High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 526: Chapter 500: Peerless Genius—Sunx Saint

”Master, there’s a message from Lin Qi!”

Suddenly, the silver metal sphere beside him spoke.

Dean Liu looked puzzled.

’It hasn’t even been a month since he left for the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar. For him to message me now, he must have run into some trouble.’

’Did he get into a fight with someone?’

’The Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar gathers geniuses from every major nation; conflict is bound to happen.’

’Or maybe he forgot something and needs my help?’

He then turned his gaze to the projected screen.

[Lin Qi: Dean Liu, I’ve finished my cultivation. You can come pick me up tomorrow. Don’t doubt it, this is for real!]

...

After reading it, Dean Liu blinked hard, making sure he hadn’t misread.

’Lin Qi finished his cultivation?’

He pulled out his phone to check the calendar, quickly confirming the date.

Twenty-five days!

It only took Lin Qi twenty-five days to complete his cultivation and successfully comprehend an Advanced Technique.

’Didn’t he just break the record?’

BEEP!

Another message came in. It was from Director Fu, telling him to come pick up Lin Qi and attaching a picture.

Dean Liu opened the picture. It was the cultivation leaderboard for the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar.

And on the leaderboard, Lin Qi’s name had replaced Sunx Saint’s, making him the new number one.

Dean Liu’s pupils constricted.

’This...!’

After a moment of shock, he immediately got up, changed his clothes, and headed out.

Before leaving, he also sent messages to the vice-chancellor, Mu Hong, Xue Zhou, and the chancellor, Celestial Blade Liy Qifeng.

He had to share this good news with them.

...

The news of Lin Qi breaking the record and completing his cultivation spread like wildfire, causing a massive uproar.

「Xia Country, North River Province, Black Dragon Base.」

ROAR!

The massive base, stretching for dozens of kilometers, was fortified with towering steel walls to hold back the tsunami-like hordes of Calamity Beasts.

Only one large section still bore the scars of destruction and was currently under repair.

The ground and sky were swarming with Calamity Beasts. The barrels of various firearms furiously spat out ammunition, providing the strongest possible support for the Martial Artists.

Battles like this were an almost daily occurrence in North River Province.

Inside a spacious office, several middle-aged men and women clad in Battle Armor and radiating killing intent were busy at work.

A huge screen was projected in front of them, live-streaming the situation on the battlefield.

”No Ninth-Level Calamity Beasts broke through this time. The Space Gate is currently closed.”

”We just need to kill all the remaining Calamity Beasts.”

”In a couple of days, the damaged parts of the base should be fully repaired.”

A lean, well-built man gazed at a screen and remarked with admiration:

”Xu Qin is truly worthy of being an SSS-level genius who has Awakened two Special Abilities!”

”She just arrived at our Black Dragon Base and has already slain a considerable number of Seventh-Level Calamity Beasts.”

”She’s soaring up the merit rankings, surpassing many of the veterans!”

”Yeah, it’s only been a few months since she broke through to the Seventh Realm, and she’s already stronger than many other Seventh Realm Martial Artists.”

”With her around, the pressure on everyone else has lessened quite a bit.”

The group broke into a lively discussion.

Among the crowd, the burly King of Mountains and Rivers, clad in Silver Battle Armor, sat in a smart chair, also observing the battlefield.

He occasionally glanced at a list where Xu Qin’s name was continuously rising.

He nodded to himself.

BUZZ BUZZ!

Just then, his phone vibrated. He took it out and looked, his brow instantly furrowing.

But then his expression relaxed, and a smile spread across his face.

”Old Huo, what’s the good news? You look pretty happy.”

A burly man in Purple Battle Armor, who exuded a domineering aura, asked with a smile.

At this, the others also looked over.

The King of Mountains and Rivers grinned. ”Great news. See for yourselves!”

He then projected an image for everyone to see.

The moment they saw it, the room erupted in a clamor.

”Lin Qi actually surpassed Sunx Saint and Li Tianxing, completing his cultivation of a High-Level Source Energy Technique in just 25 days!!”

”Sunx Saint and Li Tianxing have been Xia Country’s two strongest geniuses for decades.”

”To think that Lin Qi has now surpassed them!”

”I remember when Sunx Saint and Li Tianxing made a bet that they could finish their cultivation in 60 days by only spending eight hours a day comprehending the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar and sleeping the rest of the time.”

”In the end, he did it in 42 days, beating Li Tianxing, surpassing Augustine from the White Eagle Federation, and taking first place.”

”He broke the record and shocked everyone!”

”And now another one, Lin Qi, has appeared and smashed the record again, finishing his cultivation in less than a month.”

”I bet Sunx Saint and Li Tianxing are going to be pretty salty about this.”

”But for another genius to appear in our Xia Country is a true blessing for us!”

Everyone was buzzing about the birth of a top-tier genius.

Which also meant the birth of a top-tier powerhouse.

The King of Mountains and Rivers crossed his arms. ’This grand-disciple of mine is truly incredible.’

He took out his phone, unable to resist showing off to the Overlord and a few other friends.

...

「Imperial Capital, in a top-tier luxury residential area.」

Inside a Martial Arts Room,

a lean young man with ruggedly handsome features, dressed in a white martial arts uniform, sat cross-legged.

A terrifying aura emanated from him, like the roar of a Giant Ape.

Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open. His pupils glowed with a crimson light, and the terrifying aura spread outwards like a tidal wave.

