High Martial Arts: Grinding for the Supreme Talent

Chapter 254: Chapter 254: The Next Goal

"Thank you for the compliment," Lin Qi said.

"You’ve earned it. No need to be modest."

"Excessive modesty is just another form of pride."

Xue Zhou looked at Lin Qi and said calmly.

"Alright!" ’Xue Zhou is certainly different,’ Lin Qi thought. ’Very interesting.’

Xue Zhou picked up his teacup and continued:

"Right now, you are practically the strongest among your peers in Xia Country. Possessing a Little Divine Power makes you nearly invincible."

"You’ve already surpassed ordinary geniuses and are even stronger than some of the prodigies from the Tenth Institute."

"I watched your final match against Han Zhen. Your physical attributes are no longer inferior to theirs."

"Aside from your Martial Arts being a little lacking and not having a special Power, you are practically a Tenth Institute prodigy."

Lin Qi nodded. ’Aside from not having an Awakened Special Ability, I’m already one of the top geniuses among humanity. No, I should say I’ve far surpassed the others.’

’Once I used my Little Divine Power, I completely crushed Han Zhen.’

"So, Lin Qi, you’re in a unique position right now."

Dean Liu set down his empty teacup and chimed in:

"After all, you haven’t Awakened a Special Ability. You’re a special kind of genius, somewhere between an ordinary one and a Tenth Institute prodigy."

"Once you Awaken a Special Ability, you’ll leap up to become an SS-level prodigy, placing you among the absolute top of the Tenth Institute."

Lin Qi nodded. He thought so too. ’And sooner or later, I will Awaken a Special Ability.’

’Too bad no one else knows that.’

Xue Zhou smiled at Lin Qi’s expression.

"Lin Qi, you still have a long road ahead of you."

"Are you thinking that because you defeated someone with an Awakened Special Ability, you’re something special?"

Dean Liu, at his side, also began to speak slowly:

"Lin Qi, your victory over Han Zhen did indeed make history. It was very impressive."

"But you can’t let it go to your head."

"Because Han Zhen, the one you defeated, and Tan Pei’er... they aren’t actually that strong."

"It’s not just your Nine Great Academies that have competitive rankings; the prodigies of the Tenth Institute do as well."

"Take Tan Pei’er, for example. She’s a Spiritual Mind Master. When she’s forbidden from using her Special Ability, her combat power is severely weakened."

"At the same time, her overall rank among the Tenth Institute prodigies at Shanyu Martial Arts University is dead last."

"It’s the same with Han Zhen. He’s one of the twelve prodigies with an Awakened Special Ability in our Tenth Institute. Outsiders think he’s incredible, that his immense strength is unstoppable."

"But in the Tenth Institute’s internal rankings, he’s also dead last."

"Otherwise, why would they participate in this competition? It’s because they’re last in the Tenth Institute, so they came here to crush some noobs and blow off steam."

Lin Qi fell silent. He honestly hadn’t known that, and what Dean Liu said rang true.

’Based on my own estimations,’ he thought, ’Han Zhen should have been at least mid-ranked in the Tenth Institute.’

’His Power, speed, and Martial Arts were all a huge cut above everyone else.’

But now he was being told that Han Zhen was ranked dead last in the Tenth Institute.

’Are the Tenth Institute prodigies all this powerful?’

"Lin Qi, I asked the vice-principal yesterday. The top SS-level prodigy in the Tenth Institute has already broken through to the Late-stage of the Third Realm and is nearing the Peak," Xue Zhou spoke again.

Lin Qi fell silent again. The Nine Great Gates of Martial Arts... each Realm was divided into four minor stages.

The Third Realm of Skin Refining, for instance, used Qi and Blood Value to mark its stages.

A value of 40 was the Early-stage of the Third Realm, 60 was the Mid-stage of the Third Realm, 80 was the Late-stage of the Third Realm, and 99.99 was the Peak of the Third Realm.

He was currently only at the Mid-stage of the Third Realm. He was still a long way from breaking through to 80, the Late-stage of the Third Realm.

And yet, someone his age was already about to reach Third Realm Perfection. The speed was just too fast!

