The elevator descended, then opened.
Rows of track lights overhead flicked on, while soft light rippled across the surrounding walls, illuminating the nearly two-hundred-square-meter space.
Lin Yunqing spoke softly:
"This place was originally going to be a wellness center simulating natural scenery, where my mom could meditate, cultivate her qi, and train her mind whenever she had time.
"Later, the plan was shelved, so I had someone install a complete set of Life Force testing equipment instead. It's the latest product from Santan Heavy Industry, so the quality is definitely reliable."
Good Lord!
Qin Shi felt as if he'd walked into a superhero's secret base. Everything he saw was new and exciting.
He thought to himself:
The way rich people talk is so out of touch. They spend millions like they're spending a few hundred.
I even have to think twice before eating an extra serving of Nutritional Paste.
Lin Yunqing switched on the silver-white machine in the middle of the room. As she connected the power and flipped the switch, it gave off a low, vibrating hum.
"New No. 1 Middle School is one of the best public schools in the Tai'an Metropolitan Area, and it's fully equipped. Little Qin Assistant Teacher, you know how to run a test, right?"
Qin Shi looked at the contraption, which resembled an MRI machine, and nodded.
"Take off your clothes, lie down inside, then stand up and sit down."
Lin Yunqing adjusted the data as she spoke.
"Right. First, we'll check your physical strength and how you've been training your body.
"If needed, we can test your Mental Strength too."
Santan Heavy Industry truly lived up to its reputation as a state-owned enterprise in Eastern Xia.
Its latest testing equipment could even detect the brain's mental fluctuations.
The machine at New No. 1 Middle School didn't have that function.
Looking over at Lin Yunqing as she worked, Qin Shi politely asked, "Teacher Lin, should I get undressed?"
"Go ahead."
Lin Yunqing replied bluntly without even looking up.
Qin Shi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Teacher Lin had suddenly blushed and started acting all bashful, he would've felt awkward instead.
Luckily, this dog of a woman had the easygoing, no-nonsense manner of a seasoned wanderer. She didn't care about it at all.
Next time he used Charged Punch, he could go a little easier.
That was what he thought.
"We're ready to start."
Lin Yunqing sat at the control console and quietly put away the phone with its camera turned on.
Then, without changing her expression, she opened her contacts and typed out a message:
[Super Invincible Tyrannosaurus God of War: A handsome 180-centimeter high school boy, over twelve Life Force, an underage Old Martial Arts Faction prodigy, a top-notch prospect. First come, first served.]
Ding ding.
Her phone vibrated.
A reply arrived.
[Lightning Whirlwind Chop: As everyone knows, high school boy, handsome young man, Old Martial Arts Faction. Those three conditions can't all be true at once.]
[Super Invincible Tyrannosaurus God of War: Seeing is believing. One bottle of United Pharmaceuticals Level 4 Energy Liquid and he's yours.]
[Lightning Whirlwind Chop: If you're lying, may you never get to eat four Nutritional Meals in your life, and may your Life Force stay bottlenecked forever!]
[Super Invincible Tyrannosaurus God of War: Hurry up and transfer the money! I'll throw in a Life Force test report!]
[Lightning Whirlwind Chop: Transfer amount: 48,888]
[Super Invincible Tyrannosaurus God of War: Payment received]
"What a steal!"
True to her word, Lin Yunqing opened her photo album and picked out several pictures that best showed off his muscle definition, then sent them over.
She also took the opportunity to offer her appraisal:
"The Old Martial Arts Faction doesn't use drugs. They focus on Natural Body Refining, so they really do look better than those muscleheads from the New Martial Arts Faction. Tsk, tsk, he's so mouthwatering, I'm practically drooling."
Completely unaware he'd been sold, Qin Shi took off his shirt and trousers, leaving only his boxer briefs.
He took a deep breath and lay down on the machine's bed. Then it slowly slid him into the chamber.
The mechanical arm rotated, and the bed closed up before shifting from horizontal to vertical.
At Lin Yunqing's touch, a series of beeps rang out. Rings of pale blue light flashed at high frequency, faster and faster.
The Life Force testing equipment was based on the "Heart-Magnetic Theory," first proposed by the renowned scholar Yan Tongxuan, which had since given rise to countless related technologies.
It was one of the most famous inventions of the past thousand years.
During the tumultuous period of Eastern Xia's Old Era, Life Force couldn't be quantified. People could only describe it vaguely with conceptual terms such as "innate qi," "the source of all things," and "the primordial force of the universe."
It wasn't until Yan Tongxuan, a descendant of the First Martial God, put forward two major theories as a grandmaster of spiritual cultivation.
One was "Heart-Magnetic Theory," the other "Three Realms."
The former involved using instruments made from special materials to create a powerful magnetic field that resonated with bioelectricity, extracting faint, hidden signals of Life Force fluctuations.
Combined with muscle imaging, bone scans, and other technologies,
it could ultimately produce an accurate, complete measurement of Life Force.
As for the latter, it was the very foundation of every profession that required Mental Strength training, including mechanics, Meditation Masters, and Psionicists!
Yan Tongxuan was elevated to the status of a living legend, and the "Tongxuan Award"—the highest academic honor in Eastern Xia—was established in his name.
"Little Qin Assistant Teacher's physical strength is astonishingly high."
Lin Yunqing lightly swiped two fingers to enlarge the muscle image as it came into focus.
Qin Shi's limbs and torso were exceptionally strong, seemingly bound together and wrapped in a layer of tough sinew, forming a seamless whole.
