Chapter 50: The Carrot and the Stick (Please keep reading)

“Brother Qi, you’re out!”

Lin Qi emerged shortly after, and Jiang Tao rushed forward to greet him enthusiastically.

“Brother Qi, you are the man!”

Jiang Tao gave a thumbs up and bumped fists with Lin Qi; the two shared a smile.

“By the way, how exactly did Lin Qi win?”

“In terms of blood qi, Lin Qi is inferior to Qiu Jie. In terms of spear technique, it felt like Qiu Jie was stronger too, yet the result was Lin Qi’s victory. This doesn't align with my understanding.”

Suddenly, someone in the crowd asked while shaking their head.

“Let me answer that!”

Zhang Cheng stood up and spoke. Once everyone's eyes were fixed on him, he began to explain

“Blood qi and skill are major factors in combat, but they are not everything.”

“Martial arts is not a game; you don't win just because your stats are higher.”

“In a fight, elements like your mindset, judgment, decisiveness, and anticipation all influence the outcome.”

“As for Qiu Jie, he didn't lose unfairly. It's useless to feel unwilling.”

“While your spear technique is decent, your foundation is not solid. Your hands aren't steady enough, and you lack precision. During the fight, Lin Qi had several ways to defeat you.”

“In the end, he chose a simple thrust to break your killing move.”

“Tenth in the grade?”

“I said before that you didn't need to listen to my teaching because I thought you might be exceptional. Turns out, this is it?”

“Go ask Lin Qi if he used even ten percent of his strength.”

Zhang Cheng let out a cold laugh, ruthlessly tearing into Qiu Jie.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Qiu Jie’s face turned bright red. His blood surged, and an nameless, wicked fire rose in his chest, making him desperate to strike back.

Watching the drama from the side, Lin Qi couldn't help but admire Zhang Cheng's ability to see through everything so clearly.

Qiu Jie's spear technique hadn't broken through to the second rank; he wasn't even as good as Wu Feng had been. Winning against Lin Qi was even more impossible.

Facing Zhang Cheng, the enraged Qiu Jie ultimately did not lose his reason and chose to turn and leave.

“Alright, the ten combatants stay behind. Everyone else, return to the martial arts classroom,” Zhang Cheng suddenly commanded.

The others began to depart.

“Lin Qi is amazing. He’s truly rising now; who would have thought?”

As the others left, their discussions drifted into Lin Qi's ears.

In the eyes of the crowd, Lin Qi had suddenly become a prominent figure in the senior year, no longer just an unknown nobody.

Soon, only Lin Qi and the other ten combatants remained in the virtual room.

“Lin Qi, you did very well!” Zhang Cheng looked at Lin Qi and offered a rare word of praise.

“It was all thanks to your guidance, Teacher,” Lin Qi said modestly.

Zhang Cheng nodded with satisfaction and looked around at the ten students.

“In one week, you ten will represent Tianhai No. 2 High School in battle.”

“Your opponents are Songbai High School from Bailu City. They are very strong—a formidable enemy. If you become careless and lose the match, causing our school to lose the exchange competition...”

“Hmph, then don't blame everyone for bashing you.”

“Songbai High School is also one of the top ten key middle schools in Bailu City, but they are benchmarked against our Tianhai City's second-tier schools.”

“Their overall strength is greater than ours. Unfortunately, we have been matched against them this time.”

“I have only one requirement: achieve final victory.”

Zhang Cheng's voice grew louder, and a powerful aura began to radiate from his body.

The students frowned, feeling a heavy pressure. Since the opposing school was benchmarked against second-tier schools, winning seemed very difficult.

“This exchange competition is not only a training opportunity for you, but winning also brings prize money.”

“Each participating school and the City Martial Arts Education Bureau will contribute 500,000 yuan each. Together, that makes 2 million yuan.”

“The winning side takes the entire 2 million,” Zhang Cheng added suddenly.

Lin Qi's eyes lit up. 2 million yuan—even if split equally, he would get 200,000.

Of course, it wouldn't be an equal split; most likely, the winners would take a larger share. Thinking of this, he felt a surge of motivation.

“During this week, seize the opportunity. Train desperately to increase your strength.”

“Alright, that's all I have to say. Dismissed. Lin Qi, stay behind for a moment,” Zhang Cheng said.

