Chapter 16: Swift Hawk, Sword Sparrow, Battle Axe Bear (Request Follow Reading)

“Thud!”

The butt of the spear slammed into the ground; Lin Qi glanced at the panel and smiled.

“I haven’t trained for a week, and today’s first session improved my spear technique by 5%.”

Lin Qi felt a quiet surge of delight.

Just now, while practicing the spear form, the feeling was exquisite—new insights kept arising.

The execution of the spear technique kept shifting, growing smoother; many small motions that had always felt awkward now felt natural.

A slight adjustment brought a massive improvement.

This is the genius’s insight!

Lin Qi looked at the image of Yang Jian on the panel; in myths and folk tales, he wielded a double-edged, three-pronged spear.

Called a blade, yet vastly different from ordinary swords—it was more like a long spear, or rather, a long-handled weapon.

So his talent with long weapons would only grow stronger.

Lin Qi felt himself growing ever more aligned with Yang Jian.

After a brief rest, Lin Qi resumed spear practice.

Time in the martial arts chamber was precious; he couldn’t waste it.

…

Soon, forty minutes passed.

“Huff… huff…”

Sweat dripped into his eyes; Lin Qi gasped for breath, sweat soaking a large patch of the padded floor.

His hands gripping the spear trembled continuously; exhaustion spread through his entire body.

Yet his eyes burned with vitality.

【You’ve gained new insight into your footwork; footwork +3%】

【Through practicing basic spear techniques, proficiency has increased again; spear technique +2%】

【Spear Technique: Stage One, 67%】

【Footwork: Stage One, 60%】

…

In forty minutes, Lin Qi’s spear technique and footwork had improved dramatically.

He had never experienced this before.

“Hey, Qi-ge, catch!”

Jiang Tao tossed him a sports drink from afar; Lin Qi caught it and drank deeply.

The two sat down to rest.

“Qi-ge, tomorrow we enter the elite class—we should start learning new martial arts. Your spear, my blade.”

“We’ve laid the foundation. Fist techniques are already perfected. Now it’s time for new martial arts.”

“From what I’ve heard, many classmates have already begun studying advanced weapon manuals at the martial arts hall.”

Jiang Tao suddenly spoke up.

Lin Qi nodded; the martial arts hall existed precisely for this purpose. Dozens of martial arts halls surrounded Second High, offering private tutoring in Five Animal Fist and basic weapon manuals.

Even advanced weapon manuals were taught personally by martial artists.

So the wealthy, even without a martial arts teacher, still progressed rapidly.

But people like him and Jiang Tao, the poor, could only rely on school instructors.

“New spear techniques…”

Thinking of this, Lin Qi gripped his spear, eagerly anticipating the next form.

…

“What? You got into the elite class?”

In Room 301, Building 4, Lin Zhen, sitting on the sofa while rubbing ointment, looked up in surprise.

“Xiao Qi, is this true?”

Fang Huiyi also showed astonishment.

Lin Qi set down his backpack and smiled as he explained:

“I’ve been accepted into the elite class, and I’ll reapply for the Genius Loan—my chances are high.”

“Don’t worry about me.”

Hearing this, Lin Zhen and Fang Huiyi exchanged glances; their expressions visibly brightened.

“Wonderful! I knew you could do it, Xiao Qi!”

His father Lin Zhen burst into laughter; his mother Fang Huiyi stood up, gently patting Lin Qi’s head with concern: “But don’t neglect your health.”

“Yes!”

…

Martial Year 2045, September 8

5:50 a.m., entrance of Second High

Lin Qi wheeled his bicycle into the school, deviating from his usual path to Building 3’s martial arts classroom.

He turned in another direction.

He arrived at Building 1, a U-shaped structure.

Martial Arts Classroom 301

“This is it!”

Lin Qi stared at the half-open metal door; the keypad showed it was unlocked.

“Someone’s already here?”

