Over the next week, his mom, Fang Huiyi, frequently took Lin Zhen to the hospital for treatment.

He underwent electrotherapy and massages to soothe his muscles and improve circulation, and they also purchased all sorts of expensive medications.

With the help of the medication, his body improved day by day, and Lin Zhen began to look much healthier.

It wasn’t just his dad; his mom, Fang Huiyi, was also being treated for her own ailments at the same time.

They even used Potions they would normally never have been willing to spend money on.

The only problem was that they were spending money like water. In just a few short days, the 150,000 Lin Qi had earned was completely gone.

However, Lin Qi quickly transferred another 300,000. If it wasn’t enough, he would send more.

He still had nearly two million Xia Country Coins, which was enough to last him for several months.

This day, at the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo.

Martial Arts Room B123

Inside Lin Qi’s Independent Martial Arts Room, the temperature was controlled at a perfect 25°C, creating the most suitable environment for martial arts practice.

Lin Qi, dressed in a loose white Martial Arts Uniform, gripped a Long Spear with both hands. He flexed his powerful arms, muscles swelling and veins bulging as he began to brandish the weapon fiercely.

A projection of Little Chan, dressed in a blue Combat Suit, appeared and watched quietly from a distance.

SWISH SWISH~

BAM~

As the Long Spear continuously stabbed through the air, it left a blur of afterimages and kicked up fierce gusts of wind.

Lin Qi put power into his wrist, causing the spear’s shaft to hum. The tip trembled before stabbing through the air like a viper striking from its den—precise and incredibly swift.

When he wielded it, his Spear Technique was like a python coiling around his body, fluid and adaptable.

Practicing this spear art required deliberate, complete movements. His body was like an air pump, fully charged, expanding and contracting with each motion. The Spear Technique involved twisting, wrapping, drilling, and flipping—the man followed the spear, and the spear moved with the man.

The entire execution of his Spear Technique was perfectly fluid, as smooth as flowing water.

[Through arduous training, your proficiency with the Mountain Shattering Spear Technique has increased. Spear Technique +1%]

[Through arduous training, your proficiency with Body Technique has increased. Body Technique +1%]

[Spear Technique: Tier Two 3% → 4%]

[Body Technique: Tier One 95% → 96%]

...

"Master, it’s time to rest!"

Little Chan suddenly spoke up from the side, reminding him.

"Haaa~"

Lin Qi lowered his spear, letting sweat stream down his cheeks as he picked up a prepared sports drink and chugged it down.

He looked at his data panel and nodded to himself.

’Ever since my Spear Technique broke through to Tier Two, every one percent increase has gotten much harder.’

’At this rate, it’ll be difficult to reach ten percent by the final assessment. I’ll have to work even harder.’

Lin Qi gripped his Long Spear and turned to Little Chan.

"Little Chan, take this down."

"Yes, Master!" Little Chan nodded, projecting a screen of light.

Lin Qi looked at the panel and started thinking. ’There’s still over a month until the final assessment. I have to make the most of this time.’

"My main objective from now on is the final assessment."

"To significantly improve my rank in the final assessment, my Qi and Blood Value needs to reach 9.8, and my Spear Technique must hit Tier Two at ten percent."

"My goal for the final assessment is to break into the top three in my grade, the top thirty in the city, and the top one hundred in the province."

"If I achieve these goals, I’ll have a high chance of upgrading my B-level Contract to an A-level one."

"And by the end of the final assessment period, I need to earn another 1,000 Points in the Red Realm Arena to get promoted to the Bright Moon Rank, which will get me the event prize money of three million."

Lin Qi looked at the precisely recorded text on the projected panel and nodded.

These were his goals for the near future.

Upgrade to an A-level Contract and get promoted to the Bright Moon Rank.

This was the only way he could earn more money to improve his family’s living situation while also ensuring his own progress in Martial Arts.

Ultimately, he could also save up more money to treat his father’s arm and his mother’s illness.

"Haaa~"

Lin Qi exhaled. Now that he had rested, he resumed his monotonous training.

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, twenty days had passed.

The world was still fighting off the invading Calamity Beasts, and Martial Arts Students in high schools everywhere were still striving for the university entrance exams.

Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo, Room A128

BAM! BAM!

In the spacious center of the room, two figures in black protective gear, one wielding a saber and the other a spear, were locked in a fierce sparring match.

One of them swung his Battle Saber. His Saber Technique consisted of wide, sweeping motions, and his aura was unmatched in its ferocity. Every slash seemed to carry immense power, as if it could slice through steel.

