Chapter 470: Mountain and River King Arrives!
Chapter 470: Mountain and River King Arrives! (Requesting Monthly Vote)
In the grand hall, Xu Qin had become another focal point besides Lin Qi, with many approaching to converse with her.
Xu Qin maintained no pretense of superiority, engaging in casual chats with the crowd while sharing cultivation insights that benefited everyone greatly.
In contrast, Gu Cheng remained aloof. Even when approached for conversations or cultivation advice, he merely offered polite but empty responses.
Wan Ming and students from the Azure Firmament Six Colleges attempted to engage him, but his answers remained vague and unhelpful. Eventually, people stopped seeking him out altogether.
"Junior Lin Qi, I have matters to attend to. I'll take my leave first", Gu Cheng announced midway through the celebration banquet.
"Understood", Lin Qi replied flatly, his smile fading.
Though inwardly annoyed, Gu Cheng maintained his composure while departing. Lin Qi watched him go with a subtle shake of his head - this man wasn't worth deepening relations with.
"Apologies, Junior Lin Qi", Xu Qin interjected. "He came here because of me."
"Not at all", Lin Qi countered with a smile. "It's already commendable that Gu Cheng, the previous Global Martial Arts Championship champion, showed up."
Xu Qin detected Lin Qi's dissatisfaction. She shared similar feelings - after all, Lin Qi was a dual-awakened genius like herself. Surely not every Global Martial Arts Championship champion was equally impressive?
With Gu Cheng gone, the banquet atmosphere improved noticeably.
In a secluded corner, Xu Qin, Shen Heng, Lin Qi, Lei Shuang, Meng Yuxuan, and Zhang Tianyang gathered for casual conversation.
"Xu Qin", Shen Heng asked curiously, "why are you still at school? Everyone assumed you'd already left for the battlefront."
"I did go to the battlefront for three months", Xu Qin replied, sipping juice. "I returned to refine my cultivation. Though seventh realm breakthroughs typically mark battlefront deployment, proper preparation remains crucial."
Shen Heng nodded. "The three top academies require ordinary students to reach fourth realm by graduation, awakened geniuses need sixth realm, while SS/Sss-rank prodigies must attain seventh realm before deployment."
"It's already May. Summer break comes in a month. I've prepared seventh realm battle armor and weapons, ready to depart anytime."
Meng Yuxuan and Lei Shuang nodded thoughtfully. They'd remain at school after graduation until achieving seventh realm.
Lin Qi felt he'd likely breakthrough faster than Meng Yuxuan, Lei Shuang, and Zhang Tianyang.
Putting her glass down, Xu Qin advised, "Don't rush to the battlefront. After reaching seventh realm, you'll need months to master advanced Primordial Energy Martial Arts."
"Months?" Shen Heng frowned. "I completed cultivation at Disaster Beast Pyramid in just eight days."
"Same here", Meng Yuxuan confirmed.
Lin Qi calculated mentally - S-rank geniuses needed ~15 days, SS-ranks ~12 days, top-tier like Yu Zhuoran took ten days, while Sss-ranks like himself required eight and a half days.
Xu Qin explained, "Advanced Primordial Energy Martial Arts are significantly harder. While I finished Disaster Beast Pyramid in eight days, advanced cultivation took months. I only deployed after mastering it. Prepare yourselves accordingly."
Shen Heng fell silent, realizing his own battlefront deployment remained distant.
The banquet lasted three hours, finally dispersing at 10 PM. Fighter aircraft transported Azure Firmament Six Colleges students back to their academy, leaving only Lin Qi and Jiang Tao at the villa.
Jiang Tao continued eating despite the Grade 7 Disaster Beast flesh being finished, consuming remaining mid-tier beast meat - he'd grown up impoverished and never wasted food.
"Phew!" Jiang Tao finished a cola bottle. "Brother Qi, I'll work hard too! Next year I'll compete for the Global Martial Arts Championship crown!"
"That arrogant Gu Cheng? I can't stand him either."
"I believe in you", Lin Qi encouraged. Next year he'd already reach seventh realm, beyond championship eligibility. Xia Kingdom's strongest contender would then be Meng Yuxuan. However, Jiang Tao's innate talent had surpassed SS-rank, bordering on Sss-class potential. A year at Heavenly Dome Institute might indeed make him championship material.
At 11:30 PM, Lin Qi's phone buzzed in the Martial Arts Training Hall. His eyes snapped open, releasing powerful energy waves as Grade 7 Disaster Beast flesh digested.
His status updated:
[You completed cultivation, your body transformed, Bone Marrow training accelerated, Vital Energy Stat +10]
[Vital Energy Stat: 3220→3230]
Vital Energy gains grew slower near the 4000 threshold, though ample Disaster Beast flesh ensured natural seventh realm breakthrough within months.
Xiaochan projected a message:
"Congratulations, Student Lin Qi. For winning the Global Martial Arts Championship, you receive 200 million Xia Kingdom Credits as prize money."
Checking his account confirmed the transfer. Wealth no longer thrilled him - monthly expenditures now measured in hundreds of millions. Eighth-level Disaster Beast flesh interested him more than money.
Turning to mountainous gifts, he unpacked treasures from 80 attendees. Obsidian steel cases contained electronics and business Vip cards from Azure Firmament Six Colleges, cultivation resources from Wan Ming's faction.
Shen Heng gifted soul-refining elixir. Xu Qin's gift - a 300ml vial of eighth-level Disaster Beast blood - proved most valuable. Its essence could elevate Vital Energy Stat more than 100kg of flesh. Compared to his 1000kg flesh reserves, this reward represented significant gains.
May 8, 2048 (Martial Dao Calendar)
Three days post-championship
At Heavenly Dome Institute's plaza:
A red fighter jet landed with thunderous gusts. The cabin door opened, revealing a gray-robed middle-aged man with mountain-river patterns. Silver-haired and imposing, each step radiated mountainous weight.
"Welcome, Mountain and River King!" Vice Principal Xu Wenji, accompanied by Xue Zhou, Dean Liu, and Mu Hong, greeted him.
"Old Xu, long time no see!" The mountainous figure nodded approval at Dean Liu. "Thank you for discovering Lin Qi!"
"Merely my duty", Dean Liu replied respectfully. As a seventh realm martial artist, he felt like an undergrad meeting a Nobel laureate before top-tier powerhouses.
Informed of Lin Qi, Xu Wenji said, "We've notified him. The contract upgrade meeting awaits in Heavenly Dome Tower."
Ten minutes later, Lin Qi entered the tower elevator, steadying his breath before the white doors. The aroma of rare incense greeted him as he entered the antique-furnished office.
On brown leather sofas sat Dean Liu, Xue Zhou, Vice Principal Xu Wenji, and Mu Hong. At the center sat the formidable Mountain and River King - Xia Kingdom's ninth realm powerhouse.
Their eyes met, oppressive might crashing down like a mountain pillar. Lin Qi maintained calm composure under the three-second pressure.
"Excellent!" The King chuckled. "You've surpassed my expectations, Champion Lin Qi. Your mental fortitude matches your championship title."
Lin Qi inwardly marveled - this was a ninth realm martial artist's might. Xue Zhou's and Mu Hong's presences as eighth-stage experts never compared.
(End of Chapter)
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