Lin Qi pushed the door open. Inside was a far larger martial arts chamber—over 1,200 square meters—with fifty clean white metal lockers in the corners. Rows of swords, spears, and daggers lined the walls; even rarer weapons like axes, halberds, clubs, and pikes were displayed.

The lights glowed brightly; in one corner, someone stood in a round stance.

“Someone’s here even earlier than me!”

Lin Qi was surprised; last night, their homeroom teacher Yan Hong had notified them they could come directly to the new classroom in the morning.

Textbooks could be picked up after class.

Most students admitted to the elite class came from relatively affluent families.

These students rarely arrived early; many preferred training at home until 7 a.m.

Arriving early suggested a modest background.

Lin Qi paid it no mind, found locker number 45, changed into his martial arts uniform, swallowed a Qi-Boosting Capsule, and assumed the stance.

Nearby, a tall, muscular boy, 1.8 meters, with a rugged face, noticed Lin Qi.

!

An invisible atmosphere of competition began to spread.

As time passed, more students entered the martial arts chamber.

None knew each other; after changing into uniforms, they began training.

Standing stances, punching, practicing weapons…

“Huh～”

One hour passed; Lin Qi finished his stance training.

“Bang! Bang!”

“Shhh! Shhh!”

“Ha～”

The entire chamber echoed with sounds—the whistle of weapons cutting through air.

Some practiced sharp blade techniques, others swung sword shadows, still others unleashed waves of spear strikes…

The styles of weapon manuals varied widely; clearly, all were advanced versions of basic forms.

“Their spear, sword, and blade realms are all higher than mine.”

Lin Qi felt immense pressure.

“Qi-ge, everyone here is a monster.”

Jiang Tao joined him, his expression grim.

“No wonder it’s the elite class—just glancing around, I see several stronger than me.”

Jiang Tao felt the pressure; in Class 3, he’d been top three, with only two above him.

But in the elite class, his strength placed him only mid-to-upper tier.

Lin Qi nodded; each student was tall, their aura powerful, their weapon swings stirring gusts of Qi.

No one spoke much in the chamber, but the silent competition had already begun.

“Shhh! Shhh～”

In the distance, a figure swung a long spear—lithe, swift as the wind, like a hunting hawk.

Lin Qi recognized him: Yu Jing, former top student of Class 3, grade #2, nicknamed “Swift Hawk!”

“That’s Qi Yue Lin!”

“And Li Zhou—they’re here too.”

Whispers spread around; Lin Qi and Jiang Tao turned toward the source.

In a corner, an open space stood a girl of extraordinary beauty.

Dressed in a white martial arts uniform, her features were delicate, her figure balanced, her chest full, her aura pure and fresh.

In her hand, she swung a long sword, weaving elegant floral patterns of blade.

“Third in grade, nickname Sword Sparrow—Qi Yuelin!”

Someone called out her name.

“And Li Zhou, top of the grade.”

Jiang Tao turned to another direction, where many others were also looking.

There stood a boy, massively built, over two meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, his rugged features radiating the aura of a standing grizzly bear.

Standing there, towering above all, his wild aura spread, deterring anyone from approaching.

In his hand, he twirled a broad battle-axe!

He was the top student of No. 2 High, nickname Battle-Axe Bear—Li Zhou.

Besides the top three, there were others, each with distinct auras, but all shared one trait: they radiated formidable energy.

They were all top-ten talents of the grade, each with their own nickname—this was a tradition among senior students, even across all schools.

“Damn it, why do their nicknames sound so cool, while mine’s ‘Old Black’ and ‘Part-timer’?”

Jiang Tao grumbled.

“Wait till you make top ten, you’ll get one too.”

Lin Qi comforted him beside him; his own nickname was “Master of Basics,” which wasn’t as impressive as “Swift Eagle” or similar.

But he knew that if he grew strong enough, someone would naturally come up with a cool nickname for him.

In the martial world, only the strong deserved cool, imposing nicknames.

“Looks like everyone’s here!”

A voice suddenly rang out.

……

(End of Chapter)