High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 171: Chapter 171: Disparities Everywhere

With all eyes on him, Lin Qi calmly withdrew his fist and nodded to himself.

His Fist Power was a little higher than he had expected.

’Looks like after I break through, my Fist Power should be able to reach at least 3,500 kilograms.’

He turned and walked back to the crowd, taking the black backpack from Jiangtao and slinging it over his shoulder again.

"Brother Qi, you’re incredible!" Jiangtao exclaimed, giving him a thumbs-up.

The others nodded in agreement, and Guo Heng was thoroughly impressed.

Lin Qi shook his head. "It’s nothing to be proud of. It’s not like I’m in first place."

Hearing this, the others just thought Lin Qi was humblebragging.

Only Lin Qi’s gaze was fixed on the leaderboard to his left.

[Fist Power Leaderboard (Freshmen)]

[First Place: Huo Wanyang (First Institute), Fist Power: 2,758.2 kg]

[Second Place: Ao Feng (Ninth Institute), Fist Power: 2,621.0 kg]

[Third Place: Lin Qi (Sixth Institute), Fist Power: 2,599.9 kg!]

...

Above Lin Qi, two others were stronger than him: Huo Wanyang and Ao Feng.

Moreover, on the all-time leaderboard, Huo Wanyang had surpassed every genius in the academy’s history to become the new number one.

This was a super-genius of immense strength and Talent, as well as a formidable rival for the future.

Lin Qi let out a breath, sensing the intense competition. Regardless of whether Huo Wanyang and Ao Feng were stronger because of higher Qi and Blood Values or some other reason, they were still more powerful than him at this moment.

However, he was confident he would surpass them all.

Just as he had with Wang Qiufeng and Chen Li.

...

A few minutes later, the students from Cang Province had more or less finished their tests and continued deeper into the campus.

They came to a spacious plaza where an eye-catching title was projected: Sixth Institute.

Luu Wei, dressed in a white uniform, appeared before them. She had a full figure and a face with a touch of baby fat.

"Hello, students of the Sixth Institute. I’m the intern counselor for the new freshmen, and I’ll be guiding you to your dormitories."

Her eyes lit up when she saw Lin Qi, and she waved a greeting.

"Lin Qi, long time no see!"

"Teacher Lu, long time no see!" Lin Qi nodded in reply.

WHIRR~

In the distance, rows of all-white sightseeing carts slowly drove toward them.

"Everyone, please get on. I’ll take you to the dorms."

Everyone boarded the carts one after another, and the vehicles began to move slowly across campus.

Luu Wei sat at the front and turned to address the students.

"While we’re on our way, I’ll give you a brief introduction to the university."

As she spoke, a 3D map was projected into the air.

"The Azure Sky University campus is laid out in a large circle. A straight road leads from the main gate into the center."

"The dormitories for our Nine Great Academies are sectioned off from each other and are all located on the outer ring."

"Moving further in, you’ll find the respective academic buildings for each of the Nine Great Academies. And at the very center are the major public Cultivation facilities."

Lin Qi studied the map. The more he looked, the more he saw it resembled a circle divided into ten equal sections.

The public Cultivation Resources were all concentrated in one area, making the distance to them equal for everyone.

"Guo Heng!"

A clear voice called out from a distance.

Just as Luu Wei was about to continue, the voice drew everyone’s attention.

A streamlined red car sped up and pulled alongside their sightseeing cart.

Inside sat a beautiful woman with a stunning figure and short hair. She had a conspicuous beauty mark under the corner of her eye.

"Sis!!" Guo Heng called back.

Lin Qi looked over at her. This must be the sister Guo Heng had mentioned—Guo Yi. She had Awakened a fire-based Special Ability in her third year of high school and signed with the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo as an S-class genius.

FWOOSH—

An intensely scorching aura radiated from Guo Yi.

Lin Qi and the others felt a crushing pressure, as if a Lava Sparrow were beating its wings right next to them.

’What a powerful aura!’ Lin Qi thought, shocked.

It was his first time seeing Guo Yi, and her aura was strong enough to startle him.

’What realm is she in?’

’The Third Realm? The Fourth? Or maybe even the Fifth Realm?’

Guo Yi said to Luu Wei, "Teacher Lu, I’m going to take my brother with me."

"Go ahead," Luu Wei replied with a polite, smiling nod.

Guo Heng said to Lin Qi and the others, "I’m heading out."

With that, he got into the little red car. Just then, Guo Yi nodded at Lin Qi.

Lin Qi nodded back.

VROOOM!!

The car’s engine roared to life, and it sped off, disappearing from sight.

The sightseeing cart resumed its journey.

"Teacher Lu, who was that? How come she gets to drive her own car?" someone asked curiously.

"That’s Guo Yi, an S-class genius from the Tenth Institute and Guo Heng’s older sister," another student explained.

The others were shocked. ’So that’s a genius with an Awakened Special Ability? Her aura was terrifyingly strong.’

Luu Wei continued, "At Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, there is no such thing as absolute fairness."

"Disparity is everywhere."

"Speaking of Guo Yi’s car, here at the academy, only the top ten students in each institute are allowed to have a personal vehicle like that."

"They’re self-driving and can be summoned anytime, anywhere."

"All other students can only take these sightseeing carts."

"If you want your own car, you can always buy one. They aren’t that expensive—only a few million Xia Country Coins."

At Luu Wei’s words, the students fell silent.

"And that’s not all. When we get to the residential area, you’ll see that everyone’s living situation is different, too."

