Chapter 483: Seizing Power

"Power…"

"Unimaginable power."

Shi Lei clenched his fist and murmured in his heart: "Praise… Namo Steam Tathagata Light King Buddha!"

This title had appeared in his mind along with the initiation.

In Shi Lei's estimation, it was clearly a great master of the Secret Sect!

…

Several days later.

Inside a martial arts club.

On the fighting platform.

"You all… come at once."

Shi Lei, dressed in a training uniform, looked at the muscular coaches one by one: "Today I'm here to challenge the dojo—if any of you can knock me down, I'll reward him ten thousand black cords."

"Too arrogant, kid!"

Jarvis roared and charged like a black bear.

Shi Lei shifted his body to dodge Jarvis's punch, then raised his right hand like a giant pendulum and slammed it into Jarvis's back.

Thud!

Jarvis screamed and passed out midair, crashing into the crowd of onlookers, sending everyone tumbling.

"I'm so strong now…"

Shi Lei clenched his fist.

The fist technique he had just used was Mechanic Stream—Big Swing Fist! His fist itself was like a swinging sledgehammer!

This martial art was only beginner-level; if he delved deeper, he could master the advanced Mechanic Stream technique—Gatling Bodhisattva Fist!

Even then, he had held back significantly—if he hadn't restrained nine-tenths of his power and hadn't used high-pressure steam, Jarvis wouldn't have just passed out—he'd be ready for his funeral…

"Too brutal! You hit him too hard!"

"All of you, attack together!"

Several coaches roared, knowing they were no match for this young master, and lunged as one, each unleashing their signature fighting techniques.

"Inch Finger!"

"Whirlwind Kick!"

"Air Punch!"

Thud! Thud!

Blow after blow—fist shadows, whip-like kicks—all struck Shi Lei's body, yet his expression didn't change; instead, the attackers screamed in pain.

One coach clutched his leg and rolled on the ground: "My leg… my leg's broken!"

"Weakling!"

As Shi Lei walked out of the club, his bodyguards stepped forward and pulled out a stack of black cords: "This is for medical expenses and compensation…"

His posture suggested he was very familiar with this routine.

"Master, where to next?"

As Shi Lei stepped into a long black steam-powered limousine, the driver asked.

"My practical experience has improved somewhat—or rather… these places can't make me grow anymore. They're all too weak."

Shi Lei sighed: "Let's go home."

He stared at his fist, feeling the 'seed of fire' still burning within him—he was still progressing!

"If I don't break through the First Great Limit within three months, I'll be burned alive. But if I succeed, I'll take a major step on the Secret Martial Path—I can become a Master, a Martial Combatant… and bestow initiation upon others."

"Such extraordinary power can accomplish countless things."

Shi Lei immediately thought of his bodyguards.

If he assembled a team of elite assassins composed of such superhuman beings…

Who in Black Ring City could stand against them?

"The Secret Sect… truly terrifying. Even just this tiny fragment is enough to overturn the entire mortal order…"

Shi Lei closed his eyes.

…

The Shi family owned many estates in Black Ring City, but the one in the east, "Shi Garden," was the most scenic.

The black steam-powered limousine came to a stop, and Shi Lei stepped out.

In his gaze, flames seemed to burn.

Previously, as a marginal member of the family, he had lived for pleasure, chasing hobbies.

But now, it seemed he should also involve himself in the family business.

At the very least, such a vast power must be utilized!

Shi Lei entered the parlor and saw a middle-aged man smoking a pipe.

"Dad… I'm back."

Shi Lei greeted him casually and sat down on the sofa.

"Hmm…"

Shi's father set down his pipe, then removed his glasses in confusion and wiped them several times.

In just a few days, his son had changed so much.

Not only had his body grown noticeably stronger, but he now carried an eerie aura, as if he had just walked out of a mountain of corpses and blood.

"Are you alright? I heard from Ah Huang that you've been overeating… that's terrible for your health."

Shi's father spoke.

"I'm fine. Training martial arts requires replenishing energy," Shi Lei said.

"Little Lei… martial arts need a good master. You can't just pick up some random instructor on the street."

At that moment, a young man wearing glasses entered, his face resembling Shi's father by seven or eight tenths.

He was the Shi family's eldest son, the implicit heir—Shi Ding.

"What do you mean?" Shi Lei's expression darkened instantly. Since the initiation, his view of Fang Xing was no longer that of a mere coach—he was now a true master, and in his subconscious, he felt an inexplicable reverence and admiration for him, even surpassing his feelings toward his own father.

