Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted

Even though the age spots on the skin's surface are still there, their color has faded by several shades, and the outlines of their edges are no longer clear, as if they have been gradually dissolved from under the skin by something.

Then there were those eyes.

Mai Shiranui lost both her parents at a young age and grew up by Hanzo Shiranui's side. She saw Hanzo's eyes when he was in his prime and middle age, and she also saw them gradually become cloudy as he grew older.

But now, that turbidity has clearly subsided.

It hasn't completely disappeared; it's regressed to a state from at least a decade ago.

The pale yellow tinge on the surface of the eyeball faded, and the pupil became jet black and clear. The gaze itself changed; the weariness of old age disappeared, replaced by a sharper and more powerful look.

And more importantly, the change in spirit and energy.

As people age, their physical functions, metabolic rate, and hormone secretion become limited, and they inevitably become less ambitious and more timid and conservative.

Now... if the previous Shiranui Hanzo gave the impression of being so old that he couldn't eat or drink, could only sleep for a few hours each day, and had severely insufficient metabolism and energy.

Now, although he is still old, Shiranui Hanzo gives people the feeling of a thousand-yen fruit from the "Wasei Tenka".

Don't worry about whether this thing is harmful or not, just tell me if it sounds powerful, and if it looks like it has a lot of fibrous texture and very strong lines.

Feeling the bloody atmosphere and the surprised look in his granddaughter's eyes, Shiranui Hanzo did not answer immediately. Instead, he stood up from the futon, his eyes filled with doubt and uncertainty, which then turned into determination. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

Although it was just a simple breathing exercise, everyone present could feel that the breath was not an ordinary breath, but a kind of relaxation that came after years of suppression and sudden freedom.

Even though Hanzo Shiranui didn't use the Eidolon Fire Technique and no flames appeared around his body, the air still distorted slightly when he inhaled, as if something spread outward from his body for a moment and then quickly retracted.

A moment later, as if he had received some definite information, Hanzo Shiranui said with a shocked expression, "My dantian... has recovered."

Upon hearing Hanzo Shiranui's words, Mai Shiranui and the others were initially taken aback, and then all showed expressions of disbelief.

The Qi Sea (energy center) shrinks as the human body ages; this is an ironclad rule in the martial arts world.

Located in the lower abdomen, the Qi Sea is not an organ like the stomach or intestines, which have clearly defined areas. In fact, even now, scholars around the world have a very vague and diverse understanding of the Qi Sea.

Among the many explanations, the 'energy core between body and mind' is the most common and widely accepted.

Numerous studies have shown that the condition of the Qi Sea itself is directly related to a person's physiological age and psychological state.

As people age, their vital energy declines; as the mind ages, the vital energy is depleted.

Under normal circumstances, a martial artist can maintain strong combat power in his later years, often by compensating for it with technique and experience, rather than by maintaining his Qi Sea.

For example, without liberation, Wu Huiliyang's aging body, even with the Wu clan's secret techniques, is no stronger than Wu Lei'an's. But once liberated, with the activation of redundant structures in her body, her strength will double and increase dramatically.

Returning to the issue of Qi Hai aging itself, many studies have shown that it is irreversible.

Only a very few beings in the history of martial arts have ever been able to break this ironclad rule by touching the realm of life and death.

Those people had all taken a certain martial art to its extreme, which led to a transformation in their spirit and body, allowing their Qi Sea and physical body to transcend the constraints of the normal physiological cycle, not to be limited by aging, and to maintain their peak at all times.

For example, Lao Yuan.

And now… this power, unique to 'legends', is being displayed in Yuan Chen's hands…

"Not a full recovery."

When Hanzo Shiranui spoke, his voice was much clearer than before, but his words carried a deliberate caution that was quite different from his usual aged and amiable demeanor:

"Compared to my peak condition at fifty, my Qi Sea has only recovered to about 70% now... but, but it has indeed recovered."

