Martial artists can never be ultimately insulted.

I turned on my phone and saw an unfamiliar number. I answered the call, and a hearty voice came through the receiver.

"Hey, hey, hey~ Is this Yuan Chen? Is this Yuan Chen?!"

Almost instantly upon hearing the voice, Yuan Chen knew who was making the call—Iori Ichika, the dereliction of duty officer from the manga "One Victory for a Thousand Pieces," which shares the same world view as Kengan Ashura.

Because Iori Ichika's jurisdiction happens to be in the old town, she is considered a regular customer of Genshin's shop.

In fact, the restaurant is only open after 7 p.m. Due to the current situation in the old town, Yuan Chen's customers are often just Iori Ichika.

She's like a dutiful NPC; after finishing her patrol mission, she returns to the restaurant, orders a set meal for the evening with an ice-cold beer to relax, and even packs some leftovers to go.

According to this dereliction of duty note, it's all Yuan Chen's fault. Before, after finishing patrols, he would just grab something at a 711-Eleven convenience store, but after eating at Yuan Chen's place a few times, his palate became too picky, and he couldn't stand the pre-made lunches from the convenience store anymore.

Yuan Chen said it was hard to comment, and that she would just take it as a compliment on her cooking skills.

Thinking for a moment, Yuan Chen said, "It's me. What's wrong? Is there something you need?"

Iori Kazuka: "Hey, I'm planning to meet up tonight. Are you open for business tonight? It's three people, all my best friends!"

At this point, Iori Kazuka's voice became exceptionally greasy.

"Seriously, they're all stunning beauties! Want me to help you set them up?"

"Get lost." Yuan Chen curled his lip, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with what the dereliction of duty note said. After all, even if Tianma Nozomi and Miya Kana didn't have the innate charm of Mai Shiranui or the femme fatale characteristics of Han Zhuli, they were still above average in terms of looks. Calling them beauties would be no problem at all.

Thinking about it, Yuan Chen asked, "Are there any special requirements? Any dietary restrictions or the like?"

"There are no dietary restrictions. If you have any requests..." After thinking for a moment, Iori Kazuka said, "One of them has an eye injury. If possible, could you please take a look at it?"

"Okay, I'll get ready."

With that, Yuan Chen hung up the phone and fell into a moment of thought.

Then, Yuan Chen looked at Han Zhuli beside him and said, "If you want to skip class like me, but still want to continue your studies without being disturbed by Jin Guanzhang and the others, I have a way."

"...Tell me about it?"

Han Zhuli seemed somewhat suspicious, after all... Han Zhuli knew her own strength, and the probability of becoming famous in one battle like Yuan Chen was extremely low.

It should be noted that before Yuan Chen launched his surprise attack on the Sanyuan Society and engaged in a fierce battle with Baroque, he had already killed dozens of fully armed thugs.

If this were Yuan Chen's previous life, even if it were legal self-defense, it would be judged as improper self-defense.

However, in this world where martial arts flourish, whether it is Yuan Chen as Yuan's disciple, or as the sworn nephew of the meritorious police detective Tong Ang, or as someone who, despite the shortage of police resources, was willing to help Interpol launch a raid on an international criminal organization and disregard the possibility of being hunted down and retaliated against, acted as the lead attacker, it was this behavior that made Interpol willing to do everything possible to handle all the requests made by Yuan Chen.

Compared to Yuan Chen's illustrious achievements... he was merely a national champion, and on top of that, Jin Jiafan was keeping an eye on him...

Although martial arts and technology are developing rapidly, there are still some martial artists who dislike and reject scholars, preferring to stay in the deep mountains and forests to cultivate in seclusion rather than engage in systematic training with scholars.

There's nothing wrong with that, because both intention and qi are special energies that cannot be quantified normally.

Kim Ga-pwan was a martial artist who was quite opposed to martial arts techniques interfering with martial arts, especially since Han Zhuli was going through a major life change. Even if it was out of a desire to protect her, he would not allow those scholars to easily interfere with Han Zhuli's growth and life.

"Underground fighting."

Sensing Han Zhuli's curiosity and concern, Yuan Chen said, "It's difficult to obtain similar rights through ordinary means, but if it's underground fighting, there shouldn't be a problem."

Upon hearing this, Han Zhuli nodded thoughtfully.

While underground fighting might seem less appealing to the average person than scientific martial arts training with scholars, Kim Ga-phan is clearly no ordinary person.

Or rather, in the eyes of many martial artists, places like underground fighting arenas are the true fighting arenas for martial artists.

Without the constraints of modern combat sports and boxing, and without the excessive burdens and concerns of fame, all that's needed to think about is how to defeat opponents from all over the world who possess all sorts of strange and unusual techniques...

Especially for martial artists like Kim Ga-pong, who are rather old-fashioned in their thinking, this kind of underground fighting arena may be the place where true martial artists hone their skills.

