Extraordinary Quasi-Martial Artist

"Slacking off as a group?"

Squeak!

Footsteps sounded, and the security room's somewhat shabby iron door was pushed open, revealing Old Hu's dark-faced expression.

"Damn it, you little brat, are you here to mess with me again?" Old Hu cursed when he saw it was Shen Qian.

He kept cursing, but that did not stop Shen Qian from squeezing past him and entering.

Old Hu's security room was not large, but it was divided into two sections. The inner room was where Old Hu slept, and it was pitch-black. Shen Qian had no interest in feeling his way inside.

Steam rose from the table in the outer room. A hot pot sat on an induction cooker, with slices of meat, cabbage leaves, and instant noodles bubbling within. There was also a fruit platter and beer beside it, making Shen Qian's eyes light up.

"Living extravagantly, Uncle Hu!"

Shen Qian sat down. Seeing two sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table, he froze for a moment before exclaiming, "You knew I was coming?"

"I saw you sneaking over from the window earlier." Old Hu lit a cigarette and muttered, "I only eat like this once a month, and you had to stumble into it. What the hell."

Shen Qian ignored him and simply buried his head in the food.

"I saw an ambulance pull up at your home today. Your mother?"

"That sounded like an insult."

"Quit yapping. What happened?"

Seeing Shen Qian wolfing down food, Old Hu looked at the cigarette he had just lit and cursed himself for miscalculating. After weighing his options, he could only take two hard drags, stub it out, and hurriedly sit at the table with his bowl.

"Same old problem," Shen Qian answered indistinctly.

"Oh... Is it resolved?"

"More or less."

By the time Shen Qian finished answering, he had already emptied a bowl of rice and was serving himself a second. Old Hu put down his bowl and chopsticks in despair.

"Since when could you eat this much?"

"I'm about to advance to martial artist."

"Tch, you think you're me? Your feathers haven't even grown in yet, and you want to advance to martial artist?" Old Hu snorted disdainfully. When Shen Qian said nothing, he suddenly froze. "Really?"

"Now you know what a real genius is, huh?"

Ever since getting the system, Shen Qian had always kept a low profile. Rarely getting an opportunity to show off, he proudly patted his chest.

He picked up another piece of cabbage and put it in his mouth. When Old Hu still did not answer after a while, Shen Qian looked up and saw that he had a dazed expression.

"Uncle Hu, did I scare you stupid?"

"Bullshit!" Old Hu came back to his senses and took a gulp of beer, sounding somewhat wistful. "I've watched you grow up. Ten years... How many decades does a person get in one lifetime?"

"Why did you suddenly get all sentimental?" Shen Qian gave Old Hu a strange look. "Did Grandma Zhang reject you again?"

"I've always been the one rejecting her, understand?"

After Old Hu said that, Shen Qian merely smiled without speaking. Old Hu's old face reddened, and he snorted. "Kid, don't think advancing to martial artist is such a big deal. There are plenty of martial artists in this world, but how many of them can ultimately become Mountain and Sea?"

"I'll definitely be one of them." Shen Qian grabbed Old Hu's beer and poured himself a glass.

"Martial artists aren't all the same," Old Hu said meaningfully.

"What's the difference?" Shen Qian asked casually.

"Have you heard of Extraordinary Quasi-Martial Artists?"

Have you heard of System Daddy...

Shen Qian nearly said it aloud, but held himself back. He raised an eyebrow. "What's an Extraordinary Quasi-Martial Artist?"

"Everyone knows that once qi and strength reach 149 kg and speed reaches 10 seconds, you can try to seek out qi sense. But have you ever wondered why those two figures in particular?"

Shen Qian paused. After carefully recalling the content of his martial arts theory class, he said, "Because the body has to reach a certain level of strength to contain Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy. Those figures are the theoretical standard."

"Exactly. But does that strength have to stop there?" Old Hu chuckled.

Shen Qian stopped eating. It felt as though a thought had flashed through his mind, but he could not grasp it in time.

