Chapter 38: Promotion Match (Please keep reading)

Lin Qi arrived at Martial Arts Room 503 alone.

This room originally belonged to another student, but since the individual had dropped out of the top 30 during this monthly exam, they had lost their martial arts room. The other student had packed up their belongings yesterday, so they hadn't delayed Lin Qi's time.

The entire room had been cleaned by a smart robot and emitted a fresh scent of air freshener. Standing inside, Lin Qi noted that the facilities were no different from those in Jiang Tao's room. However, it was now his own small slice of space.

In the bathroom, Lin Qi looked at himself in the mirror. Twenty days had passed since his fusion reached 5%. Increasing the fusion rate was becoming increasingly difficult, but for him, it was enough.

His entire being had undergone another massive transformation from the inside out. His facial contours had fully opened up, becoming more defined with rugged lines and exquisite, smooth skin. His height had broken through to 1.85 meters, his frame was heavy, and his shoulders were broad. His arms were like two giant pythons, with veins bulging like wrapped steel rods, brimming with explosive power. His heart beat powerfully, providing a continuous stream of strength to his body.

The current Lin Qi was tall and robust, exuding a cold and stern temperament. He looked more and more like the Erlang Shen from his impressions.

After changing into his martial arts uniform, he began taking blood qi potions. He had already phased out blood qi capsules in favor of the potions.

"The monthly exam is over; it's time to change my goals."

"But before that, I need to raise my rank in the Red Realm Arena to Star level and claim the 500,000 yuan reward."

*Swish, swish—* *Whoosh—*

Lin Qi gripped his long spear and swung it. His spear techniques were majestic, leaving behind a continuous flurry of spear shadows.

...

In the evening, outside the Chiqiong Martial Arts Hall.

*Beep!*

[Your ICBC card ending in xxx has received 30,000 yuan. Balance: 63,128 yuan.]

"Brother Qi, my scholarship arrived. I got 50,000 this time," Jiang Tao said, looking at his phone with a smile.

Lin Qi nodded. "Mine arrived too."

The 30,000 scholarship was just an appetizer; the upcoming Genius Loans and activity bonuses were the real keys.

"Let's go. Once it hits midnight today, the event ends."

"Alright!"

The two entered the Chiqiong Martial Arts Hall and met Guo Heng in the lobby, who was busy scrolling through videos.

"Let's go. We won't be doing sparring today; we're going straight to the virtual rooms for matchmaking."

"You two seize the opportunity. There are less than four hours left until midnight."

"A huge number of people are coming to the hall for matchmaking. Everyone is trying to push for the Star rank. If I hadn't reserved three spots in advance, there wouldn't be any left by now," Guo Heng said, leading them toward the virtual rooms.

"Ah Heng, thank you so much!" Jiang Tao expressed his gratitude; they truly hadn't considered that.

"By the way, what were your rankings in Tianhai City for this monthly exam?" Guo Heng asked curiously as they walked.

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao did not hide it and told him.

"288th and 100th. Not bad. I really didn't misjudge you two," Guo Heng laughed.

"Then what about you, Ah Heng?" Jiang Tao asked back.

The corners of Guo Heng's mouth curled up, and he said quite proudly

"I ranked 5th in the entire junior grade and 14th in Tianhai City."

"14th in Tianhai?!"

Lin Qi was shocked. He exchanged a look with Jiang Tao, seeing the same astonishment in the other's eyes. This was even higher than Yu Jing, the second-ranked student in their school!

As expected of a genius from No. 1 High School, his strength was indeed formidable. Moreover, there were four others at No. 1 High School even stronger than Guo Heng. Comparing them, their Tianhai No. 2 High School was indeed too weak in terms of overall strength.

As they chatted, the three entered the virtual room area. Countless people were coming and going, and one could see dense crowds and hear constant discussions. Upon entering, they realized it was even more crowded than expected.

"Old Guo, you're finally here!"

"You've hogged three spots; quite a few people are already complaining."

Three people walked over—two men and one woman—and one of them spoke teasingly.

Lin Qi looked at the three and noticed an acquaintance among them: the curly-haired man, "My Greatsword," who had been his very first opponent in the Red Realm Arena matchmaking. He had left a deep impression; Lin Qi wondered how strong he was now.

The one who spoke was a burly young man with thick, dark arms and rugged features.

