Chapter 640: One and a Half Years Later! (Request Monthly Votes)

Lin Qi sat cross-legged opposite Zhao Chen, listening to Director Zhao's description.

Each exchange gave him vast amounts of information, unavailable anywhere else.

Zhao Chen smiled and said:

"There's just over a year left before the Deep Space Talent Competition begins!"

"The first round is the star system selection—this won't be difficult for you!"

"How many source veins have you condensed so far?"

Lin Qi didn't hide it and replied directly:

"I've condensed two source veins."

Zhao Chen shook his head after hearing this: "With two source veins, you already rival the top 200 on the Solar Flame List!"

"That's quite impressive."

"But it's still too weak."

"The star system selection won't be a problem, but the star region selection will be hard—your opponents will be geniuses who've condensed four, five, even six or seven source veins."

"Your source veins are too few; your physical condition is at a disadvantage—you'll struggle to defeat them."

"So you must cultivate faster and condense more source veins."

"You only have a little over a year left!"

Lin Qi nodded after hearing this: "I understand."

…

Two hours later

Lin Qi left the office; chatting with Zhao Chen had also given him some cultivation guidance.

As a power of the Cosmic Three Realms, Zhao Chen understood the essence of cultivation more deeply than Fiona.

Lin Qi now had new insights into martial arts, gained much, and began to grasp how to condense his third source vein.

Unconsciously, he arrived before Solar Flame Mountain.

He looked up at the Solar Flame List.

【No. 245: Lin Qi (Hidden Civilization), Gates Passed: 4】

…

In half a year, his ranking had improved dramatically.

He successfully passed the fourth gate of Solar Flame Mountain and rose to No. 245.

He had to admit: there were too many geniuses in the Void Flight Realm—he still hadn't cracked the top 100.

"Now that we've learned the killing technique Qianshan Split, our ranking should rise!"

Thinking this, Lin Qi entered Solar Flame Mountain.

…

Two hours later

"Boom!!"

A deafening sound erupted across endless mountains.

Countless boulders collapsed, mountains shattered, and countless craters blasted open.

A figure shot out like a golden streak, piercing and killing insectoid warriors one after another.

Yet he was constantly surrounded and attacked!

Around Lin Qi, a golden barrier rose; amid relentless assaults, the metal shield exploded, releasing a golden shockwave.

The surrounding insectoid warriors suffered the most brutal impact—their internal organs instantly ruptured.

In the fourth gate of Solar Flame Mountain, the opponents became a thousand insectoid warriors.

They possessed the most agile movements, their attacks impenetrable.

Even with full force, under constant siege, Lin Qi's Golden Gangjin barely held—most critically, it drained his stamina and source energy.

Since the opponents became Void Flight Realm cultivators, they'd grown far harder to handle.

That's why he was still stuck at the fourth gate, unable to pass.

He targeted the surrounding insectoid warriors, swung his great spear, and unleashed his killing technique.

"Hummm!!"

The spear swept horizontally, releasing a thousand invisible blades; nine blade wheels instantly formed, vibrating at high frequency, slicing through space.

A golden blade, a kilometer long, slashed down from the sky.

Lin Qi spun wildly around his own body!

Killing Technique—Qianshan Split!

Over a hundred insectoid warriors were engulfed within the attack's range.

"Puff puff~~"

Their bodies were cleanly cut in half; the golden blade edges lingered at the wounds.

One strike killed 106 insectoid warriors; nine others were caught in the blast, instantly crippled, arms severed.

Seeing this, Lin Qi smiled.

He channeled his remaining Golden Gangjin and unleashed the killing technique—Qianshan Split—again.

Another golden crescent slashed out, a thousand blade edges unleashed.

"Boom!!"

"Crash!!"

This time, over a hundred insectoid warriors were engulfed, instantly cut in half, vanishing into nothingness.

A small hilltop was also caught in the attack, instantly sheared flat by invisible blades.

Countless boulders tumbled down the slope, crashing with thunderous noise, creating an artificial disaster.

Lin Qi stood in place, watching the insectoid warriors reduced by a large portion.

Though satisfying, his stamina and source energy were utterly depleted.

At his current strength, even at full capacity, he could only unleash three Qianshan Split techniques!

