Chapter 26: Apology!

Chapter 26: Apology!

Nasal Qi Mastery had already been refined to perfection. This was merely one of its many applications, and Jiang Zhe quickly mastered it under his uncle’s guidance.

Tiger-Leopard Thunder Resonance surged! — His torso and abdomen worked like bellows, his lungs roaring with Thunderous Voice!

Channeling Internal Force through his body, he erupted forward with a "Ha!" at supersonic speed, shattering a solid concrete pillar over half a meter wide on the rooftop.

Dust swirled around him as Jiang Zhe silently reflected on his state — the counterforce from the impact had been completely neutralized by the energy coursing through his body!

Nasal Qi Mastery... no, the entire Thunder Resonance manual truly enhanced defensive capabilities.

Perhaps because the effect wasn’t dramatic, and the Earth Martial Path had been misdirected by Hong and Lei Shen toward pure power generation, with the Black God Suit compensating for defense... the Jiang Clan had overlooked Thunder Resonance’s tremendous potential for strengthening bones and muscles.

"How much stronger exactly?" Jiang Zhe shook his head. "Can’t tell. And this technique is still in its infancy, but the path feels right, doesn’t it?"

"Quick! Elder Jiang’s back. Prepare yourselves!" His thoughts were interrupted.

Following his uncle’s gaze, a streak of light approached rapidly.

As it neared, they could see a figure carrying a massive block of ice.

Inside the ice, a living creature was sealed!

This was one of Elder Jiang’s minor ice-manipulation techniques. A Low-Tier Lord-class opponent would be helpless against him.

Jiang Zhe silently retrieved his weapons from the corner — a round shield and golden mace strapped to his back, a long spear in hand.

His uncle’s wistful voice reached his ears.

"Kui Bull... a beast that left a deep impression on me. My Thunderous Voice technique became refined because of it."

"Xiao Zhe, with your current mastery of Thunderous Voice, even Elder Jiang can’t teach you anything new."

"Your talent surpasses mine. Now we’ll see if this Kui Bull can help you reach perfection in Thunderous Voice!"

"I understand." Jiang Zhe nodded, planting the spear butt into the rooftop and tossing the golden mace to his uncle.

"Uncle, adjust this to one ton."

"Haha! I love seeing that confidence in you!" Master Jiang beamed.

His nephew’s intent was clear — no spear, no quick kill. Switching to the golden mace meant testing whether the Kui Bull could inspire new insights.

Infusing Genetic Primordial Energy, the secret patterns on the mace’s surface activated, adjusting its weight before returning it.

Jiang Zhe swung it twice, satisfaction on his face. At his current strength, one ton felt perfect.

Elder Jiang, traveling at several times supersonic speed, now hovered before the apartment, hurling the massive ice block.

"Xiao Zhe, this is Kui Bull — a sea cow mutation with defense and sonic attacks, Low-Tier Lord-class strength. Try your hand."

The ice shattered midair.

A nearly eight-meter-long "fish" resembling a liquid tanker burst free.

"Moooo!"

The panicked roar sounded like muffled thunder — a visible shockwave sweeping outward, shaking skyscrapers, cracking concrete walls, and raising clouds of dust.

The piercing screech nearly shattered City 079’s skies!

Jiang Zhe, barely fifty meters away, faced the sonic blast head-on. The Black God Suit protected him, and he’d plugged his ears early, but his organs still felt rattled.

Just rattled. That was all.

The Earth Beast’s sonic representative — the Siting Beast — had failed against the Black God Suit. This Kui Bull, slightly inferior, posed no real threat.

Hululu—

Jiang Zhe activated Tiger-Leopard Thunder Resonance, vibrating his organs to counteract the foreign force, completely neutralizing the Kui Bull’s sonic attack.

Golden mace in one hand, round shield in the other, he leapt from the thirtieth floor.

He landed behind the Kui Bull on the street, facing each other less than twenty meters apart. He struck the shield twice with the mace, issuing a challenge.

"Moooo!"

A sonic blast surged forward. Jiang Zhe skidded backward several meters from the force.

Metal-plated boots carved shallow grooves in the asphalt, but he remained unharmed, cheerfully tapping his shield again.

The two kings’ presences above unsettled the beast. Now this tiny opponent dared provoke it — the Kui Bull’s eyes turned crimson with rage.

Puh!

Its swim bladder suddenly expelled a massive gas jet, propelling it toward Jiang Zhe at supersonic speed.

"Perfect! Let’s test strength!"

