Chapter 17: The Gap

Chapter 17: The Gap

When discussing city numbering, one cannot ignore the famous 003 City in Eurasia—a place once known as the economic heart of the Hanxia Kingdom: Metropolis.

This coastal city teems with oceanic Beasts roaming its riverways, and its skyline boasts the densest cluster of buildings across Asia. The number of Beasts lurking within these structures reaches staggering levels.

It’s crucial to remember, however, that the Hanxia Kingdom had two similarly sized major rivers.

One flows into the sea at 003 City, creating that perilous region.

The other, the Tahe River, empties into the ocean at City 009. Its waters are no less dangerous, with Bohai Bay being a notorious den of horrors.

The only reason City 009 ranks lower is its less dense urban sprawl and relatively fewer Beasts entrenched in its districts.

The grandfather and grandson duo were flying toward City 009 when an incident occurred. Midway, Jiang Zhe exhausted his mental energy and stopped to rest in the Taiyi Mountain Range.

Elder Jiang had his eye on a nearby waterfall, deeming it perfect for spear training. Considering the surrounding terrain’s advantages, he decided to stay awhile and refine Jiang Zhe’s spear techniques further.

Naturally, Jiang Zhe’s goal of battling a Lord-Level Monster could still be achieved here.

Though Elder Jiang remained conflicted about his grandson’s ambition.

Inside a cave dozens of meters from the falls, Jiang Zhe pored over rare, ancient spear technique manuscripts stored at home. Many dated back to the turbulent era one or two centuries before the Great Nirvana, when firearms dominated and traditional martial arts faded into history—the last golden age of ancient combat.

Though those masters’ physical prowess couldn’t match modern intermediate students, their mastery of technique was unparalleled.

Jiang Zhe traced the origins of his grandfather’s training plan, noting the recorded techniques and glimpsing advanced methods ahead.

Incense Head Thrust—Incense Head Thrust—Mirror Piercing Drill!

The second stage required cheap incense sticks, not the premium bamboo-core kind. These were so fragile that even slight movements could snap them.

After hundreds of attempts, Jiang Zhe was nearly neurotic from frustration.

Every half-hour, he’d meditate by the pond, listening to the thunderous waterfall and letting the icy mist refresh his mind before resuming practice in the shaded grove.

He bore no impatience—after all, the third stage’s brutality made this seem trivial.

Mirror Piercing Drill meant piercing a fly on a mirror without shattering it.

Jiang Zhe inwardly groaned. This is spear training? Or some sadistic torture?!

As he trained, Elder Jiang contacted home, ordering his eldest son, Master Jiang, to deliver over a hundred bundles of incense. He knew his grandson would be stuck here a while.

Using a War God Rank as a courier—only the Jiang Clan would be so extravagant.

Oh, and Master Jiang was coming to spar too, feeding techniques to his nephew.

Even if Jiang Zhe mastered the third stage, perfecting his thrusts would only scratch the surface of spear mastery.

Just being acknowledged by the Primordial Laws wasn’t enough—true mastery required complete enlightenment.

Without real combat, no spear master would emerge!

Fighting Beasts? Sure, but inefficient.

Sparring with a true master was irreplaceable.

Yet Elder Jiang underestimated his grandson’s talent.

By dusk, after nearly eight hours of relentless practice, Jiang Zhe achieved his goal: extinguishing the incense tip without breaking it.

“Incredible!” Elder Jiang stared, his excitement overflowing.

This is my grandson!

He’ll be a legend of the Jiang Clan!

No—his talent would make him a legend of Earth itself!

“I suppose I do have a knack for physical training,” Jiang Zhe mused.

Elder Jiang paused, realizing it was true.

Jiang Zhe had an innate gift for controlling strength.

Still, Jiang Zhe pressed on: “Grandfather, I want to challenge a Lord-Level Monster.”

Sighing, Elder Jiang replied, “Wait here,” before vanishing into the night.

Jiang Zhe sensed his grandfather’s worry—War God-tier dangers might strike too fast for even him to react.