Unless he condensed more source veins to store greater source energy.

"Shhh shhh shhh!!"

The remaining insectoid warriors surged forward.

Lin Qi swung his trembling arms, thrusting his great spear, using his body technique to dodge attacks from all sides.

Twenty minutes later.

Exhausted Lin Qi was completely overwhelmed by the insectoid warriors.

【Lin Qi of Blue Star Civilization, unfortunately, you are dead. Time elapsed: 2 hours, 31 minutes, 15 seconds!】

【Congratulations! Your rank on the Solar Flame List has risen from No. 249 to No. 199!】

【Yes/No: Spend 100 Deep Space Coins to continue the trial?】

…

Lin Qi looked at the pop-up message and nodded inwardly—one jump of fifty ranks.

It proved his combat power had improved dramatically.

Further advancement would no longer be easy.

Because those ahead of him were all geniuses who'd condensed five or six source veins.

He chose to exit; his figure vanished instantly.

…

Before Solar Flame Mountain, Lin Qi stared at the Solar Flame List, especially seeing several familiar names he'd surpassed—he smiled.

No. 218: Fraser, No. 225: Yunita, No. 239: Hobbs.

All had now been overtaken by him.

Once, they had been among the top three on the Solar Flame List.

Now he had surpassed them one by one.

Lin Qi looked higher, and saw another familiar name.

Ice Emperor and Tyrant had both evolved into star system-level geniuses, their rankings soaring.

Originally limited by talent to six source veins, they could now aim for seven.

Eight source veins weren't impossible.

Thinking this, Lin Qi logged off.

After his departure, as time passed, someone finally noticed the ranking shift.

"Huh? Lin Qi's rank rose again!"

"Wasn't he No. 249? Where'd he go?"

"There—he's No. 199!"

"What's going on? How did Lin Qi jump straight to No. 199?"

"He just surpassed Fraser, Yunita, and Hobbs—all three!"

"And even Carlos, the former No. 1—he didn't clear the fifth gate, but he's still a top-tier genius. Who'd have thought he'd be surpassed too?"

Hearing the exclamations, others turned to the Solar Flame List and saw the change.

Instantly, chatter erupted.

And not far away, Lei Ze was also stunned.

He too is now in the Air Yukongjing, having broken through even earlier than Lin Qi, yet he's only ranked just over 600th.

Compared to Lin Qi, the difference is far more than a little.

They are no longer on the same level of genius.

……

In the cosmic virtual space, on a vast training ground shrouded in dark clouds and littered with silver lightning.

A man sat cross-legged, tall and imposing, his body radiating silver patterns like thunder.

The silver patterns began to glow with golden light, no longer purely silver.

He was Freize, from the Lei Yao Civilization, and also a top genius of the Relyang Dao Academy.

At this moment, he watched the projection screen before him, where messages continuously updated—the forum of the Relyang Dao Academy.

Everyone was discussing Lin Qi's astonishing achievements.

Freize couldn't help but sigh:

"This Lin Qi is truly a genius who broke through the Sixth Gate—in just a few months, he's surpassed me."

"With Lin Qi in the Relyang Dao Academy, the Lei Yao Star System also has a top genius."

"The Deep Space Genius Competition is still over a year away, and countless geniuses have emerged—I cannot fall behind."

He clenched his fists, feeling intense pressure—and his blood boiled with passion.

He immediately returned to his cultivation.

……

Not just Freize—Younida, Hobbs, and other geniuses also gradually saw the news.

All felt the pressure; the atmosphere of competition grew even thicker.

No one dared relax for a moment, as countless geniuses waited both ahead and behind.

A single moment of slackness would let the geniuses ahead pull farther away, and those behind catch up.

They could only grit their teeth and push themselves relentlessly in cultivation.

……

In the blink of an eye, one and a half years passed.

On June 1, 2053, Martial Dao Calendar.

"According to our latest report, our nation's expected number of martial dao candidates for this year's college entrance exam will exceed thirty million!"

"Major martial dao universities have announced plans to expand enrollment of martial dao students…"

"Our nation now has fifty ninth-realm title-ranked martial artists; the total number of title-ranked martial artists on Blue Star has surpassed four hundred!"

