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

Enough, that's enough. Hanon felt that she couldn't figure out Guo Haihuang's actions throughout this Grand Tournament. From "asking for land and houses" before the start of the tournament, to manipulating the group assignments behind the scenes, to actively facing Hanma Yujiro in the quarterfinals, to passing on his skills to Retsu Kaioh in the semifinals, to playing the "pancake breaking game" with her in the finals and then voluntarily admitting defeat, including inviting her out for a chat late at night, all his actions were mysterious and strange, making it impossible for her to guess the reasons.

Hua Yin's attitude was clear: she wanted Guo Haihuang to speak for himself. She was tired of guessing and didn't want him to be treated like a monkey by tapping his hand three times and speaking in riddles. This wasn't a monkey show!

Even if Guo Haihuang bared his two sharp teeth and flew up to tell Hanon that he was a vampire, Hanon wouldn't be surprised anymore... Hmm, if that's really the case, I should still be surprised. Hanon remembered that there really are ghosts in this new world, and maybe the existence of vampires is also real... She shivered.

Fortunately, although Guo Haihuang is incredibly old, he is neither a cultivator nor a vampire. The old man chuckled and said, "Alright, it must have been hard for you to guess all that. Actually, it's nothing serious. This grand arena competition was, from the very beginning, a ceremony to prepare you for taking over the mantle."

Author's Note: It's a bit late, but I'll still try my best to update the last chapter tonight!

Section 706, Chapter 698: Borrowing Your Head

"Huh?" Hanon raised her hand, pointing to her nose in surprise: "Me?"

"Yes, it's you." Guo Haihuang snorted. "Is there any need to be so surprised?" The old man picked his ear. "By the way, during the final match, did you hear any comments from the audience?"

"Yes, I heard that. They said I can't break a pancake."

"Oh, not that one, what else?"

“Hmm…” Hana thought for a moment and said, “Some people say that if you pass away, the position of Sea Emperor will be vacant for a long time.”

“That’s right.” Guo Haihuang sighed. “Although I would like to live another hundred years, my age is what it is, and it’s hard to say how long I will live in the future. In that case, why not leave a new backbone for the martial arts province in advance? I spoke from the heart in my speech after the final.”

Kanon didn't know how to respond.

She believed that Guo Haihuang had told the truth this time, not only because the old man seemed sincere, but also because this reason made everything in the Grand Tournament reasonable. "Seeking land and houses" was about the future economic issues of the Martial Arts Department; manipulating the competition behind the scenes, including blocking Hanma Yujiro, was to ensure that Hanon could successfully become Haihuang; passing on the skills to Lie Haiwang was a minor incident, leaving some profound martial arts guidance for the treasure of Chinese martial arts, Lie Haiwang, and all the younger generation present; and finally, throwing the match and conceding defeat was even simpler, because when Hanon and Guo Haihuang successfully met in the final, the old man's goal had already been achieved.

Seeing Hua Yin stunned, Guo Haihuang said smugly, "How about it? This grand arena competition is well arranged, isn't it?"

After a long pause, Hua Yin finally blurted out, "Old man, you really are despicable..."

Guo Haihuang's intentions were indeed good, but the methods he used were far from honorable, and the final result was entirely in his interest: Hanon successfully advanced to the rank of Haihuang, the old man retired with great dignity, all the Haiwang and Yangwang received a lesson, and he even had a fierce battle with the super expert Hanma Yujiro, which was very exciting...

This is Guo Haihuang's cleverness; he not only satisfied himself but also benefited everyone else. The only one who was unhappy was probably Hanon. She could have earned the "Sea Emperor" title through her own abilities, but now she's been arranged to win without any connections. No wonder the resentful Hanon called Guo Haihuang "cunning."

Guo Haihuang understood this as well. He accepted being scolded by Huayin, since the deed was already done and it was too late to say anything more.

The old man and the young man fell silent again.

"Why me?" Hana asked.

"Why not you?" Guo Haihuang retorted.

Yes, if Guo Haihuang were to step down, Hanon would be the best successor. As the Sea Emperor of Chinese martial arts, the most important quality is absolute martial prowess to overwhelm all others, followed by virtue, prestige, and merit. In the past, people believed that after Guo Haihuang's death, "Fist God" Liu Haiwang should succeed him as the leader of the martial arts province. However, Liu Haiwang is already over a hundred years old and might even pass away before Guo Haihuang! As for the other Sea Emperors, their strength is far inferior. Only Lie Haiwang possesses high martial arts skills, good character, and experience. Even though his cultivation still needs time to hone, he is the best candidate to succeed the Sea Emperor—if Hanon hadn't suddenly appeared.

