A muscular girl is presented to the passionate world of crossover anime.

"Hey, as expected, youth has the upper hand in boxing." This was the second time Guo Haihuang had this feeling today. Hanon and Hanma Yujiro were both younger and stronger than him, and their martial arts skills were no less than his. Guo Haihuang hadn't encountered such an opponent in decades!

“But breaking the pancake isn’t that simple~” Guo Haihuang smiled slightly and slowed down his pace. As soon as he did so, Huayin grabbed the pancake.

Although Hana had her hands on the pancake, she couldn't break it apart because Guo Haihuang's movements, though slow, were becoming increasingly refined. The moment Hana's fingers touched the pancake, Guo Haihuang would skillfully pull it away. Then, just as Hana finally got used to this method, Guo Haihuang would immediately change to another way of pulling the pancake away… It took Hana a full half minute to figure out Guo Haihuang's usual hand gestures before she could touch the pancake for a relatively long time.

"Little girl, you're amazing!" Guo Haihuang praised, "You caught the pancake in less than a minute. Your fighting talent is truly outstanding."

That's right. Speaking of combat talent, Hana's soul before transmigrating was quite gifted, considered above average among ordinary people. After transmigrating, she has been dealing with martial arts all the time, bringing out her combat intuition and wisdom through rich experience. Now she has a high vision and broad knowledge, reaching a level where she can understand everything and do anything. Although this is the first time she has tried this pancake-grabbing trick, she does it quite well, showing signs of becoming a pancake-grabbing expert.

However, even a "small" expert can't make up for the gap between him and Guo Haihuang. He has at least seen Ip Man and Gong Yutian's pancake-breaking contest since the Republic of China era, and has studied it for decades. It's impossible for Huayin to break the pancake in a minute by finding the trick. You're overthinking it!

Guo Haihuang just used only wrist and finger movements; now he will use his elbows and forearms, and even the movements of his other arm...

With a flick of his wrist, he grasped Huayin's wrist, listening to Qiao's strength—and spread his arms.

With his other hand, he grabbed the other arm that Huayin was swinging at, deflecting the force with his shoulder.

After wrapping his hands around her several times to dissipate her momentum, he pressed down, causing her to lose her balance and collapse.

The "Tan Pang Fu" is one of the three basic techniques of Wing Chun. Guo Haihuang is proficient in many martial arts, and this technique is also easy for him to use. He threw Hua Yin to the ground.

Hanon indeed lacked experience in grabbing pancakes and was countered by Guo Haihuang's sudden skill, causing her to immediately slump to the ground. However, she was no pushover; her muscles tensed instantly, halting her fall and regaining her balance.

However, at this moment, Hanon had already bent over and her face was not far from the ground. After regaining her balance, she simply flipped to the side, spun gracefully in mid-air, and stood up again.

Although she said she had stood still, Kanon was not actually very stable. She started jumping with her legs—it was like a boxing stance.

"Whoosh, this is fun~" Hana exclaimed excitedly, "This game of grabbing the pancake is really fun! I really underestimated it in the first minute, Grandpa, let's start the second minute now!"

Author: Here I am!

Section 704, Chapter 696: Snap

"Boxing?" Guo Haihuang looked at Huayin's footwork and stance with a playful expression. "Does boxing technique help with breaking a pancake? This sport is less than three hundred years old..."

"Ahem, it seems the arrogance of the Martial Arts Province is truly pervasive, even you, sir, are no exception." Hua Yin rolled her eyes and corrected, "First, modern boxing only emerged in the mid-18th century, but ancient boxing is the oldest fighting sport in human history, and in terms of seniority, it's no less than our Chinese martial arts! Second, who said that my stance means I'm going to use boxing?"

After saying that, Hanon threw a punch.

"Hey, little girl, you said you don't use boxing?" Hua Yin's attack speed was as fast as lightning. Guo Haihuang was almost hit in the face by this punch and quickly dodged.

"It's not boxing." Hua Yin said this, but her hands moved without slowing down. She unleashed a series of jabs at Guo Haihuang with astonishing speed, making Guo Haihuang's hair stand on end and his heart pound with fear: "Little girl, you're lying!"

