Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted

Xing Bie, Jiang Huanmeng

So Yuan Chen began to examine it with an appreciative gaze.

She's wearing her signature red female ninja outfit, but it's quite different from the one in the game. Perhaps because she's at home, Mai Shiranui's clothing style is quite simple now, but even so, the ninja outfit is still quite revealing. At least, from a modern perspective, it's practically some kind of special attire.

Similar clothing places extremely demanding requirements on the wearer's physique, and any flaws will be magnified.

But this obviously did not affect Mai Shiranui's charm—her full breasts, slender waist, full and perky buttocks, and long legs, combined with a pair of stirrup socks, gave her a unique charm and style.

Just as Yuan Chen was still watching, Mai Shiranui seemed to sense something and suddenly turned her gaze toward Yuan Chen's direction.

Mai Shiranui initially thought he was a lost traveler or a visitor seeking knowledge who wanted to ask her a few questions, but before she could even open her mouth, she was completely speechless.

Her senses were faster than her words, and she could clearly feel an aura about the man before her that she had only ever sensed in her grandfather—

That wasn't murderous intent, nor was it fighting spirit; it was something deeper.

That heavy aura pressed down on him, like a storm suppressed to its limit. Even without saying a word, it still made people feel an indescribable pressure.

Although she didn't know Yuan Chen, just by observing his aura, Mai Shiranui was certain that this man who had suddenly appeared was no ordinary person.

"Who are you? What brings you here?!"

Sensing Mai Shiranui's wariness, Yuan Chen also fell silent.

In fact, Yuan Chen knew very well that he only needed to explain his purpose. Given Mai Shiranui's personality and the current state of the Shiranui School, it would be easy for her to explain.

You can do that, but... it's unnecessary.

I came here to learn technical skills, so the first thing I need to determine is whether the skills here are worthwhile.

Compared to simple explanations... indeed, fists and fighting are the best way to communicate.

Thinking it over, Yuan Chen subconsciously moved his shoulders to meet Mai Shiranui's gaze. His face was almost instantly covered by black ink as he said decisively, "Come and see what the legendary Shiranui-ryu ninjutsu is all about."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Mai Shiranui immediately narrowed her eyes and solemnly said, "I don't know who you are, but if that's your intention, I won't hold back!"

"Then I would be extremely grateful!" Yuan Chen nodded in response.

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's answer, Mai Shiranui showed a slight look of confusion on her face.

When Yuan Chen said he wanted to see just how powerful the Shiranui style was, Shiranui Mai thought he was here to challenge her.

With the intention of issuing a warning, Mai Shiranui stated bluntly that she would not hold back, and if they came for fame, they would be better off going somewhere else. But who would have thought that this guy seemed rather satisfied?

There's no such politeness when you're challenging someone.

Mai Shiranui thought to herself—having grown up in these deep mountains, Mai Shiranui had seen many martial artists sparring and fighting with her grandfather, Hanzo Shiranui, so she was no stranger to this kind of martial arts fanatic behavior that suddenly came to challenge her.

Meeting Yuan Chen's gaze, Mai Shiranui narrowed her eyes and met his gaze without yielding an inch.

Although his face was dark, obscuring his features and expression, his eyes were exceptionally clear and pure, filled with a strong fighting spirit rather than malice...

Thinking this, Mai Shiranui asked suspiciously, "You... you're here to spar?"

"……Um."

Although he didn't know why Mai Shiranui's hostility had suddenly decreased so much, Yuan Chen nodded after a brief silence.

Just as Mai Shiranui was about to say something, an old voice came from the side.

"Someone's here?"

As they spoke, Hanzo Shiranui and Maki Genryusai also came out from the side.

"Maki~" Upon seeing Genryusai Maki, Mai Shiranui waved happily in greeting. Upon seeing Mai Shiranui, Genryusai Maki also smiled, but then realized that her current identity was the sect leader of the Martial God School, so she nodded to Mai Shiranui in a serious and respectful manner.

Unaware that Genryusai Maki had become the new leader of the Martial God School, Mai Shiranui blinked curiously at her friend's strange reaction, preparing to ask again later.