“But I have the Primordial Core. Losing my head or heart won’t kill me.”

“Even Peak Beast Lords are no threat in numbers. That kind of fight teaches nothing.”

Like Luo Feng battling hundreds of Beast Lords in the Trial Tower, relying on high Power Amplification to prevail eventually.

At this stage, overwhelming Power Amplification meant near-invincibility.

“Four against seven apprentices shouldn’t be hard,” Jiang Zhe muttered.

Minutes later, a cold gust swept in as Elder Jiang descended, carrying a massive ice block.

Moonlight revealed a ten-meter-tall humanoid Beast inside—

A Golden Ape, a top-five species among mutated primates.

Their decision to stay here wasn’t just for the waterfall, but also for the Golden Ape colony nearby. Their leader, the Monkey King, commanded no shortage of Lord-Level Monsters.

Elder Jiang’s voice echoed from above: “Ready yourself. This is your choice.”

Jiang Zhe nodded, gripping his long spear.

The ice crashed down—but before impact, the Beast shattered free.

Roaring, the Golden Ape pounded its chest, its left torso pierced by a gaping hole. It glared warily at the “King” above, then at the tiny figure awaiting it.

I’ll die, but you’ll pay the price!

With a shriek, it lunged.

Jiang Zhe thrust his spear, channeling full Power Amplification to block the ape’s pillar-like arm.

A basic parry-and-thrust combo—if he deflected the strike, the spear would pierce the ape’s throat.

10x Power Amplification!

Over 80 tons of force erupted!

Yet Jiang Zhe overestimated himself.

While his strength matched a fledgling Lord, his body couldn’t endure such force.

The spear deflected the blow—but the recoil tore his palms, numbed his arms, and sent the spear flying.

Disarmed, he’d already lost.

The Golden Ape’s charge accelerated, faster than a speeding train.

A single hit would reduce him to pulp.

Adrenaline surged. He saw the ape’s feral grin—and reacted.

“Die!”

His Primordial Core unleashed a flood of Mental Energy.

First, he seized the flying spear, spiraling it into the ape’s eye.

The ape flinched, guarding its face—but too late.

Jiang Zhe’s telekinesis hurled him into the ape’s lower body, dodging the collision and repositioning behind it.

Six Annihilation Throwing Daggers flew from his belt, slicing through the ape’s back wound, shredding organs, then piercing its brain.

The deafening roar cut short.

The giant collapsed.

Countless Light Points surged into Jiang Zhe—more than from entire Beast Lord packs. Yet he felt no joy.

The adrenaline faded, leaving his body trembling, drenched in cold sweat.

He analyzed the fight:

Wrong tactics. Overestimated my physique. Shouldn’t have clashed head-on.

Should I dodge first, then strike?

No—he shook his head. That wouldn’t work either.

Full-force strikes were his only chance, but the ape would counter.

Ultimately, his physique was too weak.

If I could withstand the recoil…

He sighed, craving Babata’s Defensive Resonance.

Tenfold Power? If it’s the cosmic standard, I could brawl with War Gods even as a fledgling Warrior General!

Like wearing an Alloy Battle Suit—while Lord-Level Monsters couldn’t pierce armor, their blows could still kill through blunt force.

“You’re not stupid,” Elder Jiang landed, asking, “Now you see the gap between you and Lords?”

The “answer” was the ape’s gaping chest wound—Jiang Zhe’s daggers exploited that perfect opening.

“I’m a glass cannon,” Jiang Zhe admitted. “I’ll focus on spear training now.”

He visualized his Right Shoulder Stellar Node glowing 60% bright, suppressing his impatience.

He craved the next Life Genome tier too much, rushing things.

Better to stick to weaker prey. Another thousand Beast Lords should suffice.

No need to risk Lords yet.

As Babata taught Luo Feng: stages 3→4 and 6→7 had hidden thresholds.

Earth’s incomplete techniques couldn’t support absurd tier jumps.

Earth’s Tenfold Power—no fledgling Warrior General could beat a Lord-Level Monster. Their bodies were too frail.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end