"I wasn't lying!" Hua Yin indeed changed her tactics. After her jab was dodged, she raised her thumb and used the principle of "unpredictable transformation" to enhance her arm. Suddenly, she turned and thrust out, aiming straight for Guo Haihuang's elbow, Quze acupoint. Guo Haihuang also activated "force dissipation," and Hua Yin's attack had no effect, being deflected by his arm.

However, Guo Haihuang was still not used to Hana's new playing style.

Having just been taught a lesson by Guo Haihuang with Wing Chun, Huayin's understanding of this pancake-breaking exercise has deepened. While it's not an all-out battle, who says the opponent's physical body can't be a target?

With this understanding, Kanon's control over the scale of this battle improved significantly.

While Hua Yin's attacks weren't as fierce and ruthless as in a normal fight, their sharpness was no less than that of a life-or-death struggle. She bypassed Guo Haihuang's major vital points like his chin, spine, and forehead, instead focusing her attacks on his minor weaknesses. For example, when Hua Yin threw a punch head-on, she curled two fingers, aiming directly at Guo Haihuang's Huagai acupoint. Guo Haihuang had to defend himself; otherwise, being struck by a powerful expert like Hua Yin, whose short-range force penetrated his internal organs, would likely leave him coughing for months. And while Guo Haihuang used ultimate "force neutralization" to block Hua Yin's attack, Hua Yin's other hand had already reached for the flatbread…

Therefore, Hanon's attack was roughly like this: mainly using super-fast jabs, supplemented by flexible and varied punches and kicks, attacking where the enemy had to defend, leaving Guo Haihuang overwhelmed and thus relaxing his defenses on the pancake in his hand.

This unique contest of breaking the pancake not only limited the use of many of Hana's techniques, but also restricted Guo Haihuang. If the old man had no pancake in his hand and simply sparred with Hana, his ultimate "force absorption" could withstand the attack for a long time, and Hana might not be able to break through it so easily. However, since he was holding a pancake, breaking the pancake meant he lost, which took away a lot of the old man's attention. Even if he tried his best to protect him, he couldn't stop him.

Guo Haihuang is formidable, but his opponent is Hana!

Hanon's movements were clearly a level faster than Guo Haihuang's, a continuation of his previous physical advantage. Although Guo Haihuang could still defend, he had lost his previous composure. In the second minute of the Grand Tournament final, Hanon began to gain the upper hand.

"Got you!" With a soft shout from Huayin, she finally caught the pancake again, and this time she held on firmly, determined not to let Guo Haihuang slip away again.

Next, if Kanon had just applied a little more force, the mere pancake would have instantly crumbled... Unfortunately, it didn't go that smoothly.

Hanon is indeed powerful, but his opponent is Guo Haihuang...

The dough didn't break because it was originally chewy. Although Huayin flattened it a bit, it remained intact due to the pull of the dough and red bean paste filling. Guo Haihuang then pulled it away, dissipating the force.

"Ah, this!" Hua Yin was quite disheartened. Reluctant to let go of the pancake, she followed with her arm and pinched the pancake again. But this time, Guo Haihuang changed from pulling away to pushing it back. The force surged and actually made the flattened pancake roll back into a round ball!

Huayin had no choice but to push her palms again to pinch and pull the pancake, but Guo Haihuang still managed to break through with his superb skills. Whether it was "force dissipation" or "Tai Chi", Guo Haihuang's strength was a perfect blend of softness and hardness, and he could control it at will. It was a level of mastery that ordinary martial artists could not even imagine. Even someone as strong as Huayin could only barely keep up and prevent the pancake from slipping out of her palms, but she could not break it no matter what she did.

With her target seemingly within reach, yet always just a little short, Hana's frustration grew. One hand still clutched the dough, while the other, along with her legs, relentlessly attacked Guo Haihuang's body. But Guo Haihuang was also exhausted; he activated his "force neutralization" technique, his palm slamming into the dough, his entire being becoming one with it, both in a state of "force neutralization." With Hana's hand pinned to the dough, her previous strategy of "attacking the enemy and defending, flexibly maneuvering" became ineffective, and the battle once again descended into a stalemate.