Meanwhile, Yuan Chen remained silent, merely watching with curiosity as he looked at Genryusai Maki and Shiranui Hanzo.

Maki Minamoto, of course, needs no introduction. She was dressed in red and at first glance looked somewhat similar to Mai Shiranui, but she was more conservative in all aspects.

Although he already knew about the relationship between the Martial God School and the Shiranui School through Baroque, Yuan Chen still felt a sense of curiosity upon arriving and meeting the leaders of the two ninja schools.

After briefly greeting her grandfather, Mai Shiranui pointed to Yuan Chen, whose face was covered in soot, and said:

"I was just practicing when I noticed this man walk in. At first, I thought he was a rival seeking revenge or trying to challenge me, but then I realized it wasn't like that... He seemed to be here to spar and hone his martial arts skills."

Upon hearing Mai Shiranui's words, the aged and hunched-over Hanzo Shiranui nodded thoughtfully, and after sensing Yuan Chen for a moment, a hint of curiosity appeared in his eyes.

Although he was already old and frail, Hanzo Shiranui's perception had not declined.

Although not entirely certain, Hanzo Shiranui could clearly sense that in addition to Yuan Chen's immense strength, there was also an unprecedented yet exceptionally powerful force coursing through his body.

Thinking to himself, Shiranui Hanzo looked at Yuan Chen with curiosity and asked, "May I ask who your master is?"

Upon hearing Hanzo Shiranui's words, Yuan Chen remained silent for a moment, then sighed, dispelling the blood energy around him, and his complexion returned to normal from its previous darkness.

Looking at Yuan Chen's handsome and heroic face, and seeing that he had relaxed, Mai Shiranui raised an eyebrow and her eyes lit up slightly.

When I first discovered Yuan Chen, my inner vigilance prevented me from observing his face; my attention was entirely focused on his hissing breath.

Now that she has met her grandfather and Maki, she realizes that Yuan Chen is not the scheming person she had imagined. As she relaxes, she also focuses more attention on other things.

And now...

"Wow, he's a handsome guy!"

Mai Shiranui blinked, then came over to Maki Genryusai's side and nudged her best friend with her shoulder: "Hey, Maki, she's exactly your ideal type~ How about I introduce her to you?"

Upon hearing Mai Shiranui's words, Genryusai Maki rolled her eyes, instinctively wanting to retort, but remembering that she was already the sect leader of the Martial God School, she coughed lightly and said:

"I don't understand what you're saying!"

"Hmm...you really have become very strange!"

Upon hearing this, Mai Shiranui looked suspicious. Then, holding her fan, she stared at Maki Genryusai, looking her up and down as she said, "It's one thing to deliberately avoid me here, but now that you've seen a handsome guy, you don't even react..."

"No...no way..." Upon hearing this, Genryusai Maki turned her head away somewhat embarrassedly, not daring to meet Mai Shiranui's gaze.

"You still say no!" Seeing this, Mai Shiranui snorted, "If it were before, you would definitely say 'Ah, it's nothing special~' and then secretly glance at it, and after confirming that you were not interested, you would pretend that nothing happened. That's not how you are now!"

"Tch," Maki Genryusai couldn't help but scoff upon hearing Mai Shiranui's words, but then added:

"This matter is a bit complicated... I came here specifically to see Grandpa Hanzo, which is why I didn't come to see you."

As she said this, Genryusai Maki also turned her gaze to Yuan Chen beside her and asked with some curiosity, "But what's the situation with this young man?"

"do not know."

Facing the gazes of the group, Yuan Chen pondered for a moment before exhaling a breath of turbid air. He then clasped his hands in a fist salute towards Shiranui Hanzo and said, "Grief-Stricken Assassination Fist - Yuan Chen."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Genryusai Maki and Shiranui Mai showed a look of confusion on their faces, clearly having never heard of the 'Grief Assassination Fist'.

In contrast, upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Shiranui Hanzo froze on the spot, hesitated for a moment, and then looked up at Yuan Chen and said, "Sad...you're from Hong Kong?"

