Chapter 490: Finally Becoming an SSS-level Genius

The King of Mountains and Rivers waved a broad arm.

“Come, have a seat.”

Lin Qi nodded, walked in dutifully, and sat down on the brown sofa across from the King of Mountains and Rivers.

Flanking him were Mu Hong, Xu Wenji, and Dean Liu.

Dean Liu was in charge of brewing the tea. Steam wafted through the air, carrying with it a rich, fragrant aroma.

The powerfully built King of Mountains and Rivers looked at Lin Qi and began to speak slowly.

“Lin Qi, I’ve read your file. Your father lost an arm when you were young.”

“Your mother was poisoned by a Blood-winged Bat, leaving her frail since childhood.”

“And you, despite having a strong aptitude for academics, possessed only ordinary Martial Arts Talent. Your family couldn’t provide you with resources.”

“As a result, you were merely an upper-mid-tier student at No. 2 Middle School. You were even rejected for a genius loan.”

“But in the first semester of your senior year, everything changed. You burst onto the scene, suddenly displaying immense Martial Arts Talent and Comprehension.”

“Your Martial Arts Realm advanced by leaps and bounds. You continuously surpassed one genius after another, and your own talent rating was constantly updated.”

“In just two short years, you became the champion of the Global Martial Arts Tournament, and last year you Awakened the Special Ability [Jin Feng].”

“Then, just a few days ago, in the most recent Global Martial Arts Tournament, you Awakened a second Special Ability, [Golden Light], and defeated Ivan Petrov to claim the championship.”

“Your journey can only be described as legendary.”

Lin Qi nodded. All of this information was on record and traceable.

Hearing the King of Mountains and Rivers recount it now, he realized that, without him even noticing, he had already been through so much.

The King of Mountains and Rivers nodded. “We’ve had cases like yours in Xia Country before.”

“Take the Sword Emperor, for example. He was completely unremarkable before he turned eighteen. Then he suddenly Awakened, and his power skyrocketed as if he were riding a rocket. He eventually became a Ninth Realm Martial Artist.”

“Some geniuses suddenly Awaken around seventeen or eighteen. This isn’t the Awakening of a Special Ability, but rather the awakening of a bloodline.”

“Not only does their Talent improve, but their Comprehension also increases dramatically.”

“And a Special Ability will also Awaken within a certain period of time.”

“It’s a kind of latent awakening, you could say.”

“The Sword Emperor is just the most famous case. There are some Seventh and Eighth Realm Martial Artists who had similar experiences.”

“And you are well on your way to becoming our next.”

Lin Qi nodded. ‘I never thought there were other cases like mine.’

The King of Mountains and Rivers took a sip of tea.

“You proved your Talent at the Global Martial Arts Tournament.”

“I can now officially inform you, Student Lin Qi, that after a thorough evaluation by the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo…”

“…we have determined that you possess the potential of an SSS-level genius.”

“Your contract will be officially upgraded from SS-level to SSS-level.”

As the King of Mountains and Rivers finished speaking, Vice Principal Xu Wenji projected a screen and brought out a paper document.

The King of Mountains and Rivers remarked,

“It’s been thirty-five years since the world started classifying geniuses into seven tiers.”

“In that time, our Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo has signed a total of twenty-three SSS-level geniuses.”

“You will be the twenty-fourth.”

‘That’s more SSS-level geniuses than I expected,’ Lin Qi thought, secretly surprised. ‘Almost one every couple of years. And most of them sign with Red Dome.’

‘So SSS-level geniuses aren’t that rare after all. The Three Great Martial Arts Dojos combined probably only have a little over thirty of them.’

‘That’s less than half the number of SS-level geniuses.’

The King of Mountains and Rivers continued,

“Previously, SSS-level contracts came with a one-year observation period.”

“However, that rule is waived for you, as you have Awakened two Special Abilities.”

“In all these years, including you, Lin Qi, only ten SSS-level geniuses in Xia Country have ever Awakened two Special Abilities.”

“Of those, two have already broken through to the Ninth Realm and become Title Level Martial Artists.”

