The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Three Great Martial Arts Gyms

That day, Tianhai City Martial Arts Education Bureau

Director's Office

The walls were made of Special Materials, keeping the office at an optimal temperature.

At the center stood a large desk in a prominent position. Its surface was made of specially tempered glass and came with a built-in projection system.

Behind the desk was an Intelligent Chair designed for ergonomic work.

A tall middle-aged man with a resolute, profound face sat there. His hair was swept back, and he looked vigorous and alert.

His sharp eyes fixed on the projected data sheets before him.

Several of the sheets were Genius Loan applications.

His fingers swiped across them briskly.

"Approved!"

"Rejected!"

Soon, he reached the final application form and suddenly frowned.

"Lin Qi from Tianhai No. 2 Middle School. Lao Jiang's student. That guy loves inflating his reports."

The middle-aged man shook his head with a bitter smile.

He then opened the file and began reviewing the highly detailed personal information inside.

"In three months, he rose from one hundredth in the grade to eighteenth."

"This student does have potential, but he still doesn't meet the requirements for a Special Class Genius Loan."

"Still, he can be monitored closely. If he makes the top ten in the grade during the Midterm Assessment, then a Special Class loan won't be a problem." With that thought, he reached a decision.

As the director of the Martial Arts Education Bureau, he had countless matters to handle every day.

After dealing with the Genius Loans, he looked over a new document.

"In recent years, the martial arts students of Bailu City have caught up from behind. They are already on equal footing with Tianhai City, and they even show signs of overtaking us."

"Now that the Red Realm has become increasingly integrated into daily life, they have begun preparing for a Martial Arts Exchange within the Red Realm."

"They're full of ambition. On the other hand, Tianhai City has become somewhat conservative."

The middle-aged man shook his head.

In the office area on the same floor, Xiao Li was processing documents.

"Ding!"

A projected file opened before him, and he clicked it open.

"It's a Genius Loan application!"

Xiao Li quickly skimmed through it. When he saw that Lin Qi had passed the review for a First Class Genius Loan, he immediately smiled.

"How is that possible?!"

A female colleague in the distance cried out, her face filled with disbelief.

"How could Lin Qi possibly pass the review for a First Class Genius Loan? This has to be fake."

"Yes, it's fake. Forged."

"I'm filing a complaint!" The woman's face turned livid.

"Stop being stupid. This was approved after the director reviewed it."

"Are you saying there's something wrong with the director?" Xiao Li said smugly.

"Th-this..." The woman's momentum instantly weakened.

"Don't underestimate others. Maybe he'll become somebody important someday." Xiao Li felt much better after saying that.

The woman's expression turned ugly, and she fell silent.

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

Martial Arts Classroom

Bang bang!!

Lin Qi spread his arms like a crane opening its wings, swinging freely through the air. His Crane Claws struck out, shaking the air and producing sharp cracks.

His movements were nimble, his dodges agile. Between motion and stillness, he waited defensively for the chance to attack.

His body grew hot as streams of vitality and blood surged into every corner of his body, tempering him bit by bit.

Sweat dripped down from his forehead, but Lin Qi felt no fatigue. Instead, he felt an endless supply of strength pouring forth.

In the instant of intense exertion, every muscle in his body could be trained.

He alternated between Tiger Form Fist and Crane Form Fist. The completely different methods of exertion gave him a wonderful feeling.

Lin Qi understood. Every Fist Technique used the muscles differently, and a single Fist Technique could not effectively train every muscle in the body.

Therefore, the tempering effect of two Fist Techniques was definitely stronger than practicing just one.

Roar~

Who knew how much time had passed? Blazing vitality and blood rushed up into his chest. Lin Qi's momentum reached its peak, and he let out a thunderous tiger's roar.

[Through training, your vitality and blood have broken through. Vitality and Blood +0.05]

[By practicing Tiger Form Fist and Crane Form Fist, your Fist Technique proficiency has increased. Fist Technique +1%]

[Vitality and Blood: 8.4→8.45]

[Fist Technique: Second Order 13%→14%]

"Whew~"

Lin Qi stood where he was, breathing heavily as exhaustion washed over him. His arms trembled, sore beyond endurance.

He walked to the side, picked up an Energy Drink, and took a drink while checking the time.

"Class is almost over. Time to get dinner."

During evening self-study, there was still some time before class began.

Lin Qi sat at his desk reading. His life had been peaceful lately. He made full use of the Energy Elixir and Crane Form Fist, and his daily progress was obvious to the Naked Eye.

