Su Xin removed the notice,which surprised everyone present.Fang Qiaohua's face showed a pleasant surprise as she tightly held her son's hand.However,upon seeing Su Xin's current appearance,there was a hint of disappointment on her face.
Su Xin now looked like a young scholar,slender and gentle,seemingly far from a warrior.The two gatekeepers were initially stunned,then menacingly said,"Kid,do you know what you're doing?"
Both of them were followers of Lin Wancheng,accompanying Fang Qiaohua not to protect her but to witness her embarrassment and report back to the family head.However,they never expected someone to be so audacious today,daring to remove the notice.Especially this guy in front of them,with the appearance of a delicate young man–could he be trying to get close to Fang Qiaohua under the pretext of becoming Lin Qing's teacher?
The thought crossed their minds,and the gazes they cast upon Su Xin became even more hostile.This charming widow was a forbidden territory for them;although the mistress kept a close eye,they couldn't let others easily approach.
Su Xin rolled up the notice and calmly said,"Your Lin family posted a notice seeking a martial arts teacher.I believe in my own strength,so I came to apply.Is there anything wrong with that?"
One of the gatekeepers coldly snorted,"You,with that weak appearance,dare to apply as a teacher?Let me test if you're qualified!"With that,he immediately attacked,throwing a fierce punch towards Su Xin.
As members of the Lin family,a prominent clan in Lingzhou Prefecture,not only the family members possessed martial skills.Some loyal servants were also taught basic martial arts by Lin Wancheng.These two gatekeepers were among Lin Wancheng's trusted men,having learned some foundational martial arts.Though not at the innate realm,they had opened several meridians.
Fang Qiaohua exclaimed,"Be careful,young sir!"The onlookers below couldn't help shaking their heads.This guy didn't look like a martial artist at all,and they feared that one punch from the Lin family's gatekeeper would make him spit blood.
Su Xin smiled faintly,extending a single finger and gently tapping.The sandbag-sized fist collided with the delicate finger,but the gatekeeper screamed and flew backward,an arm shattered by Su Xin's touch.
A true innate realm martial artist retained formidable strength even without using internal energy.Although Su Xin couldn't use internal energy due to his damaged meridians,the strength cultivated through the Dragon Elephant Prajna Art was still intact,surpassing the density of even peak Divine Palace realm warriors.
His combat experience and control over force during physical engagement remained unchanged despite the injury.Even if facing an advanced innate realm practitioner,let alone a lower-ranking one like the gatekeeper,Su Xin was more than a match.
The onlookers stared wide-eyed.This guy,who seemed far from a martial artist,turned out to be a formidable master.Judging by his strength,he must have reached at least the early innate realm.Most martial artists relied on the visible intensity of the opponent's true energy to assess their strength.Since Su Xin didn't use true energy,they assumed he was at the early innate realm.
Su Xin tapped the stone lions in front of Lin Mansion a few times with his fingers,leaving several small holes as if poking tofu.The remaining gatekeeper,frightened by this display,fled with his injured companion.
The other onlookers dispersed,and Fang Qiaohua,grateful for the help,led Su Xin into Lin Mansion to arrange his accommodation.She thanked him sincerely,"Many thanks,sir,for your great kindness.May I ask for your esteemed name?"
Su Xin replied casually,"Madam,there's no need to be polite.I am Su Qingze."
"Qing'er,quickly kowtow to your teacher,"Fang Qiaohua urged her son.
The somewhat naive Lin Qing was about to bow,but Su Xin stopped him."I am just a teacher,not a master.I currently have no intention of accepting disciples."
There was a significant difference between a teacher and a master;one could have many teachers,but only one master.Fang Qiaohua,unfamiliar with the intricacies of the martial world,was unaware of the subtleties involved in formal discipleship ceremonies.
After Lin Qing paid his respects to Su Xin,Fang Qiaohua promptly took him inside Lin Mansion to arrange his lodgings.Since Lin Wanzhe's death,Fang Qiaohua and her daughter had been relegated to the most remote part of Lin Mansion,with accommodations far less luxurious than what they had before.
Fang Qiaohua harbored some caution towards Su Xin in her heart,especially with the past involvement with Lin Wancheng.Due to her experiences,she maintained a certain level of wariness towards any man.Therefore,she deliberately arranged Su Xin's residence far away from her and her son.
