POV: Scott
Qin: "Soooo, let's begin. First question. What is Chi?"
A good question.
Depending on the place, Chi can be considered the vital force of all living beings.
A good example would be in the Kung Fu Panda movie series.
Yes, the story that tries to convince you that a panda can beat a leopard.
I will never accept Tai Lung, the GOAT, losing.
Scott: "Uh… It's difficult to explain, but in my view, Chi is everything. It's a force that every living being possesses, and the only difference is that some can use this energy, while others can't."
Qin gives me a smile, showing the only three yellow teeth he has…
God, this guy's dentist is definitely suffering from war trauma right now.
Qin: "Half right. Chi is indeed an energy that every living being has, but knowing how to use it and knowing HOW to use it are two different things."
And does that change anything?
At the end of the day, some can use it and others can't, so why only half right?
Seriously, why does this magical bullshit have to be so complicated…
I'm going to have an aneurysm at this rate.
Qin: "Dumb as a mule. Alright, let me give you an example that your fish brain can understand."
Ouch. Unnecessary.
Qin: "If you put a Smith & Wesson 500 in the hands of an experienced cowboy and ask him to shoot at some targets, what's going to happen?"
Depends… Is he related to Arthur Morgan?
Qin: "He'll probably hit all the targets. Simple as that."
Qin: "Now, what would happen if you gave the same gun to a three-year-old child?"
What kind of idiot would do that?! No, wait… Thinking about it…
Qin: "The chances of her shooting herself are huge. Like, nine times out of ten, she ends up screwing something up. And Chi works the same way."
Qin: "If for some reason someone discovers the existence of Chi—which in itself is almost impossible—and tries to use it without knowing how, they'll probably end up in a vegetative state because they ended up screwing something up."
Yeah… Reasonable.
I don't really have the authority to say, but overall, he's probably right.
After all, you don't question a mechanic when he's talking about cars, or a doctor when he's talking about medicine.
So for the sake of my physical and mental health, I'll just smile and nod.
Qin: "Understand? Great. Second question. What can Chi do?"
Now I'm fucked.
Because honestly? Besides physical enhancement, I have absolutely no idea.
Which is fair, honestly. In Marvel, everyone just wants to talk about Infinity Stones here and superpowers there. And somewhere in the middle of all that, martial arts aren't exactly the main attraction.
Because if I can make a serum in my garage that makes me as strong as Captain America, why would I spend years training martial arts?
Scott: "I can only say what I think is obvious. Physical enhancement. To what extent, I don't really know, but I assume the level of enhancement is directly connected to your level of mastery."
Qin looks at me with a strange expression—as if his normal face wasn't already strange enough—and says:
Qin: "Obvious? Okay, it really is pretty obvious, especially because you don't seem to be exactly new to this world, but you're not completely right."
Excuse me?
Qin: "Chi doesn't actively make you stronger. It's… How do I put it? More of a passive effect."
Okay, you had my interest before. Now you have my attention, old man.
Qin: "Chi doesn't actively improve your physique. Instead, it passively enhances it, reinforcing your body more and more until you reach your maximum potential."
Okay… I don't understand a damn thing.
Qin sighs and says:
Qin: "I'm too old for this…"
Qin: "Alright, listen. You've heard of Captain America, or whatever his name is, right?"
Scott: "Yes."
Qin: "Then you know that, theoretically, he was supposed to be the peak of the human species?"
Scott: "Uh-huh."
Qin: "Okay, Chi will try to do the same thing to your body. Take you to the peak of humanity. Strengthening your muscles, nerves, and brain to their limit."
Wait a second…
So you're telling me I can become the Walmart version of Captain America just by training Chi?!?!
Qin: "No."
Damn telepaths. I hate those assholes.
Qin: "No, I didn't read your mind. It's just that with your goldfish brain, it's not hard to guess what you're thinking."
Uh-huh, fuck you too.
Qin: "This is where reality comes into play. If reaching that level were really that easy, do you honestly think there wouldn't be a dozen super soldiers running around?"
But there actually are…
Qin: "No. The truth is, how far you can go depends on your genetics. Or, as others like to call it, talent."
Qin: "That's why I said you were average. You can certainly go far down the path if you put in the effort, but reaching that level? Impossible."
Great. Good to know that even genetically speaking, I'm average.
As if my self-esteem wasn't already low enough.
Qin: "But Chi isn't just about reinforcing and improving your body, since that's more of a bonus than anything else."
Qin: "No, Chi is much more than that. It's difficult to say what Chi can or can't do. Just like magic, everything depends on who you are, how long you've trained, your talent, and so on…"
Qin: "Want an example? I myself don't have that much talent when it comes to the physical side of Chi. But that was never my true calling."
Qin: "My calling is to mess with my enemies, annoy the hell out of them, and screw with them using a few tricks."
Great, a trickster. Who could've guessed.
(Sarcasm. Literally, I've never seen him as someone who could punch through walls.)
Qin: "And that's the first lesson of the day! When it comes to Chi, you only have one option: be a master of one thing, and be bad or, at most, decent at everything else."
Qin: "Because you'll never beat talent. It's cruel, sad, and discouraging, but life is usually like that. It doesn't matter how much hard work you put into something. If your enemy is more talented than you are at it, you'll probably die."
Yeah, great motivational speech. I'm about to cry.
Qin: "Second lesson of the day! Chi isn't just about having a shredded body and shooting laser beams from your hands like certain idiots do."
Qin: "No, Chi is much more than that. It can be anything. An illusion, a technique, a fighting style, etc… EVERYTHING. Chi can be everything, as long as you know what you're doing."
Everything? Literally? Or is that just a figure of speech?
Qin: "That said, it's time for the third lesson of the day! I call it the Training Setup."
I'm fucked, aren't I?
Qin: "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you… Not much. I hope… Maybe."
Definitely.
Fuck my life.