Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted

Compared to Yamashita Kazuo's astonishment, the people around him were clearly surprised by something else.

It's important to know that Katahara Metsudo rarely appears at matches of this scale, and he would never walk directly into the ring area right after a match has ended and the winner is still catching their breath.

But he came today, and he even came down.

"Haha, long time no see, everyone. I've enjoyed a very satisfying match." Katahara Metsudo said as he walked, his tone as calm as if he were taking a stroll in his own backyard, but his aged eyes were fixed on Yuan Chen the whole time.

Upon reaching Yuan Chen, Katahara Metsudo stopped, offering no pleasantries or formalities. After a brief scrutiny, he nodded to Yuan Chen, then turned to Nogi Hideki beside him and said:

"Looks like your wish has been dashed, Nogi."

"..." Upon hearing this, after a moment of silence, Nogi Hideki said expressionlessly, "Perhaps... but I never expected you to go through all this trouble to come here in person..."

Upon hearing Nogi Hideki's words, Katahara Metsudou nodded calmly, his expression not showing much concern. He then turned his gaze to Kano Gen beside him and said:

"It's a bit of a pity, but it seems your chance has been taken away too..."

"I don't think it's a great pity."

Upon hearing Katahara Metsudo's words, Kano Gen shook his head and looked at Yuan Chen, saying, "Although I'm not entirely sure what President Ibuki of Sakura-so Yakiniku's attitude is, according to President Ibuki, Yuan Chen and Chun-Li will be in charge of all matters related to the Kengan Association..."

Shrugged and said calmly, "I'm sure you can see that too, right? A good man like that can't possibly refuse any storm."

“Yes, just like a fisherman who won’t miss any opportunity to pull on a giant fish.” Upon hearing this, Katahara Metsudou laughed, and a strange aura began to emanate from his entire body.

Looking at Yuan Chen to the side, Pian Yuan Miedang was clearly over a hundred years old, but he still gave people the feeling of a demon in the shadows.

From within the pitch-black figure, a pair of eyes, like points of light, gazed at Yuan Chen. Katahara Miedang spoke calmly and slowly:

"According to the rules of the Kengan Association, as long as fifty members of the Kengan Association agree, a 'battle for the position of president' can be forcibly launched."

"!!!"

Upon hearing Katahara Mitsudo's words, the people present were stunned.

"Wait a minute, if that's the case, doesn't that mean the Kengan competition between the Nogi Group and the Koshiro Group is essentially just a contest for voting rights?!"

"If that's the case, then it makes sense that Chairman Katahara would use his chairmanship privileges! He probably thought the Steel Generation Group might lose, so he used his chairmanship privileges to parachute into Yuan Chen to ensure the vote wouldn't pass?!"

"Wow! That's really... If I remember correctly, the Nogi Group staked 50 billion yen on this Kengan match!"

"As expected of the president, even if Tokita Ohma defeats Genjin, he will still be seriously injured. Even if he waits until next week to have a Kengan match with Sekibayashi Jun, Tokita Ohma will not be able to fully recover..."

"So, Sakura Manor's charcoal-grilled meat restaurant is actually the president's secret weapon? No wonder they have a fighter of Yuan Chen's caliber..."

It's no wonder people have similar thoughts, because Sakura-sou BBQ's rise in the Kengan Association has been too rapid, and for a company of Sakura-sou BBQ's size, the level of a fighter like Yuan Chen is simply too high.

Although the Quanyuan Association itself did not impose any restrictions, there is an old saying in the Tang Dynasty, which says that Xixi dancers are... wrong, it is a good bird choosing a good tree to perch on.

The Kengan Association selects its fighters, and the fighters also select their respective companies. Aside from the fact that different company presidents may lead to different development directions, the Kengan competitions held by large companies are also more frequent and intense than those held by ordinary companies.

Just like a competition, the number of martial artists attracted by a bounty of one thousand is completely different from the number of martial artists attracted by a bounty of one million.

In this situation, given the scale of Sakura Manor Barbecue, Yuan Chen's level as a fighter is clearly far beyond the standard.

In particular, Sakura-sou BBQ is almost entirely outside the Kengan Association, and even the right to initiate matches has been directly transferred to Chun-Li Yuan-chen, which naturally aroused the curiosity of many people.

Rather than believing that Sakura Ibuki was content with her lot, they preferred to believe that this was a divine intervention prepared by Chairman Katahara long ago.

Katahara Metsudou, however, did not care and simply said unhurriedly:

"In today's Kengan competition, what we are fighting for is the right to vote in favor. If the Nogi Group wins, then the Koshiro Group will have to abide by the contract and vote in favor. And if the Koshiro Group wins, then the Nogi Group will have to pay a loss of 50 billion yen in assets... But right now, neither of them has won or lost."

Looking at Yuan Chen, Katahara Mitsudo's eyes were full of anticipation.

"Now, the decision is in your hands... Do you agree to start a battle for the presidency?"

