Tyrant Whale

Half an hour later.

Thud!

"Wu Dalang," his head shattered, collapsed to the ground, blood gushing like a spring.

"Shenhuang World..."

Having gained an initial understanding of this world, Wu Dao casually wiped the blood from his hands, raised his head toward the overcast sky, and curled his lips into a wicked smile.

Though "Wu Dalang" had only been a Four Seas Gang lackey, his identity as a native had still provided Wu Dao with quite a bit of useful information.

The first thing that could be confirmed was that this world called Shenhuang truly was a transcendent world where saints revealed themselves before men and cultivation shone brilliantly.

Among the human race alone, there was more than one path to transcendence!

Martial Dao, Immortal Dao, Soldier Dao...

Though their systems differed, every great path led to longevity.

But!!

No matter which path it was, every single one had innate hardware requirements!

Martial Dao required a Qi Sea Dantian, Immortal Dao required a Purple Mansion Spirit Root, and Soldier Dao required a Yellow Court Soldier Womb...

Only by possessing these innate "organs" could one truly break from the cocoon and become a butterfly, rise above the mundane, and embark upon the Spirit Transformation path of Life Evolution.

Such extraordinary people—

Among the countless masses, they were one in a hundred, perhaps even one in a thousand.

The overwhelming majority still lived ordinary, mediocre lives, unable to glimpse what scenery lay above the high heavens.

This was a world where innate bloodlines determined acquired achievements, and where demons, devils, ghosts, and monsters truly existed—an exceedingly hostile place for ordinary people!

Even if you possessed unwavering perseverance and willpower—

Without the help of innate "organs," you would remain a mortal even if you cultivated until death, unable to cross the threshold of the Great Dao.

Take Meng Qingshuang, the young master of the Four Seas Gang, for example.

At the peak of Martial Dao Foundation Establishment, with Great Success of Divine Strength, he appeared commanding and untouchable to ordinary people, answered by a hundred voices with one call.

But in truth, he was merely a pitiful wretch on the path toward transcendence.

There was no other reason.

He had no Qi Sea Dantian!

Once the Martial Dao reached the Divine Strength Realm, further advancement required using the innate Origin Qi within the Qi Sea Dantian to scour and refine the impurities throughout the body, break free of the cocoon and transform, and raise the limits of the human body.

The same applied to the other transcendent paths.

If the quality of the vessel did not improve—

Then naturally, it could not bear greater power. It was a very simple principle.

This was a road to humanity severed by Heaven itself. Hope had been cut off at its root; acquired effort could not change it at all.

Unless one stopped being human!

As it happened, the Four Seas Gang was utterly inhuman, and Meng Qingshuang was ruthless enough.

In order to break Heaven's blockade—

He chose to coexist with demons, turning his mortal body into a Demon Body. In exchange for greater power, he lost his humanity and carved open the road ahead with slaughter and ultimate evil.

Such conduct—

Looked different from different angles.

Perhaps he was a madman who defied morality and deserved every evil judgment.

Or perhaps he was a warrior unwilling to submit to fate, rising in defiance.

But from Wu Dao's perspective, it perfectly matched nature's law of the strong devouring the weak, all things striving relentlessly to strengthen themselves.

Of course—

He would pass on the whole business of not being human.

The prerequisite to controlling power was always first controlling oneself.

Life Evolution meant constantly shattering shackles. After transformation, I was still myself.

Rather than relying on foreign beings and turning oneself into neither human nor ghost, losing one's true self.

"A doctrine of bloodlines?"

As he digested the information he had obtained—

Wu Dao narrowed his eyes, concentrated his mind, and used the method "Wu Dalang" had taught him to focus his senses inward upon his body.

"Heh..."

A moment later, he opened his eyes again.

Finding none of those three transcendent "organs" within himself, he could not help letting out a scornful laugh.

Before creating the Stealing Heavenly Secrets Breathing Technique in his previous life, he had sought the Dao without result, and had hated this bloodline-dependent form of transcendence down to his bones.

Whether it was myths and legends, fantasy worlds, or inherited religious traditions...

Every piece of information related to transcendence—

Told you about bloodlines, skeletal aptitude, talent, and origins...

