Chapter 55: Won Big (Request Follows)

The martial arts exchange competition continues.

The atmosphere on both sides had subtly shifted; under the intelligent female voice’s reminder, the second match officially began.

From Songbai Middle School, Liang Kai stepped onto the arena, his palms sweaty, his heart pounding uncontrollably.

Even Lin Qi, the lowest-ranked student from Tianhai No.2, is this strong—what about the ninth-place student? Can I even win?

On Tianhai No.2’s side, the ninth-place student was a tall boy named Yu Peng.

He was extremely excited; Lin Qi’s victory had filled him with confidence.

Songbai Middle School isn’t strong overall. If Lin Qi can defeat his opponent, then as the grade’s ninth-place student, I can do it too.

【3, 2, 1…】

【Second match, officially started!】

As the intelligent female voice announced, the match began.

Two figures swung their weapons and vanished from their spots, fierce winds howling, blades flashing, swords and battle axes clashing violently.

Two minutes later

“Clang clang~”

Liang Kai’s expression turned strange; he swung his longsword, a flash of cold light, and it instantly pierced Yu Peng’s chest.

“How weak is this guy?”

This opponent was far weaker than he’d imagined—how could this happen?

Could it be that Lin Qi is too strong!

The thought suddenly flashed through Liang Kai’s mind.

Yu Peng, defeated and returned to the spectator seat, was stunned—how strong is this opponent?

The match continued.

Both sides quickly moved to the third match, each fielding their grade’s eighth-place student.

A few minutes later

Tianhai No.2’s eighth-place student, a slightly chubby boy, was sent back with a grim face.

“She’s too strong—I can’t beat her!”

He bowed his head in shame.

Others heard this and frowned; the elite class watching on-screen were stunned.

“What’s going on? Why did we lose again?”

“We’ve lost two matches in a row—and so badly.”

Where did we go wrong?

Li Zhou and the others also noticed this—the opponent’s overall strength wasn’t weak; on the contrary, it was terrifyingly strong.

Could our win in the first match have been only because Lin Qi was too strong?

On Songbai Middle School’s spectator bench.

“Easy, really easy!”

“I thought Tianhai No.2 would be tough, but now it looks like nothing special!” someone stretched and laughed.

“Only Lin Qi is strong—the rest are Tianhai No.2’s true level,” Liang Kai spoke with the right to comment.

“Now it’s my turn to crush the weak!”

A girl smiled and stepped eagerly onto the arena!

【Please enter the fourth contestant!】

“Big Bro Lin, I’m going!” Jiang Tao also rolled up his sleeves.

“Go ahead, Taozi—this second win is up to you.”

Lin Qi nodded, watching Jiang Tao step forward—he trusted Jiang Tao, who was a true genius.

A few minutes later

【Fourth match, Tianhai No.2, Jiang Tao wins!】

“I’m not called Blade Monkey for nothing.”

Jiang Tao swaggered back to the spectator bench, fist-bumped Lin Qi; after making the top ten, he’d earned a new nickname—Blade Monkey.

Seeing Jiang Tao’s victory, the elite class breathed a sigh of relief—they’d feared total collapse from the earlier gap.

Only Zhang Cheng’s face remained grim.

The exchange competition was fully controlled by the system and didn’t pause; the next few matches proceeded smoothly.

Fifth match, Songbai Middle School wins!

Sixth match, Songbai Middle School wins!

Seventh match, draw!

After seven matches, Songbai Middle School’s spectators looked relaxed—victory was within reach.

Tianhai No.2’s side was grim-faced; those in the virtual chamber were silent as a library.

“Songbai Middle School has won four in a row—win one more, and we’re finished,” Jiang Tao sighed.

Lin Qi frowned too—if Tianhai No.2 lost, they’d need to win the next three matches straight to win overall—too hard!

At Songbai Middle School, Cao Bin looked at Zhang Cheng and sneered.

“Go on, finish off the remaining three in one go—take the victory and the prize money.”

“Yes!” Everyone cheered.

Tianhai No.2

Zhang Cheng exhaled, turning to Qi Yuelin:

“It’s up to you!”

Qi Yuelin nodded and vanished from her spot.

Eighth match officially began!

【Eighth match, Tianhai No.2, Qi Yuelin wins!】

A few minutes later, Qi Yuelin returned smiling.

【Ninth match, Tianhai No.2, Yu Jing wins!】

Yu Jing shook his head as he stepped down: “That’s it?”

