# Chapter 38: I Think So Too
"I will suppress my strength..."
Before he could finish speaking, and before Nostradamus had a chance to stop him, the Emperor smiled and raised his right hand, reaching toward Joshua as if to shake hands with a warrior.
But unlike a handshake, his movement was far too fast. The mere act of raising his hand produced a sound of air being torn apart, and an irresistible momentum surged forward. Layer upon layer of sun-like radiance appeared on his palm, instantly raising the temperature in the study by several dozen degrees, turning it into a furnace. If not for the old mage's spell protecting the books and decorations in the room, the residual heat alone would have caused tremendous damage.
Battle Qi was a power derived from life force. A person's Battle Qi had its own innate attributes, but through different breathing techniques, one could add additional properties to this innate Battle Qi.
The breathing technique Israel was using now was the Imperial Royal Family's hereditary [Solar Flame], which granted the user extremely high temperature resistance and produced sunlight-like radiance and heat. As the Emperor had said, he had already suppressed his strength, using only Gold Peak standards, and his attack was merely a test and spar. But even so, the temperature on his palm was enough to easily melt steel.
Joshua, however, raised his right hand in the same manner, leaving a trail of afterimages as he steadily caught the palm. Black-red light flowed across his hand—not particularly conspicuous—but it easily blocked the heat that would have turned flesh and blood into charcoal.
The [Steel Armor] breathing technique, while its name was unremarkable, provided top-tier defensive enhancement. Combined with Joshua's own fire-attribute Battle Qi, blocking this strike was not surprising.
In the next instant, both of them exerted force simultaneously, beginning a contest of strength like arm wrestling.
Boom!
An explosive sound erupted from where their hands met. Battle Qi surged, and a powerful shockwave whipped up a gale-force wind, causing the study door to swing wildly. If not for the protective spells, every item inside the study would have been blown away instantly.
—These two madmen!
The white-haired archmage and Brandon beside him were both thinking, "What the hell?" Who could have guessed that after just two sentences of conversation, they would immediately start fighting? This was the depths of the imperial palace, the royal study! Where did the Emperor spar with someone in his own home?
Meanwhile, the Mars Guards and other regular guards patrolling the palace reacted instantly. A powerful energy reaction had appeared in the depths of the palace. They quickly assigned their tasks and rushed in orderly ranks toward the source of the explosion.
Around the palace, in the mansions of various nobles in the imperial capital, many powerful auras flickered with uncertainty. These nobles were stronger than ordinary guards and could sense the source of the explosion within the palace. One side belonged to the empire's ruler, a being so powerful that resistance seemed futile.
—Who was fighting the Emperor?
—Why was the energy fluctuation only at Gold Peak level?
Doubts arose, but they lacked the strength to probe further. Nevertheless, to deal with this unusual situation, these great nobles began making emergency preparations.
At this moment, Joshua and Israel maintained their handshake posture, standing steadily on the study floor. Their right hands were tightly clasped, with different-colored Battle Qi flowing across them. The warrior's face was expressionless, veins bulging on his hand. He could sense that the Emperor's full power was concentrated entirely into this palm, with no leakage whatsoever. Joshua was the same. The point where their hands met was their battlefield, each trying to break the other's balance.
The earlier explosion was less than one percent of the power leaked during their clash.
At this point, Joshua could not hold back. His opponent was a Legendary-level expert, one of the strongest warriors on the Mycroft Continent. Even if Israel had suppressed his power, he still possessed a Legendary-level realm—the same level Joshua had reached in his previous life. The warrior knew that only by going all out could he avoid defeat, and perhaps even win.
On the side, Nostradamus had given up trying to persuade them to fight outside. He could see that both Joshua and Israel were battle maniacs, thoroughly enjoying themselves. At this point, nothing he said would make any difference.
"Not bad, Joshua! You're far stronger than your father!"
With a loud laugh, Israel's dark golden hair stood on end from the raging wind. Golden patterns began to appear all over his body, and the temperature rose sharply. Beyond the protection of the old mage's spell, scorch marks appeared on the study ceiling, smoke rose, and flames even broke out, setting half the dome ablaze.
Joshua just chuckled softly without responding. The exposed skin on his body took on a steely sheen, with dark red light flowing across it. The warrior added more force, increasing the pressure in his hand, trying to completely overpower Israel.
