Chapter 26
On the sidelines, a regular youth grinned as he pressed ice to his head.
"Didn't you want to kill me? How can a girl be so rude? Aren't you afraid of not finding a husband in the future?" Ray complained with a sullen face.
Hearing Ray's statement, Hou Yunfei glared fiercely.
"What does beating you have to do with me not getting married in the future? Weren't you the one who challenged me and wanted to show off your talent in front of a beautiful older sister?"
"Well, isn't this just a challenge? Be gentler, dear beautiful sister," Ray snorted disdainfully.
"Okay, I won't argue with you anymore. By the way, where did you learn those moves?" Hou Yunfei asked curiously.
Although Hou Yunfei didn't want to sound arrogant, she knew almost every martial art in the world. However, being a martial arts enthusiast, she attached great importance to finding references. It would be strange if she didn't know a move or two from any martial art.
Upon hearing the question, Ray wasn't surprised. He had watched some videos of people fighting using martial arts before. He knew that what he showed was completely different from what existed in this world. Although Skyfall had influences from across the galaxy, there were some similarities between different martial arts. Usually, those unique methods would only appear in special collapsing skies or relics from distant worlds. Ray could even find some cultural similarities between this world and Earth.
"Ah, I was just imitating some things I saw around and creating my martial art!" Ray proudly raised his chin, which made him look naive.
Hearing Ray's foolish statement, Hou Yunfei didn't believe him. However, after spending some time with the ordinary man in front of her, she could already get a sense of his character. It would be foolish for her to believe everything that came out of Ray's mouth. She believed that nine times out of ten, Ray's words were lies. Despite knowing that he often cheated, she still asked him questions to gauge his attitude.
"Who believes your nonsense! But it seems like you've been training diligently," Hou Yunfei remarked.
"Yeah, of course! Can't you see that I'm a diligent and talented boy? Don't worry, in the future, you can rely on me to climb the social ladder," Ray shamelessly and proudly said.
Seeing Ray's increasingly repugnant expression, Hou Yunfei couldn't help but feel annoyed. However, despite her annoyance, she was still willing to help him. It seemed that even though Ray never trained in the organization, he still made time to train. After all, the previous tiger-like movements wouldn't have been possible if he only practiced once or twice.
Hou Yunfei praised Ray's dedication and took out a book from her storage ring.
Upon seeing the appearance of the book that seemingly came out of nowhere, Ray became excited. His eyes lit up with hope involuntarily.
Observing Ray's reaction, Hou Yunfei could only look at him disdainfully.
"Since you're so enthusiastic, as a senior brother, I must support you. Take this. The exercises inside seem to match your previous moves."
Seeing the book offered by Hou Yunfei, Ray didn't take it right away. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and dryly said, "Hey, what's wrong, my brother? Are you up to something shady? Or are you proposing to me?"
Hou Yunfei, dumbfounded by Ray's response, could only stare at him in disbelief.
"I know I'm handsome and have a bright future. But big brother, can't you have some morals? I'm not even of legal age to marry yet. Can't you see from my face that I am a courageous and law-abiding citizen?"
"What's with this nonsense? If you don't want it, I won't force you!" Hou Yunfei shouted, suppressing his emotions to avoid hitting the peculiar youth in front of him.
"Ah, sister, don't be angry. Just keep it, I won't take your things," Ray weakly said, shaking his head. But despite the youth's disapproving look, his actions contradicted his words. Ray's hand moved swiftly as he took the book from the other party's hand and even directly stuffed it into his storage ring.
Hou Yunfei was dumbfounded by the sight before him. Before she could respond, Ray suddenly continued speaking.
"Okay, big brother, I won't bother you anymore. I still have things to do. Goodbye, beautiful sister!" Ray hurriedly turned around, afraid that the other party would regret giving him the martial manual.
Seeing the youth's hasty departure, Hou Yunfei could only shake her head with a sigh of helplessness. How could there be such a shameless person? Not only was he ungrateful, but he also left immediately after receiving a favor. Hou Yunfei suspected that she was played by that ordinary young man... it was as if Ray had been waiting for her to give him the book before leaving.
...
Due to the mess, Ray had caused earlier, his mother suggested renovating the attic so that Ray could study more comfortably in the future. While the renovation was underway, Ray had no choice but to train at the back of his house.
Swish!
Swoosh!
The sound of the wind howled as Ray swung his hands in a three-fingered claw-like motion.
"Wow, brother is amazing, just like the ones on TV!" shouted a girl who was standing at the edge of the house.
"Come inside, it's getting dark!"
"Brother, what was the name of that move just now? It was so cool!" exclaimed Esubi, who always looked at Ray with admiration.
"Oh, that move is called the Three-Clawed Dragon."
"Wow, that's so cool! It must be powerful!" Esubi responded enthusiastically.
Ray smiled as he saw their excitement. It was rare for his younger siblings to be interested and excited like this.
"Yes, it's really powerful!" said Ray as he gently stroked the heads of the two little ones, leading them inside.
While walking, Ray thought about the book Hou Yunfei had given him. The techniques inside were not too advanced but still valuable. For him, this book was precious because it could enhance his combat abilities.
Ray made a mental note to remember this well. After all, he had been taking advantage of the other party a lot recently.
He was determined to repay this debt as soon as he could stand on his own and become self-reliant.
The next day, after school, Ray didn't have anything special to do. As a result, he decided to visit the antique market in the city center in search of potential items.
Ray had previously discovered that the passive ability [D-rank Iron Bone] might not only be used to absorb metallic substances. In the wild, iron bugs could consume rocks and extract minerals from them. The predominant material absorbed would determine the direction of Ray's power manifestation. This led Ray to believe that there might be other suitable materials for his development.
With that in mind, Ray carefully explored the antique market, paying close attention to any potential items. Whenever he found something suitable, Ray would test his passive talent and observe how it progressed.
After circling the market for two hours, Ray came across several materials that seemed suitable for absorption. However, he wasn't entirely satisfied. While each material had its advantages, they all fell into the metal category, which didn't meet his criteria. Ray had no desire to get struck by lightning while flying through the air in the future. Besides, he possessed passive talents that could potentially enable flight.
Despite the considerable amount of time that had passed, Ray had to compromise and chose one of the best materials available. As he intended to return to the previous stall and acquire the metal material, Ray noticed a delicate-looking milky white bead. Curiosity piqued, he moved closer to examine it.
"Hey, uncle, how much is this pearl? It looks beautiful!" Ray said, pointing to the perfectly round, milky white pearl.
Observing Ray's interest, the stall owner, who was addressed as uncle, became excited and smiled cunningly as he responded to the question.
"Hehehe, young man, this pearl is indeed beautiful, but people often complain about the price."
"What price are you asking for this item, Uncle?" Ray asked casually.
"It's 500 value units. Not too expensive for such a lovely white pearl," the uncle replied.
Hearing the uncle's response, Ray appeared skeptical.
Observing Ray's expression, the stall owner grew displeased.
"Hey, young man, let's take a closer look. Maybe this pearl is meant for you. It wouldn't hurt to examine it more carefully," the uncle tried to persuade him.
Ray felt a surge of excitement. Wasn't this what he was looking for?
Without hesitation, Ray carefully picked up the pearl and scrutinized it as if examining it closely. In reality, he was activating his talent.
As his talent became active, Ray suddenly jerked back.
"Ehhh, what's wrong, young man?" the uncle asked with concern.