Martial Exam: I'll Make Her Carry My Shoes

In the Beast Fighting Arena, Jiang Li sheathed his saber and returned to the previous lounge.

At that moment, everyone in the lounge looked at Jiang Li with utter awe.

"The strong are revered; the weak are prey."

"This is what strength brings. If I were still the Jiang Li from before, I would have been doomed to die here today."

Jiang Li muttered to himself. He wanted to return the treasured saber in his hand, only to discover that the participant who had lent it to him was gone.

He looked up and saw that the exit doors had already opened.

He then left through the exit.

"Hello, Mr. Jiang Li."

Just then, a curvaceous woman dressed as a bunny girl approached him.

When Jiang Li looked up and saw her, even he found that expanse of snow-white skin somewhat dazzling. But his mind was elsewhere right now.

How to survive, and the more than one million in foreign debt—those were what concerned him now.

"You work for Lin Yuanliang?" Jiang Li asked slowly.

"Yes. President Lin asked me to show you the way." The woman revealed a sweet smile.

Jiang Li was not surprised. After all, he had killed twelve exotic beasts this time.

Even an underground boss of Beihe City like Lin Yuanliang would surely feel the sting.

Although this world had countless exotic beasts, capturing Ninth Grade exotic beasts and transporting them into the city was no simple matter. Every beast was valuable.

More importantly, that final Ghost-Faced Giant Spider had clearly been deliberately arranged by the other side.

Even a Ninth-Rank Martial Artist would face nine deaths and one life against that Ghost-Faced Giant Spider.

Jiang Li followed behind the bunny girl, his gaze dark. The strong made the rules; even when they broke them, they did so without restraint.

His strength was still not enough!

"If I break through to Eighth Grade, then as long as I obtain cultivation techniques and martial arts, I can master them quickly with this Yellow Book."

"Even Seventh Grade is possible. Across all thirteen high schools in Beihe City, there are only three Eighth-grade Martial Artists and not a single Seventh Grade one."

"And Breathing Techniques. If I can obtain one, not only will my martial arts become far more powerful when used, but it can also reduce the physical exertion."

"When I bought pills before, even the cheapest D-Class Breathing Technique cost over a hundred thousand. As for high-quality B-Class Breathing Techniques, the cheapest started at one million."

Just as Jiang Li was planning what to do next, a piercing voice suddenly reached his ears.

"Yo, Jiang Li, you brat actually survived!?"

Two people walked toward him from up ahead. One of them was around thirty, with dyed yellow hair and a cigar clenched between his teeth.

When he saw Jiang Li, surprise and contempt appeared on his face.

Jiang Li looked at the man and remembered who he was.

Li Hualong, a Ninth Grade Peak martial artist. Everyone called him Brother Long. He was the older brother Lu Wanning had met outside school.

It was through Lu Wanning's introduction that the previous Jiang Li had borrowed three hundred thousand in usurious loans from Li Hualong.

Li Hualong had been responsible for collecting the debt, beating the original owner half to death, and arranging for him to enter the Beast Fighting Arena.

Seeing Jiang Li sizing him up, Li Hualong froze for a moment. Then he spat viciously, his face dark with displeasure as he strode over.

"Kid, what, did surviving the Beast Fighting Arena by sheer luck make you grow some guts?"

"You saw me and didn't even greet me. Even if you survived, you only got a hundred thousand. Don't forget, with interest included, you still owe me more than six hundred thousand."

"Come on, polish Brother Long's shoes. Next time I beat you up, I promise I'll go a little easier on you. Hahaha..."

Li Hualong laughed arrogantly. Not long ago, Jiang Li had still been groveling before him like a useless dog, begging without end. Why would he take Jiang Li seriously?

"Get lost!"

Yet the single word Jiang Li casually spat out brought Li Hualong's arrogant laughter to an abrupt halt.

"What did you say?"

He stared at Jiang Li in disbelief, his face turning gloomy.

Had this Jiang Li eaten a bear's heart and a leopard's gall, daring to curse at him?

The next instant, Li Hualong suddenly sensed danger approaching. He was, after all, a Ninth Grade Peak martial artist, and street brawls and fights were as commonplace to him as daily meals.

Bang!

Yet before he could even see Jiang Li's movement clearly, Jiang Li gripped the saber and lashed out with its sheath, striking Li Hualong directly across the face.

Teeth and blood flew together with Li Hualong's body, sending him crashing into the wall.

When Li Hualong came back to his senses, what entered his sight was Jiang Li's slowly drawn saber, its tip only an inch from his eye.

"I said, call me Grandpa and let me hear it. Of course, you can choose not to."

Jiang Li stepped on Li Hualong's hand, and the intense pain made Li Hualong let out a miserable scream.

But as he watched the saber tip draw closer and closer, seemingly already piercing his eye, Li Hualong's fear reached its peak.

"Grandpa! Grandpa, you're a great man with great magnanimity, spare my life!"

"I was wrong before. I'll never dare again."

The saber tip stopped. Jiang Li looked at Li Hualong begging beneath his foot and let out a cold laugh.

With a swish, he returned the saber to its sheath.

Only then did Li Hualong's companion react and prepare to rush over.

Saber and sheath alike landed across Li Hualong's companion's neck.

Jiang Li did not even spare the man a glance, yet the Baleful Intent radiating from him made this Ninth Grade martial artist, who had roamed the streets for years, break out in layers of cold sweat.

"Staying alive matters more than acting on impulse."

Just that one sentence left the tall, heavily built, tattooed middle-aged man silent as a cicada in winter.

