Lin Qi arrived at Martial Arts Room 503 alone.

It originally belonged to another student, but they fell out of the top 30 in the recent monthly exam and lost their claim to the room.

That student had already packed up their things yesterday, so they didn’t hold Lin Qi up.

The entire Martial Arts Room had been cleaned by an automated robot and smelled of air freshener.

Lin Qi stood inside the Martial Arts Room. Its facilities were no different from Jiangtao’s.

But now, this little corner of the world was his.

In the bathroom, Lin Qi gazed at his reflection. Twenty days had passed since his Fusion Degree hit 5%.

Raising his Fusion Degree was becoming increasingly difficult, but what he’d achieved was more than enough for now.

His entire being, inside and out, had once again undergone a massive transformation.

His facial features had fully matured, becoming sharper and more defined. His jawline was strong, and his skin was flawless and smooth.

He had grown to a height of one meter eighty-five, with a large frame and broad, thick shoulders.

His arms were like two giant pythons, with veins bulging like steel rebar, brimming with explosive power.

His heart beat powerfully, supplying his body with a ceaseless torrent of strength.

Now, Lin Qi was tall and powerfully built, exuding a stern, cold aura.

He looked more and more like the Erlang God he remembered.

After changing into his Martial Arts Uniform, he took a Qi and Blood Potion. He had already moved on from Qi and Blood Capsules, replacing them with the more potent potions.

’The monthly exam is over. It’s time to set a new goal.’

’But first, I need to raise my rank in the Red Realm Arena to Star Rank and claim the 500,000 Xia Country Coin reward.’

SWOOSH! SWOOSH!

HISSS!

Lin Qi picked up his long spear and began to practice. His Spear Technique was majestic, creating a flurry of afterimages.

...

「That evening, outside the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo.」

BEEP!

[30,000 Xia Country Coins have been credited to your card ending in xxx. Balance: 63,128.]

"Brother Qi, the scholarship money came in. I got 50,000 this time."

Jiangtao grinned, looking at his phone.

Lin Qi nodded. "Mine came in, too."

The 30,000 scholarship was just an appetizer. The real prize was the upcoming talent loan and the event prize money.

"Let’s go. The event ends at midnight."

"Right!"

The two entered the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo and found Guo Heng in the lobby, scrolling through videos on his phone.

"Let’s get going. No sparring today, we’ll go straight to the Virtual Room for matchmaking."

"You two better grab this chance. There are less than four hours until midnight."

"The dojo is packed with people trying to matchmake. Everyone’s trying to hit Star Rank. If I hadn’t reserved three spots in advance, we wouldn’t have gotten any."

Guo Heng said, leading the two toward the Virtual Room.

"Aheng, thanks so much!" Jiangtao said gratefully. They really hadn’t thought of that.

"By the way, what were your Celestial Sea City rankings for the monthly exam?" Guo Heng asked curiously as they walked.

Lin Qi and Jiangtao didn’t hide their results and told him.

"288 and 100. Not bad at all. I knew I was right about you two," Guo Heng laughed.

"What about you, Aheng?" Jiangtao asked in return.

Hearing this, Guo Heng’s lips curled into a smug grin.

"I’m ranked fifth in my grade at No. 1 Middle School, and 14th in all of Celestial Sea City."

"Fourteenth in Celestial Sea?!"

Lin Qi was stunned. He and Jiangtao exchanged a look, each seeing the shock in the other’s eyes. That was one rank higher than Yu Jing, the second-strongest student in their entire school!

’As expected of a genius from No. 1 Middle School. He really is strong, and there are still four people at his school who are even stronger.’

’Compared to that, Tianhai No. 2 Middle School’s overall strength is pathetic.’

Chatting idly, the three entered the Virtual Room. People were constantly streaming in and out, and the inside was a dense, buzzing hive of activity and conversation.

It was even more crowded once they were inside.

"Old Guo, you finally made it!"

"Quite a few people are complaining about you hogging three spots."

A group of three—two guys and a girl—walked over, one of them teasing Guo Heng.

Lin Qi glanced at the trio and noticed a familiar face: the curly-haired guy, "My Great Sword," who had been his very first opponent in the Red Realm Arena.

’He’d left a strong impression. I wonder how strong he is now?’

The speaker was a powerfully built young man with a stocky frame, thick, dark arms, and rugged features.

Guo Heng waved it off. "So what? I paid for them. And it’s only been ten minutes."

The other girl in the group, a slender and elegantly dressed young woman, looked at Lin Qi and Jiangtao and asked curiously,

"Aren’t you going to introduce your friends?"

