As a weirdo, I like being a Kamen Rider

"Sound Strike Dao?" Hikari blinked, her face full of doubt, and asked softly, "What is Sound Strike Dao?"

Asumu spoke, "The Way of Sound Strike is a martial art that uses clear sound to destroy demonic monsters!"

Then he began to explain it to everyone in a serious manner.

Lin Chen stood aside, listening quietly.

Martial Arts? Practice?

The power system of this world is completely different from that of other Kamen Rider worlds he knows.

In almost every world, knights are either modified or mutated non-human beings or warriors who rely on technological equipment. But in this world, knights are pure humans who grow stronger step by step through daily martial arts training and eventually gain the power to fight against monsters.

Without relying on external forces or mutations, one can achieve combat strength comparable to or even surpassing that of a knight solely through one's own cultivation.

It's important to know that his physical attributes have reached 63 points, more than twelve times that of an ordinary human. His physical strength and life force have long surpassed the limits of ordinary people. Yet, Hibiki, through pure human cultivation, has reached such a level, even surpassing him. This is enough to prove the terrifying nature of the Sound Strike Path.

Unique, so very unique.

A burning desire flashed in Lin Chen's eyes.

On the other hand, Tsukasa Kadoya didn't care about the specific origin and core of Sound Strike. He only grasped one key word throughout the whole process—Sound Strike Master.

"A Grandmaster?" Tsukasa Kadoya was still somewhat uncertain.

Hibiki had already stood up from the recliner, jogged to the wooden table, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, tilted his head back and took a sip to relieve the dryness in his mouth after waking up. Hearing this, he nodded lightly: "That's right, only a master of the Sound Strike Dao can wear this robe, it can't be faked."

Upon seeing that Hibiki had confirmed his identity as a Taoist priest, Tsukasa Kadoya instantly perked up, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up.

"What is a Grandmaster?" Yusuke Onodera scratched his head, looking at Tsukasa Kadoya with a blank expression.

Kadoya Tsukasa immediately saw an opportunity to show off. With a smirk, he stepped on the bluestone next to him, stood firmly on the other foot, pointed his right hand to the sky, and made an exaggerated and cool gesture. He then solemnly explained to Onodera, "Master is a teacher who is of a higher status than a teacher."

Onodera was still confused. He gestured for Kadoya Tsukasa to continue explaining, but Kadoya Tsukasa seemed lost in his own world and stopped answering.

Just then, Asumu, who was retrieving her sound disc from the stream nearby, ran back, her face full of anxiety, and shouted to Hibiki, "Master Hibiki! The demon has appeared."

“Alright.” Hibiki nodded, but the next second, instead of taking a step toward the demon, he turned to look at Tsukasa Kadoya, bowed slightly, and said with a hint of cunning, “Then please act immediately, Master.”

After saying that, Hibiki turned around and took a few quick steps to the side of the recliner. He lay down on it, put his straw hat back over his face, and looked like he was about to go back to sleep. His movements were smooth and swift, without the slightest hesitation.

"Master Hibiki, aren't you going?!" Asumu complained.

Hibiki's voice came from under the straw hat, lazy and dismissive, "I'm still busy sleeping."

Looking at Hibiki, who was sprawled back on the recliner and slacking off, Tsukasa Kadoya couldn't help but remark, "So there are useless Riders here too!"

Despite his teasing, Tsukasa Kadoya didn't actually refuse. He turned and walked towards the direction of the demon, with Natsumi Hikari and Yusuke Onodera immediately following.

Asumu felt sullen seeing Hibiki's listless state and walked alone into the depths of the forest.

In a short while, the once bustling stream was left with only Lin Chen and Xiang Gui on the recliner.

Lin Chen did not move.

The sound attack technique that Asumu just described, and the life energy of Hibiki that far exceeded his own, gave him a new idea.

If one could learn the cultivation method of the Sound Strike Dao and steadily improve one's physical attributes, it would be far more worthwhile than killing a few demonic monsters now.

Hibiki, sitting on the recliner, seemed to realize that someone was still there, and his previously steady breathing paused.

