Only This Profession Could Be So Unrestrained

In the early morning, just before dawn, Feng Xue lifted the blanket covering her body, folded up the Santa's Wrapping Cloth she had laid out on the floor while sleeping, and smiled slightly.

Seeing that some vehicles had begun to appear on the road, Feng Xue picked up the Orca Pillow and walked along the path under the overpass toward the riverside square. Shangshu has many mountains and rivers, and any apartment building there has a river or lake view. This area, named after a dock, naturally has no shortage of water features.

Seeing that several elderly people had already started practicing tai chi in the square, Feng Xue didn't stop. She crossed the square, stepped over the railing (good kids shouldn't imitate this), and arrived at the riverbank. Looking at the surging river, Feng Xue picked up the Orca Pillow and began to "sword" dance.

Although it looks a bit girlish, the Orca Pillow's Tidal Force is real. When you wave it, the sound of waves that seem to echo in your ears, and the water vapor swirling around the Orca Pillow, allow Feng Xue to clearly feel a kind of powerful beauty.

With a gentle wave of her wrist, ripples spread through the air. Feng Xue quietly experienced the feeling of the rising tide and tried to integrate it into the realm of "martial arts".

Worried that Feng Xue would leave, Liu Qi, who hadn't slept well all night, got out of bed at five in the morning. Ignoring the soreness all over his body, he made his way to the overpass, only to find that the expert had just gotten up.

Just as Liu Qi was about to step forward to formally become the disciple, he saw the other person suddenly carrying that cute plush pillow across the street, and he immediately followed out of curiosity.

The expert stood by the river, waving the tail of the Orca Pillow in one hand. Although it was just a fathead fish pillow, Liu Qi could see it as an incomparably sharp giant sword.

He wanted to memorize the sword move, but when the thought arose, he felt that every movement of the master was so ordinary, as if he were just casually swinging a pillow.

For a moment, Liu Qi even wondered if he had Qi Deviation, imagining a mentally ill person who woke up early in the morning and started waving a pillow as Martial Arts Grandmaster.

At that very moment, the expert suddenly took a step forward, his waist suddenly rotated, and he grasped the tail of the Orca Pillow with both hands. In that instant, Liu Qi seemed to see a bright blue sword light fly out from the front of the Orca Pillow, and in that sword light, there seemed to be an orca swimming freely.

His gaze followed the sword light, and in that instant, a scene he would never forget unfolded before his eyes—

The river has parted!

Although it only lasted for a few seconds, Liu Qi was certain that it was not his imagination, because the large and small whirlpools that suddenly appeared on the river surface were the clearest evidence.

"A master!" Liu Qi, who had been somewhat hesitant, finally made up his mind in an instant. He turned around and went to the breakfast shop by the square to buy some breakfast. However, when he returned, Feng Xue was no longer by the river.

"Where is he? Could he have already left?!"

A strong sense of loss welled up in Liu Qi's heart, like discovering that he had won the lottery but couldn't find the ticket.

He carried the drinks he had brought from home and the breakfast he had just bought, and started running towards the overpass. Although he had given up hope, he still wouldn't be satisfied if he didn't take a look.

"Still there!" Standing across the street, Liu Qi saw the expert tidying up under the overpass. Overjoyed, he strode over and rushed over. After a series of actions that could be considered flags, he surprisingly didn't get hit by the dump truck and sent to another world, but instead arrived safely in front of Feng Xue.

"Great master, please accept me as your apprentice!"

Looking at the young man shoving a wine bottle and breakfast in front of her, Feng Xue was momentarily at a loss for words. Liu Qi seemed to realize his behavior was somewhat abrupt, but didn't know how to make amends. Should he kneel down and kowtow on the spot? But wouldn't that give the master the impression of coercion, saying, "I won't get up until you accept me"?

Liu Qi, who always found this kind of plot ridiculous, froze on the spot. But soon, a voice as beautiful as heavenly music entered his ears—

"Try standing in a horse stance."

"Yes!" Liu Qi felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He even forgot to put down what he was holding and immediately assumed a horse stance. Then he regretted it a little.

