Chapter 122: A 5 Million Reward

Chapter 122: Chapter 122: A 5 Million Reward

Yue Feng took another sip of his hot tea and asked with a leisurely smile,

"Do you think it’s too valuable?"

Lin Qi nodded. "This is way too much!"

Yue Feng stood up, slowly walked to the window, and said as he gazed at the sky outside,

"Five million Xia Country Coins. That’s not a lot!"

"To me, it’s just a small sum. It’s not important to me at my current stage."

"The Cultivation Resources I casually buy are worth more than five million."

"Hunting the Seventh Realm Calamity Beast, the Ghost-toothed Giant Shark, brought me an income of nearly one hundred million Xia Country Coins."

HISS...

Hearing this, Lin Qi couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. ’A small goal... he’s truly rich.’

’Money is really becoming just a string of numbers for him.’

"But five million Xia Country Coins are very important for you right now."

"As I’ve said before, I have high hopes for you becoming an S-class genius. This is just a small investment."

"It’s enough to close the gap between you and those top-level geniuses."

Lin Qi let out a breath, then stood up with a sincere expression and thanked him, "Thank you, Uncle Yue!"

Yue Feng waved his hand. "You’ll have to work even harder from now on."

"After the results came out yesterday, I already reported your situation to the Red Dome headquarters. They will send a specialist down to evaluate you along with the Hall Master."

"Whether you can be upgraded to an S-level Contract doesn’t depend on me, but on them. I don’t have that authority," Yue Feng explained.

"This next month is crucial. Fifth in the entire province is already very strong."

"But for an S-class genius, that’s not enough. You need to be at least in the top two, or even number one."

"The gap between geniuses will only grow wider."

"You can’t be satisfied with your current status."

"You still need to work harder!" Yue Feng said seriously.

Lin Qi nodded, feeling the pressure bearing down on him.

...

A few minutes later, Lin Qi departed.

Only Yue Feng and Manager Sun remained in the office.

"Old Sun, do you think Lin Qi can win over the Hall Master and the inspection team?" Yue Feng asked, continuing to sip his tea.

Manager Sun said, "I think he can!"

"Between Wang Qiufeng of Chongming Martial Arts Dojo and Chen Li of Obsidian Martial Arts Dojo, our Red Dome’s most outstanding talents right now are Zhou Xiyin and Lin Qi."

"Zhou Xiyin has always been suppressed by Wang Qiufeng. Only Lin Qi is showing an increasingly large rate of improvement."

"In comparison, he has a better chance of surpassing Chen Li and becoming an S-class genius."

"That’s a sound argument. I think so too," Yue Feng nodded.

...

After leaving the Martial Arts Dojo, Lin Qi returned to his private Martial Arts Room B123.

He changed into his Martial Arts Uniform, consumed an Energy Potion, applied the Red Blood Ointment, and after completing his routine, began his cultivation.

He brandished the black Thunder Horn Spear in his hands while digesting the news from Yue Feng.

First, there was the five-million-coin credit, which would allow him to purchase the top-tier five-star Spear Technique and Body Technique from the Bronze Secret Manuals. This would guarantee his future combat power.

Then, there was the matter of the S-level Contract.

He was determined to get that contract.

’I can’t believe Uncle Yue doesn’t even have the authority to decide on an S-level Contract.’

’The competition for an S-level Contract is even fiercer than I imagined!’

’And Uncle Yue didn’t mention the criteria for an S-level Contract. I can only do my best to fight for a higher ranking.’

’Fifth in the province... I have to be number one.’

Lin Qi thought to himself. His next goal was to reach the top of Cang Province and upgrade to an S-level Contract.

’But before that, I have to prepare well for the fourth and fifth rounds of the Genius Hegemony Tournament tonight.’

...

「Sunday, 7:00 PM」

In the lobby of the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo, a large crowd had once again gathered to watch the spectacle.

"Brother Qi!"

As Lin Qi walked into the virtual lobby, many people noticed him and started whispering among themselves:

"Look, it’s Hidden Tiger Lin Qi!"

