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 edges are no longer clear, as if something has gradually dissolved them from under the skin.

Then there were those eyes.

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

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 eyeballs faded, and the pupils became jet black and clear. The gaze itself changed; the weariness of old age disappeared, replaced by a sharper, 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 their thinking inevitably shifts from being ambitious and enterprising to being timid and conservative.

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

Now, although he is still old, Shiranui Hanzo gives people the feeling of a thousand-yen fruit from "Wase no Tenka".

Regardless of whether this thing is harmful or not, just tell me if it sounds powerful, and it looks like it has severe fibrosis and very strong lines.

Feeling the gazes of the crowd, 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 a resolute look. He then 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 wasn't using the Nen-Fire Technique and no flames appeared around him, the air still distorted slightly as he inhaled, as if something had 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 Qi Sea... has recovered."

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

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

Located in the lower abdomen, the Qi Sea is not a clearly defined organ like the stomach or intestines. In fact, even now, scholars around the world have a very vague understanding of the Qi Sea, with many different opinions.

Among the many interpretations, the 'energy core between the body and the mind' is the most common and well-known form.

Numerous studies have shown that the state 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 by compensating for it with technique and experience, rather than by maintaining his Qi Sea.

For example, Wu Huiliyang, without undergoing liberation, even using the secret techniques of the Wu clan, her aging body's strength is comparable to Wu Lei'an's. However, once liberated, with the activation of redundant structures within her body, her strength will double and increase exponentially.

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 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. This allowed their Qi Sea and physical body to transcend the constraints of the normal physiological cycle, to be unaffected by aging, and to maintain their peak condition 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 caution that was quite different from his usual aged and amiable demeanor:

"Compared to my peak condition at the age of 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 rejuvenated... "It's almost like... being rejuvenated..."

Shiranui Hanzo turned his gaze to Yuan Chen beside him.

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

As he spoke, Yuan Chen controlled the golden flames to fly towards Shiranui Hanzo.

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

This is an ability that existed long before life energy could only exist in an energy state; that 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 consume the substance or forcibly infuse it into their body through a blow, and then the perception could only be achieved through resonance of life energy.

Now, with the life energy rising from the energy state to the flame state, the golden flame, without the other party actively consuming it or needing a strong attack, as it is 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 become 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 will still die."

Yuan Chen said 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 made the healing effect that Shiranui Hanzo received more complete.

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

So, Hanzo Shiranui restored his physical foundation on the original basis, increasing his physical strength while also restoring some of the activity of his Qi Sea, 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 is always healthy. In theory, as long as one can continuously replenish life energy, Yuan Chen can not only be immortal himself, but even those around him can be immortalized and rejuvenated by receiving life energy from Yuan Chen.

And now... although it's not very clear, Yuan Chen can clearly sense that life and death in this world involve something akin to fate, and it's definitely not something that can be easily overcome simply by having 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 would directly jump to the urban fantasy genre.

Moreover, matters of life and death... these things were too early for Yuan Chen, so he didn't take them to heart.

Thinking it over, Yuan Chen concluded, "If we keep replenishing the Golden Flame, perhaps until the end of his life, Senior Hanzo 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 surprise. 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 be able to make people immortal... if it gets out, the consequences will be unimaginable!

This is my Shiranui-ryu dragon!

Volume 1: 127. Capacity

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

Noticing the calm and casual 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 Yuan?

Shiranui Hanzo thought to himself, "If an ordinary person possesses such power, then naturally, 'a 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 is 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 of the same era, Hanzo Shiranui was well aware that his life was nearing its end. 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 threshold of life and death and live a second life.

Moreover, living a second life is just the beginning.

According to numerous records, after passing the critical period between life and death, they will gradually be corrupted by some kind of force, eventually resulting in severe mutations, such as being covered in red hair and becoming confused and unable to maintain clear reason.

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

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 sigh of relief, thinking that Yuan Chen's calm demeanor was because he had already made the necessary preparations.

Thinking about it, Hanzo Shiranui asked curiously:

"So what are your plans for the future? Do you intend 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 looking like he was about to die, Shiranui Hanzo's death was mainly due to the interruption of the Shiranui-ryu tradition during the Shiranui-cho era, which led to a break in its lineage.

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 Kill or the Peerless Martial God, which are martial arts techniques that maximize both attack and defense, or they are unique skills passed down from generation to generation like those of the Wu clan, which can unleash the potential of the body and force an aging body to perform at its peak.

For example, the Martial God style... Although Genryusai Maki is considered to have fallen to the bottom in the popularity rankings of 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 old age through a secret technique.

Not to mention the 39th generation sect leader 'Kai', whose signature super move is the Martial God Unparalleled, which can 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 you to get in touch with me… 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 maintaining such a strong fighting force, are there? 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, they're all old fogies..."

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

Although the probability of producing top-notch 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 the field 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 techniques' or 'secret transmissions' have become widely known to the public.

For example, the burst of fighting spirit. Although the effect of this thing varies greatly from person to person, it is used by so many people that it is commonplace. Even if you don't use it well, you still know how to use it.

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

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

And the more this happens, the faster the technology iterates.

According to investigations by relevant research institutions, the iteration speed of low-requirement, ordinary technologies such as the "Battle Qi Burst" which do not have bloodline barriers or physical moats like the "Liberation of the Wu Clan" has exceeded the total speed of the past thousand years.

As people age, they naturally become more conservative due to decreased metabolism and hormone secretion. Let alone others, even if Shiranui Hanzo were to ask himself honestly, aside from some secret techniques that require the Nen Fire Circuit, there probably wouldn't be 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—he 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?"

"fighting."

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 the Kengan Association, the Tokyo Dome underground, and even some things about Yingluo.

When he heard that Yuan Chen was honing his martial arts skills in an underground fighting arena, Shiranui Hanzo frowned slightly.

If it were anyone else, even his own granddaughter Mai, Hanzo Shiranui 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 practical experience, and try to learn more and different martial arts techniques.

But Yuan Chen is different... Its golden flames are too distinctive, and the power to keep people young forever is far too tempting for the world...

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

"know."

Yuan Chen nodded, his expression not changing much.

"Then why are you still so calm?" Sensing the peace 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 limit and has only a few years left at most... 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 I still can't use this ability to intimidate others within these two years, then it can only mean that I am nothing more than this."

"And in these two years..." After a brief silence, Yuan Chen casually said: