Wen Jie still did not lay her hands on him personally in the end.
Perhaps it was because Ji Jue begged for mercy too quickly; he only managed to throw two punches toward the dog's head before lying on the ground, wailing and unable to get up, which gave her no sense of achievement at all.
In the end, they switched to Old Zhang.
Old Zhang was ninety-seven years old this year and had a very common and ordinary name—Zhang Daqiang.
According to the photos displayed on his phone, fifty years ago, this name fit him perfectly—big and strong!
Because back then, in his forties, Old Zhang was in his prime, his body taut with thick muscles, smeared with olive oil, standing under the spotlight on stage, slightly exerting his arms, resembling muscles twisted and entangled like steel wires, almost bursting forth!
He was truly a devilish muscular man incarnate!
But now, he said he was no longer in his prime, his strength had waned, and he looked like a dry old man commonly seen in Cliff City, wearing a singlet and big shorts, with slippers on his feet and never without a walnut in his hand.
He spent his days tending to flowers and plants, emphasizing a lifestyle of nourishment.
So, do not be afraid, we are all friends here exchanging ideas; casual terms are just fine...
Ji Jue would be a fool to believe a single word he said.
If he were really just an ordinary old man concerned with health, how could he maneuver those iron walnuts that were even heavier than Ji Jue himself? Furthermore, weren't those walnuts engraved with the emblem of the Ruins and heavy enough to crack the bricks on the floor?
Besides, like Lawrence, Old Zhang was a Vortex Chosen One specialized in life, growth, and physical enhancement.
It was quite possible that a casual flick of his old arm could scatter him into pieces on the spot!
By that time, sticking to the wall, he probably couldn't be scraped off even with a shovel!
"I have heard about your situation from the team leader, indeed it's not easy, you are a hardworking and diligent young man. I'll also introduce my own abilities."
In the broad and clean training area, which seemed to have been used by no one other than Old Zhang, the old man took off his slippers and stood barefoot on the soft mat, introducing himself:
"My Matrix is a very common type within the Vortex System, called [Dragon Elephant]. As the name implies, it involves self-enhancement, including commonly-enhanced abilities. So, I'm a bit strong, but other than that, there is nothing special about me.
If I have to say something, it would be that I have some special skills in close combat and grappling. The rest is just the team leader making me sound more impressive than I am."
During the conversation, his tone was soft and friendly.
He even started doing warm-up exercises seriously and meticulously, as if he was about to go winter swimming!
But the more serious he was, the more frightened Ji Jue became, eventually wishing he could kneel down before him—Elder, can you not be so serious, can't we just take it easy?
It had been a long time, and he was no longer an outsider who knew nothing about the Chosen Ones.
To say his own abilities were unique was certain, but to laugh off others' capabilities would be absurd!
Especially common and standard types of abilities!
Physical enhancement, telekinesis, invisibility, transmission, mind reading, touching senses, energy control...
Among these common abilities, physical enhancement was actually the most frequent, including but not limited to vision, hearing, or strength.
Yet at the same time, being common and widespread also meant terrifyingly intense competition!
It meant that other Chosen Ones of the same type were also relentlessly competing and honing every skill to perfection, squeezing every bit of potential to its limit!
For hundreds and thousands of years, behind every common type of ability, there were countless Chosen Ones' lifetimes of dedication and refinement. Faced with someone else's punch infused with centuries of effort, what could one possibly use to block?
Use vain chains and your own head?
Moreover, he had over eighty years of combat experience...
Just the thought of it made Ji Jue nervously swallow his saliva.
Especially now, right in front of him, the skinny old man took a deep breath, and amidst the high-pitched sound of his joints rubbing, the color of his flesh rapidly faded, replaced by a golden color as pure as the Buddha's Golden Body.
Even the mere interaction of his fingers emitted a harsh, metallic friction sound.
And what was even more terrifying was the heat that hit him in the face.
It felt as if he was standing in front of a Melting Furnace.
The violent heat instantly scorched the two mats under his feet, releasing puffs of pungent smell and thick smoke.
And without a doubt, the source of the heat was his blood!
Boiling blood!
Literally boiling!
This was Zhang Daqiang's ability—Hot Blood!
It involved raising the temperature of the blood, enhancing the body's strength, endurance, speed, flexibility, and everything else.
However, the jaw-dropping scene quickly dissipated, the warm-up exercise finished, and he returned to his original state, reverting to a dry old man.
With a kind smile.
"Rest assured, today is just for teaching, and it won't go to that extent. But some bumps and bruises are inevitable... you're wearing the Ancient's Mouth, right? Good."
After confirming Ji Jue's condition, Old Zhang did not dawdle or pretend, but straightforwardly got to the point: "Let's start with the basics of Spiritual Attack and Defense."
He sat cross-legged across from Ji Jue.
Raising a finger.
"Besides serving as fuel for one's own abilities and Matrix, spiritual matter is also a part of one's own life, and naturally, it can be applied to oneself to form an enhancing effect.
Just like this..."
Without any warning, a thin flow of spiritual matter ran and twined around that scrawny, withered finger, eventually forming a thin, hard shell.