Chapter 7: Genius Loans and Part-time Jobs (Please keep reading)

"The second floor is different. The meals served there are called 'nutritional meals.' The rice and vegetables are specially cultivated, and the meat ingredients are sourced from Grade 1 disaster beasts."

"Even the most ordinary Grade 1 disaster beast meat contains significant source energy, which can help martial artists strengthen their bodies and increase their blood-qi values."

"In the entire No. 2 High School, only teachers, school leaders, and students from well-off families choose to go to the second floor."

Lin Qi shook his head. "It's a pity that even the cheapest nutritional meal costs over a hundred yuan."

"For regular meals, even if I eat a bit more, it only costs about 10 yuan."

He looked at the hearty meal on his tray, filled with large chunks of meat. The cafeteria auntie at No. 2 High School didn't have the traditional "shaking spoon" habit; she always served a little extra, equivalent to 1.5 portions, and the school turned a blind eye to it.

Eating a bit more than usual today only cost him 15 yuan.

After the meal, Lin Qi rubbed his stomach. It felt warm, and his entire digestive system was working rapidly, exerting a powerful ability to digest and absorb.

"I've decided. Starting tonight, I'm going to eat the nutritional meals."

Jiang Tao made his decision in an instant.

"I can't keep worrying about the money."

"Qi-ge, my 'Genius Loan' application has been approved. The money should hit my card in a few days."

Jiang Tao shared the good news, unable to suppress the smile on his face.

Lin Qi looked pleasantly surprised. "Taozi, then congratulations."

The Genius Loan was quite similar to the student loans of his past life.

It was a zero-interest loan provided by the Xia Kingdom's Martial Arts Education Bureau in collaboration with numerous banks, specifically for talented students from ordinary or struggling families.

The Genius Loan was divided into four tiers; even the lowest tier offered 200,000 Xia coins, a significant sum.

The Genius Loan had extremely strict requirements; if you weren't a genius, you couldn't get it approved.

And the one Jiang Tao applied for was the first-tier Genius Loan, worth a full million Xia coins.

"It's a pity I failed!"

Lin Qi gave a bitter smile. He and Jiang Tao had applied at the same time last semester. He had applied for the third tier, but shortly before the start of the term, he received an app notification that his application had been rejected.

"Qi-ge, as long as you can get into the elite class, the Genius Loan is definitely something you can get approved."

"It's been like that in previous years; almost no one fails."

Jiang Tao offered words of comfort.

Lin Qi nodded. He had heard about this; as long as one entered the elite class, the probability of approval increased significantly.

Lin Qi looked at the staircase leading to the second floor, the requirements for the elite class flashing through his mind.

He immediately made a decision: he had to speed up his progress.

"I'll eat the nutritional meals starting tonight, too."

At the same time, he remembered he still had a balance of 3,000 yuan. He would spend it all on resources, and he would pay Jiang Tao back once he got into the elite class.

"Good brother, let's work hard together!"

Jiang Tao nodded firmly.

"However, you have to help me find a part-time job. I'm really short on money."

"Leave it to me. We'll go do it together."

...

No. 3 Teaching Building, 3rd-floor teacher's office.

This was a private office, something only excellent martial arts teachers enjoyed.

The office was extremely spacious, covering a full three to four hundred square meters. Besides the office area, there was an open space where weapons like sabers, spears, swords, and staves were displayed.

In front of a black desk stood a widescreen monitor, and Wu Kang sat leisurely in an ergonomic chair.

He was holding a form, reviewing it.

"There are 15 students applying for the elite class this time."

Yan Hong sat on a brown leather sofa, leisurely sipping mineral water while stating the situation.

After Wu Kang finished looking it over, he spoke slowly

"In the entire senior year, there are 10 martial arts classes with a total of 521 students. In the end, only 50 people can enter the elite class."

"That's about 5 people per class on average. However, Class 1 is known as the 'mini-elite class'; they might have about 10 people who can get in, which means even fewer from the other classes."

"In our class, maybe only the top five are guaranteed a spot; the others still need to work hard."

"So, we need Teacher Wu to give them a hand. After all, how many people get in also affects our bonuses."

"Once they enter the elite class, they're no longer our concern," Yan Hong said.

Wu Kang stared at the application form with Lin Qi's name on it. After a moment, he spoke slowly

"Fine, then I'll give them a hand!"

