Chapter 13: Jiang Clan's Hidden Power

Chapter 13: Jiang Clan’s Hidden Power

Clang—clang—

The train thundered across the wilderness, its Vip passenger carriage housing an elderly man and a youth seated opposite each other.

Jiang Zhe ran his hand over his S-Rank Combat Suit, still dazed. He hadn’t even fully processed what was happening before his martial artist journey had abruptly begun.

Just over half an hour earlier…

——

Jiang Lie frowned. “You’ve already mastered the Xingyi Style in just ten days?”

Elder Jiang’s face twitched, his expression dazed. This feels unreal.

Hiss… My teeth ache!

This kid condensed fifty or sixty years of my own painstaking effort into just ten days!

This is where we must explain the unique nature of the Jiang Clan’s secret arts.

Unlike the ultimate techniques of Hong and Lei Shen—complete, perfectly structured systems designed for gradual mastery from start to finish—the Jiang Clan’s arts were composed of seven S- or SS-Rank secret manuals, each intricately interconnected.

The ultimate form, the “Six Arts,” integrated all Internal Force, allowing every movement to achieve peak physical efficiency.

Take Second Brother Jiang, for instance. He focused on the “Tiger, Bear, and Eagle” true forms, pairing them with a separate footwork technique.

He’d dabbled in the Chicken Step but never chosen it as his primary discipline. With his talent, adding another Internal Force at this stage would destabilize his carefully cultivated Xingyi System, risking collapse.

Jiang Sisi, meanwhile, specialized in the “Tiger and Chicken” forms, embracing speed and agility. Their footwork flowed like wind, their Fast Blade techniques cutting like gales.

To put it simply, the Jiang Clan’s secrets were like an underdog’s strategy.

I may not be as gifted as you, but I’ll outwork you. I’ll stack lower-tier manuals together, trusting that quantity will breed quality.

Jiang Zhe had executed this principle brilliantly in just ten days. He’d already mastered five external true forms—Tiger, Bear, Eagle, Dragon, and Chicken—nearing completion.

Jiang Zhe nodded, then hesitated. “Not quite. I’m still missing the Thunderous Voice, and there’s plenty I need to refine in each form.”

“The Bear, Eagle, and Chicken forms were taught to me by Second Brother and Sisi. I self-studied the Dragon from the manual two days ago. As for the Tiger… I just learned that today.”

His faux-modesty made everyone in the Martial Practice Hall clench their fists.

Jiang Chengxiong: My own flesh and blood! Can’t beat him!

Master Jiang, Second Uncle Jiang: Our beloved nephew! Unbeatable!

Second Brother Jiang, Jiang Sisi: Our dear cousin! Outmatched completely!

Grandmaster Jiang, however, beamed with satisfaction. When he heard Jiang Zhe had practiced the Heavenly Dragon Lance, his eyes lit up, and a chill of excitement rippled through him.

He’s chosen the spear. How perfect—the path of ultimate potential.

After all, the Jiang Clan’s only two SS-Rank secrets were the Heavenly Dragon Lance and the White Tiger Whistling Wind Blade.

The Heavenly Dragon Lance surpassed the latter, capable of amplifying force fivefold when perfected.

Even better, its origins traced back to the same lineage as Hong’s World Annihilation technique.

Grandmaster Jiang had long since abandoned hopes of mastering such power himself. But if his grandson Jiang Zhe possessed the talent, perhaps he could finally unravel Hong’s deepest secrets.

Jiang Lie waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t bother with the Thunderous Voice for now. It’s a nose-exhale technique—like the chants laborers use when hauling heavy loads. It’s an advanced bonus for the Six Arts.”

He grew serious. “But are you certain you’ll stick with the spear?”

“I love long-range and heavy weapons. They’re… fascinating.” Jiang Zhe’s reply was deliberate.

“Crushing opponents with sheer force!” Grandmaster Jiang chuckled.