"In our cooperation with the Liurun Civilization, our nation has achieved varying degrees of advancement in science, economy, agriculture, and martial dao…" Tianhai No. 2 High School

In a private office, Zhang Cheng, a burly man with a scar across his face, listened to the news.

"In the blink of an eye, three years have passed!"

"The world has changed so much!"

He slowly stood up; over these years, Blue Star had transformed daily, the tide of the age rolling forward relentlessly.

He himself had undergone tremendous change.

Not only had all his injuries healed, but he had advanced further, breaking through to the Fourth Realm and becoming a Fourth Realm Bone-Cultivating martial artist.

He rose and left his office; the corridor was thick with restless energy.

Because the college entrance exam was now less than ten days away.

He entered the martial dao classroom of the elite class, where all the students had gathered.

They radiated youthful vigor; nearly half had already successfully broken through to the Second Realm.

Zhang Cheng nodded inwardly; over these past three years, as they had connected with the cosmos, the Deep Space Academy had granted them technology, and the Liurun Civilization had come to support them.

Facing the invasion of Disaster Beasts, the balance of offense and defense had reversed.

More Disaster Beasts were being hunted; Blue Star had visibly grown wealthier.

Martial dao strength had risen dramatically.

Tianhai No. 2 High School now ranked among the top two in overall teaching strength in Tianhai City.

Because it was Jin Di's alma mater!

"Everyone!"

Zhang Cheng spoke, his voice booming like a bell.

"The college entrance exam is only ten days away, and competition grows fiercer every year."

"Don't think breaking into the Second Realm means you've made it—in Tianhai City, there are countless geniuses like you."

"This year, our goal is to surpass Tianhai No. 1 High School. I've set a target for each of you."

"Reach your target, and you'll earn Jin Di's autograph!"

At these words, the entire class erupted.

"Really?"

"Teacher, you said it—don't you dare go back on your word."

"I'll push myself to the limit—Jin Di is my idol. If I can get his autograph, my life will be worth it!"

Zhang Cheng smiled: "Don't worry—I can still get a few autographs."

He looked at the cheering students and smiled too.

He suddenly thought of Lin Qi—now stronger than he could ever have imagined.

Yet for the safety of Blue Star, he still trained tirelessly.

It was said he would even compete in the universe's ultimate event—the Deep Space Genius Competition.

He knew this was a top-tier contest, tied to the fate of all Blue Star's people—and to Lin Qi's future.

……

Tianhai City, Candidate Yu Jing Candidate Yu Jing Haoting Community.

Residence No. 5.

In the spacious backyard, two little toddlers were wildly chasing a golden wolf as large as a mountain.

The golden wolf moved swiftly; the children could never catch it, yet they never grew tired of it.

"Xiao Xiao, Yue Yue, dinner's ready!"

A voice rang out from the living room.

"Okay, Mom!"

"Roar~"

The golden wolf instantly shrank in size and dashed into the living room.

Lin Xiao and Lin Zhao Yue hurried in to find their parents, Lin Zhen and Fang Fang Huiyi, already seated at the dinner table.

The air was filled with the aroma of food.

"Xiao Xiao!!"

Another figure descended the stairs.

"Brother, dinner's ready!"

Lin Qi heard his brother and sister's voices and sat down at the table.

Over two years, they had grown from infants into little toddlers.

They could now speak, walk, run, jump—and their physical constitution far surpassed that of other children their age.

Lin Zhen looked at his two children and sighed:

"Xiao Xiao and Yue Yue are only two years old and already so energetic, bursting with endless vitality—they're too wild."

"Xiao Qi, you were much more well-behaved when you were little."

Fang Fang Huiyi laughed: "Having energy is good—look how much they eat and how well they digest, like two little calves full of strength."

"They'll definitely be geniuses!"

Lin Qi gently patted Lin Xiao's head:

"Being wild is good—it shows they have strong martial dao talent!"

"Once they're a bit older, we can start teaching them martial arts!"

Lin Zhen nodded and asked:

"How long will you be staying home this time?"

Lin Qi smiled: "After the college entrance exam, I'll probably return to base."

Lin Zhen nodded: "By the way, I recently entered the cosmic virtual network—everyone's talking about the Deep Space Genius Competition!"

"It's the universe's top competition—you must prepare well."

