Chapter 137: Retsu Kaioh

"Yo! Kuroki, long time no see."

Bido Kyo kept one hand in his trouser pocket and walked toward the group of four.

His tone was light and friendly, immediately causing Kuroki Gensai to turn his head.

The taciturn Kuroki was closer to the image of a martial arts ascetic, so he did not reply right away, only giving a slight nod.

Instead, the man with the long braid beside him narrowed his eyes sharply when he saw the young man approaching.

When Bido Kyo drew near, Kuroki Gensai assumed the role of an intermediary and spoke.

"This is the martial artist who defeated me in the Kengan Annihilation Tournament before Godzilla appeared, Bido Kyo. A sixteen-year-old genius."

As he spoke, Kuroki Gensai pointed his hand at the youth.

After Bido Kyo acknowledged him with a nod, Kuroki pointed toward the man beside him.

"This is the Kaioh from the Republic, Retsu Kaioh, who took good care of me when I was training in the Republic."

The people from the Republic, among whom was even a military major general, surely held some official positions and purposes for coming here.

However, Kuroki Gensai had not mentioned this proactively without obtaining the other party's consent.

The youth showed understanding.

Yet Bido Kyo's brows twitched the moment he heard the other man's title.

——Kaioh.

This title could not possibly be unfamiliar to the ears of any martial artist in the world.

In the Republic, where the heritage of martial arts was the most ancient and profound, superhuman martial artists were revered by the people for their formidable performance and upright courage during the last world war.

Because of this, although the Republic restricted firearms and edged weapons, it fostered a flourishing culture of martial arts.

Because the State General Administration of Sports had the responsibility of overseeing the development of martial arts, it could sometimes even butt heads with the Ministry of Education.

Since ancient times, martial arts recognized no second place; where martial arts flourished, contention for supremacy was inevitable.

Among a population of over a billion, the dozen or so most outstanding martial artists would be awarded the title of "Kaioh."

Selected under such a population ratio, the martial artists chosen were practically synonymous with the pinnacle of martial arts.

It was the highest honor every martial arts practitioner dreamed of.

In other words, the sturdy man with the long braid before him was one of those standing at the very peak of the martial arts world.

In Bido Kyo's gaze, a trace of burning enthusiasm involuntarily ignited.

Kuroki Gensai's tone was just like his fist techniques—solid and unyielding.

Therefore, even as an intermediary introducing both sides, the atmosphere did not feel warm.

However, communication between qualified martial artists did not require any so-called "atmosphere."

They only needed to confirm each other's "strength," and that was already enough!

"To defeat Kuroki at the age of sixteen," Retsu Kaioh stared piercingly into Bido Kyo's eyes and extended his palm, "this young man truly cannot be underestimated."

Retsu Kaioh was approaching thirty years of age, already the youngest among the Kaiohs, yet he was still nearly a full generation older than Bido Kyo.

It was precisely because he had personally received Kuroki Gensai in the Republic that he could better understand this fellow who had come to seek the Dao from the "shallow waters" of martial arts all the way to its "source."

How solid and powerful his fist techniques were.

That was a "strength with no blind spots" that a few so-called "geniuses," relying on some whimsical, clever tricks, could absolute never contend against.

Therefore, he did not hold a shred of contempt for Bido Kyo, who had defeated Kuroki, but instead treated him with utmost solemnity.

Yet...

"His tone is very serious, but Retsu Kaioh..." Bido Kyo also smiled as he extended his hand and shook hands with him, "isn't the battle intent in your eyes so intense that it's completely unhidden?"

The two men simultaneously exerted force without prior agreement!

"Bang! Creak—"

The minuscule air between their palms was instantly expelled, causing a miniature sonic boom.

Following that was a teeth-setting sound of skin friction.

The two men shaking hands raised their eyes by tacit agreement and both felt a surge of astonishment in each other's gaze.

"No beastification, but purely in terms of strength, he has already crushed Sun Kaioh. He is also a fellow who has pushed the beast's power past the 'beastification stage'!"

"This exquisite release of force..."

Retsu Kaioh was shocked by the youth's grip strength. Wasn't this kid just coming out of the laboratory, looking as if he had just been grafted with Godzilla's skin today?

To be able to completely suppress beastly impulses and enter the next stage of behemoth power merely moments after the graft was completed.

Could this really be possible?

Meanwhile, Bido Kyo was amazed by the other man's technique.

It was just a handshake; clearly, the joints of their palms were locked against each other, but Bido Kyo could distinctly discern it.

Within this single handshake, drilling, pounding, crushing... at least five different attack methods were already raging across the palm.

The punches that Wakatsuki Takeshi had thrown earlier with his beastified body using [Blast Core]—

Compared to this mere "handshake," they looked as crude as a primitive man swinging a sledgehammer!

"Are the Kaiohs from back home all strong to this extent?"

Bido Kyo inexplicably generated an impulse to return to the Republic and exchange blows with the numerous Kaiohs and that legendary figure.

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, with their battle intent soaring even higher, someone stepped out to stop them.

It was not Kuroki Gensai. An arm clad in a military uniform pressed down horizontally across the hands the two men were shaking.

"You two. Meeting for the first time, it's best to quit while you're ahead. There's still a long time ahead of us."

The Republic major general, who bore a resemblance to "Zhang Jin," spoke in a genial tone.

However, the palm pressing down on their hands separated the two with an irrefutable force.

Of course, this was partly because both Bido Kyo and Retsu Kaioh were only exerting force with an attitude of "probing."

Yet the major general's own strength was also absolutely not to be underestimated.

"Hello, my surname is Quan."

After separating their hands, Major General Quan smiled amiably, removed his hat and tucked it under his armpit, and extended his hand toward Bido Kyo.

This handshake was very calm, because the other party was not attending in the capacity of a "martial artist," but rather in an official capacity.

"Mr. Bido, to be able to achieve such attainments in martial arts at such a young age is truly extraordinary."

Major General Quan's Japanese was a bit halting, and it was clear he must have studied it in a rush.

Thus, Bido Kyo replied in fluent Chinese, "We can communicate in Chinese. I actually made quite a bit of preparation back then in order to pursue advanced studies in the Republic."

Major General Quan was pleasantly surprised, "Ha! That really saves a lot of trouble."

Retsu Kaioh, having calmed his battle intent, also breathed a sigh of relief. It was evident that even if he knew Japanese, he probably wasn't fluent in it.

"Myself, Retsu Kaioh, and Guo Chuncheng." Major General Quan's hand swept across the three of them in turn.

The disheveled young man named "Guo Chuncheng" was currently yawning as he watched the upcoming battle between the Meguro father and son to determine the outcome.

That dismissive arrogance was simply overflowing.

Major General Quan withdrew his finger, smiled, and continued.

"I came here as a liaison between the Republic and the United States, while those two were shoved over by Emperor Guo as bodyguards... essentially, they're just entering the secular world to train."

Although they were inside a classified laboratory in Jipang, the "communication counterpart" mentioned in their conversation was merely the United States.

It seemed Major General Quan was also a straightforward person.

Bido Kyo listened with a blank expression.

"Um... is it really appropriate to just blurt out this kind of classified matter like this?"

This time, it was the other party who looked blank.

"Classified? ... Hasn't this research base already been joined by at least dozens of countries and organizations?"