Adam's Strength

Adam's Strength

His short, bristling chestnut hair made him look exceptionally sharp. A square face held a measure of toughness, his skin was bronze, and his eyes shone with spirit. The faintly protruding stubble on his chin showed that he was somewhat older than Diya.

His entire body was covered in leather armor. With his back like a tiger's and waist like a bear's, the man sat in that chair and somehow gave off the feeling of a mountain unmoved. Looking at him, one could also feel an aura of blood and fire rushing straight at the face. This was a warrior who had weathered a hundred battles—Diya was certain of it. Beside him, leaning against the edge of the chair, was a giant axe. The haft alone was as thick as Diya's arm, pitch-black all over and somewhat rough. The farther it went toward the end, the more it curved in the direction opposite the axe blade, measuring a little over a meter in length, while the blade was as large as a millstone, flickering with a chilling light that pressed on the eyes. Faintly, a trace of bloody scent spread from it.

"Hello. You must be Young Master Diya," Adam said. His voice was like a great bell, extremely resonant. He stood up from the chair, allowing Diya to clearly grasp his height. He was over two meters tall. It truly was hard to imagine that Uncle Fu actually had such a "majestic" son.

"Hello, Adam," Diya said with a faint smile. If it had been before his body was modified, facing such an imposing manner, he feared he would have collapsed on the spot. Even now, if his mental strength had not been strong enough and his body had not been strengthened quite a bit, he probably still would not have been able to withstand Adam's aura.

"Oh, right, Young Master. You didn't come back last night. Where did you go?" Uncle Fu asked.

"Uncle Fu, the rain was too heavy last night, and I couldn't get back, so an instructor told me to stay at her place," Diya answered.

"My old man kept wanting to go out and look for you last night. If I hadn't stopped him..." Adam laughed loudly.

"You young people chat for a bit. I'll go make lunch," Uncle Fu said with a chuckle, rising and walking into the kitchen. As he walked, he added, "Adam is already twenty-two this year. He's seven years older than Young Master Diya."

As soon as Uncle Fu left, the look Adam gave Diya changed at once, turning somewhat cold and sharp. Diya was startled for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"Young Master Diya, let's take a walk outside," Adam said, striding out of the sitting room and into the courtyard on his own. "My old man told me everything about you, and even wants me to take care of you. As for what happened to you, I do sympathize somewhat, but I'm a mercenary. I often have to face the test of death. There's no way I can bring along someone without the slightest bit of strength."

Diya smiled faintly. This Adam really did speak directly. But thinking about it, Uncle Fu must have told him his own situation, causing contempt to rise in his heart. After all, the strong were revered.

"Although my old man said your body has already begun to improve, if you want to become a cultivator with real strength, that's fundamentally impossible in a short period of time. I also can't keep looking after you forever. How about this—I'll leave you some gold coins. Since your body has improved, with those gold coins, you can do a little business yourself. It'll be enough to support yourself." Adam deliberately lowered his voice, afraid Uncle Fu would hear his words.

"Adam, you came this time to take Uncle Fu away, didn't you?" Diya did not answer directly, yet because of Adam's words, a feeling of humiliation rose in his heart. It was faint, and very quickly, Diya forgot it. How others viewed him did not matter, but Adam had stated it so directly.

Originally, when Diya had heard that Uncle Fu had a son, a little expectation had risen in his heart. Having been looked after by Uncle Fu for so many years, the affection between Diya and Uncle Fu was like that of father and son. Out of the feeling that if you loved the house, you loved even the crows on its roof, he had also had a somewhat good impression of Uncle Fu's son, whom he had never met. He had not expected the other party to view him this way, completely treating him as a burden.

This was no wonder. Who told him that he truly had been that rotten before? Even now, before his strength had grown, relying on his mouth alone left nothing worth saying. So be it. Uncle Fu was ultimately Uncle Fu, and Adam was always Adam. Although the two were connected, that had nothing to do with him.

"That's right. My father and I have been separated for so many years. Because of the war between our countries, I was never able to come over, making my father live a hard life day after day. Now, the war between the countries has stopped, and the two nations have resumed contact. Naturally, I can no longer let my father suffer hardship, and even have to look after someone without ability," Adam said bluntly, without the slightest regard for Diya's feelings. To him, the strong were revered, and the weak had no status to speak of.

After all, the Templar Dynasty was a country that worshiped martial force to an extreme. Adam, who had grown up in that kind of environment, naturally carried an obvious Templar brand.

"If you have the ability to let Uncle Fu live well, then that's good," Diya said, nodding faintly. Although he felt somewhat disappointed, he also knew Adam was speaking the truth. Though he very much wanted to keep Uncle Fu with him, firstly, he had neither the right nor the position; Adam was Uncle Fu's true son. Secondly, Diya also wanted to set foot on his own path and search for the Hell Fragment. If Uncle Fu were here, Diya would not be able to leave Carlos City.