Jiang Zhe licked his lips, smiling sheepishly.

Truthfully, he’d felt restless the past two days, itching to smash things. Wielding the Iron Whip had been exhilarating—Skull-Crushing Maniac indeed!

Still, the whip lacked something as a primary weapon.

That’s when he’d set his sights on the king of all weapons—the spear. Perfect for channeling power from the waist and hips, it paired seamlessly with the Heavenly Dragon Lance.

Of course, he’d always remember: The whip is for fun, the spear is for life.

“Good! Good! Excellent!” Jiang Lie laughed heartily. “The spear and the whip, huh?”

“Old Wu, fetch my two treasures.”

“And pack the Heavenly Dragon Lance and Black Tiger Whip Technique files, along with their video guides, into a tablet. I’ll take them with me.”

He glanced at Jiang Zhe. “Also, prepare a full set of S-Rank gear in Xiao Zhe’s size. He’s joining me on this trip to the Wilderness Zone.”

Jiang Zhe: ???

——

Now aboard the train bound for the Southern Military Zone, Jiang Zhe had accepted the abrupt start to his trial.

Truth be told… he welcomed it.

Hunting beasts meant rewards—not Earth’s currency, but the hard-earned resources needed to ascend the Life Genome hierarchy.

For him, the sooner he completed the Life Blueprint cultivation, the better.

After a moment’s reflection, his gaze shifted to the two “treasures” his grandfather had brought—objects brimming with mystery.

Two Four-Edged Golden Maces lay on the table, their surfaces etched with rough, blurred, seemingly superfluous patterns.

The moment he saw them, Jiang Zhe’s heart pounded.

By all his experience, these maces seemed like Primordial Force Weapons, radiating the same fluctuating energy as his grandfather’s aura!

Beside them leaned a long spear, resting near Grandmaster Jiang’s side.

Jiang Zhe licked his lips. He realized he was staring at the Jiang Clan’s deepest secrets.

The spear wasn’t a Primordial Force Weapon—that much he could tell. It lacked that unique resonance. But its craftsmanship was undeniably superb.

Put simply: it hailed from the Universe itself.

Even in the Universe, Primordial Force Weapons weren’t universal. A single first- or second-rank model cost tens or hundreds of billions of Black Dragon Coins—enough to deter most. Hence, many struggling martial artists relied on alloy weapons, graded A to E, corresponding to the Pre-Immortal realms.

This Dark Silver Metal Spear stretched over eight chi, its design extraordinary—like a dragon carved into the shaft.

The base of the spear’s shaft mimicked a dragon’s tail, the body adorned with dragon-scale patterns, eight embedded gemstones gleaming brilliantly for better grip. The spearhead took the form of a dragon’s head, its tip shaped like a dragon’s sharp tongue.

A hollow channel ran from tip to base—a terrifying blood groove. Even a non-lethal strike could sap an opponent’s strength…

A killer’s tool.

Terrifying.

But the spear was too long.

At roughly 2.6 meters, even his sixteen-year-old, 1.8-meter frame struggled to wield it comfortably. Unless, of course, he grew to two meters tall…

Ahem… Jiang Zhe’s filial piety knew no bounds—he was already thinking about succession.

Compared to the suspected Primordial Force Weapon Golden Maces, this spear was merely an exquisite artifact.

No! No! No!

What truly stunned Jiang Zhe was the pendant beneath the spearhead—a monkey-sized metal charm, linked by a thumb-thick iron chain.

He recognized the design instantly—the Tilu Spear!

The pendant wasn’t a weight or skull, but a rusted Spirit Furnace.

Yes, the Tilu Spear.

He’d read about it in ancient texts.

The Jiang Clan’s artifact capable of accelerating Genetic Primordial Energy cultivation was called the “Slag.”

Coincidentally, Jiang Zhe could sense the Spirit Furnace’s unique fluctuations, the faint, rust-covered traces of divine Secret Patterns etched onto its body.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end