“Yes.” Yuan Chen nodded and said calmly, “I am a disciple of Bloodbath Hundred Battles Yuan.”

Although Yuan Chen's voice was calm, upon receiving confirmation, Shiranui Hanzo's face showed deep astonishment. He looked at Yuan Chen with both eyes, and for a moment, he forgot what to say.

Meanwhile, seeing the surprise... even shock, on her grandfather's face, Mai Shiranui blinked in confusion, then turned her gaze back to Yuan Chen, wondering why her grandfather was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

A moment later, Shiranui Hanzo realized his loss of composure and quickly composed himself. His expression towards Yuan Chen became more serious and solemn.

"Do you have any token that can prove you are their disciple?"

"No." Upon hearing Hanzo Shiranui's question, Yuan Chen replied frankly, "I have been training with Old Yuan, and he has never given me any tokens."

"..."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Shiranui Hanzo remained silent for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully and said, "How about we have a spar?"

"Okay." Yuan Chen nodded. "With whom?"

"Let me try!" Hearing the conversation between Yuan Chen and his grandfather, Mai Shiranui said enthusiastically, "Although I don't know what you and Grandpa are talking about, it doesn't matter! Let me test your skills!"

Hearing Mai Shiranui's words, Yuan Chen was not happy at all.

After all... if it were before, Yuan Chen could have properly experienced Mai Shiranui's 'technique'.

But now that he has revealed his identity, Yuan Chen, as Yuan's successor, no longer has the time or leisure to slowly experience it.

Although Yuan himself didn't care, having inherited Lao Yuan's skills, Yuan Chen didn't intend to let the reputation of 'Shame' be tarnished in the slightest by his momentary curiosity.

Volume 1: Chapter 121 - The Name of the Dead

Noticing that Yuan Chen's condition seemed somewhat different from before, Mai Shiranui said with a grin:

"Although I've never heard of the Lost Assassination Fist, the fact that Grandpa is taking it so seriously means it must be something special! So I will definitely go all out and unleash all its secrets!"

Hearing Mai Shiranui's passionate words, Yuan Chen didn't reply. After a brief silence, he exhaled deeply and said, "Let's begin..."

Since this sparring match was destined not to last long, Yuan Chen didn't have much of a desire to talk.

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words and sensing the stark difference in his tone compared to before, Mai Shiranui noticed something, but after a moment's thought, she didn't take it to heart—after all, all the answers would be revealed once the battle began.

Then, Yuan Chen and Mai Shiranui arrived at the center of the dojo and stood facing each other a few meters apart.

The wooden floor of the training field was cut into stripes of light and shadow by the sunlight, and the shadows of the two people were stretched very long, one tall and the other slender, giving people a very strong visual impact.

Then, Mai Shiranui assumed a fighting stance, gripping her folding fan tightly in one hand. Her charming and affectionate, yet vibrant and passionate peach blossom eyes stared directly into Yuan Chen's eyes, trying to find a flaw in them.

Nervousness, underestimation, impatience, even infatuation, appreciation, anything is fine.

However, to Mai Shiranui's surprise, she found nothing in Yuan Chen's eyes, not even any so-called focus; he was simply staring at her.

This reminded Mai Shiranui of what her grandfather, Hanzo Shiranui, had once told her: the state of those who truly stand at the pinnacle of martial arts before they make their move—"not calmness, but nothingness."

This alerted Mai Shiranui to something slightly amiss, so she took the initiative to act.

With a whoosh, the folding fan in his hand opened, accompanied by the smell of sulfur. With a flick of his right hand, a fierce flame burst forth from the fan, which then transformed into a streak of light and flew towards Yuan Chen at an astonishing speed.

As the folding fan flew towards her, her slender figure pushed off the ground with her left foot and rushed towards Yuan Chen's figure at high speed, her hands forming hand seals in front of her at an astonishing pace.

Upon seeing this, Hanzo Shiranui nodded in satisfaction.

While her talent for dance may not be considered extraordinary, it is certainly not ordinary. She has unique insights into the cultivation and mastery of the Flame Scroll. After quickly learning the art of 'Nen Fire', she is also able to skillfully enhance the destructive power of Nen Fire through mechanisms, sulfur, and gunpowder.

