Chapter 103: Second Realm of Muscle Training

Chapter 103: Chapter 103: Second Realm of Muscle Training

Lin Qi nodded and listened intently.

He had learned a great deal today, discovering many secrets he’d never known before, such as the existence of the Insect Race.

If he were still an ordinary student, he would have no right to know any of this.

"However, Lin Qi, you can rest assured."

"Even if you become an S-class existence, they won’t put you on their assassination list."

Manager Sun said with a smile.

"Why?" Lin Qi asked, confused.

"Because you haven’t Awakened a Special Ability."

"The Insect Race only ever targets geniuses who have Awakened a Special Ability. Even if you’re an S-class genius with incredible physical Talent and Comprehension, they couldn’t care less."

’So they just don’t think I’m good enough!’ Lin Qi was speechless.

"So, you’re very safe for now, Lin Qi. But things will be different once you Awaken a Special Ability."

Yue Feng sat back down and said,

"Our Xia Country has a satellite defense system, the Celestial Eye System, that monitors the entire city in real time. It’s extremely difficult for the Insect Race to succeed in an assassination."

"You don’t need to worry too much."

"What you need to do next is learn a Source Energy Skill. Now that you’ve just broken through to the Second Realm, you can start learning a Cultivation Technique."

"You’ll absorb the free-floating Source Energy in the air to Refine your body and increase your Qi and Blood Value."

"During this Calamity Beast Tide, some geniuses performed exceptionally well. There was even someone more outrageous than you."

"I received a report yesterday. Chen Li, the number one genius in the entire province from Bailu City, appeared during the Calamity Beast Tide at Magic Cube Plaza. In ten minutes, he killed 23 Calamity Beasts!!"

"That included 21 First-Level Calamity Beasts, two Second-Level Calamity Beasts, and he even briefly fought a Level 3 Calamity Beast, a Gray Ridge Giant Wolf."

"And just like you, it was his first time fighting Calamity Beasts."

"The people at Chongming Martial Arts Dojo are ecstatic. It’s highly likely they’ll offer him an S-level Contract!" Yue Feng said slowly.

Lin Qi’s heart pounded when he heard this. 23 Calamity Beasts—that was eight more than he had killed. And Chen Li had even fought a Level 3 Calamity Beast, a Gray Ridge Giant Wolf.

’Is this the power of Cang Province’s number one?’

’It seems Chen Li really is a cut above me.’

’But give me a little more time, and my strength will improve even faster. Surpassing Chen Li is only a matter of time.’

Lin Qi clenched his fists, feeling a bit of pressure.

A few minutes later, Lin Qi and Manager Sun left the Hall Master’s office.

Yue Feng watched their departing figures.

"Lin Qi, you have to work hard. Don’t let a genius from Chongming Martial Arts Dojo take the number one spot in our Cang Province."

...

After leaving the Hall Master’s office, Lin Qi asked,

"Manager Sun, do you have any good recommendations for choosing a Cultivation Technique?"

Manager Sun spoke slowly, "The Martial Arts we humans practice is, at its core, about the evolution of life. This is the foundation."

"And a Source Energy Skill is the fundamental method."

"A Cultivation Technique helps us absorb the Source Energy that seeps out from the Otherworld, allowing our bodies to transform."

"The sophistication of the technique determines the speed and efficiency of our Source Energy absorption. The more sophisticated the technique, the more Source Energy you’ll naturally absorb, and the higher your Refinement efficiency will be."

"So it’s simple: just choose the most sophisticated Cultivation Technique."

"The prerequisite is that it must be compatible with you."

"If the compatibility is too low, it will only hinder your own Cultivation."

"For example, Emperor Red’s technique is the best, but it isn’t suitable for everyone. You must remember that."

"I understand!"

Lin Qi nodded, silently committing it to memory.

...

「Half an hour later, Tianhai City First People’s Hospital, Ward 306.」

Fang Huiyi sat up, looked at Lin Qi and Lin Zhen before her, and smiled as she moved her arm.

"With the toxin gone, my body feels much lighter, and I have strength in my arm again."

"Mom, I bought you lots of supplements. You can walk the path of Martial Arts again now." Lin Qi handed her a tube of Healing Potion.

It could be used to nourish one’s internal organs.

Fang Huiyi drank the Potion and nodded.

"I have to work hard to get stronger, too. Otherwise, if I run into a Calamity Beast, I’ll just be a burden again."

...

