Chapter 50: Carrot and Stick (Requesting Follows)

“Qi Ge, you’re out!”

Soon, Lin Qi also emerged, and Jiang Tao eagerly stepped forward to greet him.

“Qi Ge, you’re the best!”

Jiang Tao gave a thumbs-up, then bumped fists with Lin Qi; the two exchanged a knowing smile.

“By the way, how exactly did Lin Qi win?”

“Qiu Jie had higher blood qi, and his spear technique seemed even stronger—but Lin Qi still won. That doesn’t fit my understanding.”

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shook their head and asked.

“Let me answer that!”

Zhang Cheng stood up and spoke; as all eyes turned to him, he began explaining:

“Blood qi and technique are major factors in combat, but not the only ones.”

“Martial arts isn’t a game—higher stats don’t guarantee victory.”

“In combat, your mindset, judgment, decisiveness, and anticipation all influence the outcome.”

“As for Qiu Jie, he lost fairly—no amount of resentment will change that.”

“Your spear technique is decent, but your fundamentals are weak—your grip isn’t steady, your strikes aren’t precise. Lin Qi had multiple ways to defeat you.”

“In the end, he chose a simple thrust and broke through your finishing move.”

“Tenth in grade?”

“I said you didn’t need to listen to my lessons—I thought you’d be something special, but this is it?”

“Ask Lin Qi—he used even seven-tenths of his strength?”

Zhang Cheng sneered, mercilessly dismantling Qiu Jie.

Under everyone’s gaze, Qiu Jie’s face flushed crimson, his blood qi surging, a nameless rage boiling in his chest—he nearly lunged forward.

Lin Qi watched from the side, unable to help but admire Zhang Cheng’s insight—he saw everything clearly.

Qiu Jie’s spear technique hadn’t broken into second rank; he couldn’t even match Wu Feng from before. Beating Lin Qi was impossible.

Faced with Zhang Cheng, the furious Qiu Jie ultimately kept his composure and turned to leave.

“Alright, the ten who fought stay behind; everyone else return to the martial arts classroom,” Zhang Cheng suddenly said.

The others began to leave.

“Lin Qi is amazing—now he’s truly risen. Who could’ve expected this?”

As the others departed, their murmurs reached Lin Qi’s ears.

In everyone’s eyes, Lin Qi had become a star of the senior class—not the anonymous nobody he once was.

Soon, the virtual chamber held only Lin Qi and the other eleven.

“Lin Qi, you’re impressive!” Zhang Cheng said, offering rare praise.

“It’s all thanks to Master’s guidance,” Lin Qi replied humbly.

Zhang Cheng nodded in satisfaction, scanning the ten of them.

“In one week, you ten will represent Tianhai No. 2 High in the competition.”

“Your opponents are Songbai Middle from Bai Lu City—they’re strong, a serious rival. If you grow careless and lose, you’ll cost our school the exchange match.”

“Heh, don’t blame us if everyone starts criticizing you.”

“Songbai Middle is one of Bai Lu City’s top ten schools, yet they’re treated as equals to our second-tier school.”

“Their overall strength surpasses ours. Unfortunately, we’ve been matched against them.”

“I have only one demand: win the final victory.”

Zhang Cheng’s voice grew louder, a powerful aura radiating from him.

Everyone frowned, feeling a heavy pressure—the rival school was ranked as second-tier, and winning seemed difficult.

“This exchange match isn’t just training—it also comes with prize money.”

“Each participating school and the city’s Martial Arts Education Bureau contribute 500,000 yuan each—totaling 2 million yuan.”

“The winning side takes all 2 million yuan,” Zhang Cheng added suddenly.

Lin Qi’s eyes lit up—2 million yuan. Even split evenly, he’d get 200,000.

Of course, it wouldn’t be split evenly—likely the winners would take more. The thought gave him renewed drive.

“Use this week to train hard, push your limits, and strengthen your cultivation.”

