Chapter 00053: Spiritual Defense and Offense
# Spiritual Defense and Offense
Chapter 53
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 53: Spiritual Defense and Offense
In the end, Sister Wen still did not step in to take action herself.
It might have been that Ji Jue submitted too quickly.
After just a couple of punches thrown at the head of an opponent, he lay on the ground crying and wouldn't get back up.
There was no sense of achievement from such a fight.
Finally, it fell to Old Zhang to take over.
Old Zhang was ninety-seven years old, with a very ordinary and common name: Zhang Daqiang.
From the photos displayed on his phone, it was clear that fifty years ago, this name truly lived up to its meaning; he was indeed big and strong! Back then, at over forty years old, Old Zhang possessed muscles that were both solid and substantial; he had oil smeared on his body and, under the stage lights, with arms slightly flexed, he looked like a figure sculpted from iron, ready to burst forth!
He was simply the epitome of a muscle man!
Now, however, he claimed he was no longer in his prime, aged and weak.
He appeared just like any other lean old man in the city, wearing a tank top and shorts, with slippers hanging off his feet, and a walnut always in hand.
His daily activities involved tending flowers and plants, which emphasized a healthy lifestyle.
So don't be afraid; we’re just friends exchanging ideas, treating each other as equals...
Ji Jue would be a fool to believe anything he said.
It was ridiculous to think that a well-known health-conscious old man could lift those heavy iron walnuts, which were even heavier than Ji Jue! With the emblem of the wasteland carved on them, just placing one on the floor would surely crack the tiles!
Furthermore, like Lawrence, Old Zhang specialized in life, growth, and physical enhancement as a chosen one of the vortex system.
If he were to spontaneously try anything physically demanding, he might just end up shattered!
They might find him plastered against the wall, unable to scrape himself off!
“I’ve heard from the team leader about your situation. It’s truly challenging, but you’re a hardworking young man. Let me introduce my own abilities.”
In the spacious and clean training ground, which seemed unused by anyone other than Old Zhang, the old man took off his slippers and stood barefoot on the soft mats, introducing himself:
“My matrix is a very common type in the vortex system, called ‘Dragon Elephant.’ As the name suggests, it’s about enhancing oneself and includes some ordinary enhancement abilities. So, aside from a bit of strength, there’s nothing particularly special about it. If anything, I have some specialties in close combat and wrestling. The rest is just the flattery of Team Leader Wen. As an old man, I’m not that impressive.”
His voice was gentle and friendly.
He even began warming up with an earnestness that made Ji Jue anxious as if he were preparing for a winter swim! The more serious he got, the more Ji Jue felt the urge to bow down—“Old man, can you not take this so seriously? Can’t we just go easy?”
After all this time, he was no longer an outsider clueless about chosen ones.
It was undeniable that his abilities were special, but to say that others were weak would be utterly ridiculous!
Especially when it came to those common and typical abilities!
Physical enhancement, telekinesis, invisibility, spatial movement, mind reading, tactile sensitivity, energy control…
Among these common powers, physical enhancement was actually the most frequent, including but not limited to visual acuity, hearing, or strength.
However, common also meant competitive!
It implied that chosen ones of the same type were tirelessly engaged in endless comparison and honing, polishing every skill to perfection and squeezing every bit of potential to the limit!
Over the past few centuries, behind each commonly known ability lay countless chosen ones who dedicated their lives to research and refinement.
When someone threw a punch, it represented hundreds or thousands of years of cultivation—what could Ji Jue use to block that?
Perhaps some ephemeral constraints and his own stubbornness?
Moreover, there were over eighty years of combat experience behind it...
Just thinking about it made Ji Jue swallow hard.
Especially as before his eyes, the frail old man took a deep breath, and with the sound of his joints cracking, the color of his flesh rapidly faded, replaced by a pure golden sheen, reminiscent of a golden Buddha.
Just the sound of his fingers clashing echoed a sharp metallic sound.
What was even more terrifying was the heat radiating from him.
It felt as if one were standing in front of a furnace.
The intense heat instantly scorched the two mats beneath his feet, sending forth a terrible stench and billowing smoke.
And the source of this heat was undoubtedly his blood!
Boiling blood!
Literally boiling!
This was Zhang Daqiang’s ability—Vigor!
It raised the temperature of his blood, enhancing his body’s strength, endurance, speed, flexibility, and everything else.
But soon, this shocking scene rapidly dissipated.
After his warm-up exercises were done, he returned to his normal self again, turning back into a skinny old man, wearing a kind smile.
“Don’t worry; today is just a lesson. It won’t reach that extent. But some bumps and bruises are inevitable... did you bring the protective gear? Good.”
After confirming Ji Jue's state, Old Zhang got straight to the point: “Next, let’s start with the basics of spiritual defense and offense.”
He sat cross-legged in front of Ji Jue.
Raising a finger, he said, “Besides acting as fuel for one's ability and matrix, spiritual essence is also a part of one’s life and can naturally be used to enhance oneself. Like this...”
Without any warning, that thin, withered finger began to subtly ooze spiritual essence, coiling and eventually forming a thin film-like shell.
When bent and snapped against the ground, it produced a ringing sound like iron striking steel.
“And if used for offense...”
Zhang paused for a moment, clenched his fingers into a fist, and the spiritual essence flowed under his skin like water, shimmering with light before he swung his fist toward Ji Jue.
In an instant, a furious wind burst forth, sending Ji Jue’s hair into disarray.
The pain on his face was unmistakable!
“This is the foundation of spiritual offense and defense. In essence, all techniques evolve from this. As a beginner, you might not achieve such exaggeration right away, but these things are not about rushing; they require gradual accumulation. As long as you keep at it, I believe you will see results.”
