Chapter 8: Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym (Requesting Follow Reads)

‘Drip!’

Lin Qi scanned the items in his hand one by one against the payment terminal.

‘Total payment: 2,525 Xia National Currency!’

Lin Qi packed the items into his backpack and walked out of the Chiqiong Martial Arts Supermarket, heart aching.

The remaining three thousand yuan had been reduced to less than five hundred—this was all his food money.

‘These blood capsules and blood tonics are enough for me to give it a shot.’

‘And Taozi—I hope he finds a reliable part-time job.’

Lin Qi thought.

……

Evening, Martial Arts Classroom

After evening self-study, many students continued training, beginning their third session of the day.

Morning, noon, evening—three sessions daily.

Lin Qi, dressed in his martial arts uniform, took out the blood capsules he had bought in the afternoon, squeezed out one, swallowed it, and paired it with a blood tonic.

The taste was mediocre.

‘Huh～’

Moments later, the blood capsules and tonic activated simultaneously; Lin Qi felt his body heat up, his stomach burning like a furnace.

‘Begin training!’

One hour later

‘Bang! Bang!!’

A two-meter-tall sturdy punching post rotated continuously, its tiger claws striking repeatedly, the powerful force making it vibrate loudly.

Lin Qi swung his claws, legs rooted to the ground, steady as a rock, claws curled, his entire body flushed red, drenched in sweat.

Blood qi spread through his body; his fist technique struck the punching post, his expression serious.

The punching post was coated with a special material that absorbed impact and reduced damage.

Feeling the transmission of force, Lin Qi unleashed his fist technique furiously, carefully observing the punching post’s changes and the direction of force transfer.

Power generated from the waist; muscles exploded under blood qi stimulation, force channeling to his fingertips.

‘Bang! Bang!’

The collision of tiger claws and punching post sent force racing up his arms, vibrating through his body.

Blood qi flowed through his body, rapidly refining his muscles with each vibration.

Lin Qi’s mind raced, the key points of Tiger Form Fist flashing rapidly through his thoughts.

【During intense exercise, your blood qi increased significantly: Blood Qi +0.02!】

【You gained new insight into Tiger Form Fist: Fist Technique +0.1%】

‘……’

Notifications kept popping up on his panel; his blood qi and Tiger Form Fist had both improved to varying degrees.

【Name: Lin Qi (17)】

【Template: Yang Jian (Fusion Level 1%)】

【Blood Qi: 5.63→5.69】

【Fist Technique: First Rank 85%→85.3%】

【……】

‘Huh～’

Lin Qi withdrew his fists, exhaled, feeling threads of heat within his body transform into boundless power.

‘No wonder blood tonics work so well—training after taking them boosts efficiency dramatically; my blood qi rises especially fast.’

‘With enough blood capsules, my blood qi will definitely break 6.0 before the test!’

Lin Qi felt his future was promising.

……

September 3rd evening, the weather was no longer as hot as daytime, yet still stifling.

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao stood side by side at the entrance of a massive building; under the night sky, white lights illuminated everything brightly.

‘Qi-ge, we’re lucky—I found a well-paying part-time job yesterday.’

‘Sparring partner—1,000 Xia National Currency per hour.’

Jiang Tao explained beside him; Lin Qi was startled—this pay was impressive.

‘The location being here means it’s not a scam,’ Lin Qi nodded.

In the scorching August heat, his short-sleeved shirt clung to his skin, reeking of sweat.

The transparent glass door opened, and a rush of cold air hit his hot body, dispelling the heat.

Refreshing to the core—he felt fully alert.

On the massive building wall, a huge crimson flame logo was posted, beneath it embedded five large characters:

‘Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym!’

‘Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym, founded thirty years ago by Jin Di, the world’s strongest warrior and first Nine-Rank Title Warrior.’

‘Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym is also one of the most powerful martial arts gyms in Xia Nation.’

‘Branches exist in every city; those who enter and spend here are either rich or noble.’

Listening to his best friend’s words, Lin Qi looked up at the clean, luminous, high-tech giant gym—before it, he felt utterly insignificant.

