High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 33: Chapter 33: The Celestial Sea Monthly Exam Begins

For the next several days, Lin Qi devoted himself completely to his Martial Arts training and improvement.

The life of a third-year Martial Arts Student was monotonous. Aside from eating, it was all studying and training.

Most of them were spending more and more time on their training.

As for Yang Lei, ever since getting thrashed by Lin Qi, he had completely straightened up and started trying to get on Lin Qi’s good side. Just as Jiangtao had said, he was the type to bully the weak and fear the strong.

Meanwhile, Teacher Zhang City’s interest in him rose to a new level, and he would offer him guidance from time to time.

Besides training, Lin Qi occasionally went with Jiangtao to the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo to work as a sparring partner.

Though it was supposed to be a part-time job, it had now turned into an exchange session with Guo Heng. The sparring only lasted for a short while before they spent the rest of the time directly entering the Red Realm Arena.

In the Red Realm Arena, he had already become an Elite. His Points steadily accumulated, and his ranking on the Red List continuously climbed.

Everything was improving in an orderly fashion. Lin Qi felt his strength increasing at a visible rate every day, and it was incredibly fulfilling.

「More than ten days passed in a flash.」

Martial Arts Calendar, Year 2045. October 8th. Clear skies.

On the first day after the National Day holiday, all the third-year high school students in Celestial Sea City faced their first monthly exam.

Tianhai No. 2 Middle School, Elite Class.

The cold air from the air conditioner blew over everyone, driving away the heat but not the tension in their hearts.

Lin Qi sat by the wall. On his desk was a folded test paper and a huge answer sheet. Pen in hand, he dove into the test, answering the questions rapidly.

What is the weight in kilograms of an adult First-Level Calamity Beast, the Iron Spike Wild Boar?

Lin Qi scanned the question and immediately knew the answer. ’400 kilograms!’

He then moved on to the next question. The entire test was mostly multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank. For him, it was far too easy; he barely had to pause.

The written exam lasted a full day, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, for a total of ten hours, with only a one-hour break in between.

The other nine hours were spent answering questions, a true test for every student.

The content of the test included language arts, mathematics, geography, physics, biology, as well as Martial Arts theory, Calamity Beast knowledge, and more...

Before he knew it, it was 6:00 PM. The exam was over!

”Everyone, take a good rest. We’ll gather in the Martial Arts Classroom at seven o’clock to begin the Martial Arts assessment.”

Their homeroom teacher, Yan Hong, reminded them after collecting all the test papers and answer sheets.

The exhausted students slowly left the classroom and headed for the cafeteria.

”Brother Qi, let’s go eat!”

Lin Qi and Jiangtao went to the cafeteria together. Lin Qi took a Stimulant Potion from his backpack and drank it down.

A cool sensation filled his mind, relieving the mental fatigue from a day of intense brain activity.

”Time flies. It’s already been over a month since school started.”

”We’ve worked hard for a month, and now it’s time to test the results. I should be aiming for the top ten in our year.”

Jiangtao also drank a Stimulant Potion, his expression excited as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

Lin Qi rubbed his temples. ’I wonder where I rank in No. 2 Middle School now,’ he thought. ’And what about in all of Celestial Sea City?’

...

Principal’s Office

”Time really flies. The time has come to see the results of my teaching.”

Zhang City sat on a leather sofa, one leg propped up on the desk in a comfortable position, and spoke with a grin.

”Yes, I hope we can see some improvement.”

Jiang Zhiguang seemed rather anxious as he watered a flowerpot with a watering can.

”I’ve seen you water that pot several times now, but I haven’t seen anything sprout,” Zhang City teased.

”Soon, soon!” Jiang Zhiguang muttered.

...

「After Seven O’clock」

After a short break, all fifty students of the Elite Class gathered in the Martial Arts Classroom, each warming up their bodies.

Their expressions varied. Some looked completely unconcerned, while others laughed and chatted with friends. But others felt a suffocating pressure, their palms cold and their expressions tense.

”Haha, it looks like everyone is ready. The Punch Force Tester and the speed track are all set!”

A burly figure walked in through the door, followed by a man and a woman.

As soon as Zhang City entered, an intense pressure fell over everyone, and the Martial Arts Classroom instantly fell silent.

Zhang City strode like a meteor to the Punch Force Tester, patted the machine, and began to speak:

”I’ll keep it brief. You know whether you’ve worked hard or not, and your results will reflect that effort.”

”Starting now, when your name is called, come up and get tested.”

”First up, Chen Zichuan!”

Chen Zichuan, who was in a corner, walked out from the crowd. He was ranked fiftieth in the year.

But his expression was resolute, and the aura around him had grown sharper.

