"Young friend... we are truly in your debt."
Erioh Kure's critical injuries had finally been stabilized by the emergency medical team. Upon seeing Lu Li, the ancient Patriarch immediately bowed his head in profound, genuine gratitude.
The Worm's invasion force this time was undeniably a luxurious, apocalyptic lineup. They had deployed the absolute highest echelon of their organization: the three supreme executives serving directly under the Connector. The combat power they brought to the island was practically unrivaled in the modern era.
But with Lu Li effortlessly decapitating all three of those monsters, along with White Niko's elite disciples, the remaining Worm grunts were essentially reduced to headless chickens. After the primary threat was eliminated, Lu Li had rapidly swept through the sprawling stadium complex, systematically exterminating the remaining Worm operatives and feeding a substantial amount of Growth Progression to Qiu Mo.
However, due to the sheer volume of operatives the Worm had deployed, two or three lucky survivors managed to slip through the cracks and flee back to the ocean. To Lu Li's mild surprise, the Worm had actually mobilized a state-of-the-art stealth submarine for this operation. This confirmed his suspicion that the notorious global arms dealer, Toyo Electric, had heavily funded and supported the logistics of this invasion.
But Lu Li didn't care. He had already slaughtered the "Big Bosses." The surviving low-level grunts wouldn't have provided any meaningful Growth Progression anyway. Letting them run back to deliver the news was perfectly fine with him.
Lu Li could somewhat respect the twisted, profound bond of friendship between Xia Yan and the Connector, but he absolutely despised the Worm as a global terrorist organization. Slaughtering them was no burden on his conscience. Besides... he actively wanted to provoke the absolute pinnacle of this world.
"Please focus on your recovery, Patriarch. If you truly wish to thank me, why don't you allow me to study a few more of the Kure Clan's secret techniques?" Lu Li asked with a warm, casual smile.
He was genuinely interested in the broader spectrum of Kure assassination arts, but he hadn't wanted to press his luck earlier, fearing he might come across as overly greedy.
"That is absolutely not a problem. I trust you will not disseminate our arts to outsiders," Erioh nodded readily.
The Kure Clan had already imparted their absolute core secret, Removal, to Lu Li. Compared to that, their other martial techniques were far less sensitive. If Lu Li was interested, Erioh was more than happy to oblige.
"Thank you in advance, Patriarch. I'll make sure to have some 'deep discussions' on martial arts with Raian during my stay," Lu Li replied politely.
"Let us put martial arts aside for a moment," Erioh sighed heavily.
Looking at Lu Li, the old man's fondness for the youth grew, but a deep, suffocating worry clouded his ancient eyes.
"You have just executed the supreme Head of the Worm. I fear you are about to face an unprecedented, catastrophic problem."
"Are you referring to Shen Wulong?" Lu Li asked, fully aware of the answer.
Erioh nodded, his expression turning terrifyingly grim.
"You may not be aware of this piece of ancient history, young friend... but 1,300 years ago, the Kure and Wu lineages were entirely united. It was a single man—the 'Demigod' known as Shen Wulong—who single-handedly shattered our united clan and scattered us to the winds."
"Do you genuinely believe he is an actual immortal?" Lu Li asked, feigning curiosity.
Erioh frowned deeply.
"As much as my logical mind vehemently refuses to believe that true immortals exist in this world... according to the absolute highest-classified archives of our clan, Shen Wulong has walked this earth for at least five thousand years."
He patiently began to explain the lore, desperate to make Lu Li understand the sheer, apocalyptic gravity of the situation.
"The overarching Wu lineage originated in the ancient Eastern continent. Five millennia ago, our absolute progenitor, Wu Hei, established the very first Wu Clan. Utilizing a forbidden, psychological technique known as Huisheng, Wu Hei essentially orchestrated a continuous cycle of 'reincarnation' within our bloodline. The man you executed today, Edward Wu, was one of the vessels currently harboring the ego of Wu Hei."
"That sounds incredibly profound. I heard vague rumors about this forbidden technique when I interacted with the mainland Wu Clan," Lu Li nodded thoughtfully.
In reality, Lu Li knew perfectly well that the Huisheng technique was essentially just extreme, systematic brainwashing and memory transmission. It couldn't strictly be considered true "reincarnation."
Forcing a selected heir to sit in a dark room and listen to an old man narrate his life story on a loop for twenty years seemed like an incredibly cheap, low-tech knockoff of immortality to Lu Li.
Furthermore, in the case of Wu Hei, the current generation had forcibly cultivated multiple "vessels" simultaneously. It was highly debatable if any of these men could genuinely be considered the true Wu Hei anymore. They were basically just mass-produced bootlegs harboring fragmented memories.
"Since you are already aware of Huisheng, I won't waste time explaining the mechanics. But here is the critical, terrifying truth: our progenitor, Wu Hei, did not invent the Huisheng technique. It was Shen Wulong who taught it to him."
