「A few minutes later」

「Martial Arts Room A128」

"So, you two have already signed with the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo?"

"That’s great," Guo Heng said with a smile. "I was planning to sign with the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo myself."

"By the way, what kind of contract did you sign? C-level?"

Lin Qi and Jiangtao glanced at each other.

Jiangtao was the first to speak, unable to hold it in any longer.

"Aheng, we both signed B-level Contracts!"

"And get this—for Brother Qi’s B-level Contract, he was personally received by both the Vice Hall Master and Manager Sun!"

"B... B-level?"

Guo Heng shot up from his chair, his expression full of disbelief.

"You both got B-level Contracts? Doesn’t that make you the same as me?"

"I was hoping to sign an A-level Contract, but Manager Sun wouldn’t agree. He would only give me a B-level!"

Guo Heng couldn’t take it anymore. He felt like he’d just taken ten thousand points of critical damage.

How long had it been? Had Lin Qi and Jiangtao already caught up to him, making them his equals?

He had a feeling that Lin Qi and Jiangtao had potential, but how could they have reached his level so quickly?

’Isn’t this way too fast?’

The kind of contract you could sign represented your status.

A B-level genius had a higher status than a C-level genius, which came with a sense of superiority.

An A-level genius was currently the most top-level kind of talent, and that was what he wanted to be.

Unfortunately, he was only ranked fifth in his grade at Tianhai No. 1 Middle School and 13th in the city. He hadn’t even made it into the top ten.

Although he had also been personally received by the Vice Hall Master, it was only on account of his sister.

But what did Lin Qi have? He came from an ordinary family with no powerful background.

Guo Heng’s emotions were in a complicated tangle.

"Alright, I was just as shocked as you when I first heard the news. All I can say is that the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo really has a good eye for talent, spotting Brother Qi’s potential early on."

Jiangtao chuckled.

"We should head to the Red Realm. If we’re late, there won’t be any spots left," Lin Qi said, changing the subject.

He noticed Guo Heng seemed a bit off and probably needed some space to cool down.

The three of them then went to the Virtual Room, each entered a Virtual Cabin, and logged into the Red Realm.

[MATCHMAKING IN PROGRESS]

Lin Qi began matchmaking as usual.

A moment later, his figure vanished and reappeared in an arena.

His opponent appeared as well: a handsome man in a silver Combat Suit, holding a Battle Saber.

But his nickname made Lin Qi’s pupils contract.

[NICKNAME: WIND GOD!]

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

[MATCH START!]

As the automated voice announced the start, his opponent instantly vanished from his spot.

Lin Qi, however, felt an unprecedented sense of danger.

...

「The next day. An Independent Martial Arts Room at No. 2 Middle School.」

Dressed in a white Martial Arts Uniform and drenched in sweat, Lin Qi grabbed a sports drink and took a large gulp.

A moment later, he picked up a Training Lance and resumed his practice, the weapon a blur of motion as he listened to the sound of its tip slicing through the air.

Lin Qi’s mind flashed back to yesterday’s match in the Red Realm Arena. He had been matched against Wind God, the number one player in Celestial Sea.

Rumor had it that he was Wang Qiufeng, the top student from No. 1 Middle School.

’As expected of someone who dares to call himself Wind God. He really is powerful.’

Lin Qi could clearly feel his opponent’s strength. His Saber Technique Realm was incredibly high; Lin Qi hadn’t even lasted three moves before being instantly killed.

The opponent’s saber-work was sharp and fluid, like flowing water, and possessed the speed of a whirlwind.

He couldn’t find a single opening. All he saw was a flash of the blade before he died.

He was certain that even Li Zhou, the top student in their grade, would be no match for Wang Qiufeng. There was a whole tier of difference between their strengths.

This was his first time facing an expert of this caliber. This was the pinnacle of talent in Cang Province.

Even in the entire Xia Country, he would be considered a noteworthy talent.

’My Spear Technique still hasn’t broken through to Tier Two. The gap between me and the top-tier geniuses is even bigger than I thought. My next goal has to be breaking through to Tier Two with my Spear Technique.’

With this in mind, Lin Qi resumed his practice of the Mountain Shattering Spear Technique.

...