Shiranui Hanzo lowered his head, looking at his palm with disbelief in his eyes.

Although he is still clearly an old man, the current Shiranui Hanzo is completely different in terms of energy and spirit.

With his Qi Sea restored and his body regaining its vitality... "It's practically like... being rejuvenated..."

Shiranui Hanzo turned his gaze to Yuan Chen beside him.

Yuan Chen then looked at Shiranui Hanzo and said, "Let me experience it."

As he spoke, Yuan Chen controlled the golden flames and flew towards Shiranui Hanzo.

Although it is the same golden flame, this time it is different. This time the golden flame is not a gift, but a simple perception of Hanzo Shiranui's state.

This ability existed long before life energy could only exist in the energy state; it is the ability to determine the state, moves, actions, and abilities of others through the perception of life energy.

Previously, this perception required the other party to actively take the medicine or forcibly infuse it into their body through a blow, and then the perception could be completed through the resonance of life energy.

Now, with the life energy rising from an energy state to a flame state, the golden flame doesn't require the other party to actively consume it or to launch a strong attack. Just like now, when the other party is unprepared and their body allows it, Yuan Chen can easily sense the other party's... life-flame-like state.

In combat, it would probably still be necessary to inject and resonate through attacks... but the efficiency of the same action would be completely different.

Just now, in just a few breaths, Yuan Chen was able to determine the state of Shiranui Hanzo.

"It's not about rejuvenating, but rather replenishing life energy and vital energy through metal and fire, making the aging body feel full again."

Shaking his head, Yuan Chen said, "Compared to the so-called rejuvenation... it's more like offsetting some of the negative effects of aging. However, as time goes by, the effect will get worse and worse, but the impact can be reduced by timely replenishment... But after all, it's just offsetting; when it's time to die, you'll still die."

Yuan Chen spoke succinctly.

In fact, Shiranui Hanzo's current state is not much different from that of Wu Huili, who underwent life energy activation. However, compared to Wu Huili, Shiranui Hanzo's activation came from the Golden Flame. This more efficient way of utilizing life energy makes the healing effect that Shiranui Hanzo received more complete.

If Wu Huiliyang can increase the body's foundation through the activation of life energy, so that when she liberates herself, she can offset the consumption through life energy, so that each liberation does not consume the already limited life energy due to aging.

So, Hanzo Shiranui restored the foundation of his body on the original basis. While increasing the body's foundation, he also restored the activity of the dantian, muscles, bones, and organs.

During this process, Yuan Chen also discovered something.

That is, life and death in this world are not simply a matter of living as long as one's body is always healthy—because theoretically, as long as one can continuously replenish life energy, then not only can Yuan Chen himself be immortal, but even those around Yuan Chen can also be immortalized and rejuvenated by receiving life energy from Yuan Chen.

And now... although it's not very clear, Yuan Chen can clearly feel that life and death in this world involve something similar to fatalism, and it's definitely not something that can be easily overcome as long as one has enough life energy...

But that makes sense... If the life-or-death limit were really that easy to overcome, then given the strength of this world, old monsters would probably be everywhere, and the art style could easily cross over to the urban fantasy genre.

Moreover, things like life and death are too early for Yuan Chen to think about, so he didn't take them to heart.

Thinking it over, Yuan Chen concluded, "If the Golden Flame is continuously replenished, perhaps until the end of his life, Senior Hanzang can maintain his body at its current or even better peak state... until death."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Shiranui Hanzo's mouth dropped open in astonishment. After a brief silence, he took a deep breath and said with a solemn expression:

"Who knows about this ability of yours?"

"A common man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure." Although Yuan Chen is powerful now, in Shiranui Hanzo's eyes, he is far from being invincible. Such a powerful force, which seems to make people immortal... once it gets out, the consequences will be unimaginable!

This is my Shiranui-ryu dragon!