As Mai is the same age as him, Genryusai Maki blinked in surprise upon seeing Mai's fighting stance.

As a close friend, Maki Yanagi is aware of Maki's strength in dancing.

In their previous sparring match, the two were evenly matched, but in Genryusai Maki's opinion, Mai still has many areas that need improvement and optimization.

Even now, as an observer, Maki Minamoto has not found any obvious flaws.

The Flower and Butterfly Fan is Mai Shiranui's signature technique. She ignites her fighting spirit with Nen Fire Technique, and then amplifies the impact of the flames with sulfur hidden in the fan. At the moment of impact, it eliminates the impact of the fan itself and the burns from the flames. Furthermore, it can use Nen Fire to impact the opponent's meridians, thus hindering their movement.

Even if she dodged the Flower Butterfly Fan, it would be meaningless. Although the training direction of the Martial God School is completely different from that of the Shiranui School, and can even be said to be completely opposite, Genryusai Maki also has some understanding of the Shiranui School's 'seal techniques'.

Through special hand seals or rituals, or something like a 'small barrier', the flow and transformation of a martial artist's own Qi can be greatly enhanced.

Especially in this situation, by pre-forming hand seals, one can directly release various secret techniques of the Shiranui school based on the different ways the opponent knocks down the flame fan.

But just as Hanzo Shiranui and Maki Minamoto were marveling at Mai Shiranui's growth rate, on the other side, Yuan Chen had already adopted his familiar stance, and his aura instantly contracted to its limit.

Before Shiranui Hanzo and Genryusai Maki could focus their attention on Yuan Chen, the next moment...

Within Mai Shiranui's line of sight, Yuan Chen's imposing figure, like a heavy semi-trailer truck loaded with twenty-one tons of stones, roared directly towards her.

The raging fire fan, imbued with heavy fighting spirit, could easily shatter even rocks, but in front of Yuan Chen, it was like a faint candle flame. Before Shiranui Mai could even react, the flame was directly smashed by Yuan Chen.

Despite taking the full force of the Flower Butterfly Fan's impact, Yuan Chen remained completely unmoved. On the contrary, upon sensing the impact of the Mind Fire Technique, Yuan Chen's expression shifted, and his blood energy became even more solid, resembling an unshakeable barrier.

Even so, Mai Shiranui showed no sign of giving up. Instead, she quickly transformed her energy by forming hand seals beforehand. Then, without hesitation, she touched the ground with her toes, and her energy exploded in an instant, transforming into intense flames of psychic energy that enveloped her entire body.

The sulfur gunpowder hidden in the shimenawa rope and bell spread rapidly, amplifying the impact of the Nen fire. With a leap, it launched an elbow strike towards the already close Genshin—Super Special Move: Ninja Bee!

As Yuan Chen sensed the surging Nen fire surrounding Mai Shiranui, he might have taken the time to appreciate the difference between this flame, formed from Qi, and ordinary flames.

But now...

Despite having the advantage of starting first, for some reason, Mai Shiranui did not feel any sense of security. Instead, she felt an inexplicable pressure coming from Yuan Chen.

Unfortunately, the arrow was already on the string and had to be released.

Facing Mai Shiranui's gaze, Yuan Chen remained indifferent. As he felt Mai Shiranui charging towards him, he raised his right fist, his muscles tensing, and at the moment of impact, it shot out from his side like a cannonball.

The angle is straight, without any fancy moves; it's just a simple, basic straight hook punch.

But in Mai Shiranui's line of sight, it seemed that Yuan Chen's figure began to grow taller and taller in an instant with that hook punch.

Like a living mountain, even that seemingly simple straight punch was instantly larger than Mai Shiranui's entire body.

Yuan Chen's excellent arm span allowed him to strike first, before Mai Shiranui's super special move, Ninja Bee, could even touch his body. He struck first, easily shattering the rising Nen fire around her, while his heavy fist then deeply embedded itself into Mai Shiranui's soft abdomen.