A moment later, the aura subsided.

CRACK! CRACK!

He clenched his fists and slowly stood up, his skin glowing with a bronze sheen.

His Qi Blood surged wildly, almost forming crimson waves.

”Excellent. Soon I’ll be able to complete my 8th Blood Exchange and break through to the Eighth Realm.”

”I’m such a genius!”

”In all of Xia Country, besides that old man Emperor Red, whose Talent is better than mine!”

”Master, a call from Li Tianxing!”

A small monkey suddenly leaped out from the side, projecting a large green screen.

On the other side of the screen, a young man with delicate features wearing a red robe appeared.

The young man in the white uniform said with a smile:

”Li Tianxing, I’m about to have my 8th Blood Exchange!”

”Don’t tell me you’re still stuck on your 7th?”

The delicate-featured young man in the red robe’s eye twitched upon hearing this, but he quickly calmed himself and said:

”I’m also preparing for my 8th Blood Exchange!”

”By the way, I called to tell you something. Your cultivation record on the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar has been broken.”

”And it was 17 days faster than yours!”

”You’re not the world’s number one genius anymore!”

”Who was it?” the young man asked, his eyes wide.

After the man in red finished speaking, an image was projected.

The young man could clearly see that his number one spot had been taken by someone named ”Lin Qi.”

He was instantly displeased.

”It was only 25 days. If I had gone all-out comprehending the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar, I could have finished it in 20.”

”Heh, I don’t believe you!!”

The young man in red on the other side gave a little chuckle and ended the call.

The young man in white looked at the projected name ”Lin Qi,” a look of excitement on his face.

’Lin Qi, is it? I’ll remember you!’

’Just having Li Tianxing as a rival is so boring.’

’I’ll have to find a chance to test your strength.’

’Finishing the cultivation in less than a month... he’s definitely not ordinary.’

...

「Otherworld, Ten Thousand Beasts House, Room 305」

Lin Qi’s eyes snapped open as a flood of scenes appeared in his mind.

The contents of the dream he just had all came rushing back.

He’d had a dream that felt incredibly real. In it, he had entered a world with nine golden suns in the sky.

He had even engaged in a Life-and-Death Struggle with a Golden Emperor Tiger.

But he woke up before a winner could be decided.

Lin Qi didn’t think much of it. He picked up his phone to check the time; it was already 12:00 PM on August 13th.

He had slept for over a full day.

He also had several messages from Dean Liu and his teacher, Mu Hong.

A few minutes later,

the door opened, and Dean Liu, dressed in a white robe, walked in.

He sat down on the sofa and sighed with emotion.

”Lin Qi, you’ve set another incredible record.”

”Who would have thought you’d actually be able to break the record left by Sunx Saint.”

”He’s been the number one genius in our Xia Country—and the entire Blue Star—for the last few decades.”

Lin Qi, who was changing his clothes and packing his bags, asked:

”Why have I never heard about the exploits of Sunx Saint and Li Tianxing?”

Dean Liu smiled. ”Information about the two of them is deliberately kept hidden.”

”We don’t let too many people know about them.”

”They are Xia Country’s top-tier geniuses, and also a thorn in the side of the Insect Race!”

”There have been several assassination attempts, and one of them nearly succeeded.”

”Sunx Saint was severely injured as a result and had to recuperate in seclusion.”

But afterward, he made a stunning debut at the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar, cementing his status as the number one genius.”

Dean Liu then recounted many of Sunx Saint’s deeds.

For example, he had Awakened his Special Ability at the age of 12. He was exceptionally gifted from a young age, possessed immense strength, and was born with a pair of crimson eyes that could see things others couldn’t.

By 15, he had already broken through to the Third Realm and was signed as an SSS-level genius.

He started university at 15—a true top-tier genius—and then the Insect Race tried to assassinate him.

His body was grievously wounded. He was afflicted with a strange poison and was bedridden for three years before making a full recovery.

After recovering, his Talent actually became even stronger. Within a few years, he successfully broke through to the Seventh Realm.

He became the youngest Seventh Realm Martial Artist.

At the same time, while training for only eight hours a day, he took just 42 days to observe six Demon Beasts and comprehend a cultivation method from them.

He broke the cultivation record for the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar.

Dean Liu sighed. ”If Sunx Saint hadn’t been severely injured for those three years, he might have already broken through to the Eighth Realm by now.”

”He would have been the youngest in history.”

”He’s only 21 now, a year older than you.”

”And then there’s Li Tianxing, another top-tier genius, just a notch below Sunx Saint.”

”He’s also 21, same as Sunx Saint.”

After hearing all this, Lin Qi couldn’t help but take a deep breath.

Sunx Saint’s legendary experience sounded even more exaggerated than his own.

According to Dean Liu, if he hadn’t been so grievously injured, he might have broken through to the Seventh Realm at the age of 17.

’While others were still in their last year of high school, he would have already become a High Realm Martial Artist.’

Moreover, when it came to the Ten Thousand Beasts Blood Pillar, most geniuses wished they could train 24 hours a day.

They spent at least 17 or 18 hours a day comprehending it.

’But Sunx Saint broke the record using less than half that time... isn’t that about the same as me?’

’Looked at this way, he’s also a top-tier genius.’

’Not much worse than me.’

This made Lin Qi feel a long-forgotten pressure.

Ever since winning the championship at the Global Martial Arts Tournament, he hadn’t felt any pressure from other geniuses.

...