Physical Limits

"Qi Ge, did you break through again? You really are a genius!"

The speaker was a tall boy with bronze skin and a handsome face.

"Cut it out. I only broke through because I got lucky. I can't compare to you."

Lin Qi smiled and shook his head. He knew very well that at a key high school like No. 2 High School, his talent was nothing remarkable. At best, he was above average.

As for his best friend Jiang Tao, nicknamed Old Black, Part-Time Bro...

They had grown up together, attended the same elementary school and middle school, and might even attend the same university in the future.

Jiang Tao's parents had died when he was young, leaving only him and his younger sister to depend on each other.

He had grown up on government assistance, desperately taking part-time jobs to support himself and his sister.

He was the real genius. From a family just as poor as Lin Qi's, he had still consistently ranked in the top three of the class and top fifteen of the grade.

Both parents dead, a younger sister, great talent, and handsome looks—his protagonist buffs were stacked to the max.

He was practically a real protagonist.

Jiang Tao leaned over, watched Wu Kang walk away, and curled his lip in complaint.

"Every martial arts class, Wu De barely explains anything and rarely demonstrates or gives pointers. He just has everyone watch you demonstrate."

"Then everyone comes to ask you for advice, leaving him free to slack off."

Lin Qi smiled and explained,

"Teacher Wu is still an excellent instructor. Among all the martial arts teachers at No. 2 High School, he ranks near the top. Just listening to his explanations is hugely beneficial."

"And the fact that our class has consistently maintained a top-three martial arts ranking in the grade proves it."

"That's true!"

Jiang Tao had no choice but to nod in agreement.

"Ring-ring-ring!!"

As the dismissal bell rang, the hour-long martial arts class came to an end.

"Class dismissed. Break up!"

Wu Kang's booming voice rang out, and everyone relaxed.

Lin Qi stood up as well, feeling that time had passed so quickly.

Lin Qi clenched his fists. On the first day of school, his Blood Qi value had already broken through. It was a good start.

Then he looked again at the line of data on the Panel.

[Template: None (99.8% + 0.1%)]

"The Template progress has reached 99.9% too. It'll definitely hit 100% today."

Anticipation filled Lin Qi's eyes. He wished he could train for another hour on the spot and fill the progress bar completely.

Just then, a faint voice came from behind him.

"Your body has already reached its limit after such long-term high-intensity training. If you keep pushing yourself this hard, your body will collapse."

"You'd better get treatment."

It was Wu Kang. He passed by Lin Qi, spoke those words, and left.

Lin Qi's mental spirit trembled. As he watched Wu Kang's retreating figure, the joy and anticipation in his heart instantly vanished.

His fists clenched involuntarily.

His body had already reached its limit? No wonder he had been abnormally exhausted lately, and his muscles had ached terribly.

The progress on the Panel had swept away his fatigue just now, so he had not thought much of it.

"So my body has already reached its limit?"

Lin Qi knew the reason very clearly. He had trained desperately for too long, constantly squeezing every last bit out of his body. Without enough resources, he could not receive proper recuperation either.

That was what had led to today's outcome.

It was not as though there was no way to restore his body. He could find a professional masseur to relax his muscles, or go to a hospital and use special equipment for recuperation.

But every option required money. Even the cheapest cost several hundred, and he would need multiple sessions, amounting to at least several thousand yuan.

Thinking of the mere 66 yuan he had left, Lin Qi immediately felt crushing pressure.

At this moment, Jiang Tao walked over with a piece of clothing in hand and complained,

"That Wu De takes off the moment class ends, like he's afraid someone will waste even one second of his time."

"Teachers from other classes will still give students a few extra pointers after class."

"He's barely given us any guidance at all."

After complaining, Jiang Tao looked at Lin Qi. "Qi Ge, come on. Let's wash up. It's time to head back to class."

"Mm."

Lin Qi took a deep breath, adjusted his mood, then turned to grab his clothes and take a shower.

