Volume One: The Youngest of the Three Hundred Chapter 105: Takuya Nagato

As Chen Chang’an spoke, a phenomenon akin to the one Qian Lai displayed on Qinghua Mountain occurred: the defeated warrior’s blade flew into his palm as if imbued with life.

Wu Yuanheng could not help but knit his brows. When Chen Chang’an utilized his soul-nurturing power, he could vaguely sense it was at the peak of the Second Grade Soul-Cultivation stage. How was this possible? Only a month ago, he was not even considered a warrior. In barely thirty-some days, his cultivation had crossed two major realms. Such heaven-defying progress could no longer be described as shocking—it was terrifying.

Wu Yuanheng stared intently at Chen Chang’an’s profile, his eyes reflecting the same brilliance he had shown when describing Wang You. Perhaps, in a few years, he would be another martial arts genius.

As for the two Yingzhou girls, the one who had engaged the Damin warrior was named Haruko, while the one observing was Sakurako. Through the fluctuations of their internal energy, they could also sense Chen Chang’an’s Second Grade Soul-Cultivation peak. However, their mindset was entirely different from Wu Yuanheng’s.

The two girls exchanged a brief glance, seeing contempt and disdain in each other’s eyes. With their cultivation at the early stage of the Fifth Grade Divine-Forging realm, battling a Second Grade Soul-Cultivation warrior was like child’s play—a victory without suspense! They could not understand how someone with such low cultivation had the courage to step forward. Were the people of the Damin Dynasty always so overestimating their own abilities?

Haruko’s wooden clogs clicked against the ground as she took a few steps forward. Holding her ninja sword vertically with both hands, she declared, "Fine, I accept your challenge. State your name."

"Chen Chang’an!" he enunciated, word by word.

"Very well!"

Haruko nodded, her hair styled in a Fujie bun. She announced in an ethereal voice, "Your opponent is the second disciple of Master Takuya Nagato of the Yingzhou Iga Gate, Haruko!"

As the words left her lips, she raised her arms high, her wooden clogs scraping the ground in a clockwise motion. She began to spin at high speed, transforming into a small whirlwind that rushed toward Chen Chang’an. Where she passed, a chill arose, and the shimmering blade light was dizzying and impossible to guard against.

As his opponent, facing her assault, Chen Chang’an silently recited the Immortal-Slaying Heart Technique. His broadsword bloomed with layers of radiance, and he slashed out a thick, powerful blast of energy from left to right—clean, crisp, and without a hint of hesitation. He followed the energy blast, lunging forward.

"Clang!"

The moment Haruko, spinning at high speed, collided with the cyan energy, the ninja sword in her hand was knocked away, embedding itself into a nearby wall and humming from the lingering force.

Losing her weapon, her "spinning top" state abruptly halted. She stood stiff, her reaction dulled for half a second. It was precisely during this half-second pause that Chen Chang’an’s broadsword appeared like a phantom, pressing against her neck.

"Bang!"

Without moving the blade, he swung his leg. Showing no mercy, Chen Chang’an, remembering her earlier provocation and mockery, kicked her in the abdomen with all his might, sending her flying.

"Ah!" Haruko shrieked as she crashed to the ground.

"Daijobu ka?" Sakurako, nearby, was stunned. Overcome with emotion, she blurted out in her native Yingzhou dialect and rushed over to help her up.

"Watashi... cough!" Haruko held her painfully throbbing abdomen, shaking her head. "Daijobu desu, sumimasen!"

Chen Chang’an’s mouth twitched slightly. He wondered to himself why they didn't shout "Baka" or "Yoshi" or something—he couldn't understand a word of this. He turned to Wu Yuanheng for enlightenment. "Hey, Master Wu, what is all that chattering about?"

Little did he know that Wu Yuanheng’s mouth was currently wide enough to fit several hard-boiled eggs. His reaction was even more shocked than when he first sensed Chen’s Second Grade cultivation. The Yingzhou girl was at the Fifth Grade—a gap of two major realms—yet Chen had settled the fight in a single move.

