Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted.

As everyone knows, Yuan Chen is not a womanizer.

So Yuan Chen began to examine it with an appreciative gaze.

She's wearing her signature red female ninja outfit, but it's quite different from the one in the game. Perhaps because she's at home, Mai Shiranui's clothing style is rather simple now, but even so, the ninja outfit is still quite revealing. At least, from a modern perspective, it's clearly some kind of unusual attire.

Such clothing places extremely demanding requirements on the wearer's physique, and any flaws will be magnified.

But this obviously did not affect Mai Shiranui's charm—her full breasts, slender waist, plump buttocks, and long legs, combined with a pair of footed socks, gave her a unique charm and style.

Just as Yuan Chen was still watching, Mai Shiranui seemed to sense something and suddenly turned her gaze towards Yuan Chen's direction.

Mai Shiranui initially thought it was a lost traveler or a visitor seeking knowledge who wanted to ask her a few questions, but before she could even open her mouth, she was completely stuck.

Her senses were sharper than her words, and she could clearly feel an aura about the man before her that she had only ever sensed in her grandfather—

That wasn't murderous intent, nor was it fighting spirit; it was something deeper.

That aura pressed heavily on him, like a storm suppressed to its limit. Even without saying a word, it still made people feel an indescribable pressure.

Although she didn't recognize Yuan Chen, Mai Shiranui was certain from his aura that this man who had suddenly appeared was no ordinary person.

"Who are you? What brings you here?!"

Sensing Mai Shiranui's wariness, Yuan Chen also fell silent.

In fact, Yuan Chen knew very well that he only needed to explain his purpose. Given Mai Shiranui's personality and the current state of the Shiranui School, it would be easy for her to explain.

You could do that, but... there's no need.

I came here to learn technical skills, so the first thing I need to determine is whether the skills here are worthwhile.

Compared to simple explanations... indeed, fists and fighting are the best way to communicate.

Thinking this, Yuan Chen met Mai Shiranui's gaze and subconsciously moved his shoulders. His face was covered in ink almost instantly, and he said decisively, "Come and see what the legendary Shiranui-ryu ninjutsu is all about."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Mai Shiranui immediately narrowed her eyes and solemnly said, "I don't know who you are, but if that's your intention, I won't show any mercy!"

"Then I would be extremely grateful!" Yuan Chen nodded in response.

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's answer, Mai Shiranui showed a slight look of confusion.

When Yuan Chen said he wanted to see just how powerful the Shiranui School was, Shiranui Mai thought he was here to challenge them.

With the intention of issuing a warning, Mai Shiranui stated bluntly that she would not hold back, and if he was here to make a name for himself, he'd better go somewhere else. But who would have thought that this guy seemed rather satisfied?

There's no such politeness when challenging someone to a duel.

Mai Shiranui thought to herself—having grown up in these deep mountains, Mai Shiranui had seen many martial artists sparring and fighting with her grandfather, Hanzo Shiranui, so she was no stranger to this kind of martial arts fanatic behavior that suddenly came to challenge her.

Meeting Yuan Chen's gaze, Mai Shiranui narrowed her eyes and met his gaze without flinching.

Although his face was dark and his features and expression were obscured, his eyes were exceptionally clear and pure, filled with a strong fighting spirit rather than malice...

Thinking this, Mai Shiranui asked suspiciously, "You... you're here for a friendly spar?"

"……Um."

Although he didn't know why Mai Shiranui's hostility had suddenly decreased so much, Yuan Chen nodded after a brief silence.

Just as Mai Shiranui was about to say something, an old voice came from the side.

"Someone's here?"

As they spoke, Hanzo Shiranui and Maki Genryusai also stepped out from the side.

"Maki~" Upon seeing Genryusai Maki, Mai Shiranui waved happily in greeting. Upon seeing Mai Shiranui, Genryusai Maki also smiled, but then realized that her current identity was the sect leader of the Martial God School, so she nodded to Mai Shiranui in a proper manner.

Unaware that Genryusai Maki had become the new leader of the Martial God School, Mai Shiranui blinked curiously at her friend's strange reaction, preparing to ask her later.

