"Mr. Luke, it is time for your medicinal bath."
Fusui Kure’s reminder made Luke put down the book on body-hardening techniques in his hand.
The medicinal bath was a benefit Erioh Kure had arranged for him, and also a form of support for his coming battle against Shen Wulong.
To use Removal, the Kure Clan not only continuously refined their bloodline from birth, but also relied on various acquired supplementary methods.
Bathing in medicine prepared from the clan’s secret formulas could effectively strengthen a member’s physique, allowing them to withstand a greater degree of Removal.
After the tournament ended, his main quest had also updated. Endspace was raising the difficulty on its laborer again—but this was exactly the kind of difficulty Luke wanted.
[Main Quest: Final Ring—Child of the World]
Quest Objective: Within ten natural days, kill Shen Wulong, the representative of the world’s will.
Quest Difficulty: Hard—Nightmare
Quest Reward: Qualification to Return, World Core
Failure Penalty: -2 to all attributes, forced return.
It seemed that failing this quest would not cause any major problems. He could still return, but the penalty of losing two points from every attribute was painful enough that Luke could not accept it. Besides, he was eager to fight Shen Wulong.
As for the World Core in the quest rewards, Luke had checked its details. According to Endspace’s description, obtaining the World Core meant he had conquered this world. Endspace would then be able to successfully absorb the world of Kengan Ashura.
As the person who obtained the World Core, he would also enjoy certain privileges. By spending Endspace Coins, he could return to this world whenever he wished and make flexible use of its time and location.
Luke did not particularly care whether he could come to a world like this for vacation. What he was wondering was this: if he helped Endspace conquer a world that no one had ever managed to take down, just how much would it reward him once he returned?
After arriving at the bath chamber, Luke took off his clothes, declined Fusui Kure’s offer to assist him, and slowly lowered himself into the wooden tub.
Though Erioh Kure had arranged the medicinal bath, Luke was still shocked that it improved his physique—and that the effect came so quickly.
According to the Kure Clan’s experience, medicinal baths were a gradual method of improving one’s constitution. Their clan members usually began soaking from childhood, and it often took months or even years to show even the slightest result.
Once the body had developed to a certain point, medicinal baths became difficult to benefit from as well. After all, humans had limits.
In Erioh Kure’s eyes, Luke probably would not gain anything from the medicinal bath. He had merely wanted Luke to nourish his vitality in preparation for Shen Wulong possibly appearing in the future.
Yet Luke had not only improved—the changes had come astonishingly fast and were obvious at a glance.
Luke himself was equally surprised. He had only undergone two medicinal baths since arriving at the Kure Clan, yet his Physique attribute had already increased by one point. The effect was incredible.
After thinking it over, he could only attribute this phenomenon to his limiter-removal talent. He seemed to be fundamentally different from ordinary people.
He had been this way since childhood. Anyone who trained their body understood that the most noticeable changes came at the beginning of a fitness routine.
But after reaching a certain level, further changes—building muscle, increasing strength, and the like—became extremely difficult.
That was because they had reached their individual limits. Or rather, humanity itself had limits.
Some kind of limiter restrained humans from drawing out their full potential.
Luke was different. Under his master’s guidance, he had trained since childhood. Naturally, he had not possessed a monster’s body when he was still a little boy, but as he trained, his body became stronger and stronger. Unlike others, it never stopped growing.
By the age of eighteen, he could easily lift a one-ton boulder. Later, though, he had focused on revenge and slackened somewhat in his strength training.
His original world might have possessed medicinal baths like these as well, but medicinal ingredients had been far too difficult to gather in those days, so his master had never let him use one.
Being able to improve his physique through medicinal baths in the Kengan world was an unexpected bonus.
"Mr. Luke, you have a visitor."
Once Luke had absorbed the medicinal effects, Fusui Kure’s voice came from outside the door.
"Who?"
Luke was curious.
"An old man who calls himself Gaoh Mukaku."
Fusui Kure’s words made Luke pause mid-dress. Then a smile spread across his face. The final missing piece in this world had arrived.
…………
"The master of Niko Tokita, and the originator of the Niko Style. What do you want with me at a time like this?"
In the reception hall, Luke studied the robust centenarian before him and could not help marveling at how well the old man had maintained himself.
Gaoh Mukaku was the last surviving member of the Gaoh family. To avenge his clan, which Shen Wulong had exterminated, he had tried every possible method over the past century. Because the body declined with age, he used drugs to preserve his physical functions.