Little did she know that Su Xin's interest in her was not as much as in the seemingly naive Lin Qing.At this moment,at the center of the Lin family mansion,Lin Wancheng and his wife Nie Hanmei were listening to the reports from their servants.
With a stern expression,Nie Hanmei cursed,"That wretched woman still doesn't know her place.She even wants to find a teacher for her son?Today,I'll completely drive them out of the Lin mansion!"
Lin Wanzhe quickly consoled,"Madam,calm down first.The woman only found a martial artist in the early innate realm.Let him teach Lin Qing;it's not a big deal,is it?"
Nie Hanmei glared at him,"You're actually speaking up for that wretched woman.Do you still have any thoughts about her?"
Lin Wanzhe quickly swore,"Absolutely impossible!That wretched woman ruined my reputation in Lingzhou Prefecture.How could I possibly protect her?But,you know our Lin family's background.If I force them away,and the main family finds out,I'll be in trouble."
Nie Hanmei disdainfully said,"You keep talking about the main family.Your Lin family has been in Lingzhou Prefecture for more than ten years,and I haven't seen a single person from the main family visiting."
Lin Wanzhe forced a smile,"Better safe than sorry.Trust me,I am the current head of the Lin family,and our son will be in the future.If Lin Qing wants to learn martial arts,let him learn from that martial artist in the early innate realm.It won't cause any trouble."
In Lin Wanzhe's view,the mother and son were not worth worrying about.If he were punished by the main family for such a small matter,it would not be worth the trouble.Even though their Lin family had been away from the main family for more than ten years,the fear instilled by the strict family rules lingered.
After Su Xin settled in the Lin family,he began preparing to teach Lin Qing.He had many things to verify regarding the basics of martial arts since all his skills were obtained directly through a system that provided 5%proficiency.
The seemingly naive Lin Qing was just ten years old,the age to start learning martial arts.Su Xin took him as an experimental subject to confirm some of his conjectures.
"What basics of martial arts have you learned?"Su Xin asked.
Lin Qing honestly replied,"I've only learned our family's basic internal energy technique,opened one meridian,and our family's swordsmanship."
"Show me what you've learned."
Lin Qing nodded and picked up a small wooden sword,swinging it in a precise but mechanical manner.Su Xin shook his head after watching for a while.Although the swordsmanship was not particularly sophisticated,Lin Qing executed it rigidly,almost like performing radio calisthenics.
"Alright,stop."
Su Xin halted him,furrowing his brows,"From whom did you learn this swordsmanship?"
"My father."
Su Xin said,"From today,stop practicing this swordsmanship."
Lin Qing was puzzled,"Then,what should I practice?Master,are you going to teach me a new sword technique?"
Su Xin shook his head,"No,I will teach you the way of using a sword."
"The way of using a sword?"
Su Xin picked up Lin Qing's small wooden sword and demonstrated using the same swordsmanship Lin Qing had just shown.However,the feeling was entirely different.
Lin Qing,somewhat bewildered,scratched his head,unable to understand whether the swordsmanship Su Xin demonstrated was their family's tradition or not.
Putting the sword away,Su Xin pointed at Lin Qing's chest,"Martial arts are rigid,but people are flexible.This sword technique requires an upward movement.Why can't I stab downward?In the life-and-death struggle,enemies won't attack as you expect.So,remember,in a real fight,you move with your heart,and your techniques adapt.Let your opponent follow your rhythm.That is the true essence of your martial path."
As Su Xin guided Lin Qing,he was also scrutinizing all the martial arts he had learned along his journey.His learning was diverse,including sword techniques,fist techniques,palm techniques,finger techniques,and even body-refining techniques.Probably,there were few people in the entire martial world with such a diverse repertoire.
It was common knowledge that mastering one art was better than being a jack of all trades,a piece of wisdom even known by children.However,Su Xin had the system,and unless he had an unlimited amount of antagonist points to freely purchase a martial art category and create a reasonable cultivation system,he might obtain something unexpected through the lottery.
If the martial art was trash,it would be fine,but if it had a high level,even if it didn't align with Su Xin's current path,he might still force himself to cultivate it.