Volume 1: 127. Qi (vital energy)

As a veteran of the martial arts world, Hanzo Shiranui was well aware of how strong humanity's obsession with immortality and eternal youth was. Especially for abilities like Yuan Chen, once others learned of them, there was a risk of utter destruction.

Noticing the calm and nonchalant look on Yuan Chen's face, Shiranui Hanzo subconsciously wanted to remind Yuan Chen not to be so careless.

But upon closer reflection, judging from their conversation just now, Yuan Chen doesn't seem to be the kind of person who doesn't know what's important...

Is it because of the original?

Shiranui Hanzo thought to himself, "If an ordinary person possesses such power, then naturally, the common man is innocent, but possessing such a treasure is a crime."

However, if this power is possessed by someone like Yuan, who stands at the pinnacle of the martial arts world, then naturally there will be no problem...

Even with the rapid development of science and technology, especially the advent of firearms, which has given ordinary people the ability to shoot martial artists and thugs into oblivion in a head-on confrontation, unfortunately, this only applies to ordinary martial artists. For those at the pinnacle, let alone bullets, even artillery shells and missiles pose very limited threats.

But... Yuan probably doesn't have many years left to live.

As people from the same era, Hanzo Shiranui was well aware of his impending death. This was not a boundary that could be crossed simply by replenishing some life energy and keeping the body healthy... Throughout human history, very few people have been able to cross the death limit and live a second life.

Moreover, living a second life is just the beginning.

According to numerous records, after passing the critical moment between life and death, they would gradually be corrupted by some kind of force, eventually resulting in serious mutations, such as being covered in red hair and becoming so confused that they could hardly maintain a clear mind.

Moreover, Yuan did not cross the threshold of life and death... but actively gave up this power after sensing something.

Thinking about it, Hanzo Shiranui frowned slightly and looked at Yuan Chen, reminding him: "Power is ultimately your own... Relying on the power of others, even your teachers, can only protect you for a while, not for a lifetime."

"I know."

Upon hearing Hanzo Shiranui's words, Yuan Chen nodded in understanding.

Seeing Yuan Chen's reaction, Shiranui Hanzo breathed a slight sigh of relief, thinking that Yuan Chen's calm demeanor was because he had already made the necessary preparations.

Thinking about it, Hanzo Shiranui also asked out of curiosity:

"So what are you planning to do next? Do you want to train at the dojo? If needed, I can contact some of my old friends. They are all reliable people and are old acquaintances of Lao Yuan. You can practice with them with peace of mind."

Upon hearing Hanzo Shiranui's words, Yuan Chen was slightly tempted.

Despite his seemingly dying appearance, Shiranui Hanzo's lineage was interrupted during the Shiranui Town era, leading to a break in its transmission.

In fact, schools of thought that have been passed down for thousands of years often have some secret skills that are not known to outsiders.

These unique skills are either the Instant Hell Kill or the Peerless Martial God, which are martial arts techniques that maximize both offense and defense, or, like the Wu Clan, techniques passed down through generations that allow people to unleash their physical potential and force an aging body to perform at its peak.

For example, the Martial God style... Although Genryusai Maki is considered to be at the bottom of the popularity rankings in fighting games, the only reason to praise her is because of her similar appearance and clothing, and she can be described as a low-budget version of blonde Mai Shiranui.

But the Martial God style has some real substance.

Although the 38th sect leader, 'Shi Kong,' is also very old and in his twilight years, he can switch back and forth between the peak of physical skills in his youth and the peak of technical skills in his twilight years through a secret technique.

Not to mention the 39th generation sect leader 'Kai', whose signature super move, the Martial God Unparalleled, was able to kill two of Vega's backup bodies.

But soon, after thinking about it carefully, Yuan Chen shook his head.

"If possible, I would certainly like to get in touch with you... but I also have my own views on the matter of spiritual practice."

Upon hearing this, Hanzo Shiranui was slightly taken aback, then asked, "Could you tell me the reason?"

"...That's too little."

