Chapter 26: Petrified Shell, Brutally Smashed to Death

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Petrified Shell, Brutally Smashed to Death

"Yes, exactly like this!

"The Eight Strikes of the Breaking Army doesn’t just require simple technique, but an indomitable, invincible will.

"Only by clearing your mind of all distractions the moment you strike and pouring everything into the blow can you truly unleash its power."

A surge of realization welled up in Ji Zhixing’s heart. By now, he could steadily infuse his will into seven or eight out of every ten strikes he swung.

"I’m close. It won’t be long before I completely master the Eight Strikes of the Breaking Army," he thought.

He took a deep breath, ready to continue practicing. However, the moment he raised the Breaking Army Rod, a wave of soreness washed over his arms, and he almost dropped the weapon.

"I can’t go on," Ji Zhixing thought, shaking his head. He felt his stamina was almost entirely depleted. Having fought all day and trained for so long into the night, his body had reached its limit. He put away the Breaking Army Rod and wiped the sweat from his face.

"Go get some rest," a voice called from behind.

Ji Zhixing turned around to see Ms. He Yanbing. She walked over and looked at him. "You must balance training with rest, especially since you need to continue hunting tomorrow."

"Thank you for the concern. I’ll go rest right now," Ji Zhixing nodded.

He Yanbing gave him a glance but didn’t say anything more before turning and leaving.

Ji Zhixing stood where he was, letting the night breeze dry his sweat. The cool wind felt incredibly refreshing against his skin. He looked up at the night sky; the dotted stars were much clearer here than in the city.

"Tomorrow, we go to Shi Lake," he thought silently. "I hope we can hunt a Petrified Crab and extract a Stone Skin gene potion.

"Once I develop the Stone Skin ability, my strength will increase again. Then I can keep saving money to buy the Gigantification gene potion and develop the Gigantification ability.

"As for the Innate Staff Heart ability, if nothing goes wrong, I should be able to master it tomorrow!"

After standing in the wind for a while, the sweat on his body finally dried. Only then did Ji Zhixing head toward the school bus to rest.

Many of his classmates were already on the bus, sprawled haphazardly across the seats. Some were fast asleep, while others chatted in low voices. Ji Zhixing found his seat, greeted Liu Qifan and the others, and closed his eyes. He fell asleep shortly after.

The night passed in silence.

The next morning, just as the sky began to brighten, everyone woke up one by one. After a simple breakfast, the squads set out one after another to resume their hunt.

Gu Zheng and his group from Yu City Middle School had left even earlier. Word was that they planned to check out Lake Heart Island in the middle of Shi Lake today.

"Lake Heart Island..." Ji Zhixing pondered silently. "It must be much more dangerous there, with stronger gene beasts. But they are powerful enough to dare go. We can’t."

Since arriving in this world, he was curious about everything and wanted to explore everywhere. However, lacking the necessary strength, he had no choice but to hold himself back.

As they finished eating and prepared to depart, they saw Zhou Yuan’s squad packing up as well.

"Yo, Zhou Yuan! How many gene beasts are you planning to hunt today?" Zhang Haoceng shouted with a cheeky grin.

Zhou Yuan rolled his eyes. "Don’t get cocky. You guys just got lucky yesterday running into four Iron-Feathered Pheasants. It won’t necessarily be the same today."

"Luck is also a part of strength," Zhang Haoceng gloated. "Don’t forget to treat us when we get back to school!"

"Dogshit luck!" Zhou Yuan snorted twice before leading his squad away.

Liu Qifan chuckled, "Look at how bitter he is. That’s hilarious."

"Alright, let’s head out too," Ji Zhixing said. "We’re going to Shi Lake today."

The five left the camp and headed south. Worried about running into danger, they didn’t move too quickly. After walking for about half an hour, the view suddenly opened up before them.

A vast expanse of water appeared in their line of sight. The clear water rippled and sparkled under the early morning sun, though the surface remained otherwise peaceful. The lake’s shores were overgrown with reeds and wild grass, with a few large trees dotting the area.

