"It was true. This wasn't actually a superpower."
"Not a superpower? Wasn't it some unusual ability brought about by an excessively powerful body?" Bronze Tiger asked in surprise. What had just happened felt like an ability beyond the limits of the flesh. He touched his arm and could still feel as though a fishhook had caught his muscles and blood, as if they could be yanked at any moment, tearing bone from flesh in a terrifying instant.
"More precisely, it was a physical ability that surpassed the limits of the body—where mind and body became one, perfectly unified, allowing complete control over oneself." Alex deliberately told Bronze Tiger about the path ahead.
"Is that possible? I'm already a Human Physical Limit user capable of inner observation and fine control over every muscle in my body. That should count as controlling my own body, yet I can't do anything as miraculous as you. Have I been taking the wrong path all along?" Bronze Tiger furrowed his brows, doubts piling up.
The two of them immediately shifted into a discussion of martial arts and the human body.
"It's different. Your physical limit was forged through combat and life-and-death struggles. Mine was more or less forged through understanding my body and training it properly. Then, one day, I broke through the shackles and truly gained control over my body."
"So even now, I don't truly control my body?" Bronze Tiger's powerful frame shuddered. He was already among the world's top martial artists, and few could rival his control over his body. It was hard to believe that even he had not truly mastered it.
"Not yet. True, perfect control of the body means becoming completely unified, to the point where you can even control your body's magnetic field. The ability I used just now was my physical magnetic field under my control, transformed into an invisible force that affected your own magnetic field. It was molecular-level force manipulation, but in essence, it was still an extension of physical strength.
"It didn't actually invade your body. Your physical magnetic field merely merged with and was controlled by mine, triggering the reaction of your cells separating from your body.
"Physical Magnetic Psionics is the manifestation of perfect, unified control over the body."
After speaking, Alex fell into thought.
The genes within him were already those of the Divine Dragon from myth. Theoretically, that made it easier for him than pure humans like Bronze Tiger to surpass the limits of the body.
After all, his future was to become a Divine Dragon, and his control over physical magnetic fields was also preparation for that future transformation.
In theory, ordinary humans had no possibility of surpassing the body.
Alex did not know whether people like Bronze Tiger could attain the ability to control their own magnetic fields. However, one thing was certain: this was the right path, and it would be the path pursued by martial artists like Bronze Tiger.
Bronze Tiger listened with repeated delight, infinite fighting spirit and excitement bursting from his tiger-like eyes.
For the next two full hours, Alex told Bronze Tiger in detail about what he had felt in his own magnetic field when he surpassed his physical limits. Bronze Tiger also sparred with him and discussed combat experience that Alex lacked. Both of them benefited greatly.
As he left, Alex turned his head and glanced at a dark alley. He focused on it for two seconds, ignored it, and drove away.
Bronze Tiger sighed deeply as he watched Alex's taillights vanish into the dark night. Only after a long while did he turn around, preparing to leave.
Just then.
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
From within a dark alley, a small stone shot toward Bronze Tiger. He caught it in his hand.
Bronze Tiger frowned and looked toward the dark alley. It was the very alley Alex had stared at before leaving.
Bronze Tiger crushed the little stone in his palm and stepped toward the dark alley.
Within that dark alley, a dark figure was wrapped in darkness. Under the hazy moonlight, an ordinary person would not have been able to make out its appearance at all. Only with his sharp eyesight could Bronze Tiger see who it was.
"This isn't your city." Bronze Tiger frowned. He did not understand why the person before him had come to this city at this time.
"I know. Your gang controls Lower City in Central City. I need your help."
"All I want now is to comprehend my own body and surpass the limits of the flesh." Having heard of Alex's experience surpassing the Human Physical Limit, Bronze Tiger's mind was now filled with the desire to understand his body and urgently reach a new peak. He had no thoughts for anything else.
"I'll trade you information."
"?"
"Lady Shiva killed David Cain and left the League of Assassins. She is searching for the world's strongest martial artists, intending to bear the strongest offspring."
Bronze Tiger's expression changed.
Lady Shiva's real name was Sandra Wu-San. Known as the world's greatest assassin, she was one of the strongest martial artists on Earth, ranked alongside Bronze Tiger, Richard Dragon, and Batman.
Barbara Gordon had called her "someone who can defeat 99.99 percent of the people in the world."
She enjoyed beating the world's strongest martial artists to death with her bare hands. Many martial arts masters considered it an honor to die at her hands.
Batman had once described Lady Shiva this way: "She may be the greatest fighter alive."
Her brilliant record was even harder to count. Here were only a few examples.
She had instantly defeated Second Robin.
She had instantly defeated Catwoman.
She had instantly defeated Huntress.
She had defeated Second Green Arrow, Conner Hawke.
She had defeated Batman.
She had defeated her senior brother Richard Dragon by a narrow margin.
She had defeated Nightwing.
She had instantly defeated Harley Quinn.
She had defeated Black Canary.
She had defeated Oracle.
She had fought multiple members of the Bat-Family alone—Batwing, Batwoman, Clayface, Riddler, and Deathstroke.
She had defeated Ra's al Ghul, leader of the League of Assassins.
She had defeated Third Robin.
She had defeated Bane.
She had defeated King Snake.
She had defeated Deathstroke.
"Why didn't she come after you?" Bronze Tiger's expression turned somewhat ugly. He strongly suspected that his junior sister would come looking for him.
No one could compare to that junior sister of his in her madness for martial arts and her sheer genius.
The dark figure fell silent.
Bronze Tiger could almost imagine it. Shiva had surely sought out the person before him, perhaps even thoroughly defeated him, then sighed that he was not qualified to be the father of her child because he was not strong enough—not even strong enough to defeat her.
Yet, out of admiration for the cause he pursued, his junior sister had surely restrained her urge to kill him. She regarded him as an opponent worthy of respect and looked forward to him growing stronger in the future.
His junior sister definitely wanted to find a human who was evenly matched with her, someone just as powerful...
At that thought, Bronze Tiger felt goosebumps rising all over his body.
He felt that he needed to hide for a while.
"What do you want me to watch for?" Bronze Tiger decided that after this matter, he would find some remote mountain wilderness and properly comprehend his own body, until he reached Alex's level of surpassing physical limits and controlling his own magnetic field.
"Little Julian Gregory Day, Calendar Man's son. He inherited his father's vile personality and is even worse than him." The dark figure spoke in a deep voice. "I'm hunting him down. I suspect he fled to Central City and is preparing to cause a holiday sensation on Thanksgiving."
"Fine. I'll keep an eye out for him." Bronze Tiger stared at the dark figure for a moment, then suddenly said thoughtfully, "Actually, you should find him—Alex. This is his city."
"I'll consider it. If he truly is acting for his city."
Before you continue