Before him stood Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym, a top-tier national martial arts gym; no advertisements, only simple descriptions—it never lacked customers.

Because its name was its own brand.

He exhaled, calming himself. ‘Let’s go in.’

Lin Qi said.

At the front desk in the lobby sat two women in sleek black uniforms, beautiful and possessing a clean, composed aura.

One of the receptionists quickly noticed two figures entering.

Two boys, muscular, eyes sharp and bright.

Radiating the unique youthful energy of students.

Yet their good looks made her eyes brighten.

Especially one of them—wearing a black short-sleeve shirt, facial features sharply defined, even his simple buzz cut couldn’t hide his handsomeness.

He entered with relaxed, natural posture, expression calm.

This made her eyes widen, and she glanced at him again.

Ordinary first-time visitors to Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym usually tensed up, appearing unnatural.

!

She had once been the same.

But this guy was different.

Completely inconsistent with his casual attire.

Seeing them approach, she offered a professional smile:

‘Hello, students, how may I help you?’

When Jiang Tao entered, overwhelmed by the luxury around him and glancing at his own clothes, he instantly felt inferior.

But seeing Lin Qi’s calm demeanor beside him, he admired:

No wonder he’s Qi-ge—since childhood, no matter the situation, he never flinched.

Influenced by Lin Qi, he straightened his back, as if gaining confidence:

‘Hello, we’re here for the scheduled sparring session in Room A-128 with Guo Heng—could you tell us how to get there?’

‘Room A-128 is on the first floor…’

The receptionist moved her hands on the desk; suddenly, a 3D map projected into the air, clearly displaying the entire Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym before them.

‘Thank you!’

Jiang Tao confirmed the location, nodded to Lin Qi.

The two turned and walked through the lobby toward the interior.

Like Liu Laolao entering a grand mansion, they gazed curiously at everything around them.

Men and women passed by, dressed elegantly, radiating powerful qi, their entire presence exuding terrifying might—like monstrous human beasts.

‘No wonder Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym is so luxurious—when will I ever train here?’

Jiang Tao sighed with envy.

Lin Qi felt the same.

But he heard even the most basic martial arts room cost 1,000 yuan per hour—and instantly felt defeated.

‘Too bad 1,000 yuan is so expensive—how many blood capsules could that buy?’

Jiang Tao shook his head, sighing.

Moments later, they arrived at their destination—A-128.

It was a silver-white metal door, equipped with a password lock.

‘Boom～’

The metal door opened, and a blue-clad boy stepped out, clutching his arm, accompanied by thick sweat and faint traces of blood.

He glanced at Lin Qi and Jiang Tao.

Then he limped toward the door.

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao exchanged a look, sensing an inexplicable pressure.

They entered the martial arts chamber together.

“Thud～ Thud～”

The first thing they saw was a spacious, well-lit space—a martial arts chamber nearly three hundred square meters in size.

In the center of the chamber, two figures clashed.

Both wore full-body black protective suits, circling and interweaving as they fought.

One was taller and struck with ferocity; the other was being driven back relentlessly under the onslaught.

Lin Qi watched their movements, his eyes flickering with strange light.

“You’re here to be sparring partners?”

After Lin Qi and Jiang Tao entered, they heard a woman’s voice.

They turned to see a tall, beautiful woman in her twenties, dressed in blue, her chest full.

She held a tablet and asked, expressionless, upon seeing them.

“Yes, you must be Sister Lian. We arranged this over WeChat—we’re here to be sparring partners.”

Jiang Tao stepped forward first to respond.

The woman in blue looked down, scanning Lin Qi and Jiang Tao from head to toe.

Especially when she saw their worn, battered sports shoes, she frowned and said:

“Let’s be clear: for sparring, it’s one thousand yuan per person. If you perform well, you’ll be kept on as regulars at fifteen hundred yuan per session in Xiaoguo currency.”

“Medical expenses are included. Any problems?”

“No problems!”

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.

……

(End of Chapter)