Chapter 65: Climbing into the Top Ten
Chapter 65: Climbing into the Top Ten (Please Keep Reading)
The massive green data overlay screen pulsed with numbers and graphs. Lin Qi’s eyes scanned the rankings from the top down, stopping when they landed on his name and avatar:
[Name: Lin Qi]
[Academics: 925 (1st)]
[Vital Energy Stat: 921 (12th)]
[Martial Arts: 805 (5th)]
[Total Score: 887]
[Class Ranking: 18th→9th]
[City Ranking: 288th→128th]
[Province Ranking: 480th]
"9th place!" Lin Qi’s lips curled upward as he absorbed the news. Climbing from 18th to 9th in two months felt satisfying. His academic score still dominated first place, unchallenged. The 12th in Vital Energy Stat – his weakest area – showed steady improvement. Most surprisingly, his martial arts had vaulted to 5th – even higher than his actual skill level.
City rankings jumped from 288th to 128th, nearly breaking the top hundred. The new provincial ranking at 480th made him blink – even in this elite school, he was top ten locally but barely cracked five hundredth across the entire province. Cang Province truly teemed with endless prodigies.
"Two months ago I was a hundredth, now top ten. Give me a few more months…" Lin Qi clenched his fist.
Beside him, Jiang Tao whooped as he checked his own results. "Fifth place! I’m practically neck-and-neck with Zhu Yuqi for fourth!" His eyes gleamed at the martial arts score. "Sixth in the class! Locked in!"
He slammed a fist into his palm before suddenly freezing. "Wait – ninth place? Eighth hundred five in martial arts? Fifth ranking?!" He blinked rapidly, convinced he’d misread. His own 800 points placed him sixth. Lin Qi had edged ahead by just five points.
"You… actually beat me?" Jiang Tao stared, stunned. Lin Qi simply grinned.
"Kfc’s on you now", he said, savoring his friend’s disbelief.
The classroom exploded into chaos seconds after results posted – groans of despair, shouts of triumph. Someone stared at his province ranking, aghast. "Five-thousandth? That’s pitiful!"
"Five thousand?" Zhang Cheng interjected, overhearing. "With eighty elite schools across Cang Province, each packed with tens of thousands of prodigies, you think that’s low?" He swept his gaze across the room. "You’ll see real monsters at the national exams – gaps so wide they’ll feel like chasms."
Silence fell. The truth hung heavy – they were merely average among countless geniuses.
Zhang Cheng’s smile returned as he spotted Lin Qi’s name. "That kid really delivered. Two days ago I was still coaching him on Second Stage Spear Techniques, and now he scores 805 – the mark for defeating Tester #8. Fifth in class? Only ten points behind Zhu Yuqi? How?!"
At the top of the rankings, Li Zhou gripped his desk, breath held. His results materialized: 1st class, 7th city, 15th province. "Two spots up from the monthly assessment", he exhaled, relief washing over him. Every step mattered at his level.
Yu Jing scowled at his own report. Second in school, but dropped from 15th to 20th citywide. The gap between him and rising Qi Yuelin, Zhu Yuqi, and now even Jiang Tao and Lin Qi widened daily. "Those poor bastards actually caught up", he muttered bitterly.
---
In Training Hall 503, five Kfc bags formed a greasy mountain on Lin Qi’s table. Jiang Tao unloaded burgers, fried chicken, fries, and colas like a kid on Christmas morning.
"Dig in", he sighed, eyeing the thousand-credit total. "You won, fair and square."
Lin Qi bit into a burger while Chen Zichuan hungrily joined in. "Nothing beats junk food", Jiang Tao mused, chewing. "Remember when we could only afford one burger and fries? Dad lost his job, and you used your allowance to treat me…" His voice softened.
Chen Zichuan nodded, ketchup-stained fries halfway to his mouth. "My dad used to take me to Wallace for birthdays. He never came back from the war." His father’s sacrifice hung heavy in the air – all three had grown up with ordinary means, sharing struggles and dreams.
---
Later, alone in his training hall, Lin Qi stood in stance, eyes scanning his status panel:
[Name: Lin Qi (17)]
[Occupation: Martial Artist]
[Template: Erlang Deity·Yang Jian (8.3%)]
[Innate Talents: Stomach Reinforcement, Dragon Vigor Tiger Might]
[Martial Arts: Harmony Stance, Five Elements Boxing·Tiger Form, Fundamental Spear Manual, Mountain-Shattering Spear Method]
[Vital Energy Stat: 9.21]
[Fist Techniques: Second Stage 20%]
[Spear Techniques: Second Stage 3%]
[Body Cultivation: First Stage 95%]
Monthly assessments showed staggering progress. "Two factors – this template’s power, and resources", he mused. Innate talent meant nothing without wealth backing cultivation.
"Mom, Dad…" His thoughts darkened. After clearing family debts, he’d asked his father Lin Zhen to quit his grueling butcher job. The refusal puzzled him. "Why keep working? Something’s wrong…"
(End of Chapter)
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