After about half a minute, he finally took off his straw hat impatiently, frowned at Lin Chen, and said in a somewhat impatient tone, "Hey kid, they've all left, why are you still here? What are you doing here?"

Lin Chen raised his eyes, looking calmly at Hibiki, his tone firm and without any beating around the bush: "Mr. Hibiki, I want to become your disciple and learn the cultivation methods of the Sound Strike Dao."

"Huh?" Hibiki was stunned for a moment, as if he had heard something unbelievable. He looked Lin Chen up and down, his eyes full of surprise.

He could clearly sense that Lin Chen's aura far surpassed that of ordinary people, and his physical attributes were almost no less than those of a disciple of the Sound Strike Path who had cultivated for ten years.

This kind of person actually wants to become my disciple and learn the art of sound striking?

Hibiki frowned, pulled his straw hat back over his face, and coldly refused, "No interest. I don't take on apprentices. You can leave."

Lin Chen did not leave.

He turned and walked to the small stool next to him, silently picked up the stool, and sat down three meters away from the recliner. He sat quietly without saying a word, just watching the ghost on the recliner.

Time passed by, second by second.

Sunlight slowly moves through the gaps in the leaves, the stream flows gently, and the aroma of tea gradually fades.

Lin Chen stood motionless like a statue, his gaze calmly fixed on Xiang Gui, showing no sign of anxiety or giving up.

The ghost on the recliner could initially pretend not to care, but being stared at while sleeping by a living person made him feel very uncomfortable.

The feeling is like having someone standing next to you while you're sleeping, staring intently at you. Even with your eyes closed, you can feel that gaze, making it impossible to fall asleep.

Ten minutes, twenty minutes, half an hour...

Hibiki finally reached his breaking point.

He abruptly ripped off his straw hat, sat up, scratched his hair in frustration, and asked irritably, "What exactly do you want? I've already said I don't take on disciples! You insist on bothering me, why do you have to learn the Sound Strike Dao?"

He was genuinely curious.

It doesn't make sense for someone with a strong physique and strange strength to insist on learning the Way of Sound Strike.

Lin Chen met Hibiki's gaze without any concealment, his tone calm and sincere: "To become stronger."

"Get stronger?" Hibiki raised an eyebrow and pressed, "Why do you want to get stronger?"

"To survive." Lin Chen's voice was soft, but it carried a seriousness etched into his bones. "I've seen too much death, too much helplessness. Only by becoming stronger can I survive."

"Just to survive? There's no other reason?" Hibiki's eyes deepened as he stared intently into Lin Chen's eyes, as if trying to see through his heart.

Lin Chen remained silent for a moment, carefully recalling his past experiences.

Survive, find your way home, that's all.

He slowly shook his head: "There's nothing else."

Hibiki looked into his clear yet resolute eyes and suddenly felt a jolt in his heart.

Such a simple desire.

It's just to survive.

But he knew all too well that the simpler one's desires, the easier it is to be consumed by them.

He thought of himself, who had also been like this, recklessly cultivating and fighting with all his might in order to become stronger and slay demons, and had become lost in power, allowing the ghost to take advantage of his weakness.

For some inexplicable reason, Hibiki's initially firm refusal suddenly softened.

He remained silent for a long time, looking into Lin Chen's calm yet persistent eyes, and then let out a long sigh.

"Never mind."

Hibiki slowly stood up, casually tossing his straw hat onto the recliner, his figure exuding a calm composure born of experience.

"I can teach you."

Lin Chen's eyes suddenly lit up, and a ripple finally appeared on his previously calm face.

“But—” Hibiki’s tone shifted, his gaze sharp as he stared at him, “I won’t teach you the methods of Sound Strike first. Come with me.”

After saying that, Xiang Gui didn't turn around, but walked straight into the depths of the dense forest.

Lin Chen immediately stood up and quickly followed.

The two walked one after the other into the depths of the dense forest where the mist had not yet completely dissipated.

Chapter 53 The Meaning of the Battle

The deeper the forest, the dimmer the sunlight. The intertwined branches of the towering ancient trees filtered out the last rays of sunlight, leaving them fragmented.

