Lu Li stared at the massive, lavish feast spread across the long wooden dining table, his stomach practically roaring. He had already covertly scanned the dishes with the Terminus Space's appraisal function—no poison detected.
The Kure Clan's dining hall was absolutely massive. Dozens of long tables were packed with clan members. The casual dinner conversation among families, however, was fundamentally different from a normal household.
"That new brand of tactical knives I bought last week is incredibly well-balanced."
"The bodyguard my target hired was actually quite skilled. It took a lot of effort to finally slit his throat."
"Hey, did you hear about the new prototype assault rifle that military corp just released? The fire rate and accuracy are supposed to be phenomenal."
These kinds of topics buzzed endlessly throughout the hall.
The sole exception was the massive table where Lu Li was seated. It was engulfed in a suffocating, dead silence.
This specific table was reserved exclusively for the core elites of the Kure Clan. Sitting directly across from Lu Li was Karla Kure, resting her chin on her hands and staring at him with undisguised, deeply infatuated heart-eyes.
At the head of the table sat Patriarch Erioh Kure. His face was thunderously dark, and he glared at Lu Li with a deeply hostile, murderous aura.
After a long, agonizingly silent standoff, Erioh finally managed to force a stiff, unnatural smile. "Our esteemed guest has traveled far. Please, enjoy our local delicacies."
Following the Patriarch's cue, the surrounding elites all looked toward Lu Li. By tradition, no one else would touch their food until the honored guest took the first bite.
Lu Li didn't hesitate. He immediately grabbed a massive piece of shrimp tempura and tossed it into his mouth. "Your chefs are truly phenomenal..."
He poured a cup of sake and raised it toward Erioh. "Thank you for your incredible hospitality, Patriarch."
Seeing Lu Li offer a respectful toast with appropriate etiquette, Erioh's dark expression softened slightly. He raised his own cup in return. "It is merely a humble, home-cooked meal. I am glad you enjoy it, young friend."
With the formalities out of the way, the rest of the table finally began to eat. However, the atmosphere remained incredibly tense. As long as Erioh and Lu Li remained silent, no one else dared to speak.
Eventually, Erioh broke the silence. "Young friend... you traveled all the way here claiming you wished to engage in a 'martial arts exchange'. I sincerely doubt a simple sparring match with our fighters is enough to satisfy that desire."
Erioh was probing for Lu Li's true objective. Initially, he had planned to invite Lu Li to stay for an extended period, intending to secretly orchestrate a scenario to acquire his premium "seed" and further optimize the Kure bloodline.
But when his absolute favorite, precious great-granddaughter, Karla, had practically skipped up to him earlier, her face flushed red as she declared she had found her future husband... Erioh's brain had completely short-circuited.
Now, staring at Lu Li's rugged, handsome face, the old man only felt an overwhelming urge to strangle him.
Karla is only a high school student! You disgusting animal, how dare you target my precious Karla!
No. I need to get rid of him as soon as possible before he corrupts her. Karla is just going through a phase. Once he's gone, she'll forget all about him.
Yes! That's exactly it!
"Since you've asked, Patriarch, I'll be direct," Lu Li said, setting down his chopsticks and meeting Erioh's gaze. "I wish to learn the Kure Clan's secret technique: Removal."
The moment the words left his mouth, not only did their table freeze, but the surrounding tables also fell completely silent.
Erioh's eyes narrowed into terrifying slits. "Oh? You wish to learn the Kure Clan's supreme secret? Surely you understand that Removal is a sacred technique passed down exclusively through our bloodline for millennia? Since you claim to have interacted with the mainland Wu Clan, you should know perfectly well that this technique is absolutely never taught to outsiders."
"I proposed a martial arts exchange, Patriarch. Naturally, I wouldn't ask for it for free. I will offer a profoundly powerful secret technique of my own in return. Furthermore, I swear on my honor as a martial artist that I will never transmit Removal to another living soul," Lu Li stated firmly.
He knew perfectly well the Kure Clan wouldn't just hand over their ultimate trump card because he asked nicely. But he had a massive bargaining chip.
"What technique could possibly rival our Removal? You must be joking, young friend," Erioh scoffed, his tone dripping with skepticism, though the hostility had faded.
Lu Li raised his right fist. In an instant, it was coated in a dark, grayish-black, metallic sheen. "With your profound insight, Patriarch, you should be able to instantly recognize the sheer power of this technique. Cultivated to its absolute pinnacle, forget ordinary firearms—even artillery shells won't be able to leave a scratch."
He was offering the Armament Haki cultivation method.
Although he had already consumed the system-generated item, he now fully comprehended the foundational principles and mechanics of Haki. He was entirely capable of drafting a comprehensive training manual and instructing others.
