Chapter 173: A Gathering of Geniuses

Chapter 173: Chapter 173: A Gathering of Geniuses

Lin Qi clenched his fists, muscles tensing as an endless stream of power surged from within his body.

’Is this the cultivation environment at Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy? It’s incredible!’

Even with his eyes closed, Lin Qi could still feel a massive amount of Source Energy Particles replenishing him.

He had absorbed every last bit of the accumulated Source Energy Particles, but the ambient energy was already replenishing itself at a rapid rate. From now on, even when he trained continuously, the Source Energy Concentration would be much higher than at the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo.

The Source Energy Concentration in his villa was more than three times that of the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo.

His cultivation efficiency had slowed down considerably before, but now his rate of progress could increase once again.

’A Qi and Blood Value of 31. If I keep cultivating like this, I can break through to the Third Realm within a few months. That’s the same realm as my dad.’

Lin Qi sighed to himself. ’The gap between people is truly wider than the one between a man and a dog.’

His own dad had worked hard for over twenty years and had only been a Third Realm Martial Artist at his peak.

And now, here he was, about to surpass him at the age of eighteen.

Finally, he looked at his panel’s Template Fusion Degree. It had unknowingly reached 14.8%, not far from 15%.

’The Fusion Degree is increasing more and more slowly now. It’s taken nearly half a year to go up by less than 5%.’

’But the harder it is to increase, the better the Talent I might get.’

Lin Qi gazed at the template in thought, curious about the next Talent he would receive.

Even though his Fusion Degree was less than 20%,

every Talent he had acquired so far had been incredibly useful.

Anyone else possessing even one of his Talents would be considered a decent genius.

After a moment of simple contemplation, Lin Qi assumed a stance and began practicing his Fist Technique.

...

「7:00 PM」

BEEP!

In the living room, a white, cylindrical robot extended a mechanical arm and placed a steaming nutritional meal on the table.

Lin Qi took out a container made of special plastic. A single portion was equivalent to two Level 2 Nutritional Meals.

As soon as he opened it, steam billowed out, carrying a rich, tantalizing aroma.

Although it was still a home-style meal, the meat had been upgraded to that of a Third-Level Calamity Beast, and the vegetables were of higher quality as well.

Without hesitation, Lin Qi began to eat heartily.

A moment later, the container was spotless. Lin Qi exhaled a breath of turbid air, feeling a pleasant warmth spread through his body as beads of sweat formed on his forehead.

His stomach began to digest the Source Energy from the nutritional meal.

’The effect of a Level 3 Nutritional Meal is truly extraordinary. If I keep eating these, the rate of increase for my Qi and Blood Value won’t slow down.’

A smile touched Lin Qi’s lips. He had felt a huge improvement just from his first day at Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy.

It was just as people said online: the three top academies were the true Martial Arts Sacred Lands.

Study here for four years, and even a pig could become a champion.

Even an ordinary student would graduate to become one of the most elite Martial Artists in a city.

BZZZT! BZZZT!

His phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out, unlocked it with facial recognition, and saw a message from his teacher, Luu Wei, on his messaging app.

She had added him to a large group chat with over a thousand members.

[Luu Wei: From now on, this will be the official group for our Azure Sky Sixth Institute. All announcements will be made here.]

[Qiu Jie: Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy is insane! The Source Energy Concentration in the Martial Arts Rooms is terrifyingly high.]

[Cultivating feels like riding a rocket.]

[Lv Xiang: I feel the same way!]

"..."

Lin Qi watched as hundreds of people chatted in the group, the messages constantly refreshing.

[Luu Wei: Announcement: The opening ceremony will be held tomorrow at 8:00 AM in the Red Cloud Building. No one is to be late. Everyone must wear their school uniform. Violators will face the consequences.]

[Line up according to the information in the images I’ve posted.]

Lin Qi looked and saw that Luu Wei had posted several images.

He projected them and zoomed in for a better look.

According to the map, the Red Cloud Building was the largest structure at Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy and belonged to the Tenth Institute.

The opening ceremony was to be held in the main hall of the Red Cloud Building. The map indicated their designated spot, showing that the Sixth Institute would stand together, arranged by rank.

The higher the rank, the closer to the front one stood. As the Dean and senior-most student of the Sixth Institute, he would naturally be at the very front.

’Tomorrow, I’ll get to see my future rivals,’ Lin Qi suddenly thought.

Meanwhile, the group chat erupted with excitement.

It wasn’t just the Sixth Institute; students from the other academies were also buzzing with anticipation.

...

「Martial Arts Calendar Year 2046, July 10th.」

It was the first day of school for all Martial Arts Universities in the Xia Country.

At Azure Sky Martial Arts University, the Red Cloud Building stood in the campus’s Core Region.

The Red Cloud Building had a streamlined design, resembling a super-battleship docked on campus.

Its facade was made of a high-strength transparent alloy that automatically adjusted its color based on the light, creating a dynamic aesthetic.

Groups of men and women in red and white uniforms arrived at the main entrance. Flanking the entrance were two twenty-meter-tall intelligent mechanical guard statues, forged in the image of High Realm Martial Artist War Gods.

Jiangtao stood at the entrance, waiting for someone.

Suddenly, a figure approached, and a smile instantly broke out on his face.

The newcomer wore a form-fitting white and red uniform that accentuated his superb physique. He had broad shoulders, a ramrod-straight posture, and a cold, stern expression.

His hair was slicked back simply, his gaze sharp, and his entire being exuded a tyrannical aura.