Lin Chen followed behind Xiang Gui, keeping his senses half-activated and paying attention to every rustle of wind within a hundred meters.

He could clearly sense that the stale air was becoming increasingly thick, like a sticky black fog slowly swirling in the bushes ahead.

The demon stopped at the edge of a clearing in the woods. Without turning around, it simply raised its chin, gesturing for Lin Chen to look at the waist-high bushes: "There's a low-level demonic monster hiding in there. It's only recently formed and hasn't had a chance to come down the mountain to harm people yet. Go and deal with it."

His tone was so calm, as if he were casually saying, "Go pick a leaf."

Lin Chen didn't ask any further questions and nodded. He could sense the faint yet ferocious life force in the bushes, a typical characteristic of a demonized monster—born from the turbid air and resentment of the mountains and forests.

He flipped his right hand, and the dark gold Earth Emperor phone was already in his palm. He lightly touched the mode switch button with his fingertips, and without the slightest hesitation, he uttered two words in a deep voice: "Transform."

"Standing By."

A chilling mechanical voice rang out, and dark golden photon blood surged forth. Layers of jet-black armor, like an emperor's crown, enveloped him. The moment the Ω-shaped helmet closed, a single scarlet eye gleamed with a terrifying light. Kamen Rider Orga had arrived in an instant.

Looking at Lin Chen, who had suddenly transformed into the Earth Emperor, Xiang Gui, with a small yellow flower in his mouth, found it amusing: This wasn't the power of a demon, but it wasn't weak either.

Without any probing or unnecessary movements, Lin Chen stomped his foot, his figure shooting straight into the bushes like an arrow. The dark blade of the Earth Emperor Sword condensed into a dark golden energy blade, and he delivered a simple, straight thrust.

"laugh--"

The light blade pierced through the bushes without hindrance, striking precisely the toad-shaped demon that had just poked its head out. The monster, covered in gray-green bumps and drooling, didn't even have time to utter a scream before its body was instantly torn apart by the raging imperial energy, turning into a cloud of foul black smoke that vanished without a trace in the wind.

The whole thing took no more than three seconds.

Clean and efficient.

Lin Chen slowly sheathed his sword, his armor dissipated into particles of light, and he returned to his human form, his expression calm, as if he had only done a trivial matter.

Hibiki turned around, his gaze falling on Lin Chen, a scrutinizing look in his eyes. He had never seen Lin Chen like this before—killing purely for the sake of killing, a simple and direct act of violence.

"Your fighting style is indeed simple and quick," Hibiki said, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger. "A single sword strike kills, without any hesitation."

Lin Chen responded calmly, "If it can be resolved quickly, there's no need to waste time."

Hibiki took two steps forward and stood in front of Lin Chen. His strong body cast a shadow, and his sharp eyes stared directly into Lin Chen's eyes: "I'm asking you, why did you kill this demonic monster?"

Lin Chen was slightly taken aback and looked at Xiang Gui with some confusion: "You told me to kill him."

In his logic, Hibiki ordered him to slay the demonized monster, and he did so, nothing more. He used his power to fight, to become stronger, and to survive; killing enemies was merely a means to achieve his goals, and he never needed any additional reason.

"If I tell you to kill, you'll kill?" Hibiki pressed, his tone becoming more forceful. "And if I tell you to kill an innocent, ordinary person, will you still do it?"

These words struck Lin Chen like a heavy stone. He fell silent, his brows furrowing, unsure how to respond.

Hibiki looked at Lin Chen's silent expression, a knowing glint in his eyes. He saw through the young man's true nature at a glance—possessing formidable strength but with a heart full of confusion, like a lone boat without anchor, drifting aimlessly on the vast ocean.

"You don't even know what you're fighting for." Hibiki's voice was calm but struck straight to the heart. "You became stronger just to survive; but after surviving, you never thought about what you would do."

Lin Chen lowered his head and remained silent. Xiang Gui's words, each one precise, struck at the deepest, most hidden confusion within him. He wanted to retort, but found himself speechless.