"Hey! Hey! Master Wu!" Chen Chang’an waved his hand in front of him.

"Oh! Oh!" Snapped out of his daze, Wu Yuanheng glanced at him as if he were a monster and shook his head. "I don't know. I can't understand it either!"

"Aren't you a Commissioner of the Criminal Justice Department?" Chen Chang’an questioned bluntly.

Wu Yuanheng sputtered, "The Criminal Justice Department investigates cases! What does that have to do with this?"

"Oh, right!" Chen Chang’an agreed, realizing he had fallen into the same trap as his village neighbors—assuming that when someone attains a certain status, they should be capable of everything. Just like his aunt, who would often question how he, as a college student, couldn't undo a knot, couldn't predict the weather, or couldn't fix a leaking pipe.

A college student is not omnipotent!

Ahead, after taking medicine from her robe to suppress her pain, the senior disciple Sakurako drew her ninja sword and assumed a fighting stance. "Chen Chang’an, you injured my junior sister. This debt must be settled today!"

"Oh, fine, let's settle it!" He shrugged indifferently.

The next second, Sakurako held her ninja sword horizontally at her waist, shouting in a crisp voice, "Cherry Blossom Whirl!"

Instantly, a massive cloud of pink light, condensed into countless colorful petals, scattered from her body in arcs, shooting toward Chen Chang’an. The sharp blades followed closely behind, the two complementing each other.

Chen Chang’an could clearly feel that she was much stronger than Haruko. Not daring to be careless, he lunged forward, slashing and hacking at the dancing petals. His broadsword clashed with Sakurako’s ninja sword, sparks flying amidst the metallic clanging.

Without a moment of standoff, both changed their tactics. Sakurako’s limpid eyes locked onto Chen Chang’an’s, and a ghostly blue light bloomed within them.

Wu Yuanheng was horrified. "No! It’s the 203rd Origin Art: Soul Capture! Don't look into her eyes!"

Unfortunately, the warning came a bit late. Chen Chang’an’s pupils, pulled by the mysterious power, were fixed and rigid, unable to move a fraction. When the blue light was fully released, Sakurako stopped attacking, saying slowly and confidently, "Kneel and admit defeat!"

Chen Chang’an’s brow twitched upon hearing this.

Sakurako raised her voice, "I said, kneel and admit defeat!"

"Admit it to your mother!" Chen Chang’an retorted with a crude insult, delivering a forceful kick that landed squarely on Sakurako’s chest. The impact sent her spinning three hundred and sixty degrees before she slammed into a scallion pancake street stall.

The three or four hundred Chang’an residents watching the battle had their nerves stimulated, erupting in cheers. "Good! Good! Good! Well fought!"

"This young man is quite impressive. He didn't disgrace our Damin. He’s talented, though it’s a pity he chose the path of martial arts."

"Who cares about the path? A win is a win, and it saves face. Their whole country isn't even as big as one of our provinces. Why compare? They were just asking for humiliation!"

"We won! The big brother won! The martial arts of our Damin are not weak at all!" Even a three-year-old child, teeth barely grown, was cheering in celebration.

"How can this be?" Haruko screamed in disbelief, her eyes filled with anger and resentment at the words of the Chang’an locals.

Sakurako’s mouth hung open in shock; she forgot to stand up, remaining seated on the ground as she asked in disbelief, "My 203rd Origin Art: Soul Capture always succeeds in controlling the consciousness of any lower-grade warrior. Why... why was it useless against you?"

Er... Chen Chang’an didn't answer immediately. He twitched his mouth. So, the blue light that had darted into his eyes was the "Soul Capture" art. Judging by the name, it acted on the soul to control one’s body and speech—much like the "Peach Allure" of his Peach Blossom sister.