"Lin Qi, Jiangtao. They’re from No. 2 Middle School. New friends of mine."

"Lv Xiang, Wu Feng, Qiu Siying. My classmates from No. 1 Middle School."

Guo Heng made brief introductions.

"Hey, everyone," Jiangtao said with a friendly laugh. Lin Qi simply nodded.

"From No. 2 Middle School?!" Wu Feng’s expression shifted, and his brow furrowed.

Qiu Siying shook her head with a laugh. "Oh, Old Guo. Aren’t we friends enough for you? Now you’re making friends with people from No. 2 Middle School?"

"You’re breaking our hearts."

An inexplicable wave of discomfort washed over Lin Qi and Jiangtao. They felt like they were being looked down on.

Lv Xiang remained silent, but he frowned as he studied Lin Qi, a strange sense of familiarity nagging at him.

"Alright, I’m done wasting time with you guys."

"Lin Qi, Jiangtao, let’s go."

Without another word, Guo Heng led the two away.

The three of them went to a corner where three unused Virtual Cabins were waiting.

"Hurry and start matching. Get that promotion to Star Rank," Guo Heng urged.

With that, he was the first to enter a Virtual Cabin.

"Let’s go."

"Right."

Without wasting any more time, Lin Qi and Jiangtao followed suit, entering their Virtual Cabins and logging into the Red Realm.

A short distance away, Wu Feng and his two companions watched Lin Qi’s group enter the Virtual Cabins.

"How did those two from No. 2 Middle School manage to befriend someone as arrogant as Guo Heng? Is there something special about them?" Wu Feng wondered aloud.

"Other than the famous Battle Axe Bear, Swift Eagle, and Sword Sparrow, no one else there is worth mentioning," Qiu Siying said, shaking her head in disdain.

"True enough."

"Old Guo is a social butterfly. He probably just met them," Wu Feng agreed with a nod.

"Stop chatting and let’s get in the cabins."

"We’ve been hogging these spots for too long. People are going to start complaining," Lv Xiang urged.

"I know, I know! Stop rushing me!"

...

[Welcome to the Red Realm Arena, Yang Jian!]

Listening to the automated voice, Lin Qi stood in his personal space and summoned his status panel.

[Nickname: Yang Jian]

[Rank: Elite]

[Win Rate: 92%]

[Points: 142]

...

Lin Qi considered his stats. ’I have 142 points. I only need 8 more to get promoted to Star Rank.’

’That means I need to win at least three more matches.’

’As long as I don’t lose, I’ll make it in time.’

With that in mind, he started matchmaking.

[Beginning Matchmaking!]

Two minutes later, Lin Qi materialized on a vast, empty arena floor.

Across from him, another figure materialized—a man in a blue Combat Suit.

The man looked at his opponent—clad in black, with a black mask and a Black Great Spear—and felt a sense of intimidation.

"Hey man, nice outfit,"

he called out.

His only response was silence.

’Ignoring me?’

A flash of annoyance crossed the man in blue’s face. "If you’re trying to act all cool and mysterious, you picked the wrong guy."

"I can’t stand try-hards like you!"

[3... 2... 1...]

[Match Start!]

As the electronic female voice announced the start, the match officially began.

Two figures shot forward like bolts of lightning, colliding in a storm of violent wind and flying sparks.

...

「One minute later.」

CLANG!

"Dammit, dammit, dammit!"

The man in blue swung his Battle Saber, fighting a frantic retreat as he scrambled to parry the relentless spear strikes.

’Who the hell is this guy? His Spear Technique is insane! I can’t block it at all.’

The man in blue felt he had the worst luck, getting matched against a master.

SHINK!

A cold glint flashed from the spear tip before his eyes. The next instant, a sharp pain blossomed in his chest.

The long spear had pierced his chest in a flash. He was already dead.

"Damn, man... you’re good."

With those final words, the man in blue collapsed helplessly and dissolved into the Void.

[Yang Jian, congratulations on your victory!]

[Points +3]

[Points: 145]

Lin Qi returned to his personal space. Seeing his new point total, he didn’t stop.

"Match again!"

...

「Half an hour later.」

[Yang Jian, congratulations on your victory!]

[Points +3]

[Points: 148]

"Phew..."

’One last match!’

In his personal space, Lin Qi stared at the screen. He was just two points away. One more win and he would be promoted.

’Guo Heng said this is called a promotion match. The system will deliberately pair me with a strong opponent.’

’My opponent might even be in their promotion match, too. Only the stronger of the two gets to advance.’

"Match again!"

His expression turning serious, Lin Qi waited in silence.

...