Chapter 26 – Making Amends!
Jiang Zhe had already mastered the Qi Expulsion Technique to a refined degree. What he just performed was merely one of its subtle applications—something he quickly picked up under his uncle's guidance.
Though apprentices couldn't yet control genetic origin energy, Jiang Zhe had the unique advantage of his family's secret training technique: internal force.
The roar of tiger and leopard echoed forth—
Chest and abdomen like bellows, lungs vibrating like thunder!
Jiang Zhe channeled his inner strength through every muscle. With a sharp "Ha!", he launched forward like a missile, breaking the sound barrier as he crashed into a half-meter-thick solid concrete pile on the rooftop, shattering it instantly.
Amidst the rising dust, Jiang Zhe stood quietly, reliving that moment—every bit of recoil from the impact had been neutralized by the force flowing through his body.
The Qi Expulsion Technique… No, the entire Thunderous Roar manual actually offered a significant defensive benefit.
It seemed the effect was subtle enough that others had overlooked it. Earth's martial path had been led astray by figures like Hong and Thor, who blindly chased explosive power. With the Black God combat suit compensating for defense, no one in the Jiang family had paid attention to the Thunderous Roar's potential to strengthen the body.
"I wonder exactly how much it improves my defense?" Jiang Zhe muttered. "Hard to quantify… And the technique itself still feels immature. But I think I'm on the right path."
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted.
"Quick! The old master's back. Get ready!" his uncle said, eyes turned toward the horizon.
Jiang Zhe followed his gaze. A streak of light flashed across the sky.
As it neared, it revealed a figure holding a massive block of ice.
Within the ice—something was alive.
This was a trick the old master had developed using his ice-manipulation abilities. Against him, even lower-tier lord-level monsters had no chance of escape.
Without a word, Jiang Zhe walked over to the corner and picked up his weapons—shield and gold mace strapped to his back, a long spear in his hand.
He heard his uncle sigh beside him.
"The Kui Bull... I remember that beast well. It's what finally helped me master Thunderous Roar."
"Zhe, with the level of mastery you've reached, even the old master couldn't guide you further."
"Your comprehension far exceeds mine. Now let's see if this Kui Bull can help you take that final step."
"I understand." Jiang Zhe nodded. He stabbed his spear into the rooftop and tossed the gold mace to his uncle.
"Uncle, please increase its weight to one ton."
"Haha! That's the confidence I like to see!" Jiang Chengbo laughed in approval.
Jiang Zhe's intent was clear—he wasn't using the spear for speed or a quick kill. He chose the mace to see if the Kui Bull could spark further insight.
Jiang Chengbo poured genetic energy into the weapon, activating the inscribed runes on its surface and adjusting its weight before handing it back.
Jiang Zhe gave it a few test swings and smiled in satisfaction. With his current physique, a one-ton mace felt just right.
Meanwhile, the old master was already descending rapidly outside the apartment. With a grunt, he hurled the massive ice block.
"Zhe, this is a Kui Bull—a mutated sea cow. It's strong in defense and sonic attacks. Lord-level strength. Try your hand."
The ice exploded mid-air.
Out burst a creature nearly eight meters long, shaped like a giant fuel tanker.
"Moo-roooar!"
Its panicked cry echoed like muffled thunder!
Shockwaves rippled visibly through the air, tearing through nearby buildings. Concrete walls cracked, dust clouds surged.
The piercing roar rang across all of City 079.
At only fifty meters away, Jiang Zhe bore the full brunt of that terrifying sonic blast. Fortunately, he was wearing his Black God combat suit and had already plugged his ears—but his internal organs still trembled under the impact.
Still, "uncomfortable" was all it was.
Earth's fiercest sound-based predator—the Screaming Sky Beast—couldn't even break through the Black God suit, let alone this slightly weaker Kui Bull.
Hoo-loo... Gloo-loo...
Jiang Zhe responded with a thunderous tiger-leopard roar, vibrating his organs to negate the incoming force. He shook off the shockwave's effects completely.
Shield in one hand, mace in the other, Jiang Zhe leapt from the 30th floor.
He landed opposite the Kui Bull, less than twenty meters apart, and tapped his shield twice with his mace—a clear challenge.
"Moo-roooar!"
A second shockwave blasted toward him. Jiang Zhe was blown back several meters, his boots carving twin ruts in the asphalt.
