Responsibility

"I entered the Limit Dojo at sixteen, became a high-level trainee at eighteen, and became a formal martial artist at nineteen."

"After that, I joined a martial artist squad and began hunting monsters, a life I led for four years."

"During those four years, my comrades-in-arms died one after another, until in the end, I was the only one left."

"I realized that no matter how many martial artists like us there are, we will never outnumber the monsters. If it weren't for powerhouses like Hong and Thor, we wouldn't be able to protect anyone."

"It's just that I'm no genius; I could never reach that realm, so I grew tired and retired."

At this point, Qin Lin looked at Xu Qing, her eyes turning very gentle. "Afterward, I became a teacher at Jiangnan University. Four years passed just like that, and then I met you."

"When I found out you were a genius, Xiao Qing, I was both happy and terrified. I was happy you had the potential to become a powerhouse, but terrified that you wouldn't be able to stay by my side forever."

"I wanted to be selfish and keep you by my side, to hide you from the world, but my heart as a martial artist told me I couldn't be that selfish. You are a genius, destined to become the guardian deity of Huaxia, to protect thousands upon thousands of homes. This is the responsibility fate has bestowed upon you."

Hearing this, Xu Qing's heart trembled violently.

From childhood until now, this was the first time someone had said such things to him—that he should become the guardian deity of Huaxia, and that this was a responsibility bestowed upon him by fate.

The patriotic will and selfless emotion revealed in Qin Lin's words touched Xu Qing deeply.

"I'm sorry, Xiao Qing," Qin Lin said, her eyes full of apology. She had placed a heavy burden upon him.

Even if Xu Qing were a genius, he could still choose to live according to his own will, for he was free.

Yet, these words of Qin Lin's restricted his freedom, forcing him to shoulder that responsibility.

Xu Qing was stunned. The burning heat in Qin Lin's soul made him tremble slightly. For the first time, he experienced this selfless state of mind, like a warm sun shining equally upon everyone.

This was his girlfriend, and Xu Qing couldn't help but feel proud and honored for her.

"Linlin, you're such a silly girl. Why apologize? I understand. It's like what they say... with great power comes great responsibility, right? Oh well, I have no choice, do I? Since my most, most, most beautiful girlfriend has spoken, I will become a powerhouse and protect many, many people," Xu Qing said with a brilliant smile.

Hearing Xu Qing's reply, Qin Lin was incredibly moved. "Thank you, Xiao Qing."

"Hehe, don't worry. From today on, I will train diligently and never slack off," Xu Qing said, holding her and gently stroking her soft hair.

In this moment, he understood that two women had become incredibly important in his life.

One was his sister, Xu Xin.

Xu Xin doted on him like a real younger brother and protected him. Even knowing Xu Qing was a genius, she always saw him as a brother who needed protection, without excessive expectations, never forcing him to do anything.

Such a Xu Xin taught him to love himself and his family.

The other was Qin Lin, his lover, who taught him to love his country and others, and to have the courage to shoulder the responsibilities that come with being a genius and a powerhouse.

"I believe in you," Qin Lin nodded.

In the afternoon, inside the gym, both Qin Lin and Xu Qing changed into sportswear.

"Xiao Qing, I still don't know your specific strength, so I'm going to give you a simple test," Qin Lin said, tying her long hair into a high ponytail, looking full of heroic spirit.

"Alright, bring it on," Xu Qing beckoned, telling her to give it her all.

The corners of Qin Lin's mouth curled up. She pushed off the ground, turning into a flash of lightning as she lunged toward Xu Qing, one hand reaching for his shoulder.

She was an intermediate war general, and her speed was undoubtedly fast. Even without going all out, she could easily reach 100 meters per second.

Such speed was already at the level of a primary war general.

However, just when Qin Lin thought she would catch Xu Qing in one move, she grabbed nothing but air.

"Hello, Linlin. You missed; I'm over here," Xu Qing had already appeared several meters away, waving at her with a look of ease.

This took Qin Lin by surprise. "Fast reflexes. Then what about this?"

The next second, Qin Lin attacked again, her speed increasing, turning almost into a blur. In the blink of an eye, she was in front of Xu Qing. If this had been an ordinary primary war general, they certainly wouldn't have had time to react.

However, Xu Qing was different.

He watched the hand reaching for his shoulder without a hint of nervousness. Just as the hand was about to touch him, he dodged it with a minimal movement, barely brushing past it.

"Huh, he actually reacted," Qin Lin was startled, but her movements didn't slow down as she turned to grab him again.

Swish!

Every time Qin Lin attacked, Xu Qing managed to dodge. He was like a slippery fish, swimming around her, yet she could never catch him.

"Hehe, missed again. I'm here, over here," Xu Qing dodged with great ease, still having the breath to talk.

It was clear that he was extremely relaxed.

Conversely, Qin Lin couldn't stay relaxed at all. She was using both hands now, and having gotten serious, her speed had reached its peak, exceeding half the speed of sound.

Even so, she still couldn't catch Xu Qing.

One minute... two minutes... five minutes...

Only two figures flashed rapidly through the gym; the naked eye of an ordinary person couldn't keep up.

"Almost... almost again... still almost..."

Xu Qing's laughter rang out, echoing through the spacious gym.

In the end, Qin Lin was exhausted and had to stop. She looked at Xu Qing, who still looked relaxed, his face only slightly more flushed, and felt incredibly shocked.

From beginning to end, she hadn't managed to touch him even once.

This meant that both Xu Qing's speed and his neural reaction time were superior to hers; if either had been inferior, he could never have accomplished what he just did.

It was terrifying!

Xu Qing was merely an eighteen-year-old university student, and although he held the status of a martial artist, his speed and neural reaction time had already surpassed those of her, an Intermediate War General.

In the past, this was something Qin Lin would never have dared to imagine.

"Linlin, drink some water," Xu Qing said as he walked over with a glass and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Xiao Qing." After finishing the water, Qin Lin stared at Xu Qing as if she wanted to see right through him.

She recalled what Xu Xin had told her: that there were many things about Xu Qing that she did not know.

If it were just ordinary matters, Xu Xin would have had no reason to mention such a thing to her; it could only mean that these matters were significant.

Perhaps, it referred to this very situation.

"Hehe, are you shocked by my strength? I'm actually very impressive, you know," Xu Qing chuckled like a little fox.

He intended to use his strength to thoroughly stun Qin Lin and make her admire him.