Extreme Strength Realm and Yellow-grade Genius Contract

"Young Master Lin, wait!"

As the voice fell, Lin Yi turned his head and saw a middle-aged fat man, wearing a yellow robe embroidered with copper coins, smiling as he walked over.

"Who are you?"

Seeing the newcomer, Lin Yi frowned slightly, remembering that he didn't seem to know this person.

"Young Master Lin, oh no, it's Young Scholar Lin!"

Seeing Lin Yi stop, the middle-aged fat man also smiled:

"I am Li Long, an steward of the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce."

Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce?

Hearing these four words, Lin Yi, Lin Haichuan, and Ji Xuan were all startled.

The Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce was a top merchant guild whose business spanned across Qingzhou. Its overall strength was even comparable to one of Qingzhou's overlords, the Tianshan Sect. Its stewards were generally Sixth-Rank Martial Artists.

And Sixth-Rank Martial Artists were in the "Middle Three Ranks" of the Martial Arts Nine Ranks. Their strength was far greater than Lin Yi's at the moment.

"So it's Steward Li, it's a pleasure to meet you! May I ask what important matter brings you to stop us?"

Lin Yi smiled slightly and asked with cupped fists.

"Indeed, it is important!"

Li Long said with a smile on his fat face:

"I saw that Young Scholar Lin's talent was extraordinary when I was watching the Martial Scholar Examination today. Not only did he pass the Martial Scholar Examination at such a young age, but his martial skill was also outstanding. Therefore, I would like to sincerely invite Young Master Lin Yi to join our chamber of commerce on behalf of the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce."

"As long as Young Scholar Lin is willing to join, I, Li Long, can guarantee that I will at least get you a Yellow-grade Genius Contract from our chamber of commerce. What do you think, Young Scholar Lin?"

"Yellow-grade Genius Contract? What is a Yellow-grade Genius Contract?"

Hearing this unfamiliar term, Lin Yi's heart stirred, and he asked curiously.

He knew that powerful organizations like the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce, in addition to cultivating their own strong individuals, had always had a habit of recruiting geniuses from outside and signing genius contracts with them to nurture them into powerful figures.

After signing the genius contract, the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce would provide certain resources each year for the genius to grow. In return, when the genius grew stronger, they would also have to work for the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce.

Of course, the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce would not let the geniuses work for free. Generally, they would also provide some compensation.

Although this compensation would be slightly lower than the market price, considering that the chamber of commerce had also invested a lot of resources in cultivating geniuses, signing this genius contract was still quite cost-effective for the geniuses.

However, Lin Yi had only heard of genius contracts before and had never heard of a Yellow-grade Genius Contract.

"A Yellow-grade Genius Contract is a higher-level contract than a regular genius contract!"

Seeing Lin Yi's confusion, Li Long continued to explain with a smile:

"In our Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce, generally only geniuses who are deemed by our chamber of commerce to have a very high probability of reaching the Martial Arts Fifth Rank level in the future can obtain this level of contract."

"This type of contract is extremely difficult to obtain. Even at Guangling Martial Academy, fewer than five people reach this standard each year. However, once obtained, the resources received are more than ten times that of ordinary genius contracts."

"For ordinary genius contracts, the chamber of commerce usually only gives one thousand taels of silver per year, distributed in three installments, followed by a Sixth Rank level Breathing Technique or martial art, and then nothing else."

"As for the Yellow-grade Genius Contract, the chamber of commerce not only gives four thousand taels of silver annually, but it is also distributed in only two installments."

"This means you will receive two thousand taels now, and another two thousand taels six months later. You will also receive a Fifth Rank level martial art or a Fifth Rank level Breathing Technique for free."

"In addition, Yellow-grade geniuses can enjoy a 10% discount when shopping at our Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce, and they also have priority in acquiring various precious resources. Their treatment is much better than that of ordinary geniuses."

"And more importantly, besides all this, Yellow-grade geniuses also have a chance to 'upgrade their contract' once a year."

"As long as the Yellow-grade genius performs exceptionally well within this year, after passing the assessment by our headquarters, the Yellow-grade genius can be promoted to higher Black-grade, Earth-grade, or even Heaven-grade genius contracts."

"At that time, the resources these geniuses can obtain from our Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce annually are immense and extremely precious, with some resources even enough to make some Fifth Rank, Fourth Rank, or even Third Rank powerhouses envious."

