Chapter 220: In a League of His Own
Huo Wanyang felt immense pressure. He'd noticed his own rate of improvement had increased recently.
But surpassing Lin Qi seemed to be getting more and more difficult.
'I have to unlock more of my potential.'
Huo Wanyang gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, eagerly beginning the third-level trial.
He already regretted not dedicating himself fully to his cultivation before, which had allowed Lin Qi to pull so far ahead. Now, all he could do was desperately try to catch up.
...
「In another space」
PFFT—
Withdrawing his blade, the phantom-like Ao Feng surveyed the surrounding Iron Spike Wild Boar corpses, panting heavily.
"That was close. I was just three seconds away from running out of time."
He wasn't surprised by the system message that popped up.
'I barely scraped by the second-level trial. There's no way I was the first one to pass.'
'So who was the first one through? Huo Wanyang or Lin Qi?'
Ao Feng wondered.
...
[Unfortunately, Student Ruan Qian, your trial has failed!]
Ruan Qian, cute and clad in a pink combat suit, looked at the system notification, shook her head, and sighed. "I failed again, just as I thought."
'My sister will probably fail too!'
'Right now, it's likely only Lin Qi, Huo Wanyang, and Ao Feng who have any hope of passing.'
'After I get out, he's probably going to laugh at me.'
'I just have to work harder. The competition at Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy is too fierce.'
...
「Outside the Trial Tower」
A crowd of people waited outside the tower, chatting idly while keeping a close eye on the Trial Rankings.
Shi Xiaofei was one of them. He was from Guangxi Province and had applied to the First Institute and the Ninth Institute, but was rejected by both.
Then, on a whim, he applied to the Azure Sky Sixth Institute and successfully got in.
After arriving at Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, he had been completely won over by Lin Qi's performance in the freshman tournament.
"Brother Qi is definitely going to be the first one to clear the trial this time," he said confidently.
"Of course!" his friend chimed in.
Shi Xiaofei glanced back at the Azure Sky Sixth Institute's rankings. His eyes suddenly shot open. He blinked hard, making sure he wasn't seeing things.
[First Place: Lin Qi, Level: 2→3]
...
"He passed!"
"Brother Qi passed the second-level trial!"
Shi Zhanfei couldn't help but shout in excitement. His voice instantly carried, drawing the attention of everyone around.
"Look at the other institutes!"
"No one else's has changed. Lin Qi is the first to clear the second level."
"As expected of the freshman tournament champion!" someone exclaimed, looking at the rankings.
"Huo Wanyang passed the second level, too, but he was a few minutes behind Lin Qi. There's still a gap in their strength."
"He's the undisputed number one among the freshmen now. He's in a league of his own."
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
After some time, the students taking the trial began to emerge one after another. When Jiangtao and the others from the Azure Sky Sixth Institute saw the change in Lin Qi's level, they all cheered.
Seeing this, students from the other institutes felt a sense of disappointment, especially those from the Azure Sky First Institute.
"I knew it would be that guy, Lin Qi," Ruan Qian said with a wry smile as she emerged.
Shortly after, Ao Feng also emerged, admitting he was no match.
The tall and burly Huo Wanyang stared at Lin Qi's rank, his fists clenched so tight they cracked. Finally, he turned and logged off.
About ten minutes later, Lin Qi's tall figure emerged from the Trial Tower. Jiangtao and the others immediately gathered around him.
"Brother Qi, you're invincible!" Jiangtao exclaimed with a grin.
"Just the second level. A piece of cake for Brother Qi," Zhou Xiyin added with a smile.
Lin Qi waved his hand dismissively. "Alright, it's just the second level. Nothing worth bragging about."
This kind of praise wasn't enough to go to his head.
So, after a bit more small talk, he chose to log off.
...
「In the Martial Arts Room」
WHIR—
The door of the white Virtual Cabin slid open. Lin Qi opened his eyes and slowly stood up.
As he walked around the Martial Arts Room, he had Little Chan project a panel and began to record his notes.
At the same time, he replayed the third-level trial in his mind: a siege of 150 Calamity Beasts, including 30 Second-Level Unihorned Black Pigs.
