Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted.

If such things can be forgiven without question... then what is the point of all that I've done, of all the revenge I crave?!

Is this a joke?!

Meeting the resentment in Sagat's eyes, Yuan Chen fell silent for a moment, then looked at Sagat and asked, "When you killed me... did you feel happy?"

"……Um?"

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Sagat paused for a moment, then fell silent. After a brief silence, he looked at Yuan Chen and asked, "What...do you mean by that?"

"Kill me, or kill Hibiki Kensuke, or in the moment of victory... did you get what you wanted? Did you feel happy or satisfied?"

"...So, what do you mean?!" Sagat clenched his fists instinctively.

He couldn't understand what Yuan Chen was saying, but he could sense that Yuan Chen was saying something he had never paid attention to before, something that had clouded his mind and eyes.

"Those endings you don't want to accept mean the journey isn't over yet."

_____

I just realized that Chapter 15 has been significantly revised... I forgot to upload it before, which caused a connection error with Chapter 16. Those who have already read it can read it again.

Volume 1: Chapter 22 - Vijay's Father

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Sagat was slightly taken aback, then stood still, seemingly unsure how to respond.

He seemed to understand something Yuan Chen was trying to express, but also seemed not to. While Sagat seemed to understand something, Chun-Li and the others were completely confused. Only Yuan Chen stroked his beard with an indifferent expression, observing Sagat's reaction with great interest.

"A surge of killing intent."

Yuan Chen stretched out his hand, and after a moment of preparation, a scarlet blood aura appeared in his palm.

Almost the instant that wisp of blood appeared, Tong Ang frowned solemnly.

Chun-Li might not know what this is, but having once infiltrated Shadow Luo, Tong Ang had some understanding of the fluctuations of killing intent.

This thing can be said to be Vega's strictest 'father'.

Although it appears to be a type of 'qi', it is actually a kind of spiritual energy that allows martial artists and fighters to fly, teleport, and directly attack the soul during combat.

Putting aside everything else, Akuma, as the most skilled user of the Killing Intent Wave, used the Shun Goku Satsu to instantly kill Vega four times in Capcom's official games: Super Street Fighter II X, Street Fighter Alpha 3, Street Fighter EX, and SNK vs. CAPCOM: SVC Chaos... making him Vega's literal father.

Although none of this has happened yet, Tong Ang had conducted extensive and in-depth investigations into Vega, and he was intimately familiar with this special ability that was highlighted within Shadow Luo.

Not to mention, Tong Ang already had a legendary assassin by his side who had once mastered the fluctuations of killing intent, but then actively eliminated its influence.

But for Sagat and Chun-Li, this was clearly not something they knew, much less understood.

Sensing their confusion, Yuan Chen explained:

"This is like a special kind of spiritual energy that has the characteristic of eroding people's spirit. Theoretically, everyone has it, but only the most extreme and paranoid individuals have the opportunity to awaken."

Those who awaken will stop at nothing to win, valuing victory far more than life itself, ultimately perishing in endless battles.

Upon hearing this, Chunli, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but take a step back, looking at the red light in Yuan Chen's hand with worry in her eyes.

In contrast, Sagat's face was filled with solemnity, and he said with slight hesitation, "This is... what I left inside you back then?"

"Something like that. It's mainly used to ignite my life energy, like an ember that hasn't been completely extinguished yet? Something like that."

Yuan Chen shrugged, then dispersed the slight residual killing intent, and said unhurriedly:

“This should have been a pure manifestation of murderous intent, but I can sense your confusion… In other words, you don’t want to kill; you are searching for something.”

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Sagat fell silent, then simply sat down on the ground. After a moment, he looked at Yuan Chen and said, "Then do you know what I'm looking for?"

Yuan Chen remained silent for a moment, then helplessly pointed to himself and said, "I'm only eighteen, and you're asking me?"

"..." Upon hearing this, Sagat's lips twitched, realizing what a stupid question he had asked.

Thinking this, Sagat stared at his fist and then said, "Then... what should I do?"

Sagat has realized his mistake, but it's clear that he doesn't know what to do or how to handle the situation right now.

Yuan Chen didn't know how to answer this—he couldn't very well say, "Go back to Yingluo and become one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and you'll gradually understand it," could he?

After a moment's thought, Yuan Chen shrugged and gave a convincing answer: "I don't know."

"The surge of killing intent..." After pondering for a moment, Sagat said, "If that's the case, perhaps I should accept the surge of killing intent?"