’Looks like compared to a top-level prodigy, I’m still not strong enough.’

He looked at the two deans, knowing they were worried he would get arrogant after defeating Han Zhen.

"I understand. I’m still too weak right now," Lin Qi said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip.

"Haha, alright, no need to be so down."

"Don’t sell yourself short," Xue Zhou said with a smile, his serious expression gone.

Dean Liu also patted Lin Qi’s shoulder comfortingly.

"Lin Qi, you have to keep working hard. Our university has always spared no effort in cultivating its top talents."

"I know you’re saving up to buy the Water of Rebirth. The prize money from your last two championships probably only covers your Cultivation expenses."

Lin Qi didn’t argue. Although he was earning more and more money, it was also becoming less and less sufficient.

He needed the nearly forty million he had on him to catch up to the Tenth Institute prodigies.

"Let me tell you, next year—that is, next semester—there will be a world-class competition: the Global Freshmen Tournament. All freshmen from every country’s Martial Arts University will participate."

"The quality of the competitors will be another level higher. It won’t just be the top-level prodigies from each country."

"Even the prodigies from various nations who have Awakened Special Abilities will be competing."

"For national honor, all countries encourage their elite prodigies—the equivalent of our Tenth Institute—to compete. Xia Country is no exception; in fact, we’ll have the most participants."

"At that time, you won’t just be facing bottom-ranked fighters like Han Zhen, but prodigies at the level of the Tenth Institute’s true top three."

"Even though they won’t be able to use their Special Abilities in the tournament, their physical attributes, Martial Arts, and special Power alone will make them far stronger than others."

"Furthermore, some of them have even mastered a Little Divine Power."

"The prize money will also be exceptionally generous, several times more than what you won in the National Freshmen Tournament," Dean Liu said with a chuckle.

Lin Qi let out a breath, his emotions complicated.

On one hand, there was the generous prize money. The National Freshmen Tournament prize was thirty million. Doubled, that would be sixty million; tripled, it would be ninety million—nearly a hundred million.

Maybe he’d finally be able to afford the Water of Rebirth.

On the other hand, the difficulty of winning the championship next time would skyrocket.

His opponents then wouldn’t be just one or two fighters at Han Zhen’s level, but a whole group of prodigies far stronger than him.

Some might have even mastered a Little Divine Power, which would completely nullify his advantage.

"Feeling the pressure?" Dean Liu asked with a chuckle.

Lin Qi nodded. "Too many experts!"

Xue Zhou also patted Lin Qi’s shoulder. "Don’t worry, we’ll give you some help."

"What’s your Qi and Blood Value right now?"

Lin Qi glanced at his status panel and answered:

"Qi and Blood Value: 69."

"Your Qi and Blood Value is even lower than I expected. How about this: I’ll leave a resource in Dean Liu’s care for you."

"You’ve heard of the Muscle Strengthening Potion, right?"

Xue Zhou asked, rubbing his chin.

Lin Qi nodded. He had experienced the effects of the Muscle Strengthening Potion before; it had saved him nearly half a month and allowed him to break through to the Third Realm much faster.

Xue Zhou stood up and said:

"Your Qi and Blood Value is 69. If you can get it past 95 by March of next year, I’ll reward you with a resource similar to the Muscle Strengthening Potion to help you quickly break through to the Fourth Realm and become a Middle Realm Martial Artist!"

Lin Qi’s eyes lit up when he heard this. "You have a deal!"

Xue Zhou laughed heartily. "Don’t worry. My word is my bond."

...

A few minutes later, Lin Qi left, and only Dean Liu and Xue Zhou remained in the office.

Dean Liu asked boastfully, "So, what do you think of the prodigy I personally selected?"

Xue Zhou sat down across from him.

"That was just a stroke of dumb luck. I bet even you didn’t expect Lin Qi’s Talent to be this incredible."

Dean Liu wasn’t offended and chuckled. "Luck is a part of strength too."

"After that carrot-and-stick routine from the two of us, Lin Qi will probably work even harder when he gets back."

"In the future, even if he never Awakens, he might still become an Eighth Realm Martial Artist!"

...

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!