The Martial Arts exchange competition was still underway.

The momentum on both sides had undergone a subtle shift. At the prompt of the intelligent female voice, the second match officially began.

From Songbai Middle School, Liang Kai stepped into the arena. His palms were sweaty, and his heart couldn’t stop racing.

’Tianhai No. 2 Middle School’s last-ranked student, Lin Qi, was that strong... How powerful would the ninth-ranked one be? Can I still win?’

On No. 2 Middle School’s side, the ninth-ranked student was a tall boy named Yu Peng.

He was incredibly excited at that moment. Lin Qi’s victory seemed to have filled him with confidence.

Songbai Middle School wasn’t that strong. If Lin Qi could defeat his opponent, then he, as the ninth-ranked student in his grade, could do the same.

[3... 2... 1...]

[Second match, begin!]

As the intelligent female voice made the announcement, the match officially began.

Two figures brandished their weapons and vanished from their spots. A fierce wind howled amidst the glint of blades as a Longsword and a Battle Saber clashed violently.

Two minutes later.

"CLANG! CLANG!"

Liang Kai’s expression was strange. He swung his Longsword, and with a flash of cold light, it instantly pierced through Yu Peng’s chest.

"How is he so weak?"

This opponent was much weaker than he had imagined. ’How could this be?’

’Could it be that Lin Qi is just too strong?!’

Having been killed and sent back to the spectator stands, Yu Peng was also dumbfounded. ’How is this opponent so strong?’

The competition continued.

The two sides quickly began the third match, both contestants being the eighth-ranked students from their respective schools.

A few minutes later.

Tianhai No. 2 Middle School’s eighth-ranked student, a slightly chubby boy, was sent back with a grim look on his face.

"She’s too strong! I couldn’t beat her!" he said, lowering his head in shame.

The others were puzzled upon hearing this, and outside the simulation, the students of the Elite class were stunned.

"What’s going on? How did we lose again?"

"That’s two losses in a row, and they were such crushing defeats."

’Where did things go wrong?’

Li Zhou and the others had noticed it too. The other team’s overall strength wasn’t weak at all; on the contrary, they were terrifyingly strong.

’The only reason we won the first match... could it be because Lin Qi was just that powerful?’

In the Songbai Middle School spectator stands.

"Easy, this is so easy!"

"I thought Tianhai No. 2 Middle School would be tough, but it looks like they’re nothing special!" someone said with a laugh as they stretched.

"The only strong one is that Lin Qi. The others represent No. 2 Middle School’s true level," Liang Kai chimed in, now feeling entitled to speak.

"Then it’s my turn to crush some noobs!"

A girl smiled, eagerly stepping into the arena!

[Will the contestants for the fourth match please enter the arena!]

"Brother Qi, I’m up!" Jiangtao was also rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Go get ’em, Taozi. Our second win depends on you."

Lin Qi nodded, watching Jiangtao enter the arena. He had faith in Jiangtao; he was a true genius.

A few minutes later.

[Fourth match, Tianhai No. 2 Middle School, Jiangtao wins!]

"My title of Sword Ape isn’t just for show."

Jiangtao sauntered back to the spectator stands, bobbing his head, and fist-bumped Lin Qi. After breaking into the top ten of his grade, he had earned a new nickname—Sword Ape.

Seeing Jiangtao’s victory, the Elite class students breathed a collective sigh of relief. The gap had been so wide before that they thought it was all over.

Only Zhang City’s expression remained grim.

The exchange competition was fully controlled by the system and didn’t stop. The next few matches proceeded in an orderly fashion.

Fifth match, Songbai Middle School wins!

Sixth match, Songbai Middle School wins!

Seventh match, a draw!

After seven matches, the expressions of those in the Songbai Middle School spectator stands were relaxed. Victory was within their grasp.

On No. 2 Middle School’s side, everyone looked solemn. The crowd in the Virtual Room was silent, as quiet as a library.

"Songbai Middle School has already won four matches. If they win one more, we lose for good," Jiangtao sighed.

Lin Qi also frowned. ’Is No. 2 Middle School going to lose? We have to win all three of the next matches to win the competition. That’s too difficult!’

At Songbai Middle School, Cao Bin looked at Zhang City with a mocking smile.

"Go on. Finish off the remaining three in one go. Take the victory and the prize money."

"Alright!" everyone shouted in excitement.

At Tianhai No. 2 Middle School, Zhang City let out a breath and said to Qi Yuelin,

"It’s up to you!"

Qi Yuelin nodded and vanished from her spot.

The eighth match officially began!

[Eighth match, Tianhai No. 2 Middle School, Qi Yuelin wins!]

A few minutes later, Qi Yuelin returned with a smile.

[Ninth match, Tianhai No. 2 Middle School, Yu Jing wins!]

After coming off the stage, Yu Jing shook his head and said, "That’s it?"

[Tenth match, Tianhai No. 2 Middle School, Li Zhou wins!]

