Chapter 216: National Freshman Competition
[You used Skin Tempering Ointment and trained arduously in a five times gravity environment. Your skin membrane was effectively tempered. Qi and Blood Value +2]
[Your insight into the physical body has deepened. Comprehension of a hidden power: 20%]
[In the five times gravity environment, your mastery of Spear Technique has improved. Spear Technique +1%]
[You have completed an effective training session. Template Fusion Degree +0.1%]
[Qi and Blood Value: 41→43]
[Spear Technique: Tier Two 82%→Tier Two 83%]
[Template: True Monarch Erlang Yang Jian]
[Fusion Degree: 16.9%→17%]
...
DRIP. DROP.
Lin Qi wiped the sweat from his face and couldn’t help but let out a breath as he looked at the information on the panel.
The Skin Tempering Ointment was indeed quite effective. Paired with cultivation in the Gravity Room at five times gravity, his very first session had increased his Qi and Blood Value by two points.
But what surprised him the most was the Little Divine Power, [Vajra Transformation]. Its progress had increased from 10% to 20%.
The rate of improvement was incredibly fast. He even felt he might be able to fully comprehend it within a few months.
GULP~
He picked up an energy drink and took a large swig. As he rested, a thought suddenly struck him.
’Just how strong is my Fist Power now?’
A dozen or so minutes later, Lin Qi opened the door and returned to his private villa. He went into the Martial Arts Room and stood before the fist power tester.
BEEP!
As he pressed the switch, the electronic screen on the black and red fist power tester lit up.
’Last time I tested it, my Fist Power was almost over 3,200 kilograms, far exceeding the minimum of 2,500 kilograms for a Third Realm Martial Artist.’
’Even a genius with Innate Divine Strength like Huo Wanyang can’t match my Fist Power. He’s only at about 3,100 kilograms.’
Lin Qi thought to himself as he began to relax his body, letting his muscles go slack.
WHOOSH~
He took a deep breath, his expression hardening. A golden light seemed to flash wildly in his eyes.
He engaged every muscle in his body, coordinating with his skin membrane as he twisted his waist, rotated his hips, and tightened his fist, gathering power.
His body coiled like a powerful spring, his spine arching vertebra by vertebra like a great dragon, channeling the force.
In the instant he unleashed his power, he felt as if he had transformed into the Level 8 Calamity Beast, the Vajra Tiger.
His fist shot out like a Tiger Claw. The powerful Fist Technique slammed heavily against the red Punching Target.
WHOOSH!!
BANG!!
With a heavy thud, the Punching Target shook violently. The electronic screen on the machine refreshed quickly, and a string of numbers instantly appeared—"3586.6 kg!"
A smile appeared on Lin Qi’s face. It was just as he had thought.
’My Fist Power definitely hit 3,500 kilograms when I broke through to the Third Realm. That’s a full 1,000 kilograms more than the 2,500-kilogram minimum for a Third Realm Martial Artist.’
His Fist Power was now absurdly high. It was ridiculously strong.
’And my speed!’
Lin Qi immediately began testing his maximum burst speed.
Three minutes later, using the Speed Tester, Lin Qi exploded forward like a pouncing tiger. With a gust of fierce wind, he crossed the finish line in less than a second.
BEEP! BEEP!
Data appeared on the electronic screen—"44 m/s."
Lin Qi nodded. The minimum speed for the Third Realm was 36 m/s, and he had far surpassed that as well.
Then, another thought occurred to him: A Fourth Realm Martial Artist was considered a Middle Realm Martial Artist.
The Fist Power of a Fourth Realm Martial Artist was 5,000 kilograms!
The minimum speed for a Fourth Realm Martial Artist was 54 m/s.
Lin Qi did a quick calculation. The gap between his physical stats and those of a Fourth Realm Martial Artist was still quite large. In Fist Power alone, he was short by 1,400 kilograms.
He estimated that his Qi and Blood Value would probably need to break past 70 or 80 before he could surpass the minimum Fist Power of a Fourth Realm Martial Artist.
Fighting those in a higher realm was still extremely difficult.
’I’ve only just broken through to become a Third Realm Skin Refining Martial Artist. I still have a long way to go.’
Lin Qi clenched his fists. As one’s realm increased, the Qi and Blood Value required to break through to the next realm also became higher and higher.
