Chapter 16: Swift Eagle, Sword Sparrow, and Battle-Axe Bear (Please keep reading)

"Bang!"

The butt of the spear slammed into the ground. Looking at the panel, the corners of Lin Qi's mouth curled upward.

"I haven't practiced for a week, and this is my first time back today, yet my spear technique has actually increased by 5%."

Lin Qi felt a surge of secret joy.

The sensation of practicing his spear technique just now was wonderful; new insights were constantly bubbling to the surface.

The execution of his spear techniques became increasingly fluid and varied. Many subtle movements that had felt awkward before were suddenly corrected with just a slight adjustment, resulting in a massive improvement.

This was the comprehension of a genius!

Lin Qi looked at the Erlang Zhenjun on his panel. In mythology and folklore, the deity wielded a two-edged, three-pointed blade. Although called a blade, it was vastly different from an ordinary saber; it was more akin to a long spear, or rather, both were long-handled weapons.

Therefore, his talent in long-handled weapons would only continue to grow stronger.

Lin Qi felt himself becoming increasingly compatible with Erlang Shen.

After resting for a moment, Lin Qi resumed his spear practice. Time in the martial arts room was precious, and he couldn't afford to waste it.

...

Forty minutes passed quickly.

"Huff, huff..."

Sweat ran into his eyes. Lin Qi breathed heavily, his perspiration dripping onto the soft mat and soaking a large area.

His hands, gripping the long spear, trembled incessantly as fatigue permeated his entire body. However, his eyes remained bright and spirited.

【You have gained a new understanding of movement techniques. Movement Technique +3%】

【Through practicing basic spear techniques, proficiency has increased again. Spear Technique +2%】

【Spear Technique: Tier 1, 67%】

【Movement Technique: Tier 1, 60%】

...

In just forty minutes, both Lin Qi's spear technique and movement techniques had seen significant improvements. This was something he could never have experienced before.

"Qi-ge, catch!"

Not far away, Jiang Tao tossed him a bottle of functional energy drink. Lin Qi caught it and began drinking greedily.

The two sat down to rest.

"Qi-ge, once we get to the Elite Class tomorrow, we should start learning new martial arts. Your spear, my saber," Jiang Tao said suddenly. "The foundation is laid, and our fist techniques have reached mastery. It's time to learn new arts. From what I know, many classmates have already started learning new weapon manuals at martial arts halls."

Lin Qi nodded. This was the business model of martial arts halls. Countless halls of various sizes near No. 2 High School offered private coaching, specializing in the Five Elements Fist and basic weapon manuals. For advanced techniques, they even provided personal instruction from actual martial artists.

Thus, even if wealthy students didn't have a personal martial arts teacher, their progress would still be rapid. Poor students like him and Jiang Tao could only rely on the school's martial arts teachers.

"New spear techniques..."

Thinking of this, Lin Qi gripped his spear, feeling a sense of anticipation for new techniques.

...

"What? You made it into the Elite Class?"

In the living room of Building 4, Room 301, Lin Zhen, who was sitting on the sofa applying medicine, looked up in shock.

"Xiao Qi, is this true?" Fang Huiyi also looked surprised.

Lin Qi put down his backpack and explained with a smile, "I did indeed enter the Elite Class. Moreover, I will apply for the Genius Loan again, and there is a high probability of success. You don't need to worry about me."

Hearing his explanation, Lin Zhen and Fang Huiyi exchanged a glance, their expressions visibly brightening with joy.

"That's great! I knew you could do it, Xiao Qi!" his father, Lin Zhen, laughed heartily. His mother, Fang Huiyi, stood up and stroked Lin Qi's head affectionately. "But you still have to take care of your health."

"Mm!"

...

September 8, Year 2045 of the Martial Era. 5:50 AM, the entrance of No. 2 High School.

Lin Qi walked into the school pushing his bicycle. Instead of heading to the Building 3 martial arts classroom as usual, he changed direction. He headed toward Teaching Building No. 1, a U-shaped structure.

301 Martial Arts Classroom.

"This is the place!"

Lin Qi looked at the half-open metal doors; the combination lock showed it was already unlocked.

"Someone is already here?"

Lin Qi opened the door. This was a much more spacious martial arts classroom, exceeding 1,200 square meters. In the corners stood fifty clean, white metal lockers. Rows of sabers, spears, and swords hung on the walls, and even rare weapons like axes, halberds, and staves were present.

