Afternoon. Martial Arts Class.
Once class started in the Martial Arts Classroom, most of the top thirty students in the year returned to their personal Martial Arts Rooms to begin their Cultivation.
The others trained their Skills in various corners of the room.
Zhang City walked through the Martial Arts Classroom with his hands behind his back, observing. By the second semester of their senior year, he had already taught them everything he could.
The rest was up to them to practice and comprehend on their own.
His role had become very limited. Most of his work now consisted of supervising the students’ Cultivation.
"Teacher, I have a question!"
Lin Qi suddenly stepped forward and asked seriously.
"What is it?"
"You’re currently number one in Martial Arts at our No. 2 Middle School. What kind of questions could you have?"
Zhang City looked at Lin Qi, puzzled.
"Teacher, I feel like my Spear Technique isn’t improving fast enough," Lin Qi said.
"You don’t think you’re fast enough?"
"You’ve already shot up to number one in your year. In all of Celestial Sea City, there are no more than three people stronger than you."
Zhang City shook his head. That was the biggest humblebrag he’d heard all year.
Seeing the serious look in Lin Qi’s eyes, Zhang City pondered for a moment before sighing. "You geniuses are never satisfied with the status quo."
"Decades ago, when facing the Calamity Beast invasion, Martial Arts was still in its infancy. To increase Qi and Blood Value and improve Martial Arts..."
"Countless people racked their brains and came up with all sorts of training methods."
"Some of those methods were continuously optimized and are still in use today."
"Lin Qi, have you ever heard of a Gravity Room?"
Lin Qi nodded. He knew all about Gravity Rooms.
"It’s what they call ’survival of the fittest.’"
"When humans face a crisis, our genetic instincts cause our bodies to transform and evolve to cope with environmental threats."
"This evolutionary instinct became especially prominent after the appearance of Source Energy and the rise of Martial Arts."
"And the Gravity Room is a Cultivation Resource that we humans created, using technology to simulate gravity, put pressure on the body, and stimulate its potential."
"However, Gravity Rooms are precious and are only found in universities."
Lin Qi nodded. Of course he knew that; not even the Martial Arts Dojos had them.
Or rather, they might have them, but he wasn’t currently qualified to use them.
Zhang City smiled. "A resource as precious as a Gravity Room is naturally beyond our reach right now, but we have a poor man’s version of one."
"Before the Martial Arts Era, many athletes used a method called weight training."
"And in the current Martial Arts Era, we’ve kept that method."
With that, Zhang City held out his right hand, fiddled with his smartwatch, and projected a green screen.
On the screen was a metallic ring, shaped like a silver, hollow cylinder.
"This is the Gravity Ring produced by the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo. It’s primarily refined from a mixture of lead, iron, and a special alloy."
"It has one main characteristic, and that is—it’s heavy!"
"The lightest one weighs 10 pounds, so a pair is 20 pounds."
"Wearing them on your arms and legs during Cultivation is extremely useful for increasing your Qi and Blood Value and improving your Martial Arts."
"If you stick with it for a while, you’ll find your control over your Spear Technique will reach a whole new level."
Lin Qi nodded upon seeing it. ’So it still comes down to weight training.’
"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher!"
Zhang City added a reminder, "Be careful to act within your limits. Don’t start with Gravity Rings that are too heavy."
"Otherwise, you could damage your bones."
"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Teacher!"
After thanking him again, Lin Qi turned and left.
Zhang City watched Lin Qi’s departing figure and muttered to himself, "Weight training... very few people do it like this anymore."
"After all, the usual training is already hard and tiring enough. Add Gravity Rings on top of that, and a person’s willpower just can’t take it."
"It’s better to just stick to the usual routine, wait until university, and enjoy the ten-fold accelerated cultivation effect in a Gravity Room."
"I wonder if Lin Qi can handle it?"
...
Back in his Martial Arts Room, Lin Qi took out his phone, logged into Red Dome House, and searched for Gravity Rings.
Pictures and prices for the Gravity Rings quickly appeared.
He discovered that not many had been ordered, and the price wasn’t cheap.