"My uncle also very much hopes my father can go over and reunite with him. As for your father having saved my father's life, I'm very grateful, but after all these years, my father has devoted himself heart and soul to taking care of you. That debt of kindness should long since have been repaid. I'll leave you some gold coins for your future living expenses. If you have the ability in the future, you can come to Templar to visit my father," Adam continued.

"Mm, I understand. If I go to the Templar Dynasty, how should I look for you?" Diya asked.

Adam was first taken aback, then let out a scornful laugh. He had merely said it in passing, while in his heart, he believed Diya could never possibly go to the Templar Dynasty. "My mercenary group is called the Rock Mercenary Group. If you really come to Templar, you can ask about my mercenary group at the Mercenary Guild in Templar's capital, Tianbadu. However, I advise you not to come to Templar. Otherwise, if something happens to you then, my father will have to be sad." Between his words, there was nothing but disdain.

"Little Li, let me burn him to ash with one fire. Isn't he just some small fry? And he's still this arrogant in front of this great lord," Diablo shouted.

"Forget it. He is Uncle Fu's son, after all. Don't mind it," Diya conversed with Diablo in his consciousness.

"I'll remember that. As for whether or not I go to look for Uncle Fu, that's my business. I hope that when I go to Templar, what I see will be a healthy and happy Uncle Fu. If not, you'll pay the price." As he reached the end, Diya's voice turned cold and severe, making Adam freeze.

"Hahahaha." Adam burst into laughter. "Do you know what my current strength is? Do you know the strength of the mercenary group I'm in? You don't know any of this, and yet you want me to pay the price. Wait until you have the ability to reach Templar before talking. Besides, he is my father, not your father. Your father is already dead. If not for my father taking you away, you would be dead too. And now you can still stand here and talk to me."

"Then, may I ask how powerful your current strength is?" Diya had completely regarded Adam as a stranger. He utterly ignored his ridicule, and at the same time felt disappointed in this person.

"I am twenty-two this year. What I cultivate is earth-type Rock Battle Qi, and I have already reached the level of a Middle Spirit Rank warrior," Adam said proudly, lifting his head.

A twenty-two-year-old Middle Spirit Rank warrior—such strength counted as top-tier among those of the same age, absolutely belonging to the level of genius. Moreover, Adam was a mercenary, and the combat power he could display definitely surpassed those cultivators who had not experienced the test of life and death. As for Rock Battle Qi, it belonged to the elementary earth-type battle qi. Judging by its name, it should be an attribute battle qi that leaned toward defense.

It seemed Uncle Fu really did have a fine son. Compared to himself, Adam was indeed countless times better, a gulf like heaven and earth. But that was before. As for the future, Diya had absolute confidence he would surpass him.

Adam even walked over to the stone blocks Diya used for exercise. With a hook of his toe, he sent a hundred-jin stone block flying several meters into the air, and Adam looked so relaxed.

He stretched out three fingers and forked them upward, forming something like a tripod. The stone block fell, landing right on those three fingers, and was held up steadily and firmly. This strength left Diya extremely surprised. To be able to lift a hundred-jin stone block so easily, and with fingers at that, was enough to show that Adam's innate physical quality was very good.

Among warrior cultivators, their strength was not all the same. There was no rigid standard. Some people were born with relatively strong power, while others were relatively ordinary. When training the body at the Warrior Apprentice Rank, it merely developed the body's potential as much as possible, until it reached a limit.

At that limit, some people's strength only increased by a little, while others increased by a great deal. But all of them could still cultivate battle qi. Once they cultivated battle qi, under the stimulation of battle qi, their physical toughness and other aspects would become even more formidable. Although this was a long process, and the amount increased was not as large as at the Warrior Apprentice Rank, over a long period of time it was still quite considerable.

Looking at Adam's current appearance, it could be inferred that back when he was at the Warrior Apprentice Rank, Adam's strength definitely surpassed many warriors of the same rank. Diya estimated that Adam back then might have been able to easily lift two hundred jin with one hand.

Diya's estimate was still a little low. When Adam was at the Warrior Apprentice Rank, he had been able to lift a three-hundred-jin heavy object with one hand and support it for thirty seconds. This strength and endurance had amazed many people. Therefore, although the current Adam was only at the Middle Spirit Rank level, in terms of true combat power, he was fully able to contest an Upper Spirit Rank warrior. This was an innate advantage.

"Little Li, no need to envy him. I guarantee that as long as you keep training, two hundred jin with one hand will absolutely be no problem. If you can find other Hell Fragments to fuse with, then surpassing this guy will also be an easy thing," Diablo said.