Chapter 45: The Pros and Cons of the Three Great Martial Arts Dojos (Please keep reading)

That day, at the Martial Arts Education Bureau of Tianhai City.

Director's Office.

The walls of the office utilized special materials to adjust the indoor temperature to an optimal state.

In the center, a large executive desk occupied a prominent position. The desktop was made of specially treated tempered glass with a built-in projection system.

On the desk sat an intelligent ergonomic chair designed for professional work.

A tall, middle-aged man with a resolute and deep-set countenance sat there; his hair was swept back, and he appeared vigorous and full of spirit.

His sharp eyes were fixed on the data tables projected before him.

Several of these tables were, quite conspicuously, applications for the Genius Loan.

His fingers swiped through them with practiced efficiency.

"Approved!"

"Denied!"

He soon reached the final application form, and his brow suddenly furrowed.

"Lin Qi from Tianhai No. 2 High School, from Old Jiang's school. This kid always tends to overreport his achievements."

The middle-aged man shook his head with a bitter smile.

He then clicked on the file to browse the incredibly detailed personal profile.

"In just three months, he jumped from 100th in his grade to 18th."

"This student certainly has potential, but he still doesn't meet the criteria for the Grand Genius Loan."

"However, he is worth keeping an eye on. If he can break into the top ten during the midterm assessment, the Grand status won't be an issue." With this thought, he reached a conclusion.

As the Director of the Martial Arts Education Bureau, he had many affairs to handle every day.

Having finished with the Genius Loans, he turned his attention to a new document.

"In recent years, the strength of martial arts students in Bailu City has surged; they are now on par with Tianhai City, and even show signs of overtaking us."

"As the Red Realm becomes increasingly integrated into daily life, they have already begun preparing for martial arts exchanges within the Red Realm."

"They are full of ambition, whereas we in Tianhai City have become somewhat conservative."

The middle-aged man shook his head.

...

In the office area on the same floor, Xiao Li was processing documents.

*Beep!*

A projected file opened in front of him, and he clicked to view it.

"It's a Genius Loan application!"

Xiao Li skimmed through it quickly. When he saw that Lin Qi had passed the audit for the First-Class Genius Loan, a smile immediately spread across his face.

"How is that possible!"

A female colleague nearby cried out, her face filled with disbelief.

"How could this Lin Qi pass the audit for a First-Class Genius Loan? This must be fake."

"Yes, it's fake, a forgery."

"I'm going to file a complaint!" The female colleague's face turned pale with anger.

"Don't be foolish. This was reviewed and approved by the Director himself."

"Are you implying the Director has a problem?" Xiao Li said smugly.

"This..." The female colleague's momentum instantly withered.

"It's better not to underestimate others. Who knows, they might become a big shot in the future," Xiao Li said, feeling quite satisfied with himself.

The female colleague's expression turned sour, and she fell into a sullen silence.

...

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

Martial Arts Classroom.

*Bang! Bang!!*

Lin Qi's arms moved like the wings of a white crane, swinging wildly through the air. As he struck with crane claws, the air vibrated, producing crisp, rhythmic sounds.

His movements were agile and his dodges nimble; between movement and stillness, he used defense to prepare for offense.

His body grew hot as strands of blood qi surged into every corner of his physique, tempering him bit by bit.

Sweat dripped from his forehead, yet Lin Qi felt no fatigue, only an endless surge of power.

In the moments of intense movement, every single muscle was being exercised.

Tiger Style and Crane Style—he alternated between the two boxing styles. The two completely different methods of exerting force felt extraordinary to him.

Lin Qi had realized something: every boxing style utilizes muscles differently, and a single style cannot perfectly engage every muscle in the body.

Therefore, the tempering effect of practicing both was definitely stronger than practicing either alone.

"Roar~"

After an unknown amount of time, a surge of scorching blood qi rushed to his chest. Lin Qi's momentum reached its peak as he let out a thunderous roar, sounding like a tiger's howl.

【Through training, your blood qi value has broken through. Blood Qi +0.05】

【By practicing Tiger Style and Crane Style, your proficiency has increased. Boxing Skill +1%】

【Blood Qi: 8.4 → 8.45】

【Boxing Skill: Tier 2 13% → 14%】

...

"Whew~"

Lin Qi stood in place, his breathing heavy. A sense of exhaustion washed over him, and his arms trembled with unbearable soreness.