"I can’t believe he comes to the virtual lobby so often. Who would have thought he’s now third in Celestial Sea City."

"By the way, does anyone know his Red Realm ID?"

"His strength is off the charts. His ranking in the Red Realm must be pretty high, right?"

"No idea!"

Many onlookers watched Lin Qi, whispering to each other.

Lv Xiang and Wu Feng also looked at Lin Qi with admiration. Who would have thought that after calling him Brother Qi, he’d actually become so awesome.

The one with the most complicated feelings was undoubtedly Guo Heng. He was utterly stunned when he saw Lin Qi’s name among the top ten in the province—ranked fifth.

"Lin Qi, you bastard. No wonder they call you Hidden Tiger. You were hiding your strength too damn well."

"Before I knew it, you’d even surpassed me."

"Looks like I’ll have to call you Brother Qi from now on, too."

Lin Qi joked, "Then go on, let me hear you call me Brother Qi!"

The five of them chatted for a while before getting down to business.

Jiangtao was the first to speak. "Tonight starts with the fourth round. Half of the 194 people will be eliminated and will have to fight in the revival matches with the other thousand or so contestants."

"The remaining contestants will form the final 128, who will then fight in the fifth round to determine the top 64."

The group nodded. They had already thoroughly familiarized themselves with the rules.

Lin Qi glanced at the time on his phone and said, "Let’s get into the Virtual Cabins then."

"Alright!" The group nodded.

"Lin Qi, what’s your nickname?" Guo Heng suddenly asked before they left.

A smile played on Lin Qi’s lips. "Aheng, everyone will know soon enough. Don’t be impatient!"

With that, he turned and left, entering a Virtual Cabin.

Guo Heng thought of the few nicknames that came to mind. ’Right. Just like Lin Qi said, after today’s Genius Hegemony Tournament ends...’

’...Lin Qi will be the one who advances.’

’Could it be Yang Jian?’

...

In the fourth round of the Genius Hegemony Tournament, 194 geniuses from all over Xia Country logged into the Red Realm one after another, entering the competition.

After tonight, only 64 geniuses would remain.

It was destined to be a fiercely competitive night.

...

[Yang Jian, welcome to the Red Realm!]

[Enter the fourth round of the Genius Hegemony Tournament? Yes/No. Passing will grant a reward of 900,000 Xia Country Coins.]

Lin Qi looked at the 900,000 Xia Country Coin reward, a smile touching his lips.

This 900,000 wouldn’t be easy to get. If he was unlucky enough to be matched against a top-thirty opponent next, he could only accept a bitter defeat and be eliminated.

But no matter how difficult it was, he had to get his hands on these 900,000 Xia Country Coins.

He had been burning through resources too quickly lately, and he needed more money.

[Yes!]

Lin Qi clicked "Yes," officially entering the fourth round of the Genius Hegemony Tournament.

At the same time, the Red Realm began to operate. The space around Lin Qi shifted, as if he had been moved to another dimension by an invisible giant hand.

BOOM!!

On a vast, empty arena, two red beams of light descended from the sky.

CLANK! CLANK!

Footsteps landed on the ground.

Two tall figures, each holding a long spear, slowly walked out from within them.

[Nickname: Li Ke (Cang Province)]

[Red List Ranking: 90]

...

[Nickname: Yang Jian (Cang Province)]

[Red List Ranking: 104]

...

The two saw each other and both broke into smiles.

Li Ke felt his luck was pretty good. ’I actually ran into someone from the same province, and his ranking is even lower than mine.’

’In that case, the fourth round is in the bag for me.’

Lin Qi’s gaze fell on his opponent’s name, and for a moment, he was in a daze.

The name "Li Ke" made his mind flash back several months.

He clearly remembered when the Red List was updated and its scope expanded to include all of Celestial Sea City.

And Li Ke had been number two at the time.

Jiangtao had said they would replace the top two together.

And now, he was matched against Li Ke himself.

Lin Qi held the sharp black great spear with one hand, his aura slowly unfurling as the corners of his mouth turned up beneath his mask.

’Looks like my luck isn’t bad either.’

’Even the heavens want me to advance!’

...