"Therefore, Young Scholar Lin, and Elder Brother Lin and Sister-in-law Lin, I, Li Long, sincerely invite Young Scholar Lin to sign a Yellow-grade Genius Contract with our Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce today. This matter is a win-win for both of us and should not be missed!"

"This... Yi'er, what do you think?"

Hearing Li Long's words, Lin Haichuan and Ji Xuan were both tempted.

But they also knew this was their son's matter, and their son had been mature since childhood. Such a big decision should be made by him. Although they were tempted, they dared not rashly agree on behalf of their son.

"Me?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yi frowned and began to ponder.

A moment later, Lin Yi shook his head slightly and said to Li Long:

"Steward Li, thank you for your kindness. I don't want to sign this Yellow-grade Genius Contract. If it were a Black-grade Genius Contract, then I might consider it."

The Yellow-grade Genius Contract is indeed good, even excellent, in the eyes of ordinary Yellow-grade geniuses. But Lin Yi is not an ordinary Yellow-grade genius; he's a cheat!

With the Attribute Panel and the "Martial Saint Body," even with many restrictions, Lin Yi is confident that within a year, he can elevate his genius level to the Black-grade or even Earth-grade standard recognized by the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce, and then sign better agreements with other major forces similar to the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce to obtain more resources.

If he were to be greedy for immediate gain now, delaying his own progress for a mere Yellow-grade contract, and then being unable to upgrade his treatment despite reaching the Black-grade or Earth-grade genius standard due to the contract, it would be a huge loss for Lin Yi.

Moreover, the most important point is that the four thousand taels of silver for the Yellow-grade contract are not issued all at once but in two installments!

Two installments, two thousand taels each time. Although this amount is not small for Lin Yi, it's not enough for him to Evolve a talent.

Otherwise, if these four thousand taels were issued all at once, Lin Yi might have grudgingly accepted it.

"What! A Black-grade Genius Contract? Young Scholar Lin, you truly dare to dream!"

Not to mention what Lin Yi was thinking, upon hearing his words, Li Long immediately exclaimed:

"A Black-grade Genius Contract, this is a contract that has a very high probability of reaching the Fourth-Rank Martial Artist level to be eligible to sign."

"Such geniuses generally need to comprehend the Extreme Strength Realm before the age of fourteen, and their cultivation must also reach the Late Seventh Rank level."

"And if I may be so bold, Young Scholar Lin, although your talent is good, you are still far from the standard of a Black-grade genius in terms of both cultivation and realm."

"Extreme Strength, what is that?"

Hearing another unfamiliar term, Lin Yi didn't even have time to pay attention to the extremely high standards of a Black-grade genius and couldn't help but ask curiously again.

Li Long seemed to want Lin Yi to retreat in the face of difficulties and sign the contract obediently, so he patiently explained:

"Extreme Strength is an extremely profound martial arts realm."

"It is divided into four levels: Initial Entry, Minor Accomplishment, Great Accomplishment, and Perfection. Generally, only experts above the Fifth Rank can gradually master it, but once mastered, their strength can immediately undergo earth-shattering changes."

"Because as everyone knows, the human body is limited by its structure, and no matter how hard one tries, it is impossible to unleash the full power of the body."

"For example, an ordinary person can exert at most 30% of their strength with a punch, which is already remarkable. Martial artists, through practicing martial arts, exert a bit more strength, but over 40%, approaching 50% is the limit."

"But an Extreme Strength Martial Artist can perfectly unleash 100% of their strength through the ultimate control of their physical body!"

"This way, compared to ordinary martial artists, an Extreme Strength Martial Artist is equivalent to doubling their strength, and their power naturally increases greatly!"

"However, the burst of Extreme Strength still causes too much damage to the body. Martial artists in the Initial Entry Extreme Strength Realm can generally unleash a full burst attack once within ten moves."

"Martial artists at the Minor Accomplishment Extreme Strength Realm can generally unleash a full burst attack once within five to six moves."

"Great Accomplishment, once within two to three moves."

"Only by reaching Perfection Extreme Strength can the martial artist's control over their body reach the peak of perfection. Even a full burst of Extreme Strength will cause no damage, and ordinary moves will contain immense power!"

"Thus, its power will be immeasurable and unimaginable."

Speaking of this, Li Long's plump face showed endless longing.

"Oh, so this is Extreme Strength? It's truly incredible!"

Hearing this, Lin Yi was also quite shocked.

It should be known that although profound martial arts and skill realms can allow one to kill enemies of higher ranks, this degree of rank-skipping shrinks as cultivation increases.

