Li Ke's Reunion

In this world, surgical preparations for ninjas are quite slipshod. Because ninjas possess robust physiques and vigorous vitality, they only require a light anesthetic before the procedure can begin.

As for sterile rooms and the like, those are even simpler; given the efficiency of ninjas, they can be prepared with ease.

However, just as Naruto Li Ke was about to undergo surgery, he drank the anesthetic, closed his eyes, and once again saw that bizarre and kaleidoscopic scene.

"Huh? Coming at a time like this?"

Naruto Li Ke was stunned for a moment, but he still walked forward. Before long, he saw the few Li Kes he had encountered before, but this time, two more had appeared.

Naruto Li Ke hurried over and saw them chatting happily. He tapped French Li Ke on the hand and immediately understood the origins of these two new arrivals.

One of them was in the world of Smiling Proud Wanderer, currently serving as a disciple under Sect Leader Yue Buqun of the Mount Hua Sect, though his relationship with his fellow disciples was not particularly harmonious.

The reason was quite simple: although he knew Yue Buqun would eventually become a hypocrite, he was indeed a child Yue Buqun had saved from bandits. After being adopted, he realized that martial arts were the most important thing, so he practiced diligently. Aside from relaxing, he spent his time reading, and after analyzing the situation in Smiling Proud Wanderer, he asked Yue Buqun to teach him the Four Books and Five Classics.

Although people often call these feudal dregs, a fanfiction he read before transmigrating was right: in the Ming Dynasty, passing the imperial examinations to become a juren was far better than being the leader of any of the Five Great Sword Sects!

Even if it was just a military juren!

Therefore, his relationship with the group of disciples led by Linghu Chong could not be called bad; it could only be called extremely poor.

After all, in a group of people who were slacking off, the sudden appearance of a workaholic was something no one liked.

Li Ke understood this, but that didn't mean he had to join Linghu Chong's clique.

He had tried to persuade Linghu Chong, but it was useless, so he could only practice martial arts and study in solitude.

The other one had transmigrated into a rather tragic world.

"My condolences."

Naruto Li Ke patted this brother on the shoulder, expressing his sympathy.

"I know, so don't say it."

The corner of the eye of the Li Ke who was patted twitched, but he was also helpless.

"I know what kind of place Sanctuary is; you don't need to remind me again."

After saying this, Dark Li Ke—a resident of Tristram in the Diablo universe—sighed.

"It's a pity that although I know what a Nephalem is, I have absolutely no intention of awakening."

Nephalem are the offspring of angels and demons in the Diablo universe. These individuals possess power far exceeding that of demons and angels, and can be said to be the beings closest to the Creator.

But as for flying, that is impossible. Don't be fooled by how overpowered the Nephalem in the Diablo world are; most humans lack the ability to awaken Nephalem power and instead fall easily due to the demonic power within their bodies.

It can be said that out of millions, one Nephalem is a very exaggerated awakening rate. Moreover, most Nephalem can only manage to fight one against a hundred. As for Li-Ming, the "daughter" of the Diablo series, using high heels to stomp Diablo—the fusion of the Seven Evils—to death, that is absolutely impossible.

Most Nephalem might even die fighting the Prime Evils; they are merely stronger than ordinary angels and demons.

Just like in Diablo IV, although the Worldstone that suppressed the appearance of such extraordinary individuals was gone, there was no sign of Nephalem running rampant everywhere. This is the most obvious evidence.

Li-Ming is strong because she is inherently powerful; the Nephalem power is an auxiliary, not the deciding factor. Without it, Li-Ming could still beat most demons and angels into submission.

At most, she would just have a harder time against the very top-tier angels and demons.

"And even if I awakened the Nephalem power, it might not be that strong. Even if it were, it might not be usable in your worlds... Don't forget, our sharing doesn't include our strength. Nephalem power might not be shareable."

Dark Li Ke complained, then continued.

"Besides, who knows if I'll die in a demon attack? You have to know that I'm still taking refuge in the Rogue Encampment. The legendary heroes who ended the three Prime Evils haven't even appeared yet. The plot of Diablo II hasn't even started, and I might get killed any day now. By the time I die, the Worldstone that suppresses the Nephalem might not even be destroyed."

His complaints made the other Li Kes nod. If their sharing included their strength, then French Li Ke would have already cleared the world of Harry Potter.

After all, Naruto Li Ke's speed was enough to leave most wizards unable to react.

But in reality? The other Li Kes still didn't know what special abilities they had actually shared from Naruto Li Ke.

"That really is... but fortunately, our talents and potential can be shared. As long as we work hard, it's enough!"

Naruto Li Ke felt a bit regretful. If he could awaken Nephalem power, he would go right now, press the heads of the Third Hokage and Danzo down, ask them if they wanted to retire, and then ask them if he was well-suited to be Hokage.

Not for any other reason, but because if he possessed the power of a Nephalem, protecting the world would mean protecting his world!

He, Li Ke, could force the Otsutsuki Clan to their knees and make them sing "Conquer" on the spot!

"But I probably know what talent I can share with everyone. In fact, even if it couldn't be shared, you would still be able to enjoy it."

