Chapter 35: The Path of a Martial Artist

The fifth floor of the martial arts hall.

All I could hear was Qin Long's talk, and Qi Sui's occasional echoes.

"So, Xiao Sui, the teacher wants to ask you a question. Among the women I just mentioned, which one do you think the teacher has the deepest feelings for?" Qin Long held the table with both hands, his expression extremely serious, as if he was asking a question of life and death.

Qi Sui listened carefully, and after a brief thought, he answered, "It should be the class monitor girl in high school."

"Oh? What's the reason?"

Qin Long had no expression on his face.

"In the story just now, you and the class monitor met when you were young, and you both had feelings for each other, but you, the teacher, were obsessed with martial arts training, while the girl had no talent for martial arts and could only pursue scientific research."

"Teacher, you chose to take the initiative to extinguish this budding relationship because you were afraid of hindering the other person's future."

"It's just that you may not realize it yourself, teacher, but the women you fall in love with later on all have her shadow, but they are not her after all, and they cannot bring you that clear and beautiful feeling."

"It was not until you later reached a high level in martial arts and dared to face your own state of mind that you realized and understood the girl's feelings back then."

"It's a pity that when you tried your best to pursue that relationship, you found that she had died in a mysterious explosion in your memory. It is this irreparable regret that will elevate your relationship with her to a whole new level."

"So even though you have never truly owned each other, I still feel that you, teacher, have the deepest feelings for her."

"Hahahahaha!"

Qin Long's tense expression instantly turned into a big laugh, and he slammed his palm heavily on the table: "Good boy, you are so insightful!"

Qi Sui shrugged, took a grape from the fruit plate and put it in his mouth, chewing it vaguely, "So, teacher, there is a saying that goes, if there are flowers to be picked, pick them immediately, don't wait until there are no flowers and you have nothing to pluck."

“Don’t wait until there are no flowers… to break off branches in vain.”

The smile on Qin Long's face gradually faded, and he sank into the armchair, looking out the window with deep eyes. He was silent for a long time, and no one knew what he was recalling.

The atmosphere fell into dead silence for a moment.

Did I describe the teacher as emo?

Qi Sui was feeling suspicious.

After a long while, Qin Long sat up again and picked up a strawberry and put it in his mouth: "I originally wanted to teach you a lesson, but now you have taught me a lesson instead. But it's good this way. You are smart and clever, and you don't need the teacher to worry about your emotional affairs."

"Come to think of it, your senior brother is dull and has trained his muscles into his brain, and your senior sister is too cold and indifferent, as if there is nothing she cares about. But you, kid, are most like me when I was young."

"The teacher also talked to that girl about relationship problems before and asked the same question as you. Guess what she said?"

Is it Gu Xiyue?
Qi Sui was a little curious. Thinking of the other party's usual aloof and indifferent style of behavior, he knew that this would definitely not affect his relationship.

Qin Long said to himself: "That girl, she said that I have no feelings for anyone. If not, how could I still be a bachelor at such an old age?"

Qi Sui was both amused and confused.

But these words really sound like they came from Gu Xiyue's mouth.

"Okay, okay, I've gone a bit off topic!" Qin Long cleared his throat, and the smile on his face gradually became dignified and solemn: "Qi Sui, you are my fourth direct disciple, Qin Long, and you will also be my last disciple. I will do my best to train you. Have you read the agreement I sent you yesterday?"

"Teacher, I've seen them all!"

Seeing that the other party was serious, Qi Sui also sat up straight.

"Very good. With the development of the times, the red tape of becoming a disciple should be kept simple. I am not the kind of person who likes ostentation. No matter who you interact with, you must pay attention to the word "heart". As long as the heart is sincere, the rest will be easy."

Qin Long said these words very seriously.

He has been active in the martial arts world of Da Xia for decades, and has always acted in an open, honest and sincere manner. It is precisely because of this that he has his current prestige and reputation. Although there are many masters in the world, most of them are willing to give him some face.

"Teacher, I've got it!" Qi Sui nodded seriously.

He didn't dare to say that he was a noble, kind, and righteous person, but he was definitely a person who knew how to repay kindness.

A kindness must be repaid, a grudge must be avenged!

This is the criterion he has established.

"Very good, teacher. I believe in you. If you were a bad person, a wicked person, you wouldn't have the chance to sit in front of me."

Qin Long's serious expression softened a little.

Ever since that incident, he has been extremely cautious about taking in disciples. He thought he would never take in another disciple in this life, but he liked Qi Sui too much. After checking his resume and files, he did not find any problems, which led to their fate today.

"Now, you can ask the teacher questions. The teacher can answer any questions you have about martial arts."

"Teacher, I want to know if the ranks of martial artists are based solely on strength. If one's strength reaches the standard of a tenth-rank martial artist, then how should one become a martial artist?" Qi Sui cherished the opportunity to have the master answer his questions face to face, which was much more reliable than the various weird answers he had found on the Internet.

"Of course not. Strength is only the simplest basis for classifying martial artists into different levels."

Qin Long stood up, walked to the French window with his hands behind his back, looked at the city lights at night, and said calmly: "This classification is applicable to a wide range of areas. As long as you have a strength testing machine, you can test yourself. 1000 pounds of punching force is the entry level, 2000 pounds is the second level, and so on. The strongest martial arts student of the tenth level needs more than 10000 pounds of punching force."

10000 pounds of punching force?
Qi Sui was shocked.

With such strength, he can tear tigers and leopards apart with bare hands and overturn a small car with ease. He is simply a walking Hulk!
"And why is there so much emphasis on strength?"

Qin Long turned around, stroked his beard, looked at him calmly, and answered himself: "Because strength can indirectly reflect the muscle quality of a warrior. Muscle quality is determined by many factors such as muscle density, muscle activity, and muscle volume. Whether these factors are qualified will be one of the factors that determine whether you can enter the martial arts world and become a qualified martial artist."

"I understand. What you mean is that a martial arts student who can punch with a force of 10,000 pounds may not necessarily have the opportunity to become a martial artist, because they may only accumulate muscle mass, while the density and activity of the muscles are not up to standard." Qi Sui has an extraordinary IQ and a smart mind, and he understood the meaning of the words immediately.

This is also why fat people are naturally stronger than thin people, but no martial arts student would deliberately eat to become fat just for the sake of strength.

"Xiao Sui, you are very smart."

Qin Long nodded approvingly and took over the conversation, saying, "If a martial arts student wants to become a martial artist, the first element is muscle quality, because only when the muscle quality is strong enough can it provide an environment for the birth of internal strength."

……

(End of this chapter)