Chapter 21: Daily Gun Training (Please keep reading)

Looking at the balance of over 13,000 yuan in his bank account, Lin Qi felt a complex mix of emotions.

Ever since he was a child, the balance in his account had never exceeded 3,000 yuan.

This was the first time he had ever possessed such a large sum of money.

"I haven't seen ten thousand yuan in over a decade," Lin Qi thought to himself.

Of this 13,000-plus balance, three thousand had been earned from his part-time job as a sparring partner.

The remaining ten thousand was his scholarship.

"My scholarship has arrived too!"

Across from him, Jiang Tao also broke into a smile; 30,000 yuan was also a massive sum to him.

Although he had received a million Xia Kingdom yuan from the Genius Loan, he couldn't spend it all on himself.

He had a younger sister who also needed money to purchase various resources in advance to build a foundation, so every cent was precious.

Lin Qi understood this well.

"After we eat, let's head to the supermarket. It's time to buy new resources," Lin Qi suggested.

To prepare for the mini-tests, he had purchased a large quantity of blood qi capsules and blood qi potions, all of which had been exhausted within a week.

"Perfect, I need to buy some resources too. Let's go together."

"By the way, Brother Qi, you should replace your phone. The screen is so cracked you can barely see anything," Jiang Tao said, pointing at Lin Qi's smartphone.

Lin Qi looked at the "antique" smartphone in his hand. It was an old phone used by his father, Lin Zhen. The screen was currently covered in web-like cracks, and the phone case had begun to fade; he simply hadn't had the heart to replace it.

"It really is time for a change," Lin Qi nodded.

...

Ten minutes later, at the Red Firm Martial Arts Supermarket.

Lin Qi stood in the potion section, taking boxes of blood qi capsules off the shelves.

"My body's growth rate is astonishing, and my daily training volume is increasing."

"To ensure my rate of progress, I need sufficient nutrition and potion supplementation to boost my blood qi."

"Therefore, I need to buy more blood qi capsules and potions."

With this thought, Lin Qi grabbed 20 boxes of blood qi capsules in succession and then moved to the blood qi potion shelf.

"Previously, due to being short on cash, I could only buy two bottles. Now, I can afford one bottle every day."

Lin Qi grabbed a row of blood qi potions and placed them in his shopping basket—a total of 10 bottles.

After picking up a few other simple resources, he began queuing to check out.

*Beep!*

"Total: 7,826 yuan!"

"Payment successful!"

Lin Qi paid via his phone, and more than half of his balance vanished instantly.

"If I can become a contracted genius at the Red Firm Martial Arts Hall, even with a 20% discount, I could save a lot of money."

After a brief sigh, he put the items into his backpack and waited in a cool spot near the entrance.

A few minutes later, Jiang Tao emerged, his backpack stretched to its limit.

"Haha, I accidentally bought a bit too much."

"Besides the resources for myself, I bought quite a lot for Miaoyin too."

"Our family was poor before, so A-Yin sacrificed herself for my martial arts; she even suffered from malnutrition."

"Now I have to make up for it and help her build a good foundation."

Jiang Tao scratched his head, explaining with a sheepish grin.

Lin Qi nodded. Jiang Tao's parents were both deceased; even with government subsidies and working part-time jobs desperately, they could only manage a basic standard of living.

It was clearly unrealistic to expect both of them to pursue the path of martial arts.

Consequently, Jiang Tao's sister, Jiang Miaoyin, had sacrificed her own needs so her brother could use the money for resources. This led to her malnutrition and slow blood qi development, leaving her at the bottom of the class in terms of martial strength.

Lin Qi had reason to believe that most of Jiang Tao's million yuan would be spent on his sister.

"Let's go. Let's go buy a new phone."

"Alright!"

The two went to a nearby mobile phone shop and emerged a moment later.

Lin Qi now held a brand-new smartphone with a sleek, reflective black exterior.

"Brother Qi, you should at least get one over 1,000 yuan. The ones for 500 yuan have terrible performance," Jiang Tao complained from the side.

"I'll make do for now. I don't have much money on me. I'll get a new one after the College Entrance Examination."

"Besides, aren't you using a second-hand smartphone that cost 500 or 600?" Lin Qi replied nonchalantly while transferring files.

"Hehe, you caught me."

The two returned to school, laden with their purchases.

...

In the afternoon, during Martial Arts Class.

"I know some of you have hired martial artists even stronger than me as teachers and don't need my guidance."

"I will allow you to return to your own martial arts rooms to train," the well-built Zhang Cheng said loudly, standing in the middle of the classroom with his arms crossed.