CLANG! CLANG!

He delivered one slash after another, leaving his opponent no room to counterattack.

The other fighter wielded a white Training Lance, executing his Spear Technique with great power. His Techniques were fluid and swift. He raised his lance high and brought it smashing down, his movements equally fierce and domineering.

One Technique flowed into the next, fierce power erupting with every movement of his Spear Technique.

His strikes came down with the weight of a collapsing mountain, powerful enough to shatter peaks.

BAM! BAM!!

The two traded massive blows, engaging in a head-on clash of pure ferocity that stirred up violent winds in the air.

Lin Qi felt a tyrannical force travel up the shaft of his spear and into his arms, making them go numb.

He couldn’t stop his body from stumbling backward.

"Lin Qi! One last move to settle this!"

"This is your loss!"

His opponent let out a great roar, like that of a tiger, deafeningly loud.

WHOOSH~

The next moment, he swung the Battle Saber with both hands. Twisting at the waist, he channeled his entire body’s strength from his core to his arms, bringing the saber crashing down from above as if to split the very earth.

Killing Technique—Earth-Splitting Slash!

Seeing his opponent unleash a Killing Technique, Lin Qi dug in his heels, sinking his body down slightly to gather power. His whole body grew hot, and his muscles felt like they were filled with erupting magma as power burst forth.

He immediately lashed out with the force of a thunderbolt, his Long Spear swinging like a Giant Axe capable of shattering a mountain.

Killing Technique—Mountain-Shattering Slash!

Both unleashed their Killing Techniques at the same time in a head-on clash. Neither one backed down!

BOOM!

With a tremendous bang, the Battle Saber and Long Spear crashed against each other, the sound of the impact explosive.

Lin Qi felt an even more tyrannical force slam into his arms.

His hands throbbed with pain, and his arms ached and felt numb.

The immense force sent both of them flying backward. They stumbled back a dozen steps before finally coming to a halt.

Just then, a voice rang out.

"That’s enough!"

A tall, sturdily built man with dark skin and handsome features stepped forward.

"We’ll call this round a draw!"

"I agree with Taozi. Let’s call it a draw."

Across from him, the powerfully built and rather handsome Guo Heng took off his helmet, dripping with sweat as he spoke.

"Lin Qi, if this were a real battlefield and I went all out, I’d definitely be the one to win," he said.

Lin Qi took off his own helmet. Steam rose from his body in waves, and sweat dripped from the helmet’s lining onto the padded floor.

Hearing Guo Heng’s words, he simply smiled without saying anything.

’A real battlefield?’

’With no restrictions, it’s not so certain who would live and who would die.’

The three of them then sat down, resting and drinking sports drinks.

"Lin Qi, Taozi!" Guo Heng said suddenly.

"The speed of you two’s progress is honestly shocking."

"Especially you, Lin Qi!"

Guo Heng looked at Lin Qi, his gaze filled with awe.

"I’m ranked third at No. 1 Middle School and tenth in all of Celestial Sea City, yet I fought you to a standstill in a head-on fight. If I told anyone, no one would believe me."

Guo Heng himself didn’t dare tell anyone about this, afraid he’d be laughed at.

Lin Qi smiled humbly. "It was just a sparring match."

...

Back in his own Martial Arts Room, B123.

Lin Qi checked his status panel.

[Name: Lin Qi (17)]

[Occupation: Martial Artist]

[Template: True Monarch Erlang Yang Jian]

[Fusion Degree: 9.3%]

[Talent: Stomach Enhancement, Dragon Energy and Tiger Fierceness]

[Cultivation Technique: Hunyuan Posture, Five Elements Fist - Tiger Form, Crane Form, Basic Spear Skill, Mountain Shattering Spear Technique]

[Qi and Blood Value: 9.64]

[Fist Technique: Tier Two 21%]

[Spear Technique: Tier Two 8%]

[Body Technique: Tier One 99%]

...

A smile appeared on Lin Qi’s face as he looked at the data on his panel.

In nearly a month, his strength had once again improved dramatically.

’This month, I’ve used up all the Red Blood Ointment and lost count of how many Energy Potions I’ve gone through to achieve my current strength.’

Lin Qi truly understood what it felt like to spend money like water.

But the money was well spent, producing the desired results.

He was now extremely close to breaking into the top three of his class.

And now, there were less than two weeks until the final assessment.

...