"Oh?"
Thunder God was quite interested. When it came to force emission, blade techniques, and movement techniques, he considered himself the best in the world. Only Brother Hong, with his domain, could surpass him.
Hong was just as interested. He had always believed that a true strongman needed to forge his own path. What belonged to others would always belong to others; in the end, one had to comprehend something of one's own.
"My force emission was derived from Thunder God Speaker's Ninefold Thunderblade, though it differs in some ways. The burst from each level of Hidden Force comes infinitely close to doubling..."
Zhou Ze paused, then continued, "Hall Master, Thunder God Speaker, please come with me to the Training Hall. I'll demonstrate it for you."
Hong and Thunder God followed Zhou Ze out of the conference room.
"Teacher, Hall Master, Thunder God Speaker." Luo Feng, who had been sitting on the living room sofa, sprang to his feet like a coil.
Hong and Thunder God smiled and nodded.
"Luo Feng, come with me to the Training Hall too..." Zhou Ze said, glancing at him.
"All right, Teacher." Luo Feng hurried after them.
He was a little excited. The moment Zhou Ze began speaking, he'd realized what his teacher was about to do.
He hadn't expected that even the two people universally recognized as the world's strongest and second-strongest would ask his teacher for guidance on force emission!
It felt incredible—he was so proud!
The four of them arrived at the Training Hall on the second floor.
Zhou Ze first demonstrated each level of force emission, from onefold to ninefold, for Hong and Thunder God, comparing the results on the Punch Force Tester.
"Ninefold force emission! It really reaches ninefold! This is unbelievable!"
Thunder God gave a bitter smile. "All these years, I might as well have been feeding a dog."
Zhou Ze smiled. "Thunder God, don't sell yourself short. I was only able to comprehend ninefold force emission by standing on your shoulders!"
"Don't call me Thunder God Speaker. Just call me Thunder God. All that 'Speaker' this and 'Speaker' that makes me uncomfortable." Thunder God laughed. "If your physical talent could keep up, you'd definitely be stronger than me right now."
Hong pondered for a while, then sighed. "Your force emission won't be easy to learn. It's practically a break from convention."
"Theoretically, when we train, we practice day and night using techniques created by our predecessors, thereby improving our abilities."
"But your force emission seems to glimpse its very essence. It doesn't require any other technique. Passing it on to others will be difficult."
It was rare for Hong to say so much. Even Thunder God, usually so boisterous, fell quiet.
"Indeed. You haven't created any techniques or blade arts, and there doesn't seem to be any way to guide others. You've practiced my Ninefold Thunderblade, after all."
"You should know that the essence of the Ninefold Thunderblade is to improve your force emission through those blade techniques. Improving force emission is the ultimate goal!"
Luo Feng said excitedly, "Teacher, Hall Master and Thunder God are absolutely right. I'm in the best position to say so. I can't learn your force emission, and I can't understand it when you explain it!"
Zhou Ze remained calm.
"I knew it would be difficult for you to learn."
"Uh..." Luo Feng froze, thinking, Then why did you teach me?
He naturally didn't dare say that aloud and could only grumble to himself.
Zhou Ze glanced at Hong and Thunder God. "However, while it's difficult for others to learn, you two should pick it up quickly."
At that, Hong, Thunder God, and Luo Feng all froze, unsure what he meant.
Zhou Ze didn't keep them guessing. "Will, Mind Force, state of mind..."
At the three words, Hong and Thunder God's eyes lit up. They didn't know much about Zhou Ze's force emission, but this was familiar territory—their own area of expertise.
"Luo Feng, have you been reading those classics passed down from ancient times every day lately?" Zhou Ze glanced at him.
"Uh, I've been too busy lately. The military even dragged me off to work for them a while back." Luo Feng looked embarrassed.
"Even when you're busy, you need to make time to read the classics and quiet your mind."
Zhou Ze gave Luo Feng a pointed look, then continued.
"Many classics mention that our bodies are merely vessels, while the soul is fundamental. So what, then, is fundamental to our souls?"
"Does the soul control the body? And what controls the soul?"
"Some ancient texts actually touch on this, but ordinary people usually can't understand them..."
Thunder God's expression shifted. "It's the heart. It's the will!"
At some point, Hong had closed his eyes.
Two secondary-consciousness windows appeared in Zhou Ze's mind.
It worked! Zhou Ze's lips curled slightly.
"The Hall Master's domain is actually a form of will in practice!" Zhou Ze looked at Hong. Hong abruptly opened his eyes, his expression startled. He murmured, "That's right. That's exactly right..."
"Your understanding of the state of mind, and your cultivation in that area, are far beyond ours." Hong had lost count of how many times he'd marveled that day.
"Don't call me Hall Master. I'm not worthy of that. Just use my name."
Hong and Thunder God felt that the shock of that day had used up all the shock they'd accumulated over the past few decades.
Thunder God walked over and clapped Zhou Ze on the shoulder, teasing him. "You rascal, are you making fun of us? You're clearly so advanced in your cultivation of the state of mind, yet you asked us to share our experiences cultivating it."
"Among any three people walking together, one is bound to be my teacher." Zhou Ze smiled. He knew Thunder God understood the saying too and was only teasing him.
"But..."
"My cultivation of the state of mind is definitely nowhere near yours." Zhou Ze wasn't flattering them. "To be precise, I've simply grasped certain fundamentals..."
"For example, Thunder God's force emission has reached sevenfold. When I first grasped its fundamentals, I had to start training all over again. Back then, my force emission hadn't even reached onefold."
Zhou Ze put it simply, and all three of them, Luo Feng included, nodded.
"Come on, come on, Brother Zhou Ze! Hurry up and tell us the specific method." Thunder God always acted like an impatient young man, but anyone who really thought he was like that had fallen for it.
"...All right. Let's start with what the heart and will are..."
"...Our Earth really is mysterious. It's hard to believe that we have methods for cultivating the state of mind, yet no techniques for cultivating Genetic Energy. Or perhaps someone deliberately erased that part of our history..."
"...Mind Force is also the power of the will. When you let go of everything in your heart and focus it on one point, you can clearly feel this power..."
"...Everything we think and do in our daily lives is a passive expression of our Mind Force, our will. What we need to do is actively summon and use this power..."
Teaching them was also a process of summarizing and reflecting for himself.
After opening the secondary-consciousness windows to receive insights from Hong and Thunder God, Zhou Ze devoted his attention to merging with each of them. He instantly felt his comprehension reach a terrifying level!
In this state, his comprehension was equivalent to the combined comprehension of Luo Feng, Hong, and Thunder God!
As he explained, his understanding of the state of mind deepened. He then shared those insights with Hong and Thunder God.
Although Hong and Thunder God weren't as willing to acknowledge themselves as Zhou Ze's disciples as Luo Feng was, they still gained some boost to their comprehension.
Their cultivation of the state of mind was already profound. As they listened to Zhou Ze, they reflected on their past insights and tested them against what he said.
And Zhou Ze absorbed every one of those insights...
Before you continue