"You mean..." Whether Old Hu was bluffing him or not, Shen Qian had to admit that he had indeed been bluffed.

"The reason this advancement standard exists isn't because that's where the human body's limits lie. It's because that is where most people's limits of endurance lie." Old Hu took a drink and spoke leisurely.

"So an Extraordinary Quasi-Martial Artist is someone who breaks through that limit?"

Shen Qian seemed to understand a little, though he remained doubtful. "Why have I never heard of this term?"

"Heh, do you think just anyone can challenge the Extraordinary Quasi-Martial Artist realm?" Old Hu sneered. "Forget talent and resources. The dangers involved alone are enough to kill off many people before their time. Would martial arts textbooks dare write that in?"

"There's a risk to your life?"

"If you fail to push through, you either die or become crippled."

"Then forget it. I'm not interested."

Shen Qian immediately shook his head.

Old Hu said nothing more.

After a period of silence, Shen Qian could not help asking, "Then what are the benefits of becoming an Extraordinary Quasi-Martial Artist?"

Old Hu smiled. Rarely, he did not tease Shen Qian. Instead, he said seriously, "'Extraordinary.' The name itself tells you what it means."

"When you reach your true limit, you'll discover that most martial artists of the same rank are nothing special."

Old Hu had put it subtly, but Shen Qian understood. In summary, there were only four words—invincible among equals.

"Then how do I know where my own limit is?"

"It varies from person to person. When you try, you'll naturally find out."

"Zhou Xu, have you heard of Extraordinary Quasi-Martial Artists?"

"What the hell is that?" Zhou Xu froze and turned toward him blankly.

"Never mind." Shen Qian waved a hand and let out a breath.

It was already the next afternoon.

It had to be said that Old Hu's sudden air of unfathomable profundity last night had made quite an impact on Shen Qian. Although, when Shen Qian left, he had swiped Old Hu's fruit platter, causing Old Hu to lose all his dignity after getting up too hastily and taking a fall...

Still, Shen Qian firmly remembered the five words "Extraordinary Quasi-Martial Artist."

Unfortunately, he found nothing after searching online.

"Forget it. I haven't even reached the limit of 149 yet, so there's no need to think that far ahead. At the earliest, it'll be something to consider in a week or two."

The dismissal bell rang. Shen Qian closed his copy of Basic Physics, ignored Zhou Xu's invitation to pull an all-nighter at the VR Hall, and headed toward the back of the school.

Today was Wednesday, and it was also the day of the Seventh High School Martial Arts Youth Vanguard Group's first group training session. Chen Feng had already announced in the group last night that no one was allowed to take leave from today's training.

By the time Shen Qian arrived at the old Physical Testing Hall, seven or eight people had already gotten there before him.

Huo Ling'er's eyes lit up when she saw Shen Qian, and she came over. "Shen Qian, how about we hold a group-building event?"

"What?" Shen Qian froze.

"Since Director Zhao had me create the group, I think that as the group owner, I have an obligation to bring us closer together. So I planned a group-building event for Saturday. I'll let you know the details then."

After saying that with a smile, Huo Ling'er ran toward Zheng Shaoyang, who had just entered, without waiting for Shen Qian's response. Clearly, she was going to promote her group-building event to him too.

Shen Qian opened his mouth, glanced over the other equally bewildered people, and could not help shaking his head inwardly.

This girl seemed a little clueless—or perhaps too idealistic. Given how unfamiliar everyone was with one another, hardly anyone would want to attend such an inevitably awkward gathering.

No matter what the others thought, Huo Ling'er remained full of enthusiasm. Of the people who arrived afterward, only Zhou Xiaoguang explicitly said he would not go. Shen Qian figured that the others simply had not processed it yet.

Just as he was considering whether to subtly remind Huo Ling'er, Chen Feng strode in.

"Line up!"

Once everyone was in formation, Chen Feng swept his gaze across them. Seeing that no one was absent, he nodded slightly. Without any unnecessary words, he said directly, "I already told you last time that squeezing out your potential is the fastest way for you to improve. Today, we'll try the first method."