An hour later, Fang Huiyi had fully recovered and was discharged from the hospital.

The family drove home together. Their car, which had been in the underground parking garage, hadn’t been damaged.

After returning home, Lin Qi decided to head to the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo on his own.

「Room B123」

Lin Qi changed into his Martial Arts Uniform, consumed an Energy Potion, and applied the Red Blood Ointment.

He began practicing the Hunyuan Posture on the spot, starting his training for the day.

Half an hour later, his body was scorching hot, as if on fire. His face was flushed, and sweat poured down like rain.

Hollow the chest and pull up the back, sink the shoulders and drop the elbows, sink the qi to the Dantian...

Every movement of his Hunyuan Posture was executed with extreme precision, maximizing the effects of the Pile Skill.

Qi and Blood surged throughout his body, like countless tiny snakes slithering within him. This stream of Qi Blood began to travel through and Refine the Great Tendons of his body.

"HAAAAH..."

An hour and a half later, Lin Qi sharply exhaled a breath of stale air and stood up, his gaze locking onto the panel.

[You have completed strenuous training. Your Qi and Blood Value has increased. Qi and Blood Value +0.01]

Lin Qi frowned at the panel. ’The Refinement efficiency is too low now.’

After breaking through to the Second Realm, relying solely on the Pile Skill, the rate of increase for his Qi and Blood Value was as slow as a turtle’s crawl.

’If the progress is this slow for someone as Talented as me, I can’t even imagine how it is for others.’

So, he really did need to start practicing a Cultivation Technique to directly absorb the Source Energy from the air.

Lin Qi picked up his long spear and began practicing his Spear Technique.

Unlike the Pile Skill, even though he had mastered the third Killing Technique for all three of his Spear Techniques, he still felt there was immense room for improvement.

SWISH! SWISH!

Soon, he grabbed the repaired Thunder Horn Spear and began to practice.

The fifty-jin Thunder Horn Spear was a perfect fit for him, who possessed the force of a thousand jun.

The appropriate weight allowed him to put more effective pressure on his arms, improving his wrist strength and his control over the Spear Technique.

Feeling the power flow into the spear as he wielded it, he soon became completely immersed in his practice.

...

「The next day.」

In the morning, Lin Qi, Jiangtao, and Li Zhou went to the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo for a television interview.

Thanks to their good Talent and the help of various Healing Potions, Li Zhou and Jiangtao appeared to have fully recovered on the surface.

The three of them went through the interview mechanically. There was a prepared script, so they just had to read from it. Lin Qi had no intention of improvising, either.

As a result, the interview went smoothly.

It lasted until the afternoon.

...

「That evening.」

Lin Qi changed into his Martial Arts Uniform. Standing opposite him was a middle-aged man with an extremely burly build, as stout as a brown bear, with a scar on his face.

It was none other than Lin Qi’s Martial Arts Instructor—Zhang Cheng!

"Teacher Zhang, sorry to make you come all this way."

Lin Qi apologized.

Zhang Cheng waved his hand. "No need to apologize. It’s just one evening for me."

Then he grinned. "You actually broke through to the Second Realm. I hear you’re doing the Five Elements Training."

"Your Talent is much stronger than I imagined."

"You’re the true number one genius of our No. 2 Middle School."

"My time doesn’t matter."

"But for a genius like you, wasting even a single day is a great loss."

Lin Qi shook his head. "Teacher Zhang, you flatter me."

"Alright, let’s get down to business!"

Zhang Cheng folded his arms, organized his thoughts, and began to speak slowly.

"The Nine Great Gates of Martial Arts. One gate, one Realm."

"The First Realm is Muscle Training, and the Second Realm is Muscle Training!"

"The muscles in your body have already been Refined to a certain level. Further tempering won’t yield much improvement."

"You need to shift your focus to your own fascia. During the process of Muscle Training, the speed at which your strength and Qi and Blood Value increase will become even faster."

Zhang Cheng said as he walked, his hands clasped behind his back.

"After years of human research, we’ve discovered that the process of progressing from Muscle Training to Muscle Training is the most logical and efficient."

"Switching to Skin Refining or Bone Cultivation would not be the most efficient choice."

Zhang Cheng stopped, took off his shirt, spread his arms, and clenched his fists.

CRACK! CRACK!

With a series of CRACKING sounds, the muscles in his arms instantly swelled, and his blue veins bulged.

"Next, I’ll give you a proper explanation of what Muscle Training is!"

...