Chapter 67

Lin Qi slowly rose from the virtual pod and took a sip of the functional drink Jiang Tao handed him.

Jiang Tao looked up at the large screen displaying the Crimson List and said, “Ten o’clock sharp, the Crimson List will update officially—ten minutes left.”

Then he leaned in and whispered secretly:

“Brother Qi, aren’t you Yang Jian?”

Lin Qi nodded calmly in acknowledgment: “It’s me.”

Jiang Tao immediately grinned: “Haha, I knew it!”

“With your spear skills, your rank on the Crimson List is definitely high.”

“I heard from Lu Xiang and others that Yang Jian doesn’t just use a spear—he wields the ‘Shatter-Mountain Spear Art’—that makes it even clearer.”

“On the entire Crimson List, only you fit all these criteria.”

Lin Qi nodded; he wasn’t surprised—he knew Jiang Tao would find out eventually.

“Brother Qi, I’ll keep it secret for you,” Jiang Tao chuckled.

Then the two went to find Guo Heng, waiting for the Crimson List update, and arrived at the rest area, where a large crowd was already chatting.

“Siying, you were matched against that Yang Jian too—and lost?”

At a corner leisure table, Qiu Siying nodded in response to Lu Xiang’s question:

“That Yang Jian is extremely strong. With the same second-rank martial arts, he effortlessly broke through my sword techniques and killed me.”

“He’s definitely not an ordinary person.”

Guo Heng laughed and said: “Don’t worry—next time I’m matched against Yang Jian, I’ll give him a lesson.”

“I’ll make him know our No. 1 High’s strength isn’t weak.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Qi and Jiang Tao approached; Jiang Tao deliberately raised an eyebrow at Lin Qi.

“Lin Qi, Taozi’s here!”

Guo Heng greeted them as they arrived.

The six sat together chatting.

“I wonder if Wang Qiufeng can still hold first place now that the Crimson List covers the entire Cang Province?” Qiu Siying asked curiously.

“Time’s up—the Crimson List is updating!!”

Guo Heng suddenly said; everyone’s gaze fixed on the virtual room’s large electronic screen.

Not just them—the entire virtual room held over a thousand people, densely packed.

Everyone was focused on the Crimson List update.

“Shhh~”

The Crimson List projected on the screen instantly turned into a blazing crimson flame.

“Boom~”

Moments later, accompanied by a thunderous roar, the flame exploded into a brand-new crimson list—the new rankings appeared.

Everyone strained to see the top rank:

【Crimson List (Cang Province)】

【Rank 1: Li, Rank: Star】

【Rank 2: Wind God, Rank: Star】

【Rank 2: Great Sound Is Silent, Rank: Star】

……

【Rank 85: Yang Jian, Rank: Star】

……

“The rankings are out!” someone shouted.

The entire virtual room erupted in chaos, filled with heated discussions.

“Who is this Li? He surpassed Wind God?” someone asked in confusion.

“Wang Qiufeng was surpassed?” Qiu Siying stood up, disbelieving.

Lu Xiang, Wu Feng, and others frowned.

Lin Qi was also startled—he had seen Wang Qiufeng’s strength; he was unquestionably a top-tier expert.

Could someone really be stronger than him?

Who was this “Li”?

At that moment, Guo Heng spoke slowly:

“After yesterday’s midterm exam, our No. 1 High received not only our own score sheet but also the list of the top ten in the entire Cang Province.”

“This Li must be Chen Li—the top scorer in the Cang Province midterm exam!”

“His nickname is ‘Dominant Sword’—from Shuangshi Middle School in Bai Lu City. During the martial arts exchange competition, he effortlessly defeated the No. 1 from No. 3 High—Li Ke, currently ranked fifth on the Crimson List.”

Hearing this record, everyone agreed—he truly deserved first place.

Lin Qi silently memorized the name “Chen Li.”

In the future, if he wanted to challenge for the provincial top rank, Chen Li would be a formidable opponent.

Thinking of this, Lin Qi looked around.

“I think I was matched against Li—he wields a fierce, brutal sword style; one slash shattered me,” someone said, still shaken.

“So powerful? No wonder he’s number one on the Crimson List.”

Lin Qi glanced at the rank 85—Jiang Tao was slightly lower at 95, and Guo Heng had dropped to 28.

Even Li Zhou had fallen out of the top ten.

“Brother Qi, everyone’s talking about the top three—they’re the focus of discussion; countless people will idolize them.”

“To be honest, I’m jealous.”

Jiang Tao suddenly spoke up.

Lin Qi listened to the excited, reverent chatter around him and nodded silently.

