Character Quotes - Gozenji Retsu "No one challenges me anymore... Is this what 'the loneliness of the strong' feels like? It's so damn boring."[Fighting Department - Training Ground]At six thirty in the morning, the air of the Fighting Department's training ground hasn't gotten hot yet.Gozenji Retsu is sitting on the steps in front of the equipment room, a sweat towel draped over his shoulder, biting into an energy bar, looking indifferent. Inside the training area, the newcomers practice the "Seven Basic Punch Theories" he has established over and over again. Each move is standard and rule-bound, but lacks any 'destructive power'. He yawns and mumbles to himself, "...the rhythm is off. There's only form, no spirit."Once upon a time, this place was his battlefield.He threw punches, roared, fell, and got up again...until he shattered all doubts.But now he's the Vice President, the 'undeniably unbeatable man' in everyone's eyes.No one dares to approach him anymore.Not even the challenging looks have disappeared.[After Training - Conversation in the Water Room]He's rinsing his head with cold water when a newcomer asks him: "Retsu, I heard that you came to a stalemate with Bai Lan from the Magic Department. So are you the strongest in East Cloud Academy?"Retsu remains silent for a few seconds and then coldly replies, "Strongest? No. I'm just the strongest among those who can still be challenged."The newcomer looks confused. Retsu shakes his head and picks up the towel to leave.[Rooftop - Bai Lan Visits]During lunch break, Bai Lan appears on the rooftop of the Combat Department with a teapot - this is Gozenji Retsu's usual refuge during breaks.Bai Lan sits down and pours tea.Retsu raises an eyebrow: "How did you know I'd be here?"Bai Lan smiles: "Strong people look for high places, especially when... there's no place to fight."The two sit facing each other in silence, the wind blowing through the stillness.Finally, Bai Lan asks gently, "Have you thought about how you're going to live? What will you do when no one challenges you?"Retsu's expression changes slightly.He didn't expect someone to say what he's always been afraid to say.He answers quietly, but with a stubbornness that suggests he's used to pain."I'll train until someone has to challenge me again... If not, I'll just walk down the stairs and find someone stronger to fight," Bai Lan smiles. "Then you're already more of a fighter than you used to be.
As night approached and most of the team members had left, Lie stood alone in the middle of the empty training ground.He took off his upper garment, wrapped his hands with bandages, and clenched his fists tightly.Facing the air, facing the invisible enemy, he threw punch after punch.No battle cries, no crowd, just the sound of the wind and the whoosh of his punches.Every punch was precise, every hit hit the void-it was as if he were fighting his "unformed future opponent. As he landed blows that cut through the air, he muttered: "It's not that no one can challenge me... It's that I'm not yet strong enough to make others submit willingly."Growth after awakening is not about becoming stronger, but about becoming more stable.Hao Zhansi Lie transformed from a "warrior" into a "tactical mentor.