Hanon's martial arts skills are stronger than Retsu Haiwang's and even Guo Haihuang's own. Her character has also been tested by Guo Haihuang over a long period of time. Her personality and views on martial arts are more pleasing to Guo Haihuang than anyone else! The only obstacle for her to succeed as Haihuang is probably that she is too young and lacks prestige. But isn't the Grand Tournament the best stage to accumulate these things?

"...The pressure is immense." Hua Yin suddenly felt a heavy burden on her shoulders, as if winning the grand tournament had become a chore: "I'm still so young, I don't understand anything about the Martial Arts Province, and your high expectations..."

“In principle, the title of Sea Emperor is just an honorific, an empty name, an idol and a god. You can completely ignore it.” Guo Haihuang first comforted Huayin to relieve her pressure, then changed the subject: “But I don’t want you to take over as a god. Huayin, I’m telling you this very seriously. I hope you will carry forward Chinese martial arts.”

Huayin was even more shocked: "Promote, carry forward and glorify? Isn't our Chinese martial arts already quite good?"

"Far from it!" Guo Haihuang sighed, scratching his sparse white hair, his expression full of helplessness.

His helplessness quickly turned into remembrance and...sorrow? It was probably a sorrowful expression on the face of an old man who had lived for a century and a half, which almost made Hana's nose tingle and tears well up in her eyes.

Guo Haihuang's voice deepened several degrees: "Do you know that in the grand tournament I participated in when I was in my prime, there were a total of forty-six 'Sea Kings' from the Martial Arts Province?"

"Wow, so many!" Huayin exclaimed in surprise. There were twelve now, and she only had thirteen if you counted her. Moreover... cough, most of them were pretty weak.

"Forty-six Sea Kings were eliminated in a series of duels before the Grand Tournament, with half being knocked out. Then, overseas martial artists filled the remaining thirty-two spots. At that time, the foreign martial artists were mainly experts from other Asian countries, but none possessed the level of strength of Yujiro Hanma. They couldn't gain the slightest advantage against the Sea Kings of Chinese martial arts, and were more like mascots showcasing the might of China. While that wasn't the most glorious era for Chinese martial arts in history, it still deserved the prestigious name of our Celestial Empire! It's a pity..."

What a pity, Guo Haihuang needs no explanation, and Huayin doesn't need to guess either; everyone knows what happened in the past century.

“It’s with Japan…” Hanon scratched her cheek. In this life, she was of mixed Chinese and Japanese descent.

"More than that, more than that." Guo Haihuang shook his head: "In my life, I have seen countless Chinese martial artists shed their blood and sacrifice their lives for their country. We fought against the British and French, against the Eight-Nation Alliance, against the Japanese, Koreans, Americans, Indians, Vietnamese... Human strength has its limits, and modern society is no longer a world of fists and kicks! On the battlefield, the individual's role is not significant. Even with my martial arts skills, I could only protect myself in the end... The strength of a martial artist can be achieved by constantly honing their body, but to strengthen a group, a country, requires a wise mind to guide it in the right direction."

I remember the first time Huayin spoke to Guo Haihuang was during the "Seeking the Way of the Heart" trial of the Sea King. Huayin pointed out this problem. Now that I think about it, maybe Guo Haihuang had already considered having Huayin succeed him back then.

Mentioning that era filled with sorrow, humiliation, and passionate fervor, a few tears streamed down Guo Haihuang's withered, aged face. He wiped them away when Huayin wasn't looking and changed the subject: "The decline of talent is the biggest problem facing the Martial Arts Province. Do you know why I let those three elders run rampant for the past few decades? Wasn't it because I used them to loosen the criteria for judging the Sea Kings and promote more newcomers to fill the ranks? Unfortunately, these Sea Kings are like the Beiyang Fleet of the late Qing Dynasty—just paper tigers. If it weren't for your sudden emergence, girl, this time, let alone confronting Hanma Yujiro or Oliva, even the Sea King Ji and Ali II would have been a real headache for them."

"Yes, I see." Hanon also knew about Kaiwangshui; it was practically an open secret. "What do you plan to do without me?"

