Some say that humanity's concept of 'martial arts' was introduced by cavemen and homo-sapiens.

It was those who defeated larger than life predators. Those who defied their 'limitations'.

Humanity have always been good at killing. Even by creating spears with merely rocks and branches.

However, Alex Stuman of the Dragon Family, the youngest disciple of the world's strongest martial artist, had to disagree. His opinion was that the concept for Martial Arts had long been ingrained into humanity's very bloodline far longer than that.

Even back in ancient times...

In his personal viewpoint, the true creator of humanity's way of martial arts was not the caveman who created the spear, but the barbaric subhuman who began to use his limbs for battle!

It was that prehistoric man who created the concept of weakening an opponent through combat in order to hunt, and as time passed... The Modern Era evolved that concept to the martial arts of today. It became a form designed to hunt!

The benign old man believed in the theory of mankind being innately compatible for hunting.

That's because he was once upon a time the practitioner of a similar style of martial arts himself.

A type of combat form which prioritised on killing enemies using everything one could muster...

His own father had once asked him a series of questions once he reached his peak: "What is the purpose of your fists? What is your way of martial arts? Why do you fight? What drives you forward?

A man must follow their own path while training, so what is your martial way? What is your purpose?"

These questions asked of his 'Dao'...

However, the young and arrogant Alex had only laughed in response: "What 'way' is there in martial arts? Martial techniques, whether old or new, are themselves dead, but we are the living.

You already know that in the end of the day, my 'way' of martial arts will obviously be to do as I see fit! After all, life is an absurdity! Who cares about its meaning? I'm fine living without a clear purpose...!"

This was his answer from his prime. It was after he took in Rosetta and started teaching 'shortcuts'.

He felt no reason to answer his master seriously.

'...Whether it is Northern, Eastern, Western, or Southern styles of martial arts.... All forms of martial arts are lifeless techniques. They could change you, but not to the level that it mattered...

They are practiced by the user in order to search or achieve their specific goals in life.' Was what Alex firmly believed when he was in his prime. This was the mindset that was passed onto his disciples.

The Grandmaster grew from a hard-headed young man, that was difficult to persuade, to an old man.

Not once did this stubborn opinion of his change or waver in the face of numerous strong opponents!

It's harsh to the ears, but reality of martial arts were just that cruel. They had no meaning in them.

Take western Boxing as an example of that:

Even though Boxing is a martial arts that's centred around weakening its opponent through punches...

Even though it was the least lethal of the combat forms, if the practitioner of this style so desired, he could change it thoroughly to become a savage martial art used on the street, and not for sports!

Boxing could easily become 'Street Boxing'...

Especially if the martial artist practicing the style wasn't able to accept it as an art for self-defence.

That's because Alex believed only the living can 'desire' while martial arts themselves are 'dead'.

He didn't deny that martial arts cultivated diligence, but cultivating diligence alone doesn't change who a person was at their core. It is the Martial Artist himself who decides how he will use his power. And also: How will it to control his life?

No one can take this 'freedom' away from them...!

Not ever! He had believed that this was the true nature of his 'Dao'! What made him who he was...!

Well... That was what the benign old man thought in his in the prime of his life anyway.

The middle-aged, monstrous Grandmaster 'External' Martial Artist of the present...

...no longer felt the same way as he did in the past.

He had mellowed over the years.

This is especially true after he properly raised a disciple and watched her eventually surpass him...!

'How immature I was back then.' Alex thought. It looked like that girl affected him deeply back then.

He laid down on the sofa in his disciple's home.

The clean and tidy home Rosetta Stuman, his disciple, lived in... was full of luxuries. He would even see a paid cleaner every so often who made sure the house was practically shining afterwards...

This was something he really liked since he himself was a tidy individual. Knowing that someone would always be helping him keep her moderately large home clean really put his mind at ease.

Near the centre of Faustus City, there was always a place where one could practically feel the British vibe foreigners experiences. As if it was the first time they travelled to the UK in this century.

This was especially true when one looked at the tall skyscrapers clustered together like trees...

It deserved its nickname as a 'concrete forest'.

'How long has it been since I decided to lay low as a Hidden Dragon?' He got up to look out the window of the living room. The old man thought to himself inwardly while fixing up his appearance.

His eyes spotting places that could very well be connected to 'that side' of the secretive martial arts society of Earth... such as arenas or gyms meant for sports other than martial arts.

The 'him' of the past was a man who was definitely strong enough to contend with other famous fighters of the pugilistic world, but this was strength the old man had gained from his talent.

His natural affinity to techniques had stopped him from seeing things the same way as others.

It was like how someone of a high level in an RPG would find it harder to level up than others.

Despite being a genius in art of close-combat from a young age, he STILL got bullied by delinquent girls his age thanks to his weaker physique. That's why he'd never taken pride in his martial arts.