This was quite awkward. With their attacks flowing freely, Hanon had gained the upper hand and was able to break through Guo Haihuang's protection to grab the pancake. However, once she had the pancake, Hanon couldn't break it open, and the momentum shifted back to Guo Haihuang. It was as if neither could gain the upper hand… no, under the rules of the pancake-breaking game, Hanon, unable to break the pancake open, seemed somewhat powerless.

The third minute of the match was spent in an awkward stalemate.

After Huayin and Guo Haihuang slowed down, the audience noticed something was wrong: "It's a pity, it looks like Ye Haiwang can't break this pie apart."

"That's right. Tai Chi master Yang Luchan has the unique skill of making birds unable to fly. He holds a sparrow in his hand, and the sparrow can't fly because it has nowhere to get leverage. I think Ye Haiwang is now like the sparrow in Guo Haihuang's hand. This pie can't be broken apart."

"Sigh, I say... isn't Guo Haihuang a bit despicable? He chose a soft, malleable dough, which gives him more room to maneuver, right? If he had chosen a hard, unleavened dough, Ye Haiwang would have won long ago!"

"What are you thinking? That pancake may be soft, but it's not playdough. Homemade scallion pancakes are about as chewy as they are, right? Ye Haiwang just can't break the pancake apart. He's not as good as him!"

"Whether she's the Sea King or the Sea Emperor, I will always love Miss Hanon..."

"Go away, don't use that fan culture stuff!"

"Speaking of which, if Guo Haihuang wins, how many more years can he live at the age of 146? Although most of the previous Haihuangs did not live to see the second Grand Tournament, if he passes away in three to five years, wouldn't the position of 'Haihuang' be vacant for a long time?"

The audience's discussion was quite loud and even reached the ring.

When under pressure, people become irritable. When the pressure becomes too great, some people become enraged, some break down, and others...

Amidst the clamor of doubts, Kanon unexpectedly entered a state of clarity.

"This stalemate isn't going to work. This tactic is just a simple idea, it hasn't been put into practice yet, but let me give it a try. Anyway, the worst that can happen is that I can't break the pie and I have to throw the ball and admit defeat..."

Hanon had some new ideas and techniques that seemed to work for breaking pancakes, so she decided to give it a try.

However, before she could even try it, the pancake cracked open with a "thud" and a piece fell to the ground.

In an instant, the entire hall fell silent.

Author's Note: There will be two more chapters tonight, but it will be quite late. If I can't finish the fourth chapter, I'll update five chapters tomorrow.

Section 705, Chapter 697: Ye Haihuang, Sun Wukong?

"We won...we won! Ye Haiwang won!"

"Ye Huayin! She, she, she, she defeated Guo Haihuang!"

"Ye Haiwang is amazing, no, she should be called Ye Haihuang."

"Long live Emperor Ye Hai! Long live Emperor Ye Hai!"

"Ye Haihuang's martial arts skills are unparalleled. All colleagues of the Guangdong Martial Arts Province salute Ye Haihuang!"

"Heilongjiang Martial Arts Province seconds this!"

"Suzhou Martial Arts Province seconded it!" "Nanjing Martial Arts Province seconded it!" "Lianyungang Martial Arts Province seconded it!" "Damn, as expected of you guys, you can't forget to fight amongst yourselves even at a time like this."

"Ye Haihuang is not yet an adult and has already achieved so much. It seems that her rule over the Martial Arts Province will last for a very long time."

...All of this happened after the brief silence that followed the fall of the dough.

The entire arena erupted in cheers, just like her victory in the Kengan Tournament's final elimination rounds and her triumph in the Tokyo Underground Arena Tournament six months ago. Kanon had grown accustomed to such glory; as a martial artist, she stood at the pinnacle of the world, having won several of the highest honors.

Glory, oh glory! But when Hanon gently kissed Miho, who had fallen into a deep sleep after rewarding herself, and returned to the arena alone that night, her heart was filled with questions and emptiness.

Although she was confident that she could break the dough in the next attack, Guo Haihuang deliberately broke it, which was tantamount to admitting defeat, leaving Huayin with no way to vent her fighting spirit... Why was that?

Could it be that Guo Haihuang saw through Huayin's next move? Impossible... Or was the old man already exhausted and unable to keep up? But Guo Haihuang clearly went through the award ceremony in high spirits and even said a few very stylish words.

