Chapter 33: The Tianhai Monthly Examination Begins (Please keep reading)

In the days that followed, Lin Qi devoted himself entirely to martial arts training and improvement.

The life of a high school martial arts student was filled with monotony; aside from eating, it was nothing but studying and training.

Among them, more and more people were dedicating increasing amounts of time to their martial arts practice.

As for Yang Lei, ever since being beaten senseless by Lin Qi, he had become much more submissive and began trying to curry favor with Lin Qi—just as Jiang Tao had said, he was a bully who only picked on the weak and feared the strong.

Meanwhile, Teacher Zhang Cheng's attention toward him increased by another level, offering guidance from time to time.

In addition to training, Lin Qi occasionally accompanied Jiang Tao to the Red Firmament Martial Arts Hall to serve as a sparring partner.

Though it was called a part-time job, it had essentially turned into an exchange session with Guo Heng. The sparring only lasted for a brief moment; the rest of the time was spent directly entering the Red Realm Arena.

In the Red Realm Arena, he had already become an elite. His points continued to accumulate, and his ranking on the Red List steadily climbed.

Everything was improving in an orderly fashion. Lin Qi felt that his strength was increasing at a rate visible to the naked eye every day, making him feel incredibly fulfilled.

Time flew by, and over ten days passed.

Martial Arts Calendar, October 8, 2045. Weather: Sunny.

On the first day after the National Day holiday, the high school seniors of the entire Tianhai City welcomed their first monthly examinations.

Tianhai No. 2 High School, Elite Class.

The cold air from the air conditioner blew against everyone, driving away the heat, but it could not dispel the tension in their hearts.

Lin Qi sat in a seat against the wall. On his desk were folded exam papers and a massive answer sheet. Holding a pen, he immersed himself in the papers, answering questions rapidly.

"What is the weight in kilograms of an adult Tier 1 Calamity Beast, the Iron-Spined Wild Boar?"

After scanning the question, Lin Qi already had the answer—400 kilograms!

He immediately moved on to the next question. Most of the exam consisted of multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions, which were too easy for him; he hardly paused at all.

The academic exams lasted for one day, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, totaling 10 hours, with only a one-hour break in the middle.

The remaining eight hours were spent answering questions, serving as a test for every student.

The exam content included Chinese, Mathematics, Geography, Physics, Biology, Martial Arts Theory, and Calamity Beast Knowledge...

Time passed unnoticed until 6:00 PM. The exam was over!

"Students, please get some good rest. We will gather in the martial arts classroom at seven o'clock to begin the martial arts assessment," the homeroom teacher, Yan Hong, reminded them after collecting all the papers and answer sheets.

The exhausted crowd slowly left the classroom and headed toward the cafeteria.

"Brother Qi, let's go eat!"

Lin Qi headed to the cafeteria with Jiang Tao. He took a bottle of refreshing potion from his backpack and swallowed it.

A cool sensation filled his brain, relieving the fatigue caused by the consumption of his brain cells.

"Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, it's been over a month since school started."

"We've worked hard for a month, and the results will be tested in a bit. I should also aim for the top ten in the grade," Jiang Tao said, also taking a refreshing potion. He looked excited, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

Lin Qi rubbed his temples. He was also curious to know where he currently ranked in the No. 2 High School.

Or even, where he ranked in all of Tianhai City?

...

The Principal's Office.

"Time flies. The moment to test my teaching results has arrived," Zhang Cheng said with a grin, sitting on a leather sofa with one leg resting on the desk in a comfortable posture.

"Yes, I hope to see some progress," Jiang Zhiguang said somewhat nervously, holding a watering can to water the flowerpots.

"I've seen you watering those pots several times, yet I haven't seen them grow at all," Zhang Cheng teased.

"Soon, soon!" Jiang Zhiguang muttered.

...

After seven o'clock.

After a brief rest, all 50 students of the Elite Class gathered in the martial arts classroom, each warming up their bodies.

Their expressions varied; some were indifferent, some were chatting and laughing with friends.

Others felt a suffocating pressure, their palms turning cold and their expressions becoming unnatural.

"Haha, it seems everyone is ready. The punch force testers and speed tracks are all set!"

A burly figure walked in through the door, followed by a man and a woman.

As soon as Zhang Cheng entered, a powerful pressure enveloped everyone, and the martial arts classroom instantly fell silent.

Zhang Cheng strode over to the punch force tester, patted the machine, and began to speak

"No need for nonsense. You know whether you've worked hard or not, and whether your results match your efforts."

"Starting now, when your name is called, come up for testing."

"First, Chen Zichuan!"

Chen Zichuan, who was in the corner, walked out from the crowd. He was ranked 50th in the grade.