"Tomorrow, registration is supposed to open!"

"We'll all be cheering for you then."

Lin Qi nodded; without realizing it, the Deep Space Genius Competition was about to begin.

……

That night, in the martial dao chamber.

"Qi Ge, there are only six hours left until the Relyang List rewards are settled!"

"We're all preparing to enter the Relyang Dao Academy!"

"Good, let's go!"

Lin Qi, dressed in a black martial arts uniform, spoke to Jiang Tao on the screen.

After ending the video call, he logged into the Cosmic Virtual Network as usual.

"Hum!"

When he opened his eyes, he was already inside his bedroom at the Mount Yangyang Dao Academy.

He quickly went downstairs and headed toward Mount Mount Yangyang.

Below, he saw many familiar faces.

Jiang Tao, Sun Sheng, Li Tian, the War God, the Ice Emperor, the Ganges Ganges Zunzhe, the Overlord, the Mountain-River King…

All top-tier Qiangzhe from Blue Planet.

The War God, clad in a black robe, slowly spoke:

"Let's go!"

"It's time for our annual reward settlement at the Skyriding Realm!"

Thus, the group set off in force toward Mount Mount Yangyang.

"They're from Blue Planet civilization!"

"Over the past few years, Blue Planet civilization has made a huge splash, producing several geniuses."

"Counting carefully, there are a staggering nine of them—terrifying, for a civilization with just one planet."

"They possess star-system-level power, each with extraordinary mass!"

"Two of them are in the top ten of the Skyriding Realm, and Lin Qi has broken into the top 100!"

"Last time was just a few months ago; this time, he might break into the top 50!"

"With the Deep Space Genius Competition arriving, too many geniuses have emerged!"

Amid the crowd's chatter, Lin Qi and the others arrived at Mount Mount Yangyang.

Lin Qi glanced at the leaderboard; he was currently ranked 90th—the same as his score five months ago.

His combat power had improved further; he expected to climb higher.

"This time, I'm aiming for the top 300!"

Jiang Tao suddenly spoke, then entered Mount Mount Yangyang.

Over the past year and more, Jiang Tao successfully broke from the Eighth Realm into the Skyriding Realm, barely making it in time.

He progressed rapidly, now challenging Sun Sheng and Li Tian!

This put pressure on them too.

Sun Sheng excitedly said, "My goal this time is the top 100!"

Li Tian chuckled, "First get into the top 150."

Both then entered Mount Mount Yangyang. Lin Qi greeted those around him and stepped in as well.

…

Mount Mount Yangyang, Fifth Gate.

Lin Qi donned his black-gold battle armor, swung his black-gold great spear, and unleashed a continuous torrent of immense power.

He looked at his panel.

【Name: Lin Qi】

【Template: Yang Yang Jian, the Second Son True Person】

【Fusion Rate: 48.9%】

【Spirit Power: 80000 (Skyriding Realm)】

【Blood Qi: 65555 (Skyriding Realm, Three Source Veins)】

【Spear Technique: Fifth Rank, 98%】

【Movement Technique: Fifth Rank, 98%】

…

Looking at his stats, Lin Qi saw that over the past year, all his metrics had improved significantly.

But his progress had slowed considerably!

Previously, he had advanced a major realm every few months.

Now, it was different.

In over two years, he had only formed three Source Veins!

His realm advancement had stagnated, but his martial arts had not.

His spear and movement techniques were both perfected.

He was only a step away from breakthrough.

His martial arts had outpaced his physical realm.

On the Mount Yangyang List, only nine others possessed Sixth-Rank techniques.

All other Skyriding Realm geniuses were stuck at Fifth-Rank perfection, unable to break through!

They were all top-tier geniuses with seven or eight Source Veins!

Lin Qi wasn't worried about martial arts.

But his physical constitution still lagged far behind.

【Countdown: …3, 2, 1】

【Mount Mount Yangyang Fifth Gate Trial Begins!】

As Lin Qi pondered, the Hive Queen and the insect warriors launched their assault from the sky!

Lin Qi was already familiar with these insect warriors' attacks; he swung his great spear skillfully, unleashing hundreds of golden spear-gangs in a thunderous barrage!

The battle erupted instantly!

…

(End of Chapter)