A mortal body was supposed to honestly remain mediocre and sunken for a lifetime, leaving behind nothing but a pile of dry bones after a hundred years. Don't entertain delusions!

What fucking bullshit!

I refuse to believe in that nonsense!

At the time, Wu Dao had truly carried such resentment in his heart, and it was precisely under the drive of that resentment—

That he worked tirelessly, forgetting food and sleep, half-mad and half-crazed, until at the age of forty he created the Stealing Heavenly Secrets Breathing Technique, which tore apart the Creator's shackles and liberated humanity's potential.

If Heaven would not permit it, the great thief would never cease!

Steal Heaven! Steal Heaven!

If you would not give it, then I would steal it. Even a mortal body could transcend and become a saint!

"I thought that after crossing time and space, this life would no longer have shackles. I never expected it to be even worse than my previous life."

Wu Dao's expression remained calm and unruffled, yet in his heart, he had already cut his yearning for this world's transcendent paths to pieces, leaving not the slightest attachment or regret.

No road to walk?

Then carve out a road with my own blade!

A fierce wind reveals the strength of grass; wildfires can never burn it all away!

The strong remained strong. Only trash blamed Heaven and others!

Hoo—

A gentle breeze drifted in, leaving him refreshed in body and spirit!

Wu Dao exhaled softly and turned his gaze toward the two ruined corpses on the ground. After searching them, he found two books in his hands.

Spirit Snake Fist

Tyrant Whale Fist

The two fist manuals, one new and one old, had most likely both come from the inheritance left behind by Meng Qingshuang, the young gang master of the Four Seas Gang.

Had Wu Dao not been an unexpected variable—

Perhaps in a few years' time—

Two young experts carrying the Four Seas Gang's secret arts would have emerged from some forgotten corner.

Unfortunately, there were no ifs.

"Martial arts?"

Wu Dao's interest was piqued. Ignoring the blood and flesh scattered everywhere, he sat down on the ground and began flipping through the two fist manuals.

As for martial arts and combat techniques—

He had studied them in his previous life as well. He had dabbled in both modern fighting and traditional martial arts, though he later discarded them all.

Because in his view—

The essence of combat was a contest of physical constitution. Overwhelming strength, speed, and neural reflexes surpassed every technique.

Of course, that was relative.

If physical constitutions stood at the same level, technique was still a key factor in deciding victory.

However—

That rule had been of little use to Wu Dao in his previous life.

As the creator of the Stealing Heavenly Secrets Breathing Technique in his previous life—

His physique had always stood at the top of the food chain. With one force, he could shatter ten thousand techniques. He did not care about skill at all, so naturally he could not spare the energy to delve into martial arts.

But times had changed.

The transcendent scale of this world far exceeded that of his previous life, so its martial arts and combat techniques were naturally much more exquisite.

There was no need to look far.

In that life-and-death battle just now, Meng Qingshuang's strange, sinister, and impossible-to-guard-against snake-shaped fist technique had placed considerable pressure on Wu Dao.

Its use of the body's strength was far more refined than any martial art or combat technique Wu Dao had learned in his previous life. It had been difficult to counter each move as it came.

Had he not relied on the snake eggs inside his body to continuously heal his wounds and exploited an information gap—

Making Meng Qingshuang think he was some unkillable monster and throw his own footing into chaos, the outcome would truly have been difficult to predict.

His wings had not yet fully grown. He was still far from the stage where he could ignore technique and shatter ten thousand techniques with a single force.

If he still clung to the arrogant attitude of his previous life, he would surely smash himself bloody against the wall!

"Though Spirit Snake Fist is nimble and deceitful, it is too insidious and treacherous, always hiding and dodging. It does not suit my fierce and domineering temperament. When my qi does not align, ten parts of strength can barely produce five."

After flipping through it for a while—

Wu Dao shook his head, tossed aside the Spirit Snake Fist manual, and turned to Tyrant Whale Fist instead.

Rustle, rustle...

The pages flipped rapidly. Lines of text and diagrams of training forms swiftly imprinted themselves into his mind.

He was not swallowing it whole without digesting it.

The Stealing Heavenly Secrets Breathing Technique liberated not only the potential of the human body, but also developed the brain. The brain processed information faster, and the further one progressed, the more intelligent one became. A photographic memory was only natural.