Meanwhile, Yuan Chen remained silent, merely watching with curiosity as he observed Genryusai Maki and Shiranui Hanzo.

Genryusai Maki goes without saying; she wore a red outfit that at first glance resembled Mai Shiranui, but was more conservative in all aspects.

Although Yuan Chen already knew from Baroque that the relationship between the Martial God School and the Shiranui School was good, he still felt a hint of curiosity when he met the leaders of the two ninjutsu schools as soon as he arrived.

After briefly greeting her grandfather, Mai Shiranui pointed to Yuan Chen, whose face was covered in soot, and said:

"I was just practicing my martial arts when I noticed this man walk in. At first, I thought he was a rival seeking revenge or trying to challenge me, but then I realized that wasn't the case... It seems more like he's here to spar and hone his skills."

Upon hearing Mai Shiranui's words, the aged and hunched-over Hanzo Shiranui nodded thoughtfully, and after sensing Yuan Chen for a moment, a hint of curiosity appeared in his eyes.

Although he was already old and frail, Hanzo Shiranui's perception did not decline.

Although not entirely certain, Hanzo Shiranui could clearly sense that in addition to Yuan Chen's immense power, there was also an unprecedented yet exceptionally strong force coursing through his body.

Thinking to himself, Shiranui Hanzo looked at Yuan Chen with curiosity and asked, "May I ask who your master is?"

Upon hearing Hanzo Shiranui's words, Yuan Chen remained silent for a moment, then sighed, dissipated the blood energy around him, and his complexion returned to normal from its previous darkness.

Looking at Yuan Chen's handsome and heroic face, and seeing that he was now relaxed, Mai Shiranui raised an eyebrow and her eyes lit up slightly.

When I first discovered Yuan Chen, I was so wary that I neglected to observe his face and focused all my attention on the flow of Qi.

Now that she has met her grandfather and Maki, she realizes that Yuan Chen is not the scheming person she had imagined. As she relaxes, she also focuses more attention on other things.

And now...

"Wow, he's a handsome guy!"

Mai Shiranui blinked, then walked over to Genryusai Maki and nudged her best friend with her shoulder: "Hey, Maki, she's exactly your ideal type~ How about I introduce you to someone?"

Upon hearing Mai Shiranui's words, Genryusai Maki rolled her eyes, instinctively wanting to retort, but remembering that she was already the sect leader of the Martial God School, she coughed lightly and said:

I don't understand what you're saying!

"Hmm...you really have become very strange!"

Hearing this, Mai Shiranui looked suspicious, then stared at Genryusai Maki with her fan, looking her up and down as she said, "It's one thing to deliberately avoid me here, but now that you've seen a handsome guy, you don't even react..."

"No...no way..." Upon hearing this, Genryusai Maki turned her head away somewhat embarrassedly, not daring to meet Mai Shiranui's gaze.

"Still denying it!" Seeing this, Mai Shiranui snorted, "If it were before, you would definitely say 'Oh, it's nothing special~' and then secretly glance at it, and after confirming that you weren't interested, you would pretend that nothing was wrong. That's not how you are now!"

"Tch," Genryusai Maki couldn't help but scoff upon hearing Mai Shiranui's words, but then added:

"This matter is a bit complicated... I came here specifically to see Grandpa Hanzo, which is why I didn't come to see you."

As she said this, Genryusai Maki also turned her gaze to Yuan Chen beside her and asked with some curiosity, "But what's up with this young man?"

"do not know."

Meeting the gazes of the group, Yuan Chen pondered for a moment before exhaling a breath of turbid air. He then clasped his hands in a fist salute towards Shiranui Hanzo and said, "Sangji Assassination Fist - Yuan Chen."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Genryusai Maki and Shiranui Mai showed a look of confusion on their faces, clearly having never heard of the 'Sangji Assassination Fist'.

In contrast, upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Shiranui Hanzo froze on the spot, hesitated for a moment, and then looked up at Yuan Chen and said, "Sangji...you're from Hong Kong?"

“Yes.” Yuan Chen nodded and said calmly, “I am a disciple of Bloodbath Hundred Battles Yuan.”