「Half an hour later, in the Martial Arts Classroom.」

Zhang Cheng walked down the center of the classroom. His eyes swept over the students, landing on a few faces he rarely saw, including Qiu Jie.

He smiled and spoke in a clear, loud voice:

"The Martial Arts exchange competition is over. I’m sure you all got a taste of what top-level experts are capable of. If you don’t want the gap to widen even further..."

"...then you’d better train like your lives depend on it."

"There’s less than a week left until the Cang Province midterm assessment."

"This midterm will be an evaluation of your progress over the first half of the semester. All of you will be re-ranked based on your results."

As Zhang Cheng said this, the atmosphere in the classroom grew tense. Many students started to feel nervous.

This wasn’t some exchange competition; this was the midterm assessment, and it concerned every single one of them.

"This midterm will include every Martial Arts Student in all of Cang Province, and you will all be ranked accordingly."

"Everyone’s rankings are going to change dramatically. You might be in the top 50 in Celestial Sea City, but in the context of the entire Cang Province, you might not even make the top 500."

A hush fell over the classroom at Zhang Cheng’s words.

Many students felt their hearts race and their palms sweat. At the same time, some were curious to see how they would rank in the province.

Lin Qi was one of them. He had a feeling his rank would see a significant jump in this midterm assessment.

But just how high he could climb would all depend on this next week.

...

「Noon, at the No. 2 Middle School cafeteria.」

BUZZ BUZZ~

Lin Qi was in the middle of his meal when he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out and saw two text messages about bank transfers.

[Your ICBC card ending in xxx received a deposit of 280,000 Xia Country Coins at 11:56 on Nov 2. Current balance: 705,300.]

[Your ICBC card ending in xxx received a deposit of 3,000,000 Xia Country Coins at 11:56 on Nov 2. Current balance: 3,705,300.]

Lin Qi’s mood instantly lifted when he saw the messages, especially after seeing the balance of over 3.7 million Xia Country Coins. It was the most money he had ever seen in his life.

"Brother Qi, the money came through! 3.28 million all at once. It’s so much money."

"I won’t have to worry about money at all until after the college entrance exams. It’s even enough to build a solid foundation for Amiao."

"Brother Qi, our lives are completely different now."

Across from him, Jiangtao couldn’t contain his joy.

"Right, and there are the resources. They should be delivered in the next day or two," he added.

Lin Qi smiled as well. ’That’s right,’ he thought. With this much money, they were rich now.

They wouldn’t have to worry about their families’ financial struggles anymore.

He immediately used his phone to transfer two million to his mom. It was for paying off their loans and the debt they owed to his uncle’s family, and so his dad could come home right away.

With his dad’s physical condition, every extra day he spent at the Coastal Base was a huge burden on his body.

The money he transferred would be enough to pay off all the family’s online loans, as well as the debt to his uncle’s family.

Even though his balance had dropped by more than half, he felt genuinely happy. His family was finally out of debt.

A wave of relief washed over him.

「Elsewhere」

At home, when Fang Huiyi received the transfer notification, her eyes turned red. It was as if a crushing weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she could finally breathe again.

Fang Huiyi sent a message to Lin Zhen, thinking to herself:

’Little Qi really isn’t an ordinary person.’

’He was always the smartest kid. These past few years, he was just biding his time, gathering his strength. Now, he’s finally starting to shine.’

...

「Evening, dinnertime, at the entrance of No. 2 Middle School.」

"Student Lin Qi, you have a delivery. Please sign for it!"

In front of Lin Qi stood a burly man dressed in a black and red uniform. He wore a black hat and a mask, obscuring his face.

He was holding a black Metal Box about half a meter long, with a black screen on top.

Lin Qi placed his palm on the screen. The next second, it lit up, displaying a palm print before glowing green.

"Verification successful. Delivery complete!"

The burly man turned, walked toward a large red and white transport vehicle, and slowly drove away.

Lin Qi, holding the Metal Box, turned and headed back into the school.

He hurried back to his Martial Arts Room and stared at the black Metal Box.

’The resources provided by the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo must be inside.’

Lin Qi pressed a button on the screen.

KLANG!

The Metal Box automatically opened from the top, revealing its contents.

...