"Without you, the original three elders would not have fallen. I would have continued to let them run wild until the Grand Tournament. If they were to slip up under pressure from foreign martial artists like Hanma Yujiro, I would publicly deal with those three parasites and then personally take care of the foreigners, leaving Chinese martial arts with a last shred of dignity." Guo Haihuang sighed, "Alas, this is just a last-ditch effort. If that's the case, I'll have to continue being Haihuang until I die, and the future of Chinese martial arts will be bleak."

Well, Guo Haihuang was complaining. He had been working hard all these years, but even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. His painstaking planning had indeed been arduous, but according to his original plan, the Third Elder was clearly a modern version of Cao Cao's "borrowing your head for use"—a scapegoat used as a scapegoat...

"Old man, you are truly cunning."

Author's Note: Five updates today. The second update will be at 3 PM, and the next three updates will be in the evening, just like a while ago. Hmm, I hope the next few updates will go smoothly.

Chapter 699, Section 707: The Sea King Breaks the Pancake Again

Hua Yin and Guo Haihuang's late-night conversation continued, with Guo Haihuang tacitly agreeing with Hua Yin's assessment that he was "cunning."

The old man then told Huayin a lot about the inside stories and anecdotes of the martial arts province, including a lot of dark history. Huayin listened with deep emotion, saying, "Hey, isn't this still 'The Grandmaster'? It's all about face and substance. Face means offering someone a cigarette, but substance means getting rid of someone..."

Mencius said, “Do I love to argue? I have no choice.” Even sages can be swept up by reality and walk down paths they never imagined. How much more so Guo Haihuang, a mere martial artist, who for many years has either taken bold and decisive actions or ruled with a detached attitude, all in order to maintain the face and substance of Chinese martial arts, leaving behind this legacy in this desolate world.

However, in the future, the supreme and immensely stressful position of "Sea Emperor" will be passed on to Kanon.

"The Martial Arts Province lacks talent and needs more and stronger 'Sea Kings' (masters of martial arts). The Martial Arts Province is large and powerful, and it also needs sufficient funds. Chinese martial arts have been passed down for thousands of years. They are a treasure of human civilization and the glory of Chinese civilization. They should also go out and gain more fame in the world... Well, actually, Chinese Kung Fu is already quite famous."

Guo Haihuang recalled the pancake-breaking contest between Ip Man and Gong Yutian during the Republic of China era: "Gong Yutian used a pancake to talk to Ip Man about 'Northern Kung Fu spreading to the South,' 'Southern Kung Fu spreading to the North,' and 'Kung Fu has North and South, so does the country have North and South?' He was testing not only martial arts skills but also their thoughts. At that time, the political situation was turbulent and the country was in decline. Old Gong spent his life protecting the integration of North and South in the martial arts world and the unity of the martial arts community. Ip Man responded with 'Great achievement is like imperfection. Only with imperfection can there be progress. If it really works, Southern Kung Fu will have spread far beyond the North.' He had a broader vision and retreated first to advance. Later, his disciple Bruce Lee indeed spread Chinese boxing to the West and became famous overseas."

The old man rubbed his hands together: "Our martial arts skills are better than those two's, it's a pity that we couldn't test your mental state with a piece of cake during the competition..."

Hua Yin quickly waved her hand: "Please don't make things difficult for me, old man. Managing such a complicated matter as the Martial Arts Province is not something that can be explained in just a few minutes."

Indeed, managing the vast wushu province is not something that can be accomplished by shouting a few slogans or spouting some pretentious, literary nonsense. Even with Guo Haihuang's formidable martial prowess, high prestige, and 146 years of life experience, he can only barely maintain the wushu province. For Hua Yin to come up with an immediate and effective solution in a short period of time is simply a pipe dream!

Guo Haihuang knew this was asking the impossible, but tonight he had shared his purpose, experience, and concerns with Huayin. As for the future, he would leave it to his children and grandchildren to decide.

"Fine, I know this isn't something that can be done overnight," Guo Haihuang said. "Anyway, your strength is unparalleled in the world, so you can just let the administrative staff of the Martial Arts Province do as they please, and if anything goes wrong, you can forcefully suppress them, just like how I dealt with those three elders, and no one dared to object."

Hanon thought the same thing: "It's definitely better this way; it'll prevent any major trouble." She's still a minor! She wants to enjoy life to the fullest! Being burdened by the Martial Arts Province is putting immense pressure on her!

But... Kanon had other ideas...

After Guo Haihuang finished giving his instructions, he was about to turn and leave when Hua Yin called out to him, "Grandpa, please wait a moment."

"Hmm?" Guo Haihuang turned around and saw a piece of cake.

