Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted

"As for Dan... he will probably go out to study for a while. Because as far as I'm concerned, there's nothing more I can teach him."

"Dad!" Upon hearing this, Huo Yindan's face showed a slight dissatisfaction, as if he did not understand why his father would say such a thing in this place.

Upon hearing Hibiki's words, Yuan Chen remained silent for a moment before gesturing with his chin towards Sagat beside him and then asking:

"Is it because of Sagat?"

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's question, Huo Yinqiang's expression faltered slightly, as if he hadn't expected Yuan Chen's question to be so direct and forceful.

But sensing the calmness in Yuan Chen's words, Huo Yinqiang remained silent for a moment before saying, "Yes."

In Huo Yinqiang's view, Huo Yindan was very talented... even more talented than himself.

Now that he's gone through this, while Dan still has the spirit, let him go out and explore.

Hearing Huo Yinqiang's words, and glancing at Dan who remained silent to the side...

Subconsciously, Sagat touched his eyes.

Although his right eye was blinded by Hibiki Takeshi, and even upon realizing he had lost an eye, Sagat's rage nearly led him to kill Hibiki Takeshi on the spot—

If Yuan Chen and Chun Li hadn't arrived in time, Huo Yinqiang would definitely have been killed.

But right now, there wasn't much emotion in Sagat's eyes.

There was no anger, no dissatisfaction, no hatred, and also no guilt.

Feeling Sagat's gaze, the still young Dan Hibiki subconsciously clenched his fists:

"You bastard! You criminal... what do you mean?!"

"That's enough, Dan!"

Hearing Dan's words, Huo Yinqiang felt somewhat helpless, but he could understand.

Because Dan respects himself as a father.

Upon hearing Dan's words, Sagat remained silent, gazing at him for a moment before finally speaking:

“I can teach you.”

Volume 1: Chapter 26 - Talent

"Ok?"

Upon hearing Sagat's words, Hibiki Takeshi and Hibiki Dan, who were standing nearby, were also slightly taken aback.

Regardless of Dan's condition, Hibiki Takeshi's eyes lit up after hearing Sagat's words, and he asked, "What does Your Excellency mean?"

"Literal meaning."

Sagat glanced at Hibiki Kenshin and calmly said:

“Your talent is only average, and you’re already this age, so there’s not much room for improvement. If you need it, I can help you train your son. He’s much more talented than you and will achieve great things in the future.”

Upon hearing this, Hibiki Ken didn't take it to heart, but Hibiki Dan was clearly no longer able to tolerate Sagat's humiliation of his father.

"You bastard! What did you say! Say it again!!"

Even though his power was far inferior to Sagat's, Dan Hinaki's deep respect and love for his father still made him unable to resist rolling up his sleeves and wanting to confront Sagat.

But at that moment, Huo Yinqiang suddenly reached out and grabbed Huo Yindan's arm, saying with a gloomy face:

"Dan! Sit down!"

"Father, Father...?"

Upon hearing his father's words, Huo Yindan was slightly taken aback, a look of confusion appearing in his eyes.

However, Huo Yinqiang did not answer the question about Huo Yin Dan, but simply said with a gloomy and serious expression:

"Sit down, Dan. Leave this to me."

Upon hearing this, Huo Yindan pursed her lips, then gritted her teeth and sat back down in her original seat.

After that, Hibiki Yoshimi arrived before Sagat, his expression completely different from his initial rejection, now filled with seriousness and reverence.

Without further ado, Huo Yinqiang immediately bowed and said, "Then I'll leave it to you."

“…Hmm.” Sagat looked at Hibiki Kenjiro and nodded calmly.

"Father!!" Huo Yindan's face showed disbelief as he watched his father actually agree to the other party's request.

Just as Huo Yin Dan was about to say something, Huo Yin Qiang, who was standing to the side, also turned his gaze toward Huo Yin Dan.

After feeling his father's gaze, Huo Yindan felt that there were some things he couldn't say.

What kind of look was that?

Care, anticipation, hope...debt, guilt, self-blame...

Knowing full well that his child has unlimited potential, he, as a father, was unable to support him.

After a moment of silence, Huo Yinqiang took a deep breath and said, "Dan, I was hailed as a genius of Hibiki Karate when I was very young."

From the town's dojo onwards, I never lost a single time. In just three years, I defeated my teacher and became the new champion.

As Huo Yinqiang spoke these words, a hint of nostalgia and emotion appeared on his face. But then, this nostalgia and emotion turned into bitterness.

"But when I left town and went to the city for the first time to participate in a competition... I was easily eliminated in the second round by an unknown guy."

"Since then, I've realized that my so-called talent is merely a case of standing out from the crowd. Once I return to the flock, I'll be utterly obscured!"

“...But you are different, Dan.”

After a pause, Huo Yinqiang said seriously:

“You have the potential to become a phoenix, but I am just a crane among chickens… It’s because I can’t help you unleash your full potential.”

“Consider it as a favor to me, Dan.”

Huo Yinqiang wore a complicated expression, but he ultimately extended his fist towards Dan and said:

"Just do it for me, Dan... just do it for me, become my disciple."

Hearing her father's words and sensing his thoughts, Huo Yindan held her breath. After a moment, she gave her father a fist bump with an expression that seemed to be both sad and smiling.

"I...I understand..."

As he said this, Dan Hibiki turned around and looked at Sagat.

"Please guide me!"

"Then let's all come together." Seeing this, Yuan Chen chuckled and said, "I've been planning to study for a while now."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Huo Yin Dan and Huo Yin Qiang were slightly taken aback, then looked up with confused expressions.

"Huh?" ×2.