Still uninjured, he pounded his shield again.
Provoked, the agitated Kui Bull—already unsettled by the two powerful presences overhead—completely lost control. Its blood-red eyes turned feral.
Poof!
It expelled a powerful jet of air from its swim bladder and charged at supersonic speed.
"Good! Let's test our strength, then!"
Jiang Zhe planted himself in the Bear King Shield stance, let out a battle cry, and activated 12x power—charging forward, shield-first.
The collision was over in milliseconds.
Boom!
Both figures—one large, one small—were launched backwards, crashing into the apartment buildings on either side.
From high above, the two elder councilors stared blankly at the aftermath.
The old master turned to his eldest son, giving him a deadly glare.
"Did you teach him to fight lords like this? Was it you this morning?"
"No! Not me! I swear!" Jiang Chengbo denied in a flurry of panic.
"Dad, trust me—it wasn't me. But... Zhe's got this weird obsession with direct combat. He really likes those bone-crunching, blow-for-blow fights."
He didn't say it, but deep down he knew Jiang Zhe had been influenced by him.
After all, he'd just finished teaching about how to use Qi Expulsion to toughen the body.
Now here it was—being applied in battle.
"Normal glass-cannon fighters dodge and counter. Not this guy—he charges in like a lunatic!"
---
Back on the battlefield.
Jiang Zhe emerged from the dust, once again taking his position on the street.
"This Thunderous Roar manual is actually pretty great."
"That last impact? The Black God suit absorbed 90% of the force. The rest was negated by my internal energy. No internal injuries at all."
For a moment, Jiang Zhe was even tempted to take off the suit to test his raw durability—but reason prevailed.
"Moo-roooar!"
The Kui Bull let out another roar, causing massive cracks to split the nearby building. It crashed through the wall and back onto the street, rubble raining down around it.
The fight resumed.
The beast swung its tail, launching a wrecked car like a missile at Jiang Zhe.
"You call that a trick?"
Jiang Zhe unleashed his psychic power—apprentice-tier, Level 8 quality—stopping the car mid-air and slamming it back at the beast.
He stomped hard, closing the distance in an instant.
"Moo-roooar!"
Another sonic blast erupted right in his face.
The car was blown away. Jiang Zhe barely held his ground, using psychic energy to push himself forward.
But just as he regained footing, two scythe-like white tusks stabbed toward him.
"Break!"
With 8x strength and the speed-focused Quick Intent, Jiang Zhe swung the mace down.
Crack!
The tusks shattered.
The mace didn't stop—it smashed into the beast's face, sending it flying like a liquid-filled tanker.
When it stood up again, Jiang Zhe noticed something odd.
One tusk was broken, skin torn to the bone—but the other half of its face, which took the full blow, wasn't mashed meat. The skin had merely collapsed inward.
After some thought, he realized the secret.
"First, it has an unusually tough dermal structure—natural armor."
"Second, it's using sonic vibrations to absorb impact—a kind of force redirection!"
"Uncle's technique with Qi Expulsion must be based on this!"
---
Excited, Jiang Zhe chose not to kill the beast outright. He continued the fight, repeatedly smashing the Kui Bull, studying its unique defense, and refining his own Thunderous Roar.
---
Two hours later, the battered Kui Bull finally succumbed to the relentless abuse and died in frustration.
Jiang Zhe was still eager for more.
The old master descended from above.
"Did you learn anything?"
"Plenty!" Jiang Zhe replied, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Who would've thought such a mundane creature held such subtle mastery? Nature truly is full of miracles."
The old master beamed.
"Ha! That's the spirit of Dao follows nature."
"Zhe, from now on, there's nothing more we can teach you. You're officially a graduate of the Jiang family's martial path."
"Remember—Xingyi is biomimicry at its core. Emulate the roots of trees through stance training; emulate the beasts of nature with the Twelve Forms and Thunderous Roar. Learn from the world."
"You will now walk your own path. May Xingyi shine brighter in your hands."
Jiang Zhe pounded his fist against his chest and promised,
"Don't worry, Grandpa. Xingyi is my foundation. I won't let it fade!"
For a moment, Jiang Lie saw his younger self in his grandson—the same fearless resolve to carry on their ancestral legacy, forging ahead into the unknown.