The outside is a chewy dough, and the inside is reddish red bean paste, exactly the same as the pancake that Guo Haihuang broke for Huayin during the Grand Tournament.

The dough was held in Hana's hands.

"Don't rush off, old man. I'm not good at grand theories, but we still need to talk about breaking the pancake." Hua Yin tossed the pancake over: "During the finals, you deliberately broke the pancake, so I still have some new tricks to use!"

Guo Haihuang took the flatbread, raised an eyebrow, and said, "Oh? Instead of sleeping in the middle of the night, you're out playing the flatbread-breaking game. You must have a lot of free time."

"It was you who called me out..."

Before Hua Yin could finish her rebuttal, the flatbread was already placed in front of her. Guo Haihuang waved his hand and said, "Here you go."

After all, of all the actions Guo Haihuang had taken in the Grand Tournament, only Huayin was not entirely satisfied. She wanted to see the result and determine who was truly superior between herself and Guo Haihuang.

Guo Haihuang understood Huayin and intended to fulfill her request—Huayin was his most valued junior!

Moreover, Guo Haihuang himself was also very curious about this answer.

The old man suddenly relinquished the title and power of "Sea Emperor," and even though Hua Yin was someone he trusted, he still felt somewhat uneasy, fearing that he had entrusted the wrong person. In Guo Haihuang's heart, there was also a hidden intention of seeing himself as the ultimate insurance for the Martial Arts Province; if Hua Yin lost her mind and went astray, Guo Haihuang himself would be the safety net to restrain her.

Now it's time to verify whether the "safety bolt" can really lock up the tiger, leopard, and dragon.

Guo Haihuang stretched out the dough, and Huayin raised her hand to cover it.

"We don't need to go through the previous struggle again, can we? Let's start from the final stalemate," Hanane said.

Guo Haihuang nodded: "I have no objection."

Continuing the final battle of the Grand Tournament, Guo Haihuang applied his ultimate energy-dissipating technique to the pancake. Huayin could grab the pancake but couldn't break it apart, and the stalemate continued...

In just one second, Huayin pressed down on Guo Haihuang's hand. Guo Haihuang used "force dissipation" to try and respond, but Huayin withdrew her hand and jumped back.

"Hehe, looks like I was right, this plan will work!"

Guo Haihuang was shocked to see that Huayin had somehow acquired a flatbread in her hand.

It was a layer, not a piece. Using some kind of technique, Huayin sliced ​​the entire pancake in half horizontally, then peeled it off in her hand. Even Guo Haihuang, with his powerful "force dissipation," couldn't react in time.

"How did you do that?" Guo Haihuang asked calmly, but his breathing became much more rapid, clearly indicating that he was not at peace.

Being able to break the dough in an instant means that Kanon can break his energy absorption in a second!

Guo Haihuang's plan was incredibly meticulous, but he overlooked one crucial thing: he couldn't act as a "safety net" for Huayin. Huayin's rapid progress and formidable strength made it impossible for Guo Haihuang to restrain her...

"Hehehe, the little girl said I'm also an arrogant and conceited fellow, and it seems she's not entirely wrong." Guo Haihuang thought to himself, a little bitterly: "Looks like this old man is indeed out of touch!"

"Tell me about this move you made." Guo Haihuang threw away the half-eaten pancake, spread his hands at Huayin, and clearly admitted defeat. Now he just wanted to know the principle behind this move.

However, Kanon didn't rush to respond; instead, she took out another flatbread from her pocket.

"Um, sir, I have another idea I'd like to try out. Why don't you come with me and let me try it out again?"

"...How many cookies do you have left in your pocket? Are you Doraemon?"

Author's note: That's it. I'm going out this afternoon and don't know when I'll be back. The last three updates might be a little late or not, but not too late.

Section 708, Chapter 700: Ye Haihuang, quick-witted and eager to learn

Hana laughed: "Grandpa, I didn't know you'd watched 'Doraemon'."

Guo Haihuang rolled his eyes: "When China and Japan restored diplomatic relations, Japanese cultural products sold very well in China. And haven't you heard of the saying 'old people are like children'? It's quite reasonable that the interests of the elderly and children are similar."

“Okay, you’re right, boss.” Hua Yin shrugged and tossed the new pancake in her hand to Guo Haihuang: “I’ll try a different method with this one and see if I can break it.”

Guo Haihuang took the cake, held it closed, and handed it out. Even now, he still wanted to experience and see how many wonderful martial arts techniques Huayin had in her whimsical little mind.