Shackles of Humanity

His deep communion with the Water Element made Luo Kai's mind increasingly peaceful. Perhaps because of this, he gradually began to sense a frequency of devoted attachment from Zilan. Joy bloomed in his heart, and he cared for it meticulously every day.

As an Elemental Master's Elemental Essence, Zilan was naturally no ordinary plant. It could survive under any extreme conditions, even reverting to a hard seed to escape danger. In truth, it didn't need him to worry about it.

It was the height of summer, and the weather was extremely hot. Even by the sea, there was little relief; the wind blowing from the ocean was just a wave of heat. One could only imagine how scorching it must be inland.

Luo Kai was shirtless, pulling weeds in the apple orchard. It was July, normally far from the time the fruit should ripen, but for some reason, some apples were already turning red and were ready to eat. Moreover, they were crisp, juicy, and very sweet.

It wasn't just the fruit trees that were unusual; the weeds were also surprisingly vigorous. Luo Kai pulled them almost every day, but by the next, they would invariably cover the orchard again. He vaguely felt that something wasn't right, but he didn't dwell on it. The Life Force of this world's flora and fauna was simply formidable.

"Friend, your fruit trees are growing really well!" A rough, booming voice sounded by his ear. Luo Kai was startled and turned to look.

Standing beside the orchard was a tall man with disheveled hair. The leather jacket hanging off his frame had a greasy sheen, and he was staring at Luo Kai with piercing eyes.

Luo Kai stood up. The man's aura was faint, almost nonexistent—so similar to Su Chengbo's. 'Without a doubt, another Body Master,' he thought. Dusting the dirt from his hands, he asked, "Are you here for me?"

The man walked into the orchard, plucked an apple, and said while chewing, "Very sweet. You're cut out for farming."

Luo Kai ignored him, bent back down, and continued to pull weeds.

The man finished the apple and spat out the core. Seeing that Luo Kai still had no intention of acknowledging him, he couldn't help but yell, "Hey! You're making me feel pretty invisible here."

Luo Kai said flatly, "If you want a fight, wait until I'm done."

"Damn, I've never seen anyone so arrogant! Fine. In a little while, I'll show you what I'm made of." The man rubbed his hands together, thoroughly annoyed. Seeing there was still a large patch of weeds in the orchard and not knowing how long it would take for Luo Kai to finish, he gave in, bent down, and started pulling weeds himself.

As he worked, he asked Luo Kai, "Hey, you're Luo Kai, right?"

Luo Kai rolled his eyes at him. "You already know, so why ask?"

"Why you little brat, you're pissing me off! I'm going to beat you so bad you'll wet your pants!"

Luo Kai grunted. "We'll see who makes who wet their pants."

The man huffed and puffed with rage, but his movements were nimble and swift. In no time at all, he had cleared the entire orchard of weeds.

"Alright, let's go! I never bully the weak. You're not a Body Master yet, so I won't use a Body Master's techniques on you."

Luo Kai stood up. "This isn't the place for a fight. Besides, I don't need you to go easy on me. I've been wanting to see for myself what a Body Master is capable of."

The man's anger vanished in an instant. He stared at Luo Kai with a bizarre expression. "Are you an idiot? I've never heard of a Martial Artist challenging a Body Master, even one who knows a few random tricks."

Ignoring him, Luo Kai started walking toward Wanghai Cliff. 'I truly want to test my strength against a Body Master. My newly comprehended Azure Wave Force is incredibly powerful. And with my giant transformation when my qi and blood reach their peak, I should have a fighting chance. Even if I can't win, it's no big deal. This is the coast. If I'm outmatched, I can always escape into the sea. Once I'm in the water, not even an Immortal could catch me.'

"Kid, I'm talking to you! You hear me?" the large man yelled, following closely at his heels.

Luo Kai glanced back. "I know you're here to capture me. If we're going to fight, let's fight. Enough with the pointless chatter."

"Heh, with this foul temper of mine... if I don't teach you a lesson today, then my name isn't Tuoba!" the man snorted, reaching for Luo Kai's shoulder.

Luo Kai dodged to the side and shot forward.

