Under Marcus's teaching, Clark quickly learned the various moves of Crushing Blow.
Clark, bathed in sunlight, gradually began showing his natural talent and even burst out with impressive strength.
For a child, this was already remarkable—not to mention that in the future, he'd gradually awaken his own abilities. This crushing technique would definitely be enough for him to use.
But Marcus didn't stop there. He decided to train Clark further, especially in weapon usage.
"Clark, want to learn staff fighting?"
Hearing Marcus's words, Clark, who was practicing moves, paused and looked over.
Learning staff techniques?
This made Clark curious. He didn't know what staff fighting was, but he'd seen nearby cowboys use sticks to drive away approaching wild animals.
Could it be that he, like a real cowboy, could use a staff to deal with beasts?
While Clark's mind raced with possibilities, Marcus remained calm.
He knew very well that Clark wouldn't need weapons—his body would be the most powerful weapon in the future.
However, Clark would always encounter kryptonite that could weaken him. If he couldn't master weapon-based combat, Clark would be severely limited when facing kryptonite.
The staff fighting technique Marcus planned to teach Clark was a combat stance called Iron Wood Barrage.
This was a fighting style using long staffs that could switch between wide-area and pinpoint attacks.
As long as Clark could master this stance, he could pick up various objects to fight in battle.
"The staff technique I'm teaching you is called Iron Wood Barrage, and it looks like this."
With that, Marcus picked up a long staff and demonstrated in the clearing.
The staff cut through the air, piercing the wind and making whistling sounds. The weapon danced like magic in Marcus's hands, far exceeding Clark's imagination.
For the first time, Clark realized a staff could be used to this extent.
Seeing staff shadows appearing from all directions, Clark's mouth fell open in shock.
It turned out staff fighting wasn't just for driving away animals. An image appeared in his mind—a hero holding a long staff with a cape on his back, traveling around to fight evil and protect the innocent.
Soon Marcus's demonstration ended, and the whistling sounds around them faded.
"Want to try?"
Clark had been lost in fantasy and only snapped back to reality when he heard Marcus's words.
Looking at the staff in Marcus's hands, Clark's little face showed embarrassment.
"But... but Godfather, I still don't know how..."
Although he'd seen the staff's power, he hadn't learned these skills—there was no way he could use a staff properly.
"Heh, use your instincts and handle this staff."
Since Marcus said so, Clark could only take the weapon and swing it casually.
He hadn't learned staff fighting techniques, so when he swung the staff, he unconsciously used Crushing Blow movements.
But staff usage was different from unarmed combat. When using it, he couldn't always control the weapon well. One careless move would sweep away everything around him.
After his practice session, Clark's area had been completely cleared—everything had been swept away by his staff.
Looking at items scattered in the distance, Clark hunched his shoulders, clearly knowing he'd made a mess.
"Not bad. Seems like you're quite skilled with Crushing Blow, but there are many differences between Iron Wood Barrage and unarmed techniques."
Marcus then demonstrated Iron Wood Barrage's basic moves in front of Clark, flowing gracefully.
Staff shadows spread instantly, like a great tree with branches and leaves—countless limbs sprouting in an instant.
The whistling sounds were like leaves growing on branches, rustling as gusts of wind passed through.
Marcus's movements became slower and slower, gradually appearing clearly before Clark, allowing the young child to see everything distinctly.
Every move was clearly visible to Clark. He gripped the staff and began learning according to Marcus's movements.
Clark, learning the flowing staff dance, was a bit clumsy but still imitated the technique carefully. Although there was significant deviation between his attempts and the actual moves, for a child this young, it was more than enough.
For several weeks, Clark learned Iron Wood Barrage techniques with Marcus.
In terms of weapon usage, Clark's talent remained strong, and he focused intently on learning everything, making his progress incredibly rapid.
However, Clark, having learned two fighting stances, didn't intend to use these moves to bully others. He always wore the cowboy outfit Marcus had given him, and under Marcus's protection, he helped cowboys drive away beasts approaching the livestock.
This kind of experience also deepened Clark's mastery of both fighting stances—he could even use these techniques proficiently.
Clark's talent was the best Marcus had ever seen. Even without awakened superpowers, Clark's performance far exceeded ordinary people.
"Come to think of it, Clark seems to have integrated the Codex of Krypton. He has the most comprehensive abilities of anyone on the entire planet."
Marcus knew a bit about Krypton. Kryptonian lives were essentially planned from birth. Some people were designated as leaders, others as scientists, and some remained civilians their entire lives.
This approach limited Krypton's diversity but kept their civilization at a very advanced stage.
Kryptonians were determined by the Codex—a device that recorded the best genes of their species. Every Kryptonian's future was closely tied to this Codex.
However, Clark, having integrated the complete Codex, had infinite possibilities and unlimited potential.
This became most obvious after Clark's cousin came to Earth. Compared to Clark with his unlimited potential, Kara was just a ordinary Kryptonian civilian.
Opponents that were nothing to Clark became extremely powerful enemies for Kara. Kara, deeply restricted by the Codex's limitations, couldn't compare to Clark even with superpowers.
Pulling back from his thoughts, Marcus looked at Clark, who was becoming increasingly skilled in combat stances, and felt somewhat emotional.
In his hands, a mass of energy emitting faint red light appeared.
This was extracted from Clark's body. Although Clark's abilities weren't obvious yet, he definitely possessed the unique bioelectric field of Kryptonians.
Although the biofield energy was useless to Marcus personally, he still channeled the power into a spare mod.
"Looks like I need to focus on mastering high-tier Amplitude Crystals. Maybe I can transform abilities into crystals to enhance Warframes."
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