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 bring up such a thing in this place.

Upon hearing Hibiki's words, Yuan Chen remained silent for a moment before nodding towards Sagat beside him and 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 opinion, 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 the world.

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 in fact, upon realizing he had lost an eye, Sagat's rage nearly led him to kill Hibiki Takeshi—

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 instinctively clenched his fists:

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

"Enough, Dan!"

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

Because Dan respects and loves himself as a father.

Upon hearing Dan's words, Sagat remained silent, watching 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 upon hearing Sagat's words, and he asked, "What does Your Excellency mean?"

"Literal meaning."

Sagat glanced at Hibiki Kyo and said calmly:

“Your talent is only average, and at this age, there’s not much room for improvement. If you need, 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 Takeshi 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 compelled him to roll up his sleeves and 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 her father's words, Huo Yindan was slightly taken aback, a look of confusion appearing in her eyes.

However, Huo Yinqiang did not answer the question about the Fire-Attracting Pill. Instead, he 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 Kou came to Sagat's side, his expression completely different from his initial rejection, now full of seriousness and sincerity.

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

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

"Father!!" Seeing that her father had actually agreed to the other party's request, Huo Yindan's face showed disbelief.

Just as Huo Yindan was about to say something, Huo Yinqiang, who was standing to the side, also turned his gaze toward Huo Yindan.

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

What kind of look was that?

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

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

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

Starting from the dojo in town, 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 soon, this nostalgia and emotion turned into bitterness.

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

“Since then, I have realized that my so-called talent is just standing out from the crowd. Once I return to the flock, I will become just another ordinary person.”

“...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 my fault for not being able to let you unleash your full potential.”

“Just do it for 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 revealed an expression that seemed to be both sad and smiling as she bumped fists with her father.

"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'm also planning to study with them for a while."

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 like a fragile porcelain doll. The intense impact of the energy had caused multiple organ contusions, open fractures, and severe anemia and malnutrition due to the burning of his life energy.

Even so, Yuan Chen still won, that's beyond doubt.

Regardless of strength, in terms of status and position, even if Yuan Chen and Sagat were to be knocked unconscious head-on, or even if Yuan Chen were to suffer mutual injuries or even 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 and time again.

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

And such a powerful individual is still in his growth stage, 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 circulate my qi like before for a while. I was just about to try modern martial arts when Sagat came, so I’ll be learning Muay Thai from him for a while.”

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

"Unable to circulate energy? Doesn't that mean..."

"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 Huo Yin Dan and said leisurely, "Next, we'll be learning together~"

"Oh! Okay!" Upon hearing that Yuan Chen would be studying with him, Huo Yindan felt an inexhaustible surge of energy coursing through 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 in Muay Thai.

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

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

Volume 1: Chapter 27 - Chun-Li'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 and more resilient after the body has recovered.

In this context, banana trees, wooden sticks, and iron rods all serve as training equipment 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 people are used to.

Whether it's visually appealing is subjective and hard to judge, but in terms of destructive power, every punch and kick delivers a palpable, 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 the 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 created.

Although some parts are still a bit rough around the edges, 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 am still quite confident in my ability to control muscles."

“…” Sagat fell silent upon hearing this, and after a moment, he said with some emotion, “This is more than just a matter of confidence…”

While having prior training in other martial arts styles can indeed make training more effective, overcoming ingrained habits of force exertion 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 to the side, clearly did not think so.

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

About an hour later, everyone dispersed.

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, her face full of dissatisfaction and sullen.

Upon seeing Yuan Chen, Chunli also cast an unfriendly glance at him. She had 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 severe 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 and just stood there smiling at Chun Li.

Seeing 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 at the girls' school.

Although Chunli hadn't spent much time with Yuan Chen, there was one thing she was certain of: from any angle, 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?"