Binge eating, unbridled indulgence, and now... throwing a petty tantrum with a literal child.
Watching Li Ke and Roche
furiously compete to see who could eat faster—and seeing Li Ke's face grow increasingly pale—Ruohua couldn't help but shake her head.
No matter how she looked at it, this man didn't have the makings of a true powerhouse. He didn't even know his own limits when it came to a simple meal. It was honestly... pathetic.
With a soft sigh, Ruohua resolved to give Li Ke a harsh wake-up call during their training later. It wasn't because she disliked him, nor was she just using him as a punching bag. Her reasoning was much simpler.
Seria had taken such good care of her.
During the time Li Ke was missing, Seria had helped tend to her wounds, provided food and lodging, and had even mended her clothes. Ruohua knew very well that Seria had only extended such kindness to her and Roche because of Li Ke. In return, she and Roche had gone out to hunt down the monsters roaming near the village, ensuring the area would remain safe for a while.
After all, Ruohua wasn't blind. She could clearly see what was going on between Seria and Li Ke. Even so, she and Roche had genuinely become close friends with Seria.
If Li Ke was nothing more than a worthless slacker who lacked the resolve to become strong, it would be better for him to realize it now. He should just settle down and live a quiet, peaceful life with Seria rather than blindly chasing after power.
To be frank, Li Ke's natural talent was mediocre at best. If he lacked even basic self-control and perseverance, he stood no chance of becoming truly powerful. Continuing down the path of an adventurer would only be a waste of money—and, ultimately, a waste of his life.
Li Ke, naturally, had no idea what was going through Lady Ruohua's mind. Right now, he was simply too bloated to care.
Dammit... I can't even activate Life Return...
Feeling the sheer weight of the food sitting in his stomach, Li Ke stared at Roche, convinced more than ever that she was some kind of freakish monster.
The only reason he had dared to gorge himself like this was because he possessed Life Return, which normally allowed his stomach and intestines to rapidly digest food. What he hadn't anticipated, however, was just how thoroughly Seria had drained him beforehand. He lacked the energy to eat and cycle Life Return at the same time.
After forcing down a few more bites, Li Ke had no choice but to admit defeat. He could only watch as a smug Roche triumphantly slowed her pace. Halting his frantic chewing, Li Ke sat still and focused entirely on channeling Life Return to break down the massive feast inside him.
As the food finally digested, Li Ke's stamina and mental focus slowly returned. After helping Seria wash the dishes, clean up the kitchen, and handle a few other chores, the group gathered in the open clearing behind Seria's treehouse inn.
Ruohua stretched her limbs, her eyes fixing onto Li Ke, who was also going through his own warm-up routine. She couldn't help but speak up.
"You've been gone for quite a while. I assume you've made some progress? But tell me, Li Ke—are you truly prepared to keep chasing after strength? Do you actually comprehend how brutal this path is?"
In her memory, Li Ke was someone who completely failed to grasp how arduous the path of cultivation truly was. He carried a strange, unearned arrogance about everything. If it hadn't been for Tangji's request, she would never have chosen to adventure with him in the first place.
On top of that, he had stood them up for an incredibly long time, and she fully intended to give him a piece of her mind about it.
"I think I understand it a bit better now," Li Ke replied.
He didn't dare claim he understood it perfectly. He hadn't—and didn't intend to—become a obsessed madman who blindly pursued power while ignoring the beautiful scenery and the people who actually mattered along the way.
Besides, with his ability to travel across worlds, he already stood far above countless others.
"In that case, let me see exactly how much you've improved after abandoning the team for so long!"
Ruohua locked her gaze onto Li Ke. In a sudden blur of motion, her figure surged forward, driving a powerful fist straight toward him.
Ruohua's speed was blinding. She crossed the ten-meter distance almost instantly. Yet, to Li Ke's enhanced perception, her movements felt somewhat sluggish. He casually leaned to the side, cleanly evading her oncoming fist.
However, because his legs were still weak from earlier, the sharp gale generated by her punch lightly grazed his cheek.