"Lower-ranked students can only live in the standard student apartments, which are double-occupancy rooms."

"Students ranked in the top five hundred of their institute get to enjoy a private apartment."

"As for the top fifty in an institute, they get their own private villa."

"A spacious living room, a personal Martial Arts Room, a smart service robot, and a smart electric vehicle..."

"Even the Source Energy Concentration in your living quarters will be different."

Upon hearing this, looks of envy and desire appeared on everyone’s faces.

Seeing their expressions, Luu Wei smiled.

"The difference is huge, isn’t it? Makes you envious, right?"

"If you’re envious, then work for it. As long as you cultivate desperately and improve your strength, you can have these better privileges, too."

Luu Wei’s words successfully ignited everyone’s competitive spirit.

From the moment they entered Azure Sky Martial Arts Academy, everyone could clearly feel the disparity in privileges and the fierce competition.

The stronger the genius, the better the privileges they enjoyed.

Disparity was everywhere, a constant reminder for everyone to strive, to fight with everything they had.

Only the strong could enjoy the best that the academy had to offer.

...

Half an hour later, the sightseeing cart pulled up in front of a Chinese-style private villa.

"Lin Qi, this is the best villa in the Sixth Institute. Before now, only our top-ranked student was allowed to live here."

"Three stories, a private garden, a balcony, and your own personal Martial Arts Room that’s over five hundred square meters..."

Lin Qi looked at the villa. At three stories tall, with its own garden and other amenities, it was every bit as luxurious as his new home in Imperial View Mansion.

He could even feel that the air was saturated with a high concentration of Source Energy.

"Come on in. There’s another gift waiting for you."

The smart gate swung open automatically. Luu Wei entered first, and Lin Qi followed her inside.

The interior was decorated in a minimalist black-and-white style, with a ceiling that resembled a starry night sky.

The living room was large and spacious, with a massive, jet-black screen embedded in one of the walls.

In the center of the room was a dark, black table, and on it sat a silver Metal Box about the size of a shoebox.

BEEP BEEP~

Luu Wei pressed a nearby button. Amid a series of beeps, the Metal Box opened automatically, revealing a concave cradle inside. Resting in the cradle was a smooth, black metallic sphere.

Lin Qi could clearly see the intricate patterns on the sphere’s surface and asked in confusion:

"This is...?"

"It’s a vessel for an intelligent lifeform!" Luu Wei answered with a smile.

"An intelligent lifeform?!"

Lin Qi stared at the black metallic sphere, instantly recalling Alpha, the intelligent lifeform belonging to Yue Feng, the Hall Master of the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo!

Alpha was also an intelligent lifeform, one with a red spherical body.

They were incredibly expensive, rumored to cost over a hundred million Xia Country Coins.

"Is this for me?" Lin Qi asked, confused. ’It wasn’t mentioned in the contract.’

Luu Wei smiled and said, "Of course!"

"However, it’s not a gift. You have the right to use it for your four years at the university. Once you graduate, it will be taken back unless you choose to purchase it."

Lin Qi understood immediately. ’Of course. How could they just give away an intelligent lifeform worth over a hundred million?’

"Lin Qi, did you bring your AI’s core module?" Luu Wei asked.

Lin Qi set down his backpack and took out a box the size of a ring case. He opened it and removed the chip nestled inside—it was half the size of a memory card and only a millimeter thick.

Luu Wei tapped a circular pattern on the sphere. A second later, it opened to reveal a small slot.

She took the core module from him and inserted it into the slot.

BUZZ!!

The moment the core module was installed, the black metallic sphere erupted in a dazzling light.

It automatically levitated up from its cradle.

The patterns on its surface instantly lit up, glowing with a blue light.

Particles of light and shadow converged, and in the next second, the metallic sphere vanished, replaced by the form of Little Chan—a beautiful, black-haired girl in a Blue Robe.

"Little Chan!" Lin Qi exclaimed.

"Master!" Little Chan flashed a playful smile, her expression far more vivid and flexible than before.

"This is...?" Lin Qi was amazed.

Luu Wei explained,

"This is the intelligent lifeform’s projection mode. You can choose to keep it in its spherical form, or you can have it project an appearance of your choosing."

"What’s more, a full charge lasts for three months, so you can take it with you wherever you go."

"In the entire institute, only the top-ranked student and geniuses who have Awakened a Special Ability are given an intelligent lifeform."

"Have her connect to the university’s official website. You’ll find the instruction manual for all the smart-home features there."

Lin Qi nodded, watching Little Chan as she flew and danced in the air before him, a sense of wonder filling him.

"Lin Qi, I’ll let you get acquainted with everything."

"Your packages have already been safely delivered to the Martial Arts Room."

"I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be on my way." After saying her goodbyes, Luu Wei left.

Soon, only Lin Qi and the seemingly living, breathing Little Chan were left in the massive hall.

"Master!" Little Chan blinked and gave him a cute smile.

Lin Qi reached out to touch Little Chan, his hand passing right through her holographic form. Her true body was still the sphere, but the projection felt incredibly real.

"Little Chan, give me a tour of the villa."

"Of course, Master!"

Little Chan flew in front of him, her eyes glowing with a green light that flowed like streams of data.

A moment later, she projected several screens into the air, each corresponding to a different area or piece of furniture in the villa.

Brand names, prices, user manuals—everything was displayed with perfect clarity.

Lin Qi marveled inwardly. ’She’s so much more capable now. It feels like her core processor has been upgraded by several levels.’

...

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