Chapter 165: The Shock of All Parties
In the Imperial Capital, in the living room of a luxurious villa in a wealthy district.
Li Zehao, dressed in a white tracksuit, stared blankly at the report card on the screen before him, clutching his head in utter disbelief.
"How could this be??"
"How could I possibly be ranked 35th? My last ranking was clearly 25th, and my Red List ranking was even 21st."
"There’s something wrong with these rankings, definitely something wrong!"
Li Zehao pointed at the screen, unwilling to believe this reality.
The beautiful woman in red beside him nodded, righteously indignant. "That’s right. We need to have headquarters re-verify the scores."
"There’s absolutely something wrong with these rankings!!"
"My son is so outstanding. Someone must be targeting us."
...
「In the Imperial Capital, deep in the mountains, inside a small office at the Sixth Academy of Azure Sky Martial Arts University.」
The decor was extremely simple, with only a few plain chairs, looking as if it had been hastily set up.
"BEEP!"
"Master, a message about Lin Qi."
A blue metallic sphere chimed with the alert.
"Project it."
"Understood!"
Dean Liu, who was handling matters for the new semester, looked up and saw the screen projected before him.
’Looks like the college entrance exam results are out!’
’Let me see just how far Lin Qi managed to go.’
The moment he finished reading the report card, his pupils contracted, and a look of astonishment appeared on his face.
A moment later, his composure returned. He smiled, shook his head, and rubbed his large earlobe.
’It seems we’ve underestimated this Lin Qi. I had already estimated him quite highly, thinking that a rank of 17th or 18th would be excellent.’
’But he actually surged into 10th place.’
In the next office, the curvaceous Luu Wei’s face flushed with excitement. Beaming, she ran over and said, "Dean, Lin Qi actually scored 10th place! Our Sixth Academy has hit the jackpot!"
Dean Liu’s head shot up, and as he opened his eyes, it was as if a powerful force surged forth.
"Little Wei, the national rankings will be out soon."
"Tomorrow, our Sixth Academy will submit Lin Qi’s information."
"In five days, the university application process will begin!"
"This time, with Lin Qi as our poster boy, we should be able to recruit quite a few promising prospects."
"I understand!" Luu Wei turned and left excitedly, full of energy.
Soon, only Dean Liu, in his white robes, was left in the office.
’After so many years of decline, it’s time for our Sixth Academy to rise again.’
...
「At 12:00 PM noon, the college entrance exam results were officially released.」
Countless high school graduates checked their scores.
Some were joyful, others were dejected.
For Lin Qi’s family, there was nothing happier than this day.
His dad, Lin Zhen, was on the phone for over an hour, and his mom, Fang Huiyi, was much the same.
Finally, the family went downstairs to a restaurant for lunch.
「In the restaurant.」
"Good afternoon, viewers! We now bring you some exciting news."
"In this year’s Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, a student from our province has achieved an outstanding result! That outstanding student from our province is Lin Qi."
"Student Lin Qi distinguished himself in the Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, winning first place in Cang Province and ranking tenth in the nation, successfully breaking a historical record for Cang Province that has stood for many years!"
"..."
On the news broadcast, a picture of Lin Qi’s face appeared on screen for all to see.
"The young people these days are truly amazing!"
An old man in his sixties or seventies exclaimed.
"That’s right, 10th in the whole country! What kind of genius is that? He might even become a High Realm Martial Artist in the future!" an older woman sighed in admiration.
"Our Cang Province is going to have another major figure in the future."
The restaurant owner was also watching the news, looking at Lin Qi’s picture. He suddenly found it familiar, and with a glance, he saw Lin Qi’s family eating at a table.
"Lin Qi!!"
He suddenly shouted in delighted surprise.
Everyone quickly looked over, and an uproar ensued.
"The resemblance is uncanny, it really is Lin Qi!"
Some people instantly whipped out their phones to take pictures and videos, while the owner grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and came over to ask for an autograph.
Many others also came over to ask for an autograph.
Lin Qi felt like he had blown up. This time, he was famous throughout all of Cang Province and Celestial Sea City.
It was even more exaggerated than last time.
Meanwhile, his classmates from Tianhai No. 2 Middle School and the other geniuses all saw the news.
Inside a villa, Yu Jing watched Lin Qi on the television, his entire being practically twisting with envy.
"Why is it Lin Qi again? How could he be first in Cang Province? That’s impossible."
"Why did it have to be him?!"
At the same time, outside his villa, a burly man wearing a black coat and a mask that completely concealed his features looked toward the building.
’Yu Jing... he’s not a bad choice!’
...
In a luxurious Chinese-style villa, the refined-looking Wang Qiufeng looked at his own third-place rank in Cang Province, then at the news about the first-place Lin Qi, and sighed, shaking his head. "There’s no comparison!"
"I never thought Lin Qi would be the one to claim the top spot, and even break into the national top 10."
...
「In Bailu City, inside a spacious bedroom.」
The burly Chen Li, dressed in loose black pajamas, clenched his large fist and shook his head as he watched the projected news.
"I’m second in Cang Province, but only 23rd in the country. The gap between us is too big."
"Lin Qi is truly incredible. I, Chen Li, wholeheartedly admit defeat!"
’Tenth in the country might not even be his limit. Since we’re both from Cang Province, perhaps I can build a good relationship with him.’
...
「That evening, at the Celestial Sea City Martial Arts Education Bureau.」
In the director’s office, Director He looked at the national ranking sheet projected before him.
He stood up and sighed in admiration.