He had only saw his techniques as mere tools.

The only reason he started changing was to find the purpose in life he had always searched for:

To protect those closest to him without killing other people. That was the goal he'd set for himself.

However, that was never possible for 'Black Dragons'. It was similar to when he was under his father's tutelage... Which was why he became the progenitor of his own hybridised martial arts!

What was a hybrid martial art?

Unlike martial arts that only focused in certain areas of expertise, hybrid styles were created by mixing different martial arts in order to create its so-called 'Dao'. They were a mixed bag at times.

A 'hybrid style' would often heavily focus on a specialised 'concept' instead of 'rhythms'.

This was being a mix of traditional and existing styles of ancient martial arts founded in the past.

It had nothing to do with the head sways common in boxing or a technical viewpoint on how to fight.

What was important was having a 'vision'...

Alex was the successor of both an ancient style of martial arts and his own 'modern' martial arts.

Only he and his succeeding disciple, Rosetta Stuman, had in knowledge of both forms.

His second disciple of his only partially took in his teachings and created his own form of sword arts.

But that was a story for another day...

The ancient style he was once taught by his father was known as the secret 'Earthly Devil Sealing Horn', while the reverse-engineered version was one contrarily named 'Heavenly God Locking Halo'.

The Earthly Devil Sealing Horn was an barbaric style that focused on humanity's primal instincts to survive and killing to acquire food. It was something that became harder and harder to pass down in peaceful eras without big conflicts...

The one who created it was said to be a caveman from the prehistoric era, a man who copied the movements of dinosaurs and other ancient beasts in order to bring out his potential. That ancestor exerted unnatural control over his physical body!

It's true origins were unknown.

This was normal since none of the users before the 1940s had bothered to remember their past...

...Not even the history of the arts they were taught.

Some even felt that their master's were messing with them about the ancient history of their arts.

The 'Dao' within every movement of this style could be summed up in one word: 'Violence'.

It was truly a cruel and vicious form. One that only brought forth destruction to both its wielder and the opponent it is used against. However, he still remembered something that was left behind.

Despite what it was supposed to be used for, his father/master had always made him remember to consider it an art to strengthen the heart rather than the body. He didn't want him to be possessed.

Alex only understood why he had done so after his brother misused their skills for his own ends.

If it wasn't for him cutting all relations with his adoptive father's son, his 'older brother'... perhaps he too would have become a mere animal seeking wealth like those of The Abyss; those in charge of shady businesses in the Western Hegemony.

Smuggling, arms dealing, drug dealing, human trafficking, slavery, and etcetera.

As long as you could name it, 'The Abyss' was the place you could buy or sell it at a right price...!

In fact, the old Grandmaster would've really advised his disciple to move out of the country...

...if it weren't for the World Government doing quite a good job recently. They were good at secretly executing those in the darkest shadows of the underworld. Their people kept this world safe...

It's a great thing that he also had strong connections with the World Government that was in full control of the west. That's why it was natural that he wouldn't be scared of thugs from The Abyss. As they weren't the type to mess around.

Well... It's not like Alex himself ever had to hide from them anyway. No matter how many of them.

In the years that went passed after he moved to his disciple's home. He had a hard time adapting to the changes in architecture that were now available to well-off individuals like him and Rosetta.

Only hearing about doors locked by fingerprints and actually encountering a weird door, one that had so many high-tech locks on it, was an entirely different experience! It made him mess up a little...

There was even a time he triggered the alarm of her high-class apartment by accidentally ripping off the door in annoyance. Of course, he was harshly reprimanded in return for breaking the front door and losing self-control in his irritated mindset.

After that, he started sleeping there peacefully.

"Waaah!" He turned after hearing a Jack's crying voice from upstairs, making him quickly get up.

In just about two seconds, his body swiftly made its way into the room a VIP was taken care of.

It was where the nanny was taking care of Jack.

The old man looked exasperated. Hearing the infant child cry all day long was doing his head in!

He really wished there was a mute button on his 'beloved grandson'. He wanted to relax a little bit.

The old man, who was once a legendary figure, looked at the child crying beside the new nanny they hired. He held the child's head... Even for a matchless fighter like him, babysitting was still a headach- No, it more difficult than fighting...!

He'd rather be training than doing this...

Little did he know that after revealing himself, the enemies that had been looking for him got a hint...

Years past, and that nearly one-year-old snot-nosed crybaby grew into a healthy seven-year-old snot-nosed crybaby. One who walked sometimes crawled about their large residence too much.

As an benign old grandpa, Alex had always taken care of Jack while his disciple was at work.

They didn't even need to hire a nanny after the first two years. His cute grandson was a fast learner.

As a martial artist, one who had always loved to train on his own, he had a hard time adapting to being a so-called 'family man' in front of his grandson. Things were strange and different...

