both in the secret tome Thunder Roar, giving rise to internal and external variations."
"So for the external part of Thunder Voice, we'll focus on the Xing Qi method of Baji!"
He began teaching the vocal techniques.
"When generating light force or dark strikes, a shallow breath through the nose creates a sound similar to 'Hum'. This purges light energy and is known as the 'Hum' sound."
"Repeat after me: 'Hum!'"
Jiang Zhe: "Hum?"
Chengbo: "??? You really just did the sound without any power behind it?"
"Cough, my bad. I was joking. Let me do it right." Jiang Zhe grinned and tried again—with full power this time.
Chengbo nodded, then corrected minor flaws.
Ten minutes later, Jiang Zhe had fully mastered the "Hum" variation—again.
Chengbo was already numb from the freakish speed and moved on quickly.
"When exerting full force, nose-breathing isn't enough. That's when the 'Ha' sound comes in, using the mouth to release explosive breath."
"Say it with me: 'Ha!'"
---
By 8:30 AM, the lesson ended.
But "ended" wasn't the right word—it was more like every last secret had been wrung out of the style.
Everything that used to take martial artists decades, Jiang Zhe absorbed in just over an hour.
Chengbo felt like he'd been spiritually drained and just stood there letting the breeze hit him.
If Jiang Wu were around, he and his uncle would have a lot to complain about.
---
Back in the safehouse…
Jiang Zhe tested his progress using the punch-force analyzer.
"36,022 kg."
That was his normal state. Probably due to residual Jade Marrow and a night of training, his base power had increased significantly.
He adjusted his breath, used Thunder Voice, and launched a full-powered strike.
"Ha!"
432,979 kg!
"433 tons? 12x multiplier?! That's high-level War God strength!"
He tried a string of "Hum" punches.
394,035 kg.
399,871 kg.
400,345 kg.
400,692 kg.
"Maintaining 11x strength in continuous strikes? That's terrifying!"
"It means I can sustain high combat output without warm-up or charging."
"All thanks to the 'Hum' and 'Ha' sounds—boosting and stabilizing my power!"
Thunder Voice is no joke!
He now had three vocal techniques:
1. Tiger-Leopard Roar – for internal organ reinforcement.
2. Hum – for continuous moderate strikes.
3. Ha – for all-out explosive power.
"None of them were too difficult."
He turned off the machine and flew back to the rooftop.
---
"Where are you at now?" Chengbo asked.
"12x strength."
Even a top-tier Earth councilor like Chengbo gasped.
Terrifying!
This kid's talent is overflowing—he's surpassed even Thor himself in raw physical power!
"Excellent! I can't wait to see the ultimate secret manual you'll someday compile!"
"I'm not ready for that, Uncle." Jiang Zhe waved it off.
He lacked a solid technique for defensive amplification—until that was complete, creating a comprehensive manual would be pointless.
"True. Focus on your cultivation. Think about writing manuals once you hit councilor level."
Jiang Zhe chuckled. "Writing a manual? I'm not some saint…"
Suddenly, Chengbo smacked his forehead.
"Oh right! Zhe, I forgot to mention—Xing Qi isn't just about 'Hum' and 'Ha' for power. It has other uses too."
"Go on."
"It's a unique breathing method from Baji Quan. It has four main effects: 1) stabilizes stance, 2) increases power, 3) strengthens body, 4) promotes body coordination."
Jiang Zhe: (ー`ー)
Sounds kinda lame…
He listened anyway.
---
Stabilize Stance: By focusing breath downward through the legs and out the feet, you anchor yourself—just like the "thousand-pound drop" of old.
This boosts movement and gun control—makes sense.
Increase Power: Channels force through the body's power points to strike deeper, even damaging internal organs.
That's just dark force. I get it.
Strengthen Body: At the moment of Xing Qi, flood your body with energy, making it rebound like an inflated ball—great for defense.
Wait—hold up! Did I just hear the magic word?
Jiang Zhe perked up. "Uncle, show me the body-strengthening part again."
"I showed you earlier—remember the toad pose?"
So it really can be used defensively!
---
Jiang Zhe's mind was racing.
The strongest person is already among us…