However, his expression was resolute, and his aura had become sharper.

"Chen Zichuan? He's always a loner. I feel like he's going to be eliminated and kicked out of the Elite Class," someone mocked in a low voice.

Lin Qi let out a disdainful smile upon hearing this; Chen Zichuan would definitely exceed everyone's expectations.

A few seconds later.

*Bang! Bang!!*

Chen Zichuan's fists struck the target consecutively, and numbers appeared on the electronic screen.

"722.3 kg!"

"719.5 kg!"

"He actually has a punch force exceeding 700 kg!"

Once the punch force was revealed, many people showed expressions of surprise.

The person who had spoken earlier felt their face burning with embarrassment.

After the speed test concluded, Zhang Cheng nodded with satisfaction. He hadn't misjudged; Chen Zichuan was indeed a good prospect.

"Not bad!"

Chen Zichuan clenched his fists. As he stepped down, he saw Lin Qi and Jiang Tao giving him thumbs up.

A smile immediately appeared on his tough face.

"Punch force 672 kg!"

"Liu Yiheng, what have you been doing this past month?"

Zhang Cheng criticized him. The color instantly drained from Liu Yiheng's face. When he went to test his speed, he performed poorly, and his face turned even paler.

Zhang Cheng shook his head and said no more.

"Punch force 685 kg!"

"Wei Qing, you've made progress!"

"Punch force 690.2 kg!"

"Yang Lei, one month, and this is all the progress you've made?"

As each person was tested, Zhang Cheng would offer a comment. The atmosphere became increasingly suffocating, as if they were undergoing a life-or-death trial.

"Next, Lin Qi!"

When Zhang Cheng called Lin Qi's name, it piqued the curiosity of most of the class.

"Go for it, Brother Qi! Show the whole class your strength," Jiang Tao said with a grin of anticipation.

Lin Qi nodded and walked out of the crowd, brushing past the descending Yang Lei.

Countless people were curious to see exactly what kind of strength this person—who had beaten Yang Lei half to death half a month ago and had caught Zhang Cheng's special attention—actually possessed.

"Whew~"

Lin Qi stood before the punch target and exhaled, allowing his body to relax completely.

In the next moment, his eyes sharpened, his aura erupted, and with a single thought, his muscles began to exert force.

His terrifying aura was like a tiger descending a mountain. His spine arched, and the force originated from his feet, driven by his breath. The power traveled through his waist like a chain, passing step by step to his arms.

His fist clenched tight, the veins on his arm bulging as his blood and qi converged in his arm, driving power into his fist.

His sandbag-like fist exploded forward, slamming heavily against the target.

*Boom~~*

The target shook violently, kicking up a gust of wind, while a string of numbers appeared on the electronic screen—"840.8 kg!"

After seeing the data on the screen, Lin Qi's expression remained calm.

However, the expressions of the onlookers were completely different.

"840 kg punch force?!"

"Holy crap, has Brother Qi become this fierce?" Jiang Tao was the first to be shocked.

Although he knew Brother Qi's strength was improving rapidly, he hadn't expected it to be this fast!

The others were also in an uproar.

"800 kg punch force... no wonder he could crush Yang Lei. That makes sense now."

"Yang Lei challenging him is like carrying a lantern into a toilet to find the latrine—he's looking for death!" someone remarked.

"Not bad!"

Zhang Cheng praised him, a smile finally appearing on his face as he quickly recorded the result.

Lin Qi nodded expressionlessly and walked to the side to begin the speed test.

Once the infrared speed sensor was activated, he lunged forward like a wild horse breaking free from its reins.

His blood and qi erupted, his muscles were fully activated, and his thigh muscles worked frantically.

Those nearby only felt a gust of wind rush past them, accompanied by a figure as agile as a leopard.

*Whoosh~*

Lin Qi crossed the finish line and gradually decelerated to a stop.

The electronic screen at the finish line refreshed rapidly, displaying a string of numbers—"16.2 m/s."

"Punch force 840 kg, speed 16.2 m/s."

"With these stats, his blood and qi value should have broken through 8.0."

"Even within the entire class, he's in the upper tier," someone exclaimed.

"Is Lin Qi really this powerful?" Kang Feiyue was astonished.

Qi Yuelin watched Lin Qi with great interest, while Zhu Yuqi was merely surprised.

Li Zhou, the top student in the grade, watched with arms crossed and laughed: "Interesting. He's a genius too."

"Yu Jing, he was in the same class as you before. Are you familiar with him?"

Yu Jing shook his head: "Not really. He just broke 800 kg punch force, that's all!"

Others were also discussing him fervently.

In the distance, Yang Lei watched this scene with a complex expression, feeling as though his previous actions had made him nothing more than a clown.

...

(End of Chapter)