High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

The sturdy man in the mask on the other end nodded.

"We already know."

"Your job is to continue monitoring Lin Qi’s movements. Inform us immediately of any significant changes. Do not hide anything."

"Oh, right!" Yu Realm suddenly called out.

"Do you have any more of that Potion you gave me before? I want to raise my Talent another level!"

The man on the other end sneered. "You really are greedy. Come ask me for a reward when you’ve actually made a contribution."

He hung up immediately after speaking, and the video call log was automatically deleted.

Yu Realm stared at the empty air, his expression turning grim.

He muttered to himself, ’As I thought, it’s no use?’

’I feel like I’ve already reached the limit for an A-level Talent. To reach S-class, I’ll need a better Potion.’

’What kind of contribution do they want?’

...

「At the same time, in a sealed-off space.」

The man in the mask ended the video call.

He projected another screen. The person on the other end was also completely covered in concealing clothing.

The person spoke slowly, their voice raspy and unpleasant, like an insect chittering.

"What are your thoughts on Lin Qi from Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy?"

The sturdy man thought for a moment before replying.

"This Lin Qi is certainly extraordinary. He’s the first person to have mastered a Little Divine Power. His Talent is exceptional."

"But he hasn’t Awakened a Special Ability, after all."

"Having an Awakened Special Ability and not having one are two completely different things."

The man on the other end of the video nodded.

"Mark him as a high-priority target. The moment he Awakens a Special Ability, move to eliminate him immediately."

"Understood!" the sturdy man replied.

...

「December 1st. A new month.」

「Nightfall. Atop the Cangjing Building of the Azure Sky Sixth Institute.」

WHOOSH~

The cold wind howled, the temperature in the single digits. Dressed in a thin white robe, Dean Liu let the frigid wind batter him.

RUMBLE!!

On the spacious rooftop airfield, accompanied by brilliant lights, a saucer-shaped fighter jet, glowing a deep red, slowly landed on the ground.

VMMMM!

The cabin door slowly opened, and a figure emerged.

A middle-aged man stepped out into the cold wind. He wore a special-made, deep blue martial arts uniform, embroidered with the pattern of a Cangjing.

The man was tall, with long, jet-black hair tied back behind his head.

His features were sharp and his jawline firm, with light stubble around his chin and mouth.

He exuded an air of uninhibited ease and composure, along with a powerful aura.

Upon seeing Dean Liu, he broke into a wide smile, strode forward with a carefree gait, and embraced him.

"Old Liu, I’ve missed you to death!"

Dean Liu smiled as well. "Old Xue, you haven’t changed a bit!"

After they separated, they headed toward Dean Liu’s office. Dean Liu, moving with familiar ease, began to brew tea.

"So, what brings the official Dean of the Sixth Institute back so suddenly?"

Xue Zhou plopped down on the plush sofa. "I came back because I wanted to. Does there have to be a reason?"

"Alright, no more jokes."

His expression suddenly turned serious as he spoke.

"I came back to handle a few things. I’ll be taking Old Mu into the Otherworld next; he’s preparing to break through to the Eighth Realm."

Dean Liu nodded. "With Old Mu’s Talent and willpower, he would have broken through to the Eighth Realm long ago if not for that one delay."

"Our Sixth Institute could certainly use another Eighth Realm Martial Artist."

With that said, he handed the freshly brewed hot tea to Xue Zhou.

"Helping Old Mu break through to the Eighth Realm is just a side trip. It’s about time I broke through to the Ninth Realm myself," Xue Zhou said, taking a sip of tea.

"You mean someone else is about to break through, right?" Dean Liu called his bluff.

"Fine, you saw right through me."

Xue Zhou’s expression grew grim. "The situation is getting worse. The Calamity Beast offensive in the Otherworld is growing more ferocious. We suspect the Ninth-Level Calamity Beasts have formed an alliance."

"It’s as if something on Blue Star holds a fatal attraction for them, causing them to frantically launch Disaster Beast Tides."

"The frequency of these tides has already surpassed that of any previous year. There are too many High-Level Calamity Beasts."

"But we humans don’t have nearly enough High Realm Martial Artists. At this rate, experts predict that in a few decades—within a century—Blue Star will be overrun by endless Calamity Beasts, and humanity will be wiped out completely."

Dean Liu was shocked. His expression became exceptionally grave, and he couldn’t help but take a sip of hot tea to calm his nerves.

"We need more geniuses, and more resources!"

Xue Zhou nodded. "That’s Old Liu for you. You saw the key issue right away."

"To save Blue Star, we must have more High Realm Martial Artists. In particular, the number of Ninth Realm Martial Artists is far too low."

"And breaking through to the Ninth Realm requires not only resources, but also geniuses."

"The Otherworld is a massive treasure trove, rich in Source Energy and countless Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures."

"Most of the world’s Title Level Martial Artists, including Emperor Red, have chosen to enter the Otherworld to seek opportunities to break through to the next Realm."

"They also search for more Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures to raise our overall strength in the Martial Arts."

"Meanwhile on Blue Star, we are sparing no effort, pouring countless resources into cultivating geniuses, hoping to produce more candidates for the Ninth Realm."

Dean Liu nodded. This was Blue Star’s current overall strategy. High Realm Martial Artists were the key.

"We’ve discovered quite a few Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures in the Otherworld. A large batch of Martial Artists will be breaking through in the near future. To prevent interference from the Insect Race, we have to go and help."

Xue Zhou finished speaking and took a sip of tea.

