Episode 18

Listening to Alda's words explaining the reason for her sudden excessive pain, Sinta fell silent.

She felt that she couldn't argue with Alda's statement, which was indeed true, that she had been pushing herself too hard while lifting weights, straining her body to its limits.

Feeling observed by Alda, Sinta became somewhat captivated and bashfully shy.

"Okay, big brother, thank you for your help! I will always remember your advice," Sinta replied softly.

She bowed respectfully to Alda because, thanks to him, her body, which often used to feel unwell, now felt very refreshed and vigorous.

It was as though her joints had evolved and improved.

"Alright, everyone listen to me! I have decided that Riko Setiadi is hereby appointed as the next head of the Setiadi family!" proclaimed the great Mr. Setiadi loudly.

No one objected, since in the Setiadi family, the person with the greatest individual strength becomes the head of the family.

Therefore, in this family of fighters, everyone trains vigorously to attain the highest goal.

But alas, their strength has limits, and only a few people in each generation excel.

In this generation, it was Riko, while others like Sinta and the rest! Even if they trained to the point of forcing themselves, they still couldn't be the strongest.

However, it wasn't in vain because, thanks to this ancestral rule, the Setiadi family was incredibly strong, scarcely finding equal rivals in the secular world.

Riko had to submit, for this was the family rule! But his training spirit didn't wane because he was eager to defeat Alda.

His current goal was to beat Alda, whereas the old man who could be considered his mentor was someone he didn't dare dream of defeating.

"Don't look up to me too much, even though I seem strong, compared to Alda I'm nothing! I might only last about five moves until I'm defeated!" Riko tried to explain to his family.

The Setiadi family, hearing this, was astonished; Riko could only last five moves! How formidable was Alda's strength?

"No, don't lie! You could only withstand three moves previously before you were defeated, Riko." Tama blatantly contradicted him.

His words, though unexpected and blunt, were nevertheless true.

Thump…!

The Setiadi family was thrown into uproar!

Alda, who had descended and now stood beside Tama, quickly covered Tama's mouth.

Embarrassed, Alda had not expected Tama to be as outspoken as ever, even in someone else's home.

Riko wore an awkward face, akin to swallowing a live fly! He had tried to inflate his endurance by two moves to seem more credible but was immediately refuted by Tama's correction.

Riko also didn't know that Tama would embarrass him in front of his family! Earlier, it seemed that the boy could contain himself from speaking recklessly, even if it was the truth.

"Alda, I won't accept this! It makes me seem weaker than Riko, I'm not that bad!" Tama protested.

Though it was Alda and Riko being compared, Tama felt belittled by Riko's performance.

Because Tama's record against Riko was the same: just three moves to be defeated by Alda.

The Setiadi family was in an uproar yet again; they didn't want to believe, yet Riko didn't deny Tama's claim! While Riko was defeated in five moves, the revelation shocked everyone in the family.

This disbelief prompted reluctance to accept the reality; if Riko lasted only three moves, then they were all unworthy of even withstanding a single move from Alda.

Everyone in the Setiadi family turned their gaze toward Alda, making him a little embarrassed.

And so did Sinta, increasingly spellbound. She thought Alda was merely skilled in healing injuries, yet he was exceptionally formidable.

Even Riko, previously regarded as the family's best, now looked like an underdog.

"No need to pay me so much attention, I'm not as good as that!" Alda said, settling back into his seat calmly.

He felt awkward and avoided doing anything unnecessary.

The Setiadi family's intergenerational sparring event continued, though they were no longer as enthusiastic as usual, putting less pomp and grace into their moves.

They demonstrated the true essence of their martial arts, because in their midst were Alda, Tama, and Dion watching.

The event carried on till the end, culminating in a celebration with shared drinks and meals, after which the younger generation was encouraged to better acquaint themselves with Alda and the others.

The young people shared the excellence of their combat moves, hoping that Alda would demonstrate in front of them.

Alda could only sigh in resignation and, feeling compelled, he performed several fighting moves.

When Alda executed the fighting moves, they appeared simple and easy to follow, yet the force behind each attack was immense, making it clear to the martial arts practitioners the power embedded within those punches and movements.

The young and even the older members of the Setiadi family watched Alda's plain fighting forms without blinking.

Looks of admiration and enchantment emerged from some of them.

Even Sinta seemed to fall for Alda following these unfolding events.

A good-looking face combined with his slender and tall build gave off an elegant appearance at first glance.

At only 25 years old, he had tremendous fearsome power.

"Well, everyone, that's the crux of the martial arts we've learned from the old man! I will strive to teach our family to improve even further in the future," Riko announced to them all once Alda had returned to his seat.

As Alda sat back down in the provided chair upon leaving the arena floor, Sinta hurried over with a small towel to offer to Alda to wipe off the sweat from his exercise, even though it wasn't visible or abundant. She was nonetheless eager.

"Brother Alda, here's a towel. You've sweated quite a bit!" Sinta whispered, her voice strained as she handed it over before scurrying back to her seat.

At the end of the main hall, Sinta's father could only smile at his daughter's behavior.

"See, even if I don't have an outstanding son, it's not bad to have a remarkable son-in-law!" he mused with enthusiasm.

The Setiadi family never valued wealth when seeking a son-in-law; their concern was strength.

Many in the main hall were not blood relatives of the Setiadi family; they were sons-in-law to the family.

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