If it weren't for him getting to know the local Woman's Association, he wouldn't have been able to figure out if he was doing any good. Though this wrinkly grandpapa wasn't going to give up!

Now you guys may be thinking:

'Is he not acting... well... weird?'

When in actuality, it's not that he was just merely 'acting' weird, but that he WAS weird...!

How could this person, who had long been cut off from society for so long, not act strange?

The old man had a rough childhood. It screwed up his common sense quite a bit despite his age.

Many would probably think: "Doesn't maturity come with age?" And they'd be right to come to such an assumption, but it mustn't be forgotten that one's environment shapes their attitude.

Maturity came in different forms and not all were the same. It all boiled down to their experiences.

The great Grandmaster known as Alex Stuman has only ever known conflict and war, the bullying he went through in high-school only reinforced his will to live a daring lifestyle without any comrades...

It could be said the closest he ever came to living a peaceful life was when became a 'hidden dragon'.

A great fortune for his grandson was the old man being responsible enough adult to ask for help.

Alex got assistance from others if he ever needed some help... He fit right in with the women of the association quite well. This was despite being the only middle-aged man present in their meetings.

You could even say he became friends with them over years of interacting with them over time.

The benign old man blended in and learnt how to cook through learning the recipes of women at the association. Then he cleaned up the house and took care of Jack after he came back from school.

It could be said that he completely forgot about training. Fighting and training were all in the past.

All his efforts went into becoming the most greatest grandfather for his cute grandson!

It was only after cooking up a delectable meal for himself for dinner and sitting down at the table did he finally realise something important... His shock was to the point that he almost burnt the food.

Wasn't he wasting his martial arts?!

He went through tons of effort to train a body that was impervious to bullets. Even creating an immune system that wouldn't crumble regardless if it was attacked by the deadliest venoms existing.

A strong and powerful fighter, one appearing of an old man, shouldn't be wasting away as a babysitter.

Even for his disciple's child...!

Shouldn't he at least train his body once in a while so that he doesn't lose his edge in battle...?

He thought about it for a bit before realising that he... actually didn't exactly NEED to train his martial arts. His skills have already reached the limits of what they could achieve.

Now, his physical potential wouldn't ever degrade from now on... This was regardless of his feelings.

Even if he was to laze about for years, his body would still be at tip-top condition all the time.

This had to do with the two 'Physique Force Energy Circulation Methods' he derived long ago...

One was from the ancient Earthly Devil Sealing Horn style. and the other was from modern Heavenly God Locking Halo style respectively. The two of them complimented each other well.

The 'Blood Refining Bone Pulse' he derived from his father's ancient style allowed him to burn off all excess fat, while the 'Bone Tempering Blood Ripple' allowed him to have a skeletal frame that could withstand being shot multiple time.

The latter was created through reverse engineering that art on his own. It took years mastering this!

This was the core of his almighty strength. It laid the foundation for him to become a Super Badass!

(▀̿Ĺ̯▀̿ ̿)

As always, he was way too overpowered for his own good. Even his skills, without using his personal style of martial arts, were already top-notch. That's why it was wasteful to train.

His body could already 'de-age' and retain his 'sharpness', so what was the point of training?

'Staying as an ordinary old grandpa for my grandson is fine, isn't it? Wait... Then how am I going to train Jack my martial arts? He probably won't learn the Four Fundamental Internal Forces without proper guidance... What do I do?

Should I ask someone else to introduce him?' Alex thought in deep contemplation about the subject.

He struggled for bit while munching down the giant plate of food he had cooked personally.

The average energy consumption of his Divine Physique turned him into quite the foodie!

Even though he kinda lied to his disciple about watching over her son twenty four hours a day, it wasn't as if the security around Jack had become any looser whenever they were separated....

He hired the most dutiful and strong mercenaries who would didn't have the guts slack off when doing any of their task to keep an eye on Jack. His safety was guaranteed while he was at school.

A trace of mirth appeared at the edge of his lips...

He sneered qt how his last disciple couldn't even go about doing his 'business' without someone watching over him... Which was something Rosetta would beat the hell out of him for if she knew.

Still, he put his grandson's safety as the highest priority... rather than what she'd think of him.

It was quite an extreme amount of security that even a Young Master of a Transcendent Clan wouldn't have, yet he still kept the security around the boy airtight just in case anything happened.

"I guess I'll have to talk to him about this when he gets home." After putting everything to the side, Alex decided to be straightforward to his grandson and tell him what was on his mind today.

He wanted Jack to at least learn SOMETHING for self-defence and had already made preparations to train his newest disciple! He just hoped his grandson had enough talent and drive to lay the foundation that will be needed in his future.

The old freak was unaware that there was a far more pressing issue he was the direct cause of.

Karma would eventually bite him in the back...