Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted

The palms of the palms and the backs of the hands are all meat.

Although it is unclear what happened, the first thing to do now is to get Wu to inherit the martial arts style as soon as possible, so that he can secure a seat in the martial arts world!

Volume 1: Chapter 124 - Golden Flame

As Hanzo Shiranui turned his gaze toward his granddaughter Mai Shiranui, he was met with the gaze of Maki Minamoto.

"No." Genryusai Maki, having foreseen the future, refused outright.

But just by looking through Hanzo Shiranui's eyes, Maki Minamoto was certain that this senior was not going to give up easily.

They looked at each other and immediately started arguing.

"Your granddaughter."

"Your best friend."

"Your granddaughter."

"Your best friend."

"..."

Looking at her grandfather and best friend who had suddenly started arguing for no apparent reason, Mai Shiranui was slightly taken aback, and then her expression turned strange.

A young girl's blush speaks louder than any sweet words.

"What?!" Mai Shiranui raised her fist in frustration and said, "I should still have some talent, right? Am I really that weak compared to Yuan Chen?!"

“Yes.” Genryusai Maki nodded.

"Otherwise what..." Hanzo Shiranui said helplessly.

To be fair, Mai Shiranui does have some talent; among ordinary people, she would definitely stand out from the crowd.

However, Mai Shiranui's talent is somewhat similar to that of Hibiki Takeshi, who opened the 'Xiang' martial arts school in Hong Kong. Hibiki Takeshi came from a small town and only realized when he participated in a large-scale martial arts competition for the first time that he was only at the level of a small town and could not compare with those true prodigies.

In terms of ability, Mai Shiranui's talent is definitely stronger than that of Hinata. But all things considered, taking into account factors such as age, among the many martial artists Yuan Chen has encountered so far, she can only be considered a T2. She is the kind of person who would clearly fall into a disadvantage after a dozen or so rounds of fighting with Sagat.

And Yuan Chen...

Seeing the aggrieved look on Mai Shiranui's face, Hanzo Shiranui shook his head and sighed, saying, "Although I don't know what happened either... but Mai, you can actually sense why your grandfather thinks that way, right?"

Hearing Hanzo's words, Mai Shiranui was somewhat unwilling, but she looked at Yuan Chen, who was enveloped in golden flames, resembling a human torch, yet constantly radiating a peculiar energy rhythm...

"Okay, actually I can understand..."

With a slight pout, Mai Shiranui pulled out a folding fan from somewhere and said, "This guy named Yuan Chen... is indeed a rather exaggerated genius."

Known as a genius since childhood, Mai Shiranui began practicing the art of fire magic at a young age. At the age of nine, she successfully constructed her own meridian system. Over the next six years, she continuously refined her meridian system and finally mastered the art of fire magic on the first day of her sixteenth year. This allows her to transform her aura into energy flames outside her body, enhancing her attack and defense.

And now...

He simply sat there and watched for a while, and then constructed a set of techniques that were completely different from the Mind Fire Technique, relying entirely on the energy flames generated by blood and qi... He even immediately reached the final step, elevating his qi into flames! And golden flames at that!

Although unwilling, Mai Shiranui could only squat on the ground, drawing circles with a pitiful expression, given the facts.

"This...this doesn't seem to be my fault at all, does it? I've already tried my best..."

“This is indeed not your fault…” Hearing Mai say this, Hanzo Shiranui rubbed his temples and said with a hint of helplessness, “In fact, I am well aware of your talent and hard work, Mai… but…”

As he said this, Shiranui Hanzo gave a forced smile and did not continue speaking.

Mai Shiranui clearly understood her grandfather's thoughts. Although somewhat unwilling, she still squatted down, cupped her face in her hands, and said with a wronged expression:

"Okay... I understand the logic... but you don't need to be like this. Anyway, Yuan Chen already said that he wants to learn both the Martial God Style and the Shiranui Style, right?"

"That's what he said." Hanzo Shiranui nodded, saying with some regret, "But seeing such a prodigy, he really does want to keep him all to himself..."

“Although Grandpa Hanzo is a senior, I won’t budge on this matter.” Upon hearing this, Genryusai Maki looked expectantly at Yuan Chen, who was meditating amidst the flames, and said:

“Intent and Qi complement each other. If A-Chen is so powerful in the cultivation of Qi, then his intent must also be far beyond that of ordinary people! The legacy of the Martial God School will surely be carried forward and flourish in his hands!”

Upon hearing Genryusai Maki's words, even though it seemed like a competitive relationship, Shiranui Hanzo nodded in agreement.

The tempering of intention is more difficult than that of qi, but it represents a person's upper limit. And now, judging from Yuan Chen's current cultivation of qi, his intention must be far beyond that of ordinary people.

Pure intent, sharp aura, and a powerful physique...

The more I look at Hanzo Shiranui, the more I feel that Genji is simply a treasure.

Thinking this, Shiranui Hanzo's eyes flickered—it was unlikely that Yuan Chen would become a pure Shiranui-ryu warrior. Not to mention that Genryusai Maki, who came from the Mushin-ryu school, was right beside him, the living legend standing at the pinnacle of assassins, Yuan Wudi, was someone that Shiranui Hanzo could not afford to provoke.

