Chapter 41: The Three Great Martial Arts Dojos (Please keep reading)

Red Firmament Martial Arts Dojo

Even past midnight, the virtual room remained incredibly lively, with 100 virtual pods still operating at high speeds.

"Just one more match and I would have advanced to the Star Rank. Dammit!!" someone emerged, clutching their head and wailing.

"I was so close. What a waste. That was 500,000 Xia Guo coins—think of how many resources I could have bought with that," someone else lamented, unwilling to accept the loss.

...

Meanwhile, on the top floor, there was an office area spanning over a thousand square meters. The overall decor was red and white, with martial arts emblems featuring crimson flames visible everywhere.

The floor was divided into dozens of office zones. Projections hovered above the workstations, where dozens of men and women in red and white uniforms were rapidly processing data.

In the central area, a large projection screen displayed the Red List, with rankings clearly visible to everyone.

"Supervisor Sun, as of 12:00, a total of 108 people from Tianhai City have advanced to the Star Rank in the Red Realm Arena."

A middle-aged man in a black suit, possessing a robust build and a thick beard, looked toward the Red List while listening to the employee's report.

Supervisor Sun nodded and spoke

"The number of people advancing to the Star Rank is 20 higher than last year. This is enough to prove that the quality of geniuses this year is quite good."

"The Tianhai monthly exams have ended, the Star Activity has concluded, and the various geniuses are finally surfacing."

"It is time for us to take action and sign contracts with them, especially those who have reached the Star Rank. They are our primary targets of interest."

"Given their strength, most possess the capability to sign Grade A or Grade B contracts."

"Just compile the data. Everyone can begin operations tomorrow, starting with the Grade A and B geniuses."

"Understood, Supervisor. We are already prepared; most of the geniuses were fully scouted a long time ago," the employee nodded.

Supervisor Sun looked at the Red List and exhaled a heavy breath.

"A new war for talent is about to begin. It's going to be another eventful few months."

...

The next day.

"Ring ring~"

"Class dismissed!"

"Lin Qi, Jiang Tao, Chen Zichuan—the three of you, come to my office."

The homeroom teacher, Yan Hong, spoke to the three students in the class.

Lin Qi, Jiang Tao, and Chen Zichuan exchanged glances, instantly understanding the situation.

They stood up one after another and followed Yan Hong to her office.

"Please, sit."

The three of them sat separately on the sofa, waiting quietly for Yan Hong to speak.

After calmly taking a sip of water, Yan Hong said

"Jiang Tao, Lin Qi, Chen Zichuan, the three of you have shown significant improvement in this monthly exam."

"Therefore, the school has decided to apply for higher Genius Loans for you."

The three of them felt their eyes light up, waiting for the details.

"Jiang Tao, you have entered the top ten of your grade. You can apply to upgrade from a First-Class to a Special-Class Genius Loan."

"Hehe!" Jiang Tao chuckled upon hearing this.

"Lin Qi, you have made the greatest progress. You can apply for a Second-Class, and even a First-Class Genius Loan is possible."

"Chen Zichuan, you might only be able to get a Second-Class loan, unless you can make further progress in the midterm assessment?"

Lin Qi and Chen Zichuan both nodded; they were not surprised by these results.

For Lin Qi, whether it was a Second-Class or a First-Class Genius Loan, it represented a massive sum of money.

Joy also appeared in Chen Zichuan's eyes. He currently relied entirely on the Genius Loan funds to purchase resources to increase his strength.

In the Red Realm, his current strength was still a bit short of reaching the Star Rank, so he naturally did not receive the 500,000 Xia Guo coin reward.

...

Leaving the office.

The three of them walked down the corridor.

"A Special-Class Genius Loan... talk about a godsend! I've almost used up my one million. A Special-Class loan is a full three million Xia Guo coins!"

"Even after subtracting the previous million, I'll still have two million left. That's enough to last me a long time."

Jiang Tao was visibly excited. Lin Qi knew why.

According to Jiang Tao, half of his one million Xia Guo coins had been spent on his sister, Jiang Miaoyin.

Food, clothing, and housing had all been upgraded.

Hospital check-ups, recuperation, and purchasing large amounts of resources to replenish lost nutrition and build a foundation—none of these were small expenses.

An image surfaced in Lin Qi's mind: a beautiful, delicate, and stubborn girl who was easy to pity, and who loved calling him "Brother Lin Qi."

In her, Lin Qi saw reflections of his own mother, Fang Huiyi.

*Buzz!*

Upon returning to his seat in the classroom, Lin Qi felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out to see a notification of a successful transfer.

