Chapter 184: Defying the Heavens, The Nine Yin Divine Claw

Clark, charged with determination, found Sue but quickly lost his resolve under her tearful plea.

Indeed, to deal with a loli, another loli must take action.

With Mindy not at home, Clark really had no way to handle this little ancestor.

He just couldn't bring himself to be harsh!

With no other choice, he abandoned his original plan to teach her a severe lesson, instead punishing her by having her copy the Tao Te Ching.

A hundred times!

Once again finding Hank Pym, Clark, feeling helpless, recounted the day's events, eliciting laughter from the old man. Then, suddenly, Hank asked, "Mindy's grades have always been average, and being a superhero as a hobby is fine, but it can't be relied on for a living. What do you think about having Sue tutor her in her studies?"

Hearing Clark's proposal, Hank outright said, "That's the worst idea I've heard this year."

Clark was startled: "Is it really that bad? I think it's a pretty good idea."

"Your thought is good, the two girls could complement each other's strengths." Hank looked at Clark, who was serious, and counter-asked: "Have you considered that Mindy is the only one in our house who can keep Sue in check? If you let Sue tutor Mindy, wouldn't that give the little devil a way to counter Mindy?"

"What if the two girls reach some agreement…"

"Alright, forget I said anything." Giving up on the idea that had just come to him without much thought, Clark then asked, "Uncle Pym, about the method of defining superheroes, I've drafted an initial proposal. Can you take a look and see if there's anything I've missed?"

After Hank's guidance, Clark revised the draft and met again with Secretary Ross, Tony, and others three days later. After three consecutive days of discussion, they finally finalized it.

Throughout these three days, Clark felt physically and mentally exhausted, finding it more tiring than fighting another round with Tony's Iron Man armor or embarking on a new scientific research project.

However, the final result was relatively pleasing, managing to satisfy all four present.

Regarding the method and scoring standards for defining superheroes' moral character, the four agreed to keep it secret for the time being and announce it a week before the election.

If a bunch of "superheroes" started a massive point-scoring spree to pass the test, it would undoubtedly cause chaos in New York City, something nobody wanted to see.

Returning home exhausted, Clark immediately encountered Sue, who was about to run away.

"Stop right there!"

Sue, who was about to flee, abruptly stopped in her tracks, turning back with an awkward smile and said, "Clark, you're back?"

"Hmm." Satisfied, Clark smiled and asked, "Have you finished copying the Tao Te Ching 100 times?"

"Hehe…" Sue chuckled sheepishly, "Almost."

"Only almost?"

"Yes!" Sue nodded vigorously.

Clark wasn't easily fooled by the little trickster: "How many times have you actually copied it? Show me!"

Sue's face fell, and she reluctantly held up a finger.

"One time?"

Sue nodded.

Clark took a deep breath: "I asked you to copy it a hundred times, and you've only done it once, then you tell me it's only a little bit off?"

Sue tried to defend herself: "Just a decimal point."

Seeing Clark's increasingly displeased expression, Sue quickly added, "Actually, I know you asked me to copy the Tao Te Ching to prepare for cultivating 'Qi' as you mentioned. But after copying it once, I've already memorized the entire text."

"Oh?" Clark was somewhat surprised and asked, "What's the next line after 'the highest good is like water'?"

Sue replied without hesitation, "It benefits all things without contention!"

Maybe the question was too easy?

Considering this possibility, Clark asked about a few more obscure parts of the text. Sue answered all of them fluently and mentioned that she had found related annotations online and understood the meanings of these texts.

Clark's expression was like: (⊙⊙) After a brief inquiry, Clark confirmed that it wasn't that his questions were too simple, but that he had underestimated the geniuses of this world.

In the official persona set by the movie universe, Sue's intelligence surpasses even Tony's! Applying the standards for ordinary children to her was simply inappropriate.

Realizing this, Clark suddenly found that his previously steadfast educational approach might have been wrong.

Originally, Clark intended to guide Sue from the external to the internal, a method that, although demanding, has the advantage of a solid foundation. Moreover, cultivating internal strength after the body is strong enough is less likely to cause deviations, making it the safest method of cultivation.

Even Clark himself had started this way.

However, after seeing Sue's performance, Clark suddenly felt that perhaps an internal to external cultivation method was more suitable for this little genius.

To confirm his thoughts, Clark called her to his room, took out a Japanese version of a cultivation manual he had obtained from a gambler, and asked, "Can you understand this?"

"Of course, no problem." Sue confidently said, "I've systematically studied all the world's mainstream languages and scripts. Compared to those masters of languages, I even know one more language - Wakandan."

Casually assessing her own knowledge as if it were as mundane as eating or drinking, Sue immediately translated the manual into English and read it out loud.

Clark was already familiar with the manual and silently listened, comparing it to his own memory.

After going through the entire manual, there were only a few minor discrepancies with his memory.

However, after witnessing Sue's extraordinary ability, Clark was more inclined to think it was a translation software issue.

Luckily, this was just a basic Qi cultivation manual, and even with some discrepancies, it wouldn't affect the practice.

Silently taking back the manual, Clark finally nodded in satisfaction: "You don't have to copy the remaining 99 times of the Tao Te Ching."

Watching the delighted girl hop and skip towards Pym Labs, Clark's mind was already planning a Qi cultivation method that would complement the claw technique he had created.

...

Ten days passed in a blink of an eye. During these ten days, Clark lived alone in a seaside villa in Los Angeles, where the background music for "Stealing Skills" was almost never interrupted.

Clark, like in seclusion, constantly practiced various martial arts under the influence of the BGM.

On this Saturday, since there was no school, Mindy got Sue up early for morning practice.

"Mindy, didn't you say my horse stance was already very standard? Why do we still need to practice?" Rubbing her eyes, Sue protested discontentedly to Mindy, who was two years older than her.

Without any sympathy, Mindy flicked her on the forehead and lectured, "Practice requires consistency over ten years. Mastering the horse stance is just the first step. You must continue to practice daily to truly strengthen and condition your body. Otherwise, even if your stance is better than Clark's, it's useless."

"Sigh…" Sue sighed, feeling lethargic, "If I had known this, I wouldn't have begged Clark to teach me that claw technique."

Mindy raised an eyebrow, "Having regrets now?"

Sue hurriedly nodded.

But to her surprise, Mindy didn't let go of her hand and instead quickened her pace, "It's too late for regrets now!"

Sue: o(╥﹏╥)o As they arrived at the courtyard behind the house, Mindy's brisk pace suddenly halted. Sue looked up in confusion, only to see Clark practicing a set of claw techniques as if no one else was around.

The moment Sue saw Clark practicing, she recognized it as the claw technique he created in Wakanda, but after watching for a moment, it seemed different.

Although the moves were almost identical to before, the technique now lacked a sinister aura and appeared more upright and dignified, making her feel the need to look up to him.

What kind of technique was this? Seemingly guessing Sue's thoughts, Clark explained after finishing his practice, "This is indeed the claw technique I created in Wakanda. However, after developing the corresponding Qi cultivation method, its power has increased, and its aura has changed."

Turning to Sue, he asked, "Did you notice any difference from the last time I demonstrated this technique?"

"Um…" After a moment of thought, Sue replied, "Before, it seemed like an assassin, but this time, more like a great warrior."

Clark nodded, "When I first created it, I solely focused on quick kills, making the energy flow cold and sinister, which was somewhat unbalanced. Now, although it still emphasizes softness, it has overcome the problem of being overly yin, greatly enhancing its power, like this."

As he spoke, Clark stomped on the ground, causing a piece of slate to fly up, then showed how his finger could penetrate the hard stone like it was soft soil.

"With one claw, combining strength and softness, it can break metal and stone as if entering rotten earth."

"I now name this technique the Nine Yin Divine Claw!"

"Want to learn?"

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