Jiang Zhe assumed the Bear King Shield stance, roaring with a 12-fold power burst as he charged.

The collision lasted less than a thousandth of a second.

Boom!

After the deafening impact, two figures — one large, one small — flew backward, crashing into apartment buildings on either side of the road.

High above, the two legislators stared at each other in shock.

Elder Jiang glared at his eldest son. "Who taught him to fight a Lord like that? Was it you this morning?"

"I don’t know! Not me! Never taught him!"

Master Jiang denied everything, desperate to clear his name.

"Father, believe me — it’s nothing to do with me."

"Xiao Zhe seems... troubled. He always charges headfirst, craving that raw, hand-to-hand combat."

Though he spoke in denial, Master Jiang secretly felt responsible.

After all, he’d just been teaching the Nasal Qi Mastery’s bone-strengthening applications.

Well, wasn’t that exactly what he’d just done in battle?

Normal martial artists would dodge a beast’s attacks with agility techniques, then strike fatally when the opportunity arose!

Below, Jiang Zhe emerged from the dust, standing again in the street.

"Thunder Resonance’s effects are quite good."

"The impact damage was reduced 90% by the Black God Suit, and the remaining 10% neutralized by my circulating Internal Force. No internal injuries."

Now, he even considered removing the Black God Suit to test his own defenses — but sanity prevailed, and he dismissed the thought.

Moooo!

The Kui Bull roared, shaking the entire apartment building with cracks spreading through its walls. It smashed through a support beam, crashing onto the street and collapsing the high-rise.

Amidst the falling debris, Jiang Zhe and the Kui Bull clashed again.

The Kui Bull swung its tail, hurling a nearby abandoned car toward Jiang Zhe with terrifying speed.

"Such a petty trick?"

A torrent of eighth-stage apprentice-level Mental Energy erupted from his Primordial Core, freezing the car midair before hurling it back at the Kui Bull.

Jiang Zhe stomped hard, rushing forward with the golden mace.

Moooo!

A terrifying sonic blast erupted at point-blank range.

The car exploded away, but Jiang Zhe used Mental Energy to stabilize his battle suit, resisting the blast.

But then, two two-meter-long, scythe-like tusks stabbed toward him.

"Break!"

With an eight-fold power burst combined with the Swiftness Concept, Jiang Zhe swung his golden mace.

Rain striking sand — the mace shattered the tusks like splitting firewood!

The mace continued its arc, smashing into the Kui Bull’s fat face. With a scream, the liquid-tank-shaped beast flew sideways, its flesh rippling like liquid.

When the Kui Bull rose again, Jiang Zhe was startled by its appearance.

Its white fangs had been shattered by the forceful blow, causing minor skin tears around its mouth and nose that exposed bone. Yet the half of its face struck by the mace had only caved inward—the fatty flesh hadn’t turned to pulp.

Reflecting on the battle, Jiang Zhe identified the reason.

“First, its skin structure is uniquely dense—natural meat armor that withstands punishment!”

“Second, it uses vocal vibrations to manipulate its skin, creating a special technique to dissipate force!”

“Grandfather’s mastery of the Nose Exhale technique must relate to this very skill!”

Excited, Jiang Zhe abandoned the urge to kill the Kui Bull immediately, instead continuing their clash. Blow after blow rained down on its fatty flesh as he studied this unique defense mechanism, refining his Xingyi Six Arts—Thunderous Voice.

Two hours later, the Kui Bull lord, unable to endure further torment, died in humiliation. Jiang Zhe still felt exhilarated.

Elder Jiang descended from the sky, asking, “Did you learn something?”

“Huge gains!”

Jiang Zhe licked his dry lips, eyes alight.

“Who’d have thought such mundane Kui Bulls held such mysteries? Nature’s wonders never cease!”

Elder Jiang smiled warmly. “Indeed. The Dao follows nature.”

“Xiao Zhe, from now on, there’s nothing more our family can teach you. You’ve officially graduated.”

“But remember—the Xingyi Style is biomimicry. It imitates the piling stance of trees, the Twelve Animal Forms of beasts, and Thunderous Voice… it learns from all under heaven!”

“The future is yours to walk alone. I hope the Xingyi Style flourishes through your hands!”

Jiang Zhe pounded his chest twice, vowing fiercely, “Grandfather, rest assured. Xingyi is my root!”

For a moment, Jiang Lie saw his younger self in Jiang Zhe—clutching ancestral martial arts, venturing into the unknown, carving a path through adversity to reach this point.

After defeating the Kui Bull, Jiang Zhe’s practical exam continued down the predetermined challenge list.

