Under Ronan's blank, stunned gaze, the Martial Emperor's sleeve slipped down to her elbows, revealing smooth, jade-white forearms. Her clear gaze shot straight through the narrow passage formed by her arms, their eyes meeting.
Her posture was somewhat similar to Zhang Yingying's earlier movement, but... how could it possibly be the same!
Ronan was genuinely dazed, so much so that he missed a brief half-sentence. Fortunately, the Martial Emperor soon spoke, her voice clear:
"...The masterpiece of Luo Yuandao and the others. The so-called 'Format Theory' they taught you is quite excellent, practically the logic this universe ought to possess. Even if the framework is overly rigid and has somewhat delayed your development, as long as you keep digging within that framework, the logic of 'Format Theory' gives you no shortage of things you can handle. And even now, those fools outside still haven't given you a single beyond syllabus question."
She was talking about me.
Ronan half-recovered, struggling free from the confusion of basic emotions and instinctive reactions. He vaguely felt he had heard something similar before, though he could not remember whether it had also been the Martial Emperor's assessment.
The important thing was that he had always relished such phrasing. Taking the chance to catch his breath, he lowered his head in thanks.
"Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty."
"Is that how you understand it?"
The Martial Emperor laughed soundlessly. Then, before Ronan's bewildered expression, she withdrew her hands but maintained their current distance, looking down into his eyes. "You think I was praising you? Let us call it that... but forgive my bluntness: the Mental Side has no future."
"..."
Ronan had forgotten how many times he had fallen into this awkward situation where he could not respond. His most immediate inner reaction was:
*This