For example, Lin Yi, with his Peak Eighth Rank cultivation, relying on his Great Accomplishment Sixth-Rank martial art, can defeat many Late Seventh Rank martial artists, and even contend with Peak Seventh Rank experts, almost skipping a major rank.

But when his cultivation reaches the Late Seventh Rank, if his martial arts and skill realm is still Great Accomplishment Sixth-Rank martial art, then he can at most fight against the most ordinary Sixth-Rank martial artists. Lin Yi estimates that he would not be able to defeat a slightly stronger Early Sixth Rank martial artist.

But the Extreme Strength Realm is different. It strengthens from the foundation, from the very basis.

It not only allows one's own strength to surge, but also allows it to stack with martial skills.

Once the Extreme Strength Realm is comprehended, even if it's just the initial entry, Lin Yi could now briefly unleash the strength of a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist, crossing over a major rank to kill a Seventh Grade Martial Artist as easily as slicing vegetables!

If his cultivation could reach Late Seventh Rank, then even if his martial skill realm remained unchanged, he could still unleash the strength of Late Sixth Rank, still crossing over a major rank!

This was far more powerful than any Perfection-grade Sixth-Rank Martial Art or Fifth-Rank Martial Art.

"But the only pity is, according to what Li Long said, this Extreme Strength Realm should be extremely difficult, actually requiring a Fifth Grade Martial Artist to slowly begin to grasp it. This is probably even harder than breaking through to the Perfection of Sixth-Rank Martial Arts."

Lin Yi sighed inwardly:

"Even with my current comprehension, enhanced by the dual talents of 'Saber Dao Genius' and 'Martial Saint Body', it's probably impossible to enter this realm in a short period of time."

"Moreover, because I didn't get accepted as a Martial Scholar before, my status and permissions at Guangling Martial Academy were too low, and I had never even heard of the Extreme Strength realm, let alone how to enter it."

"After I return to the academy this time, I'll have to use my Martial Scholar permissions to carefully search the academy for information on the Extreme Strength realm and see how I can enter this magical realm."

While he was thinking, Li Long, seeing Lin Yi silent for a long time, thought Lin Yi had been persuaded and was backing down. He then smiled and said:

"Young Scholar Lin, now that you know the difficulty of the Extreme Strength Realm, you should understand how difficult it is to obtain my Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce's Black-grade Genius Contract, right?"

"So I advise you to first sign a Yellow-grade Genius Contract with my Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce, and then obtain resources from the chamber to strengthen yourself!"

"If you are truly confident in your future, then you can show your talent later and upgrade the contract, can't you?"

"In short, signing a contract with my Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce now will absolutely do you no harm."

"Steward Li, I'm sorry!"

Hearing Li Long's words, Lin Yi still shook his head:

"What you said makes some sense, but I have my own considerations, so I still choose to refuse."

"However, I appreciate Steward Li's explanation. It just so happens that I passed the Martial Scholar exam this time, and my family plans to go to a restaurant to celebrate. How about I treat Steward Li to a good meal today? This can be considered my thanks to Steward Li."

"Forget it! There's no need for a meal."

Li Long shook his head, but his face was still smiling:

"You and your family are celebrating, how could an outsider like me intrude? Let's wait for another opportunity."

"Also, all the promises I made earlier are still valid. As long as Young Scholar Lin changes his mind and wants to sign a Yellow-grade Genius Contract with my Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce, you can come to my Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce's Guangling Branch to find me at any time. I, Li Long, will be waiting."

"Well, if that's the case, then thank you, Steward Li. Goodbye!"

Lin Yi nodded, thanked him again, and left with his parents.

Li Long watched the three of them leave from behind, his face always smiling. Only when Lin Yi and the other two were far away and only blurry figures could be seen did the smile on his face instantly disappear, immediately replaced by mockery and disdain. He then spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the ground fiercely:

"Pah! What a joke! Only barely managed to become a Martial Scholar at fourteen, and you think you're some peerless genius?"

"You even rejected a Yellow-grade Genius Contract, insisting on a Black-grade one. Don't you even look in the mirror to see if you're worthy?"

"Damn it, I've wasted so much saliva talking to this dog today."

"Besides, this kid is so arrogant at such a young age. He probably won't achieve much in the future. I'll just wait and see how you come crawling back to me after hitting a wall!"

"Pah! What bad luck!"

With that, Li Long glared fiercely at Lin Yi's retreating back one last time before leaving directly.