Li Zhou came back and grinned. "They had some skill, but not much."

Zhang City broke into a smile. They had won three straight matches, and No. 2 Middle School had won.

[Martial Arts Exchange Competition, final result: Songbai : Tianhai = 4:5]

[Tianhai No. 2 Middle School is the final victor!]

The intelligent female voice announced the final result into the air.

The people from Songbai Middle School were stunned. Cao Bin’s face was livid. They had actually lost. To have the tables turned by Tianhai No. 2 Middle School in three straight matches and lose the competition was a total disgrace.

The others beside him also looked terrible; no one had expected this outcome.

One by one, they couldn’t wait to log off.

...

"We won!" Jiangtao laughed.

Lin Qi also showed a rare smile. Li Zhou and the other two were reliable after all. This exchange competition had been full of twists and turns.

Those three—Li Zhou and the others—were clearly on a completely different level from the rest.

’At least my prize money is safe now.’

He logged off and exited the Virtual Cabin. The entire Virtual Room was filled with excited voices.

"As expected of the top three in our grade. They’re terrifyingly consistent."

"In the end, we had to rely on those three."

"And Jiangtao and Lin Qi! Those two are dark horses as well."

"I bet the top five in our grade will be them from now on," someone suddenly predicted.

This prediction received nods of agreement from many.

Zhang City smiled and concluded,

"Alright, the rest of you can head back to your classrooms. Li Zhou, you ten, stay behind."

After all the uninvolved students had left, Zhang City looked around at the ten of them, offering rare words of praise with a smile.

"You all did a great job this time. I didn’t expect us to be able to pull off a win in the end. You’ve brought great honor to No. 2 Middle School."

"Don’t worry, everyone gets a share of the two million Xia Country Coins."

"Every participant will receive 100,000 Xia Coins. The student who got a draw will receive 200,000 Xia Country Coins."

"And the students who won their matches will receive 280,000 Xia Country Coins."

"The prize money will be deposited into your accounts in the next day or two."

The others listened with calm expressions, their joy from the victory outweighing any excitement about the money. They weren’t short on cash.

Only Lin Qi and Jiangtao glanced at each other, a flicker of joy in their hearts.

To them, 280,000 was a huge sum of money.

"Alright, you’re all dismissed. Go on with your training," Zhang City said, breaking up the group.

"Lin Qi, let’s add each other on WeChat. We can stay in touch," Li Zhou suddenly said.

"Add me too!" Qi Yuelin said.

"Me too!" said Zhu Yuqi, the fourth-ranked student in the grade, with a smile.

A few others also asked to add him, and Lin Qi didn’t refuse, adding them one by one.

Each of them wore a friendly and enthusiastic smile.

Only Yu Jing remained indifferent, turning and walking away.

...

「A few minutes later.」

Lin Qi returned to his private Martial Arts Room, closed his eyes, and replayed the earlier battles in his mind, especially the matches of Li Zhou and the others.

’The others are one thing, but Li Zhou, Yu Jing, and Qi Yuelin... their Skill and Qi and Blood Values are far superior to mine. The gap is obvious. I’m no match for them right now.’

’But as for the others, it’s not impossible for me to win.’

Lin Qi let out a breath and took an Energy Potion.

’My expenses have been getting higher and higher lately. I’ve almost completely stopped using Qi and Blood Potions. I’ve started taking Energy Potions daily, training four times a day and consuming four vials of Energy Potion.’

’I’ve already used up the last batch of Energy Potions I bought, so I purchased another, which cost me about 150,000.’

Lin Qi calculated silently. To ensure the rapid growth of his Qi and Blood, he had to use Energy Potions every day, no matter how expensive they were.

Between the first-class genius loan and the prize money from the Star Rank event, he now had less than 500,000 left. He had spent over 300,000 in just half a month.

The remaining money probably wouldn’t even last a month. With the 280,000 prize money, he could hold on for a while longer.

’Still short on cash!’

Lin Qi sighed to himself. The event prize money was just small change; the real money would come from signing a contract with a Martial Arts Dojo.

...

「At the same time, in the principal’s office.」

"I really didn’t expect us to actually win."

"Old Zhang, this is all thanks to you."

Jiang Zhiguang paced around the office excitedly, occasionally watering a flowerpot from which a vibrant green sprout peeked out of the soil.

"You can’t give me the credit. I’ve barely coached any of the top ten. Li Zhou and the others are strong purely on their own merit."

"However, Lin Qi and Jiangtao were indeed taught by me," Zhang City said, eating a popsicle.

"Lin Qi and Jiangtao... especially Lin Qi. Who would have thought he’d rise so quickly? It seems luck is finally on No. 2 Middle School’s side," Jiang Zhiguang praised, unable to contain his admiration.

"BUZZ!"

Just then, Zhang City’s phone vibrated. He took it out, and a smile crept onto his face as he looked at the screen.

...