Erioh's voice dropped to a grave whisper.
"This undeniably proves that Shen Wulong has existed for at least five millennia. He might have even been present at the very dawn of human civilization."
This was Erioh's logical deduction.
If Wu Hei existed 5,000 years ago, and Shen Wulong was the one who instructed him, it meant Shen Wulong was already an unfathomable, ancient entity even back then.
Given that Shen Wulong had maintained his absolute, overwhelming strength throughout the millennia, it was practically guaranteed he possessed a vastly superior, flawless method of true reincarnation—one far more advanced than the crude brainwashing of Huisheng.
Otherwise, it was biologically impossible to explain why he remained so utterly flawless, and perhaps even continued to grow stronger over time.
"Listening to your description, it genuinely sounds like he fundamentally belongs in an entirely different genre. While the rest of you are practicing martial arts, is he busy cultivating Daoist immortality?" Lu Li chuckled.
Honestly, that was exactly what Lu Li had thought when he was reading the manga back on Earth.
To be completely frank, Lu Li didn't feel a shred of genuine mortal threat from the elite Grandmasters of this world. Even when facing Kuroki Gensai, Lu Li merely viewed it as an incredibly satisfying, highly educational martial arts exchange.
If they were thrust into a genuine, no-holds-barred deathmatch, Lu Li stood on an entirely different dimensional plane. Even if every single top-tier Kengan fighter on this island rushed him simultaneously right now, Lu Li was absolutely certain he would be the last man standing atop a mountain of corpses.
But Shen Wulong was a completely different entity.
That thing genuinely possessed the combat power of a "Demigod." He blatantly broke the established scaling of the Kengan universe, wielding an incomprehensible, logic-defying power categorized simply as "Principles."
Before entering the Terminus Space, Lu Li hadn't managed to read the actual ending of the manga. Perhaps the chapters he had read were the unofficial ending—because logically, there wasn't a single character in the narrative capable of actually defeating Shen Wulong. Continuing the story felt entirely pointless.
But now that he had been deployed into this living, breathing universe, he was going to force a definitive "Ending."
"Daoist immortality?"
Hearing Lu Li's bizarre phrasing, Erioh's expression turned highly complex.
"That is... actually a terrifyingly accurate way to phrase it. The Patriarch of the mainland Wu Clan and I have spent decades debating the true nature of Shen Wulong. Our ultimate conclusion was that Shen Wulong might actually be a physical manifestation of the Earth's will. He is the favored child of this planet, which is exactly why his existence so completely shatters all biological limitations."
"The physical manifestation of the Earth's will? That's getting a bit ridiculous, don't you think?"
Lu Li immediately rejected the theory.
"As far as I'm concerned, no matter how strong he is, he still fundamentally operates within the biological parameters of a human being. Just like me. And I am undeniably, 100% human."
"Well... I'm not entirely sure about that..."
A trembling, hesitant voice suddenly echoed from the side.
Lu Li turned his head.
It was Kazuo Yamashita.
Amidst the apocalyptic chaos earlier, the terrified, middle-aged salaryman had completely lost his mind and had instinctively clung to Raian Kure for protection.
Having eavesdropped on their conversation, Kazuo had subconsciously voiced his inner thoughts out loud.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Lu Li asked, his brow furrowing in genuine displeasure.
"Ah! I-I-I didn't mean it like that! I-I meant to say... Mr. Lu, you're not human! W-Wait, no, that's wrong! I-I mean... Mr. Lu, you are so impossibly strong that you don't even seem human! Ah... wait, that doesn't sound right either..."
Watching Kazuo Yamashita practically having a panic attack trying to explain himself, Lu Li felt a wave of profound annoyance.
He mentally checked his [Charm] attribute.
His Charm stat was undeniably above the average baseline for a normal human! This clearly proved he possessed the standard, aesthetically pleasing appearance of a normal human male!
How the hell did he not look human?!
"Karla," Lu Li turned to the teenage girl standing nearby.
"Do I look bizarre or monstrous to you?"
Karla frantically shook her head.
"Not at all! In my eyes, Lu Li is incredibly handsome!"
Hearing this, Lu Li finally relaxed.
See? I am clearly a perfectly normal, standard human being.
Satisfied, he turned back to the main topic.
"Although I have no idea how he has managed to 'live' for so long, as long as his physical vessel still bleeds red and operates within the general parameters of biology, there is absolutely no reason why he cannot be killed."
"Confidence is an excellent trait. And perhaps... you genuinely might be the one to shatter the myth of Shen Wulong," Erioh said, a flicker of hope igniting in his ancient eyes.
"Once this tournament officially concludes, please return to our clan compound for further training. I believe there are certain classified archives that might prove highly beneficial to you."
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