"Whale Waves Crashing Shore."

"Whale Leaping Galaxy."

"Whale Shark Crushing Island."

"Long Whale Kicking the Moon."

"Hanging Whale Stance," "Whale Hammer Style," "Whale Supporting Stance," "Whale Cleaving Stance."

"Tyrant Whale Mental Method."

Move after move, diagram after diagram.

Training methods, nurturing methods, combat methods, theories, experience...

Snap!

Three minutes later, the book closed.

Wu Dao lightly closed his eyes, circulated the Stealing Heavenly Secrets Breathing Technique, expelled every stray thought, and entered the perfect learning state of "Unity of Heaven and Man" and "Subduing One's Own Heart."

In an instant—

The profound principles of Tyrant Whale Fist flowed through his mind. Within his brain, simulations and deductions unfolded, while one virtual figure after another shifted, moved, and practiced. It was like receiving an empowerment, allowing his theoretical knowledge to advance at breakneck speed.

The reason people were foolish, unable to learn, unable to master what they studied—

Was partly the influence of innate brain development, while acquired environment and the roots of worry preventing one from calming one's mind were also important reasons.

But Heaven Stealers had none of those troubles.

In the Heaven-Man State, every Heaven Stealer could disregard gaps in innate development, forcibly dispel stray thoughts, unite Vitality and Spirit into a single force, and push the brain's learning ability to its limit, becoming geniuses among geniuses!

Hoo—

Several more minutes passed before Wu Dao let out a long breath and opened his eyes. The light of wisdom flowed within them. He had already thoroughly grasped the theories, experience, and knowledge of Tyrant Whale Fist.

Tyrant Whale Fist was a legacy art of the Giant Whale Sect, which had flourished in Guangqing Prefecture fifty years ago. Its creator had watched ancient Savage Whales roam and swim through the vast sea, comprehended their form and intent, and created it from that understanding.

The thick book contained a hundred pages of knowledge—

But its core was those eight moves and one mental method.

The moves were the form, including training methods, combat methods, and all manner of force-exertion techniques.

The mental method was the intent. It was the most essential method of nurturing the spirit, and also a breathing technique.

Without the mental method to temper one's spirit and will, and the breathing technique to train the body's internal and external tissues, no amount of diligence would be useless effort.

If Vitality and Spirit did not align, the fist art was merely a dead fist art—empty within despite its outward appearance, not much different from flailing wildly like a turtle. It was nothing but a flowery display.

Tyrant Whale Fist had four levels in total:

Brute Courage, Moves, Hundred Variations, Subtle Mastery.

They respectively corresponded to the Martial Dao Foundation Establishment levels of: Nurturing Strength, Rigidity and Flexibility, Internal Strengthening, and Divine Strength.

But one had to note that reaching the Divine Strength Realm did not mean one's fist art would definitely attain Subtle Mastery.

Rather—

Once your fist art reached Subtle Mastery, even if you were only in the Rigid-Soft Realm, you could possess combat power comparable to a Divine Strength Martial Artist, or even surpass one!

A Divine Strength Realm martial artist was not necessarily a Subtle Mastery practitioner, but a Subtle Mastery practitioner was certainly in the Divine Strength Realm.

This had to do with comprehension.

If you made up your mind to train your body, your physique would certainly improve. But for some things the brain could not learn, even if you drove yourself to ruin, it still would not learn them.

That was roughly the difference between the two: one was the growth of the spirit, while the other was the growth of the body.

If you advanced hand in hand, attaining Subtle Mastery in your fist art while your Martial Dao also reached the Divine Strength Realm—

Then congratulations. Within the same realm, you would basically have no rivals. Even fighting above your level would not be a problem. You could call yourself a genius, and no one would dare dispute it.

"Clearly, Meng Qingshuang was not a genius."

Wu Dao rubbed the book cover and recalled the Spirit Snake Fist Meng Qingshuang had used earlier. Judging from its bearing and intent, it had likely only reached the level of Moves.

Though this world's fist, foot, weapon, and movement arts had four initial realms—

The realms that truly widened the gap from ordinary people were the latter two!