In the original story, he had calculated every last move in his battle against Shen Wulong. Unfortunately, Shen Wulong’s strength defied all reason, and Gaoh Mukaku was ultimately crushed in defeat.
"Seeing you up close, you truly are the strongest person I have ever seen."
Gaoh Mukaku looked at Luke with emotion. "I came to help you kill Shen Wulong."
"I have no intention of ganging up on Shen Wulong with anyone else. What I want is a one-on-one fight to the death."
Luke’s single sentence shut Gaoh Mukaku down. He understood perfectly well what the old man was thinking.
In Gaoh Mukaku’s eyes, any method was acceptable as long as it could kill Shen Wulong. But Luke had no intention of using underhanded tricks. He wanted to defeat the pinnacle of martial arts in this world openly and honorably.
"Foolishness. You still do not understand what kind of existence Shen Wulong truly is!"
Gaoh Mukaku tried to persuade him. "He is not a human being as you understand one..."
Luke raised a hand. "If you came here hoping to work with me and ambush Shen Wulong, then there is no need to say another word."
Confusion and anger filled Gaoh Mukaku’s eyes. Did this man not know that Shen Wulong had his sights on him? He would be killed.
"However..."
Luke continued, "Killing Shen Wulong was something I intended to do anyway. I can grant your wish. If you want to help, then teach me everything you know about the Niko Style instead."
Gaoh Mukaku looked utterly stunned. "The Niko Style? What do you need to learn that kind of thing for?"
Luke could tell the words came from Gaoh Mukaku’s heart. For a moment, he felt sorry for all the Nikos. The perfected Niko Style they had devoted their lives to pursuing was apparently worthless in their master’s eyes.
This old man named Gaoh Mukaku did not possess the heart of a martial artist at all. Even his so-called Gaoh Style had been copied from a school of the Warring States period and renamed. To him, martial arts were merely tools. So long as it could kill Shen Wulong, he would use anything.
Now that every Niko Tokita was dead, Gaoh Mukaku likely regarded Luke as the only exceptional powerhouse left. Why would a powerhouse like that need to study the Niko Style?
"I am interested in every form of martial art. There are no worthless martial arts in this world—only worthless people."
Luke said, "You only need to teach me the foundations of the Niko Style. I will filter through the rest myself."
Seeing that he could not persuade Luke, Gaoh Mukaku could only comply with his request. He hoped the Niko Style would help Luke improve further and give him a few more chances of defeating Shen Wulong.
As for whether he would use dirty tricks during Luke and Shen Wulong’s duel, that was beyond Luke’s control. Gaoh Mukaku had plans of his own.
Half a day later, at the training ground, Gaoh Mukaku stared at Luke with wide eyes.
"You... learned it already?"
Luke waved a hand. "I already understand the essence of the Niko Style. You can leave now."
Once one understood martial arts, all paths led to the same destination. Luke already possessed techniques similar to many of the Niko Style’s moves. What truly interested him were the Niko Style’s [Possessing Spirit] and [Fallen Demon], as well as the [Divine Demon] Form Fei Wangfang had used.
With everyone from the Niko Tokita lineage dead, Luke had originally thought he would never have the chance to study those secret techniques. Yet the founder himself, Gaoh Mukaku, had come knocking at his door.
Still, Luke was somewhat surprised that Gaoh Mukaku himself did not know [Possessing Spirit], much less [Divine Demon]. He only knew [Fallen Demon].
Techniques like [Possessing Spirit] and [Divine Demon] had been created by later generations. Ironically, the founder who laid the foundation for the Niko Style did not know them.
But that was enough. Luke only wanted the fundamental theory, because he intended to create something of his own. Only that would suit him best.
Yes. He intended to unify secret techniques such as Removal, [Possessing Spirit], and [Fallen Demon], turning them into an exclusive secret technique tailored for himself.
On the third day after Gaoh Mukaku left, Luke finished his form in the dojo. Under Erioh Kure’s gaze—as though he were looking at a monster—Luke completed the final stage of developing his secret technique.
"This is truly a brand-new secret technique. Combined with your martial arts, young Luke, I fear no one will be able to stop you any longer. Even Shen Wulong may be someone you can defeat in battle."
Erioh Kure sighed in admiration.
Luke slowly exhaled a breath of stale air. Just as he was about to speak, Fusui Kure burst in through the door in a panic.
"Shen Wulong has entered Kure Village!"
Tomorrow, the final battle begins. It is the end of the month, so please send in those monthly tickets.
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