With his current Qi and Blood Value of 10.0, his speed was no match for the Unihorned Black Pigs. It was incredibly difficult to defend against their sudden attacks.
He could only rely on his Body Technique to dodge, making the Realm of his Body Technique absolutely crucial.
'To clear the third-level trial, my Spear Technique probably needs to reach Tier Three, and my Body Technique must be at least High-tier Second Rank.'
Lin Qi thought to himself. The difficulty increased severalfold with each level of the trial.
He wasn't strong enough to pass the third level yet. His Martial Arts still needed a massive improvement.
He looked at the text recorded on the panel.
Suddenly, he had another thought.
'Speed-type Martial Artists have an advantage in the trials. If my Spear Technique was in the "swift as the wind" style, I could probably kill several more Calamity Beasts.'
'I might have to learn a new Spear Technique Secret Manual!' Lin Qi decided.
...
The next day, the weather in the Imperial Capital remained scorching hot.
At the Azure Sky Sixth Institute, on the top floor of the Cangjing Building.
Inside the spacious Martial Arts Room, two figures stood opposite each other, both holding training lances with unsharpened tips.
During the standoff, the tall and powerfully built Lin Qi brandished his Training Lance and lunged forward.
He executed the Mountain Splitting Spear Technique.
"Junior Brother, be careful!"
Opposite him, the handsome, scholarly Li Qing also held a long spear. His movements were fluid and agile, his spear striking like a dragon, swift as the wind.
BANG! BANG!!!
In the center of the Martial Arts Room, the two closed the distance in an instant, their long spears striking like flood dragons bursting from the sea.
As the long spears clashed, power was released, and the air vibrated with explosive cracks.
Lin Qi swung his long spear, his muscles tensing as he generated the Mountain-Splitting Power. It flowed through his body like a Spiritual Snake before condensing at the tip of his spear and erupting outward.
BANG!
As their long spears collided, the Power they each released clashed relentlessly.
Lin Qi could feel the Power released by his Senior Brother Li Qing. It possessed immense penetration power, stabbing forth like a volley of sharp arrows.
At the same time, his Spear Technique was exquisite and swift as the wind. A sky full of afterimages stabbed at him from all directions.
'So strong!'
Lin Qi was inwardly alarmed. He activated his Heart Eye Talent, constantly perceiving his Senior Brother Li Qing's Spear Technique.
Several times, he sensed immense danger; if Li Qing had been just a little faster, he would have been killed.
But his Senior Brother Li Qing didn't do so. Instead, he maintained his skill at a comparable level to spar with him.
Meanwhile, Li Qing was also inexplicably shocked.
'This Junior Brother of mine is a real monster!'
'I originally didn't want to use my Third Realm Spear Technique to spar with him, but I ended up almost losing.'
He felt as if Lin Qi had an invisible pair of eyes that could see the openings and killing intent in his Spear Technique, allowing him to cleverly parry every attack.
To the side, Mu Hong, dressed in black martial arts attire, and the tall, elegant Wang Zixuan were also watching the spar.
"Teacher, our Junior Brother's Combat Talent is stronger than both mine and Li Qing's," Wang Zixuan said seriously.
Mu Hong, still in his black martial arts attire, nodded. "His Talent, Comprehension, and Combat Talent—Lin Qi is at the absolute peak among his peers."
"That's why he was able to become the champion of the freshman tournament."
「Ten minutes later」
"Stop!" Mu Hong called out, his voice booming like a great bell and reaching every corner of the Martial Arts Room.
BANG!
After one final clash, Li Qing and Lin Qi pulled apart and retracted their training lances.
"Senior Brother Li Qing, I'm no match for you."
Lin Qi said, lowering his spear.
"Junior Brother, you're making me blush," Li Qing said, shaking his head.
"If my Spear Technique hadn't broken through to the Third Realm, I probably wouldn't have been able to beat you at all."
"I was using seventy percent of my strength just now, and you still blocked all of it."
"You're making me start to doubt my own strength."
"You're really a monster," Li Qing said with an amazed shake of his head.
He looked at Lin Qi, his heart filled with admiration.
Aside from those geniuses who had Awakened a Special Ability, Lin Qi was the strongest prodigy he had ever met.
If they had kept fighting, he might have had an existential crisis.
...