Hearing Wu Kang's words, Yan Hong smiled.

...

In the afternoon, during the martial arts class.

On the second floor of the cafeteria, at a corner table.

Lin Qi looked at the food on the table with a pained expression. Two meat dishes and one vegetable dish emitted a strange fragrance, making his body involuntarily swallow saliva.

"This is the nutritional meal. 100 yuan per serving."

"Let's eat!"

With that, the two of them began to eat.

"Mmm!"

The vegetables were crisp and refreshing, the meat slices were tender and chewy, and the rice was crystal clear and white—each grain like a pearl, emitting waves of alluring aroma that tickled their appetites.

Jiang Tao and Lin Qi couldn't help but start devouring the food.

A moment later, they finished.

"It's really delicious. The texture is completely different."

Jiang Tao sighed in satisfaction.

Lin Qi nodded. His whole body was wrapped in a warm sensation, and an invisible current flowed slowly from his stomach to every part of his body.

Invisible heat filled his entire being, and the fatigue in his body slowly dissipated.

[You have consumed a nutritional meal. Your stomach begins to absorb it. Blood-qi value +0.01]

[...Blood-qi value +0.01]

...

Lin Qi was surprised. Just eating the nutritional meal could actually increase his blood-qi value?

If he ate nutritional meals every day, his blood-qi value would skyrocket. Reaching 6.0 would be no problem at all.

...

After the meal, Jiang Tao returned to the classroom to rest.

Lin Qi, however, went out of the No. 2 High School gate alone.

He was met with a bustling street: stationery stores, snack shops, milk tea shops...

Various light curtains hovered over the shops, displaying advertisements, and new-energy vehicles sped by on the roadside.

No. 2 High School was a key high school located near the city center, with a university town nearby.

His physical fitness had long surpassed that of a first-class athlete from his past life, and he soon arrived at his destination.

In Lin Qi's line of sight appeared a spacious entrance—the Chiqiong Martial Arts Supermarket.

The Chiqiong Martial Arts Supermarket was a place that specialized in selling martial arts cultivation resources.

It belonged to the Chiqiong Group and had chain stores all over the country; this one was the largest near No. 2 High School.

Lin Qi stepped inside. Bright lights shone on rows of shelves, and brand-new items reflected the light, attracting customers.

This was a supermarket spanning over a thousand square meters, with potions, weapons, training equipment, clothes...

Everything was categorized into different sections.

Lin Qi had a clear goal; he went straight to the potion section. He was here today to buy blood-qi capsules.

"I only have 3,000 yuan. Aside from the 200 yuan for daily meals, I can spend the rest on blood-qi capsules."

Lin Qi picked up a red square box; inside were the blood-qi capsules.

One box cost 120 Xia coins and contained 12 capsules, making each capsule 10 Xia coins.

Lin Qi's family could only afford this kind of resource. He practiced martial arts three times a day, taking one capsule before each training session.

That was 900 yuan a month, plus over 500 yuan for food, totaling at least 1,400 yuan a month.

This was money his family had scraped together with great difficulty.

As for better resources, his family couldn't afford them.

Since he had decided to push for the elite class, three blood-qi capsules a day wouldn't be enough; he would need to take more.

Lin Qi picked up ten boxes in a row, then went to another shelf, which held rows of potions filled with red liquid.

"Blood-qi Potion" was a martial arts resource with better effects than blood-qi capsules, costing 500 yuan per bottle.

Even with his current financial means, he could only grit his teeth and buy two bottles.

Afterward, he took his items and went to buy a lot of compressed biscuits, socks, and even a brand-new pair of sneakers.

Finally, he carried his shopping basket and began to queue for self-checkout.

In front of him was a father and daughter. He heard the middle-aged father say to his beautiful seven or eight-year-old daughter

"Xiaoyu, your brother is a signed genius at the Chiqiong Martial Arts Hall. Buying things at the Chiqiong Group's martial arts supermarket gets us a 10% discount."

"We bought 5,250 yuan worth of goods this time. After the discount, it only costs 4,725 Xia coins, saving us 525 yuan."

The little girl's eyes widened. "Saving 525, that's so much."

"I want to become a signed genius for the Chiqiong Group when I grow up, too."

The father laughed. "Then Xiaoyu, you have to work hard."

Lin Qi, standing behind them, showed a hint of envy.

...

(End of chapter)