The lighting was bright. In one corner, someone was practicing the standing pole (Zhan Zhuang) stance.

"Someone actually arrived earlier than me!"

Lin Qi was surprised. Last night, their homeroom teacher, Yan Hong, had notified them that they could go directly to the new martial arts classroom in the morning. As for textbooks, it wouldn't be too late to go back and get them after martial arts class ended.

More than seventy percent of the students in the Elite Class came from families that weren't too poor. These students wouldn't arrive too early in the morning; some would even choose to practice at home and wouldn't arrive until 7:00 AM. Arriving early usually indicated a less wealthy background.

Lin Qi didn't pay much mind to it. He found the metal locker labeled number 45, changed into his martial arts uniform, took a blood-qi capsule, and began his standing practice.

Not far away, a tall, muscular boy with a resilient expression also noticed Lin Qi. An invisible atmosphere of competition began to permeate the room.

As time passed, more and more students entered the classroom. They were strangers to one another, but once they changed into their uniforms, they immediately began practicing.

Standing pole, practicing fist techniques, training with weapons...

"Whew—"

An hour later, Lin Qi finished his standing practice.

*Bang! Bang!* *Swish! Swish!!* *Ha!*

At this moment, the entire classroom was filled with various sounds—the whistling of various weapons cutting through the air. Some were practicing sharp saber techniques, some were wielding sword shadows, and others were creating bursts of spear shadows...

The styles of the weapon manuals being executed were all different, clearly indicating they were advanced versions of the basic manuals.

"Their spear, sword, and saber realms are all higher than mine." Lin Qi felt a massive amount of pressure.

"Qi-ge, the people coming here are monsters," Jiang Tao whispered, leaning in with a solemn expression. "As expected of the Elite Class. Just a quick glance, and there are several people stronger than me."

Jiang Tao felt the pressure. Back in Class 3, he had been firmly in the top three, with only two people stronger than him. But in the Elite Class, even with his strength, he was only in the upper-middle tier.

Lin Qi nodded. One by one, the students were tall and imposing, possessing powerful auras. As they swung their weapons, their blood-qi surged, bringing with it gusts of wind.

No one in the martial arts room spoke much, but the invisible competition had already begun.

*Whoosh, whoosh—*

Not far away, a figure wielded a long spear. His movements were agile and swift as the wind, like a hunting hawk. Lin Qi recognized him—it was the top student of their former Class 3, the second in the entire grade, nicknamed "Swift Hawk"—Yu Jing!

"That's Qi Yuelin!" "And Li Zhou, those two have arrived too."

People around them whispered. Lin Qi and Jiang Tao looked toward the source of the discussion.

In a corner, in an open area, stood an extremely beautiful girl. Wearing a white martial arts uniform, she had delicate features, a well-proportioned figure, and a pure temperament. She wielded a long sword, spinning beautiful sword flowers in the air.

"Third in the grade, nicknamed 'Sword Sparrow'—Qi Yuelin!" someone called out her name.

"And Li Zhou, number one in the grade."

Jiang Tao looked in another direction, as did many others. It was a burly boy, over two meters tall, with broad shoulders and a rugged, imposing presence, like a standing brown bear. He stood out from the crowd, his wild aura making people hesitant to approach. He was playing with a massive battle axe in his hands!

He was the number one student of No. 2 High School, nicknamed "Battle-Axe Bear"—Li Zhou.

Aside from the top three, there were others. They all had different temperaments, but the commonality was that they all radiated powerful auras. They were all geniuses in the top ten of the grade, each possessing their own nickname—a tradition for seniors, and indeed, a tradition in almost every school.

"Damn it, why are their nicknames so cool, while mine is 'Old Black, Part-time Brother'?" Jiang Tao grumbled indignantly.

"Once you make it into the top ten, you'll have one too," Lin Qi comforted him from the side. His own nickname was "Basic Skills Master," which wasn't nearly as good as "Swift Hawk."

But he knew that as long as he was strong enough, people would naturally come up with a cool nickname for him. In the martial arts world, only the strong were worthy of cool and domineering nicknames.

"It seems everyone is here!" a voice suddenly rang out.

...

(End of Chapter)