Upon hearing this, a portion of the students began walking out with their belongings, including the top three students in the grade: Li Zhou, Qi Yuelin, and Yu Jing.

In a short moment, over a dozen people had left.

Most of them were among the top ten in the grade, which fit the stereotype: those from good families usually possessed decent martial strength.

"The rest of you, train freely. I want to see your current level."

The remaining thirty-odd students dispersed, finding their own spots to begin practicing.

Wearing his martial arts uniform, Lin Qi took a pack of blood qi capsules from his backpack, squeezed out three pills to swallow, and then drank a bottle of blood qi potion.

He looked around and, unlike the others, did not immediately start practicing with weapons.

Instead, he began practicing fist techniques.

*Whoosh, whoosh—*

His footwork was steady, his breath sank into his dantian, and he stood as firm as an unshakeable old man.

He balanced stillness with motion; in stillness, he possessed the posture of a crouching tiger, and in motion, he was as agile as a cat.

*Bang! Bang! Bang!!*

Crisp sounds rang out with every tiger-claw strike. His punches were forceful, with power flowing through to his fingertips.

Lin Qi became deeply immersed. His entire body grew hot, as if burning with flame; his blood qi surged, and strength poured out continuously.

The key points of the Tiger-Form Fist surfaced in his mind.

[Through practicing the Tiger-Form Fist, you have gained new insights into the technique. Your body control has improved. Fist Technique +1%]

[Fist Technique: Tier 1 91% → 93%]

...

Lin Qi withdrew his fist. His body was steaming, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.

Feeling that his body was sufficiently warmed up, he took out his training spear.

*Swish, swish!*

The long spear danced, but he was performing basic spear techniques. With a shake of the spear, he produced a flurry of "spear flowers."

"A breakthrough in fist techniques indeed makes improving spear techniques easier; it achieves twice the result with half the effort."

"At the same time, practicing weapons consumes more energy than just practicing fist techniques."

A few minutes later, Lin Qi stopped. He was drenched in sweat. He wiped his brow, drank a bottle of water, and continued training the *Mountain-Crushing Spear Technique*.

"Set the stance, pull the clouds, thrust the mountain..."

"When practicing the spear, the spear must not leave the body; the body is hidden behind the spear. When practicing, use the root to lead the tip."

"Whether it is the waist, hips, or shoulders, use the root to lead the tip. When using the spear, the tip and root exchange roles, like a python coiling around a body—respond to changes with speed."

"When practicing, one must be slow yet full. The body should be like an air pump, fully charged, expanding and contracting like a bellows. The spear technique should twist, drill, and flip; the person follows the spear, and the spear moves with the person..."

Zhang Cheng's booming voice echoed through the martial arts classroom.

As Lin Qi danced with the spear, he listened. He felt a sense of enlightenment, and the speed of his spear techniques became more fluid.

"Tier 1 spear techniques are the foundation. It's all about proficiency. It's not as profound as it sounds; there is nothing to it but practice..."

"The more you practice, the more your spear technique realm will naturally rise."

After finishing, Zhang Cheng looked toward Lin Qi.

His words seemed specifically directed at him.

*Swish, swish—*

*Thud!*

Lin Qi continued to execute the Mountain-Crushing Spear Technique. Zhang Cheng's idea coincided perfectly with his own: just practice more.

With every repetition, his proficiency increased.

[Under the guidance of teacher "Zhang Cheng," your comprehension of spear techniques has deepened. Spear Technique +1%]

[Spear Technique: Tier 1 70% → 71%]

...

In the distance, Yang Lei, who was also wielding a spear, had a sour expression.

"Why does Teacher Zhang always guide Lin Qi? How am I inferior to him?"

...

At 9:30 PM.

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao walked home together.

Both lived in the Rongshan Residential Area. The entire complex was massive and was a well-known slum in Tianhai City.

Lin Qi lived in Building 4, while Jiang Tao lived in Building 3; they weren't particularly close.

Usually, Lin Qi wouldn't wait for Jiang Tao, as the latter had to look after his sister, Jiang Miaoyin.

"See you tomorrow, Brother Qi!"

"Alright!"

The two parted ways at the intersection, heading toward their respective homes.

...

In Room 301, Lin Qi stepped through his front door.

Unlike usual, a gust of cool air greeted him.

In the living room, a vertical cube air conditioner was humming, blowing out cold air.

"The air conditioner arrived!"

Lin Qi smiled. On the worn-out sofa, his parents, Lin Zhen and Fang Huiyi, were also enjoying the cool air.

...

(End of Chapter)