The Extreme Strength Realm and the Yellow-grade Genius Contract

"Wait, Young Master Lin!"

At the sound of the voice, Lin Yi turned around. A fat middle-aged man wearing a yellow robe embroidered all over with copper coins came toward him with a beaming smile.

"Who are you?"

Lin Yi frowned at the man. He didn't recall knowing anyone like him.

"Young Master Lin—oh, no, Young Scholar Lin!"

Seeing Lin Yi stop, the fat middle-aged man's face broke into a smile.

"I'm Li Long, a steward of the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce."

The Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce?

At those words, Lin Yi, Lin Haichuan, and Ji Xuan were all taken aback.

The Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce was a top-tier trading organization whose business spanned all of Qingzhou. Its overall strength was even on par with the Tianshan Sect, one of Qingzhou's ruling powers. Its stewards were generally Sixth-Rank Martial Artists.

And Sixth-Rank Martial Artists belonged to the "Middle Three Ranks" of the Martial Arts Nine Ranks. In terms of strength, they were far superior to Lin Yi at present.

"So you're Steward Li. It's a pleasure to meet you! May I ask why you stopped us?"

Lin Yi smiled faintly and cupped his hands as he asked.

"I did have something important to discuss!"

Li Long said with a beaming smile on his chubby face.

"While watching the Martial Scholar Examination today, I noticed that Young Scholar Lin was exceptionally talented. Not only did he pass the Martial Scholar Examination at such a young age, but his Martial Skill was also remarkable. So I'd like to represent the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce and sincerely invite Young Master Lin Yi to join us."

"If Young Scholar Lin is willing to join, I, Li Long, can guarantee that we'll get you at least a Yellow-grade Genius Contract with our chamber. What do you think?"

"A Yellow-grade Genius Contract? What is that?"

The unfamiliar term stirred Lin Yi's curiosity, and he asked.

He knew that great powers like the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce didn't just cultivate their own experts. They had long recruited geniuses from outside, then signed Genius Contracts with them and nurtured them into strong warriors.

After a Genius Contract was signed, the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce provided the genius with a certain amount of resources each year to help him grow. In return, once he had grown strong, he would work for the chamber.

Of course, the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce wouldn't expect a genius to work for free. Generally, it also paid him a certain amount.

Although the pay was slightly below market rate, the chamber had already invested considerable resources in cultivating the genius, so signing a Genius Contract was still a good deal for him.

It was just that Lin Yi had only ever heard of Genius Contracts before. He'd never heard of a Yellow-grade Genius Contract.

"A Yellow-grade Genius Contract is a higher-tier contract than an ordinary Genius Contract!"

Seeing Lin Yi's confusion, Li Long continued explaining with a smile.

"At the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce, this grade of contract is generally reserved for geniuses whom we believe have a high probability of reaching the Fifth-Rank level in the future."

"This kind of contract is extremely difficult to obtain. Even at Guangling Martial Academy, fewer than five people meet the standard each year. But once you get one, the resources you receive are more than ten times what an ordinary Genius Contract provides."

"With an ordinary Genius Contract, the chamber usually gives you only a thousand taels of silver each year, paid in three installments. It also provides either a Sixth-Rank Breathing Technique or a Sixth-Rank Martial Art, and that's all."

"But with a Yellow-grade Genius Contract, the chamber gives you four thousand taels of silver each year, paid in just two installments."

"That means you'd receive two thousand taels right away, and another two thousand six months later. You'd also get a Fifth-Rank Martial Art or a Fifth-Rank Breathing Technique for free."

"On top of that, Yellow-grade Geniuses get a ten percent discount when shopping at the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce. They also receive priority access to all kinds of rare resources. Their treatment is far better than that of ordinary geniuses."

"And more importantly, Yellow-grade Geniuses get one chance each year to 'upgrade their contract.'"

"If a Yellow-grade Genius performs exceptionally well that year, he can advance to a higher-tier Black-grade, Earth-grade, or even Heaven-grade Genius Contract after passing an assessment by our headquarters."

"Then those geniuses would receive an enormous amount of resources from our chamber every year, all of them incredibly precious. Some resources are enough to make even Fifth-, Fourth-, and Third-Rank experts green with envy."

"So, 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 chamber today. This is a deal that can only benefit both sides. You absolutely mustn't let this opportunity slip by!"