Although Yuan Chen's voice was calm, upon receiving confirmation, Shiranui Hanzo's face revealed deep astonishment. His eyes stared at Yuan Chen, and for a moment, he forgot how to speak.

Meanwhile, seeing the surprise... even shock, on her grandfather's face, Mai Shiranui blinked in confusion before turning her gaze back to Yuan Chen, wondering why her grandfather was so shocked that he couldn't speak.

A moment later, Shiranui Hanzo realized his loss of composure and quickly composed himself. His expression as he looked at Yuan Chen became more serious and solemn.

"Do you have any token that can prove you are that person's disciple?"

"No." Upon hearing Hanzo Shiranui's question, Yuan Chen replied frankly, "I have been training with Old Yuan, and he has never given me any tokens."

"..."

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words, Shiranui Hanzo remained silent for a moment, then nodded thoughtfully and said, "How about we have a friendly spar?"

"Okay." Yuan Chen nodded. "With whom?"

"Let me try!" Hearing the conversation between Yuan Chen and his grandfather, Mai Shiranui said enthusiastically, "Although I don't know what you and Grandpa are talking about, it doesn't matter! Let me test your skills!"

Hearing Mai Shiranui's words, Yuan Chen couldn't feel happy at all.

After all... if it were before, Yuan Chen could have properly experienced Mai Shiranui's 'technique'.

But now that he has revealed his identity, Yuan Chen, as the successor of Yuan, no longer has the time or leisure to slowly experience it.

Although Yuan himself didn't care, having inherited Lao Yuan's skills, Yuan Chen didn't intend to let 'Sangji's' reputation be tarnished in the slightest by his momentary curiosity.

Volume 1: Chapter 121 - The Name of Mourning

Noticing that Yuan Chen's condition seemed somewhat different from before, Mai Shiranui said with a grin:

"Although I've never heard of the Sangji Assassination Fist, anything that can make Grandpa so serious must be something to be reckoned with! So I will definitely go all out and unleash all my secret techniques!"

Hearing Mai Shiranui's passionate words, Yuan Chen didn't reply. After a brief silence, he exhaled deeply and said, "Let's begin..."

Since this sparring session was destined to be short-lived, Yuan Chen didn't have much of a desire to talk.

Upon hearing Yuan Chen's words and sensing the stark contrast in his tone, Mai Shiranui realized something, but after a moment's thought, she decided not to dwell on it—after all, all the answers would be revealed once the battle began.

Then, Yuan Chen and Mai Shiranui arrived at the center of the dojo and stood face to face, a few meters apart.

The wooden floor of the training field was cut into stripes of light and shadow by the sunlight, and the shadows of the two people were stretched very long, one tall and the other slender, giving people a very visually striking feeling.

Then, Mai Shiranui assumed a fighting stance, gripping her folding fan tightly in one hand. Her charming and amorous eyes, brimming with vitality and passion, stared directly into Yuan Chen's eyes, trying to find a flaw in his expression.

Nervousness, underestimation of the opponent, impatience, or even infatuation or admiration—anything will do.

However, to Mai Shiranui's surprise, she found nothing in Yuan Chen's eyes, not even a semblance of focus; he was simply staring at her.

This reminded Mai Shiranui of what her grandfather, Hanzo Shiranui, had once told her: the state of those who truly stand at the pinnacle of martial arts before they make their move is "not calmness, but emptiness."

This made Mai Shiranui realize that something was amiss, so she took the initiative to attack.

With a whoosh, the folding fan in his hand opened, accompanied by a sulfurous smell. With a flick of his right hand, a blazing flame burst forth from the fan, which then transformed into a streak of light and flew toward Yuan Chen at an astonishing speed.

As the folding fan flew by, her slender figure pushed off the ground with her left foot and rushed towards Yuan Chen's figure, her hands forming hand seals at an astonishing speed in front of her.

Upon seeing this, Hanzo Shiranui nodded in satisfaction.

While Wu's talent may not be considered extraordinary, it is certainly not ordinary. She has unique insights into the cultivation and mastery of the Flame Scroll. After quickly learning the 'Nen Fire' technique, she is also able to skillfully enhance the destructive power of Nen Fire through mechanisms, sulfur, and gunpowder.