“Of course.” Yuan Chen nodded, speaking almost without the slightest hesitation:

“As the winner and the authorized representative of the Kengan Association for Sakura-so Charcoal Grilled Meat, I agree to hold the ‘Kengan Association Presidential Contest’.”

? !

Upon hearing this, not to mention others, even Nogi Hideki stared at Yuan Chen with wide eyes in astonishment.

Yuan Chen... really wasn't sent by the student council president? Then... then why...?

It can't be that I joined this battle just for the sake of fighting... right?

Hideki Nogi's spirit was deeply shaken.

"Huh?!?"

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Xing Songren and Hui Ding Shi let out a cry of surprise and uncertainty.

"It's started?! A battle for the president position?!"

"Really? Did I hear that right? Or did Yuan Chen say something wrong?!"

"Isn't Sakura-sou BBQ a subordinate of the student council president? Why?!"

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Katahara Metsudou's expression didn't change much. He just looked at Yuan Chen with some curiosity and said, "Your... reaction is really too calm? Did Sheatha already tell you beforehand?"

"No!" Before Yuan Chen could speak, Katahara Sayaka couldn't help but lean out and say, "I just found out about this too!"

Standing beside Katahara Sayaka, Katahara Retsudou nodded. Although his expression was calm, his look was full of astonishment, clearly indicating that he had just learned of this as well.

However, this only fueled Katahara Metsudo's curiosity, and he stared at Yuan Chen with expectant eyes, saying:

"If that's the case... young friend Yuan Chen, could you satisfy this old man's curiosity and explain why you made this decision?"

"Haven't you already explained the reason?"

In response, Yuan Chen remained calm, clearly unaffected by any emotions or environmental pressures, and simply said unhurriedly:

"Whether it's waiting for my storm or struggling with a giant fish in the water, you know why, don't you? After all, you've been waiting for this for a very, very long time."

Upon hearing this, Katahara Metsudou finally couldn't help but laugh, a bright smile appearing on his old face covered with wrinkles.

"Yes, I have been waiting for this for a long time, for more than fifty years. Finally, a young man has come up with the courage to challenge this old man!"

Upon hearing this, Nogi Hideki clenched his fists, feeling an invisible pressure surge up from Katahara Metsudou's withered body and rush towards him.

This even terrified Nogi Hideki, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

This extraordinary sense of oppression still exists? No... it should be said that even at over a hundred years old, he is still 'growing'...

In response, Katahara Metsudo simply said with anticipation in his voice, "I announce that the conditions have been met! The Kengan Deathmatch will be held in two weeks."

Volume 1: 149 Eyes

After Katahara Metsudo finished speaking, the entire underground parking garage fell into a brief but complete silence. Then, with a loud bang, the crowd erupted into chaos.

Because everyone realized that this was not a joke, but real, the Kengan Association was about to face a new round of competition for the chairmanship, the first since the battle for the chairmanship sixty years ago!

In fact, this wasn't even instigated by someone else. Judging from the looks of it, it seems Katahara Metsudo himself was eager to get involved in this conflict?! Perhaps even personally orchestrated it?!

But why did he do this?

It's important to understand that the main reason why the Kengan Association chairmanship battle took place 60 years ago, when Katahara Metsudo rose to power, occurred was because postwar Japan underwent reconstruction and ushered in a new round of rapid development.

Having experienced the golden age, in this era of gradually solidified social classes, even if Katahara Metsudo did nothing, the enormous size that the Dai Nippon Bank had accumulated over the past sixty years would propel him forward.

In this situation, let alone if Yuan Chen took the initiative to agree to launch the chairmanship battle, even if Nogi Hideki and the others joined forces to force him to take the position, Katahara Mitsudo's ability would be enough to easily settle things if he was willing to pay some price.

But now...

No.

People quickly realized that Yuan Chen was, after all, someone Katahara Metsudo had placed in the fold using his chairmanship privileges. Although this was to ensure that Tokita Ohma could not win, which made sense, a look at Katahara Metsudo's rise to power revealed that this old madman had been prone to crazy acts since his youth.

From another perspective… by intervening in the Kengan Tournament through the chairman's special privileges, and then actively initiating a contest… in other words—

Was the Kengan chairmanship contest initiated by Chairman Katahara himself?!

Whether it's true or not, at least for now, no one is sitting down.

Some people had already taken out their phones and hurried to the corner, some had left in a hurry with their secrets, and others immediately started looking up which other powerful fighters were available, hoping to rise to the top in the power transition of the Kengan Association.

At the heart of the storm, Nogi Hideki stood still, his expression grave.

However, Katahara Metsudou didn't seem to care about Nogi Hideki's expression. He simply smiled leisurely and looked at Yuan Chen, saying:

"I initially thought I might need to use some underhanded methods to make this happen. But I didn't expect it to start so easily so quickly~ Truly, heroes emerge from among the young!"

"I'm alright."

Yuan Chen shrugged without any concern.

