Chapter 500: The Demonic Path
The Temptation of the Tiger Fiend Scripture
Derek's words instantly jolted the crowd.
Before, they had only heard the name Tiger Fiend Scripture. They didn't know what it truly was, as it was merely a legend.
Now, things were different. The legend had become reality. The boy on the stage was living proof: physical conditioning far beyond ordinary humans, with incomparable burst power and reflexes.
If he were a metahuman, it might make sense, but Zhang Jiu was just an ordinary Earthling.
How did he gain this power?
Everyone had been asking themselves this question. Now, the answer had arrived.
Zhao Cheng couldn't help but ask, "Can the Tiger Fiend Scripture enhance a person's physique?"
"Don't ask me, I haven't practiced it."
Derek extinguished his cigarette and tossed it into the trash can.
"My job here is done. I should head back to report. If you want your plaques back, get your manpower ready. We'll call you then."
Derek motioned to his subordinates. They picked up the unconscious boy from the ring, and the group left the stadium in a large procession.
After watching them leave, Lian Qigong said in a low voice,
"Is what he said true?"
"The tiger roar and the killing aura don't lie. Aside from the Tiger Fiend Scripture, I can't think of any other technique that could produce that effect."
"No wonder Zhang Jiu is so powerful. He's been practicing the Tiger Fiend Scripture."
"That guy said the Tiger Fiend Scripture is a technique comparable to the Heavenly Master's Strategy. How credible do you think that is?"
Everyone's minds stirred, ripples of thought emerging.
The ancient martial arts world might seem glorious, but in the eyes of those in power, they were just a bunch of clowns. The ones truly transcendent and above worldly affairs were the Daoist priests—the true masters. They summoned wind and rain, vanquished demons, and controlled the supernatural world outside the mundane, refusing to even give face to the government.
The source of all this was the Daoist sect's supreme treasure, the sought-after divine book: the Heavenly Master's Strategy.
The Strategy's origin was unknown, dating back at least three thousand years. It was called the General Outline of Daoist Arts by many. Various schools of supernatural techniques—such as spiritual transformation, lightning invocation, talismans, and magical artifacts—evolved from it. It was the origin of sorcery and the leader of China's supernatural forces.
It was this book that established the Daoist sect's special status.
Now, a rival divine book, capable of matching the Heavenly Master's Strategy, had appeared, right before their eyes. If they could obtain it...
Various thoughts surfaced from the depths of their hearts, and their eyes began to gleam.
"Don't jump to conclusions until we get a clear picture. What if this is a trap set by Luke Shaw?"
Zhao Cheng looked at the others, issuing a warning. "The most important thing right now is to get our plaques back. Everything else can wait."
The elders all nodded, though no one knew what they were truly thinking.
The Price of Power
The impact of this match was enormous.
It topped the hot search rankings in just a few hours. The internet was flooded with videos of the fight between Jiu and Chen Feng. Though the fight was short, the tension was hair-raising, especially the moment the tiger roar sounded—even through the screen, people could feel how terrifying the red-eyed Jiu was.
His name spread through the streets and alleys. People were intensely curious about the fifteen-year-old boy.
On the US West Coast, Lingxu Zi's face turned pale after watching the video. He immediately called Luke, but the call couldn't be connected. He called his disciple, and that too was unreachable.
"Bastard! All of them are bastards!"
The old man swore. He had watched Luke grow up and knew his personality too well: aside from a decent show of filial piety, he was a combination of a wolf and a fox. From the looks of it, he was clearly using Jiu as a weapon. Even more upsetting was the Tiger Fiend Scripture; that thing couldn't be practiced casually.
"No, I must stop him."
The old man scratched his head, thinking about what to do. The only option he could think of was to seek out Changlin Shaw.
Half an hour later, Luke received a call from his grandfather, demanding that he bring Zhang Jiu back to the US completely unharmed, no matter what.
"That old man really likes making trouble."
Linda asked curiously, "My Master?"
"Who else but him?"
Luke said irritably, and he waved over the boy, who was busy eating.
"How are you feeling?"
Jiu hesitated. "I think something's wrong with my body."
"What's wrong?"
"It's this."
The boy directed his internal energy to his right hand. The formless energy visibly swirled in his palm, unusually distinct.
Luke and Linda exchanged glances, both showing surprise. Internal energy wasn't energy in the conventional sense. If a definition had to be given, it was best understood as bio-energy secreted from the physical body. This force was extraordinary but also very faint, almost impossible to see with the naked eye.
"It's gotten much bigger," Jiu continued. "And it's harder to control than before."
Luke frowned and asked Linda,
"Did this happen to you when you trained?"
"My approach is different from his."
A Kryptonian's physique wasn't suited for traditional ancient martial arts. Linda had to find another way, using her internal energy to substitute for internal breath, and the effect was great and powerful.
Luke understood her meaning. He patted the boy's shoulder and smiled.
"Go eat. It's nothing serious."
"Oh!"
The boy obediently nodded, returned to the table, and enthusiastically devoured a pig's trotters.
Linda whispered,
"My Master told me that internal energy originates from the body and is controlled by willpower. Increasing it too much in a short time risks a rampage. In the language of the martial arts world, it's called falling into the Demonic Path."
"Jiu's situation is very similar to my Master's description." She paused, then said hesitantly, "We should really take him back and have Master examine him."
Luke spoke with feigned nonchalance,
"You're overthinking it. The sudden surge of internal energy is a side effect of the enhancement serum, not falling into the Demonic Path."
"But..."
"Enough," Luke waved her off. "I'm here. He'll be fine."
Seeing his dismissal, Linda could only swallow the rest of her words.
Diagnosis and Mitigation
After dinner, Luke returned to his bedroom and contacted his main computer directly.
"Ava, run a comprehensive check on Jiu's physical condition. I want every single data point."
As he spoke, the boy who was sprawled on the bed playing with his phone closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep. Two small birds flew in through the window and landed on his body.
One bird transformed into a mechanical spider, crawling over his body, continuously extracting cellular information. The other transformed into a headband, monitoring his brain function.
All the information was processed by the main computer, resulting in a chart spanning dozens of pages.
Luke quickly scanned it, his frown deepening with every page.
Jiu's cells were evolving at twice the normal metabolic rate. With every evolution, the energy fluctuation inside his body increased. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before his internal energy expanded to an unimaginable level.
With Jiu's current mental state, he couldn't possibly control such a vast amount of internal energy. This meant he was destined to fall into the Demonic Path, turning into a beast concerned only with killing.
No wonder the Tiger Fiend Scripture was called a Demonic Path technique.
This thing is too bizarre!
A twofold metabolic rate means a severely reduced lifespan. The rapid increase in internal energy means a sharply rising chance of losing control. Add to that the terrifying killing intent inherent in the technique itself...
Luke felt a headache coming on. After a moment of thought, he spoke,
"Give him an inhibitor shot and record the subsequent physical changes."
"Understood, Young Master."
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