Chapter 85: A Presence Once Revered
Chapter 85: A Presence Once Revered (Requesting First Subscription, Requesting Monthly Votes)
After lunch, Lin Zhen returned home to rest.
Lin Qi, however, headed straight to the Virtual Chamber.
"Brother Qi!"
In the lounge area of the training hall, Lin Qi strode in with purpose.
"Boom!"
Guo Heng greeted him with a playful punch to the chest. "You sly dog, Lin Qi! Who knew you'd climb all the way to ninth place in Tianhai City?"
"Just two spots behind me now. All of us underestimated you!"
Guo Heng studied his friend. Lin Qi's muscular frame and icy demeanor now commanded respect. He'd thought his own progress in the Final Exam impressive, but both Lin Qi and Jiang Tao had quietly caught up.
Who could have predicted that those two part-timers he'd recruited four months ago would possess such innate talent? He still remembered their wide-eyed innocence when they'd first arrived in faded uniforms and worn-out training shoes.
Lü Xiang immediately stood and offered his seat when he saw Lin Qi enter. "Brother Qi, want some milk tea?" Wu Feng chimed in with a cup of coffee. Qiu Siying followed with a tray of fruit, their faces beaming with warmth.
The sudden shift to "Brother Qi" left Lin Qi slightly flustered. Jiang Tao, however, simply smiled - he'd experienced this change firsthand. Not long ago, these three had treated them with icy indifference. Now that he and Lin Qi had broken into the top fifty (9th and 11th respectively), the cold shoulders had melted away.
Lin Qi accepted the milk tea without protest. "You don't need to be so formal", he said while chewing on some grapes.
"Of course, Brother Qi!" Lü Xiang nodded enthusiastically. "By the way, my sister's coming home from Azure Firmament University for the Spring Festival. I'll introduce you all when she arrives."
Guo Heng's sudden announcement drew everyone's attention. They all knew about Guo Yi - the genius who'd awakened with a special ability.
"My family was ordinary until she awakened her fire manipulation ability, signing an S-Class Great Contract with Crimson Heaven. She transformed our lives", Guo Heng shared proudly.
Lin Qi felt genuine curiosity to meet this legendary figure, while Jiang Tao asked, "Have you seen her fight with flames?"
Guo Heng grinned. "She can unleash fire like a flamethrower, temperatures reaching nearly a thousand degrees! In battle, she can incinerate opponents instantly - basically a dimension-shattering advantage, even against third-stage martial artists."
The group exchanged impressed glances. Special abilities were like cheating powers in early martial arts stages.
Changing the topic, Guo Heng added, "You should all focus on boosting your Moon Rank soon. Since my points passed 900, most opponents I face are experts. Now I win one out of every three or four matches. My win rate keeps dropping, making point gains extremely difficult. I'm not even certain I'll achieve Moon Rank by the deadline."
"That's normal", Lin Qi explained, relaying what he'd learned from the Sun Manager.
Jiang Tao immediately tensed. "That serious? I still need two hundred points! Guess I'll have to pull some overtime."
The others suddenly felt the pressure too. "At least the Martial Arts Pavilion added twenty more Neural Pods recently", Qiu Siying remarked. They quickly dispersed to enter the Scarlet Realm arena.
In his private space, Lin Qi materialized his status panel:
[Alias: Yang Jian]
[Rank: Star]
[Win Rate: 95%]
[Points: 786]
[Ranking: 45/5000]
"One week", he muttered. The Hao Yue Festival deadline loomed on January 13th. "Time's tight."
The system pinged: [Match Found!]
On the arena, his opponent emerged - a tall, handsome youth wielding a blue-white long spear, radiating sinister energy.
[Alias: Swift Hawk]
Lin Qi recognized him instantly. Yu Jing - the genius he'd admired for two and a half years. Now their positions had reversed.
"You're good, Yang Jian", Yu Jing sneered darkly. "Too bad I need to vent my frustrations today."
Lin Qi silently raised his middle finger.
Yu Jing's face darkened. "You're asking for death!"
The arena countdown began.
[3... 2... 1... Battle Start!]
Yu Jing vanished like a gust of wind, his spear flashing with a dozen strikes in an instant - the Dripping Water Spear Art. The air filled with the sound of clashing steel as Lin Qi countered with equal mastery. Their spears danced like raindrops, each strike precise and merciless.
Yu Jing's eyes widened. His opponent's speed exceeded his own. Every attack he launched got deflected while he found himself surrounded by relentless pressure.
"Not possible!" Yu Jing roared as Lin Qi's Spring Surge Art sent him skidding backward.
"This is my Dripping Water Shadow Art!" Yu Jing roared, his spear vibrating at incredible speed, creating multiple illusions.
Lin Qi simply smiled, activating the same technique.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