”Ah, Chen Zichuan. He’s always been a loner. I bet he’s about to be eliminated and kicked out of the Elite Class,” someone mocked in a low voice.

Hearing this, Lin Qi gave a disdainful smile. ’Chen Zichuan will definitely surprise everyone.’

「A few seconds later」

BANG! BANG!!

Chen Zichuan’s fists continuously struck the Punching Target, and numbers appeared on the electronic screen.

”722.3 kg!”

”719.5 kg!”

”His Fist Power actually exceeded 700 kilograms!”

When the Fist Power score appeared, many people showed surprised expressions.

The person who had spoken earlier felt his face burn with shame.

After the speed test was over, Zhang City nodded with satisfaction. He hadn’t been wrong; Chen Zichuan was also a promising seedling.

”Not bad!”

Chen Zichuan clenched his fists. As he stepped down, he saw Lin Qi and Jiangtao giving him a thumbs-up.

A smile finally appeared on his resolute face.

”Fist Power: 672 kg!”

”Liu Yiheng, what have you been doing this past month?”

Zhang City criticized him, and the color instantly drained from Liu Yiheng’s face. When he went to test his speed, he performed poorly, and his face grew even paler.

Zhang City shook his head and said no more.

”Fist Power: 685 kg!”

”Wei Qing, you’ve improved!”

”Fist Power: 690.2 kg!”

”Yang Lei, only this much progress in a month?”

With each person tested, Zhang City would offer a comment, and the atmosphere grew increasingly suffocating, as if they were undergoing a life-or-death trial.

”Next, Lin Qi!”

Zhang City calling Lin Qi’s name piqued the curiosity of most of the class.

”Go for it, Brother Qi! Show the whole class what you’ve got,” Jiangtao said with an expectant grin.

Lin Qi nodded, stepped out of the crowd, and brushed past Yang Lei, who was coming down.

Countless people were curious. What was the true strength of someone who had thrashed Yang Lei just half a month ago and had garnered Zhang City’s special attention?

Lin Qi stood before the Punching Target and let out a breath, allowing his body to completely relax.

The next moment, his eyes narrowed. His entire aura erupted as, with a single thought, the muscles in his body began to tense.

A terrifying aura, like a tiger descending a mountain, burst forth. His spine arched like a great dragon, power generating from his feet. He used his Qi to drive his strength, and the force traveled up through his waist like links in a chain, all the way to his arm.

His fist clenched, veins bulging on his muscular arm. Qi and Blood gathered in his arm, channeling power into his fist.

His fist, like a sandbag, shot out and slammed heavily into the Punching Target.

BOOM~~

The Punching Target shook violently, stirring up a fierce gust of wind. At the same time, a string of numbers appeared on the electronic screen: ”840.8 kg!”

Seeing the data on the screen, Lin Qi’s expression was calm.

But the expressions of the onlookers were completely different.

”840 kilograms of Fist Power?!”

”Holy crap, Brother Qi is that strong now?” Jiangtao was the first to be shocked.

He knew Brother Qi’s strength had been improving rapidly, but he never thought it would be this fast!

The others also burst into an uproar.

”800 kilograms of Fist Power... no wonder he could thrash Yang Lei. This makes sense now.”

”Yang Lei challenged him? He must have had a death wish!” someone said.

”Excellent!”

Zhang City praised him, a smile finally appearing on his face as he quickly recorded the score.

Lin Qi nodded, his face impassive, and walked over to begin the speed test.

After the infrared timer started, he burst forward like an unbridled wild horse, sprinting madly.

His Qi and Blood erupted, his muscles fully activated, and his thighs pumped furiously.

Those standing nearby only felt a gale whip past them, accompanied by an agile, leopard-like figure.

SWOOSH~

Lin Qi crossed the finish line, gradually slowing to a stop.

The electronic screen at the finish line quickly refreshed, displaying a string of numbers: ”16.2 m/s.”

”Fist Power of 840 kg, speed of 16.2 m/s.”

”With stats like these, his Qi and Blood Value must have broken 8.0.”

”That puts him in the upper-middle ranks of the entire class,” someone exclaimed.

”Has Lin Qi gotten that strong?” Kang Feiyue was astonished.

Qi Yuelin watched Lin Qi with great interest, while Zhu Yuqi was simply surprised.

After watching, Li Zhou, the top-ranked student in their year, crossed his arms and chuckled. ”Interesting. Another genius.”

”Yu Jing, he used to be in the same class as you. Are you familiar with him?”

Yu Jing shook his head. ”Not really. It’s just a Fist Power of over 800 kilograms.”

The other students were also buzzing with discussion.

From a distance, Yang Lei watched this scene with a complicated expression, feeling that his previous actions had made him look like a clown.

...