Smiling Proud Li Ke cupped his hands, appearing very polite.

"After I transmigrated, I could memorize everything I saw, and I could edit or delete my memories at will. So, I think this is the talent I can share."

Naruto Li Ke was stunned upon hearing this, and then he was shocked to find that his memory had suddenly improved!

Whether it was the knowledge he had seen before transmigrating or the memories of the other Li Kes, he could easily extract them, edit them within his own mind, and change or delete them.

"Why does this feel like a hard drive? And a solid-state drive with a high-speed read head at that?"

Daily Life Li Ke couldn't help but complain, but his face also showed excitement.

This thing was truly useful to him! If nothing else, if he wanted to study law or become a doctor, this ability would be incredibly useful!

Work like reading books would only need to be done once from now on; there would be no need to look at them a second time!

He wouldn't even need to add comments when writing code!

He could easily dominate every single subject!

"It consumes a lot of mental energy, but for us, it's actually not that big of a deal..."

Wuxia Li Ke smiled, then looked toward Daily Life Li Ke, Type-Moon Li Ke, and French Li Ke.

"However, I'll have to rely on you all for the study materials I need for the exams."

Although the eight-legged essay exam is an outdated relic, its difficulty is by no means low.

In terms of subjects, it's actually quite similar to modern civil service exams, though they are ultimately different things.

But this stuff is far harder than civil service exams; they aren't even on the same level of difficulty.

First of all, ancient times lacked archives and libraries. Whatever books you could read depended entirely on the academy you attended and what books your family, relatives, and friends happened to possess.

Take something like the Three Hundred Tang Poems; even in the Qing Dynasty, many people hadn't even heard of more than half of the poems in that collection.

Then there are the commentaries on the Four Books and Five Classics, the commentaries on those commentaries, and the commentaries on the commentaries of the commentaries—that is how the so-called "subtle words and profound meanings" came to be. But what if you don't have those commentaries on commentaries?

You're out of luck, because the Ming Dynasty government in Smiling Proud Li Ke's era certainly wouldn't help you with that.

Furthermore, there are the commentaries on the Four Books and Five Classics regarding the imperial court's latest policies. When a court policy needs to be described using allusions from the classics, you have to consider the examiner's personal preferences, political leanings, and the current political climate when answering.

For the examinees of that time, it was a massive, chaotic blind box—purely a matter of luck.

Those with family connections could naturally obtain relevant information, but those without them? They were simply out of luck.

Therefore, passing the imperial examination was an incredibly difficult feat for people in ancient times. It was only after Smiling Proud Li Ke began studying himself that he truly understood the difficulty.

"That's no problem. I'll just climb the wall and find historical documents in the Celestial Empire over there. It might be slow, though, because I still have to undergo my master's training... but with your sword technique memories, I reckon it'll be much easier."

Type-Moon Li Ke nodded; this was simple for him.

"My world might not be a normal Earth, so the history is completely different, but I can still help you find some basic technology. You can use it as merit once you become an official, or just use it yourself. Oh, right, I have potatoes that have undergone complete genetic modification—the kind that can be replanted and have high yields! I can only bring in a small amount for now, and I don't know when the space will open again, so I'm not sure if I can bring more in."

Daily Life Li Ke felt a bit awkward. Although his world had these things, it was essentially a mundane world. While there were many martial arts competitions, the most impressive feats were just snapping bull horns or splitting bricks.

Before he gained his golden finger, he had just wanted to be a boxer and make a living off his abnormal physical fitness.

But now, with Smiling Proud Li Ke's talent and the knowledge and talents of the other Li Kes, he could dominate various higher education institutions and then—

Become a super-human who combines the traits of a sports star and a top-tier scholar.

There was no helping it; this path was the most enjoyable and the best future for an orphan like him.

As for starting from scratch without relying on anyone to build a company with a market value of ten billion?

That kind of talk is just for listening; anyone who actually believes it is a fool.

French Li Ke, on the other hand, felt a bit helpless.

"This is a bit difficult for me. After all, it's hard to find translated materials about the Celestial Empire abroad, and even the Chinese themselves rarely know about these specialized things. But I'll try, or maybe I can trick my dad into going to the Celestial Empire for archaeology and investment. It will be much better when I return from wizarding school next year; I can hire people to find those materials for you under the guise of researching magic..."

French Li Ke came from a wealthy family. His father was a university professor specializing in French archaeology, and his mother ran a bubble tea cup business—though, strangely, they didn't deal in straws.

His grandfather was a member of parliament, and his grandmother was a director of a grain company and a manager of an orphanage relief fund.

His maternal grandparents were high-ranking officials in several local labor unions.

Basically, once the older generation retired, French Li Ke's father would become a member of parliament and a high-ranking official in several unions. His mother would take over his grandmother's work, participating in the management of the grain company and the foundation.

So, among the Li Kes present, French Li Ke had the best family background—one could even say it was excessively good.

"It's fine. I'm still young anyway. Relying on the library at Mount Hua to pass the xiucai exam isn't too big of a problem. By the time I'm sixteen, I'll definitely have found enough materials."

