Apocalypse Rebirth: Beauties Surround Me

Chapter 122: A Belated Surprise

Accumulated quantitative changes lead to qualitative changes.

Over time, Elijah's physical constitution had significantly improved, coupled with the passive effects of mimicking others' abilities.

Now, his strength, defense, and reaction speed far surpassed Charlotte's.

This made it increasingly difficult for Charlotte to withstand Elijah's onslaught. However, she didn't concede. Instead, she grew more exhilarated, executing her moves with fluid grace.

Elijah, in countering her attacks, also benefited greatly.

His movements and techniques became increasingly refined, to the point where they felt entirely natural.

Their battle lasted a long time, with Charlotte fighting to her heart's content until she was utterly exhausted and had to stop.

"That was satisfying!"

Charlotte exclaimed, lying on the beach without a care for her appearance, her face glowing with the joy of a well-fought battle.

This was the first time she had given her all, feeling like she had thoroughly revisited everything she had learned, gaining significant insights.

She glanced over at Elijah, who was lying beside her, his eyes unabashedly fixed on her chest.

Her heavy breathing caused her chest to heave dramatically.

Elijah's gaze was appreciative—if it could be called that.

Men were all the same, she thought.

Charlotte recalled the promise she had made.

Although their sparring had no clear winner, with the fight going back and forth, it was because Elijah had been holding back.

In terms of technique, she was undoubtedly superior, but in terms of raw power, she couldn't confidently claim to win unless she aimed for mutual destruction by targeting vulnerable areas like the eyes. But sparring wasn't meant for that.

Since she couldn't beat him now, should she let him have his way? Charlotte pondered, feeling her earlier joy transform into a yearning.

As a normal woman and an athlete, she occasionally had physical desires. However, her parents, both teachers, had raised her strictly.

Though not conservative, she wouldn't settle for just anyone.

A partner needed to impress her in martial arts to gain her admiration and respect.

This was why she had been single for years, leading her parents to suspect she might prefer women.

Usually, she handled her needs herself.

Now, she finally met a man who barely met her standards, igniting a spark of impulsiveness within her.

Maybe tonight, she should give it a try?

Being a straightforward person, Charlotte acted on her thoughts. She suddenly flipped over, pinning Elijah beneath her. "Enjoying the view?" she asked, looking down at him.

"Yes... very much!" Elijah was momentarily bewildered, finding the object of his gaze suddenly so close.

"Would you like to see something even better?" Charlotte's rare, seductive smile left no room for misunderstanding.

Elijah quickly flipped her over, holding her down. "Definitely! Right here?"

"Why not? I'm not worried," Charlotte replied, pushing off the ground to regain the upper position. "Don't move!"

...

This battle without smoke ended in Charlotte's victory.

Though Elijah technically lost, he also won—he succeeded in making Charlotte his woman.

The continuous physical exertion left Charlotte too weak to move, so Elijah carried her back to the villa.

They were both covered in sand from their beach battle.

Elijah didn't return to his own room but carried Charlotte to her bedroom to clean up.

In the bathroom, another playful tussle ensued.

This time, Elijah came out on top, with Charlotte yielding in playful defeat.

The next morning, before dawn, Elijah sensed the beautiful woman in his arms had left, and he opened his drowsy eyes.

Last night, the two of them had fought several battles in different venues, each having their own victories and defeats.

In the end, Charlotte was utterly exhausted and had to concede, and they finally stopped fighting and fell asleep in each other's arms.

At this early hour, Elijah found it strange that Charlotte was already up.

He squinted his eyes and saw Charlotte in skimpy pajamas, sitting cross-legged beside him with her eyes closed.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Elijah suddenly felt much more awake.

"Meditating!" Charlotte opened her eyes. At this moment, her gaze was unprecedentedly clear and bright. She saw Elijah sit up as well and gave him a slight smile.

"Meditating?" Elijah was even more confused.

"Yes, remember I promised to give you a surprise?"

"Of course I remember. You kept postponing it and finally said to wait until I beat you, so I'd have double the joy."

Elijah chuckled and hugged her.

"Last night's first surprise was indeed very surprising. Is this meditation the second surprise?" What kind of surprise was this?

"Yes and no!" Charlotte brushed off his hand and continued, "Do you remember when we first met, I talked to you about the Golden Elephant Body Forging Art?"

"I remember. You said you learned it from an ancient book..." Elijah immediately recalled.

Back then, Charlotte mentioned that the book containing the body forging technique had some additional mystical content that she needed to verify.

Could the surprise be in the latter part?

"The latter part of that ancient book records a method of cultivation!"

Charlotte didn't leave him guessing for long and revealed directly.

"Before the apocalypse, I also tried to practice it but with no effect. But when I saw you practicing the body forging technique with such powerful results, I immediately took an interest in the latter part of the content. After you all left, I began to study and practice according to the method described! And it actually had some effects!"

"Really?" Elijah's expression turned serious, staring straight at her.

"After practicing for a while, the energy within me increased slightly, and combined with the body forging technique, my physique has also greatly improved. Otherwise, how could I have competed with you, who has advanced to the second tier, in just a few days?" Charlotte said with a smile.

"It's true..." Elijah had always thought Charlotte's martial arts experience was extensive, but he forgot that after advancing to the second tier, his strength was incomparable to before.

Even for awakened ones, if they weren't strength-based ability users, they would pale in comparison to his formidable physique.

Not to mention the enhancement from mimicking other abilities and various passive abilities.

"If what you say is true, wouldn't it mean that without using spirit plants, one could slowly advance through this cultivation method?" Elijah asked excitedly.

He already had the Crystal Grass for advancing to the third tier, but the path beyond the third tier was unknown to him.

Even a year later in his previous life, there were no rumors of fourth-tier powerhouses.

If advancement could truly be achieved through cultivation, his path beyond the third tier would be clear and no longer aimless and directionless.

"It should be possible. I feel I've reached a bottleneck. Maybe we'll see the results in the next few days!" Charlotte nodded. Elijah immediately hugged her joyfully and kissed her several times.

"This really is a huge surprise!"