"Who could have imagined that an Ordinary student who, just one year ago, was applying for a third-class genius loan..."
"...would, one year later, exceed everyone’s expectations, surpass tens of thousands of geniuses, and become a Top Level existence among the top ten of millions of Martial Arts Students."
Thinking of this, he took out his smartphone and began to operate it.
’Since he’s the provincial champion and has brought glory to our Cang Province, the rewards certainly can’t be lacking.’
’I’ll find some time to have the rewards delivered to him.’
...
Meanwhile, Wang Zhenhai, the Vice Hall Master of the Chongming Martial Arts Dojo, was exceptionally furious and filled with regret. A genius like Lin Qi should have belonged to their Chongming.
It wasn’t just him; the Vice Hall Master of the Obsidian Martial Arts Dojo was kicking himself. If they had known Lin Qi could break into the national top ten, they would have done whatever it took to snatch him up.
It wasn’t just the two major Martial Arts Dojos.
The three top-tier universities also received the news and frantically tried to recruit Lin Qi, but he rejected them all.
Lin Qi felt he had underestimated the impact of being Cang Province’s champion and ranking 10th in the nation.
From 12:00 PM until the national rankings were released the next day, his smartphone hadn’t quieted down for a moment.
People were constantly video calling him and sending him messages.
He had no choice but to turn off his phone just to get some peace and quiet.
...
「Two days later.」
The Lin family’s car drove through University City, passed Wanda Plaza, and finally arrived at the Red Dome Martial Artist District—Imperial View Mansion—located next to the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo.
At the district’s entrance stood exquisite, carved stone pillars. The guards, dressed in crisp black and red uniforms, were burly and exuded a powerful aura; they were all Martial Artists.
They stood ramrod straight, their vigilant eyes scanning the surroundings.
After seeing the Lin family’s license plate number, they immediately opened the large, black iron gates to let them through.
One of the guards even ran ahead to guide them.
Upon entering the district, they drove down a landscaped avenue shaded by lush trees. Neatly trimmed low shrubs formed various exquisite patterns on either side, and an artificial lake shimmered nearby.
Detached villas were artfully arranged throughout the area. Each villa boasted a unique architectural style.
The five people in the car, including Lin Qi, were filled with shock as they took in the sights of the district.
Soon, the guard led their car to the front of a detached villa that blended Chinese, Western, and futuristic-tech styles.
The villa’s exterior walls were made of beige marble, with exquisite reliefs adorning various corners.
They could even see a spacious, open courtyard that had been transformed into a private garden.
Standing at the main entrance was a middle-aged, beautiful woman in a slim-fitting white uniform.
Seeing the Lin family and the Jiangtao siblings, she offered a professional smile.
"Mr. Lin Qi, welcome to Imperial View Mansion. I am the property manager here, Wey Qingqing. This will be your new home."
"Master Yue Feng of the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo and Director He of the Martial Arts Education Bureau are already inside waiting for you."
"Alright!"
Their group entered the villa’s ground-floor living room, an extremely spacious hall of a full 500 square meters.
The overall decor was a minimalist, white, starry-sky theme, with various types of high-tech turf embedded in every corner.
An interactive smart screen on the wall displayed a 3D map of the villa.
On the gray sofa in the living room sat two figures: Yue Feng and Director He.
"You’re finally here!"
The two men stood up to welcome the five of them.
Yue Feng was the first to speak, smiling. "Lin Qi, from now on, this villa is your new home."
Director He, standing beside him, said with a cheerful laugh:
"Student Lin Qi, congratulations on becoming the Cang Province champion and breaking the historical record to place 10th in the nation."
"As a reward, your genius loan no longer needs to be repaid."
"Additionally, the Martial Arts Education Bureau has paid to purchase a Top Level detached villa from Imperial View Mansion, which is under the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo, to serve as your new home."
Lin Zhen and Fang Huiyi were stunned to hear this. Even though they already knew it was their new home, they were still shocked.
Manager Wey, standing nearby, began her introduction: "This villa cost fifty million Xia Country Coins to build."
"It has four floors in total: the basement is a Martial Arts Room, the first floor is the main hall, the second floor has bedrooms, and the third floor is the rooftop."
"It also comes with a courtyard and a garage. The property is vast and can meet the needs of an entire family."
Lin Qi nodded his thanks. "Thank you, everyone!"
A short while later, Yue Feng and Director He left. Manager Wey then gave the five of them a tour of the villa, explaining its smart home system.
"Brother Qi, I’m so jealous! You got a detached villa completely for free," Jiangtao said, his eyes filled with envy.
"What’s there to be jealous about? You were rewarded with a villa too. It wasn’t free, but they let you pay for it in 36 installments. For a few tens of millions, three years will be more than enough for you to pay it off," Lin Qi said with a smile.
As the 8th place winner in Cang Province, Jiangtao naturally received rewards as well.
In addition to having his genius loan forgiven, he was also awarded a villa. It just wasn’t free; it was a loan divided into 36 installments to be paid off within three years.
He just needed to pay a little less than one million Xia Country Coins per month.
Half an hour later, Jiangtao took Jiang Miaoyin to their new home next door.
Lin Qi was also inspecting his own Martial Arts Room. It was built in the basement, which contained two such rooms.
The largest one was taken entirely by Lin Qi. The whole Martial Arts Room was exceptionally spacious, nearly 300 square meters, and its floor and walls were made of a specially crafted silver alloy.
"CLANG! CLANG!"
He scraped the Thunder Horn Spear against the wall, creating a shower of sparks, but it only left a faint scratch on the surface.
...