The Busujima family's kendo insights condensed the practical experiences of several generations of masters.
In this world without supernatural powers, these techniques might seem ordinary, but in a different environment, they could very well lead to real achievements.
For Gu Beichen, these experiences were more than enough to serve as nourishment for his kendo practice.
**[Group Leader Gu Beichen.**
Focus on practicing your superpowers! If you have any questions, come to me anytime—the others too!]
**[Busujima Saeko.**
Thank you, Group Leader!]
**[Yue Buqun.**
Grateful beyond words!]
*[Ding! Ip Man has sent a private red envelope!]*
*[Ding! Kuina has sent a private red envelope!]*
Gu Beichen tapped on the notifications and discovered they were tokens of appreciation from the two group members.
**[Ip Man.**
Many thanks for the divine skill, Group Leader! A small token of my esteem—please accept it!]
**[Kuina.**
Big Brother Group Leader, I don't have anything valuable, so I'm giving you our family's basic kendo and body forging methods!]
**[Group Leader Gu Beichen.**
You've put thought into this!]
This was exactly the effect he had hoped for.
He claimed the red envelopes and received three secret manuals.
*Detailed Explanation of Wing Chun Fist*, *Introduction to One-Heart Kendo*, and *Basic Body Forging Manual of One-Heart*.
These were the most precious cultivation insights the two possessed at the moment.
"Not a bad haul!"
Gu Beichen flipped through the manuals, his mood uplifted.
Though his superpower manual held greater value, the materials provided by the four members were equally useful to him.
**[Group Leader Gu Beichen.**
Kuina, can you help me get some ferocious beast meat or Sea King meat? It should help with body forging.
I can pay you in gold upfront.]
He knew Kuina's family wasn't well-off financially, so paying in advance would save everyone trouble.
After all, as the chairman of Beichen Group, money was no issue for him.
**[Kuina.**
Ferocious beast meat is fine—we can buy it at the market—but Sea King meat is really hard to find. It's super rare, and we hardly ever see it around here!]
Kuina's family never lacked for ferocious beast meat; her father often went into the mountains to hunt and brought some back for meals.
This meat had greatly aided her physical development.
As for Sea King meat, she'd only tasted it twice, and the fresh, delicious flavor was still unforgettable.
Gu Beichen sent a message asking her to procure a batch of ferocious beast meat, followed by a red envelope containing two gold bars.
Kuina was stunned when she received it—this amount could buy a ton of beast meat. She'd never seen so much money in her life.
Kuina asked if she could tell her father about this, since future orders might be large.
Gu Beichen said it was fine but reminded her to be discreet and not spread it around.
With his permission, Kuina took the gold bars to discuss it with her father.
Seeing the group quiet for the moment, Gu Beichen remembered he hadn't fed Garchomp and the others yet, so he headed to the backyard.
As soon as he arrived, he saw Gardevoir washing the ingredients for making energy cubes.
Spotting her trainer, she floated over happily to greet him.
This was part of her daily routine.
Gu Beichen gently patted Gardevoir's head.
"Good job!"
He turned and entered the workshop, using the prepared berries to start making Pokémon food.
The aroma of the food soon drew Garchomp, Lucario, and the other Pokémon, who all gathered at the workshop door, peering in eagerly.
Cynthia's Pokémon caught the scent too, and the two groups mingled harmoniously—several pairs were even close companions.
"Don't rush; it'll be ready soon."
Gu Beichen said without turning around.
He worked with practiced ease, his movements as smooth as a performance.
As a top breeder, the Pokémon food formulas he developed were hugely popular on the market.
When Cynthia walked in, the Pokémon naturally parted to let her through.
She wrapped her arms around Gu Beichen from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Watching you make food is such a treat."
She said with a smile.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Gu Beichen turned his head and grinned. "Breakfast is in the kitchen—go freshen up."
"What's on the menu?"
Cynthia released him and blinked playfully.
"Eight-treasure porridge, dumplings, oil sticks... plenty to fill you up."
"Wow! All my favorites! I'm off to wash up!"
Cynthia's eyes lit up as she happily dashed into the house.
"Dinner's served, little ones!"
After bustling for over ten minutes, Gu Beichen finally prepared all the Pokémon food.
He portioned it out and called to them.
"Roar!"
"Lucar!"
The little ones could hardly wait and immediately dove into their bowls, devouring the food.
Gu Beichen returned to the living room, where Cynthia was enjoying her breakfast with relish.
He sat across from her, gazing at her tenderly.
They'd known each other for nearly a decade, and it was only yesterday they'd officially become a couple.
"These next few days, don't go to league headquarters. I've already arranged it—the Elite Four will handle your duties."
Gu Beichen said, propping his chin on his hand.
"Mm, I'll listen to you."
Cynthia replied between bites of dumpling. "But why did you hand the champion position to me? You're doing great at it."
She'd never quite understood it. Gu Beichen was so young, and the league didn't want him to step down.
But he insisted, so everyone had no choice but to agree.
After all, the league had seen champions step down early before—like that guy Steven...
In the end, Gu Beichen recommended Cynthia as his successor, and the league thought it was a solid choice.
She was a genius trainer too, and if she ran into any issues, Gu Beichen would surely help out.
This way, the Sinnoh League effectively had two champions— wasn't that even better?
"I'm really not interested in it! Beichen Group has a pile of stuff waiting for me anyway!"
Gu Beichen shrugged helplessly.
"Oh, please!"
Cynthia saw right through his excuse. "You barely handle any group affairs yourself—you leave it all to your subordinates. Don't think I don't know! You just want to slack off!"
"Haha..."
Gu Beichen awkwardly rubbed his cheek. "Actually, it's good for you. It'll boost your influence in the league and hone your skills.
You could even do what I did—find a successor, and once they're ready to stand on their own, hand over the reins."
"That's a good idea. I'll keep an eye out."
Cynthia nodded seriously.
"Oh, right—I ran into something interesting today..."
Remembering the chat group, Gu Beichen saw no reason to hide it from her, so he recounted the whole story in detail.
He even pulled out the secret manuals he'd gotten from the group and waved them around.
"See? These are all from the group.
With my aptitude, I might figure out a longevity method suited to us in no time."
"Longevity?"
Cynthia's eyes sparkled. "Will it keep me young? Good for the skin?"
"Of course—that's just the basics.
Who knows, maybe later I can take you to visit other worlds."
Gu Beichen painted a rosy picture.
"Then give it to me quick!"
Cynthia reached out eagerly.
Gu Beichen smiled and took her hand, lightly tickling her palm.
"No rush—wait till I've researched it."
Gu Beichen had some knowledge of techniques that could slow aging and improve skin quality, like the Little Wuxiang Gong and the Ming Yu Gong.
But no one from those worlds had joined the chat group yet.
"What a shame! Well, hurry up and figure it out. Anabel and the others want to start cultivating soon too."
There was a hint of disappointment in Cynthia's voice.
"Don't worry—it won't take long."
Gu Beichen assured her confidently.
Cynthia had absolute faith in him.
After all, his talent for researching cultivation methods was renowned. He'd already successfully compiled guides for superpowers, Waveguide Power, and Viridian Power.
Over the next two days, Gu Beichen spent most of his time with Cynthia.
They'd just gotten together, so more quality time made sense.
That said, he didn't slack off entirely. Each day, he set aside time to study the various techniques shared by the group members, reaping rich rewards while encountering his share of challenges.
Two days later, in the early morning, Cynthia received a call from the league.
"Got it... Understood... I'll head over after breakfast... Thanks for holding down the fort these past couple days... That's all for now."
She ended the call briefly.