High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Three figures slowly walked in through the villa’s entrance.

Each of them wore a custom-made robe of a different color.

Jiangtao leaned close to Lin Qi and said, "Brother Qi, I just heard from Guo Heng that the uniforms for every genius in the Tenth Institute are custom-made. Each one costs at least a hundred thousand Xia Country Coins."

Lin Qi shook his head. ’So extravagant.’ The uniform he was wearing had only cost a few hundred coins.

Soon, his gaze locked onto one of the three. This person was burly, with a simple, round face, and was wearing a custom-made red uniform.

It was Han Zhen, the one who had lost to him in the finals of the national freshmen competition. He was also ranked last among the geniuses of the Tenth Institute.

He had arrived with another man and a woman. They were now carrying gifts and chatting casually with Wan Ming.

Han Zhen noticed the other people inside and asked curiously, "Old Wan, who are these people?"

Wan Ming explained, "They’re all fellow folks from Cang Province I invited over. It’s more lively with more people."

Then, Han Zhen saw a familiar figure, and his expression immediately stiffened.

"Lin Qi!"

After seeing Lin Qi, the pretty girl next to them brightened up, a smile instantly appearing on her face. She walked forward to greet him.

"Hello!"

"Lin Qi, I saw your fight with Han Zhen. You’re amazing! You managed to master a Little Divine Power without even having an Awakened Special Ability."

Lin Qi looked at the girl in front of him. She had phoenix eyes, delicate features, and a petite figure.

She wore a green custom-made robe and exuded a vibrant Aura of Life.

’Another genius from the Tenth Institute!’

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Xia Lian!"

Xia Lian smiled and extended her small, fair hand.

After shaking her hand, Lin Qi smiled at Han Zhen and said, "Han Zhen, we meet again!"

Han Zhen gave a dry laugh. "Yeah, what a coincidence!"

Just then, the last of the three, a young man, also walked over. Seeing him approach, Han Zhen and the girl both automatically took a step aside to make way.

He had gentle features, a tall and slender build with excellent proportions, and wore a cyan robe. Despite his appearance, he possessed an air of authority.

His eyes were bright as he smiled and spoke, "Lin Qi, I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time."

"Let me introduce myself. Pei Jiu, from the Tenth Academy. I’m from the Imperial Capital."

After speaking, he extended his hand with a sincere look in his eyes.

Lin Qi had to admit that this Pei Jiu had an extraordinary presence and was very easy to like.

’Plus, the geniuses from the Tenth Institute were all quite friendly. None of them acted superior.’

’Most importantly, he was exuding dense fluctuations of Spirit, far stronger than Shen Zhenzhen, the Tenth Institute genius he’d met last time.’

"Hello!"

Lin Qi extended his hand and shook Pei Jiu’s.

In just a short time, he had already met four geniuses from the Tenth Institute.

Next, Pei Jiu went around to shake hands with the others, his attitude so friendly that the students from the Azure Sky Sixth Institute were taken aback by the flattering attention.

After the introductions, everyone went back to chatting and eating.

At that moment, Han Zhen walked up to Lin Qi, pretended to pick up a piece of dark chocolate from a nearby plate, and said in a low voice:

"Lin Qi, don’t think it’s over just because you beat me in the national freshmen competition."

"If we fought again now, you definitely wouldn’t win." After saying his piece, he forcefully chewed the chocolate and walked away.

Lin Qi shook his head. Just then, Jiangtao leaned in again, looked at Pei Jiu in the distance, and whispered:

"Brother Qi, I just heard from Guo Heng that Pei Jiu is actually ranked second among the geniuses of the Tenth Institute. Besides the SS-level genius, he’s the strongest one there."

"Pei Jiu, from the Imperial Capital. They say he’s the ninth child in his family, which is why he’s named Pei Jiu."

"His mother is truly something else, having nine kids in a row. He was supposedly unremarkable growing up, with less Talent than his eight older siblings."

