Chapter 3: Body Limit (Request Follow-Up)

“Qi Ge, did you break through again? You’re really a genius!”

The speaker was a tall boy with sun-browned skin and a handsome face.

“Don’t joke around—I just got lucky breaking through; I can’t compare to you.”

Lin Qi smiled and shook his head; he knew his talent wasn’t exceptional at Erzhong, a top-tier high school—just solidly above average.

His best friend Jiang Tao, nicknamed Laohei and the Part-Time Guy…

Had grown up with him since childhood, attended the same elementary and middle school, and might even go to the same university next.

Jiang Tao’s parents died when he was young, leaving him to raise his younger sister alone.

He’d lived off government aid since childhood, working multiple part-time jobs just to support himself and his sister.

He was the real genius—same poor family, yet consistently ranked top three in class, top fifteen in grade.

Orphaned parents, a younger sister to care for, top talent, good-looking—he had every protagonist buff stacked.

He was the true protagonist.

Jiang Tao leaned over, glancing at Wu Kang’s retreating back, and muttered:

“Wu De never demonstrates or gives pointers in martial arts class—just explains basics and makes us all watch you.”

“He lets everyone come to you for help so he can relax.”

Lin Qi smiled and explained:

“Teacher Wu’s teaching ability is still strong—he’s among the top martial arts instructors at Erzhong. Just listening to his lectures gives us plenty of insight.”

“Our class has consistently ranked in the top three for martial arts performance in the entire grade—that speaks volumes.”

“That’s true.”

Jiang Tao had to nod in agreement.

…

“Ding ling ling!!”

With the bell signaling the end of class, the one-hour martial arts lesson concluded.

“Class dismissed, scatter!”

Wu Kang’s booming voice rang out, and everyone relaxed.

Lin Qi stood up, feeling how fast time had passed.

Lin Qi clenched his fist—on the first day of school, his blood qi had already broken through. A good start.

Then he glanced at a line of data on his panel.

【Template: None (99.8% + 0.1%)】

“Template progress has reached 99.9%—it’ll hit 100% today for sure.”

Lin Qi’s eyes gleamed with anticipation; he wanted to train another hour right then and there to max it out.

At that moment, a quiet voice came from behind:

“Your body has reached its limit due to prolonged overtraining. If you push harder, it will collapse.”

“You should get treatment.”

It was Wu Kang—he passed Lin Qi, spoke those words, and walked away.

Lin Qi’s heart jolted; he stared at Wu Kang’s back, and his joy and anticipation vanished instantly.

He clenched his fist without thinking.

Has my body really reached its limit? No wonder I’ve felt unusually exhausted lately, my muscles aching nonstop.

The panel’s progress had drowned out the fatigue, so I ignored it.

“So my body has already hit its limit?”

Lin Qi knew the reason well—years of relentless training, squeezing every ounce from his body, lacking resources, and never getting proper recovery.

That’s what led to this result.

Recovery wasn’t impossible—find a professional masseur to relax the muscles, or go to a hospital for specialized therapy.

But both cost money—cheapest option still several hundred yuan, and you’d need multiple sessions, totaling at least several thousand.

Thinking of the 66 yuan left in his pocket, Lin Qi felt overwhelming pressure.

At that moment, Jiang Tao approached, holding a shirt and grumbling:

“That Wu De—runs off the second class ends, afraid of wasting even a second.”

“Other teachers, even after class, still give students extra pointers.”

“He’s barely pointed anything out to us.”

After complaining, Jiang Tao turned to Lin Qi: “Qi Ge, let’s go wash up—we need to head back to class.”

“Mm～”

Lin Qi took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, turned, and grabbed his shirt to go shower.

…

In the cold wind-blown Erzhong, the classroom of Senior 3, Class 3, dispelled the heat.

Colorful motivational slogans were pasted on the walls.

“Fight one year of spring and autumn, win a lifetime without regret!”

“Don’t lag behind like cattle and horses—fight like wild dogs!”

“…”

After finishing martial arts training, the Class 3 students began their class meeting.

Homeroom teacher Yan Hong, early thirties, wore glasses and a black suit, her face elegant.

She walked among the students, her voice crisp, expression stern—no one dared sleep under her gaze.

“You’re now in senior year—the most critical year of your life. Whether you’re a worm or a dragon depends on this year.”

“Since you chose martial arts and came to Erzhong, your goal is to enter a better martial arts university.”

“Erzhong is one of Tianhai City’s key high schools—70% of our martial arts students get into martial arts universities each year.”

“We have around 500 senior martial arts students annually; only about 350 get in. The remaining 150+ all fail.”

“Martial arts students get no chance to retake—either switch majors, join the military, or become full-time martial artists.”

“If you don’t get into a martial arts university, you’ll spend your life at the bottom of the martial world—cannon fodder against disaster beasts, working yourself to death for less than others earn in an hour.”

“The gap in your entire life is forged in senior year.”

“Here are your grades from last semester. Look at your scores and grade rankings—if you don’t want to fail, train like your life depends on it!”

As soon as Teacher Yan finished speaking, pressure crashed over everyone like a tidal wave.

Heavy, naked pressure laid bare before them all.

Many turned pale—they were at the bottom of the grade, marked for elimination.

All eyes turned to the screen.

It was a ranking list—50 students ordered by performance, the top ten marked in gold.

“After summer break, my strength surged—I’m definitely in the top ten.”

“Last semester, I just underperformed.”

As they stared at the list, the silent classroom buzzed with murmurs.