"This is Shi Lake," Zhao Qing said. "It’s quite large. I heard the deepest part is over ten meters."

Ji Zhixing nodded, his gaze sweeping across the water. Two other squads were already active by the shore. They weren’t from their class, but rather from Class Two and Class Three. The students were grabbing stones and constantly throwing them into the lake, sending up splashes of water.

"Will that really lure a Petrified Crab up?" Xie Jia found it a bit hard to believe.

Liu Qifan replied, "That’s what the textbooks say, anyway. Petrified Crabs are gene beasts with very explosive tempers. If they get hit by a rock, they’ll most likely charge up."

"Come on, let’s give it a try."

The five walked over to a clearing by the shore and also began tossing stones into the lake.

SPLASH! SPLASH! SPLASH!

Rock after rock plummeted into the water, kicking up spray. Yet, even after throwing for quite a while, there wasn’t a single stir on the lake’s surface.

"How long do we have to throw these?" Liu Qifan muttered.

Right at that moment, a chorus of exclamations rang out from nearby.

Ji Zhixing turned his head and saw a massive plume of water suddenly erupt from the lake directly in front of Class Two’s squad. An enormous crab lunged out from beneath the surface. The creature was entirely cyan-grey, its shell as rough as jagged rocks. Its eight legs were thick and powerful, and it raised two giant pincers high into the air. The beast looked like a massive millstone a meter and a half in diameter.

"Go! Go! Go!"

The five members of that squad immediately swarmed it, brandishing their various weapons to engage the Petrified Crab in a fierce brawl. The crab possessed incredible strength, swinging its two massive pincers with forceful gales. Even though the five students from Class Two coordinated perfectly, it still took them a good while before they finally managed to kill it.

"Nice!" The squad members cheered in excitement.

One of them immediately stepped forward to store the Petrified Crab and began the refining process.

Ji Zhixing watched with envy. "Let’s speed things up."

Zhang Haoceng, Liu Qifan, and the others suddenly felt a renewed burst of energy.

"Let’s switch to bigger rocks this time." Ji Zhixing walked a little farther away and bent down to pick up an even larger stone, easily the size of a basketball. Wrapping both hands around it, he hurled it forcefully into the lake.

SPLASH!

The stone plunged into the water, kicking up a massive spray. The group stared intently at the surface, waiting.

BOOM!

Suddenly, the lake violently exploded, sending water flying in all directions! A colossal, cyan-grey crab burst out from the depths, dragging a shower of water with it. Its eight legs scrambled rapidly as it charged straight for the shore!

Ji Zhixing’s pupils constricted. This crab was a full size larger than the one Class Two had just fought. Its two massive, open pincers were the size of washbasins, and its beady eyes locked onto them, brimming with rage.

"It’s here!" Ji Zhixing’s heart tightened, but a surge of thrill quickly followed.

"Fall back! Let’s lure it farther away!" Ji Zhixing shouted sharply, and the five immediately retreated backward.

The Petrified Crab brandished its giant pincers and rapidly scurried on its eight legs, scuttling sideways to chase after them. Ji Zhixing kept his eyes glued to the beast as he retreated.

"That’s right, keep it up. The farther from the water, the better," he thought silently. "It has the advantage by the water’s edge, but once it’s completely on land, this is our home turf."

The five didn’t stop until they had lured the Petrified Crab more than a dozen meters away from the lake.

"Surround it and kill it!" Luo Yongguang bellowed. Raising his large shield, he strode forward and positioned himself squarely in front of the Petrified Crab.

He had fused with the Wild Bull King gene, granting him two gene abilities: Wild Bull King’s Might and Endurance. Wild Bull King’s Might was a passive ability that gave him immense physical strength comparable to the Wild Bull King itself. Endurance was also a passive ability; it heightened his resistance to suffering, allowing him to suppress pain and keep fighting even when injured.

CLANG!