But to put it another way...

You, Old Yuan, have placed the burden of martial arts inheritance on Yuan Chen, but you can't control Yuan Chen's lifelong affairs, can you?

While pondering, stroking the mustache on his lips, Hanzo Shiranui also turned his gaze to Mai Shiranui beside him, who was looking at Yuan Chen with a resentful expression.

Born into the Shiranui school, cooking is one of Mai Shiranui's greatest hobbies, especially making traditional Japanese dishes such as bento boxes and New Year's dishes.

Due to the traditions of the Ninja Clan, Mai herself is proficient in many traditional skills, including dance, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, sewing, and she can also play the zither very well.

They are warm-hearted, cheerful, outgoing, lively, have clear likes and dislikes, and are decisive in their actions... literally, they are capable in both formal and informal settings.

Try adopting a son-in-law?

That estimate is unlikely.

Shiranui Hanzo was a worldly man who knew that the Tang Dynasty's view on 'son-in-law' was completely different from Japan's culture of adopting sons-in-law.

Then... a local wife?

Just thinking about this word made Hanzo Shiranui shake his head repeatedly, realizing that his thinking was also a bit too rigid and outdated.

The so-called "local wife" is similar to the "construction site couple" in the Tang Dynasty. This is not even a culture, but a special situation under a specific historical context.

This can be roughly understood as a relationship similar to a de facto marriage formed between a man who already has a legal wife and a local woman while living abroad for a long period of time due to work or life reasons.

The woman who accompanied him in the local area was known as the "local wife".

This was very common in the mid-to-late 20th century, when Japan's economy was booming.

At that time, many Japanese corporate employees were sent overseas for long-term work. Far from their families in Japan, they established a temporary family life with local women in their host countries, which gave rise to the special social phenomenon of "local wives".

In Hanzo Shiranui's era, this might not have been a big deal; it was simply a social phenomenon. But now, the social context of this term has been greatly weakened, and it often carries a clear connotation of derogatoryness and humiliation.

While it might not seem like a big deal to Hanzo Shiranui, it's a different story for the young people of this era...

That's true. The Tang Dynasty of today is no longer the impoverished and weak Republic of China era.

Thinking this, Shiranui Hanzo rubbed his temples, preparing to take things one step at a time... and also to carefully observe Yuan Chen's character.

Although Yuan Chen's talent is somewhat greedy, deep down, Shiranui Hanzo still hopes to find a good home for his granddaughter.

While Hanzo and the others were still silently lamenting, on the other side, Yuan Chen, amidst the flames, also opened his eyes.

The moment Yuan Chen opened his eyes, the golden flames around him receded like a receding tide, leaving only a few wisps of pale golden embers dancing around him before extinguishing and slowly dissipating into wisps of green smoke.

After that, Yuan Chen also exhaled a deep breath, his face showing the refreshing comfort of waking up from a deep sleep.

"How did it go? Did you succeed?" Mai Shiranui was the first to come over, her peach blossom eyes filled with curiosity.

Although Yuan Chen caused Grandpa and Maki, those two bastards, to blame each other, Mai Shiranui knew they were just joking and told her not to overthink it, so she wasn't too jealous.

Instead, I was a little curious... After all, the golden flames were indeed different from the Nen fire form recorded in the Flame Scroll... and even different from the legendary 'Crimson Flame' of the Shiranui Town era.

The gold one looks much more expensive than the red one.

Although Hanzo Shiranui and Maki Minamoto did not speak, their thoughts were clearly expressed in their eyes as they looked at Yuan Chen.

Yuan Chen had no intention of hiding it, after all, even the Flame Scroll itself was provided by the Shiranui lineage.

Thinking this, Yuan Chen stretched out his palm, and with the eruption of blood energy, a ball of golden flame reappeared in his palm.

“But this is different from the crimson flame recorded in the ‘Secret Scroll of Flame’.” Yuan Chen flipped his palm, letting the ball of golden flame flow between his fingers. It was so gentle that it didn’t seem like a flame, nor did it have the high temperature of a flame. It was more like a ball of golden water burning in the air.

"In terms of destructive power, it is far inferior to the Crimson Flame. Using it for burning or explosion would probably be less effective than ordinary flames."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Shiranui Hanzo appeared somewhat surprised. He then subconsciously focused his mind to sense the flames, and after confirming their temperature, he frowned in confusion.

Qi is an extremely powerful supernatural energy that can be transformed into flames through the art of fire. Even a beginner can instantly ignite and explode solid wood, and the flames will exhibit extremely strong aggressiveness.

The golden flame before them... was neither aggressive nor scorching. In fact, because of Yuan Chen's deliberate control, even the air was not heated to the point of distortion.

"Then what is the purpose of this flame?" Hanzo asked.

"As for its function... transformation and absorption?" Yuan Chen shook his head and said, "Instead of simply saying it... Wu, release a ball of mental fire at me."

Upon hearing this, Mai Shiranui blinked and subconsciously looked at her grandfather.

After Hanzo slowly nodded, Mai Shiranui took a deep breath, formed hand seals, and the energy in her meridians rapidly circulated, instantly rising into a blazing flame of Nen fire, which flew towards Yuan Chen with a flick of her hand.

Yuan Chen did not dodge, but instead sent the ball of golden flame in his palm forward.

The two flames collided in mid-air, but there was no explosion or any sound of them canceling each other out.

The moment the psychic fire collided with the golden flame, it was as if it had been swallowed whole by something and vanished instantly.

The golden flames visibly expanded after consuming the crimson flames, changing from a pale gold to a warm gold, and their brightness also seemed to increase slightly.

Feeling the flame in his palm, Yuan Chen pondered for a moment, then stood up and went to Hanzo Shiranui. To the astonishment of Mai Shiranui and the others, he pressed his hand directly against Hanzo's chest.

This caused Mai Shiranui and the others standing nearby to widen their eyes in surprise. Just as they were about to stop them, Hanzo Shiranui shouted at them, stopping them immediately.

"Let him come!"

Upon hearing Hanzo Shiranui's words, Mai Shiranui and Maki showed a look of confusion on their faces.

Feeling lost, Hanzo Shiranui simply said, "Yuan Chen is not someone who doesn't know his limits. Since you have confidence, then let me experience it for myself!"

Shiranui Hanzo was a man of the world; even when he was pinned to a wall by his sword in his youth, he never frowned. And now, although he was a little nervous, Shiranui Hanzo did not back down.

On one hand, it's because neither the Shiranui Style nor the Lost Assassination Fist has any grudges against Yuan Chen.

On the other hand, Yuan Chen's flame originated from the Flame Scroll of the Shiranui Ninja Clan.

Although their time together was short, Hanzo Shiranui had already made a preliminary judgment on Genji's character... Although he was old, he was still a master of ninja way, and even he himself would rather have personally interacted with and felt him than coldly observe him.

Seeing this, Yuan Chen also said, "Don't worry, it might be a good thing."

As they spoke, the golden flames touched Hanzo Shiranui's clothes, and the flames seeped into Hanzo Shiranui's chest cavity as if warm water were seeping into sand.

In an instant, Hanzo Shiranui's pupils dilated suddenly.

A warm current spread from my chest, ascending along my spine and meridians, slowly scorching every inch of my flesh, bones, and meridians...

The feeling wasn't pain, nor numbness; it was a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time, a feeling he had almost forgotten—comfort.

He felt completely comfortable, both inside and out. He could feel his dantian, which had shrunk and weakened due to aging, being gradually moistened by this warmth, like a long-dry riverbed finally receiving rain.

The riverbed didn't turn back into a river, but the soil began to moisten, the cracks started to heal, and deep within those dried-up riverbeds, something was faintly pulsating again...

It's the Qi Sea! As it aged, it had shrunk along with its hunched figure, but now, affected by the flames, it has begun to recover!

"What... what kind of flame is this?" Hanzo Shiranui murmured to himself.

"Since it's a golden flame, let's call it Golden Flame."

Yuan Chen clapped his hands and looked at Mai Shiranui and Maki Minamoto no Ryusai beside him, saying, "You two should also try my Golden Flame."

Volume 1: Chapter 125 - The World of Geniuses

Hearing Yuan Chen's words and glancing at Shiranui Hanzo beside her, confirming that her grandfather was alright, Shiranui Mai walked over with great interest and said, "Then I'll give it a try too!"

Yuan Chen nodded and then transferred some of the golden flames to Mai Shiranui and Maki Minamoto.

Compared to Hanzo Shiranui, Mai Shiranui and Maki Minamoto no Ryusai did not experience such drastic changes, but they were still quite noticeable.

But if I had to say, Mai Shiranui's condition changes were definitely more obvious, right?

After all, compared to Genryusai Maki, who was just watching from the sidelines and whose body was in the prime of her youth, Mai Shiranui had just experienced a battle that was extremely close to death.

It is precisely because of this difference in state that Mai Shiranui can clearly feel a warm current spreading upward from her wrist along the meridians, past the elbow, past the Jianjing point, up along both sides of the cervical spine, and then turning back downward to flow into her torso.

The first area to react was the abdomen—the spot where Yuan Chen had punched her still had a bruise. Even with the treatment to replenish her blood, the injury was only barely stabilized and prevented from worsening, turning what could have been a fatal injury into a flesh wound, but it still couldn't be completely healed instantly.

Now, the bruise is visibly fading from purplish-black to light blue, and then from light blue back to the skin's original color.

Then there are the meridians.

Mai Shiranui has been practicing the art of fire magic since childhood. Her meridians have long since formed a heat-resistant "cocoon" after being burned by high temperatures countless times. Now, Mai Shiranui can feel the "cocoon" being burned and melted by the heat, exposing the cracks that were once covered by the "cocoon" below. Then the heat seeps into each crack.

It's not about filling in the cracks, but about reactivating and reconnecting the threads on both sides of the crack. It's like repairing an ancient fabric, where every thread is rewoven back into its original position.