"Name."
"Zhou Lei."
"Age."
"Twenty-eight."
"Realm."
"Sixth-Rank Realm. I'll reach Fifth Rank soon."
"What are your views on internal power, internal cultivation, and meridians?"
Zhou Lei sat upright in the recruitment room.
Zhang Qingyuan looked the man before him up and down. He had decent features and a somewhat travel-worn appearance, wore clothes of no great quality, and carried a long saber slung at his side.
Over four consecutive days, he had recruited only six people. Far too few met his requirements.
It wasn't as though none of the applicants cultivated quickly.
Some had spent less than a year in the Eighth-Grade Realm, and had even reached great perfection in the Seventh-Rank Realm in under a year.
But they didn't know how they had cultivated. They all said they simply followed the manuals.
That was correct. Nothing wrong with that.
Personal talent really could get you there.
They were like the top students in his previous life, who understood as soon as the teacher explained something.
Ask them how they studied, or whether they had any study methods.
They would tell you, "No methods. I just understand when it's explained. Why would studying need a method?"
He could never have too many geniuses like that as students at Tianyang Martial Dao Academy.
But as teachers at Tianyang Martial Dao Academy, they absolutely would not do.
What I need is someone who can make things clear to less talented students, not someone who can only understand things himself.
Among the students, a large portion wouldn't actually be stupid. They simply hadn't had their eyes opened or found a cultivation method that suited them.
For the same martial art, one person might be better suited to practicing it this way, while another was better suited to practicing it that way.
So Zhang Qingyuan wanted teachers who could help those less clever students find cultivation methods suited to them.
A vocational school taught skills and experience.
In this era, it was still mostly a matter of the master leading you through the door, with cultivation left up to the individual.
If you could grasp it, you grasped it. If not, you had no brains.
So Zhang Qingyuan wanted to break with convention and take the approach of specialized instruction.
Zhou Lei had already organized his thoughts countless times. Even with the master of a sect sitting opposite him, he felt no pressure at that moment.
He spoke confidently and at length. "This is how I see it. Internal power..."
Before long, Zhou Lei had laid out everything on his mind.
He looked expectantly at Zhang Qingyuan. Seeing Sect Master Zhang nod in satisfaction, he instantly let out a long breath.
"Congratulations, you passed."
"Thank you."
Zhou Lei cupped his fist in salute, and Zhang Qing smiled. "Here's to working well together."
After that, they discussed his compensation and arrangements, and someone from the Security Department took him to find his dormitory.
When Zhou Lei walked out of the room, Gu Qianshan hurriedly asked from outside, "Hero Zhou, how did it go?"
"I passed!"
"Congratulations, congratulations! You've gotten your wish, Hero Zhou."
Zhou Lei returned the courtesy. "Go in and explain yourself properly. Sect Master Zhang isn't a petty man."
With that, Old Fifth also came out to call for the next applicant. "Next."
Gu Qianshan took a deep breath and rapidly organized his thoughts once more. After making sure there were no problems, he stepped inside.
Gu Qianshan steadied himself and stepped into the recruitment room. The furnishings were simple, and two people sat at the head of the room: Tianyang Sect Master Zhang Qingyuan and the Fifth Elder, whose expression was stern and whose eyes were sharp.
He cupped his fist according to etiquette and said respectfully, "I am Gu Qianshan. Greetings, Sect Master Zhang, Fifth Elder."
Li Moran was responsible for the preliminary screening. He raised his eyes to size up Gu Qianshan, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
The man's steps were steady, but his breathing was ordinary, and there was no sign of internal power circulating within him.
He spoke as usual, his voice carrying its customary rigor and even a trace of barely perceptible scrutiny. "Name."
"Gu Qianshan."
"Age."
"Forty-seven."
"Realm," Old Fifth continued. This was a routine procedure, as well as his first step in assessing an applicant's foundation.
Gu Qianshan knew this was an unavoidable part of the process. He answered frankly, "I... have never practiced internal cultivation and possess no martial realm."
"What?" At those words, the Fifth Elder leaned forward slightly, his tone carrying obvious surprise and a trace of displeasure. "No internal power? Then why are you applying to teach second-year students? Our Tianyang Martial Dao Academy teaches the fundamentals and application of internal cultivation. How can someone with no internal power teach that?"