With a physique like that, every punch and kick could unleash its full force.
His Life Force fluctuations were especially active, brimming with vitality.
They were like a gently flowing stream, or a verdant mountain standing tall.
Not vast or imposing, but light and full of life.
The latter was even more precious. It was the promise of a bright future, something unique to the young.
"The Old Martial Arts Faction's secret-medicine regimen really is an insane tradition. No wonder he smashed my glasses with one punch. Little Qin Assistant Teacher's physical qualities far exceed what his Life Force alone would suggest. That means his potential hasn't even been fully tapped."
The more Lin Yunqing looked, the more she felt she'd struck gold. Her heart fluttered with delight, and she squeezed her thighs together.
"If he were with the New Martial Arts Faction, someone with his talent could be recommended to a major corporation's youth training coach.
"With a few good results in the Stellar Cup, he could easily be turned into a star Martial Artist.
"Too bad the Old Martial Arts Faction doesn't have much going for it. No one wants them."
Once Lin Yunqing had calmed down, she couldn't help feeling regretful.
For the major corporations, which loved signing up young prodigies, training them, and sending them to compete in the Stellar Cup,
betting on the Old Martial Arts Faction was often a huge gamble.
Their careers were too short, making them poor candidates for marketing and brand promotion.
No one could guarantee they'd succeed every time they tried to surpass their physical limits.
If they couldn't keep going and receive the resulting rebound, the potential they'd burned through would turn into a deficit.
Then it would become a bottomless pit, devouring their Life Force.
The consequences included declining stamina, rapid aging, and a drop in rank.
It was a hurdle even the First Generation Ten Prodigies couldn't overcome.
"But just like Dad says, kids don't cry every day, and gamblers don't lose every day.
"Going all in can be a kind of wisdom, too!"
Lin Yunqing mulled it over, hesitation flickering in her eyes.
She'd finally found a promising Old Martial Arts Faction seedling who hadn't been developed yet and still needed some polishing.
Should she seize the chance and invest a little?
Or go all in and bet everything?
"His Life Force curve is starting to rise."
Before Lin Yunqing could decide, Qin Shi had entered the second stage inside the chamber.
As the space expanded, he folded his body into a seated position and began to Grasp Qi Sensation.
Hot air stimulated his body, as though ladles of boiling water were being poured over him, gradually reddening his skin.
Heat poured out, his body temperature rose, and the curve representing his Life Force climbed higher and higher, shooting upward!
"Ten... eleven... twelve... Wait, why is this kid still going up?"
The surprise in Lin Yunqing's eyes gradually turned to alarm. The curve reached its peak, leveled off, and stayed there for a long time without the slightest sign of weakening.
"Fifteen! That makes no sense. Does he drink Energy Liquid like water? No, that's impossible. How could a mortal body digest and absorb that much?"
Fifteen points of Life Force wasn't enough to make Lin Yunqing, with her exceptional family background, lose her composure.
The key was that Qin Shi's Life Force had been only eight points two weeks ago!
"Even if he's surpassed his physical limits, a jump this ridiculous proves just how deep Little Qin Assistant Teacher's potential is. It's practically doubled!"
Lin Yunqing's gaze gradually grew heated. Then she thought of a truly terrifying possibility.
What if Qin Shi hadn't been trained in the Old Martial Arts Faction since childhood, and had only started down this path recently?
"Your big sister just struck gold!"
Ding ding.
Her phone vibrated again.
[Lightning Whirlwind Chop: What a fresh, juicy catch! You haven't let me down. Bring him over for a visit sometime and help me make my numbers!]
[Super Invincible Tyrannosaurus God of War: He died. Just got hit by a car.]
[Lightning Whirlwind Chop: ??]
[Super Invincible Tyrannosaurus God of War: They couldn't save him. He's already been sent to the funeral home for cremation.]
[Lightning Whirlwind Chop: ???]
[Super Invincible Tyrannosaurus God of War: I'm devastated. Could you send me another fifty? I want to grab a family bucket to cheer myself up.]
[Lightning Whirlwind Chop: Just you wait. You're dead!]
[This message was sent, but the recipient declined it.]
Lin Yunqing beamed.
"Such an easy mark! With brains like yours, how could you ever beat me?"
She rubbed her hands together, ready to spend nearly half her savings to support Little Qin Assistant Teacher with everything she had.
She'd just have to buy a few fewer bottles of Energy Liquid, eat high-energy food a few fewer times, and make a few fewer trips to the shopping districts of Imperial Capital and Haizhou.
Even if she lost money, she could grit her teeth and bear it.
But if it worked out, she'd make a fortune!
These days, the most profitable investment was finding promising Martial Artists!
As long as they could qualify for a professional rank, earn a title, pass the Education Department's student-aid program review, and receive certification,
they'd be making a killing!
"Teacher Lin, I'd like to test my Mental Strength too."
Qin Shi's voice came from inside the chamber.
"Sure."
Lin Yunqing grinned, unable to suppress her smile.
At this point, even if Little Qin Assistant Teacher confessed to her, she might accept.
Worst case, she'd sacrifice a little of her looks and suffer through the painful pleasure of being ravished by a 180-centimeter high school boy!
That dog of a woman has such a lecherous grin.
Inside the chamber, Qin Shi could see Lin Yunqing's toothy, silly smile through the transparent cover.
How could a gorgeous long-legged woman have so little sex appeal that she couldn't stir up even the slightest romantic fantasy?
Before you continue