No wonder Huo Yin Dan and Huo Yin Qiang reacted so strongly.

Although Yuan Chen fared worse in the previous battle—Sagat was only knocked down by a single hand chop and bled a little.

But Yuan Chen was different. By the time the ambulance arrived, Yuan Chen was in a state like a fragile porcelain doll. In the high-intensity impact, his organs suffered multiple contusions and open fractures. At the same time, he also suffered from severe anemia and malnutrition due to the burning of his life energy.

Even so, Yuan Chen still won, that much is undeniable.

Regardless of strength, in terms of status and position, even if Yuan Chen were to knock Sagat unconscious head-on, or even if Yuan Chen and Sagat were to fight to the death, or even if Yuan Chen were to lose, it would still be a loss for Sagat.

No one would admit that the Muay Thai king has lost to young men more than ten years his junior time.

Especially after watching the video, Huo Yinqiang was even more certain that even without the so-called life energy driving him, Yuan Chen's strength would make it easy for him to defeat him.

And this powerful individual is still in his growth phase, with immeasurable potential...

Sensing the confusion surrounding Huo Yinqiang and Huo Yindan, Yuan Chen shrugged and said:

“My meridians were affected in the previous battle, and I probably won’t be able to fight like before for a short period of time. So I tried modern martial arts, and then Sagat came, so I learned Muay Thai from him for a while.”

Upon hearing this, Huo Yinqiang was slightly taken aback, and then a strong sense of unease appeared on his face.

"It's not that I can't fight Qin M..."

"It's just a minor injury. I should be fine after two months of rest."

Yuan Chen stretched his shoulders a few times, his expression casual, clearly not taking the matter to heart.

"Anyway, please guide me~" Yuan Chen waved to the Fire-Igniting Pill and said leisurely, "From now on, we'll be learning together~"

"Oh! Okay!" Upon hearing that Yuan Chen would be studying with him, Huo Yindan immediately felt an inexhaustible surge of energy throughout his body.

"Let's start today then," Sagat said, glancing at the time.

"Although it will still be a while before it gets dark, let's try out the basic stance first."

Originally, Sagat just wanted to find out what commonalities existed between the fighting techniques that Yuan Chen and Huo Yin Dan originally practiced and Muay Thai.

But when the lesson actually began, after only watching for a short while, Sagat couldn't help but interrupt:

"Yuan Chen...is this your first time learning?"

Volume 1: Chapter 27 - Chunli's Dissatisfaction

Muay Thai training focuses on the specialization of the limbs and bones, using repeated heavy blows to hard objects to make the corresponding areas stronger after the body has recovered.

In this case, banana trees, wooden sticks, and iron rods are all training tools for Muay Thai fighters.

It is precisely because of this specialization that Muay Thai's fighting style is more ferocious than that of karate, which is more commonly known.

The aesthetic appeal is subjective and difficult to evaluate, but in terms of destructive power, every punch and kick clearly conveys a chilling pressure.

As for Yuan Chen's boxing skills... it's not that Sagat underestimated them, but rather that their styles and schools were different, and their boxing techniques and methods were also different.

But Yuan Chen...

There were no unnecessary movements.

Jab, hook, straight punch. Elbow strike, rising elbow, spear elbow. Side kick, axe kick, wheel kick...

It's all very basic Muay Thai, but Yuan Chen uses it with incredible speed.

Almost instantly after a jab, an elbow strike follows, and a knee strike is followed by a vicious spring kick to aid the attack. In just a few simple moves, an impenetrable barrage of punches is woven.

Although some rough edges can still be seen, it is by no means something a beginner could do.

Upon hearing Sagat's question, Yuan Chen stopped what he was doing and frankly replied:

"I had watched some instructional videos before, and I still have some confidence in my muscle control."

“…” Sagat fell silent upon hearing this, and after a moment, he said with some emotion, “This is not just a matter of having confidence…”

While having prior training in other martial arts styles can indeed make training more effective, overcoming ingrained power habits is not so easy.

As for Yuan Chen now, probably no one would doubt that he started practicing Muay Thai from a young age.

"Perhaps, but there are still many shortcomings." Yuan Chen shook his head.

Although Yuan Chen felt there was a big problem, Sagat, who was standing next to him, clearly did not think so.

Fortunately, today was just a simple confirmation of Yuan Chen and Huo Yindan's understanding of professional Muay Thai, so there wasn't much else to do.

About an hour later, the fishy-smelling neck and beard fell.

With no other plans, Yuan Chen swung his arms and prepared to go straight back to his room.

But as soon as they crossed the corridor, they saw Chun-Li standing at the front door, looking very unhappy.

Upon seeing Yuan Chen, Chunli also cast an unfriendly glance at him. She originally wanted to say something, but seeing Yuan Chen walking towards her covered in sweat, Chunli's face, which had been planning to give him a good scolding, showed a hint of helplessness.

"You've just recovered from a serious illness, shouldn't you be resting now?"

Feeling inexplicably angry, Chunli decided to put aside her previous thoughts and instead took out a handkerchief to wipe Yuan Chen's sweat.

"Hehe." Yuan Chen knew he was in the wrong, so he didn't say anything, just stood there and smiled at Chun Li.

Looking at Yuan Chen's expression, Chun Li was at a loss for what to do.

Chunli's father was often away on business trips, so she spent half of her childhood studying with Yuan and the other half growing up in a girls' school.

Although Chunli hadn't spent much time with Yuan Chen, there was one thing she was certain of: from any perspective, Yuan Chen was nothing like an ordinary man.

Thinking this, Chunli sighed, then grabbed Yuan Chen's face, looking at him with an expression that said, "I'm doing this for your own good, why won't you listen?"