Smiling Proud Li Ke didn't mind. For various reasons, his personality was more composed than the other Li Kes, quite similar to the demeanor Yue Buqun displayed on the surface.

"But speaking of sword techniques..."

Smiling Proud Li Ke looked at Naruto Li Ke.

"Your ninja sword techniques are completely inapplicable in my current situation..."

Naruto Li Ke knew some sword techniques, but they were all aimed at life-or-death combat. Because of the existence of various ninjutsu, his sword style and the Mount Hua sword style had completely different approaches to combat; they weren't even in the same vein.

Moreover, Li Ke's "sword" was actually a blade, and he wasn't the type who excelled at using sword techniques.

Chakra and internal energy were also completely different things, making it impossible to cross-reference them. Conversely, he had gained a lot from the memories of Type-Moon Li Ke being trained by Scáthach.

"Ah, there's no helping that. My time is spent on training ninjutsu. As for sword techniques, they only exist to complement my ninjutsu. Besides, many of your Mount Hua sword moves would be suicidal when facing a ninja."

Naruto Li Ke nodded. The enemies he and Smiling Proud Li Ke faced were completely different, so it was perfectly normal that their combat experience and sword techniques couldn't complement each other.

With a slight wave of the hand, Smiling Proud Li Ke might be facing a very fast attack, or at most, hidden weapons and explosives, while he had to face massive torrents of water, raging infernos, or piles of earth and lightning.

Rashly using Mount Hua sword techniques or Type-Moon moves against a ninja would lead to a very abstract death. But using ninja blade techniques to fight martial arts masters from Smiling Proud Wanderer wouldn't result in a much better outcome either.

Still, it wouldn't be accurate to say they were completely useless, as many of the techniques for exerting force were quite valuable.

Just as they were about to say more, the space began to collapse again. The group could only exchange helpless glances as their consciousnesses returned to their respective bodies.

This Black Mist Space still holds many secrets... At the very least, I need to be able to enter and exit freely, right?

Thinking this, Naruto Li Ke opened his eyes and instinctively raised his hand, only to feel a sharp pain in his right arm. At that moment, Senju Tobirama spoke up in his mind.

"Your arm cannot undergo strenuous activity for the time being. Also, brat... did your ancestors ever intermarry with the Uzumaki clan?"

Senju Tobirama's mood was exceptionally complex. When Li Ke was undergoing surgery, he had quietly used Li Ke's own chakra to reconnect his chakra meridians to ensure his potential as a ninja.

Yes, all that talk about secret techniques and developing bloodline limits to recover from injuries was nonsense—it was just to trick Li Ke into training hard.

However, while those medical ninjas were performing surgery, he discovered that the boy's vitality was like a startled beast, abruptly surging once again!

There was no need for him to expend energy or chakra to reconnect the chakra meridians; as long as they were aligned, Li Ke's formidable vitality would bridge them on its own!

This was already approaching the vitality of his own elder brother!

He analyzed the situation and felt it was because Li Ke had been "injured" again, causing his genes, currently in an active phase, to further strengthen his bloodline limit.

With such monstrous talent, he found it even harder to let go.

After all, the current Konoha might not be very friendly toward a genius like Li Ke; he had to watch over him for a while longer.

"I don't think so? What's wrong, Second Hokage-sama?"

"Nothing, it's just that your recovery is somewhat astonishing. I originally thought you would need to practice secret techniques to restore your chakra meridians, but you recovered on your own... Your recovery rate is truly remarkable, yet your limits should extend far beyond this."

Li Ke was stunned upon hearing this. After sensing his own body, he discovered that although his right arm still ached, the flow of chakra was as smooth as it had ever been!

Without a doubt, this was likely due to one of Li Ke's "talents," and the surge in vitality was undoubtedly caused by the same thing.

"I see. Then, will you still guide my training, Second Hokage-sama?"

Senju Tobirama let out a cold snort.

"Hmph! You are still far from a full recovery! You must not stop the development of your secret techniques and bloodline limit! But for now, learn this first. Memorize this chakra circulation route! If you deviate even slightly, problems will arise!"

The moment Senju Tobirama finished speaking, his hands began to form seals rapidly. As the hand signs progressed, the chakra within his body stimulated his various meridians, awakening the dormant power within his physique and enhancing his strength.

Li Ke felt a warm sensation, and this feeling made Senju Tobirama fall into an involuntary silence.

Because for an ordinary person, this would be incredibly painful! A pain so unbearable that even he had nearly given up when he first learned it.

Yet, it was the secret technique he knew that offered the most effective strengthening and potential stimulation with the fewest side effects.

Could this guy really be a monster of talent, just like my elder brother?

He couldn't help but think this, and once he stopped forming seals, he quickly barked at Li Ke.

"What are you standing there for! Start circulating the secret technique immediately!"

Senju Tobirama decided to become an even stricter teacher.

At the very least, he could not let the future of Konoha, like Li Ke, become an idiot with nothing but chakra in his head, just like his elder brother!

Because Senju Tobirama's unfinished wishes might just be realized by Li Ke's hands!