"But unexpectedly, during his senior year of high school, he Awakened the Special Ability of a Spiritual Mind Master. He rose to prominence overnight, surpassing countless other geniuses."

"After entering Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, he became the strongest expert aside from the SS-level genius."

"I can’t believe his attitude is so friendly!"

Lin Qi was also quite surprised. ’Pei Jiu is actually that strong?’

He had asked Dean Liu some questions yesterday and learned a lot. The geniuses of the Tenth Institute also had internal competition and rankings.

These included simple rankings in the Refining God Tower and the Disaster Beast Trial Tower.

They also had their own internal contests. Just like the other Nine Great Academies, they had to participate in the Disaster Beast Hunting Competition and individual tournaments.

A comprehensive ranking was determined based on these two competitions, and Han Zhen was notoriously ranked last.

Meanwhile, Wan Ming, the one holding the birthday party, was ranked in the middle, specifically in sixth place.

And now he knew another: Pei Jiu, ranked second.

"Wan Ming, happy birthday!"

A few more geniuses from the Tenth Institute came in to offer their well-wishes, but they all just dropped off their gifts and left immediately.

Lin Qi keenly noticed that they only chose to leave immediately after seeing him and the other people from the Azure Sky Sixth Institute.

This put Wan Ming, the host, in a rather awkward position.

"Classmate Lin Qi, we meet again!"

A familiar face appeared in Lin Qi’s line of sight. It was Shen Zhenzhen, the genius with the Awakened Special Ability, who had delicate features and a cold temperament.

"Hello!" Lin Qi replied with a smile.

"Lin Qi, it’s amazing that you comprehended a Little Divine Power. Can you tell me how you did it?"

Lin Qi shook his head. "I just... suddenly mastered it."

Shen Zhenzhen was speechless.

"Well, I have something else to do, so I won’t disturb your party any longer."

After a brief chat, Shen Zhenzhen smiled, turned, and left. It wasn’t until she was seated in her electric vehicle that her expression changed:

’That Lin Qi really just got lucky as hell, somehow managing to master a Little Divine Power.’

’But it’s not like he’s a Spiritual Mind Master. He’s no match for me.’

...

Back in the living room, after Shen Zhenzhen had left.

Xia Lian leaned in and whispered:

"Lin Qi, you need to be careful of that Shen Zhenzhen. She’s scheming and is a master of being two-faced."

"I’ve heard her say bad things about you in class before."

"You can ask Brother Jiu about it. I’m not slandering her."

Lin Qi’s brow furrowed. ’So there’s something like that going on?’ He was already half-convinced. With Pei Jiu to corroborate the story, the probability of them both lying was low.

’Maybe Shen Zhenzhen really is that kind of person. I never would have thought she was like that.’ The revelation put him on his guard.

「Ten-odd minutes later」

Twenty-odd people sat down at two tables and began to eat together.

Ten geniuses from the Tenth Institute had brought birthday gifts, but only four had stayed.

Besides Han Zhen, Xia Lian, and Pei Jiu, there was also a girl named Lan Yue.

"Fellow classmates!"

Wan Ming stood up and announced:

"Today is my birthday. The main reason I organized this party is that it’s too quiet in the Tenth Institute. There’s hardly anyone around."

"I’m someone who enjoys a lively atmosphere and making friends. If any of you run into trouble in the future, feel free to come find me."

After that, everyone cut and ate the cake, going through all the usual birthday motions.

"I hope you all eat and drink your fill!"

"Yeah!"

"CLAP CLAP CLAP!!"

Amid the applause, everyone ate and chatted in a harmonious atmosphere. Han Zhen and the few others with him mingled and hit it off with the crowd.

...

The party continued until 10 p.m. before finally ending, with everyone leaving, still wanting more.

Lin Qi also exchanged contact information with a few of the Tenth Institute geniuses, and their relationships grew closer.

At the villa’s entrance, just as Lin Qi was about to leave, Wan Ming suddenly came over.

...