The Black-Scaled Xuan Turtle, once a land tortoise in City 079’s zoo, had poor offense but formidable defense like the Kui Bull. Jiang Zhe shattered its insides using the Golden Mace with tenfold force amplification.

The Gold-Scaled Serpent died when Long Spear pierced its head—its thirty-meter body convulsing for minutes.

The Jade-Horned Anvil Ram’s charging power was formidable. Jiang Zhe took a slight disadvantage head-on with his round shield raised, then evened the score by breaking its spine with the Golden Mace.

The Lion Mastiff Hound rarely reached Lord Class despite being common at the Beast Soldier tier. Its combat power was weak for its rank—impaled by Long Spear, its corpse flew dozens of meters.

The Fire-Scaled Triple-Trident Boar, a renowned apex predator among boars, was nearly Mid-Tier Lord-level. Jiang Zhe feigned retreat, lured it into pursuit, then killed it instantly with a backstab combining twelvefold force amplification and the Swiftness Concept.

The Azure-Backed Black-Clawed Crab, a Mid-Tier Lord and second-to-last target, was infamous for its black pincers capable of shearing SS-Rank Combat Suits. Jiang Zhe approached cautiously but still had Long Spear severed. Switching to the Golden Mace, he delivered a “back-opening” strike to its marble-like carapace. As it fled toward the river, Jiang Zhe controlled an Annihilation Throwing Dagger to pierce its rear fissure, shredding its organs. This was his first use of Mental Energy in recent challenges.

The “Death List” had one final target: another Mid-Tier Lord Kui Bull.

Accompanied by Grandfather and Elder Jiang, Jiang Zhe sailed out to hunt the Kui Bull King—a legendary beast in Huang County waters. The two hoped witnessing such a battle would inspire Jiang Zhe.

Upon arrival, the two Champions engaged the Stellar-Level Kui Bull King. Jiang Zhe turned his attention to the Lord-Class Kui Bulls scattered across nearby islands.

Unleashing full Mental Energy, ten Annihilation Throwing Daggers became meat grinders, showcasing a Mentalist’s true edge. Though his Mentalist cultivation was Apprentice Seventh Order, his Mental Energy quality reached Eighth Order.

While higher Lord-Class monsters required more effort, High-Tier Lord Kui Bulls fell easily. Within minutes, he slaughtered eleven Kui Bull lords—including two High-Tier, three Mid-Tier, and six Low-Tier.

For the remaining time, Jiang Zhe meditated amid the Kui Bull King’s roars, straining to follow their movements for insights.

In the ocean, humans couldn’t act recklessly—the Kui Bull King’s deafening roars risked attracting other King-Tier beasts. Thus, after less than five minutes of observation, Elder Jiang delivered the final blow with his Eight-Treasure Alligator Dragon Lance.

The King-level corpse held immense value for Jiang Zhe. Elder Jiang froze it solid, allowing Jiang Zhe to levitate it home using Mental Energy.

The 29-day wilderness training ended here.

Jiang Zhe and Elder Jiang had departed hastily on August 5th, spending five days traveling by rail before beginning training on August 10th. Today, September 8th, the trio returned to Lanling Base City with the Kui Bull King corpse and a pack full of Lord-Class monster materials.

Passing the Taiyi Mountain Range, they stopped to rest. As Jiang Zhe replenished Mental Energy, the shrill cries of apes suddenly stirred him: To gain wealth and honor without returning home is like wearing brocade at night!

The three generations agreed—they’d eradicate the Golden Ape clan entrenched here.

Within half an hour, the entire ape colony fell—Warrior General and Lord-Class beasts slaughtered by Jiang Zhe’s Mentalist techniques, their leader slain by the two Legislators’ combined might.

In the early hours of September 9th, 2046, the trio finally returned to Lanling Base City and the Jiang Clan estate.

Two King-level corpses and Lord-Class materials were handed to Steward Wu for processing.

The family parted ways in the courtyard, each rushing to clean up. Even with wilderness safehouses, water was scarce—three weeks without proper washing had left them all reeking.

Back in his private courtyard, soaking in a hot bath while pondering Thunderous Voice’s derivative applications, Jiang Zhe received an unexpected visit.

“Young Master Zhe,” Steward Wu called, “a distinguished guest has arrived. Hurry and freshen up—the Master is waiting.”

“Understood, Uncle Steward,” Jiang Zhe replied, already speculating, With two Legislators in the family, we’ve become the government’s new darling. Could it be Jia Yi this time?

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end