Hearing his brother say this, he nearly wanted to kill him.

"Hmph. The coach you found is just a mechanical academy student—and he's recently been involved in a murder case…"

Shi Ding sneered: "You even covered it up… Hmph. You've spent our family's favors and connections."

In such a great family, a second son without inheritance rights could play with women and pursue hobbies—but he must not hinder the family's progress, and at critical moments, he must be sent off for political marriages.

To Shi Ding, Shi Lei was squandering his own resources, so naturally he felt resentful.

"Hm?"

Shi's father turned to Shi Lei, clearly expecting an explanation.

"My master is no ordinary man!"

Shi Lei's expression grew cold: "He guided me onto a completely new martial path…"

"Hah… you mean those mysterious, extraordinary people?"

Shi Ding sneered.

As the family heir, he knew far more about the mysterious world than Shi Lei did.

In fact, the Shi family even had its own cultivated extraordinary beings!

Of course, such secrets were not for Shi Lei, who had no inheritance rights, to know.

Precisely because he understood, Shi Ding dismissed them—he knew those so-called "extraordinary beings" were weaklings; a row of steam rifles would wipe them out.

Their only use was in medical aid and mental defense.

Or for rear-area harassment—on the front lines, they were nearly useless.

"My foolish younger brother, you've been deceived."

Shi Ding smiled: "That mechanical apprentice is probably just a con artist—or maybe just a wanderer…"

"Second time."

Shi Lei suddenly spoke.

"What second time?"

Shi Ding froze, then saw a palm hurtling down toward his face.

Slap!

He flew backward, teeth stained with blood scattering onto the floor.

"Because you're my blood brother, if there's a third time, I'll kill you myself!"

"Damn it! You dare lay hands on me?"

Shi Ding stared in disbelief: "Are you rebelling?"

As he spoke, several figures lunged forward—only to be flung back faster, limbs broken, collapsing on the ground screaming.

Shi Lei cracked his neck, his joints popping loudly: "My family monopolizes the grain trade—there's far more behind the scenes than just official connections, isn't there? Call them out… I don't like beating around the bush. The only way to make you listen calmly is to show you who the real weaklings are…"

"Little Lei… how have you become someone else?"

Shi's father's face was equally furious: "A brute. You'll eventually pay dearly."

As he spoke, the old but unnoticed butler beside him suddenly raised his hand, and a golden talisman shot out, landing on the floor near Shi Lei.

Hum!

A beam of light erupted, mysterious influences converged, settling upon Shi Lei.

"Hm? A mental attack?"

Shi Lei raised an eyebrow, his five fingers pressing together, his skin turning bluish-black: "Old Wu… I never thought much of you. I didn't know you were my family's extraordinary."

He possessed a mechanized mind, utterly immune to such external mental influences.

"Young Master Lei surpasses my expectations…"

Wu the steward felt surprised—even an extraordinary should not remain so calm before the 'Binding Spirit Talisman,' as if nothing had happened.

Crack!

Crack!

As he spoke, the muscles on his body came alive, writhing and swelling wildly…

In an instant, he became a two-meter-tall little giant.

He walked the Blood Path, most skilled in flesh modification and close combat!

With a roar, his figure surged forward like a towering wall toward Shi Lei.

"Hah… now this is interesting!"

As Shi Lei laughed, every pore on his body opened like steam valves.

Whooosh!

Terrifying high-temperature, high-pressure steam swirled around him, causing the living room's temperature to spike instantly.

"Big Swing Punch!"

His right fist clenched, raised high—his entire arm transformed into a massive hammer, crashing down.

Boom!

The two figures entangled; Wu the steward let out a shriek, his whole body seared by the scalding steam.

Crack!

After a few strikes, Shi Lei seized Wu's neck and lifted him up: "You've disappointed me. All that brute strength, not a single scrap of technique… Do you know what you reminded me of? A fat pig!"

Thwack!

He tossed Wu aside like trash, turning to his father: "Dad… don't try to fool me with this junk. These are all garbage… Where are your real experts? Come out."

Shi Lei felt his blood boiling; his breath was so hot his father wiped sweat from his face: "This… Old Wu is already our family's strongest extraordinary. And he's the most skilled in hand-to-hand combat."

"What?"

Shi Lei looked at his brother, now visibly frightened, then at Wu the steward lying on the floor like a dead dog—his face expressed utter disbelief: "Are you guys kidding me?"

(End of Chapter)