Guo Heng replied indifferently, "So what? I paid for them, and it's only been ten minutes."

The other girl, who was slender and elegantly dressed, noticed Lin Qi and Jiang Tao and asked curiously

"Aren't you going to introduce these two friends?"

"Lin Qi and Jiang Tao from No. 2 High. They're new friends of mine."

"Lü Xiang, Wu Feng, and Qiu Siying. My classmates from No. 1 High," Guo Heng introduced them simply.

"Hello!" Jiang Tao greeted them with a smile, while Lin Qi merely nodded.

"No. 2 High?!" Wu Feng's expression shifted, and he frowned.

Qiu Siying shook her head and laughed. "Old Guo, you aren't satisfied with friends like us, and now you're making friends from No. 2 High? You're breaking our hearts."

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort, as if they were being looked down upon.

Lü Xiang didn't speak; instead, he stared at Lin Qi with a frown, feeling a strange sense of familiarity.

"Alright, enough nonsense."

"Lin Qi, Jiang Tao, let's go."

Guo Heng didn't waste time and led the two away.

The three arrived at a corner where three unoccupied virtual pods were located.

"Hurry up and match. Get that Star rank promotion," Guo Heng urged. After speaking, he was the first to enter a pod.

"Let's go in too!"

"Right!"

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao didn't waste words and entered their respective pods to log into the Red Realm.

Not far away, Wu Feng and his group watched them enter.

"Those two from No. 2 actually managed to become friends with the arrogant Guo Heng. Is there something special about them?" Wu Feng wondered.

"Aside from being famous for the Battle-Axe Bear, Swift Eagle, and Sword Sparrow, they aren't worth mentioning," Qiu Siying said, shaking her head dismissively.

"True."

"Old Guo is quite social; they probably just met," Wu Feng agreed with a nod.

"Stop chatting and get into the pods," Lü Xiang urged. "If you keep hogging the spots, people will get annoyed."

"Got it, stop rushing me!"

...

[Yang Jian, welcome to the Red Realm Arena!]

Listening to the intelligent voice, Lin Qi stood in his personal space and summoned his personal panel.

[Nickname: Yang Jian] [Rank: Elite] [Win Rate: 92%] [Points: 142]

...

Lin Qi pondered. He currently had 142 points and needed only 8 more to promote to the Star rank. This meant he needed to win at least three more matches. As long as he didn't lose, he would make it in time.

With that thought, he selected matchmaking.

[Matchmaking starting!]

Two minutes later, Lin Qi appeared in the middle of an empty arena. Opposite him, a figure materialized—a man in a blue combat suit.

The man looked at his opponent: dressed in black, wearing a black mask and wielding a large black spear, exuding an intimidating aura.

"Brother, you've got a nice look," the man said as a greeting.

He was met only with silence.

"Ignoring me?" The blue-clad man felt an immediate surge of annoyance. "If you're trying to act cool, you've picked the wrong person. I hate people who act all high and mighty!"

[3, 2, 1] [Match Start!]

As the electronic female voice announced the start, the battle officially began. The two figures lunged forward like lightning, colliding in mid-air with whistling winds and flying sparks.

...

One minute later.

*Clang—!*

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!"

The man in blue swung his saber while retreating, frantically trying to block the spear strikes.

"Who the hell is this guy? His spear technique is insane; I can't block it at all!" The man in blue felt incredibly unlucky to have matched with a powerhouse.

*Puff—*

A cold glint flashed before his eyes, and in the next instant, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. The spear pierced through him in a single breath; he was dead.

"Brother, you're freaking awesome!" After saying this, the man in blue collapsed helplessly and dissolved into nothingness.

[Yang Jian, congratulations on your victory!] [Points +3] [Points: 145]

Lin Qi returned to his personal space. Seeing the points, he did not stop.

"Matchmaking again!"

...

Half an hour later.

[Yang Jian, congratulations on your victory!] [Points +3] [Points: 148]

"Whew..."

"Just one last match!"

In his personal space, Lin Qi looked at the screen. He was only two points away; one more win would complete his promotion.

"According to Guo Heng, this last match is called a Promotion Match. The system will arrange a powerful opponent."

"The opponent might even be in their own promotion match. Only the stronger one can successfully promote."

"Matchmaking!"

Lin Qi's gaze turned serious as he waited quietly.

...

(End of Chapter)