“That’s all I’ll say. Dismissed. Lin Qi, stay behind,” Zhang Cheng said.

The other nine left, leaving only Lin Qi and Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng looked at Lin Qi, growing more satisfied by the moment, and smiled.

“Lin Qi, I was right about you—you’re even better than I imagined.”

“How much strength did you use against Qiu Jie?”

Lin Qi paused, then said: “Seven-tenths.”

“Seven-tenths defeated Qiu Jie? Among the top ten in grade, few can surpass you.”

Zhang Cheng praised again, his tone heavier. “Have you signed a contract with a martial arts hall? C-class? Or B-class?” he asked suddenly.

Lin Qi shook his head: “Not yet. Zhongmi and Heiyao Martial Arts Halls approached me, but they only offered C-class contracts.”

“Chiqiong Martial Arts Hall hasn’t contacted me yet.”

Zhang Cheng frowned: “That doesn’t make sense. With your talent, a B-class contract should be easy.”

“Something’s off. Wait a while longer—Chiqiong might have good news soon.”

Lin Qi nodded. He wasn’t in a hurry—if he won the exchange match prize, he’d be even less eager.

…

Back in his martial arts chamber

Lin Qi changed into his training uniform, took a vitality tonic, picked up his spear, and began training.

“Shuashua~”

The spear thrust forward, its tip trembling, the shaft vibrating with a low hum.

!

A powerful aura surged outward like tidal waves—each move followed the next, fierce and dominant; every thrust seemed ready to shatter mountains.

Lin Qi controlled his arm muscles, swinging the spear to fully express its style, force, and precision.

He recalled the battle in his mind.

Qiu Jie’s strength was weaker than he’d expected.

His spear technique had high rank, but his fundamentals were shaky—his strikes weren’t steady, and Lin Qi easily found openings.

Still, that made sense—basic training is the most tedious, and only he had the discipline to stick with it, building the firmest foundation.

Then Lin Qi thought of the martial arts exchange match.

In one week, the opponent would be Songbai Middle.

Their overall strength was greater, and they wouldn’t be as weak as Qiu Jie.

Whether for the opponent or the prize money, he had to raise his strength further.

“I’ve mastered my first finishing move. It’s time to develop the second.”

Lin Qi silently resolved his goal for the coming week:

Boost his blood qi, push his spear technique toward second rank, and begin understanding his second finishing move.

…

That evening, Chiqiong Martial Arts Hall

From a black luxury car in the underground garage stepped a burly man, radiating a fierce aura, his presence wild and commanding—every gesture exuded dominance.

“Finally back!”

The man stepped into his private elevator, ascending straight to the hall’s top floor.

As the elevator doors opened, he entered a spacious office: a massive desk at the center, behind it a broad brown bookshelf.

He’d barely sat down when the doorbell rang.

“Come in!”

The office door opened, and Sun Supervisor entered, dressed in a black suit.

“Welcome back, Hall Master!”

“Is this your welcome—dumping a mountain of work on me?”

Yue Feng sighed, exasperated—his deputy hall master truly was a workhorse.

“Speak. What’s so urgent?”

“There’s a prodigy with unusual circumstances—we don’t know what contract to offer. You need to decide.”

“Oh?”

“Let me see!” Yue Feng reached out curiously.

Sun Supervisor pulled out a tablet and projected the file, enlarging it.

“Lin Qi, student of Tianhai No. 2 High…”

Yue Feng scanned the file quickly, then paused, deep in thought.

“This is hard to judge. Let me think—I’ll give you an answer later.”

“Understood!”

After Sun Supervisor left, Yue Feng frowned: “This kind of prodigy is a blind box—you never know what you’ll get.”

Such geniuses have appeared before, but only a very few were true geniuses; most soon sank into mediocrity.

Drip!

As he thought this, his phone rang. He pulled it out and looked.

“Zhang Cheng? Why is this guy calling me?” Yue Feng wondered, then answered.

……

(End of Chapter)