The two chatted for a while longer before Xue Zhou said:

"Tomorrow, I want to meet our school’s genius. After all these years, we finally have one worth looking at."

"If he’s really as good as they say, we need to help him grow quickly."

Dean Liu chuckled. "Don’t worry. You definitely won’t regret it."

...

「December 2nd」

「Azure Sky Sixth Institute, Cangjing Building.」

"Dean!"

"Brother Qi!"

As Lin Qi got off the black tram, students from other classes who passed by all greeted him.

Lin Qi nodded back, entered the academic building, and expertly took the elevator to the vice dean’s office on the top floor.

BEEP!

The office door opened automatically.

Lin Qi stepped inside and saw a middle-aged man in a blue robe imprinted with a Cangjing leaning against the sofa.

The man’s eyes met Lin Qi’s.

Xue Zhou’s expression changed slightly as he activated his Perception to carefully observe Lin Qi.

He was tall and sturdy, with excellent proportions highlighted by his form-fitting school uniform. His features were sharp and handsome.

He radiated a vibrant and immense Life Force from head to toe.

Xue Zhou’s mind supplied the perfect descriptor: ’Dashing and spirited.’

Xue Zhou stared for a moment, then muttered to himself.

"The resemblance is uncanny!!"

Dean Liu asked curiously, "A resemblance to whom?"

Xue Zhou stood up and said with a straight face, "He looks exactly like I did when I was young."

Dean Liu: ...

"Just kidding!"

Xue Zhou clapped Lin Qi on the shoulder and chuckled. "Student Lin Qi, allow me to introduce myself. I am the Dean of the Azure Sky Sixth Institute—Xue Zhou!"

As he spoke, a terrifying pressure erupted from his body.

Lin Qi’s heart skipped a beat. In an instant, his consciousness seemed to be transported to the surface of a boundless, deep sea.

Ooooo~

Then, a behemoth surged out of the sea, filling Lin Qi’s vision. It blotted out the sun, and its endless shadow enveloped him completely.

Lin Qi recognized the massive creature. It was the Ninth-Level Calamity Beast, the sovereign of the seas—the Sea-Suppressing Cangjing!

The next moment, Lin Qi was back in reality, meeting Xue Zhou’s eyes, which were glowing with blue light.

’He was shaken. That pressure just now was too strong!’

’He had lost all ability to resist in an instant. He had faced the pressure of several Seventh Realm experts like Yue Feng and Dean Liu and had been able to withstand it.’

’But against this Dean, he had no resistance whatsoever.’

"Dean!"

Xue Zhou was inwardly satisfied. ’Very good!’

"From now on, just call me Dean Xue!"

He then sat back down on the sofa.

Lin Qi looked at the Dean. His personality was a bit different from what he had imagined. The only thing that matched was his terrifying strength.

Dean Liu shook his head and handed Lin Qi a cup of hot tea.

Lin Qi didn’t stand on ceremony and sat down to drink the tea.

"Lin Qi, we called you here today not just so Dean Xue could meet you, but also to give you a reward."

"A reward?"

Lin Qi’s eyes lit up, and he set down his teacup.

"You kid, you gave us too big of a surprise. You even made me eat my words."

"I said before that whether you could win the championship depended on their whim, but you ended up defeating Han Zhen," Dean Liu said, shaking his head.

"You worked a miracle. If you only received the prize for the freshmen tournament, it would make our Azure Sky Sixth Institute look stingy and cheap. The other institutes would laugh at us."

"So, we decided to give you a little something extra from us personally."

With that, he took out a silver metal box from the side.

"This is my reward for you—a Spirit Potion!"

Lin Qi’s expression lit up. A Spirit Potion! That was a resource worth nearly ten million.

Spirit-type resources were inherently expensive.

’The last one I took helped shorten the time needed to master the *Hundred Calamities Atlas*, so my Spiritual Power didn’t increase by much.’

’Taking it again should significantly boost my Spiritual Power.’

"Thank you, Dean Liu!" Lin Qi said gratefully.

"Oh, and Dean Xue has a welcome gift for you too!" Dean Liu said with a grin.

Lin Qi turned to look at Dean Xue and saw that a black metal box had appeared in his hand at some point.

"Lin Qi, I have a welcome gift for you as well!"

"For geniuses like you, increasing your Qi and Blood Value is the most critical thing."

"My gift to you is a Molting Potion."

"It’s a special Potion, better than the Skin Tempering Medicine Ointment Fruit. It can help you rapidly advance your Skin Refining progress. Unfortunately, each person can only use it once."

Dean Liu added from the side, "A single Molting Potion is worth 10 million Xia Country Coins."

Lin Qi was shocked. He accepted the black metal box and said, "Thank you for your gift, Dean Xue!"

’Just these two Potions were worth nearly twenty million Xia Country Coins.’

Xue Zhou sat beside Dean Liu and Lin Qi. His carefree demeanor vanished, replaced by a serious expression as he looked at Lin Qi and spoke.

"The gift-giving is over. Now, let’s talk business."

"You are a genius who defies common sense. You’ve surpassed ordinary geniuses and successfully mastered a Little Divine Power."

"You are the first person to master a Little Divine Power without having an Awakened Special Ability."

Lin Qi was puzzled. "Does one have to Awaken a Special Ability to master a Little Divine Power?"

Dean Xue shook his head.

"Theoretically, having an Awakened Special Ability merely increases the probability of comprehending one."

"But in all these years, you are the only one who has managed it."

"That’s why you are truly remarkable!"

...