The man stomped his foot in excitement and followed like a shadow, his calloused palm sticking right to Luo Kai's shoulder.

One fled while the other gave chase, leaving a trail of afterimages.

They soon reached Wanghai Cliff. Luo Kai halted, turned, and threw a punch. A sharp crack echoed through the air, carrying the faint sound of wind and thunder.

The man's expression grew taut. He changed his grab to a punch and met the attack head-on.

BANG! The two fists collided. The man didn't move an inch, but Luo Kai was involuntarily forced back several steps. He rubbed his faintly aching fist as his heart rate began to climb, his chest rising and falling with increasing speed. Oxygen-rich blood surged through his body. He punched again.

The man met his punch without hesitation. The two began a pure contest of Fist Power, with no superfluous tricks.

At first, Luo Kai was constantly forced back. But as his qi and blood began to circulate ferociously, his body started to expand. Every one of his muscles vibrated faintly, progressively transferring Power to his fists. Before one wave of force was spent, a new one was born, pushing the old one forward—layer upon layer, endlessly!

The sound of wind and thunder in the air grew louder, eventually sounding like a series of thunderclaps on a clear day. The environment itself was stirred; below Wanghai Cliff, the Sea Tide surged violently. A thick, dark cloud gathered over their heads, rumbling with thunder, and a torrential downpour suddenly crashed down.

The man's expression grew increasingly grave, and he was finally forced to take a step back. A faint golden light surfaced on his skin; faced with Luo Kai's surging, tide-like Fist Power, he had no choice but to use the techniques of a Body Master.

BOOM!

A shocking thunderclap echoed through the air, and both men took a large step back in unison.

Staring at Luo Kai, who had now transformed into a giant, the man was shocked beyond words. He had assumed Luo Kai would use Evil Energy to deal with him, yet here he was, fighting him to a standstill with his physical body alone. He couldn't help but ask, "What is this Body Technique?"

The giant that Luo Kai had become rumbled, "This is my Azure Wave Force. I'm not going with you. If you want to continue this fight, I'll be happy to oblige!"

The man glanced at the environmental anomalies around them, understanding that they were caused by the frequency of his opponent's Fist Power. He never imagined that here, in the remote Southern Lordship Kingdom, someone could wield a Body Technique capable of channeling the great power of Heaven and Earth.

'My normal methods clearly aren't enough to subdue Luo Kai. If I use my stronger techniques, it'll become a fight to the death. Besides, I have a feeling that even if I pull out all the stops, I still won't be able to capture him.' After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Fine. What happened on the airship that day? How did Li Hong die?"

'So he really is here about that.' Luo Kai took a deep breath, his expanded body rapidly shrinking back to normal. He asked, "Are you from the Body Technique Association?"

"My name is Tuoba Ye. I'm temporarily working for the Body Technique Association. I was originally supposed to capture you, but now it seems I might not be able to pull that off. Ah, whatever. These past few months have been killing me. I'm going to get a good night's sleep when I get back." Tuoba Ye stretched, yawned, and sat down on a large nearby rock.

Luo Kai hesitated for a moment before recounting the events of that day.

Tuoba Ye listened, interjecting with his own commentary. "Hmm... sounds like you were attacked by Extraterrestrial Creatures using High-Power Weapons. That old geezer Li Hong was stubborn as an ox. If you can't win, you run. Sigh... what a fool."

Luo Kai had heard another new term and couldn't help but ask, "What are High-Power Weapons?"

"A type of ammunition that generates immense power through fission impact. You know what nuclear weapons are, right? It's something like that. It seems you really have nothing to do with Extraterrestrial Creatures if you don't even know what High-Power Weapons are. Okay, I'm off."

Luo Kai's expression shifted. "Why would you think I was connected to the Extraterrestrial Creatures?" he pressed.

Tuoba Ye glanced back at him. "The Extraterrestrial Creatures haven't been seen for nearly a century. I originally suspected that one appeared to save you, but now it seems that's not the case. Alright, I'm off."

As he walked away, he continued to mutter, "This place of yours isn't half-bad, just too remote. No wine, no meat, no women... so boring."

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