The rate of progress for many Martial Artists would slow down drastically. His own father, Lin Zhen, for example, had been stuck in the Third Realm for over a decade without a breakthrough.
And there were many others like him, mainly due to a lack of resources.
At Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, the minimum graduation requirement was the Fourth Realm. But at other Martial Arts Universities, students could graduate upon reaching the Second Realm.
WHOOSH~
After a moment of simple reflection, Lin Qi changed into his Martial Arts Uniform, sat down cross-legged, and began his daily Source Energy Cultivation.
...
With the freshman tournament over, a sense of calm returned to the new students of Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy.
The tournament had spurred on many students. With their increased access time to the three major public resources, they were finally experiencing the feeling of making rapid progress.
This was especially true for the students of the Azure Sky Sixth Institute, as the Source Energy Concentration in their Martial Arts Rooms had increased by 90%.
Their cultivation efficiency soared, and their Qi and Blood Values improved almost daily.
This feeling of constantly growing stronger motivated everyone to train even harder, afraid that the Source Energy Concentration might be lowered next time.
The other institutes were also stimulated. They had no choice but to cultivate even more desperately, and the training atmosphere throughout the entire academy became exceptionally intense.
...
「A week passed in the blink of an eye.」
In the Martial Arts Room of private villa #01, Azure Sky Sixth Institute.
Lin Qi, dressed in a black Martial Arts Uniform, sat cross-legged with his hands in the Five Hearts Facing Heaven Technique posture.
Fierce gusts of wind whipped up around him, swirling about his body like a tornado.
Within his Perception, the entire space of the Martial Arts Room was filled with countless points of light.
A massive Vajra Tiger opened its cavernous mouth, gathered the Source Energy Particles into a ball, and swallowed them in one gulp.
A huge amount of Source Energy Particles poured into every corner of his body, where they were frantically devoured and absorbed by his starving cells.
Lin Qi slowly guided the Source Energy to temper his skin membrane, causing his skin cells to absorb it madly, then mutate and break down, making the membrane tougher and more elastic.
Two hours later, Lin Qi’s eyes snapped open, releasing a golden glow. A terrifying aura erupted from him, and the surrounding gusts of wind spread outward like ripples on a lake.
[After two hours of Source Energy Cultivation, your physical body has grown stronger and your Qi and Blood Value has increased. Qi and Blood Value +0.6]
[Comprehension of the Little Divine Power, Vajra Transformation: 25%]
[Qi and Blood Value: 44.3→44.9]
...
Lin Qi let out a breath. Looking at his increased Qi and Blood Value, he felt filled with motivation.
’Since the freshman tournament ended, I’ve been making decent progress almost every day.’
’This feeling of watching my strength improve little by little every day is really addicting.’
Then he looked at the Little Divine Power, [Vajra Transformation]. Its comprehension progress was also steadily increasing.
Everything was improving at a steady pace.
’Time to go to class!’
...
「Half an hour later, before his 8 a.m. class.」
In the dean’s office on the top floor of Cangjing Building, Azure Sky Sixth Institute.
On the blue sofa next to a massive fish tank, Lin Qi accepted the hot tea that Dean Liu had prepared, taking a sip to savor its flavor.
"Dean, how come I’ve never seen the Head Dean? You were the one who appeared at the opening ceremony, too," Lin Qi asked, voicing his confusion.
Dean Liu took a sip of tea and said,
"Here at Azure Sky Martial Arts University, across the ten institutes—with the exception of the Tenth Institute—each institute has one Head Dean and two Vice Deans."
"The Head Deans are all Eighth Realm Martial Artists. They are elusive and rarely stay at the university. They’re either on the battlefield suppressing Calamity Beasts or heading to the Otherworld to pioneer new territories."
"They are the pillars of our Xia Country. They are the ones holding up the sky."
"The other Vice Dean of our Azure Sky Sixth Institute is not at the university; he’s gone to the battlefield."
Lin Qi nodded. As expected, High-Level Martial Artists were never idle.
"Lin Qi, the reason I asked you here today is to talk about the National Freshman Tournament, which is set to begin in a little over two months!" Dean Liu said slowly.
"The National Freshman Tournament?!"
Lin Qi’s expression turned serious as well.
...