He walked to the side, picked up a functional energy drink, and took a sip while checking the time.

"Class is almost over. Time to go get dinner."

...

During evening self-study, there was still some time before class officially began.

Lin Qi sat at his desk reading a book. Recently, his life had been quite peaceful. By making full use of energy potions and the Crane Style, his daily progress was visible to the naked eye.

He was very satisfied with his current state of life.

"By the way, have you signed with a martial arts gym yet?"

"The Chongming Martial Arts Gym came to talk to me this afternoon. They offered me a D-class contract and asked me to consider it. I thought it was fine, discussed it with my parents, and signed it on the spot," someone said.

"Congratulations. None of the three major gyms approached me; only some unknown gym contacted me," a friend sighed quietly.

"Haha, I've already signed with the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Gym, and it's a C-class contract!" someone announced proudly.

"C-class is nothing. I've got a B-class contract," a handsome boy said, tilting his head up boastfully.

"As expected of Qiu Jie, the tenth in the grade. Truly impressive."

"Brother Qiu, tell us how you signed and what the contract details are!"

The eyes of those around him were filled with envy.

Qiu Jie said proudly, "Then listen closely..."

Shortly after, the group moved on to other topics.

"According to rumors, Yu Jing and Qi Yuelin only have B-class contracts, but they both want A-class. The negotiations have stalled," someone whispered suddenly.

"Aren't they satisfied with a B-class? If it were me, I'd take it," someone said, eyes turning green with envy.

"An A-class contract... perhaps Li Zhou is the only one in our school qualified to sign one," someone else said, shaking their head.

Lin Qi sat at his seat, silently listening to his classmates' discussions.

Recently, due to the matter of signing with martial arts gyms, the atmosphere in the class had become quite restless.

"Qi-ge, has any gym approached you to sign lately?" his deskmate, Jiang Tao, leaned in curiously to ask.

The two began to whisper.

Lin Qi shook his head. "Yes, but they are all small to medium-sized gyms. They wanted to talk about contracts, but I turned them all down."

"It's just the three top-tier gyms left. They just haven't approached me yet."

Jiang Tao comforted him, "Maybe they'll contact you in a couple of days."

"In the last few days, the three major gyms have all talked to me. The conditions aren't much different. Let me introduce the differences to you."

Lin Qi nodded; he was also very curious about the contracts of the three major gyms.

Jiang Tao pulled out a piece of scratch paper, drew three circles labeled with the names of the three gyms, organized his thoughts, and spoke

"The three top-tier gyms—Chiqiong, Chongming, and Black Obsidian—were all founded by Ninth-Realm Title-level warriors of our Xia Country."

"Among them, the Chiqiong Martial Arts Gym was founded by the world's strongest man, the Red Emperor, so its comprehensive strength is the highest."

"Its foundation is the deepest, and its requirements for geniuses are the strictest."

Lin Qi nodded. The mere fact that Chiqiong was founded by the Red Emperor was enough to attract countless geniuses.

"The Chongming Martial Arts Gym, besides being founded by a Ninth-Realm warrior, is backed by massive conglomerates. They possess the strongest financial power in Xia Country."

"Therefore, the contract amounts at Chongming are the highest; they are the ones who lack nothing in terms of money."

"As for the Black Obsidian Martial Arts Gym, their contract amounts are similar to Chiqiong's, but their requirements for geniuses are the lowest among the three."

"They are the most suitable for geniuses who are somewhat mediocre or relatively ordinary."

Jiang Tao finished explaining the characteristics of the three major gyms in one breath.

"To a genius like me, there's no difference between the three. It just depends on who shows more sincerity."

"Of course, the most important thing is up to you, Qi-ge. Wherever you choose to go, I'll go. I'm in no rush to sign anyway," Jiang Tao laughed.

Lin Qi analyzed this internally.

His current situation was somewhat complex. He had talent, but he needed time to grow. If the three major gyms only looked at current results, they might only offer him a C-class contract.

Of course, that wasn't impossible, as contracts could be upgraded.

Therefore, he wanted to see which gym showed the most sincerity.

With these thoughts, Lin Qi asked more about the specific contents of the three major gyms' contracts and the atmosphere of their negotiations.

Jiang Tao shared everything he knew.

...

(End of Chapter)