The Petrified Crab’s massive pincer smashed viciously into the shield, producing a deafening crash. Luo Yongguang swayed and was forced back two steps before managing to steady himself. The sheer force of this Petrified Crab was astonishing.

"Entangle!" Seeing this, Xie Jia swept her hands forward. As her genetic source power surged, ethereal green vines shot out, instantly wrapping around several of the Petrified Crab’s legs.

The crab thrashed desperately, but the vines were exceptionally resilient. Although a few snapped under its struggles, even more shot forward to bind it.

"Charge!"

With the opening created, Ji Zhixing and Zhang Haoceng lunged forward simultaneously.

Zhang Haoceng had fused with the Wild Donkey King gene, which also granted him two abilities. The first was Wild Donkey King’s Might, another passive ability that enhanced his strength while providing a slight boost to his speed. His second ability was Endurance, identical to Luo Yongguang’s.

Grasping his long spear, he thrust it viciously toward the Petrified Crab’s eyes. However, a sweeping strike from the crab’s pincer deflected the spear, causing the tip to scrape against its armored body instead.

"This shell is too tough!" Zhang Haoceng shouted. "We can only pierce its weak spots!"

Liu Qifan, wielding his blade, circled the Petrified Crab several times, completely at a loss for where to strike.

"Let me do it!" Ji Zhixing declared. His gaze turned fierce as he hoisted the Breaking Army Rod high. He channeled every ounce of his bodily strength, genetic source energy, and that indomitable will directly into this strike!

Space-Shattering Posture!

CRACK!

The rod smashed brutally into the Petrified Crab’s forehead.

"It’s so hard!" Ji Zhixing was shocked, the webbing between his thumb and forefinger completely numb from the recoil.

Yet, the sheer impact of the strike forced the Petrified Crab’s head to dip, causing its massive body to sway.

"It’s working!" Ji Zhixing’s eyes lit up. Even though he hadn’t managed to crack through that tough carapace, the force behind his staff technique was concussive. The shockwave could damage the flesh inside right through the armor.

"Again!"

Earth-Shaking Posture!

He brought the rod crashing down once more.

The Petrified Crab was knocked back repeatedly, but Xie Jia’s vines clung to it tenaciously, preventing any escape.

"GURGLE GURGLE!" The Petrified Crab emitted an angry, bubbling hiss, swinging its massive pincers frantically in a bid to attack Ji Zhixing. But Luo Yongguang’s shield blocked its path time and time again, while Zhang Haoceng’s spear constantly jabbed at its eyes to keep it distracted.

Seizing the opening, Ji Zhixing rained down blow after blow.

Breaking Army Posture!

Indomitable!

Invincible!

He landed seven or eight consecutive strikes, each one infused with his sheer will. The sensation became clearer and ever more intense.

"Yes, exactly like this!" A surge of pure exhilaration flooded Ji Zhixing’s heart.

"When I was practicing earlier, I could only succeed with seven or eight out of ten strikes," he thought. "But now that I’m actually fighting, I’m more focused and immersed. The success rate is even higher!

"This is true live combat!"

CRACK!

He smashed the rod down yet again.

A section of the Petrified Crab’s head caved in under the blow, and fractures spiderwebbed across its cyan-grey shell. Its struggles grew weaker and weaker. Its eight legs twitched a few times before gradually going entirely still.

"Die!" Ji Zhixing bellowed, bringing the rod down for one final, devastating strike.

This blow condensed every ounce of his strength and all of his willpower!

SMASH!

With a thunderous crash, the Petrified Crab’s head was entirely pulverized. The cyan-grey carapace shattered apart, exposing the mangled flesh beneath. The crab’s massive body stiffened before collapsing heavily to the ground.

"Haa... Haa..."

Panting heavily, Ji Zhixing stood in place, leaning against his rod. His gaze was somewhat distant, not looking at the fallen Petrified Crab, but rather as if he were reminiscing about that final strike.

The feeling had been far too exhilarating. To strike down with an entirely clear mind, pouring every ounce of his being into the blow.