Chapter 42: The Classification of Geniuses

Jiang Tao and Lin Qi were also exceptionally curious. With their ordinary—or even impoverished—family backgrounds, it was difficult for them to distinguish truth from falsehood among the various pieces of information on the internet.

Therefore, they needed someone trustworthy to explain it all to them.

Operating his smart watch, Zhang Cheng projected a large screen filled with pictures and text. After organizing his thoughts, he began:

"Every year, following the Tianhai monthly exams, major martial arts dojos successively sign contracts with the geniuses of various schools."

"A contract is not a genius loan."

"A genius loan is essentially a loan; the money you spend now will need to be repaid in the future, just without interest."

"A dojo contract, on the other hand, is a form of investment. They give you money in advance for you to enhance your strength, so that you can enter the dojo in the future and generate profits for them."

Everyone nodded. This was pretty much in line with what they already understood. No one disliked contracts; in fact, everyone yearned to sign a better one.

Zhang Cheng continued, "There are countless martial arts dojos, big and small, in our Xia Nation, and behind all of them are major corporations."

"Over the next few days, they will approach you one after another to conduct contract negotiations."

"The strength of these dojos varies. Although ordinary dojos offer money in their contracts, they also come with many rules, and the assistance they provide is limited, making their cost-performance ratio rather low."

"This is only suitable for students with ordinary talent."

"As students of the elite class, your target should be the three top-tier martial arts dojos."

"Chiqiong, Heiyao, and Chongming—these three top-tier martial arts dojos were each founded by Ninth-Realm titled martial artists of our Xia Nation. Not only do they possess wealth that rivals nations, but they also command peerless martial might and authority."

"Signing with the three top-tier martial arts dojos means not only freer contract terms and higher signing bonuses, but also superior treatment."

"Thus, any ambitious genius will not refuse the contracts of these three dojos." At this point, Zhang Cheng revealed a smile.

The surrounding students felt their heartbeats accelerate. Signing with the three major dojos meant a future with boundless prospects.

"However, not all of you will be able to sign with the three top-tier martial arts dojos."

"I remember that in the previous cohort, only 30 people successfully signed contracts." Zhang Cheng poured a bucket of cold water over everyone.

Instantly, the hearts of quite a few people grew cold.

"I'm ranked 37th. Does that mean I won't be able to sign with the three major dojos?" someone sighed.

Some people also wore unsightly expressions, as their rankings were all beyond the 30th place.

"Of course, you are more outstanding than the previous cohort, so perhaps the number of available slots for signing will be even greater." Zhang Cheng offered a rare word of comfort at this moment.

"The three top-tier martial arts dojos divide geniuses into seven tiers, with D-rank being the lowest and SSS-rank the highest."

"Among them, the three tiers of S-rank, SS-rank, and SSS-rank have nothing to do with you; those are reserved for geniuses who have awakened special abilities."

Special abilities?

Upon hearing this, everyone wore complex expressions, and Lin Qi was no exception. Such geniuses were only ever seen by them in the news; they felt far too distant.

"What concerns you are the four tiers of A, B, C, and D."

"Even the lowest D-rank contract can grant you millions in monetary value along with precious resources."

"Of course, signing with a dojo is a long-term process. As long as you work hard and raise your ranking further, you can still secure a contract, or even upgrade your existing one."

"Ring-a-ling!"

"Alright, class is over, dismissed!"

Seeing that it was time for the class to end, Zhang Cheng dismissed everyone, packed up his things, and turned to leave the martial arts classroom.

As the students packed their belongings, they also began to chat animatedly.

A group of them walked toward the cafeteria, chatting idly about the contracts:

"I'm afraid it'll be difficult for me to secure a D-rank contract."

"Who do you think in our class can sign an A-rank contract? They say only a tiny handful of geniuses are qualified," someone wondered aloud.

"Li Zhou probably has a strong grasp on getting one. Yu Jing and Qi Yuelin are also possibilities, but everyone else will at best get a B-rank contract," another person said.

This won the agreement of the others.

Second Floor of the Cafeteria

Lin Qi sat down with a tray piled high like a small mountain and began to eat with gusto.

"Brother Qi, which martial arts dojo are you planning to sign with?"

Sitting opposite him, Jiang Tao took a few bites and asked curiously.

Lin Qi shook his head. "I don't know yet. It depends on how the talks go with them and the specific terms of the contract."