However, Katahara Metsudo clearly liked Yuan Chen's personality. After hearing Yuan Chen's casual response, he was not angry at all. Instead, he looked behind him with a sigh and said:

"I had some doubts before, but now I understand why you think so highly of this kid. By the way, are there any of you who want to attend this grand event?"

Upon hearing Katahara Mitsudo's words, Go Hye-ryo calmly stepped out of the shadows and said with a light laugh:

"Of course, the Wu clan will not be absent from such a grand event... After all, Lei An has been talking about A-Chen quite a bit lately."

"Huh? I was chanting?" Upon hearing this, Wu Lei'an, following behind Wu Huiliyang, not only showed disgust but also said:

"Old man, you really are getting senile, aren't you? I don't remember ever babbling like that!"

“He hasn’t been nagging at all.” Wu Qiqi nodded in agreement, then waved to Yuan Chen as he said, “He’s much more composed than before, and he’s working much harder when practicing. He’s even picked up the secret techniques again…”

"Hey!"

Seeing Wu Qi's incessant chatter, Wu Lei'an interrupted him with a look of annoyance:

"How come I never knew you were so long-winded? Nobody asked you! Shut up, okay? If you want to fight, just say so!"

Upon hearing Wu Lei'an's words, Wu Qiqi showed no sign of anger whatsoever. He simply reached out and made a zipper gesture over his mouth to indicate that he was okay.

Although the movements sound lively, Wu Qiqi has a naturally honest face, so even such lively movements appear unusually calm... even a bit stiff.

However, Yuan Chen understood Wu Qi's meaning and gave an OK sign, while Wu Qi nodded silently, thus completing the secret communication.

Seeing the two exchanging glances, Wu Lei'an grimaced in annoyance, but ultimately said nothing.

The main point is that Wu Lei'an's changes during this period are truly remarkable.

Although Wu Lei'an's temper and personality were as bad as ever, if you talked to him for a while and he was slightly displeased, he would make sarcastic remarks and deliberately provoke you.

But to be fair, compared to Wu Lei'an, who looked down on everyone in the Wu clan, thinking that all members of the Wu clan except himself were trash, and that those who couldn't unlock liberation were the trashest of trash...

Good and bad are relative terms.

Compared to its previous behavior of hissing and scratching people whenever it saw them, Wu Lei'an, who is now just not friendly, can definitely be considered a genteel cat.

However, Yuan Chen didn't care. He simply raised his chin at Wu Lei'an and said, "Remember to come and spar sometime."

“No problem.” Wu Lei’an sneered, “I have prepared a lot of surprises for you, which will definitely broaden your horizons.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Chen's eyes also revealed a hint of interest: "Then I'll look forward to it."

Just as Yuan Chen was speaking, a voice came from the side: "Grandpa! Long time no see! How have you been lately?"

Hearing the girl's energetic voice, Wu Huiliyang, who was originally mature and composed, also brightened up. Then, with a kind expression on his aged face, he said, "Of course, that's great! It's just that I haven't seen Garuda for a while. Grandpa is almost... oh?"

Wu Huili turned around, expecting to see Wu Jialouluo happily embracing her.

However, somewhat unexpectedly, although Wu Jialouluo ran over with a happy expression, he went straight to Yuan Chen, hugged him, and turned to look at Wu Huiliyang, saying:

"Um, Grandpa, could you please expedite my marriage to Ah Chen?"

Wu Huili: "..."

Looking at Wu Jialouluo, who was clinging to Yuan Chen's arm and whose face was full of spring fever, Wu Huiliyang was suddenly petrified and stood there stunned, as if her soul had drifted away for a while.

Upon witnessing this scene and fully understanding Wu Huiliyang's "granddaughter's idiot" state, Wu Lei'an immediately burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Garuda seems to have been completely conquered by Yuan Chen~ His silly granddaughter is about to lose control~~~"

Strangely enough, Wu Huili Yang was on the verge of losing control, but when she heard Wu Lei'an burst into laughter, she immediately looked displeased, stretched out her cane and struck Wu Lei'an hard on the head, before turning her gaze back to Yuan Chen.

Although his expression was somewhat restrained, a closer look revealed a hint of dissatisfaction.

But it was just dissatisfaction.

After staring at Yuan Chen for a while, Wu Huili nodded in satisfaction. The last trace of dissatisfaction on her face vanished instantly, and she said slowly:

“Achen’s potential has not yet fully matured, and Garuda, you are still immature. Marriage is inevitable, so there’s no rush.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Jialouluo pouted somewhat unhappily, but knowing that his grandfather was doing it for his own good, he didn't say anything more.

Seeing Garuda's unhappy face, Wu Huili Yang couldn't help but sigh that daughters are hard to keep at home once they grow up, which made Wu Lei'an laugh out loud again.

But the two old people didn't seem to care at all. In fact, Wu Huili even looked with interest at Tianma Xiwang and the others who were cautiously shrinking their heads behind Yuan Chen and said: