High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 68: Chapter 68: The Ailing Lin Zhen

Another day passed. Across the country, it was now mid-November.

Celestial Sea City was beginning to enter winter, and the weather started to turn cold.

For ordinary people, this just meant needing an extra layer of clothing to stay warm.

But for the strong, healthy students, there was no difference between spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

「Noon. Outside the entrance of No. 2 Middle School.」

Lin Qi quickly signed on a tablet and took a brown cardboard box from the deliveryman.

This delivery was a small box. He hugged it to his chest and hurried back to his Martial Arts Room.

Opening the cardboard box revealed a black Metal Box, but this one didn’t have a passcode.

He pressed a button, and it opened automatically. What appeared before Lin Qi’s eyes was a lifelike prosthetic arm. The skin texture and flesh-colored tone made it look just like the real thing.

Lin Qi took it out, felt it, and nodded. ”A 300,000 Xia Country Coin prosthetic, and it shows. It really is something else.”

’Dad’s going to love this.’

As soon as the loan for top-tier geniuses came through, he had ordered the prosthetic online.

Prosthetics were never cheap. Lin Qi’s father, Lin Zhen, had only bought the most ordinary, cheapest one available for 50,000 Xia Country Coins.

It could only help Lin Zhen with basic movements, but its breathability and comfort were poor.

If he became overly tired, there was a risk of infection, which would hinder his recovery.

But the one Lin Qi bought was custom-made. It was expensive, but it was also comfortable to use.

It was a gift he had prepared for his dad.

...

「Evening.」

As soon as the evening self-study session ended, Lin Qi jumped on his bike. With the Metal Box strapped to the back seat, he rode home as fast as lightning, cutting through the icy night wind.

「Rongshan District, Building 4, Apartment 301.」

CLICK!

He turned the key and opened the door to his home.

Lin Qi walked in carrying the Metal Box, but the oppressive atmosphere in the room immediately told him something was wrong.

Looking over at the living room table, he saw three figures eating. The aroma of food and the smell of beer drifted toward him.

It was his parents and his uncle, Fang Zhe, drinking and eating just like before.

His dad, Lin Zhen, smiled and said, ”Little Qi, you’re back!”

His mom, Fang Huiyi, forced a smile, her eyes red.

His uncle, Fang Zhe, also smiled. He looked at Lin Qi, inwardly surprised. Lin Qi had changed so much.

He had become taller and stronger, and he radiated an aura that even put a bit of pressure on him, a Third Realm Martial Artist.

Lin Qi’s Perception was sharp, and he sensed something was unusual. He placed the Metal Box on the sofa and sat down.

”Dad, Uncle, why are you guys back so suddenly?”

Lin Qi asked curiously. Weren’t they supposed to come back at the end of December for his final exams?

Why had they returned a month early?

He had a bad feeling. Looking at the three of them again, his sharp eyes quickly noticed the crucial detail: his dad Lin Zhen’s left sleeve was hanging straight down, empty.

”Dad, where’s your prosthetic?”

The three of them exchanged a look. His uncle, Fang Zhe, sighed and was the first to speak.

”Little Qi, I won’t hide it from you.”

”Your dad... something happened at the Coastal Base a few days ago while we were working...”

Uncle Fang Zhe explained what had happened.

As he listened, Lin Qi’s brows furrowed. He looked at his father, Lin Zhen, who appeared exhausted and had aged even more.

”Uncle, are you saying that because Dad was suffering from accumulated fatigue, he suddenly collapsed while distributing meat, causing a huge Calamity Beast carcass to fall and break his prosthetic?”

Uncle Fang Zhe nodded. ”That’s right.”

His mom, Fang Huiyi, said, ”It’s a good thing it hit his left arm. A single leg from that Steel Armor Rhinoceros weighs over a ton. If it had been his right arm, he’d need another amputation.”

Lin Zhen scratched his head with his right hand, then sighed, ashamed.

”I took this job as a Meat Distributor hoping to earn more money, but then the accident happened. Not only is the prosthetic broken, but the treatment alone cost 150,000.”

”And that’s after my boss covered part of it and the family card you set up for us covered another part, Lin Qi. Otherwise, it would have cost even more.”

Lin Qi did a quick mental calculation. Working as a Meat Distributor was indeed lucrative; his dad had earned 300,000 Xia Country Coins in just two months.

But the job was clearly taking a toll on his body. His father, Lin Zhen, had been completely broken by it.

Uncle Fang Zhe continued.

”We only found out at the hospital that your dad is sick from overwork. His body is full of problems.”

”Even then, the treatment was just to handle the infection in his right arm and his external injuries.”

”As for the other issues: lumbar muscle strain from muscle damage, plantar fasciitis...”

”...cervical spondylosis from skeletal damage, frozen shoulder...”

He reeled off a long list of various minor ailments.

Lin Qi was speechless. ’That’s so many... He’s practically plagued by illnesses. I don’t know how Dad has managed to endure it all.’

”So, your dad needs to rest and recuperate now,” Uncle Fang Zhe said. ”With modern technology and the advancement of Martial Arts, many of these conditions can be healed.”

Lin Qi nodded, stood up, and picked up the Metal Box from the sofa. He opened it and took out the new prosthetic.

He handed it to his dad, Lin Zhen, and said,

”Dad, this is a new prosthetic I bought for you.”

”For the next while, just stay home and focus on getting better. I have several million on me right now, which is more than enough to pay for your full recovery.”

Lin Zhen stared at Lin Qi, stunned. He had been so consumed by guilt earlier that he hadn’t taken a proper look at his son.

But looking closely now, he saw that his son had undergone a world-shaking transformation.

His face had matured, taking after Fang Huiyi to become more coldly handsome, his eyes bright and profound.

He had gone from lean and wiry to tall and sturdy. By visual estimate, he was already over 1.85 meters tall, and his muscles seemed to brim with explosive power.

’Is this still my son?’

He hadn’t noticed it much during their video calls, but seeing him in person was completely different.

He dazedly took the new prosthetic and slowly fitted it onto his left arm stump.

He swung the arm, then swung it again, his eyes immediately lighting up.

”The breathability is excellent! It’s so comfortable, and much more flexible to use.”

”How much did this prosthetic cost?” Lin Zhen asked, a rare, happy smile on his face as he moved his arm.

”300,000 Xia Country Coins,” Lin Qi replied.

Lin Zhen: ”...”

...

A short while later, Uncle Fang Zhe left.

Since he had come back to bring Lin Zhen home, he didn’t plan on returning to his job as a Meat Distributor either.

Now that his family had received money from Lin Qi, and with what he himself had earned, it was enough for their household expenses.

In the living room, Lin Qi was gone, and Fang Huiyi and Lin Zhen were cleaning up.

”Our Little Qi can really stand on his own two feet now,” Lin Zhen remarked with a smile.

”I bet you didn’t know, our Little Qi is in the top ten of his grade now. He’s also close to the top one hundred in all of Celestial Sea City,” Fang Huiyi added proudly from the side.

After hearing this, Lin Zhen was stunned.

”Is that really our son?”

”Of course it is. Our Little Qi has always been outstanding. All of this is just him being normal.”

”We’re not short on money anymore, so just focus on getting better. You don’t have to work so hard,” Fang Huiyi said with a smile.

”You’re right,” Lin Zhen nodded.

...

「In the bedroom.」

Lin Qi didn’t go to sleep. Seeing that it was still early, he took an Energy Potion and began his standing meditation.

The image of his father, Lin Zhen, appeared in his mind. His father had returned with much more gray in his hair.

Without sufficient resources for many years, his Qi and Blood Value had continuously dropped, and he had even degenerated to the Second Realm.

At the same time, the excessive exhaustion had caused his health to collapse from overwork.

In his previous life, Lin Qi had been a corporate drone, a wage slave trapped in the daily rat race, and had also suffered from ailments like lumbar muscle strain, cervical spondylosis, and frozen shoulder.

He knew how agonizing the pain could be, yet Lin Zhen had even more problems and had endured them for so many years.

This realization struck Lin Qi’s heart with great force.

’This is the Martial Arts Era. Technology is advanced, and many Potions can cure things like muscle damage.’

’I have money now. Dad’s body can be fully healed.’

Lin Qi calculated in his head. Lin Zhen’s body could be restored, but he wasn’t satisfied with just that.

He wanted his dad to be completely healthy again, to have his left arm grow back.

And he happened to know of a Potion that could regenerate limbs—the Water of Rebirth.

A Top Level Potion on Blue Star, a single bottle cost 50 million Xia Country Coins.

’I’m too poor right now. I have to get stronger and show even greater Talent.’

Lin Qi’s eyes grew resolute.