It was just a pity that for someone like him, whose soul had been completely replaced by the essence of an "Elf" after his wedding night with Peach Blossom, such things were useless.

Therefore, the 203rd Origin Art, or any technique that harmed the soul, was of no consequence to him.

Heh... it felt great. Realizing this, Chen Chang’an stood tall and puffed out his chest. "You ask too much. The martial arts of my Damin are profound and have a long history; how could a small island nation like yours ever understand?"

"You..."

"Despicable!"

Sakurako and Haruko, the two sisters, raised their ninja swords, preparing to attack together.

Chen Chang’an sneered, making no effort to hide his disdain, and activated his "master of trash-talk" mode. "The martial arts and cultivation systems of your Yingzhou were stolen from my Damin, yet you have the nerve to come to Chang’an and cause trouble!"

"Now that you’ve been defeated by me, not only do you refuse to reflect and repent, but you still want to brandish your swords and make a fool of yourselves. I truly don't know if you have any sense of shame left. It is laughable!"

"Abominable..."

Sakurako and Haruko’s lips trembled with rage, but they couldn't utter a single word to refute him. The residents of Chang’an first listened intently, then digested the words, and finally thought, *Damn, this crude warrior is actually quite cultured.*

Wu Yuanheng: "..."

Chen Chang’an felt immensely satisfied. He had to admit, reciting Di Pangpang’s lines felt truly exhilarating.

"Hmph... seeking death!" Haruko realized she couldn't win the argument and lunged at him, blade in hand, her face twisted in rage.

"Stop!"

Just as she took two or three steps, a deep, resonant voice thundered, stopping her. Everyone, including Chen Chang’an and Wu Yuanheng, followed the sound. A man dressed in loose black robes, tall and elegant with sharply defined facial features and a black mustache in the center of his lip, walked toward them.

Though he was the same height as those around him, he seemed to stand between heaven and earth, carrying the momentum of a tidal wave. His unspoken authority and overbearing presence made those who saw him shudder.

Wu Yuanheng enunciated every word, "Ta-ku-ya-Na-ga-to!"

"Master!"

"Master, this man insulted our Yingzhou martial arts. Give him a lesson!" Sakurako and Haruko ran toward him.

"Silence!" Takuya Nagato waved his hand in a reprimanding tone, his eyes fixed solely on Chen Chang’an as he walked toward him.

Wu Yuanheng, filled with worry, opened his arms to block the way. "Sir, please stop!"

Takuya Nagato, the pinnacle of Yingzhou martial arts—a Eighth Grade Profound-Realm powerhouse who, even in Damin, could be rivaled by only a handful—did not hear him at all. Or rather, he disdained to acknowledge him. He continued forward, and after three steps, he was nose-to-nose with Wu Yuanheng. He paused, sighed slightly, and took a fourth step.

The unbelievable happened: Takuya Nagato walked right through Wu Yuanheng’s body, as if the portly man were nothing more than air!

Fifth step! Sixth step! Seventh step! ... Ninth step... Takuya Nagato finally reached Chen Chang’an. He stopped, locked eyes with him, and gently raised his palm, resting it on Chen’s shoulder. "Young man, you are quite good!"

"Crack!"

As the words left his lips, the immense power in his palm surged vertically down from Chen Chang’an’s shoulder, piercing through his muscles and bones, finally erupting to create deep, wide fissures in the ground beneath his feet that spread in all directions.

The majesty of the Eighth Grade—one-thousandth of his power.

Chen Chang’an shivered, sweat pouring down his face like rain. His broadsword clattered to the ground, his consciousness went numb, and his breathing became so rapid he nearly suffocated.

"Well, to reach the peak of the Second Grade Soul-Cultivation at such a young age and defeat my Fifth Grade disciples across the gap—that is worthy of recognition!"

Takuya Nagato remained as calm as a deep pool. As he spoke again, he raised his palm, gathered his strength, and delivered a second strike to Chen Chang’an’s shoulder.