"Sounds good... Is it the Kengan you fought before?"

Han Zhuli became interested and asked questions with great enthusiasm.

"Kengan... wouldn't work."

Yuan Chen shook his head.

While the Kengan Association is indeed one of the top underground fighting arenas in the fighting world, its core purpose is internal corporate competition, which is not suitable for Han Zhuli, and more importantly...

Contract battles between small companies serve no purpose in honing Han Zhuli's skills, while competition for contracts with large companies like Nogi Group and Yiwu Real Estate is not a frequent occurrence.

Putting everything else aside, Yuan Chen has been unemployed ever since he fought with Li Ren last time.

According to information from Sakura Ibuki's side, many small companies will choose to concede immediately when they see that they are going to have a Kengan match with Sakurasou Yakiniku—since Sakurasou Yakiniku will auction off the contract after winning, it is better to just concede and wait for the auction, which can reduce the risk of being frozen and injured.

Or to be even more straightforward, you could simply engage in a boxing match with the auctioneer.

Although the process is a bit cumbersome, at least the opponents you're matched with are evenly matched... not monsters like Yuan Chen, who can easily defeat Blade King Komada and Death Scythe Ivan in a one-against-two fight, and then easily crush Superman Rin without shedding a drop of blood.

Speaking of which... I should probably urge Ibuki to see if there's any new information...

Oh right, there's no need to bother Ibuki—Yuan Chen suddenly realized that Katahara Shoka and Katahara Retsudou's contact information was in his phone, and he could just ask them if there were any fighters of similar strength.

While Yuan Chen was still pondering, Han Zhuli asked suspiciously, "If you don't go to Kengan, where else can you go? Do you have any other options?"

You'll find out then.

Yuan Chen shrugged and said, "Or we can just set one up ourselves... Underground fighting doesn't require much skill."

Han Zhuli remained silent in response, a complex look appearing in her eyes as she gazed at Yuan Chen.

Is it because of me?

In order for me to live and grow here in peace, an underground fighting arena needs to be set up for me...

Thinking about it, Han Zhuli crossed her arms and pouted somewhat unhappily.

Let's indulge this guy for now...

Yuan Chen could sense that Han Zhuli might have misunderstood something, but he didn't have much intention of explaining.

Although I don't know why, it might be because I'm too upright and gentlemanly, so more and more girls are being attracted to me in a positive way.

To prevent unnecessary friction and to allow them to better hone their skills, it's definitely more appropriate to let them resolve things with their fists.

While they were thinking, everyone arrived home, and after a brief period of busy work, they began operating the restaurant.

Miya Kana walked along the dark road, looking at Iori Kazuka who was leading the way, with a worried expression on her face.

"Ichika, this is the territory of the Sorimachi-gumi and the Hanayama-gumi... Are you sure it's okay for us to come here so openly? If we run into them, we're finished!"

"Hey, don't be scared. Actually, those two guys are both pretty good. They're very generous people." Iori Kazuka showed no sign of nervousness at all.

"Besides, instead of living in fear, you should look forward to Yuan Chen's cooking skills~"

Volume 1: Chapter 133 - Pegasus Hope

Looking at Iori Kazuka walking ahead and making a phone call, and then at Miya Kana joking with Iori Kazuka, Tenma Nozomi, who was at the lowest point in her life, couldn't help but tilt her head slightly, a hint of loneliness and complexity appearing between her brows.

Two hours earlier, in an abandoned factory on the outskirts of the Tokyo metropolitan area, amidst a diverse crowd of men and women, the place was bustling with noise and shrill insults.

"They've been playing for too long!"

"Stop wasting my time by those two useless warm-up acts!"

"Go to hell!"

"Or just take your clothes off, damn it!"

Ignoring the commotion around him, Tianma simply stared coldly at the woman in front of him—the defeated fighter, Hebei Weiyue.

Although Hebei Weiyue was taller and heavier than him, and had even pinned him to the ground, anyone with even a little knowledge of combat could easily tell that the fight was already a foregone conclusion—his right arm was locked, and Tianma hoped that with just a slight twist, he could break his opponent's entire arm.

Finally, feeling the pressure from her joints, Hebei Weiyue could only let out a low curse, then repeatedly slapped the ground beside her, making a slapping sound to indicate her surrender.

but……

This ingenious lock did not receive the applause it deserved.

Underground fighting is never a glamorous place. Two people just lay motionless on the ground, stunned, and then suddenly one of them slammed his fist on the ground to surrender, and the angry shouts from the crowd grew even louder.

"Huh? They surrendered already?!"

"Damn it! Is this match being deliberately fixed?!"

"Both of you, die!"

"Hurry up and take it off!!"

Hearing the commotion around him, having already secured victory, Pegasus Nozomi simply put on his somewhat worn-out tracksuit with a calm expression.

