Daily Spear Practice

Lin Qi looked at the balance of over 13,000 in his bank account, his feelings complicated.

From childhood to adulthood, there had never been more than 3,000 in his account.

It was also the first time he had possessed so much money.

I haven't seen more than ten thousand yuan in over a decade, Lin Qi thought.

Of the more than 13,000 in his balance, 3,000 had been earned from his part-time job as a sparring partner.

The remaining 10,000 was his scholarship.

"My scholarship has arrived too!"

Jiang Tao, sitting opposite him, also smiled. Thirty thousand yuan was a huge sum for him as well.

Although he had received one million Xia Guo Bi through the Genius Loan, not all of that money would be spent on himself.

He also had a younger sister who needed money. He had to buy all kinds of resources in advance to build her foundation, so every penny was precious.

Lin Qi understood that as well.

"After dinner, let's make a trip to the supermarket. It's time to buy new resources," Lin Qi suggested.

To prepare for the test, he had bought a large amount of Qi and Blood Capsules and Qi and Blood Elixir. After a week, he had used them all up.

"Perfect. I need to buy some resources too. Let's go together."

"Oh, right, Qi Ge, you should replace your phone too. The screen is so cracked you can barely see it anymore."

Jiang Tao pointed at Lin Qi's smartphone.

Lin Qi looked at the antique smartphone in his hand. It was an old phone his Old Dad, Lin Zhen, had used. Its screen was now covered in spiderweb-like cracks, and the phone case had begun to fade. He had never had the heart to replace it.

"It really is time for a new one." Lin Qi nodded.

Ten minutes later

Red Sky Martial Arts Supermarket

Lin Qi stood in the medicine section, taking boxes of Qi and Blood Capsules from the shelves.

"My body's growth rate is astonishing, and my daily training volume is getting larger and larger."

"If I want to maintain my rate of progress, I'll need sufficient nutrition, medicinal supplements, and stronger qi and blood."

"So I need to buy more Qi and Blood Capsules and elixirs."

With that in mind, Lin Qi took twenty boxes of Qi and Blood Capsules in one go, then headed to the shelf of Qi and Blood Elixir.

"Before, I was short on cash and could only buy two bottles of Qi and Blood Elixir. Now I can afford one bottle a day."

Lin Qi grabbed a row of Qi and Blood Elixir and placed them in his shopping basket. There were ten bottles in total.

After simply purchasing a few other resources, he lined up to pay.

"Beep!"

"Total: 7,826 yuan!"

"Payment successful!"

Lin Qi paid with his phone, and more than half of his ten-thousand-plus balance vanished in an instant.

"If I can become a contracted genius of Red Sky Martial Arts Hall, even with just a twenty-percent discount, I could save a lot of money."

After sighing over it, he put everything into his backpack and waited by the cool area near the entrance.

A few minutes later, Jiang Tao finally came out, his backpack stretched to its limit.

"Haha, I accidentally bought a little too much."

"Besides the resources I need for myself, I bought quite a lot for Miaoyin too."

"Our family was poor before. For the sake of my martial arts path, A-Yin sacrificed herself and even became malnourished."

"Now I have to nourish her properly and lay a solid foundation for her."

Jiang Tao scratched his head and explained with a chuckle.

Lin Qi nodded. Jiang Tao's parents had both passed away. Even relying on government assistance and working desperately at part-time jobs, he could only maintain a normal life.

Wanting both siblings to embark on the martial arts path was clearly unrealistic.

So Jiang Tao's younger sister, Jiang Miaoyin, had sacrificed herself so her brother, Jiang Tao, could spend the money on resources. This left her malnourished, with slow and insufficient qi-and-blood growth, and her Martial Arts Strength ranked at the bottom of the class.

Lin Qi had every reason to believe that more than half of Jiang Tao's one million Xia Guo Bi would be spent on his younger sister, Jiang Miaoyin.

"Let's go buy a new phone."

"Okay!"

The two arrived at a nearby phone shop and came out shortly afterward.

Lin Qi now held a brand-new smartphone with a black exterior that reflected the light.

"Qi Ge, you should at least buy one that costs over a thousand. A five-hundred-yuan phone doesn't have much performance," Jiang Tao complained from the side.

"I'll make do with it. I don't have much money on me right now. After the College Entrance Examination, I'll replace it with a better one."

"Besides, aren't you using a five- or six-hundred-yuan secondhand smartphone too?"

Lin Qi operated his phone and transferred files without caring.

"Hehe, you caught me."

The two returned to school loaded down with purchases.

Afternoon, martial arts class

"I know some of you have hired martial artists stronger than me as Teachers, so you don't need my guidance."

"I permit you to return to your own Martial Arts Rooms to train."

The muscular Zhang Cheng stood in the center of the classroom with his arms folded and spoke loudly.

At those words, some students carried their things out, including the top three students of the grade: Li Zhou, Qi Yuelin, and Yu Jing.

In a matter of moments, more than a dozen people had left.

Most of them were in the top ten of the grade, which fit everyone's stereotype: those from wealthy families generally did not have poor Martial Arts Strength.

"The rest of you, train freely. I want to see your level."

More than thirty people spread out, each finding a spot to begin practicing martial arts.

Wearing a Martial Arts Uniform, Lin Qi took a pack of Qi and Blood Capsules from his backpack, squeezed out three pills and swallowed them, then drank a bottle of Qi and Blood Elixir.

He looked around and did not immediately practice weapons like the others.

Instead, he began practicing Fist Technique.

"Whoosh, whoosh~"

His footwork was steady, his qi sank into his Dantian, and he stood as firm as an untoppleable old man.

Motion and stillness complemented each other. When still, he had the bearing of a crouching tiger; when moving, he possessed the agility of a cat.

Bang! Bang! Bang!!

Crisp cracks sounded as his Tiger Claw struck out. His horizontal punch launched forth, power reaching all the way to his fingertips.

Lin Qi immersed himself completely. His entire body heated up as though flames were burning, qi and blood surged, and strength poured out without end.

The key points of Tiger Form Fist surfaced in his mind.

[Through practicing Tiger Form Fist, you have gained new insights into Fist Technique. Your control over your body has improved. Fist Technique +1%]

[Fist Technique: First Order 91%→93%]

Lin Qi withdrew his fists. Heat rose from his body, and sweat began to form on his forehead.

Once he felt that his body had been fully warmed up, he took out his Training Spear.

Swish! Swish!

The Long Spear danced as he performed the Basic Spear Technique. With a shake of the spear, clusters of spear blossoms bloomed.

"A breakthrough in Fist Technique really is more beneficial to improving Spear Technique. It can achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"At the same time, practicing a weapon consumes more than simply throwing punches."

A few minutes later, Lin Qi stopped. He was already drenched in sweat. After wiping himself down and drinking a bottle of water, he continued training the Mountain Shattering Spear Technique.

"Initiating Stance, Cloud Piercing, Collapse Thrust..."

"When practicing the spear, the spear cannot leave the body. The body must stay behind the spear. When training the spear, use the root to drive the tip."

"Whether it is the waist, hips, or shoulders, use the root to drive the tip. When wielding the spear, exchange tip and root. Like a python entwining the body, adapt quickly to changing circumstances."

"When practicing the spear, be slow and full. The body should be like an air pump filled to capacity, contracting and extending like an air tube when force is released. The spear technique twists, wraps, drills, and flips. The person follows the spear, and the spear moves with the person..."

Zhang Cheng's booming voice rang throughout the Martial Arts Classroom.

As Lin Qi danced his Long Spear and listened, he seemed to gain some insight. The speed of his spear technique became smoother.

"First Order Spear Technique is the foundation. What matters is proficiency in the spear technique. If you ask how profound it is, it really isn't. You just have to practice more..."

"Once you practice enough, your Spear Technique Realm will naturally improve."

After Zhang Cheng finished speaking, he looked toward Lin Qi.

It was as though those words had been spoken specifically for him.

"Swish, swish~"

Bang!

Lin Qi continued performing the Mountain Shattering Spear Technique. Zhang Cheng's thoughts coincided perfectly with his own. He simply needed to practice more.

With every repetition, his proficiency improved.

[After Teacher "Zhang Cheng" gave you guidance, your understanding of Spear Technique has deepened. Spear Technique +1%]

[Spear Technique: First Order 70%→71%]

Yang Lei, who was wielding a Long Spear in the distance, did not look pleased.

"Why does Teacher Zhang always guide Lin Qi? Where am I worse than him?"

9:30 p.m.

Lin Qi and Jiang Tao went home together.

They both lived in Rongshan District. The entire district was huge and was a famous poor neighborhood in Tianhai City.

Lin Qi lived in Building 4, while Jiang Tao lived in Building 3. The distance between them was not short.

Lin Qi usually did not wait for Jiang Tao when leaving, because Jiang Tao had to take care of his younger sister, Jiang Miaoyin.

"Qi Ge, see you tomorrow!"

"Okay!"

The two separated at the intersection and headed toward their respective homes.

Room 301. Lin Qi stepped through the front door.

Unlike usual, a cool breeze rushed toward him.

In the Living Room, an upright cube-shaped air conditioner was blowing cold air with a whooshing sound.

"The air conditioner is here!"

Lin Qi smiled. On the worn-out sofa, his Parents, Lin Zhen and Fang Huiyi, were also enjoying the air conditioning.