"Ye Huayin, today I bestow my reputation upon you. From now on, every step you take will be a challenge. I hope you will rely on your spirit to light a lamp, and remember that what you hold dear will surely come to pass!"

...By the way, isn't this a line from "The Grandmaster"?

Could it be that this new world has also infiltrated this movie, and Guo Haihuang happened to hear this line decades ago and thought it was very cool, and now he has finally caught the opportunity to give it to Hanon?

"No, I don't believe it. Even the most unreliable guy wouldn't be that bored."

However, Hana couldn't understand the reason behind Guo Haihuang's behavior. She could only wander around the arena in a depressed mood. The arena floor was made of marble and asphalt, unlike the arena under the Tokyo Dome which was covered with sand. Walking on it didn't feel like much, and you couldn't bend down and grab a handful of sand mixed with broken teeth, broken nails, blood and sweat to express your feelings.

"Aaaaah, that cunning old man! What is he thinking?!" Hanon shouted, clutching her head.

“Hey, badmouthing people behind their backs will get you in for it,” someone replied.

Hua Yin turned her head and saw Guo Haihuang.

The old man, dressed and ready, except for his sunglasses and wheelchair, transformed back into the unassuming, frail old man he always was, and leisurely strolled into the arena: "What are you doing here so late? Did you become the Sea King and are you too excited to sleep?"

"Tsk, you still have the nerve to say that..." Hua Yin sighed, it was definitely Guo Haihuang himself, still as nonsensical as ever: "It was clearly you who hinted that I should come here tonight."

After the award ceremony speech, Guo Haihuang tapped Hua Yin's hand three times before turning and walking off the stage, then backstage. This was a reference to Sun Wukong from *Journey to the West*, or perhaps the story of Huineng, the Sixth Patriarch of Buddhism—in short, a hint that Hua Yin should meet him at the stage at midnight. Hua Yin even looked it up online; in ancient times, midnight was around 12:00 AM. Since she was so confused and couldn't sleep, she decided to check it out.

"You're a promising student!" Guo Haihuang was always satisfied with Hua Yin's comprehension. He also stepped into the arena: "I deliberately shook open that last piece of dough."

"I know. But why?" Seeing Guo Haihuang's directness, Huayin quickly pressed for an answer.

Guo Haihuang didn't rush to answer. Instead, he circled the arena, stroking the shattered marble railings with his hand. Among them was a human-shaped hole, which was the one he had been smashed into by Hanma Yujiro's "God of Slaughter" strike. It was that strike that essentially eliminated Guo Haihuang's chance of winning.

"That battle with Yujiro Hanma was incredibly dangerous," the old sea emperor said from the bottom of his heart.

Hanon nodded: "'The world's strongest creature' lives up to its name; it's an extremely difficult opponent."

"Therefore, I will lay down the burden of being the Sea Emperor and focus on martial arts training, so that I can have a final showdown with Yujiro Hanma a hundred years from now." The Sea Emperor Guo raised his head, lost in thought: "I also want to be called 'the strongest creature in the world' once..."

Hanon was both amused and exasperated: "So you're just going to send me up there?"

She didn't question why Guo Haihuang didn't want to lose to Lie Haiwang; the reason was easy to understand: given Guo Haihuang's status, even if he were to relinquish his position, it would certainly be a dignified defeat in the finals. As the mastermind behind the Grand Tournament's matchups, Guo Haihuang would naturally arrange for Lie Haiwang, the easiest opponent among the remaining three, to be his match. He could also teach Lie Haiwang some "energy neutralization" techniques—how wonderful!

What Hanon really wanted to question was... "You're so old, and you still want to fight a hundred years from now... You're really ambitious, living like a complete idiot!"

Guo Haihuang raised his withered arm and even flexed his biceps, but there was nothing there: "Hehe, this old man is still healthy. Putting aside the mundane affairs of the Martial Arts Province, living another hundred years is no problem!"

After exchanging a smile, the old man and the young man fell silent.

After a long pause, Guo Haihuang couldn't hold back any longer. He hesitated several times before finally blurting out, "You actually believed my reason for voluntarily admitting defeat?"

"I don't believe you." Hanon revealed a victorious smile: "But I just want to hear it from you."