But that power the fact that I wielded that power in the past Why is it now so hard Li gritted his teeth
Alana and Hank had proven themselves multiple times against multiple enemies of Earth over the last few years Lucifer had led a team to clear the challenge Danger Zone faster than any others Donny and Glendel were basically the original dominant main force of Donnyton a pair of individuals whose leadership skills meant they hadnÆt needed to act publicly in years Tykes and Dinesh were former members of Donnyton and heavily involved with the Order Ducis and the spread of images to other Zones
Even Lyra and Stan the least understood pair made Huang Li nervous Lyra also didnÆt appear recently in any sort of discussions but that was because she was nominally the VIllage Spirit of Donnyton She was the first Village Spirit that seemed capable of existing outside of the Village and actually fighting Viewers were left baffled by her unflappable and unhurried victories to reach the top 8
It was rumored that she made a deal with someone high up in the Seventh Cohort to transform herself into more than simply being a Village Spirit Yet during all the matches her image was dense and well controlled Which made her a figure that Huang Li felt great wariness toward
Li clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles popped No matter how he thought about it he would fail He was a failure And that failure
Ack Huang Li grunted and staggered a half step forward He twisted around and looked at Huang Shou primly holding his his knobby cane with both hands With a wince he straightened is there something you need grandfather
A grandson who listens Huang Shou said without any irony Then he inclined his head toward the dinner table Ever since you have seen that bracket you have not been able to eat or even produce a single productive thought through your your thick skull I look at you now and wonder if you are the same young man who won us the prior match
I know Huang Li whispered His hands were tingling like they were coming to life after being numb So even Huang Shou sensed that he had lost something precious in the prior match I I know
Huang Shou snorted Then he raised his cane to jab at Huang LIÆs stomach but paused After considering for a bit he appeared to think better of the violent action So he revered his grip on his cane and brough the larger knobbed head around in a baseball bat swing that hit Huang LiÆs thigh with enough force the limb spasmed
Caught rather off guard Huang Li collapsed While he was on the ground Huang Shou rolled his shoulders My grandfather was the greatest Go player that I have ever seen even to this day The current me could not give him a worthy match even with a seven stone handicap Randidly Ghosthound has enough personal strength and force that the Village he simply associated with in his earlier days now has enough clout to dominate the list of EarthÆs most powerful people Can you guess what these two individuals have in common
For a while Huang Li just blinked and rubbed the sore spot on his thigh His thoughts truly had been in chaos since they had won their previous match He had drifted around without any weight stunned and reeling The great achievement became a weight around Huang LiÆs neck that he couldnÆt support That strike by his adoptive grandfather had shocked him awake
But these questions Huang Li shook his head I do not know
Guess Huang Shou opened his mouth just enough for the frosty word to slip out then resumed his near perpetual frown But Huang Li didnÆt miss the way that Huang ShouÆs hands choked up on the can in preparation for another swing
Li released a large sigh Still his training from the Huang Family was deeply engraved in him It had been since he became Captain of Zone 7Æs guard but interrogations like this had used to be quite common for him He shifted his legs to be folded underneath him in a respectful posture from what little I know of both they were both very well respected men
There were a split second where Li detected Huang ShouÆs movements and could have dodged the vicious strike His adoptive grandfather had hid his high Stats very well but even so Huang Li had higher base specs But ultimately Li pressed his lips together and allowed the strike to hit his face
With an aching jaw Huang Li turned and listened to Huang Shou The older manÆs eyes were dark and flinty Your first thought is to talk of other peopleÆs opinions of them Are you a newspaper or a gossip
LiÆs breath came out threw his nose and tried a different answer They both earned the respect and admiration of their peers
Actually my grandfather was rather universally criticized and avoided He had an irascible temper and couldnÆt accept even the slightest sign of disrespect His tongue was vicious I often believed that had it not been for my interest in Go he wouldnÆt have even bothered to allow me to visit his estate The old man would derive great enjoyment from keeping the gate shut in my face but as you truly did not ever know him I will not count this against you Try again
How generous Very quickly Huang LiÆs flash of annoyance was suppressed beneath his practicality The wheels of his thoughts began to quickly whirr to life LiÆs mind felt even more clear in the wake of the second strike It suddenly occurred to him that these were not normal attacks there was a Skill hidden in their movements one so subtle that Huang Li had missed its activation
An entirely different sort of bitterness emerged in LiÆs heart as he considered the truth that Huang Shou was doing this currently in order to help him The method was rough but the old man wasnÆt just lashing out randomly So Huang Li did his best to consider the question posed by his grandfather what did these two people have in common
As LiÆs emotions began to calm something else occurred to him despite his high standards Huang Shou wouldnÆt give him an impossible task Because Li didnÆt know anything about this previous Huang Grandfather the answer would lay with what he knew about Randidly Ghosthound So what did the Ghosthound have in common with this former patriarch of the Huang Family A man who that Li knew nothing about aside from the fact he was very good at
That line of thoughts made Li paused Almost reflexively he spoke to Huang Shou in a question How much did your grandfather play Go
Huang Shou tapped the base of his cane twice against the ground I cannot think of a time that I saw him when he wasnÆt playing Go That board was the most important object in his life
then what unites them is dedication to their pursuits Huang Li said with confidence As his emotions calmed further and his thoughts cooled it was like his mental state was being filtered The mess of his mind was purified and streamlined the silt and pollution of the past few days being stripped away LiÆs expression turned increasingly serious as he considered the internal chaos of the last twenty hours the usage of that Sky Slaying Slash was more dangerous than he thought
Setting aside the emotional reaction using that amalgamation of images while Huang LiÆs image had been partially wounded by BlackhandÆs energy resulted in some foreign elements bleeding into his image Foreign elements that affected Huang LiÆs mental state
Of course I am a failure I am just a simple man who was raised to this point on the backs of my predecessors Why would being a failure bother me ThatÆs not the point Huang Li released a much lighter breath The point is to contribute so those that follows can achieve even greater things
Well I suppose that is close enough Huang Shou allowed He tapped the base of his cane twice more on the ground But in this case it is better to remember that both men were obsessed to the point of being isolated from the world Never forget the steps you took to get to this point The Go my grandfather constantly played or the battlefields the Ghosthound has traversed to reach this point Do not turn your back on your prior efforts The masses have coined the term Legend and put you in that category but you are the most recent and the most eye catching of a dozen such individuals You are still the soldier from Zone 7 That is all you are and that is your strength