Jiang Tao nodded and said excitedly, "I reckon I'll only be able to snag a B-rank contract; an A-rank is out of the question for me."

"Even a B-rank contract comes with several million Xia Nation dollars, so I won't lack money for the rest of my senior year."

"Still, Brother Qi, whichever dojo you go to, I'll go to as well," Jiang Tao added at the end.

"Alright!" Lin Qi did not refuse.

...

Evening Self-Study, Principal's Office

"Old Jiang, why did you call me over as well? I was hoping to get some good rest."

Pushing the door open, Zhang Cheng complained and plunked himself down onto the sofa.

"Teacher Yan, you're here too?"

Yan Hong sat opposite Zhang Cheng, and Jiang Zhiguang shifted his gaze away from the projected spreadsheet.

"This time, there are three people who need to apply for an upgrade to their genius loan tier, Old Zhang, and I need to consult your opinion."

"Who is it?" Zhang Cheng asked, taking a sip of tea.

"Jiang Tao, applying for the Special-Class Genius Loan."

"Lin Qi, applying for the Second-Class Genius Loan!"

"Chen Zichuan, applying for the Second-Class Genius Loan!"

Once Jiang Zhiguang finished speaking, he and Yan Hong both watched Zhang Cheng's reaction.

"Those three, huh!" Zhang Cheng rolled his eyes.

A moment later, he grinned and said, "Their talents are quite good; applying like this is not a problem."

"However!"

"However what?" Jiang Zhiguang asked.

"I think Lin Qi's application can be revised. He should apply for the First-Class Genius Loan."

"No, I suggest applying directly for the Special-Class Genius Loan," Zhang Cheng said seriously.

Jiang Zhiguang was stunned. "You're even more exaggerated than Yan Hong. Does this Lin Qi really make both of you hold him in such high regard?"

Yan Hong spoke up, "In this month's exam, Lin Qi advanced by 17 places. His talent goes far beyond this."

Zhang Cheng also chimed in, "I don't understand academics, but in martial arts class, his comprehension far surpasses everyone else's."

"I dare say that by the mid-term evaluations, his ranking will surge dramatically once again."

"Agreed!" Yan Hong nodded.

Hearing this, Jiang Zhiguang nodded. "I understand. I'll apply for the Special-Class Genius Loan, but whether the application gets approved will just come down to luck."

After the two left, Jiang Zhiguang quickly operated the documents, submitting the three application forms.

Once submitted, he opened Lin Qi's profile again to check his grades and family background.

"Lin Qi, interesting. Rising from over a hundredth place to 18th in the grade within three months—such rapid progress is unbelievable."

"Could it be a case of a late bloomer, or did he finally have a breakthrough?"

Muttering to himself, Jiang Zhiguang habitually watered the flower pot.

"Eh? It sprouted?"

Jiang Zhiguang was pleasantly surprised as he spotted a hint of green emerging from the brown soil of the flower pot.

...

Rongshan Residential Area, the Lin Family, Living Room

"Dad, I broke into the top 18 of the grade in the monthly exams, and I also took part in the Starry Activity..."

Through a video call, Lin Qi saw Lin Zhen on the other end and shared the good news with him.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Zhen was inwardly shocked. How long had it been, and his own son had already entered the top 20 of the grade?

Following his shock, a smile uncontrollable bloomed at the corners of his mouth. "As expected of my son!"

"Dad, are you doing well at the Linhai Base?"

Lin Qi inquired.

"Haha, of course I'm doing well, just quite busy, but I'm indeed earning more than before," Lin Zhen laughed heartily.

"..."

A few minutes later, Lin Qi handed his phone to his mother, Fang Huiyi, while he went off to wash up.

When he came out, Fang Huiyi had already hung up the call.

Lin Qi retrieved a few boxes from his room and placed them on the table:

"Mom, I forgot to give these to you during the call just now."

"These are some supplements I bought; they're good for your health."

Fang Huiyi smiled, shook her head, and took the boxes. "You're wasting money recklessly again."

As she spoke, she looked at the boxes, and her expression shifted slightly.

"This is the Lotus Set; a single box costs twenty thousand! That's far too expensive."

"Mom, I'm not short on money now; I can still afford some supplements," Lin Qi comforted her.

"Alright then!" Fang Huiyi accepted them.

"Mom, I'm grown up now. I want to know how much debt our family actually owes?"

His expression turning serious, Lin Qi looked straight into his mother Fang Huiyi's eyes and asked.