But how could the Emperor be defeated by such a small test? He showed no weakness either. Both their arms remained motionless as they continued their fierce contest of strength, but the internal clash of Battle Qi reached a fever pitch, and the leaking residual energy grew stronger.
Above the royal study, a halo of Battle Qi began to form. Within it were colors like blazing gold sunlight and hues like black-red iron. The two intertwined, churning the air and stirring up gusts of wind over the entire Morlai Palace.
The walls of the palace housing the study, along with its supporting beams, emitted strange sounds. They were being shaken by an invisible force, as the two powerful warriors used the earth as a conduit to transfer each other's power and neutralize attacks. The maids and servants working nearby were swept by the two terrifying auras, instantly feeling weak and collapsing to the ground in fear. Those who could still move instinctively fled from the center of the aura, screaming as they ran toward other palaces.
The residual power was so strong that it triggered the palace's internal Warning Formation. Layer upon layer of magical ripples spread out. In an instant, over fifty formations activated, scanning the crowd inside the Morlai Palace and reinforcing the building's defenses. The guards stared in shock at this scene—many of them had never seen the palace's defensive formations fully activated in their lives. But there was no time for hesitation; they continued running toward the royal study.
Inside the study, Brandon watched in shock. He had been shocked too many times today, but all of it stemmed from one person.
Looking at Joshua, the empire's genius swordsman felt a bitterness in his heart. He realized that his rate of progress was not enough to catch up to his young comrade. The two had been of similar strength back then, but now Joshua could spar with the Legendary-level Emperor without falling behind.
But then, Brandon let it go.
People's talents naturally differed, as did their opportunities. Joshua had the awakened Azure Orb, while his own twin blades had yet to acknowledge him as their master. What he needed to do now was not wallow in disappointment, but focus on himself.
Nostradamus also had mixed feelings. Israel was his student. Although he couldn't teach him in combat since Israel was a warrior, the old mage knew very well how strong his student's talent was.
As a warrior who had galloped across orc battlefields since childhood, Israel had fought hundreds of battles without a single defeat. His invincible confidence had long transformed into a terrifying aura. Ordinary people couldn't even muster the will to resist when facing him; they only wanted to submit.
But Joshua, who was only at Gold Peak, seemed completely unaffected as he fought this Legendary-level expert, without a trace of hesitation or fear in his heart. If not for having spent some time with the warrior before, the old mage might have suspected Joshua was a construct without a heart.
—That was the master of the empire, the ruler of this nation. How could Joshua spar and fight with him without any psychological burden?
To this question, Joshua had only one answer.
—When you can fight a strong opponent, who remembers those trivial matters?
A strong wind blew, and the garden in front of the study withered instantly. The green evergreens and various flowers were dried up and killed in an instant by the high temperature and murderous aura. The water in the garden pond began to boil, emitting white mist-like steam. A thin layer of magical fluorescence appeared on the statues, a blessing added for their long-term preservation. But under the residual waves of Joshua and Israel's sparring, this layer of protection was shaky and would likely disappear soon.
By now, the guards had arrived in the garden. They pushed through the strong wind, running at full speed. These loyal guards knew that their arrival might not be of much use, but duty compelled them not to retreat.
But in the next instant, all the strange phenomena disappeared.
Inside the study, the two had separated their hands and stepped back, staring at each other. They looked at the footprints they had left behind—countless cracked patterns on the marble floor.
"Not bad, kid."
It was clear that Joshua's footprints were slightly deeper, but Israel's expression still carried a hint of gravity: "Actually, it's completely beyond my expectations... Although I suppressed my strength to spar with you, you've actually reached this level..."
Legendary-level technique.
He didn't say those words out loud, but the empire's ruler raised his head, staring at the warrior with a meaningful gaze, and slowly said: "Barring any accidents, one day, you will surely enter the Legendary realm."
Outside the study, the guards who had no idea what was happening heard these words, and an uproar broke out.
This had nothing to do with discipline—it was pure shock.
The empire's strongest, the Legendary warrior, His Majesty the Emperor, had personally said to someone: "You will surely become a Legendary?"
And a voice came from within the study.
"I think so too."
(To be continued.)