They were mainly for the limbs. A single 10-pound Gravity Ring cost 20,000, meaning two pairs would be 80,000 Xia Country Coins.
Lin Qi sent his body measurements for his arms and legs, placed a quick order, and the site indicated they could be delivered that same afternoon.
...
That evening, inside Martial Arts Room B123 at the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo.
"Master, your delivery has arrived!" the projected Little Chan reminded him.
"Thanks, Little Chan!"
Lin Qi changed into his Martial Arts Uniform, then opened the package on the floor. It was a large, black metal box.
Lin Qi opened it and found four black, hollow iron rings inside. Their surfaces were smooth and gleaming. They weren’t thick, only about three millimeters.
Lin Qi opened one. The hollow Gravity Ring split in the middle, revealing a special clasp mechanism.
He slowly fitted it onto his wrist. Ten pounds didn’t feel that heavy. It was cool to the touch and fit snugly against his skin, leaving only a tiny gap.
After putting them on all four limbs, they still didn’t feel heavy. But when Lin Qi started to move, he noticed the difference.
WHOOSH—
Lin Qi swung his arms and legs.
The Gravity Rings made a faint sound as they cut through the air.
Under the effect of the added weight, his speed and agility were undeniably affected.
Especially when he picked up the Thunder Horn Spear, holding the long spear aloft in a straight line.
The weight on a single arm was now 60 pounds.
’So heavy!’
Hah—
Lin Qi let out a sharp breath, clearly feeling the weight on his arm. A moment later, a sore ache began to spread.
SWISH! SWISH!
The spear’s shaft trembled slightly, its tip vibrating as he unleashed a flurry of thrusts that tore through the air with a sharp whistle.
10... 12... 13!
"Two thrusts slower!"
Lin Qi stopped, veins bulging on his arm, which he couldn’t stop from trembling.
Beads of sweat dripped constantly from his face.
"Before, I could thrust 15 times a second. Now with the Gravity Rings, I’m two thrusts slower."
"The 10-pound weight really has affected my speed."
A smile appeared on Lin Qi’s face. ’It’s a good thing it has an effect.’
With the Gravity Rings, he would tire more easily during training, and his wrists would ache.
This was a good thing. It meant there was room for improvement.
If he could get back to 15 thrusts per second while wearing the Gravity Rings, then after taking them off, he might be able to reach 17 thrusts per second. His strength would undergo a monumental change.
’From now on, I’ll wear the Gravity Rings no matter what I’m doing.’
’Only by making my body completely accustomed to the Gravity Rings will my strength improve rapidly.’
Lin Qi made his decision. ’Whoever said Gravity Rings were bad? This thing is amazing.’
It was just a huge test of one’s willpower.
And willpower was his greatest strength!
So he grabbed the Thunder Horn Spear again and began to train fiercely.
With his Dragon Energy and Tiger Fierceness Talent, plus the Rehabilitation Pod, he could fully recover from a day’s exhaustion by the next morning.
His next goal was the monthly assessment in half a month.
...
Time passed slowly, and a sense of calm returned to the senior class.
All their passion and energy were poured into Martial Arts.
Because these were the three months that would decide everyone’s fate.
Before they knew it, the time for the first monthly assessment of their senior year’s second semester had arrived.
At 7:30 PM, after enduring a grueling day of academic exams, everyone from the Elite class of Tianhai No. 2 Middle School gathered in the Martial Arts Classroom.
Zhang City stood beside the Qi and Blood Tester, looking over the students. He hadn’t spoken a word, but a tense atmosphere already filled every corner of the room.
"It’s been a month. One month since the semester started."
"You only have a little over two months left."
"Today, we’ll test the results of everyone’s Cultivation."
"I declare that the Qi Blood test begins now!"
"When your name is called, come up and get tested!"
The moment he finished speaking, everyone’s heart skipped a beat.
Some were nervous, while others were eager to give it a try.
Lin Qi stood in the middle of the crowd, arms crossed, his expression calm and unreadable.
"First up, Liu Yiheng!"
...