He barely concealed the disdain in his words. Over the past several days, they had met martial artists of all kinds. Although many failed to meet their requirements, at least they all possessed internal power. To him, a physician without any cultivation applying to teach martial arts was sheer nonsense, a waste of their time.
A trace of embarrassment crossed Gu Qianshan's face. Just as he was about to explain, Zhang Qingyuan, seated upright in the main seat, gently raised a hand, stopping Old Fifth from continuing with what might have been an even harsher interrogation.
Zhang Qingyuan regarded Gu Qianshan calmly. He had heard of this "Divine Physician Gu," who enjoyed a considerable reputation in Yu Province.
At that moment, rather than dismissing him outright as the Fifth Elder had, he looked quite interested. "Physician Gu, I've long heard of you."
Zhang Qingyuan spoke gently, then continued, "The Fifth Elder speaks his mind bluntly. Please don't take offense.
"Still, since you've come to apply, you must have your reasons. I'm very curious. Why would a highly skilled physician like yourself be interested in a martial arts teaching position? And how can someone without any internal power cultivation guide others in internal cultivation?"
Sensing encouragement rather than reproach in Zhang Qingyuan's words, Gu Qianshan felt a little more at ease. He took a deep breath, suppressed his earlier nervousness, and his gaze became firm and focused again. He knew this was his only chance, and he had to seize it.
He cupped his fist again, his voice much clearer. "Sect Master Zhang, although I am unversed in internal power, I have practiced medicine for over twenty years and treated countless patients with internal and external injuries, as well as those suffering from Qi deviation. I have studied disorders involving disrupted internal breath, damaged meridians, and swelling pain or even ruptures in the dantian in considerable depth."
He paused. Seeing that Zhang Qingyuan was listening closely, he continued, "As the saying goes, medicine and martial arts belong to the same family. When martial artists practice internal cultivation, they are simply guiding internal breath through particular meridians, tempering the body, and gathering it within the dantian. As a physician, I know the locations, characteristics, and functions of the body's twelve primary meridians, eight extraordinary meridians, various acupoints, and dantian sea of Qi, as well as the symptoms of damage to them, like the back of my hand."
At this point, his tone took on the confidence of a professional. "Many martial artists know that something works, but not why. They know internal power must circulate in a certain way, but not why a slight deviation in its route can cause Qi and blood to flow backward. They don't know why internal power stagnating at a particular acupoint causes severe pain or numbness. Still less do they know why beginners so often experience unbearable swelling pain around the dantian, or whether that is normal or the result of taking a wrong step."
Gu Qianshan's gaze swept over Zhang Qingyuan and the Fifth Elder, whose expression remained stern but whose eyes had changed slightly, as he continued confidently, "I may be unable to personally demonstrate profound internal cultivation, but through my deep understanding of meridians, acupoints, and the circulation of Qi and blood, I can tell students why internal breath must circulate in a certain way, and the medical and physiological principles behind it. When students encounter a cultivation bottleneck, feel that their internal breath is obstructed, or experience abnormal physical reactions, I can help them analyze it from a physician's perspective. Is their Qi circulation route incorrect? Has a certain acupoint not been opened? Is their posture or breathing rhythm during cultivation incorrect, causing stagnation of Qi and blood?"
He concluded, "Internal cultivation is, in essence, the exploration and application of the human body's own potential. In this world, aside from martial artists themselves, perhaps we physicians understand the mysteries of this fleshly shell best.
"I believe that having a physician explain the key points and taboos of internal cultivation from another perspective may help students who lack extraordinary talent, who follow the map in search of the steed yet cannot find the door, discover a safer path better suited to their own physical condition. That is what gives me, a physician with no internal power, the confidence to apply."
Having finished, Gu Qianshan stood quietly, awaiting the final verdict. He knew he had clearly explained his greatest strength and unique value. Whether he would be accepted depended on the decision of this Sect Master Zhang, whose thinking seemed different from that of ordinary people.
A brief silence fell over the room. Although the Fifth Elder still wore a stern expression, the disdain in his eyes had faded, replaced by contemplation.
Meanwhile, a satisfied smile slowly curved Zhang Qingyuan's lips.
"Congratulations, you passed."