“Qi Ge, we’re definitely stronger than last semester.”

Jiang Tao whispered beside him.

Lin Qi also looked at the ranking:

【#1: Yu Jing】

【#2: Zhu Yuqi】

【#3: Jiang Tao】

【…】At #10, he saw his own name:

【Name: Lin Qi】

【Class Rank: 10】

【Grade Rank: 101】

…

Lin Qi saw his name—right at the last gold-marked spot.

Jiang Tao’s name sat firmly at #3 in the class.

Lin Qi clenched his fist, sighing inwardly—his talent still wasn’t strong enough.

Jiang Tao and he came from similar backgrounds, yet Jiang Tao always ranked top three in class, top-tier in the entire grade.

Both trained relentlessly, yet Lin Qi’s efficiency was nothing compared to Jiang Tao’s.

…

“One more thing!”

!

Yan Hong returned to the podium, switched the screen, and projected a table.

“Every year, Erzhong forms an Elite Class, gathering the top 50 students in the entire grade.”

“We deploy our best teachers to train them.”

“Beyond teaching, they get special privileges—students interested, come see me for the application form.”

“Testing in one week—focus on martial arts performance, blood qi levels, and fist techniques. The top 50 in grade ranking will join the Elite Class.”

As Yan Hong finished speaking, the entire class erupted in chaos.

“So they really are starting the elite class—top-tier faculty, and every classmate is a genius ranked in the top fifty of the grade.”

“In that environment, I can’t imagine how much improvement I’d make,” fantasized a round-faced boy.

“Li Shaodong, stop daydreaming—you’re ranked ninety-something in the grade, no chance at all,” sneered a girl with baby fat.

The classroom atmosphere instantly turned lively.

Li Shaodong shouted loudly: “Can’t I even dream?”

He then sat down and sighed: “Our class has the third-highest ranking in the grade, with six students in the top fifty.”

“Yu Jing, Zhu Yuqi, Jiang Tao, Kang Feiyue, Du Lin, Yang Lei.”

“Only the top five in class have a solid shot; the top eight have some hope. Everyone else is just filling numbers.”

Others joined the discussion.

“Yu Jing and Zhu Yuqi will definitely make the elite class—they’ll be at the very top, no pressure at all,” a girl said admiringly.

Hearing this, others looked on with envy.

At the front, a handsome boy smiled faintly as he listened.

Nearby, a girl acted as if she hadn’t heard anything, pulling out a book to read.

…

“Qi Ge, check your phone.”

Jiang Tao nudged Lin Qi’s shoulder.

Lin Qi pulled out his phone and received a WeChat transfer notification.

【You received a 3,000 Xia Country Dollar transfer from “Taozi”!】

“That’s your wages from the past few days of part-time work,” Jiang Tao laughed.

Lin Qi frowned: “Wasn’t it 2,000? Why did it go up by 1,000?”

Jiang Tao didn’t answer, but went on: “I heard everything Wu De said.”

“Use this money to recover your strength—we still need to enter the elite class together.”

Lin Qi felt a surge of emotion.

Jiang Tao’s family wasn’t well-off either—he not only brought Lin Qi along for part-time jobs, but immediately transferred the money without hesitation.

Three thousand Xia Country Dollars was still a fortune to him.

“Thanks!”

Lin Qi could only reply with two words, silently storing his gratitude in his heart.

…

“Ding ling ling~”

“Class dismissed~”

After evening self-study ended, the teacher left silently, and students dispersed.

After chatting briefly, Lin Qi and Jiang Tao parted ways; Lin Qi mounted his bicycle and rode away from No. 2 High School, along brightly lit streets.

He felt the fatigue and aches in his body.

“My body has truly reached its limit—fatigue has been constant, even affecting my focus in class.”

Lin Qi sighed inwardly.

A few minutes later

Under the night sky, Lin Qi opened his door and stepped into his home.

In the living room, besides his burly father Lin Zhen, sat a graceful woman, slender and with skin so pale it gleamed.

“Xiao Qi!” the woman greeted him with a smile upon seeing him.

Lin Qi’s eyes lit up, and he hurried into the living room.

“Mom, how are you feeling now?”

Fang Huiyi weakly shook her head and smiled: “I’m fully recovered, don’t worry about me.”

“Your mother is just a bit weak now—she needs rest for a while,” Lin Zhen explained with a smile.

“Xiao Qi, why are you home so early today?” Fang Huiyi asked curiously.

“Mom, you came home today—I came back early to see you.”

Lin Qi replied with a smile.

After chatting for a few minutes, Lin Qi returned to his bedroom.

He turned on the fan, listening to the rush of air to dispel the heat from his body.

He stared at the 3,000-plus Xia Country Dollars on his phone, felt the fatigue in his body, and fell into turmoil.

“There’s hardly any money left at home.”

“Mom’s health keeps getting worse—she needs hospital treatment every month, each time costing a fortune.”

“The family is drowning in debt; Dad works nonstop just to barely cover living expenses.”

“We can’t spare any more money for my cultivation resources—I have to find a way myself.”

“I can only place my hope in the interface.”

Lin Qi clenched his fists, thinking inwardly.

He looked at the interface.

【Template: None (99.9%)】

Just a little more—just enough to reach 100%.

Lin Qi put away his antique phone, its screen shattered, and stood in the center of the room, the cement floor covered in footprints.

Lin Qi stepped into the footprints and began standing the Hunyuan stance.

…

(End of Chapter)