Although Loser Fighting is not even ranked fourth among underground fighting teams, it is currently the only fighting group that can accommodate a 'wounded' fighter like Pegasus Hope.

Although the audience here is somewhat... terrible.

But Pegasus hopes to feel that there are still people who can sense his strength.

but……

"You've been fired. Take your appearance fee and get out of here."

A middle-aged office worker with a bulbous nose waved his hand somewhat irritably toward Tianma Hope and Tianma Hope's warm-up opponent, Hebei Weiyue.

Hebei Weiyue was already furious about losing the match, and now that she heard she was being fired, she raised her middle finger and yelled angrily, "Damn it, this is exactly what I wanted! Who can stand playing in a match like this?!"

However, compared to Hebei Weiyue's departure, Tianma Hope seems quite unbelievable.

"Wait a minute, wasn't she the one who was throwing the game? Why did I get fired too?"

"Pegasus Hope..." Upon hearing Pegasus Hope's question, the man with the red nose sighed helplessly and said, "To be honest, your matches are the ugliest."

"Why?!" Pegasus still couldn't understand, arguing, "I won all three matches! And I nailed the lock perfectly every time! The audience will definitely like this highly anticipated newcomer, right?!"

"Because you always take too long in every match! Today it even dragged on forty minutes!" the red-nosed man roared. "You're supposed to be warming up the crowd, so don't take up so much of my time!"

Pegasus can't remember much after that... Maybe because his brain didn't want its owner to suffer any more harm?

Thinking this, a gloomy look appeared on Tianma Xiwang's face.

Noticing that Tenma Nozomi seemed down, Iori Kazuka, who was standing nearby, knew what had happened to Tenma Nozomi that day and said with a smile:

"Hey, Hope, cheer up! The restaurant I found today is my go-to place for late-night meals! After eating there once, I don't even want to go to a convenience store anymore!"

Upon hearing Yi Hua's words, knowing that this guy was trying to divert his attention, Tianma Nozomi gave a slightly helpless smile and said, "I... understand."

Seeing the dejected Pegasus Hope, Iori Kazuka and Miya Kana exchanged a glance, feeling the worry in each other's eyes, and both sighed.

Tenma Nozomi and Iori Kazuka have been friends since elementary school—though Nozomi often refers to this friendship as a karmic entanglement.

During junior high school, Ichika and Ichika met Miya Kana, and they became an inseparable trio of friends.

In high school, Nozomi Tenma, Kazuka Iori, and Kana Mitani started training at a mixed martial arts gym near their school in order to lose weight. However, later on, Kana Mitani and Kazuka Iori dropped out of training for various reasons, leaving only Nozomi Tenma to continue training at the gym and laying the foundation for her entry into the world of martial arts.

Just when Tianma hoped he had finally accumulated enough experience to participate in large-scale team competitions...

"Who would have thought that I would be diagnosed with retinal detachment? Hahaha!"

Having arrived at Yuan Chen's late-night diner, and having barely sat down before the food was served, Pegasus Hope, who had already downed two large glasses of draft beer, was clearly a bit tipsy, appearing unusually energetic and also quite self-destructive.

"I just got a ticket to a major team competition, then lost all my opportunities~ And after playing three warm-up matches in an underground fighting group, I was easily fired. So... hiccup, Pegasus hopes to be twenty-seven years old and successfully become unemployed~ Cheers to my freedom~"

Hearing Nozomi Tenma's words, Kana Mitani, standing nearby, also looked helpless and said, "Nozomi, don't give up on yourself~"

"Haha~ What bad luck~" Compared to Miya Kana's worry, Iori Kazuka's attitude seemed quite flippant:

"How about we go teach that fighting group a lesson? Don't let their third-rate reputation fool you; they're actually loaded and drop tons of gold coins. Perfect as severance pay!"

As soon as the words fell, not only Tianma Nozomi and the others, but even Chunli, who was being asked by Yuan Chen to stay for dinner and to offer her advice, couldn't help but cover her face after hearing the words of Iori Ichika, this "regular guest".

As an Interpol agent who is upright, righteous, and worthy of her position in every aspect, Chun-Li, who had initially only lamented Tenma Nozomi's bad luck after hearing Iori Kazuka's words, couldn't help but sigh and say:

"Yihua, I think you really need to go and train with the traffic police..."

"No way! Those places are so boring, you can't just hit people anywhere!" Iori Kazuka said with obvious disgust.

"You can't just hit people anywhere!" Chun-Li said, speechless.

Seeing that Tianma was about to drink his fill, Yuan Chen took out a plate of edamame from the refrigerator and served it to the table ahead of time.

"If you have something like this, you should have brought it out sooner!" Upon seeing Maodou, Tianma Xiwang's eyes lit up. Perhaps because he had drunk a little alcohol and was a bit tipsy, his emotions became unusually lively, displaying a boastful attitude that was completely different from his usual silence.

"Maybe I can even have a couple more drinks~"