Today, the rare sunny weather, the sky was clear for miles, and Old Zhang pushed out the wheelchair to bask in the sun.
The scorching summer had long passed, and the cool autumn breeze blew by, making people a bit drowsy.
He glanced sideways at the tall, burly Zhou Ning and shook his head, saying:
"Growing up in Old Factory Street, you and Little Qin are worlds apart."
Zhou Ning pouted and mumbled:
"Old Qin was ambitious and clever since he was young. Because of him, I don’t know how many scoldings and beatings I got. How could I compare to him!"
Before Qin Shi failed to get into New No.1 High, he was the model "other people’s child."
In Baogong Street, those attending the children’s school would often hear, "Look at how hard he worked since childhood."
Old Zhang lifted his eyelids and looked at Zhou Ning, saying:
"Learning martial arts requires hard work. The glory seen by others is earned through suffering. Just one session of tendon stretching and back pulling had you crying for your mother. How can you keep up with the progress?"
"I’m not competing in any contest, just honestly passing the level-up exam and then entering university. My dad’s already made connections. After graduation, I’ll work in the security section of the factory, avoiding twenty years of detours."
Old Zhang felt helpless; this kid really had no ambition.
Out of respect for Little Qin, he offered a few pointers:
"Old Nine asks you to stand in a posture, stretch your major tendons, and move your bones. These are all foundational exercises. New Martial focuses on muscle power, while Old Martial emphasizes tendon and bone force manipulation; both have different priorities.
If you learn tendon and bone force manipulation, your body’s coordination and unity will be more perfect, which is very beneficial for the subsequent growth of life force."
Zhou Ning nodded. Lately, he had been practicing at Nanhuang Daoist School under Teacher Ren, feeling he had made significant progress. In a recent class exam, he performed well and was praised by the homeroom teacher, Old Qian.
"Master, you’ve fought with the First Generation Top Ten. Who do you think is the strongest?"
As a standard fan of combat power, Zhou Ning couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked about this age-old debate.
"Just say, who is better in a fight, Qi Wuxiang or He Lanchan?"
Old Zhang sneered. The most dazzling stars among the First Generation Top Ten were, of course, the Four-Time Champion, the Great Demon King Qi Wuxiang, and the unparalleled Stone Buddha He Lanchan.
They both had the largest fan bases, and neither would accept defeat, often debating about who was the true champion and undeniable leader of the Top Ten.
Qi Wuxiang’s supporters would often start with various achievements and statistics to prove the invincibility of the Great Demon King in his era.
He Lanchan’s fans liked to analyze his background, experiences, and teachings, believing that although Stone Buddha developed slowly early on, his monstrous insight in the mid to later stages showed him as the brightest hope to enter Martial God status.
Anyway, both camps argued their points, and even with the advent of the new generation, no conclusion was reached that convinced everyone.
Basking in the sun, Old Zhang seemed lost in his memories and thought for a moment before saying:
"Qi Wuxiang. His strength is all-encompassing, with almost no weaknesses.
He adheres to the pure martial arts path, unlike He Lanchan, who attempts to merge two paths. So his strength is unreasonable, giving anyone standing in front of him the feeling of being overshadowed. If you haven’t experienced it, you wouldn’t understand."
Zhou Ning grinned widely; as a champion fan, he naturally supported Qi Wuxiang.
"Of course, from three times as the first in the youth group, three times in the adult group, plus four times winning the overall finals. Yu Li got first in the youth group once and dared to call himself a champion.
By this count, Qi Wuxiang calling himself a Ten-Time Champion isn’t wrong." Follow current novels on nοvelfire.net
Old Zhang was pained by these words. In the last active period of the extraordinary tide, Qi Wuxiang dominated, while he suffered ten consecutive losses, earning the nickname Ten-Time Loser.
"Only Little Qin can regain that honor now. Unfortunately, after knocking out He Lanchan, Qi Wuxiang just holed up in that Virtual Universe and no longer participated in the Star Cup.
This guy doesn’t even have a successor; winning against him once is impossible."
All the losses they suffered, the most brutal beatings were at the hands of Qi Wuxiang and He Lanchan.
Especially the latter, who combined verbal assaults with his spirit attack while punching and kicking toward the face.
It wasn’t just losing; the nose bruises and swollen eye humiliation caught on media cameras became permanent black history.
Who could tolerate that?
"Fortunately, I dragged He Lanchan’s successor into Nanhuang Daoist School. If I can win against Qi Wuxiang once more, I can die without regret."
Old Zhang squinted his eyes at the high-hanging warm sun, which wasn’t glaring but rather gentle.
"Speaking of, Little Qin should have reached Central City by now."
"Mr. Qin, you should arrive in Central City by the afternoon."
Kang Yun’Er came to the dining area and sat across from Qin Shi.
She was also one of the accompanying members. These past few days, she had been silently following, either recording with a camera or taking notes in a small notebook.
"Miss Kang, why did you choose to make your presence felt today?"
This beautiful editor-in-chief of Outlook Weekly had said on the first day of tracking interviews that he should try to ignore her presence as much as possible, ideally treating her like transparent air.
"I’ve collected enough material."
Kang Yun’Er habitually twisted the pen around her hair, her bright eyes sparkling cunningly with spirituality.
"For the character profile on Mr. Qin, I’ve sketched out a rough outline."
Qin Shi raised an eyebrow but didn’t inquire further, instead saying:
"Regardless of how the image is presented, I think that it will be the true side Miss Kang has seen."
Kang Yun’Er smiled and said:
"Has anyone ever told you, Mr. Qin, that you have a maturity beyond your peers, like an adult’s soul stuffed into a minor’s body?"