“Brother Qi, don’t you think it’s possible for us two to climb into the top three and take their places?” Jiang Tao said suddenly, serious.

Lin Qi looked at Jiang Tao and smiled:

“Fine—I’ll take first, you take second.”

“Huh? Why can’t I be first?”

“I’m strong too, you know—I’ll definitely surpass you in the final exam.”

Jiang Tao grumbled.

……

Bureau of Martial Arts Education, Director’s Office

After a long day, Director He took a sip of a stimulant tonic and continued handling affairs. He swiftly scanned the projected documents, added annotations, and opened the next file.

Then his eyes lit up.

“Lin Qi from No. 2 High—sounds familiar.”

“Applied for the Special-Class Talent Loan before—failed, and now applying again?”

“He’s already in the top ten of his grade?”

“Then no problem!”

Director He approved the application and stamped it with his electronic seal.

“Confirmed as a talent. Looking forward to this student’s further progress—don’t let the nation’s expectations down.”

……

Today, Martial Arts Room 503

Lin Qi finished lunch and prepared to begin training.

!

“Hummm!!”

His phone vibrated; he pulled it out and checked.

【Your Industrial and Commercial Bank card ending in xxx received 2 million Xia National Currency on November 13 at 12:10 PM!】

“The Special-Class Talent Loan has arrived!”

Lin Qi’s expression brightened—he had been informed by his homeroom teacher, Yan Hong, that morning that his Special-Class Talent Loan application had been approved.

The money arrived by noon.

He silently calculated: his B-class contract was worth 3 million Xia National Currency—he had used 2 million to repay the loan, leaving over a million unspent.

Adding the newly deposited 2 million from the Special-Class Talent Loan, his balance now reached 3 million Xia National Currency.

“Indeed, there’s a saying that’s true—in Xia Nation, compared to the rest of the world, it’s the fairest.”

“As long as you show talent, you’ll never lack money or resources.”

Lin Qi put down his phone, took out two energy tonic vials, drank them, then applied Crimson Blood Ointment.

“Huu~”

Lin Qi took a deep breath and soon felt his body begin to heat up.

“Nutritional meal, energy tonic, Crimson Blood Ointment—combined, they maximize the training effect.”

“Huu~”

Lin Qi’s breathing grew heavier, his skin burning hot, his stomach rapidly warming as if a furnace blazed inside.

His body temperature kept rising, muscles fully activated, qi and blood surging, driven by intense heat into every corner to refine them.

Lin Qi gripped the spear through searing pain.

The Blood-Red Ointment had another benefit: while training with the spear, it also strengthened muscles and enhanced blood qi.

“Swish-swish~”

Lin Qi seized the spear, channeling power into it, muscles tensing, the spear tip trembling as he thrust it countless times in rapid succession.

Within one second, he thrust ten times.

“Not fast enough—I need to thrust more.”

Lin Qi thrust wildly, refining his control over the spear technique, pushing himself to strike more times in the shortest possible span.

Though his style was fierce and overwhelming, that didn’t mean his spear technique was slow.

On the contrary, Lin Qi was developing into a six-sided warrior—demanding both power and speed.

Most crucially, when speed reached a high enough level, the spear’s power became immense.

His first killing technique required unparalleled speed.

“Huff~”

Lin Qi breathed heavily, swinging the spear furiously, as if his entire body were about to ignite.

Even as pain tormented his will, an endless force seemed to render him tireless.

He could keep thrusting without end.

“Swish-swish!!”

“Hiss~”

The spear tip flashed with cold light, piercing the air; Lin Qi felt the spear in his hands growing faster and faster.

Ten, eleven, twelve!

“Boom!”

Lin Qi thrust the spear with sudden force, unleashing a gale.

He didn’t know how long he’d trained, only that his spear technique had evolved—he could now strike twelve times.

【During training, your blood qi has broken through; blood qi +0.01】

【During spear training, your conditioning effect has improved; blood qi +0.01】

【During training, your proficiency in spear technique has increased.】

【Blood Qi: 9.21 → 9.25】

【Spear Technique: Stage Two 2% → 3%】

……

Lin Qi exhaled a long breath and stopped, only then realizing his entire body was soaked in sweat.

The burning pain across his body was fading.

Lin Qi opened his hands—his calloused palms had been rubbed raw again.

He gulped down energy drinks, finishing two bottles in succession.

“Thrilling!”

Lin Qi exhaled, exhausted yet deeply satisfied.

He gripped the spear, his heart full—this pain meant nothing if it raised his strength.

The midterm exam was over, but his progress had not ended.

……

(End of Chapter)