Chapter 21: Be Strong, Painfully Earned

In the cultivation room, as his boiling qi blood calmed down, Jack Clark slowly opened his eyes, a sharp light faintly flickering within them, piercing and intimidating.

"So this is True Martial, indeed powerful," he said.

With a sigh, Jack's right hand clenched slightly, and immediately his whole arm's muscles bulged subtly, amassing a great force in the palm of his hand.

He could feel that his overall physique attribute hadn't increased much, only that his skin and muscles had become a bit more resilient.

But after cultivating Dragon Elephant Power, the nature of the strength within his body had changed.

'Strength' had gone from being loose to more cohesive and overbearing, almost tangible, now able to unleash about twice the destructive force with a simple move.

Do not underestimate this point—if Jack's punch strength test was 210 kilograms in the morning, he could now burst out with a force of 400 kilograms, a terrifying increase.

And this was without practicing the combat techniques that came with the Dragon Elephant Power.

According to the descriptions of the cultivation methods, the combat techniques of Dragon Elephant Power had two forms, each could let the user burst forth with strength far beyond their limits, like a giant elephant stomping the ground.

After slightly sensing the changes within his body, Jack's thoughts shifted, and he called up the attribute page.

Level: First Layer Heaven

Physique: 23

Strength: 24

Agility: 19

Spirit: 24

Talent: Soul Split

Cultivation Methods: Lotus Platform Meditation Skill [Complete] Dragon Elephant Power [Beginner, First Layer]

Avatar Body: ...

Having just begun the cultivation method, his physique had increased by 2 points, strength attribute by 3 points, nothing much for the others... "Huh! There's no proficiency note behind the True Martial Arts."

Jack was slightly stunned, then he checked the note behind Dragon Elephant Power and indeed found there was no hint of proficiency progress.

However, there was a level note added above.

After studying for a while without any findings, Jack shook his head, opened the cultivation room's door, and went into the changing room to wash off the dried blood from his body.

By this time, it was already past 5 pm, the third floor was empty, but Lori Parma was still in his office.

Seeing this, Jack knocked on the half-open door and greeted Lori inside.

"Teacher, I'm leaving now," he said.

"Go ahead, oh right, Jack, I remember you also chose a weapon cultivation method," Lori called out to him.

"That's right," Jack replied.

Lori reminded him, "The weapon cultivation method isn't urgent. Right now, you should focus your main energy on your primary cultivation method. Even after school, you should diligently practice."

"You should know that at First Layer Heaven you are still an ordinary person, only slightly stronger than most. It's only after breaking through to Second Layer Heaven that you will greatly widen the gap."

"Of course, blindly pushing hard can be too much of a good thing, occasionally you should still take time for cultural classes, everything in moderation."

"Thank you for the advice, teacher," Jack said with a nod, then after greeting again, he turned and left.

Initially, Jack thought the martial cultivation teacher was a stern and cold person, but today he discovered that the other was actually quite approachable.

Exiting from Teaching Building C, Jack didn't take his usual route across the playgrounds to the main gate, but instead followed the signs to the South Gate.

This route was much shorter to the cultivation area, and it was also why martial arts students and culture class students rarely encountered each other.

Entering and exiting different gates, it would be strange to run into each other.

When Jack arrived home, it was already past 6 pm.

Luckily he had sent a message to Glenn Clark at noon, saying he'd be home late today, so when he opened the door, he saw Glenn cooking.

"Bro, you're back," Glenn greeted.

Glenn Clark couldn't help but gasp in astonishment just as he turned his head, scanning Jack Clark's presence: "Bro, how have you become so much more imposing after just a day?"

Jack Clark gave him a sidelong glance: "Is it that exaggerated?"

"No, really, bro," Glenn Clark shook his head, wanting to describe that feeling but not knowing where to start.

Jack Clark still looked the same, but different from the delicate young man he used to be, he seemed to now carry a certain oppressive heaviness.

Jack Clark shook his head: "All right, stop overthinking it, it's probably because I've succeeded in cultivating the True Martial."

"True Martial! Bro, have you completed the Foundation Establishment?"

Glenn Clark's eyes widened, excitedly saying: "Isn't it said that Foundation Establishment in Senior One is very difficult, and many people can't succeed in a month? Bro, you're incredible."

"Haha... Now let's see which jerk dares say my brother can't learn martial arts."

The news of Jack Clark's successful cultivation of True Martial seemed to excite Glenn Clark even more than Jack himself, and as soon as Doris Clark came home, he couldn't wait to tell her.

However, as an adult, Doris Clark was much more composed, her eyes only slightly reddened, and they were filled with a sense of accomplishment and relief as she looked at Jack.

After all, becoming a cultivator, regardless of the level of achievement, meant having a valuable skill.

In this era where individual martial strength was becoming increasingly powerful, strength signified status, and many groups and listed companies liked to hire cultivators at a high price.

As for why these companies and groups wanted to hire cultivators at such a premium, Doris Clark was unaware.

But she knew that as a cultivator, joining the police or military system had its privileges, and the requirements for civil service assessments were lower than for ordinary people.

Doris Clark had never harbored illusions about Jack Clark's cultivation; after all, she knew all too well how weak her eldest son's physique was.

A slight bit of carelessness would result in a cold, a bit more serious and it would be pneumonia or nephritis, just the day before school started he had been in a high fever, burning to the point of unconsciousness.

Who would have expected such a pleasant surprise?

At this moment, she felt that all the suffering and fatigue she went through raising two kids on her own were all worth it.

After dinner, while Doris Clark was washing dishes, Glenn Clark excitedly dragged Jack Clark away, asking him to demonstrate how powerful True Martial really was.

Jack Clark pushed back once to no avail and thus stopped refusing, making his way to the courtyard.

On the left side of their small courtyard was a dried-up peach tree with a trunk about ten centimeters thick, cracked in some places with sparse, scattered branches.

Jack Clark stepped in front of the peach tree and, motioning for Glenn Clark to step back, took a deep breath, his body slightly sinking, his left foot moving half a step forward, the upper body twisting to the right.

It was 7 pm, with the sunset sinking in the west.

A few elderly neighbors who had finished their dinner stepped out for a walk, and upon seeing the Clark brothers doing something in their yard, grew curious and looked over.

Then they saw Jack Clark let out a low shout; his muscles subtly swelling in an instant as the powerful Dragon Elephant strength flowed through him, his waist turning as his right leg swept out like a battle axe.

At the moment of Foundation Establishment completion, Jack Clark's kicking power had reached 290 kilograms. After entering the initial phase of practicing Dragon Elephant Power in the afternoon, the nature of his strength had undergone a change.

Boom!

An almost six-hundred-kilogram kick tore through the air, striking the tree trunk with a roar. The decayed peach tree emitted a sound of unbearable strain as it was kicked in half with a cracking noise.

Thud!

The few-meter-tall trunk and branches fell to the ground, making a heavy, muffled sound.

The large commotion attracted Doris Clark, who was still washing dishes inside, and she joined Glenn Clark, both astounded, looking at the snapped peach tree.

Outside the courtyard, the few walking elders were startled as well.

They couldn't believe that the person who kicked a tree in half was the sickly boy from the Clark family?

While everyone was staring at the broken tree on the ground in shock, Jack Clark had already retracted his leg and stood steady, his expression calm as he watched the scene, his body exuding a faint aura of an expert.

Except his right leg was slightly trembling.

He couldn't help it—it hurt.

Even though entering the initial phase of Dragon Elephant Power had strengthened the toughness of his skin and membranes, their current strength was limited and far from being impervious to blades and spears.