【Tenth match, Tianhai No.2, Li Zhou wins!】

Li Zhou returned with a grin: “Some strength, but not much.”

Zhang Cheng smiled—three wins in a row, Tianhai No.2 had won.

【Martial Arts Exchange Competition, Final Result: Songbai : Tianhai = 4:5】

【Tianhai No.2 wins the final victory!】 The intelligent female voice announced the result into the air.

Songbai Middle School’s people were stunned; Cao Bin’s face darkened—they’d lost, defeated by Tianhai No.2’s three straight wins, utterly humiliated.

Others nearby also looked grim—no one had expected this outcome.

Everyone rushed to log off.

…

“We won!” Jiang Tao laughed.

Lin Qi, rarely smiling, finally showed a grin—Li Zhou and the other three were reliable after all; this exchange match had been full of twists.

Li Zhou and the other three were clearly a level above the rest.

At least now his prize money was safe.

Logged off, exited the virtual pod—the entire virtual chamber buzzed with excited voices.

“No wonder they’re top three—unbelievably steady.”

!

“In the end, it all came down to those three.”

“And Jiang Tao and Lin Qi—they’re dark horses too.”

“I bet next year’s top five will be them,” someone suddenly predicted.

Many nodded in agreement.

Zhang Cheng smiled and summed up:

“Alright, everyone else return to your classrooms. Li Zhou, you ten stay.”

After all others left

Zhang Cheng looked over the ten of them and, rare as it was, smiled in praise:

“You all performed well—none of us expected we’d win in the end. You’ve brought great honor to our school.”

“Don’t worry—two million Xiaoguo coins, everyone gets a share.”

“Everyone who participated gets 100,000 Xiaoguo coins; those who drew get 200,000.”

“Those who won their matches get 280,000 Xiaoguo coins.”

“The prize money will be deposited into your accounts tomorrow or the day after.”

The others listened calmly, unmoved by the victory—they weren’t short on money.

Only Lin Qi and Jiang Tao exchanged a glance, both secretly thrilled.

For them, 280,000 Xiaoguo coins was a fortune.

“Alright, disperse and get back to training!” Zhang Cheng dismissed them.

"Lin Qi, add me on WeChat, so we can stay in touch." Li Zhou suddenly said.

"Add me too!" Qi Yuelin spoke up.

"And me!" Zhu Yuqi, ranked fourth in the grade, smiled.

A few others also asked to add WeChat; Lin Qi didn’t refuse, adding them one by one.

Each of them wore friendly, enthusiastic smiles.

Only Yu Jing remained unmoved, turning away and leaving.

…

A few minutes later

Lin Qi returned to his martial arts chamber, closed his eyes, and recalled the recent battle, especially the fights against Li Zhou and the others.

"The others are one thing, but Li Zhou, Yu Jing, Qi Yuelin—they all have far stronger cultivation base and qi than I do; the gap is obvious. I’m not their match yet."

"As for the rest, winning isn’t impossible."

Lin Qi exhaled and began taking his Energy Pill.

"My expenses keep rising—I’ve all but abandoned Blood Pills. I now take Energy Pills daily, four training sessions a day, burning through four bottles."

"The last batch of Energy Pills I bought is gone; I just purchased another, spending around 150,000 yuan."

Lin Qi silently calculated: no matter how expensive the Energy Pills, he must take them daily to ensure rapid qi advancement.

Between his First-Class Talent Loan and the Star Rank event bonus, he now had less than 500,000 yuan left—he’d spent over 300,000 yuan in half a month.

The remaining money won’t last a month; with the 280,000-yuan bonus, he can hold out a bit longer.

"I still need money!"

Lin Qi sighed inwardly; event bonuses were small change—only signing a contract with a martial arts gym would bring real income.

…

At the same time, in the principal’s office.

"I never expected we’d actually win."

"Lao Zhang, this is all your doing."

Jiang Zhiguang paced excitedly around the office, occasionally watering the potted plants, where fresh green sprouts pushed through the soil.

"Don’t credit me—I barely guided a handful of the top ten. Li Zhou and the others are strong on their own."

"But Lin Qi and Jiang Tao? They’re definitely my students," Zhang Cheng said, eating an ice pop.

"Lin Qi and Jiang Tao—especially Lin Qi—who could’ve predicted they’d rise so fast? Our No. 2 High’s luck has finally come." Jiang Zhiguang couldn’t stop praising.

"Hum!"

At that moment, Zhang Cheng’s phone vibrated. He pulled it out, glanced at it, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

…

(End of Chapter)