As Mai is the same age as him, Genryusai Maki blinked in surprise after seeing Mai's fighting stance.

As her best friend, Genryusai Maki was aware of Maki's dancing skills.

In their previous sparring sessions, the two were evenly matched, but in Genryusai Maki's opinion, there were still many areas where the dance needed improvement and optimization.

Even now, as an observer, Genryusai Maki has not found any obvious flaws.

The Flower Butterfly Fan is Mai Shiranui's signature technique. She ignites her fighting spirit with Nen Fire Technique, and then amplifies the impact of the flames with sulfur hidden in the fan. Upon impact, it eliminates the impact of the fan itself and the burns from the flames. Furthermore, it can use Nen Fire to impact the opponent's meridians, thus hindering their movement.

Even if she dodged the Flower Butterfly Fan, it would be meaningless. Although the training direction of the Martial God School is completely different from that of the Shiranui School, and can even be said to be completely opposite, Genryusai Maki also has some understanding of the Shiranui School's 'seal techniques'.

Through special hand seals and rituals, or something like a 'small barrier', the flow and transformation of a martial artist's own Qi can be greatly enhanced.

Especially in this situation, by forming hand seals in advance, one can directly release various ultimate techniques of the Shiranui School based on the different ways the opponent knocks down the flame fan.

But just as Hanzo Shiranui and Maki Genryusai were still marveling at Mai Shiranui's rapid growth, on the other side, Yuan Chen had already assumed his familiar horse stance, and his aura instantly contracted to its limit.

Before Shiranui Hanzo and Genryusai Maki could focus their attention on Yuan Chen, the next moment...

Within Mai Shiranui's line of sight, Yuan Chen's imposing figure, like a heavy semi-trailer loaded with twenty-one tons of stones, roared directly towards her.

The blazing fire fan, imbued with heavy battle aura, could easily shatter even rocks, but before Yuan Chen, it was like a faint candle flame. Before Shiranui Mai could even react, the flame was directly smashed by Yuan Chen.

Despite taking the full force of the Flower Butterfly Fan's impact, Yuan Chen's body remained completely unshaken. On the contrary, upon sensing the impact of the Mind Fire Technique, Yuan Chen's expression shifted, and his blood energy became even more solid, resembling an unshakeable barrier.

Even so, Mai Shiranui showed no sign of giving up. Instead, she quickly completed the transformation of her energy by forming hand seals beforehand. Then, without hesitation, she touched the ground with her toes, and her energy exploded in an instant, transforming into blazing Nen fire that enveloped her entire body.

The sulfur gunpowder hidden in the shimenawa and bell spread rapidly, amplifying the impact of the Nen fire. With a leap, it launched a powerful elbow strike towards the already close Genchen—Super Special Move Ninja Bee!

As Yuan Chen felt the surging Nen fire surrounding Mai Shiranui, he might have taken the time to appreciate the difference between this flame, which was transformed from Qi, and ordinary flames.

but now……

Despite having the advantage of starting first, for some reason, Mai Shiranui did not feel even the slightest bit of peace of mind. Instead, she felt an inexplicable pressure constantly coming from Yuan Chen.

Unfortunately, the arrow was already on the bowstring and had to be released.

Facing Mai Shiranui's gaze, Yuan Chen remained indifferent. As he felt Mai Shiranui charging towards him, he raised his right fist, his muscles tensing, and at the moment of impact, it shot out from his side like a cannonball.

The angle is straight, without any fancy moves; it's just a simple, basic straight hook punch.

But even with that hook punch, in Mai Shiranui's view, the instant she sensed it, Yuan Chen's figure seemed to begin to grow taller and taller in an instant.

Like a living mountain, even that seemingly simple straight punch was larger than Mai Shiranui's entire body in that instant.

Yuan Chen's excellent arm span allowed him to strike first, even before Mai Shiranui's super special move, Ninja Bee, could touch his body. He struck first, easily shattering the Nen fire rising around her, while his heavy fist then deeply embedded itself into Mai Shiranui's soft abdomen.