At No. 2 High School, where the cold wind blew, the lingering heat was driven from the classroom of the third-year students in Class 3.

Eye-catching slogans of all colors were posted across the walls.

"Struggle through one year of spring and autumn, fight for a lifetime without regret!"

"Don't fall behind like cattle and horses; fight like wild dogs!"

"..."

After finishing martial arts training, the students of Class 3 began their class meeting.

Their homeroom teacher, Yan Hong, was in her early thirties. She wore glasses and a black suit, and had a lovely face.

She walked among the students, her voice crisp, her expression stern. Wherever her gaze fell, no one dared to rest.

"You have already entered your senior year. This is the most crucial year. Whether you become an insect or a Dragon depends on this year."

"Since you chose martial arts and came to No. 2 High School, your goal should be to get into a better Martial Arts University."

"No. 2 High School is one of Tianhai City's key high schools. Every year, 70% of our martial arts students are admitted to Martial Arts Universities."

"Each senior class has around five hundred martial arts students. Only about three hundred and fifty can get into a Martial Arts University, while the remaining one hundred and fifty or so all fail."

"Martial arts students do not get a chance to repeat the year. Either you switch fields, join the army, or enter society as a full-time Martial Artist."

"If you don't get into a Martial Arts University, you'll spend your whole life at the bottom of the martial arts world. When facing Calamity Beasts, you'll be cannon fodder. You'll work yourself to death and still earn less than others make in an instant."

"The gap that lasts a lifetime is created in your senior year."

"These are your results from last semester. Look at your grades and grade ranking. If you don't want to fail, then train in martial arts with everything you have!"

The moment Yan Hong finished speaking, a stifling force crashed down on everyone like giant waves.

The heavy pressure was laid bare before every student.

Quite a few faces turned pale, because they were the ones near the bottom of the grade, members of the group waiting to be eliminated.

All eyes turned toward the light screen.

It was a report card. Fifty students were ranked by their grades, and the top ten were marked in gold.

"After working hard all summer, my strength has improved by a huge margin. There's definitely a place for me in the top ten."

"I just didn't perform well last semester."

Looking at the report card, waves of chatter rose in the previously silent classroom.

"Qi Ge, we're definitely stronger now than we were last semester."

Jiang Tao whispered from beside him.

Lin Qi looked at the report card as well.

[First place: Yu Jing]

[Second Place: Zhu Yuqi]

[Third Place: Jiang Tao]

[...]

At last, he saw his own ranking at tenth place.

[Name: Lin Qi]

[Class Ranking: 10]

[Grade ranking: 101]

Lin Qi saw his name, sitting right at the final position marked in gold.

Jiang Tao's name, meanwhile, was in third place in the class.

Lin Qi clenched his fists, silently lamenting that his talent was still not strong enough.

Jiang Tao came from an ordinary family just like him, yet he had always remained in the top three of the class. His talent ranked near the top of the entire grade.

They both trained desperately, but Lin Qi's efficiency was nowhere near Jiang Tao's.

"One more thing!"

Yan Hong returned to the podium, switched the light screen, and projected a form.

"Every senior year, No. 2 High School establishes an Elite Class, gathering the fifty best students in the entire grade into one class."

"They will be cultivated using the school's best teaching staff."

"Besides the teaching staff, there are various other benefits. Any student interested can come to me for an application form."

"There will be a test in one week, focusing on martial arts results, Blood Qi values, and Fist Technique. Those ranked in the top 50 of the grade will become members of the Elite Class."

The moment Yan Hong finished speaking, the entire classroom erupted.

"So they really are holding an Elite Class. The strongest teachers, and every classmate is a genius from the grade's top 50."

"It's hard to imagine how much we could improve in that environment." A Round-faced Boy fantasized.

"Li Shaodong, stop daydreaming. You're ranked in the nineties in the grade. You have no chance at all." A slightly chubby girl mocked.

The classroom atmosphere immediately became lively.