"I don't know." Yuan Chen shrugged again, then gestured with his chin toward the old man beside him.

"Ask him, he knows."

Upon hearing this, Sagat also looked at Yuan with some surprise.

Yuan chuckled strangely twice, and after scrutinizing Sagat for a moment, shook his head and said, "You are not suited for the Killing Intent Wave."

"Why?" Sagat asked back, his eyes filled with doubt.

In response, Yuan simply closed his eyes. When he opened them again, an inexplicable, chilling killing intent suddenly descended, as if even the air temperature had dropped several degrees. Thick, scarlet blood energy rose from his body, floating around him like black smoke.

This suffocating killing intent, which momentarily took hold, lasted only a moment before Yuan Ye resumed his cheerful demeanor and said:

"When you first awaken the fluctuations of killing intent but still have hesitation and confusion in your heart, you lose the possibility of mastering the fluctuations of killing intent. Even if you forcibly embrace it, you will only become a belligerent puppet of revenge."

“Your talent supports your awakening, but your soul is unwilling to succumb to the control of this power,” Yuan Chen explained from the side. “It’s not pure enough.”

"Is it a bad thing?" Sagat asked.

“No,” Yuan Chen shrugged and said.

"There are many powers in this world that are comparable to the wave of killing intent... such as the power of yoga mastered by the Indian master Dharsim, the spiritual power of Vega, and other soul powers, the power of the spirits of nature, the wave of nothingness, and so on."

"Being able to awaken the fluctuations of killing intent means that you possess the talent and spirit to cultivate this level of power. Of course, how to awaken it and how to master it is your own business."

Upon hearing this, Sagat's face showed a hint of confusion, but after thinking for a moment, he looked at Yuan Chen and said, "If that's the case... is the life energy you possess also one of these powers?"

Yuan Chen was somewhat taken aback when he didn't expect Sagat to ask about life energy.

But it's clear that Sagat isn't the only one curious about this.

Sure enough, after Sagat asked, even Tong Ang, Chun-Li, and Yuan, who were standing to the side, showed curious eyes.

Seeing this, Yuan Chen stroked his chin and said:

"Hmm... I guess so, but it's probably not on the same level, since it was something I awakened naturally, not something I comprehended through cultivation. It's more like a gift from heaven, something like a superpower?"

Yuan Chen didn't take Ingrid's mention of the power of the emblem to heart.

The standards are too high; now I realize that all I can do is make myself envious.

Meanwhile, watching Yuan Chen speak eloquently, Yuan stroked his beard, then nodded thoughtfully.

Clearly, while Yuan Chen was unconscious, he seemed to have seen many interesting things and learned a lot of interesting knowledge...

Volume 1: Chapter 23 - Modern Muay Thai

Although she noticed, Yuan did not disturb Yuan Chen, but simply looked at him with interest.

It was a near-death space unlike any I'd ever seen before...

Unaware of Yuan's thoughts, Yuan Chen simply looked at Sagat and said:

"Aside from being born with it, similar powers can only be comprehended by reaching a certain level through cultivation, or by being exceptionally similar to the characteristics of a certain power and naturally merging into one upon encountering it."

"And what about yours?" Sagat asked.

Upon hearing Sagat's question, Chun-Li quickly reached out to stop him, then glared at Sagat with displeasure and said, "No matter how you look at it, there's no need to tell you something like this, is there?"

Upon hearing this, Sagat fell silent, then nodded without speaking, acknowledging Chun-Li's statement.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with Chun-Li's actions. Rather, in Sagat's view, he had indeed been a bit too hasty, casually inquiring about someone else's livelihood secrets.

This might seem normal to modern martial artists, especially in professional combat, where it's quite common to absorb other techniques to the maximum extent permitted by the rules.

However, Sagat, who came from the Chiang Mai Ancient Boxing School, was well aware of how strict the rules of such ancient practices were.

For example, Sagat is now facing the punishment of being expelled from the Chiang Mai Boxing Association.

As the most severe punishment in Chiang Mai Kung Fu, minor offenses, such as running rampant in the countryside, certainly wouldn't warrant such harsh measures.

However, if it involves some secrets that are not passed down, such as the meridians and energy flow routes, then in addition to being removed from the list, one may also be stripped of their cultivation and have their limbs crippled.

And Yuan Chen...

"It's really not a big deal," Yuan Chen said calmly.

"What do you mean it's no big deal!" Chunli raised her hand in dissatisfaction, as if she wanted to poke Yuan Chen's forehead hard.

