Martial Saint with Passives

BOOM!

A ten-thousand-jin boulder slammed down on Jiang Che’s arms.

The terrifying weight caused the rocky ground beneath his feet to crack, and his feet sank deep into it!

But with his inhuman strength, he single-handedly held up the massive boulder that was heavy enough to crush the entire support structure!

His once fair and handsome face was now flushed red and contorted.

The veins on his neck bulged.

”Quick! Out through the right tunnel! Quick!” Jiang Che’s voice, like a clap of thunder, rang in the ears of the stunned miners.

Cheng Ming was the first to react, roaring, ”Run!”

He pushed and shoved, urging the terrified miners to scramble and crawl their way out through the right-hand tunnel, which hadn’t been completely blocked off yet.

He followed close behind. As he looked back at Jiang Che, the image of the young man holding up the ten-thousand-jin boulder was seared into his eyes!

This image left Cheng Ming with a sense of indescribable shock!

The moment the last person escaped.

Although Jiang Che didn’t know if anyone was still trapped inside, he was also reaching his limit.

He gave a mighty shove with both arms, using the rebound force to leap back!

At the same time, the unsupported ceiling of the mine shaft crashed down with a deafening roar, as if the sky were falling!

Dust and debris instantly engulfed the spot where he had stood, completely blocking the entire tunnel!

A tremendous roar erupted within the mine shaft, echoing for a long time!

Jiang Che’s figure slowly emerged from the billowing dust.

Other than some tears on his sleeves and being covered head to toe in dust, he was completely unharmed!

He wasted no time and immediately began to organize the men, ”Quick! Headcount! Get a doctor! Organize a team to clear the tunnel and see if anyone is still inside!”

Outside the mine, the surviving miners looked at Jiang Che as if he were a god descended to the mortal realm.

The image of him holding up the ten-thousand-jin boulder was deeply seared into everyone’s hearts, making the moment feel unreal.

Cheng Ming walked up to Jiang Che and bowed deeply, his voice filled with a mixture of uncontrollable excitement and lingering fear:

”Thank you for saving my life, Steward! I, Cheng Ming, was blind before. From this day forward, I am at your command. I will go through fire and water for you without hesitation!”

His previous disdain had vanished completely, replaced only by reverence and gratitude.

Jiang Che nodded and said in a low voice, ”It’s good that you’re safe. You’re experienced, so hurry up and lead the others to clear the passage.”

”Yes, sir!”

...

Several hours later, the mine entrance was finally dug open again.

Fortunately, everyone had escaped, and no one was trapped inside.

Only a few people had suffered minor injuries from flying debris.

Jiang Che entered the mine to personally inspect the collapse site and the remaining support points.

Under the detailed observation of his [All-Seeing Eye], his gaze was as sharp as a knife.

Soon, on the broken and twisted support beams, he discovered several places where the tenons had been deliberately loosened!

Although the saboteur’s methods were sophisticated, attempting to disguise the damage as natural wear or accidental stress.

But under his superior perception, these subtle, man-made traces had nowhere to hide!

Jiang Che’s eyes instantly turned cold. ’Someone is behind this!’

But he showed no emotion and continued to direct the cleanup and reinforcement work, not exposing the matter on the spot.

He still didn’t know who was responsible, and exposing it rashly would only alert the culprit.

He decided to investigate the matter in secret.

Meanwhile, Sun Qihong, Chen Ze, and Gong Yi were also mixed in with the crowd, ”helping.”

Watching Jiang Che command with such composure, watching Cheng Ming and the others submit to him wholeheartedly, and watching production quickly resume, their hearts were in turmoil.

Although they hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, they learned what had happened from the descriptions of the other rescued miners!

They exchanged glances, each seeing the shock and disbelief in the other’s eyes.

Thanks to Jiang Che’s timely rescue, the damage wasn’t too severe, and the repair work progressed quickly.

Everyone finally finished their work before dark and was able to go back to rest.

...

「In a simple stone house.」

”Is... is that even human strength?” Gong Yi’s face was pale. It was hard to tell if it was from the day’s hard work or from being frightened by Jiang Che.

”It’s terrifying! He’s clearly only at the Early Stage of the Bone Forging Realm!” Chen Ze’s forehead was also covered in sweat.

He knew that as someone at the Peak of Force Integration, he would have been smashed into a pulp under that massive boulder, let alone hold it up!

Sun Qihong’s expression was the darkest of all. He gritted his teeth and whispered, ”We miscalculated! That kid... he’s unnatural! That strength is like a master from the Refining Organ Realm! How did he do it?”

The trio’s plan had completely failed.

Not only had they failed to get rid of Jiang Che, but he had instead established his authority and won over the men!

Especially that nuisance Cheng Ming, who now seemed to be becoming Jiang Che’s trusted confidant!

”Leader Sun, what do we do now?” Gong Yi was at a complete loss.

”What do we do?” A vicious glint flashed in Sun Qihong’s eyes. ”We underestimated him! The three of us, plus those useless subordinates, are no match for him! That kid is too damn weird! We have to report to the Young Master immediately! Tell the Young Master everything that happened here, especially about the kid’s freakish strength! Let the Young Master decide! He’ll definitely have a way to deal with this kid!”

”Right! Let’s write the letter right away!” Chen Ze also came to his senses.

Immediately, Sun Qihong took up a brush and wrote a secret letter detailing the failure of their mine disaster plot, the terrifying strength Jiang Che had displayed, and the change in attitude from Cheng Ming and the others.

He then sent it back to the Cangyun Sect overnight through a secret channel, reporting to their master behind the scenes, Xie Xingwen.

...

Cangyun Sect Inner Courtyard.

「In an elegant courtyard.」