Yesterday's hour-long horse stance had caused his body, which usually only practices routines, to accumulate a lot of lactic acid. Now, when he got into the stance, he felt that his legs were weak and sore, as if countless fine needles were pricking him.

But he gritted his teeth and, following the expert's instructions from yesterday, slowly adjusted his breathing and contracted his muscles.

Watching the young man's skillful movements, Feng Xue couldn't tell for a moment whether he was naturally gifted or if everyone had acquired this talent after the Weird Tale that "Yan Country People Know Martial Arts" spread.

Regardless, the fact that they were able to persevere and finish the job despite their legs being weak shows they have considerable willpower and determination.

"Not bad." Feng Xue took the wine and dishes from Liu Qi's hands. The momentary imbalance almost made Liu Qi sit down, but he managed to steady himself and said, "..."

"So you're agreeing?"

"That depends on what you want to learn." Feng Xue casually sat down on a real Stone Pier, saying nonchalantly.

"If you have basic skills, that's no problem. Add some power generation techniques, and you can definitely take on five people at once."

"What if I want to learn real kung fu?" As a Webnovel novelist, Liu Qi knew that the moment of truth had arrived, and he immediately asked nervously.

Then, he saw the corners of the expert's mouth suddenly curve upwards in an arc:

"Although true knowledge can be conveyed in a single sentence, it's impossible for me to teach you everything after only meeting you twice. Furthermore, I won't stay in one city for more than a week, so I don't have time to carefully assess your character, comprehension, and temperament."

Upon hearing this, Liu Qi replied without hesitation:

"It's alright, I can travel with you!"

"Leaving aside whether you can endure this hardship, do your family agree?" Feng Xue took two Erguotou of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), looked up at Liu Qi, whose forehead was already beaded with sweat, and heard Feng Xue's words. Liu Qi replied seriously:

"No problem. My parents aren't here. They only went to university and had their previous jobs in Shangshu. I'm a full-time writer now, so I can work anywhere as long as I have a laptop."

"That's not impossible, but there's one last question—can you endure this hardship?" Feng Xue smiled, but Liu Qi felt a chill run down his spine, as if someone were holding a knife to his throat.

"Gulp..." Swallowing hard, Liu Qi's mind raced with various thoughts, but he ultimately chose to tell the truth:

"I don't know, but I think I can give it a try. The rent for the place I live in now is very cheap, and there are still three years left on my lease. If I really can't stick with it, I have a backup plan."

Liu Qi felt that mentioning a way out was utterly lame, but while he didn't want to give up this opportunity, he wasn't sure if he could really persevere.

It's better to be clear from the start than to say a lot of nice things now and then back down later.

If the other party doesn't accept you because of this, then you can give up on the idea.

Just as Liu Qi was thinking this, Feng Xue had already finished a bottle of Erguotou of Chinese liquor), let out a burp, and said:

"So, one last question."

"What could it be? Is she asking why I want to practice martial arts? Should I say it's for health or for Act of Chivalry?" Various thoughts raced through Liu Qi's mind, but Feng Xue uttered only four incredibly simple words—

"Your name?"

Regarding why the people of Yan Kingdom who acquire martial arts talent experience a significant increase in physical strength...

Because martial arts talent is not something unrelated to the body.

Just like the difference between sprint talent and long-distance running talent, it lies in the ratio of red and white muscle fibers, that is, the preference for endurance and explosive power.

Similarly, if you have strong arms, you're suited for boxing; if you have good balance, you're suited for kicking; if you're smart, you can develop new martial arts techniques based on your physical characteristics...

Therefore, physical fitness itself is part of one's talent for martial arts.

As for things like the Nine Yin Meridians or the Pure Yang Body, they cannot be called talents at all. Or rather, it should be said that the corresponding cultivation methods only appeared because of this physique; the order of events is reversed.

It's like someone born with a deformed right hand, so they practice left-handed boxing, or even develop a unique right-handed boxing style. You could call that person a martial arts genius, but you can't say that a deformed right hand is a martial arts talent, can you?

Ultimately, this developer's talent wasn't his right-hand deformity, but rather his exceptional comprehension.