Jiang Li then continued following the bunny girl out.

When they reached a pair of leather-clad double doors, the bunny girl respectfully knocked.

"President Lin, Jiang Li is here."

The doors slowly opened.

What entered his sight was a red carpet. At the end of it stood an eight-meter-long golden-thread sandalwood desk.

On either side stood ten burly, vicious-looking thugs.

Before the desk, Lin Yuanliang sat with a cigar in his mouth and one leg crossed over the other. He examined Jiang Li, then clapped and laughed.

"Eighteen years old, yet you killed twelve of my fighting beasts at such a young age. Beihe City has a genius like you, and I, Lin Yuanliang, didn't even know?"

Jiang Li walked into the office. He had remained calm even while facing ten fighting beasts, so naturally this display could not frighten him.

"One fighting beast is worth a hundred thousand. Twelve beasts, one million two hundred thousand."

Jiang Li looked at Lin Yuanliang, neither servile nor overbearing.

Lin Yuanliang narrowed his eyes slightly and stubbed out the cigar in his mouth.

"Do you know how much I spent to bring those twelve fighting beasts in?"

He raised one hand and said coldly, "Five million. I'm not asking you to compensate me, yet you want money from me?"

"I'm not your man. What does how much you spent have to do with me?" Jiang Li did not care about Lin Yuanliang's anger at all. "Give me one million two hundred thousand. I'll repay what I owe you, and give me the rest in cash. Then we're even."

The moment those words came out, the atmosphere in the office grew grave to the extreme.

Lin Yuanliang's thugs did not even dare to breathe loudly. If it were anyone else, Lin Yuanliang would have had them killed long ago.

They knew better than anyone how ruthless and vicious Lin Yuanliang was.

Lin Yuanliang stared at Jiang Li, his face gradually darkening to the extreme. Then, he suddenly burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, good, kid. You've got guts."

"Xiao He, go calculate how much is left. Withdraw the cash and give it all to him!"

This attitude left everyone surprised, even shocked.

As Lin Yuanliang looked at Jiang Li, he saw a familiar shadow in him.

Back then, after his grandfather and father had died surrounded by exotic beasts while saving others, he had faced those uncles alone with exactly this same attitude.

It was a bold gamble. Though weaker in strength, he did not lose in bearing.

Combined with Jiang Li's performance in the Beast Fighting Arena, he was not merely flattering him. In Lin Yuanliang's eyes, Jiang Li truly had guts.

Five million was nothing to him. From the betting pools and wagers during those ten minutes alone, he had earned nearly twenty million. He had long since recovered his losses.

"Wait." Jiang Li suddenly spoke, saying slowly, "I want to borrow another three million."

The words made Lin Yuanliang's smile freeze, even though he had just been looking favorably upon Jiang Li.

"Borrow three million?" Lin Yuanliang did not reveal any surprise. He stared at Jiang Li. "A Ninth Grade martial artist like you wouldn't be worth three million even if I tore you apart and sold the pieces."

"Jiang Li, do you think I've been a little too easy to talk to?"

Jiang Li gazed quietly at Lin Yuanliang. "It won't be long before I become Eighth Grade."

"Three months from now, during the martial exam, I'll seize first place in Beihe City in one stroke and enter a martial arts university."

"A martial exam champion of Beihe City—are you afraid I can't repay this trifling three million?"

Lin Yuanliang's eyes widened, not because Jiang Li was so confident, but because he knew what Jiang Li said was impossible.

"Beihe City's martial exam champion? You?" Lin Yuanliang burst out laughing. "Hahaha, kid, I truly don't know whether to call you arrogant or ignorant."

"Do you know how many geniuses are taking this martial exam? Forget the others—Luo Tianji from your Seventeenth High School became Eighth Grade at seventeen. He has already been an Eighth-grade Martial Artist for a year. Do you think you can be his opponent?"

"And then there's Lin Lingfei from First High School, hailed as the greatest martial arts prodigy Beihe City has seen in a century. Ninth Grade at eleven, Eighth Grade at fifteen. Now eighteen, she is already at Eighth Grade Peak and has awakened an A-Class martial talent. You aren't even fit to carry her shoes."

Lin Tian was not surprised upon hearing this. The original owner's memories contained all this information.

But he did not care in the slightest. What geniuses? They had merely relied on talent and Lineage resources, cultivating day and night before achieving such accomplishments.

As for him, he could master cultivation techniques and martial arts quickly. He still had 1,095 years of Lifespan left to cultivate. What Eighth Grade Peak? What A-Class martial talent?

Before me, all are passing clouds.

"Lend me three million. During the martial exam, I'll make her carry my shoes," Jiang Li said casually.

Bang!

Lin Yuanliang shot to his feet. His aura was like a deity bearing thunder with the force of ten thousand jun; flashes of lightning even surged around him.

Seventh Grade Peak martial artist!

"Lend it to him!"

A cold, clear voice suddenly calmed Lin Yuanliang's fury.

A fair-skinned, beautiful girl with icy eyes walked out through the side door of the office.

She looked at Jiang Li and said slowly, "I look forward to the day of the martial exam, when you make me carry your shoes."

Jiang Li was stunned as well. He looked at the woman, then at Lin Yuanliang, who was suppressing his anger. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "You're Lin Lingfei?"

Lin Lingfei nodded lightly. Lightning seemed to stir within her cold eyes.

At the same time, strands of golden lightning arcs flickered around her.

A-Class martial talent, Thunder God Physique.

"That's right. It's me!"