Chapter 158: The Last Month

Chapter 158: Chapter 158: The Last Month

In the living room of a luxurious villa in the Imperial Capital.

"Son, your uncle was taken in for investigation for violating the Martial Arts Dojo’s regulations."

"The results are out now. He’s been stripped of his position and sent to the Coastal Base to fight Calamity Beasts for ten years. He can’t return until he’s earned a specific amount of merit."

"And most importantly, your S-level Contract is completely gone."

In the lavish living room, a middle-aged beauty in red had a panicked expression.

Their family’s current status was all thanks to Zhang Tai. Now that their backer had fallen, the future was full of uncertainty.

Beside her, Li Zehao’s face twisted with rage. "It’s all that Lin Qi’s fault from Cang Province! If it weren’t for him, my uncle would never have been sent to the battlefield."

"And my S-level Contract... that was supposed to be mine!"

He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his flesh, but he was completely oblivious to the pain.

"This isn’t over. I will defeat you."

...

Two days after the Genius Tournament, in a Martial Arts Classroom at Tianhai No. 2 Middle School.

The exceptionally burly Zhang Cheng scanned the students. After the Practical Training Camp, he could sense a huge change in everyone’s Essence, Qi, and Spirit.

He nodded in satisfaction.

"It looks like your Essence, Qi, and Spirit are all in good shape."

Then, his expression turned serious, and his voice boomed like a great bell.

"However, today is already April 25th."

"There’s only a little over a month left until the college entrance exams. You all need to make the most of this final month as if your lives depend on it."

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere in the classroom grew tense again.

"This last month is crucial. Every 0.01 increase in your Qi and Blood Value is a 0.5-point difference on the exam. Among the millions of Martial Arts Students across the country, that could put you ahead of dozens of people."

"If you want a good future, then seize this final month and a half."

As Zhang Cheng finished speaking, he clenched his fist, and everyone present felt the immense pressure.

...

「Afternoon, at the gate of Tianhai No. 2 Middle School」

"Lin Qi, you have a delivery. Please sign for it."

It was the same burly deliveryman in a red and black uniform, wearing a hat and a mask.

BEEP BEEP!!

With practiced ease, Lin Qi pressed his palm against the scanner for verification and accepted three black packages of varying sizes.

"Lin Qi, I wish you great success in your Martial Arts journey!" the deliveryman offered.

"Thanks!" Lin Qi nodded.

’There are so many nice people around ever since I got back from the Practical Training Camp,’ he thought.

...

「Evening, in Martial Arts Room B123」

Haaaah...

Dressed in a black Martial Arts Uniform, Lin Qi opened two of the Metal Boxes.

The first was a small package, about the size of a shoebox, but only two or three centimeters tall.

BEEP!

The black Metal Box opened automatically, revealing a jet-black garment inside—the A-level Defense Vest.

He picked up the black A-level Defense Vest. Its texture was light and soft, yet extremely elastic.

Lin Qi took off his Martial Arts Uniform and put on the Defense Vest, which completely enveloped his torso.

He moved around a bit. There was no discomfort whatsoever.

’It’s very comfortable. I can wear it all the time, and it’s easy to wash. With this Defense Vest on, my sense of security has increased dramatically.’

Lin Qi nodded, very satisfied. He decided that from now on, he would wear the Defense Vest for everything except showering.

’At the very least, it’ll be much more effective for surviving an assassination attempt.’

Next, he turned to the second Metal Box. It was wider and thicker. Opening it, he found two items inside: a [Blue Marrow Potion] and [Qi and Blood Pills].

Lin Qi took out the two items. ’The Blue Marrow Potion will be more effective when used together with the Qi and Blood Pills,’ he thought to himself.

’With the Blue Marrow Potion to reduce the side effects of the Qi and Blood Pills, I should be able to take one every two or three days.’

’Combined with cultivating my Source Energy Skill, this will greatly increase my cultivation efficiency.’

Then, he opened the last black Metal Box. Inside, nestled in foam, were two pairs of black Gravity Rings—the new ones he had bought.

Each one was 110 pounds, meaning a total of 440 pounds for all four, and they were worth 800,000 yuan.

He took off the 55-pound Gravity Rings he was currently wearing.

He put on the new ones and jumped in place. They felt much heavier than the old ones, and their effect was more significant.

A satisfied smile appeared on Lin Qi’s face.

He glanced at the old Gravity Rings on the floor. ’I can sell these 55-pound ones to Taozi.’

’In the future, I can sell him the 110-pound ones too. He can pass his old rings on to Amiao. An internal cycle, a win-win for everyone.’

Lin Qi stood up, then sat down cross-legged, his hands in the Five Hearts Facing Heaven Technique posture, and checked his status panel.

[Name: Lin Qi (17)]

[Class: Martial Artist]

[Template: True Monarch Erlang Yang Jian]

[Fusion Degree: 13.3%]

[Talent: Stomach Enhancement, Dragon Energy and Tiger Fierceness, Steel Bones and Iron Flesh]

[Cultivation Technique: Hunyuan Posture, Five Elements Fist (Five Elements Training), Vajra Tiger Evolution Technique, Mountain Collapse, Drip Water, Rock Gun Skill, Mountain Splitting Spear Technique]

[Qi and Blood Value: 23.98]

[Fist Technique: Tier Two 60%]

[Spear Technique: Tier Two 45%]

[Body Technique: Tier Two 32%]

...

This was his current strength, placing him at the very top of all the third-year high school students in Cang Province.

But Lin Qi wasn’t satisfied. There were nearly thirty S-class talents in the entire country.

He couldn’t be content with just being an S-class talent; he wanted to become the strongest among them.

’In the month and a half left, my goal for the college entrance exams is to be the top scorer in Cang Province.’

’Beyond that, I also need to break into the top 20 nationwide.’

’My Qi and Blood Value must break 27, my Martial Arts must reach at least Tier Two 50%, and my Body Technique should get as close to Tier Two 40% as possible.’

Lin Qi silently set his goals. For this final month and a half, he would live at the school and the Martial Arts Room again, going all-out for a final sprint.

His final ranking was also extremely important for his future.

As for the offers from the three top universities, he hadn’t accepted any of them yet. He would wait until after the college entrance exams to make his decision.

With that in mind, Lin Qi calmed his heart, cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts, and threw himself wholeheartedly into his Martial Arts cultivation.

...

For the final month, with the exception of the specially talented Awakened students who had already been admitted,

all the third-year high school students in the Xia Country entered their final month of closed-door training to sprint for the finish line.

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, more than a month had passed.

The Xia Country officially entered summer, and the weather began to grow hot again.

Before anyone knew it, the date was June 6th, two days before the Xia Country’s college entrance exams.

「Afternoon, in the Elite class classroom at Tianhai No. 2 Middle School.」

No one in the classroom was reading anymore. An air of restlessness hung in the room.

All the textbooks had been packed away, and everyone was just chatting idly.

"High school is almost over, just like that. It feels like a dream," Qiu Jie remarked, gazing at the large green tree outside the window.

"I wonder if we’ll still be at the same school after graduation?" someone asked.

"We’ll all go our separate ways."

As the students chatted, many of their gazes fell upon Lin Qi, who was sitting in the middle of the room.

As one of the top figures in Cang Province, many had already decided they wanted to follow him to the same university.

Just then, several figures walked in through the classroom door.

Their homeroom teacher, Yan Hong; the Martial Arts Instructor, Zhang Cheng; and teachers from other subjects all entered the classroom.

Yan Hong, who wore glasses, no longer had her usual stern expression. She looked at the students in her class and smiled.

"For our last class, let’s just have a short meeting."

...