Beichen Ichi-ryu

"Master Chen, are you planning to return to Shenzhou soon?"

"According to my original plan, I would return home after visiting the last Kendo school worth visiting." The old man frowned troubledly. "It is the most famous Kendo school in this country, an ancient martial art I deliberately planned to investigate last. Unfortunately, the head of the school was dragged into a dispute a few days ago, and its only heir is still very young. She should have no interest in fighting anyone at the moment. It is rather unfortunate."

"Could you be talking about Beichen Ichi-ryu?"

At 6:34 p.m. on November 16, 2013, Raiden Ryoma, president of the world-famous multinational electronics manufacturer me Inc., was arrested by the police for suspected economic fraud.

Raiden Ryoma was the current head of Beichen Ichi-ryu, as well as one of its only two inheritors.

"That's right, Beichen Ichi-ryu. Unlike most schools today, which have changed to exist for the sake of competition, Beichen Ichi-ryu remains a true martial art meant for killing." The old man nodded in confirmation.

According to legend, Beichen Ichi-ryu was an ancient martial art from the Far East passed down by the famous Japanese swordswoman Hokushin Mei. No wonder Chen Junxuan had deliberately saved it for last.

Of course, aside from the fame of this martial art, the fact that Raiden Ryoma did not participate in martial arts circles and instead focused on business also played a major role. If he had been part of those circles, the old man would probably have been the first to visit Beichen Ichi-ryu when he came to Japan three years ago. Unfortunately, showing up uninvited when they were not part of the same circle would have been somewhat discourteous.

And now, the only person left for him to challenge was Raiden Ryoma's daughter, Raiden Mei.

But leaving aside how much of Beichen Ichi-ryu's essence Raiden Mei had learned, the situation she currently faced alone meant that Chen Junxuan could only wait and observe.

Raiden Mei had grown up surrounded by luxury and comfort, with no experience tempering her character. Now that she had suddenly been struck by her father's imprisonment, her assets being frozen, relatives coveting her wealth, and friends distancing themselves, even if her attainments in Beichen Ichi-ryu were no weaker than Raiden Ryoma's, how much strength could she display against Chen Junxuan, a grandmaster of martial arts?

For a martial artist, and especially for a swordsman, what mattered more than skill was an unwavering heart that would not be shaken by anything.

But expecting that of sixteen-year-old Raiden Mei was simply too harsh.

Without Su Qing'an's arrival, this old man who had devoted his entire life to tempering his martial path might have encountered the outbreak of Honkai while waiting and observing.

The result would have been his transformation into a Zombie by the intense Honkai Energy. There would have been no other possibility.

Martial arts. Martial arts. Even a peerless art like Void Sword Qi, passed down by the immortals of Shenzhou, could not break through the shackles of being male. As for those martial artists who cultivated ordinary internal energy, the limit they could reach after exhausting themselves for an entire lifetime was probably no more than avoiding transformation into a Zombie by Honkai Energy.

Yet Chen Junxuan belonged to no sect and had never cultivated internal energy. Relying on his own talent, he had forcibly integrated the strengths of countless martial arts to create the Taixuan Style. In terms of pure combat power, even the heads of prestigious schools with inherited internal arts were no match for him.

But beneath Honkai Energy, he could only wait for death where he stood.

Even Chen Junxuan himself could not have felt this sorrow as deeply as Su Qing'an did. He had experienced the despair of becoming a Zombie twice. The terror and unwillingness, along with the fury burning deep within his Soul Essence, had never gone out to this day.

Never again. Never again. Never again would he die so helplessly. After coming back to life, Su Qing'an reminded and warned himself of this almost every moment. Every night, he recalled how he had felt before death, day after day, all so that he would not forget this grief, this helplessness.

In everyone's eyes, Su Qing'an seemed gentle and calm on the surface. Both Kiana and Chen Junxuan thought the boy was perfectly normal. He could play and fool around with Kiana like any ordinary person, and he could earnestly follow Chen Junxuan's teachings. Even after challenging a school, he would handle the aftermath so well that those he had challenged found Su Qing'an quite agreeable.

But some part of him had been damaged after experiencing death once. Calmness like still water was no longer merely a stage of Void Sword Qi. It had become a true trait, fused into his Soul Essence. Yet even so, the evil spirit hidden within his Mind Lake roared furiously without end, while boundless flames burned across the lake.

The utmost calm contained an anger that could never be extinguished.

The boy was like a flame burning underwater—quiet yet savage, gentle yet ferocious.

"Master Chen, please return home first. I'll find an opportunity to challenge Beichen Ichi-ryu. Although you don't care about worldly opinions, it would still damage your reputation for a martial arts grandmaster to seek instruction from a fifteen-year-old girl. So leave it to me." To make this stubborn old man return home obediently, Su Qing'an proactively took over the unfinished final stage of Chen Junxuan's journey to study Japan's martial arts.

"Hahahaha, good, good, good. Qing'an, you can finish the final step of the Taixuan Style's integration of this country's martial essence in your teacher's place." Chen Junxuan laughed loudly and patted the boy on the shoulder. At that moment, the old man seemed to see a rising sun before him.

For that reason, it was only right for the setting sun of his later years to descend and make way for it.

At 2:32 p.m. on November 23, 2013, Su Qing'an watched Chen Junxuan board a flight bound for Shenzhou.

As he was about to turn off his phone, Chen Junxuan received an unknown file sent by Su Qing'an. The old man opened it in confusion, only to see the four clear characters "Void Sword Qi" written across the image.