Chapter 246: Martial Dao Dharma Image

"So timid? You've quite the style of me, Zhang Jie!"

"Watching" the neighbor couple scramble away, not even daring to pack a single piece of gold or silver,

not even daring to take the elevator that might be affected,

and choosing to flee at top speed down the stairs from dozens of floors up, Zhang Jie couldn't help but laugh.

One can only say that in this world where monsters run rampant, every resident is a survivor,

each with their own way, and each possessing their own secret to staying alive,

only then can they preserve their own lives and their families' lives amidst all sorts of crises.

Fortunately, Zhang Jie discovered this in time; the only people affected by him were this couple,

and even if they spoke of it after going downstairs, they would likely be dismissed as being too sensitive or having had an illusion,

so Zhang Jie didn't pay it much mind and continued to focus his energy on cultivation.

Under his control, the subsequent cultivation went smoothly and without a ripple.

"Power, powerful power!"

This was Zhang Jie's first feeling after ending his cultivation.

Powerful strength surged out endlessly from his limbs and bones.

He extended a palm that looked as if it were carved from the finest mutton-fat jade and gently pinched with two slender fingers.

Bang!

A sonic boom, like a firecracker exploding, suddenly rang out in the silent cultivation room.

A sonic boom!

He had actually pinched out a sonic boom with his bare hands!

"At least a three-thousand-kilogram increase in strength, not bad."

A satisfied smile appeared on Zhang Jie's face.

He had known for a long time that the magnitude of strength increase from the first cultivation of Gene Energy varies from person to person.

An increase of about 300 kilograms for an ordinary cultivator is an average level;

an increase of about 600 kilograms is excellent, an increase of over 1000 kilograms can be called a genius,

and an increase of over 2000 kilograms is extremely rare, belonging to the martial artist elite.

His increase of three thousand kilograms could already be considered quite superior.

"This is the importance of talent."

Thinking of how he had been trapped and miserable as a high-level student at the martial arts school before,

and now, with a single cultivation session, he had gained the strength of three official martial artists, Zhang Jie felt endless emotion.

Before crossing over, in the Marvel Universe composed of protagonists like the billionaire Iron Man and Spider-Man who became who he was after being bitten by a spider,

there was a saying: the rich rely on technology, the poor rely on mutation;

and in a world like *Swallowed Star*, the rich can also rely on resources to defy the heavens and change their fate, while the poor can only rely on talent.

"However, this is not the most important thing."

"Martial Dao Dharma Image, open!"

Zhang Jie gave a low shout, and a figure about a *zhang* tall,

dressed exactly like him, a magnified version of Zhang Jie, appeared behind him.

He suddenly had two perspectives: one was himself sitting cross-legged,

and the other was himself almost reaching the ceiling,

and he felt that as long as he exerted a little force, he could very easily break through the ceiling.

This feeling was extremely wondrous.

"It's done!"

An indescribable joy rose in Zhang Jie's heart.

This was exactly the next level of Martial Dao conceived by the *Water Margin* Zhang Jie and the others

—the Martial Dao Dharma Image, or rather, a self composed entirely of internal Qi.

However, because both *Heavenly Dragon* and *Heavenly Sword* are low-martial worlds,

being able to form a three-foot Qi wall like the Sweeping Monk was already the ceiling for internal energy.

According to the deductions and experiments of the *Heavenly Dragon* Zhang Jie and the others, to form a Martial Dao Dharma Image,

besides having a sufficiently powerful mental force capable of briefly leaving the body,

the most important thing is to have sufficiently profound internal energy.

If one takes the internal energy cultivated by a standard martial artist in one year as a unit,

then cultivating a Martial Dao Dharma Image requires at least one thousand units of internal energy.

This guess was simply despair-inducing:

it was as difficult to achieve as needing over a thousand years of lifespan to cultivate the *Dragon-Elephant Prajna Art* to the thirteenth level.

Even with the accumulation of their several worlds, the pure internal energy accumulation was only a few hundred years.

More importantly, by the time they reached their level, internal energy had to be pure and refined,

and the internal energy of ordinary martial artists was no longer a supplement, but an impurity that needed to be expelled.

This meant that even if they abandoned morality and became energy-absorbing demons, using the martial artists of the world as prey,

they still couldn't complete this accumulation using the *Northern Dark Divine Art* to form a Martial Dao Dharma Image.

However, his arrival perfectly made up for this deficiency:

the cosmic energy of the *Swallowed Star* world is a high-level energy that can still be used at the Undying level,

so naturally, it was a piece of cake to complete a Martial Dao Dharma Image derived from the Martial Dao of a low-martial world.

The internal Qi he shared from other Zhang Jies, after merging with Gene Energy,

became true internal Qi, capable of existing for a longer time and carrying his mental will.

Thus, the martial conjecture of the Martial Dao Dharma Image became possible to realize.

'I wonder if I can fight a War God-level powerhouse now?'

Zhang Jie thought while resting his chin on his hand.

And as he sat cross-legged with his hand on his chin,

the Martial Dao Dharma Image also sat cross-legged, resting its chin on its hand.

If someone were to suddenly break in and see this scene, which was both bizarre and inexplicably sacred,

they would likely be stunned unconscious by the massive amount of information.

"It should be possible; anyway, I feel like I could kill Jiang Nian, this intermediate War General, with a single palm."

Taking the strongest person he had seen so far, the intermediate War General Jiang Nian, as a standard, Zhang Jie guessed.

Besides major levels like Planetary, Stellar, and Universe, the martial level divisions in the *Swallowed Star* world,

the differences between minor levels like Apprentice Fighter, War General, and War God are very simple and crude:

the strength difference between each level is approximately equal to a power of 2.

That is to say, the punching power of a standard junior War God is four times that of a standard intermediate War General.

Calculated this way, if Zhang Jie could kill the intermediate War General Jiang Nian with one palm,

then it wouldn't be impossible to trade blows with a junior War God whose strength is four times his own.

"No, I can't be reckless. If we talk about strength alone,

a senior War General with twice the strength of an intermediate War General could also kill me instantly."

Zhang Jie, who always prioritized stability, suppressed the suicidal thought of fighting a War God.

Regardless of the strength gap, speaking of speed alone, the speed of a junior War God exceeds 340 meters per second,

capable of supersonic movement in a short time, far exceeding the 130 meters per second of an intermediate War General.

A speed difference of more than two times means an intermediate War General couldn't even touch the hem of a junior War God's clothes.

His current real physical strength was also between a junior War General and an intermediate War General,

and even with the Martial Dao Dharma Image as a strength amplifier,

it would be good enough if he could easily defeat a senior War General.

War Gods and such shouldn't be targets he can challenge yet.

He didn't want to use his face or even his life to test his limit combat power.

Fighting above one's level is something prepared for protagonists like Luo Feng;

he, Zhang Jie, only likes fishpond matches where the high-level crushes the low-level.

"However, speed."

Zhang Jie's mind stirred, and the Martial Dao Dharma Image merged with his physical body,

feeling like an ordinary person piloting a Gundam, eager to try. ===== CHAPTER 247 =====

It was just like an ordinary person getting behind the wheel of a Gundam; he was feeling a bit eager to try it out.