Embroidered on his chest was the institute’s crest, a giant whale, and a blue metal sphere floated above his shoulder.

"Brother Qi!" Jiangtao held out a fist.

"Taozi!" Lin Qi bumped fists with him.

Lin Qi then walked ahead, with Jiangtao following on his right.

"Brother Qi!" A moment later, Guo Heng came over from the side and fell in on Lin Qi’s left.

The three of them entered the main hall. The interior space was about a hundred meters high, and the ceiling was decorated with a nebula pattern formed by special metals and special effects.

Bright lights illuminated the hall, and directly in front of them, a huge platform rose from the ground.

Inside the hall, thousands of geniuses in red and white uniforms each exuded their own profound, sharp, and tyrannical auras.

They stood in different locations according to their assigned institute spots.

Overall, they formed a semicircle around the platform.

Lin Qi and his two friends walked slowly into the Sixth Institute’s formation. Seeing them, the other students parted to create a path, allowing them to walk to the very front.

Behind him, Guo Heng quickly found his own spot. Lin Qi stood at the head of the formation.

According to rank, Guo Heng and Jiangtao were to stand in the second row, while Wang Qiufeng and Zhou Xiyin were in the first. Wang Qiufeng, ranked 38th nationally, was in the second position.

There was one person ahead of him.

A figure leading a few others slowly approached the front of the formation.

The one in the lead was about 185cm tall and quite handsome, exuding a chilling aura, as did the few people around him.

"Lin Qi, we meet again!" he said slowly.

Lin Qi smiled back. "Yes, we do."

This was the genius from North River Province nicknamed Lone Wolf, whom he had been matched against in the genius tournament.

The opponent’s Cold Wind Saber Technique had put him under immense pressure, which had prompted him to start learning the Mountain Splitting Spear Technique.

"Don’t call me Lone Wolf. My name is Guan Shan, from North River Province. I ranked 34th in this year’s college entrance exam!"

"I enrolled in the Azure Sky Sixth Institute because of you!"

Guan Shan said with a smile.

Lin Qi extended a hand, also smiling. "Welcome. You absolutely won’t regret this decision!"

The two shook hands.

Looking at Guan Shan, Lin Qi was quite surprised. His rank was not low at all. Aside from the thirty S-class geniuses, he was one of the very top contenders.

Guan Shan then introduced the other geniuses from North River Province who were with him. Each one had a powerful and unique aura.

None of them had low rankings; all were ranked within the top 500 nationally.

He then looked at the others: Wang Qiufeng, Zhou Xiyin, Guo Heng, Jiangtao, and Li Zhou were all students ranked in the top one hundred.

Of the top one hundred students in the country, thirty were S-class geniuses. Of the remaining seventy, six were now in his Sixth Institute.

He nodded to himself. In terms of top-tier strength, their Sixth Institute was not weaker than the other institutes.

...

As time passed, more and more students arrived in the hall and took their positions.

The Deans of the Nine Great Academies had all arrived and were standing at the front of their respective institutes.

Each had their institute’s crest embroidered on their chest.

Lin Qi touched his chest. The crest of their Sixth Institute was based on the Sea-Suppressing Cangjing, a Ninth-Level Calamity Beast.

His gaze swept around, locking onto several of the other Deans. Each of them had a distinct aura.

But they all had one thing in common: they were exceptionally powerful.

Jiangtao quietly leaned in and said:

"Brother Qi, Guo Heng and I gathered some information yesterday."

"This year, five of the top ten in the country enrolled in our Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy."

"Besides Li Lei, who you surpassed yesterday, there are three others."

He pointed to a girl not far away. "That’s Duan Chuchu of the Second Institute. She’s from Shu Province, and her nickname is Golden Snake Sword. She ranked 7th nationally in the college entrance exam."

"The experts behind her are all from Shu Province. Their strength is not to be underestimated."

Lin Qi looked over at her. Duan Chuchu was tall with long, smooth black hair and a cold demeanor.

Next, Jiangtao pointed toward the Ninth Institute. "Then there’s the 4th-ranked student in the country, Ao Feng, nicknamed Ghost Blade!"

Lin Qi looked toward the Ninth Institute. Standing at the very front was an exceptionally handsome boy whose skin was so fair it seemed to glow.

His features were more delicate than a girl’s, but his build was strong and muscular, a stark contrast to his face.

"He’s extremely skilled in speed, but his Fist Power is actually ranked second, which means his Qi and Blood Value must be very high," Guo Heng added.

Lin Qi nodded. In his rough Perception, Ao Feng’s aura was extremely formidable, ranking among the top three.

"Lastly, there’s Huo Wanyang of the First Institute. He was consistently ranked first in the country."

"But for some reason, he was surpassed by the second-ranked Wei Peng by a single point during the college entrance exam, dropping him to second place."

Jiangtao pointed to an extremely burly young man in the First Institute’s section. His features were rugged and bold, sharply defined, yet he carried a coarse air about him.

His aura was terrifying, like that of an Eighth-Level Calamity Beast, the Earth-Split Dragon.

"Huo Wanyang, nickname Marquis Wen. It’s said he’s a huge fan of Lv Bu from the Three Kingdoms. His weapon is a Great Halberd, and he possesses Innate Divine Strength."

"As soon as he entered the academy, he broke the record for the Fist Power test, setting a new one," Jiangtao exclaimed in awe.

Lin Qi laughed when he heard this. "He’s Marquis Wen? Well, I’m the Overlord!"

...