The other nine left, leaving only Lin Qi and Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng looked at Lin Qi, becoming more satisfied with every glance, and smiled.

“Lin Qi, I really didn't misjudge you. You are even more excellent than I imagined.”

“How much of your strength did you use against Qiu Jie?”

Lin Qi pondered for a moment and said, “Seventy percent!”

“You defeated Qiu Jie with only seventy percent. It seems that among the top ten in your grade, very few are stronger than you.”

Zhang Cheng praised him again, his tone even more emphatic.

“Have you signed with a martial arts hall? A C-rank contract? Or a B-rank?” he asked abruptly.

Lin Qi shook his head. “Not yet. Chongming and Heiyao Martial Arts Halls approached me, but they were only willing to offer C-rank contracts.”

“I'm not sure about Chiqiong; they haven't contacted me yet.”

Zhang Cheng frowned deeply. “That shouldn't be the case. With your talent, signing a B-rank contract should be no problem at all.”

“It seems something went wrong somewhere. Wait a bit longer; perhaps Chiqiong will have good news for you.”

Lin Qi nodded. He wasn't in a hurry; if he could get the exchange competition prize money, he would be even less rushed.

***

Returning to his own martial arts room.

Lin Qi changed into his martial arts uniform, took a stamina potion, picked up his long spear, and began his training.

*Swish, swish—*

The spear thrust forward, the tip trembling and the shaft vibrating with a humming sound.

A powerful momentum spread outward like waves. Every move was fierce and domineering; with every thrust, it felt as if he could shatter a mountain peak.

Lin Qi controlled his arm muscles, wielding the spear to execute the style, power, and precision of his technique.

His mind recalled the battle from earlier.

Qiu Jie's strength was even weaker than he had imagined.

His spear technique realm was quite high, but his fundamentals were not solid enough, and his thrusts were unsteady, allowing Lin Qi to easily find openings.

However, it was understandable; practicing fundamentals was the most tedious part, and only someone like him could persist to possess such a solid foundation.

Then, Lin Qi thought about the martial arts exchange competition.

In one week, the opponent would be Songbai High School.

Their overall strength was greater, and the opponents would not be as weak as Qiu Jie.

Whether because of the opponents or the prize money, he had to push his strength even higher.

“I have already mastered my first killing move. It is time to develop a second one.”

Lin Qi thought to himself, establishing his goal for the coming week

Strive to increase his blood qi, work toward the second rank in spear technique, and begin comprehending his second killing move.

***

That evening, at Chiqiong Martial Arts Hall.

In the underground garage, a man with a burly build and a powerful, wild aura stepped out of a black luxury car. Every movement he made carried a commanding presence.

“Finally back!”

The man stepped into his private elevator, heading straight to the top floor of the hall.

As the elevator opened, it revealed a spacious office with a massive desk in the center and a wide brown bookshelf behind it.

Just as he sat down, the doorbell rang.

“Come in!”

The office door opened, and Manager Sun, dressed in a black suit, walked in.

“Welcome back, Hall Master!”

“Is your 'welcome' just meaning you've brought a mountain of paperwork for me to handle?”

Yue Feng looked speechless; as the Deputy Hall Master, he truly had a life of endless toil.

“Speak. What is it that requires such urgency?”

“There is a genius with a special situation. We aren't sure what kind of contract to offer him, so we need you to make the decision, Hall Master.”

“Oh?”

“Let me see!” Yue Feng reached out curiously.

Manager Sun pulled out a tablet and handed it to Yue Feng, projecting the enlarged data onto the wall.

“Lin Qi, a student from Tianhai No. 2 High School...”

Yue Feng scanned the information quickly and pondered for a moment.

“This is indeed difficult to judge. Let me think about it, and I will give you an answer later.”

“Understood!”

After Manager Sun left, Yue Feng frowned. “A genius like this is a mystery box; no one knows what will eventually come out of it.”

“It's not that such geniuses haven't appeared before, but only a tiny fraction are truly exceptional. Most quickly fall into mediocrity.”

*Beep, beep!*

As he was thinking, his phone rang. He pulled it out to look.

“Zhang Cheng? Why is that guy calling me?” Yue Feng was puzzled, but he answered the call.