Old Zhang reached out to correct Ji Jue's posture. “Next, take a deep breath, maintain your spiritual essence's stability, and follow my lead. Yes, try to keep it steady...”
It must be said, he was indeed a skilled coach.
His words were concise, without any nonsense, and he reminded Ji Jue about the focus and common pitfalls multiple times.
Using spiritual essence to stimulate and enhance muscle strength, as well as crafting it into a protective barrier against external impacts, was not difficult—it was surprisingly simple.
Within a few minutes, Ji Jue felt like he was grasping it, though sadly, the effects were underwhelming.
This was expected by Old Zhang; the essence of such foundational techniques lay in persistence and practice.
One attempt yielded minimal results, a thousand attempts would certainly yield a thousand rewards.
This made it a very friendly technique for those chosen ones starting from scratch.
For those with money, they could buy equipment outright and tackle offense and defense issues directly—why make it so complicated?
“Don’t be disheartened if results don’t come right away. It’s a long, consistent process to achieve results, and it’s not that shortcuts are unattainable.”
Old Zhang smiled warmly. “That’s why Team Leader Wen asked me to teach you this.”
You should know that each system of spiritual essence possesses its own characteristics and sometimes more than one.
Top-tier matrices and special abilities can have varied transformations or even higher-level qualities and traits, not to mention that.
The twelve followers of supreme goodness have their spiritual essence align with those qualities.
For example, ascending chosen ones have astonishingly fast recovery speeds of their spiritual essence.
Chosen ones of the celestial element often have better control than others.
Chosen ones of the white deer are more adept at explosive power.
Those of the vortex system can even utilize spiritual essence to heal and enhance their bodies.
The chosen ones of the horde possess strong corrosiveness and destructive power in their spiritual essence.
Chosen ones of the mirror can directly conceal their spiritual essence, appearing no different from ordinary people.
With the right maneuvering, they can even achieve a cloaking effect.
The wasteland represents matter, and chosen ones in this realm often possess different specialties in material properties, making it one of the fastest learning areas with the most effective training.
Due to the similarities within their system and differences from other systems, many common techniques and applications circulate among chosen ones of each system.
“So... what about the embers?” Ji Jue asked curiously.
“Hmm? Aren’t you more familiar with this than I am?” Old Zhang replied, puzzled. “Alchemy is the common technique of the ember system; the nature of spiritual essence is to adjust and control material properties.”
Material properties are a term used in alchemy to summarize and describe the characteristics of objects.
It can be simply understood as the attributes of the object itself, such as strength, hardness, plasticity, and toughness.
Unlike the wasteland system, which can transform one’s body into matter, the ember system leans more towards handling and developing the material itself.
Therefore, by using special techniques on oneself, one can greatly enhance a certain property of the body—like significantly increasing the toughness of bones to avoid breaking or temporarily reinforcing skin hardness to resist attacks.
Unfortunately, compared to the naturally tougher materials, a regular person’s body cannot be endlessly reinforced unless modified or assisted by abilities.
Just like Old Zhang, who transformed himself into a golden body through some technique passed down in the vortex system, Ji Jue would completely be unable to enact such skills.
However, upon hearing Old Zhang speak, Ji Jue felt something stir within.
Wasn’t this just the foundational operation of alchemy? And it was also the basic skill that Professor Ye emphasized he needed to master repeatedly?
He subconsciously raised his palm, taking a deep breath.
His five fingers clenched.
Pure spiritual essence flowed down from his shoulder, gathering around the back of his hand, transforming into six thin spiritual essence circuits, intertwining and forming the most basic temporary platform.
Then, with practiced guidance, the emblem of the wasteland appeared prominently in the center!
Compared to other materials, this body of Ji Jue—which he had used for nineteen years—he was more familiar with than anything! He didn’t even need to handle it like other materials, relying on workshops or complex tools...
Using himself as the material, his soul as the furnace, his abilities were the best carving knife.
In an instant, everything fell into place effortlessly.
The wasteland represented matter, and its most basic function was material enhancement!
“Did it work?” He felt uncertain, glancing up at Old Zhang.
At that moment, Old Zhang was also lost in thought.
He suddenly understood what Wen Wen had said earlier about Ji Jue's talent—how extraordinary it truly was.
Just after he mentioned that Ji Jue had no foundation, the young man had instantly mastered it and had almost succeeded on his first attempt… This talent in the ember path was indeed frightening!
He picked up a nearby metal rod used for assistance and lightly tapped it against Ji Jue's hand.
The metal rod and the back of Ji Jue’s hand collided, surprisingly producing a deep, muted sound.
It actually... worked?!
Old Zhang adjusted his strength, striking down with an adult man’s full might, yet Ji Jue only felt a vague push as if he were wearing heavy gloves, with no painful sensation whatsoever.
“If it comes down to saving your life, it seems it can be used, albeit just barely. But this is merely the beginning. When you practice later, be cautious; don’t maintain it for too long—no more than five minutes a day. You don’t yet have a matrix, and your body has not undergone the supreme cleansing. You remain a mortal; excessive use will impact your nerves and bones. But for now, there’s no need to worry; even if something happens, I can help you correct it.”
After Old Zhang finished reminding Ji Jue, he tossed aside the metal rod and slowly stood up.
“Ah?” Ji Jue was puzzled. “Is the class over?”
“The one-week course you were supposed to practice has already been covered.” Old Zhang chuckled. “So, why don’t we directly start the second lesson?”
The real, practical combat!
He stretched a bit, suddenly asking, “Do you know what measures chosen ones of the ember system should take when facing an enemy to be most effective?”
Ji Jue straightened up, attentive.
“It’s simple.”
Old Zhang raised his finger and said solemnly, “One word: Run!”
(End of Chapter)