“Three are at the Eighth Realm, and four are at the Seventh. Including you at the Sixth Realm, that makes a group of five.”

“The one closest to you is Xu Qin, a senior who has already broken through to the Seventh Realm.”

‘So there are actually quite a few geniuses with two Special Abilities,’ Lin Qi thought, astonished.

‘It’s true that you can’t comprehend how many geniuses there are until you reach a certain level.’

‘There are levels even among geniuses. The ones with two Special Abilities are the absolute peak among the SSS-level.’

‘And now, I’m one of them.’

Then, Vice Principal Xu Wenji stood up, took out a paper contract, and also projected a digital copy.

The King of Mountains and Rivers continued,

“Compared to the SS-level contract…”

“…the SSS-level Contract has undergone a complete upgrade, especially with the reforms from a few months ago.”

“Once you sign the SSS-level Contract, you will receive two hundred million Xia Country Coins annually!”

“The contract period is five years. We are now in your third year. This means you’re due an extra one hundred million Xia Country Coins per year for the last three years, after factoring out the payment from your SS-level contract.”

“That comes to three hundred million. You will receive 300 million Xia Country Coins upfront!”

Lin Qi was shocked. ‘That’s an incredible amount of money.’

Three hundred million Xia Country Coins was enough to buy a massive amount of Cultivation Resources.

‘And I still have two years left on the contract, which means another four hundred million Xia Country Coins to come.’

The King of Mountains and Rivers, with a calm expression, continued,

“Also, since you’re at Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, your monthly stipend will be increased to 50 million.”

“We’ll backdate this from July of the year you enrolled, which was 22 months ago.”

“The difference between the new stipend and what you received as an SS-level genius comes to 440 million Xia Country Coins for that period.”

“For a grand total of 740 million Xia Country Coins!”

Lin Qi gasped. ‘That much money?’

Nearby, Xue Zhou smiled.

“Lin Qi, that’s a massive fortune. I bet a lot of Eighth Realm Martial Artists don’t have that kind of net worth.”

“You’ve already surpassed so many people.”

Mu Hong and Dean Liu, who were beside them, showed expressions of envy. They both came from ordinary families and weren’t top-level geniuses.

They had never seen so much money. Mu Hong had already paid a hefty price just to get Lin Qi that liquid-alloy spearhead.

‘As his teacher, I’m probably not even as rich as he is now,’ he thought.

Mu Hong was in a period of rapid advancement and wanted to break through again, which required huge expenses. His only way to earn money was by hunting Calamity Beasts.

But Lin Qi’s expenses were all covered by the Martial Arts Dojo and the academy’s funding.

He couldn’t help but marvel at how the Martial Arts Dojo and the academy truly spared no expense in cultivating geniuses.

Lin Qi looked at the contract and, without any hesitation, signed his name on the last page.

He also left his fingerprint, then did the same on the digital contract.

Seeing Lin Qi sign, the King of Mountains and Rivers nodded in approval.

He stood up, extended his hand, and said,

“Lin Qi, congratulations on becoming the twenty-fourth SSS-level genius of our Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo.”

Lin Qi also extended his hand. ‘The King of Mountains and Rivers’s palm is broad and powerful; it feels as if he could crush my hand to dust with just a slight squeeze.’

The King of Mountains and Rivers clapped Lin Qi on the shoulder.

“Lin Qi, as an SSS-level genius, besides the 50% shopping discount, medical insurance, and so on, there are also some hidden benefits not listed in the contract.”

“You will find out once you break through to the Seventh Realm and become a High Realm Martial Artist.”

“The situation is becoming more and more dire. We need geniuses like you to grow strong.”

“When the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up.”

“You need to grow up and become one of the new tall ones.”

Lin Qi nodded. He understood that expectations for him had now been raised from becoming an ordinary Ninth Realm Martial Artist to a top-level one.

After sitting back down, the King of Mountains and Rivers continued,

“According to the rules established by the Three Great Martial Arts Dojos, whenever a new SSS-level genius appears…”

“…they are required to take a Ninth Realm Martial Artist as a master.”