Chapter 55: Striking It Rich (Please Keep Reading)

The Martial Arts Exchange Tournament continued.
The momentum on both sides had now shifted subtly. At the prompt of the intelligent female voice, the second match officially began.
Stepping onto the arena for Pine Cypress High School, Liang Kai felt sweat on his palms, and his heart pounded uncontrollably.
Since even Lin Qi, the dead last of Tianhai No. 2 High School, was this strong, how terrifying must the ninth rank be? Could he possibly win?
On No. 2 High School's side, the ninth rank was a tall boy named Yu Peng.
He was exceptionally excited at the moment, as Lin Qi's victory seemed to have filled him with confidence.
Pine Cypress High School wasn't exceptionally strong; if Lin Qi could defeat his opponent, then as the ninth rank of his grade, he could certainly do the same.
[3, 2, 1...]
[The second match, officially begins!]
As the intelligent female voice made the announcement, the competition officially commenced.
Two figures swung their weapons and vanished from their spots. Gale winds howled, blade lights and sword shadows flashed, and longswords violently collided with sabers.
Two minutes later.
"Clang, clang~"
With a peculiar expression on his face, Liang Kai swung his longsword. A cold flash pierced straight through Yu Peng's chest.
"Why is he so weak?"
This opponent was far weaker than he had imagined. How could this be?
Could it be that Lin Qi was simply too strong?!
This thought suddenly popped into Liang Kai's mind.
Having been killed and sent back to the spectator seats, Yu Peng was dumbfounded. How on earth was this opponent so strong?
The matches continued.
Both sides quickly launched the third match, featuring the eighth-ranked students from their respective schools.
A few minutes later.
The eighth rank of Tianhai No. 2 High School, a slightly chubby boy, was sent back with an ugly expression.
"She's too strong, I couldn't beat her!" he said, lowering his head in guilt.
The others looked on in puzzlement, while the elite class students outside the screen were completely dumbfounded.
"What's going on? How did we lose again?"
"That's two losses in a row, and the defeats are so miserable."
Where on earth had things gone wrong?
Li-Zhou and the others also noticed this. The opponent's overall strength was not weak at all; on the contrary, it was frighteningly strong.
Could the reason they won the first match simply be because Lin Qi was too powerful?
In the spectator stands of Pine Cypress High School:
"Easy, truly easy!"
"I originally thought Tianhai No. 2 High School would be very strong, but now it seems they're nothing much!" someone said with a stretch and a laugh.
"The only strong one is that Lin Qi; the rest represent the true level of No. 2 High School," Liang Kai chimed in, speaking from experience.
"Then it's my turn to bully some newbies!"
A girl smiled, eager to step onto the arena!
[Please let the fourth contestant take the stage!]
"Brother Qi, I'm going up!" Jiang Tao cracked his knuckles as well.
"Go ahead, Taozi. The second victory depends on you."
Nodding, Lin Qi watched Jiang Tao take the stage. He had full confidence in Jiang Tao, who was a genuine genius.
A few minutes later.
[Fourth match, Tianhai No. 2 High School, Jiang Tao wins!]
"My Blade Ape moniker isn't just for show."
Jiang Tao shook his head as he returned to the spectator seats, bumping fists with Lin Qi. After breaking into the top ten of his grade, he had earned a new nickname—Blade Ape.
Seeing Jiang Tao secure the victory, the elite class students breathed a sigh of relief. The previous gap had been so vast they had all thought they were doomed.
Only Zhang Cheng's expression remained heavy.
Controlled entirely by the system without pausing, the subsequent matches proceeded methodically.
Fifth match: Pine Cypress High School wins!
Sixth match: Pine Cypress High School wins!
Seventh match: Draw!
After seven matches, the spectators from Pine Cypress High School wore relaxed expressions; victory was within arm's reach.
No. 2 High School's side wore grave expressions, and the people in the virtual room were utterly silent, as quiet as a library.
"Pine Cypress High School has already won four matches in a row. If they win one more, we lose completely," Jiang Tao sighed.
Lin Qi also frowned. Would No. 2 High School lose? To turn things around, they had to win the remaining three matches consecutively. It was going to be extremely difficult!
At Pine Cypress High School, Cao Bin looked at Zhang Cheng with a mocking smile.
"Go on, wipe out the remaining three in one go and take the victory and the prize money."
"Understood!" everyone cheered excitedly.
At Tianhai No. 2 High School:
Zhang Cheng let out a breath and said to Qi Yueling,
"It's up to you!"
Qi Yueling nodded and vanished from her spot.
The eighth match officially began!
[Eighth match, Tianhai No. 2 High School, Qi Yueling wins!]
A few minutes later, Qi Yueling returned with a smile.
[Ninth match, Tianhai No. 2 High School, Yu Jing wins!]
Stepping down, Yu Jing shook his head and said, "That's it?"