However, manifesting Armament Haki from scratch without a system item required immense physical vitality and spiritual willpower. In an ordinary world, the barrier to entry was astronomically high. Even among the superhuman Kure Clan, Lu Li estimated less than a handful of members possessed the innate talent required to actually awaken it for live combat.
He would write down the cultivation method and let the Kure elites meditate on it. Whether they could actually learn it was entirely up to their own karma and talent.
"If the technique is truly as you describe... it might indeed be worthy of comparison to Removal..." Erioh muttered, deeply intrigued.
His peerless martial instincts confirmed Lu Li wasn't bluffing. If the Kure Clan could integrate an absolute defense mechanism that rivaled steel with the overwhelming offensive output of Removal, their overall combat potential would skyrocket exponentially.
He deemed the trade highly acceptable. "...Very well. The Kure Clan will impart the secret of Removal to you. However, in addition to exchanging your hardening technique, there is one final condition. You must leave your seed with us."
And there it is. The hidden dagger.
Lu Li sighed internally. He wasn't devoid of mortal desires, but under his master's strict, classical moral upbringing, he firmly believed intimacy required genuine emotional responsibility. He absolutely refused to be treated as a breeding stallion. This condition was highly problematic.
But before Lu Li could even formulate a polite rejection, Karla suddenly cheered enthusiastically.
"Grandpa, you're the best! Lu Li, let's go make babies right now!"
The exact microsecond those words left her mouth, Erioh's entire world violently collapsed. The old man's face turned a horrifying, necrotic black. The wrinkled skin on his face seemed to physically crack and splinter like dry bark.
His expression warped chaotically between blinding rage and sheer, suffocating despair. He realized he had just catastrophically played himself.
"Hmph!" Erioh violently slammed his hand on the table, his voice trembling. "Forget it! The second condition is hereby permanently revoked! The hardening technique for Removal is a sufficient exchange!"
Lu Li was genuinely stunned by the rapid, 180-degree reversal. This old man really is an apocalyptic great-granddaughter simp...
Looking across the table at the loudly protesting Karla, Lu Li suddenly found the girl incredibly endearing. She had just inadvertently saved his virginity.
The lavish dinner concluded in a deeply bizarre, stifling atmosphere. Aside from Lu Li, who ate enough for ten men, practically none of the Kure elites touched their food, all lost in their own complicated thoughts.
"Mr. Lu, please allow me to escort you to your guest room," Fusui offered. Karla, meanwhile, had already been violently dragged away by her seething great-grandfather.
Erioh was now treating Lu Li like a rabid wolf. He had initially thought Lu Li was a sensible young man for rejecting Karla's advances earlier. Who could have predicted Lu Li would deliberately request her at the dinner table, forcing his hand?! (In Erioh's deeply paranoid mind, this was the only logical sequence of events).
"We have prepared fresh bedding, and there are clean clothes in the closet. If you require anything else, please do not hesitate to ask," Fusui said, kneeling gracefully outside the guest room like a traditional innkeeper.
"This is perfect. Thank you for your hospitality," Lu Li replied genuinely. After his master died, he had frequently slept on the streets in cardboard boxes; he wasn't picky about accommodations.
Just before closing the sliding door, Fusui added, "Ah, also... although you mentioned wanting to experience our assassination arts, the Patriarch has issued strict orders. No one will disturb you tonight. Please rest well."
With that, she tactfully slid the shoji door shut and headed to her own assigned room next door.
Lu Li wasn't surprised by Erioh's decree. The Patriarch wanted both of them fully rested and mentally sharp for tomorrow's complex martial arts exchange. Tonight wasn't the time for violent "pranks."
After quickly washing up, Lu Li lay down on the futon, finally allowing himself to truly rest for the first time since entering this mutative, chaotic world.
...
The night passed peacefully. The soft chirping of morning birds and the rhythmic clack of a bamboo water fountain in the courtyard gently woke Lu Li from his slumber.
He hadn't slept deeply; his five senses had remained in a semi-lucid state. If there had been even the slightest anomaly in the wind, he would have instantly drawn Qiu Mo and unleashed his Shikai.
After washing up, Lu Li sat on the wooden veranda overlooking the Zen garden. He opened the system interface to review the World Public Chat Channel.
Aside from the initial burst of frantic communication during the first half-day, the chat had gone mostly silent. Every Explorer had their own grueling missions to complete. Assuming many of them were scrambling to secure an entry slot for the Kengan Annihilation Tournament, they simply didn't have the luxury of "shitposting" in the global chat.
But this morning, a single, explosive message had violently detonated across the public frequency.
Ohma Tokita is dead.
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