[Your ICBC card ending in xxx has received 500,000 Xia Guo coins. Current balance: 56,3128 yuan!]

The Star Activity reward had arrived. Lin Qi felt a secret joy.

Turning his head, he saw Jiang Tao also pulling out his phone to check.

"Brother Qi, the 500,000 is in!" Jiang Tao grinned.

The corners of Lin Qi's mouth curled up slightly. Now that the 500,000 Xia Guo coins had arrived, he had enough money to purchase resources.

Even if he only received a Second-Class Genius Loan of 500,000, after subtracting the 200,000 from the Third-Class, he would still have 300,000.

Combined with the 560,000 he already had, that would be 860,000—nearly a million. It would be enough to sustain him for a very long time.

...

At noon, after eating two nutritional meals and stopping when he was only 80% full, Lin Qi returned to his martial arts training room.

After a brief period of digestion, he began to warm up his body in preparation for his second training session of the day.

He took out two bottles of Blood Qi potions and poured the crystal-clear red liquid into his mouth.

*Gulp~*

A few seconds later, Lin Qi's stomach began to feel warm, and a surge of heat started flowing to all parts of his body.

Looking at the remaining vials of Blood Qi potion, Lin Qi exhaled a long breath.

"As my Blood Qi value continues to rise, my demand for resources to maintain my rate of progress is becoming higher and higher."

He had already phased out Blood Qi capsules, only buying them occasionally to eat like candy.

His most frequent intake was Blood Qi potions. He practiced four sessions a day, and each session required two vials.

That amounted to 120,000 Xia Guo coins a month. Combined with the frequent need for refreshing potions, it was a massive expense.

When factoring in food and other purchases, a Third-Class Genius Loan left him with only 30,000.

Fortunately, the 500,000 Xia Guo coins had arrived to cover his cultivation costs; otherwise, his progress would have stagnated.

"Whew~"

*Bang! Bang!!*

While lost in thought, he curled his hands into claws, channeling strength to his fingertips. He struck out with tiger claws, kicking up gusts of wind.

*Black Tiger Plucks the Heart!* *White Tiger Shows Its Claws!* *Fierce Tiger Pierces the Forest!*

The six forms of the Tiger Style Fist were continuously unleashed from his hands, producing crisp sounds that vibrated through the air.

His entire body felt hot, emitting steam as waves of heat permeated his muscles, as if a furnace were tempering his physique.

The Blood Qi potions were taking effect.

He had already broken through to the second stage of the Tiger Style Fist, practicing it into his very marrow. He was beginning to understand the essence of the technique: using intent as the spirit, using rhythm to release force, and using Qi to drive power...

Before, he only knew the moves; now, he was beginning to understand. His muscle groups coordinated their power, and strength flowed between his bones and muscles.

He could clearly feel the fist force within his body!

As his muscles worked intensely and his Blood Qi flowed to temper him, Lin Qi grew stronger with every strike.

He was like a tiger hunting within the martial arts room.

[Through training, your understanding of the Tiger Style Fist has deepened. Fist Technique +1%]

[Through training, your Blood Qi value has broken through. Blood Qi +0.05]

[Blood Qi Value: 8.2 → 8.25]

[Fist Technique: Tier 2 10% → 11%]

...

"Whew~"

Lin Qi exhaled hot air. Seeing the increase in his panel data, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

It wasn't just the increase in Blood Qi, but also the improvement in his fist technique. Practicing fist techniques could strengthen the body and improve bodily control.

Although his spear techniques were also improving quickly, they were not as fast as his fist techniques.

Furthermore, a higher level of proficiency in fist techniques would also promote his progress in spear techniques.

"I hope the level of my fist techniques can improve even faster. I can ask Teacher Zhang Cheng about this," Lin Qi thought to himself.

...

In the afternoon, during martial arts class.

After giving guidance to one student, Zhang Cheng took a sip of water and checked the time. There were only about ten minutes left before class ended.

Clearing his throat, he looked around at everyone. Seeing that they had all finished washing up, he spoke

"Everyone, stop what you are doing and gather around!"

The thirty-odd students stopped their movements and gathered around Zhang Cheng.

"There is still a little time before class ends, so I have something to say."

Zhang Cheng's expression was serious. Everyone could tell that what he was about to say was very important.

"As per custom, now that the Tianhai monthly exams have ended, the martial arts instructors will explain the precautions regarding signing with martial arts dojos to the elite classes."

"Signing with a martial arts dojo?"

Many students' eyes instantly lit up. The atmosphere became restless; since this concerned their futures, everyone was highly attentive.

...

(End of Chapter)