[Tenth match, Tianhai No. 2 High School, Li Zhou wins!]
Returning with a wide grin, Li Zhou said, "Some skill, but not much."
Zhang Cheng wore a smile. Having turned the tables by three rounds in a row, No. 2 High School had won.
[Martial Arts Exchange Tournament, Final Result: Pine Cypress : Tianhai = 4 : 5]
[Tianhai No. 2 High School achieves final victory!]
In the air, the intelligent female voice announced the final result.
The people from Pine Cypress High School were dumbfounded. Cao Bin's face was dark; they had actually lost, turning victory into defeat by dropping three consecutive matches to Tianhai No. 2 High School. It was utterly humiliating.
The others nearby wore equally grim expressions; no one had anticipated this outcome.
Eagerly, they all chose to log off one by one.
...
"We won!" Jiang Tao laughed.
Lin Qi also wore a rare smile. Li Zhou and the other two were quite reliable after all; this exchange tournament had certainly had its twists and turns.
Those three were clearly a tier above everyone else.
At least his prize money was finally secured this time.
Logging off and exiting the virtual pods, the entire virtual room buzzed with excited voices.
"As expected of the top three in the grade, terrifyingly steady."
"In the end, we still had to rely on those three."
"And Jiang Tao and Lin Qi; those two are dark horses as well."
"I guess the top five of our grade will probably be them from now on," someone suddenly predicted.
Many nodded in agreement.
With a smile, Zhang Cheng summarized:
"Alright, the rest of the students return to your classrooms. Li Zhou, the ten of you stay behind."
Once all the onlookers had departed,
Zhang Cheng surveyed the ten students and offered a rare, praising smile:
"Everyone performed exceptionally well this time. I didn't expect us to clinch the victory in the end, winning massive glory for No. 2 High School."
"Rest assured, the two million Xia dollars will be shared among everyone this time."
"Each participating student gets 100,000 Xia dollars, while students who tied will receive 200,000 Xia dollars."
"As for the students who secured victories, you will receive 280,000 Xia dollars each."
"This prize money will be transferred to your accounts tomorrow or the day after."
The other students remained calm, lacking the overwhelming joy of victory—they were not short on money.
Only Lin Qi and Jiang Tao exchanged a glance, their hearts fluttering with joy.
To them, 280,000 was already a massive fortune.
"Alright, disperse and go back to your respective trainings!" Zhang Cheng dismissed them.
"Lin Qi, let's add each other on WeChat. We can stay in touch if anything comes up," Li Zhou suddenly said.
"Add me too!" Qi Yueling chimed in.
"Me as well!" Zhu Yuqi, fourth in the grade, smiled.
A few others also expressed a desire to add him on WeChat, and Lin Qi did not refuse, accepting them one by one.
Everyone wore friendly, enthusiastic smiles.
Only Yu Jing remained indifferent, turning around and walking away.
...
A few minutes later,
Lin Qi returned to his personal martial arts room, closing his eyes to review the recent battles, especially those of Li Zhou, Yu Jing, and Qi Yueling.
"The others are manageable, but the techniques, blood-qi levels of Li Zhou, Yu Jing, and Qi Yueling far surpass mine. The gap is obvious; I am no match for them at present."
"As for the others, it's not entirely impossible to win."
Lin Qi exhaled and began taking his stamina potions.
"My expenses are getting heavier lately. Blood-qi potions have been almost phased out by me. I've started taking stamina potions daily—four sessions a day, consuming four bottles of stamina potion."
"The stamina potions I bought last time are completely used up, so I bought another batch, costing another 150,000 or so."
Lin Qi calculated silently. To ensure the rapid enhancement of his blood-qi, no matter how expensive the stamina potions were, he had to take them every day.
His previous First-Tier Genius Loan, combined with the Star-rank competition prize money, left him with less than 500,000 now. He had spent over 300,000 in half a month.
The remaining money probably wouldn't last a month, but with the 280,000 prize money coming, he could hold on for a while longer.
"I'm still short on money!"
Lin Qi sighed inwardly. Competition prize money was piecemeal; only signing with a martial arts hall would bring in the big bucks.
...
At the same time, in the principal's office:
"I honestly never thought we'd win."
"Old Zhang, this is all thanks to your credit."
Jiang Zhi-Guang paced excitedly around the office, occasionally watering the potted plants as green sprouts poked through the soil.
"I can't take the credit. Few of the top ten were ever guided by me; Li Zhou and the others are simply strong on their own."
"However, Lin Qi and Jiang Tao were indeed cultivated by me," Zhang Cheng said, eating a popsicle.
"Lin Qi and Jiang Tao, especially Lin Qi—who would have thought he'd rise so fast? Luck is finally on No. 2 High School's side." Jiang Zhi-Guang couldn't stop praising.
"Buzz!"
At that moment, Zhang Cheng's phone vibrated. Pulling it out, a trace of a smile instantly spread across his face.