"Yi'er, what do you think?"

Hearing Li Long's offer, Lin Haichuan and Ji Xuan couldn't help feeling tempted.

But they knew this was their son's decision. He had been mature beyond his years since childhood, and he should make such an important choice himself. Though they were tempted, neither dared to accept on his behalf.

"Me?"

Lin Yi furrowed his brows and began to consider it.

A moment later, Lin Yi shook his head slightly and looked at Li Long.

"Steward Li, thank you for the offer, but I don't want to sign a Yellow-grade Genius Contract. If you could offer me a Black-grade Genius Contract, then I might consider it."

A Yellow-grade Genius Contract was certainly good, even excellent, in the eyes of an ordinary Yellow-grade Genius. But Lin Yi wasn't an ordinary Yellow-grade Genius. He had a cheat.

With the Attribute Panel and the Martial Saint Body, despite all the restrictions, Lin Yi was confident he could raise his talent to the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce's Black-grade or even Earth-grade standard within a year. Then he could sign a better contract with another powerful organization like the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce and obtain even more resources.

If he grasped at a little short-term gain and wasted a whole year for the sake of a Yellow-grade contract, only to find that his talent had reached the Black-grade or Earth-grade standard but his contract prevented him from getting better terms, that would be a terrible deal for Lin Yi.

More importantly, the four thousand taels from the Yellow-grade contract wouldn't be paid all at once. They'd come in two installments!

Two installments of two thousand taels each might not be a small amount to Lin Yi, but it still wasn't enough to evolve one talent.

If only the four thousand taels had been paid in a lump sum, Lin Yi might have held his nose and accepted.

"What! A Black-grade Genius Contract? Young Scholar Lin, you've got some nerve!"

Setting aside what Lin Yi was thinking, Li Long cried out in shock at his words.

"A Black-grade Genius Contract is only available to those with a high probability of reaching the Fourth-Rank level."

"To qualify, a genius generally has to comprehend the Extreme Strength Realm before turning fourteen and reach the Late Seventh Rank."

"Forgive me for being blunt, Young Scholar Lin. Although your talent is decent, your cultivation and your realm are both far below the Black-grade Genius standard."

"Extreme Strength? What's that?"

Hearing yet another unfamiliar term, Lin Yi didn't even get a chance to consider the lofty Black-grade Genius requirements before asking again.

Li Long seemed intent on making Lin Yi understand how far out of his reach the contract was, so he patiently explained.

"Extreme Strength is an extremely profound Martial Dao realm."

"It has four levels: Initial Entry, Minor Accomplishment, Great Accomplishment, and Perfection. Generally, only experts above the Fifth Rank can gradually master it. But once they do, their strength undergoes a complete transformation."

"As everyone knows, the human body is limited by its physical structure. No matter how hard a person exerts himself, he can never use all of his strength under ordinary circumstances."

"For example, when an ordinary person throws a punch, he's lucky to bring even thirty percent of his strength to bear. A martial artist can draw on more strength by practicing Martial Arts, but a little over forty percent—nearly fifty percent—is still the limit."

"But an Extreme Strength Martial Artist can exert all of his strength perfectly by gaining absolute control over his body!"

"That means an Extreme Strength Martial Artist has twice the strength of an ordinary martial artist, so his overall power naturally increases by leaps and bounds!"

"However, unleashing Extreme Strength still takes a heavy toll on the body. A martial artist at Initial Entry into the Extreme Strength Realm can generally unleash his full power only once in ten moves."

"A martial artist at the Minor Accomplishment Extreme Strength Realm can generally unleash his full power once every five or six moves."

"At Great Accomplishment, once every two or three moves."

"Only when he reaches Perfection Extreme Strength does a martial artist gain such sublime control over his body that unleashing Extreme Strength at full power causes no harm at all. Every ordinary move carries immense power!"

"Then its might is truly boundless, beyond imagination."

As he spoke, boundless yearning appeared on Li Long's chubby face.

"Oh, so that's Extreme Strength? It really is incredible!"

Lin Yi was also deeply shaken by the explanation.

He knew that a profound Martial Skill realm could let someone defeat stronger opponents, but the gap it could overcome shrank as one's cultivation improved.