He was quite satisfied with his current way of life.

"By the way, have you signed with a Martial Arts Hall yet?"

"Abyssal Martial Arts Hall talked to me this afternoon. They were willing to offer me a D-Rank Contract and told me to consider it. I thought it was fine, discussed it with my Parents, and signed it right away," someone said.

"Congratulations. None of the Three Great Martial Arts Gyms approached me. Only some unknown Martial Arts Halls contacted me." His friend sighed quietly.

"Haha, I've already signed with Black Radiance Martial Arts Hall. It's even a C-Rank Contract," someone announced proudly.

"A C-Rank Contract is nothing. I got a B-Rank Contract." A rather handsome boy lifted his chin smugly.

"As expected of Qiu Jie, tenth in the grade. That's amazing."

"Brother Qiu, tell us how you signed it. What are the contract terms?"

The people around him were filled with envy.

Qiu Jie said proudly, "Then listen carefully..."

Before long, everyone began discussing something else.

"According to insider information, Yu Jing and Qi Yuelin only received B-Rank Contracts, but both of them want A-Rank Contracts, so the negotiations have stalled," someone suddenly whispered.

"You're not satisfied with a B-Rank Contract? I'd take one in a heartbeat." Someone looked green with envy.

"An A-Rank Contract... maybe only Li Zhou in our school is qualified to sign one." Someone shook his head.

Lin Qi sat at his desk, quietly listening to his classmates' discussion.

Recently, because of the contracts with Martial Arts Halls, the atmosphere in the class had become rather restless.

"Qi Ge, has any Martial Arts Hall approached you about signing a contract recently?" His deskmate Jiang Tao leaned over and asked curiously.

The two began whispering.

Lin Qi shook his head. "Yes, but they were all medium-sized or small Martial Arts Halls. They wanted to talk to me about a contract, but I turned them all down."

"All that's left are the Three Great Martial Arts Gyms, but none of them have approached me yet."

Jiang Tao comforted him. "Maybe they'll contact you in a couple of days."

"All Three Great Martial Arts Gyms have talked to me over the past few days. Their terms weren't too different, so let me tell you about their differences."

Lin Qi nodded. He was also very curious about the contracts offered by the Three Great Martial Arts Gyms.

Jiang Tao took out a sheet of scrap paper, drew three circles, labeled them with the three Martial Arts Gyms, organized his thoughts, and began.

"Red Sky Martial Arts Hall, Abyssal Martial Arts Hall, and Black Radiance Martial Arts Hall are the Three Great Martial Arts Gyms. They were all founded by Nine Realm Title-Level Martial Artists of our Xia Kingdom."

"Red Sky Martial Arts Hall was founded by the world's strongest person, the Crimson Emperor, so its overall strength is the greatest."

"It has the deepest foundations and the highest standards for geniuses."

Lin Qi nodded. Red Sky Martial Arts Hall could attract countless geniuses simply because it had been founded by the Crimson Emperor.

"As for Abyssal Martial Arts Hall, aside from being founded by a Ninth Realm Martial Artist, it is backed by a large number of financial conglomerates and possesses the strongest financial resources in the Xia Kingdom."

"That's why Abyssal Martial Arts Hall offers the largest contract amounts. Money is what they lack least."

"As for Black Radiance Martial Arts Hall, its contract amounts are about the same as Red Sky Martial Arts Hall's, but it has the lowest requirements for geniuses among the Three Great Martial Arts Gyms."

"It's the most suitable for geniuses who are neither outstanding nor terrible, or those who are relatively Ordinary Geniuses."

In one breath, Jiang Tao explained the characteristics of the Three Great Martial Arts Gyms.

"For a genius like me, there's no difference between the Three Great Martial Arts Gyms. It just depends on which one shows greater sincerity."

"Of course, the most important thing is which Martial Arts Hall you choose, Qi Ge. I'll go wherever you go. I'm not in a hurry to sign anyway." Jiang Tao smiled.

Lin Qi analyzed the matter quietly.

His situation was rather complicated. He had talent, but he needed time to grow. If the Three Great Martial Arts Gyms only looked at his current results, they might offer him a C-Rank Contract.

Of course, that would not be unacceptable. Contracts could be upgraded, after all.

So he wanted to see which Martial Arts Hall was more sincere.

With that in mind, Lin Qi asked more about the contents of the Three Great Martial Arts Gyms' contracts and how the discussions had gone.

Jiang Tao told him everything he knew.