Li Shaodong shouted, "Can't I at least imagine it?"

Then he sat down and sighed. "Our class ranks third in the grade, and six people are in the grade's top 50."

"Yu Jing, Zhu Yuqi, Jiang Tao, Kang Feiyue, Du Lin, Yang Lei."

"Only the top five in the class are relatively secure. The top eight have some hope. As for everyone else, they're just making up the numbers."

The others joined the discussion as well.

"Yu Jing and Zhu Yuqi will probably be among the very best even after entering the Elite Class. They won't feel any pressure at all," one girl said admiringly.

The others showed envious expressions upon hearing that.

At that moment, a handsome boy in the front row slightly raised the corner of his mouth after hearing the discussion.

A girl not far from him seemed not to have heard anything and took out a book to read.

"Qi Ge, check your phone."

Jiang Tao tapped Lin Qi on the shoulder.

Lin Qi took out his phone and received a WeiXin transfer.

[You have received a transfer of 3,000 Xia Guo Bi from "Tao Zi"!]

"That's your pay for several days of part-time work." Jiang Tao smiled.

Lin Qi was puzzled. "Wasn't it 2,000? Why is there an extra 1,000?"

Jiang Tao did not answer. Instead, he said to himself, "I heard what Wu De said."

"Take this money and recover properly. We still have to enter the Elite Class together."

Lin Qi immediately felt touched.

Jiang Tao's family was not well-off either. Not only had he brought Lin Qi along for part-time work, but he had transferred money without hesitation.

One thousand Xia Guo Bi was also a huge sum for someone like him.

"Thanks!"

Lin Qi could only reply with those two words, quietly keeping his gratitude in his heart.

"Ring-ring-ring~"

"Class dismissed~"

Evening self-study ended. The Teacher silently left, and the students departed one after another.

After chatting with Jiang Tao for a few moments, Lin Qi parted ways with him, got on his bicycle, and left No. 2 High School, riding along the brightly lit streets.

He felt the exhaustion and soreness in his body.

"My body really has reached its limit. The fatigue has been following me constantly, and it has even affected my condition during class."

Lin Qi sighed inwardly.

More than ten minutes later.

Under the night sky, Lin Qi opened the door and walked into his home.

Besides his burly Old Dad, Lin Zhen, there was also a slender woman in the living room, with skin so pale it seemed to glow and a dignified bearing.

"Xiao Qi!" The woman smiled and greeted Lin Qi when she saw him.

Lin Qi's eyes lit up, and he quickly walked into the living room.

"Mom, how are you feeling now?"

Fang Huiyi shook her head weakly and smiled. "I've already recovered. Don't worry about me."

"Your mother is just a little weak right now. She needs to rest and recuperate for a while." Lin Zhen smiled as he explained from the side.

"Xiao Qi, why did you come back so early today?" Fang Huiyi asked curiously.

"Mom, you came home today, so I came back early to see you."

Lin Qi answered with a smile.

After chatting for several minutes, Lin Qi returned to his bedroom.

He turned on the electric fan and listened to the rushing wind drive away the heat from his body.

Looking at the more than 3,000 Xia Guo Bi on his phone and feeling the exhaustion in his body, he fell into indecision.

There wasn't much money left at home.

Mom's health kept getting worse. Now she had to go to the hospital for treatment every other month, and it cost a fortune.

The family was already drowning in debt. Old Dad worked himself to the bone every day, yet he could barely keep up with the household expenses.

There was no way to squeeze out any more money to buy resources for me. I had to find a way myself.

I could only place my hopes on the Panel.

Lin Qi clenched his fists and thought to himself.

With that, he looked at the Panel.

[Template: None (99.9%)]

Just a little more, and it would reach 100%.

Lin Qi put away his antique phone with its shattered screen and stood in the middle of the room. The cement floor was covered in footprints.

Lin Qi stepped into the footprints with both feet and began practicing the Perfectly Round Stance.