But then he realized that Yuan Chen was still sick, so he snorted and crossed his arms, saying:

"This is a secret that belongs only to you. Even if you are willing to tell, you cannot tell it so easily."

As she said this, Chun-Li turned her gaze to Sagat and said:

“If it weren’t for Yuan Chen’s ability to bring him back to life, he would be dead now. Yuan Chen may not care about this, but I won’t pretend it never happened.”

Upon hearing Chun-Li's words, Sagat pursed his lips, then nodded understandingly: "...You're right."

After saying that, he paused, and then Sagat said, "If that's the case... I'll teach you Muay Thai."

"...Huh?"

Upon hearing this, not only Chunli, but even Yuan Chen and Tong Ang couldn't help but raise their eyebrows.

"Muay Thai?" Yuan Chen asked.

"Hmm." Shaka nodded, stood up, and crossed his arms.

"Ancient Muay Thai is not good because it involves the flow of Qi and the circulation of meridians."

But I overheard it outside the door: your line of operations is damaged, and you're currently unable to mobilize Lompran, so you're preparing to focus on modern martial arts. As for professional Muay Thai… no problem, I participate in both competitions.”

Upon hearing Sagat's words, Yuan Chen's face showed a slight hint of interest.

The so-called 'Sen Line' can be roughly understood as Thai meridians, while Luang Pram is also the way Chiang Mai Kung Fu interprets Qi.

Of course, similarity does not mean that they come from the same origin.

Muay Thai's understanding of bodily energy is closer to the system of Indian yoga. Luang Pramban is considered to be driven by breath, "wind," and breath is the life matrix that combines innate and acquired elements...

For Chiang Mai Kung Fu, the Sen Line lineage and the Luang Phor Lan method are its core lineages.

"While professional Muay Thai has abandoned some of the secrets of ancient Muay Thai, it has also given rise to many new elements with the progress of the times," Sagat said. "If you want..."

As he said this, Sagat paused, then shook his head and sighed:

"Fine, I won't ask for anything. I'll teach you whatever you need as my compensation and thanks."

“Of course I’ll learn!” Yuan Chen immediately agreed.

Muay Thai covers all parts of the body, from short to medium to close range, with extremely strong clinching and choking abilities. Its hardness and endurance are also top-notch, making it one of the most effective professional boxing styles in actual combat.

As he said this, Yuan Chen turned his gaze to Yuan beside him and asked, "Grandpa, you don't have any objections, do you?"

"What opinion could I possibly have?" Yuan chuckled, then said with a melancholic expression, "It's just that people grow up and leave home, and it seems you look down on my outdated skills, you won't even come to me to learn."

"You talk like you're giving a lecture..."

Yuan Chen rolled his eyes, completely unconcerned.

As early as when Yuan Chen first sensed his own meridians, Yuan Ye frankly admitted that the Sangji he practiced was a special assassination fist technique he had created for himself, and it was not suitable for Yuan Chen's personality and physique.

For example, the style of "Sang Liu" (丧流) aims for a concise and powerful strike to defeat the enemy, but in Yuan Chen's hands, it is often a powerful and heavy punch.

In Yuan's hands, however, the attacks are more often destructive strikes targeting numerous meridians and acupoints in an instant.

Whether it's the "Shadow of Despair" that directly counters "Instant Hell Kill" or the rarely used "Death Point Strike," both of Qisangliu's ultimate techniques compress numerous fatal blows into a single instant.

Although both aim to defeat the enemy as quickly as possible, there is a clear difference between them and Yuan Chen, who compresses all his strength into a single strike.

Thinking about this, Yuan sighed: "If you used your life energy on the stream of death, it would be much more effective than what I use... But what can I do? Your personality is not suitable for my death taboo."

In Yuan's view, Yuan Chen's life energy, as a gift from heaven, was outrageously powerful. Just a wisp of it, channeled into another's body and unleashed at a vital point, could directly cripple or even kill the enemy.

In particular, Yuan Chen has such a good physique that he can use a feint to secretly transfer a large amount of life energy during a fierce battle and then explode internally.

This is much more useful than anything like mental power.

But there's no way around it; martial arts is a cultivation of both spirit and flesh. Martial artists have personalities, and so do martial arts.

Even a forced relationship won't be sweet; to force a fighter who's passionate about direct combat to learn poison or soft skills is truly misleading.

Based on this, what Yuan Chen realized on his own was actually the most suitable for him to understand.