Looking at Hanzo Shiranui, Yuan Chen said helplessly, "There probably aren't many people from your era who are still alive and maintain strong combat power, right? And with the changing times, technology itself is constantly being optimized..."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's explanation, Shiranui Hanzo was slightly taken aback, then rubbed his temples and said, "...After all, we're all old fogies..."

Although somewhat helpless, even Hanzo Shiranui had to admit that there were not many old people from his era who were still alive and well, and even fewer who could unleash considerable power and whose skills had not declined as a result.

Although the probability of producing top martial artists was higher and more pronounced in ancient times due to frequent conflicts and constant chaos than in modern times, this does not mean that the martial arts world is simply one where the older the era, the stronger the martial artist.

Especially in terms of technology, with the advent of the information age, the popularity of martial arts culture, and the speed of dissemination through social media, many techniques that were originally regarded as 'secret' or 'hidden' have become widely known by the general public.

For example, the "fighting spirit bursts forth." Although the effects of this thing vary drastically depending on who uses it, it is used by so many people that it is commonplace. Even if someone doesn't use it well, they still know how to use it.

In ancient times, this was often a closely guarded secret of certain schools of thought...

Especially with the rise of modern martial arts, many profound principles have been brought to the forefront for people to appreciate, study, and decipher...

And the more this happens, the faster the technology will iterate.

According to investigations by relevant research institutions, the rate of iteration of low-requirement, ordinary technologies such as the "Battle Qi Burst" which do not have a bloodline barrier or physical moat similar to the "Liberation of the Wu Clan" has exceeded the total rate of iteration over the past thousand years in the last hundred years.

As people age, they naturally tend to become more conservative due to decreased metabolism and hormone secretion. Not to mention others, even if Shiranui Hanzo asked himself honestly, aside from some secret techniques that require the use of fire resurrection, there probably wasn't much else he could pass on to Yuan Chen.

Moreover, the 'Golden Flame' path that Yuan Chen is currently following is clearly very different from the Mind Fire Technique—the latter doesn't even need a Mind Fire circuit to directly convert energy!

Thinking about it, Hanzo Shiranui couldn't help but ask, "If that's the case... Ah Chen, how do you plan to train?"

"Battle".

Yuan Chen answered succinctly.

After a moment of silence, Hanzo Shiranui said, "Fighting is of course... but how are you going to fight? Or, where have you been fighting before?"

Yuan Chen briefly explained some things about the Kengan Association, the Tokyo Dome underground, and even about Yingluo.

Upon hearing that Yuan Chen was honing his martial arts skills in the underground fighting arena, Shiranui Hanzo frowned slightly.

If it were anyone else, even his own granddaughter Mai, Shiranui Hanzo wouldn't care too much. Because back in their time, underground fighting arenas and rings were places they frequented year-round, where they constantly trained and sparred with each other.

Even when he wasn't competing, Hanzo Shiranui would often go to secret underground fighting arenas to observe, increase his combat experience, and try to learn more and different martial arts techniques.

But Yuan Chen is different... the characteristic of its golden flames is too obvious, and the power to grant eternal youth is too tempting for the world...

Thinking about it, Hanzo Shiranui also asked, "Have you considered what the consequences would be if others knew about your ability?"

"know."

Yuan Chen nodded, but his expression didn't change much.

"Then why are you still so calm?" Sensing the calmness in Yuan Chen's gaze, Shiranui Hanzo said with some confusion, "Yuan, as an assassin from the previous era, is not well known to outsiders... and even those who do know him can guess that Yuan has not passed his life-or-death limit, and at most only has a few years left... He can't protect you for long."

"That's enough."

Sensing Hanzo's worry and admonition, Yuan Chen's expression didn't change much; he simply said calmly:

"Three years... or rather, if within these two years I still cannot use this ability to intimidate others, then it can only mean that I am nothing more than this."

"And in the two years between..." After a brief silence, Yuan Chen spoke casually: