Ouin Chiyoka

A café.

As soon as Xi Shenlian and the girl walked in, the server immediately bowed and called out:

"Welcome!!"

"May I ask how many people?"

Xi Shenlian raised his hand and made a V sign.

"Two. Somewhere a little quieter."

Under the server's guidance, they arrived at a relatively secluded and quiet spot.

It was also at this moment.

Xi Shenlian finally released the girl he had been holding the entire time and casually picked up the menu, studying it seriously.

"Bring me a cup of Hilda Coffee, a Grilled Caramel Cheese, a slice of Cheese Cake..."

Then he handed the menu to the girl, who had quietly taken her seat.

At this point.

The other party seemed quite cooperative—or perhaps a little curious.

Curious about what Xi Shenlian actually wanted to do and what his background was.

Besides, she knew very well that she couldn't outrun Xi Shenlian.

So, after looking over the menu, she simply ordered a cup of coffee.

Only after the server left did Xi Shenlian speak to the girl with a smile:

"Just as I said earlier."

"I'm merely curious about all kinds of information."

"For example, how are martial artists generally ranked in terms of strength?"

"And how many levels are Awakened divided into?"

"And which are the largest forces in the Eastern Ying Nation?"

"Could you clear up these questions for me?"

At this.

After remaining silent for a while, the girl said with some disdain:

"Before asking these questions, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?"

"You perverted serial killer!"

There was.

More or less, some dissatisfaction in her words.

Dissatisfaction at having been forcibly held by Xi Shenlian earlier.

Xi Shenlian didn't pay much attention to her displeasure.

Knowing that he had indeed been somewhat rude, Xi Shenlian nodded without changing expression and replied:

"That's true. I was a little out of line."

"Xi Shenlian. That's my name."

"I'm from the Eastern Ying Nation, male, eighteen years old."

"I don't currently have a home, and I dropped out of school quite some time ago."

"I became an Awakened a month ago. I'm a newbie right now."

Hearing these words.

The girl's expression froze.

She felt that the words were half true and half false.

What did he mean by not currently having a home?

She didn't quite understand.

Was he saying he was a beggar?

But Xi Shenlian's clothes made it genuinely difficult for her to believe that.

Furthermore.

He had become an Awakened a month ago?

Under normal circumstances.

At this stage, most Awakened were unable to control their own power.

One careless move could destroy all kinds of things.

Moreover, their power had not fully awakened yet.

They were newbies among newbies.

Yet on Xi Shenlian, she saw none of those characteristics.

Just staying beside him.

She instinctively felt somewhat afraid.

It was like an ordinary person coming face-to-face with a man-eating tiger.

However.

Looking at Xi Shenlian's smiling face, she felt that he didn't seem to be lying.

Not merely in the sense that he wasn't lying.

His face was filled with indifference.

The indifference of someone who had no intention of lying at all.

As though he simply disdained to lie...

After weighing it in her mind.

The girl said:

"...Ouin Chiyoka. That's my name."

Then she stared intently at Xi Shenlian's expression.

That expression showed no fluctuation whatsoever.

Throughout the entire process.

She didn't notice any emotion arising in him because of her name.

So she added:

"The Ouin Family. The Ouin Family of Kyoto."

Faced with the additional information, Xi Shenlian couldn't help saying:

"Mm. And then?"

The girl named Ouin Chiyoka was somewhat speechless.

"...Let me ask something unrelated. Have you really never heard of my family?"

Xi Shenlian answered honestly:

"I really don't know it at all."

"A newbie. A complete newbie."

In addition, he complimented her:

"But it sounds pretty good. I mean your name."

"...All right, thanks."

At this point, looking at Xi Shenlian in front of her.

Ouin Chiyoka could only sigh helplessly.

She understood that the guy in front of her was more or less abnormal.

She also glanced at his clothes. They were clean from beginning to end, and she couldn't help secretly wondering what kind of fabric they were made from. Not only did they repel blood, they didn't even retain the smell of blood. That was truly rather rare...

At the same time.

During an emergency news broadcast interrupting a television program.

The news reported that a psychopathic serial killer had brutally slaughtered more than a dozen gang members.

The server brought their orders over.

"Please enjoy."

That was the server.

"So cruel!"

"Even the police officers watching were moved to tears!!"

That was the news anchor.

Xi Shenlian chose to take a sip of coffee first.

Ouin Chiyoka casually added two sugar cubes to her coffee and, while stirring it, answered Xi Shenlian's earlier questions.

They were basic questions in her view, ones that didn't need to be kept confidential at all.

"Martial artists are basically people who practice Martial Skills and martial arts. Although the terminology differs, they can be called knights in the West. However, everyone's ranking standards are now used worldwide. There are ten levels in total, divided by numerical units."

"Levels 1–2 are Amateur Level. They strengthen the body and can beat three to five ordinary adults."

"Levels 3–4 are Elite Level. Ordinary people need to invest a great deal of energy and time to reach them. In the military, they would probably be extremely elite soldiers. Many professional bodyguards are roughly at this level as well, and they can beat dozens of ordinary people."

"Levels 5–6 are Expert Level. Even if ordinary people began arduous training from childhood, were supplied with all kinds of regular medicines and nutritional supplements, and trained diligently until death, they would probably only hover around this level. Even if they entered official competitions, someone at this level could win a few placements. Many people who opened schools and accepted disciples might not even be able to reach this level."

"Levels 7–8 are Master Level. This is a level ordinary people can never reach no matter how long they train. Even with all kinds of resources and the best training conditions, it's still the same, because the basic requirement for reaching this level is extremely high talent. People without talent or with merely average talent make up the overwhelming majority. Generally speaking, this is also the upper limit that normal humans can reach. In the age of cold weapons, someone at this level could easily slaughter an army of a thousand ordinary people. Even in modern times, they could effortlessly evade most firearms and throw supersonic punches with their bare hands."

"Levels 9–10 are Limit Level. The exact situation is difficult to describe. In any case, of the more than forty billion people currently in the entire human race, supposedly only a few dozen could be gathered together. Every one of them represents the absolute limit of ordinary people. Their vitality is so strong that even after going without food or water for several dozen days, they would still retain most of their combat power. Even being shot in the head with a sniper rifle might not necessarily kill them. They possess the ability to directly assault a modern military force."

After hearing the introduction to martial artists.

Xi Shenlian nodded as if he understood, then asked a question.

"Then, compared with an Awakened, how does someone at Limit Level measure up?"

P.S.:

Hmph!

The first character besides the protagonist to appear with a complete name didn't show up until Chapter Twenty-Six. Can any of you other webnovel authors do that?