For example, Lin Yi was currently at Peak Eighth Rank. Thanks to his Great Perfection Sixth-Rank Martial Art, he could defeat many Late Seventh-Rank Martial Artists and even trade blows with those at Peak Seventh Rank, nearly crossing an entire major rank.

But once his cultivation reached Late Seventh Rank, if his Martial Skill remained at Great Perfection in a Sixth-Rank Martial Art, he would at most be able to fight an ordinary Sixth-Rank Martial Artist. Lin Yi figured that he'd lose to even a slightly formidable Sixth Rank Early Stage Martial Artist.

The Extreme Strength Realm was different. It strengthened a person from the roots up.

Not only could it greatly increase one's strength, but it could also stack with one's Martial Skill.

Once he comprehended the Extreme Strength Realm, even at Initial Entry, Lin Yi could briefly unleash the strength of a Sixth-Rank Martial Artist. He could cross more than one major rank, cutting down Seventh-Rank Martial Artists like melons and vegetables!

If his cultivation reached Late Seventh Rank, then even if his Martial Skill realm remained unchanged, he could still unleash the strength of a Late Sixth-Rank Martial Artist, once again crossing an entire major rank!

That was far more powerful than any Great Perfection Sixth-Rank or Fifth-Rank Martial Art.

"The only pity is that, according to Li Long, the Extreme Strength Realm seems incredibly difficult. Apparently, even Fifth-Rank Martial Artists can only begin to master it. It may be harder than breaking through to Great Perfection in a Sixth-Rank Martial Art."

Lin Yi sighed inwardly.

"Even with the insight I've gained from the combined boosts of the Saber Dao Genius and the Martial Saint Body, I probably won't be able to enter this realm in a short time."

"Besides, I hadn't passed the Martial Scholar Examination before, so my status and access at Guangling Martial Academy were too limited. I'd never even heard of the Extreme Strength Realm, let alone learned how to enter it."

"Once I get back to the academy, I'll have to use my Martial Scholar privileges to search for information on the Extreme Strength Realm and find out how to enter this mysterious realm."

As Lin Yi pondered, Li Long noticed that he hadn't spoken for a while. Thinking Lin Yi had been persuaded and was backing down, he smiled and said:

"Now that you know how difficult the Extreme Strength Realm is, Young Scholar Lin, you should understand how hard it would be to get a Black-grade Genius Contract from our chamber, shouldn't you?"

"So I advise you to sign a Yellow-grade Genius Contract with the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce first. You can get resources from the chamber and use them to strengthen yourself!"

"If you really believe in your future, you can show us what you're capable of later and upgrade your contract, can't you?"

"Either way, signing a contract with the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce now can only benefit you."

"Steward Li, I'm sorry."

Lin Yi still shook his head at Li Long's words.

"You make a fair point, but I have my own considerations, so I still have to decline."

"Still, I'm grateful to you for explaining everything. Since I passed the Martial Scholar Examination this time, my family was planning to celebrate at a restaurant. Why don't I treat you to a good meal today? That can be my way of thanking you."

"Never mind! There's no need for a meal."

Li Long shook his head, but he was still smiling.

"You should celebrate with your family. I'm an outsider—how could I intrude? Let's leave it for another time."

"Besides, everything I promised you still stands. If Young Scholar Lin changes his mind and wants to sign a Yellow-grade Genius Contract with the Purple Thistle Chamber of Commerce, you can come find me at our Guangling Branch anytime. I, Li Long, will be waiting."

"Very well. Thank you, Steward Li. Farewell!"

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

As Li Long watched the three of them leave, he kept smiling. Only when they had gone far enough that he could make out no more than a few blurry silhouettes did his smile vanish, replaced by scorn and disdain. Then he spat viciously on the ground.

"Pah! What a piece of trash! He only barely passed the Martial Scholar Examination at fourteen, and he already thinks he's some peerless genius?"

"He actually turned down a Yellow-grade Genius Contract and insisted on a Black-grade one. Has he even looked in a mirror to see whether he's worthy?"

"Damn it, I wasted so much breath talking to that bastard today."

"And the kid's so arrogant at such a young age. He probably won't amount to much. I'll just wait and see how he comes crawling back to me after he hits a wall!"

"Pah! What rotten luck!"

After speaking, Li Long glared viciously at Lin Yi's retreating figure once more, then turned and left.