The sheer wind pressure stung his skin. Seeing Li Ke dodge so effortlessly, Ruohua's expression hardened with focus. Pivoting smoothly on her heel, she swept her toned, athletic leg toward his shin without a moment's hesitation.
Li Ke reacted swiftly to dodge, but in the blink of an eye, Ruohua abruptly altered the trajectory of her kick. With seamless, terrifying fluidness, her leg snapped upward, driving straight for his waist and midsection!
So fast!
Li Ke raised an arm to parry. Ruohua's raw speed was significantly higher than Mai Shiranui's!
Though her attack was blocked once more, Ruohua didn't slow down. Instead, her focus sharpened to a razor edge. Stamping her foot firmly into the ground, she drove her elbow straight toward Li Ke's throat.
Those first two exchanges were more than enough to confirm her suspicions: Li Ke was absolutely not the same man he used to be!
Extending his palm, Li Ke caught and pressed down on Ruohua's elbow. With his legs still feeling like jelly, he was forced back a step. Nursing his throbbing palm and looking at the growing determination in Ruohua's eyes, Li Ke couldn't help but complain out loud.
"Is it really necessary to go this hard?"
That elbow strike carried enough force to snap a tree trunk right in half. Even though he had successfully blocked it, his fingers and palm were stinging like hell.
"Of course. This is a test of your strength, after all," Ruohua replied, her eyes locked on him. "Though I must admit, it's astonishing. To think you've improved this much in such a short time... it's practically unbelievable."
Seeing that Li Ke wasn't even breaking a sweat, Ruohua decided to stop holding back entirely. His rate of growth far exceeded her expectations. Halting her onslaught, she took a deliberate step backward. She reached down to adjust the weighted rings on her arms, dispersing the gravity magic applied to her body.
Watching her adjust her training weights, Li Ke suddenly realized something—he had completely lost his own weighted rings at some point.
Was it back during One Piece? Yeah, I think I dropped them during that underwater training session.
The memory was a bit hazy, but he figured he could just buy another pair later.
Meanwhile, after removing her limitations, Ruohua took a deep breath. Sensing the sudden weightlessness of her body, she surged toward Li Ke once more.
Her speed this time was astronomical. However, Li Ke immediately noticed a flaw—Ruohua hadn't fully mastered operating at this level of velocity yet.
Her posture was beginning to waver.
Li Ke flashed to the side. A split second later, Ruohua's fist slammed directly into the ground, completely shattering the thick bluestone tile beneath her. If Li Ke wasn't mistaken—even as his eyes were slightly distracted by her heavy chest bouncing wildly from the impact—it looked like Ruohua had actually wanted to halt her movement.
But because she was moving too fast, she hadn't been able to stop herself in time.
Before he could dwell on the thought, Ruohua's figure blurred again as she rushed him.
Her martial arts style was remarkably unpretentious. It consisted of nothing more than rapid, concise punches and kicks—pure fundamental techniques.
And yet—
They were incredibly solid!
Li Ke found himself continuously dodging and parrying her relentless assault. This woman's attack speed was far faster than he anticipated. Every time he prepared to counterattack, her body would already be adjusting, reading and predicting his movements the moment he committed to a strike.
In a situation like this, if he tried to force a counter, his strikes wouldn't have enough time to build proper momentum. Ruohua would easily intercept him. On the other hand, if he chose to just tank her hits, the slight hit-stunning stiffness would undoubtedly allow this female martial artist to seize the opening and smash him into the dirt.
Feeling the fist winds grow increasingly fierce alongside Ruohua's soaring battle intent, Li Ke felt a spark ignite within him. His own blood began to boil.
...Fine, let's get serious.
The Blood-Qi Secret Technique began to circulate rapidly through his veins. Activating Life Return, he pushed his body to its absolute peak. Li Ke's eyes locked onto Ruohua's every micro-movement. The exact instant she threw a punch, he fiercely drove his own fist straight toward her abdomen.
But...
The moment he threw the punch, Ruohua snapped her knee upward. Li Ke's fist collided heavily against her thigh instead.
The violent impact and shockwave sent a jolt of sharp pain through Ruohua's body, causing her to momentarily stiffen. Knowing her strength, Li Ke didn't expect her to be defeated quite so easily. True to his instincts, the two of them instantly opted for the exact same offensive maneuver in the next breath.
They simultaneously drove their elbows forward!
However, because neither had the space to build full momentum, their elbows missed each other entirely. Instead, their forearms and shoulders crashed together with a heavy thud.
Yet, due to the explosive force Ruohua had poured into the strike, her chest involuntarily swayed from the momentum, smashing directly against Li Ke's arm. The sensation of the soft plush contact was incredibly pleasant—though, because it was a bit too elastic, Li Ke couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of regret when it bounced away.
That was the glaring downside of cheap martial arts uniforms. While they were breathable and highly durable, they offered practically zero support or stabilization if a girl's chest happened to be on the larger side.
"It's unbelievable... You're still holding back, aren't you? It hasn't even been that long..."
Ruohua stared at Li Ke, who was matching her blow for blow, and couldn't help but speak her mind.
When she had first met Li Ke, he was a total novice—someone she could have easily handled in just a few quick exchanges. Yet now, despite her own grueling training and rigorous practice, she had completely lost the upper hand in their fight.
Not only that, but through their brief clash, she realized his proficiency in hand-to-hand combat against human opponents had reached an uncanny level. Not only could he read her intent and see right through her attacks, but if he hadn't deliberately chosen to meet her head-on, she doubted she would have been able to graze his skin at all.
Growth of this speed was mind-boggling.
Honestly, it defied all logic. Just a short while ago, Li Ke was undeniably a complete greenhorn, devoid of both this level of raw physical stamina and tactical experience.
"I had a bit of a stroke of luck," Li Ke replied smoothly, relaxing his posture.
Truth be told, if he hadn't experienced those three instances of Genius Mode—coupled with his deep study of human anatomy and various martial arts manuals to refine his combat skills—he never would have been able to predict her next move just by watching her micro-movements.
It sounded like a mystical feat, but in reality, it was just science. The human skeletal structure and muscle groups followed predictable pathways. Whenever a body initiated a movement, the changes in muscles and bones followed certain limitations and patterns. Once a fighter mastered these underlying principles, reading an oncoming attack became a matter of split-second calculation.
However, for an ordinary person to cultivate this ability, it required more than just memorizing anatomy. It demanded a massive volume of real combat experience to turn that conscious analysis into pure muscle memory—a process that normally took decades of training and countless life-or-death battles.
That was the essence of true adaptability.
Ruohua was a martial artist who had spent over a decade forging that exact adaptability. It was precisely why her combat style was so concise, rapid, and devastatingly efficient.
And it was precisely why her spirits were currently sinking into a deep depression.
"I understand now. You certainly possess the qualifications to continue down the path of an adventurer."
Clutching her chest—which was throbbing slightly due to the violent movements—Ruohua let out a quiet sigh.
"I only hope you won't come to view me as a liability."
She paused for a brief moment before looking back up at him. "Are you planning to head out on an adventure today?"
Li Ke shook his head frantically. He fully intended to figure out exactly what was going on with Seria first. How could he possibly leave at a time like this?
At the very least, he needed to make sure whether Seria was going to stay in this state permanently. Only then would he head to Hendon Myre to seek out G.S.D. to upgrade his Blood-Qi Secret Technique, not to mention picking up a gift for Mai Shiranui.
"No, I'm staying put. Why do you ask?"
"It's nothing. If you aren't planning to go out, I'm going back to my training."
Ruohua picked up her backpack, adjusted the gravity magic on her training rings back to their maximum settings, and let out a soft, self-deprecating laugh.
"After all, I still have a long way to go."
Her natural talent wasn't actually much better than Li Ke's original aptitude. As a child, she had been frail and plagued by illness; she was only sent to learn martial arts in a desperate bid to keep her alive. There was no way she could inherently match the prodigies of the world.
The only reason she had made it this far was sheer, unyielding hard work.
As for tasting defeat? Being overtaken by others?
To her, those were feelings she had long grown accustomed to.
Even so, she would keep walking this path, moving forward until the day death finally claimed her.
But still...
I can't help but be envious...