Fang Huiyi couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Yue Feng, the Vice Hall Master of the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo, actually thought her son had the potential to become an A-level talent.

’Is my son really that talented?’

Everything felt so surreal. Her heart pounded in her chest as an irrepressible wave of pride and emotion washed over her. She couldn’t wait to share the good news with Lin Zhen.

Lin Qi’s expression remained calm as he listened. He nodded to himself. ’Yue Feng is certainly more perceptive than others. He recognized my Talent.’

’He hasn’t seen the full extent of it, of course, but his insight is impressive enough as it is.’

He smiled at Master Yue and said,

"I think so too!"

Manager Sun was taken aback for a moment, but Yue Feng burst out laughing.

"Haha, I like you! A genius ought to be confident."

"Alright, Manager Sun, show them around the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo."

"Of course!"

After Lin Qi and Fang Huiyi left, Yue Feng watched until Lin Qi was out of sight.

’I originally wanted to give him an A-level Contract directly, but that would be too risky. He’d likely become a target for everyone.’

’It’s better to wait until his provincial ranking improves a little more. Then, upgrading him to an A-level Contract will be a natural progression.’

"Since I couldn’t find a genius who has Awakened a Special Ability, my evaluation this year is all riding on you, Lin Qi," Yue Feng muttered to himself.

...

"Lin Qi, this is our rehabilitation area. Next to it is the training equipment area. We have Punch Force Testers, speed testers, and even machines to test neural reaction speed."

On the second floor of the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo, Manager Sun gave Lin Qi a tour.

Back when he worked part-time, he had only ever been in Guo Heng’s Martial Arts Room and the Virtual Rooms.

Inside the rehabilitation room were rows of egg-shaped pods, slightly smaller than the Virtual Cabins.

"Lin Qi, since your mother isn’t in the best of health, she can come to the rehabilitation room often. Using the Rehabilitation Pods can help relax her muscles and revitalize her organs."

"We also have professional massage therapists. They can improve circulation and relax the meridians, stimulating Qi Blood, which is highly beneficial for recovery."

"And she’s welcome to eat the nutritious meals in our cafeteria anytime."

"Lin Qi, you can apply for two family passes for your parents. Their expenses can be billed directly to your account."

"Furthermore, for hospital expenses, our Martial Arts Dojo can reimburse 20% of any costs not covered by their medical insurance," Manager Sun added with a smile.

Lin Qi’s eyes lit up. ’Mom’s health isn’t great, and supplements alone aren’t enough. External treatments like these are also very important.’

’What’s more, getting 20% of hospital bills reimbursed is a huge deal. Mom’s hospital visits cost a fortune every year.’

’I can’t even imagine how much money we’ll save with those family passes.’

"Okay, thank you for your help."

"Mom, why don’t you go in and try it out now?" Lin Qi added suddenly.

"Alright!"

Fang Huiyi didn’t refuse. She slowly entered a Rehabilitation Pod and felt a cool sensation envelop her, seeping through her skin into her muscles and organs.

Waves of soothing relief spread through her body. It was like being at a spa—an experience she’d never had before.

"The rehabilitation process takes one to two hours. Lin Qi, let me show you to your Independent Martial Arts Room," Manager Sun suggested.

"Alright!" Lin Qi nodded.

Manager Sun led Lin Qi down the hallway, and they soon arrived back on the first floor.

A short distance behind them, three figures appeared. One of them, Qiu Siying, a girl with pretty features and the air of someone from a wealthy family, saw them and asked in confusion,

"Isn’t that Guo Heng’s friend from No. 2 Middle School?"

"It is him. His name is Lin Qi!"

Lv Xiang nodded in confirmation. The guy was so strikingly handsome it was hard to forget him.

Once they were sure, the three of them exchanged shocked glances.

"What’s going on? Manager Sun is personally escorting him and being so polite. I’ve only ever seen him act incredibly stern," Wu Feng said, shaking his head in disbelief.

Qiu Siying took out her phone and sent a message to Guo Heng about what she was seeing. A moment later, she got a reply.

Guo Heng: ?

...

Manager Sun led Lin Qi to a white metal door marked: Room B123.

An electronic screen was mounted on the door, and he began to operate it.

"Lin Qi, I’ve already entered your personal information, palm print, and iris scan into the system."

"Although headquarters hasn’t completed its review yet, you can already use all the facilities in the Martial Arts Dojo."

BEEP!

The metal door slid open, revealing a spacious Martial Arts Room that contained a Rehabilitation Pod, a private bathroom, a Punch Force Tester, a Punching Target, various Weapons, and more.

It was fully equipped, almost identical to Guo Heng’s Martial Arts Room.

A room like this cost one thousand Xia Country Coins an hour.

He had once been incredibly envious of it. Now, he had an Independent Martial Arts Room of his own.

"Lin Qi, let me give you a quick rundown," Manager Sun began.

Lin Qi shook his head. "I know all about it. I used to work part-time as a sparring partner here at the Martial Arts Dojo."

Manager Sun blinked in surprise.

Then he chuckled. "Lin Qi, to think you have a history like that with us. It really seems like you were fated to join our Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo."

"However, there’s one feature I bet you haven’t experienced before."

With that, he turned to the wall and pressed a button. A black metal panel slid open, revealing a square white machine inside.

He pressed another button on the machine. The next moment, countless green rays of light shot out from the corners of the ceiling, converging in the center of the room.

They quickly coalesced into the form of a beautiful young woman with delicate features and fair skin, dressed in a form-fitting red and white Combat Suit. She exuded a cool, aloof aura.

"This is the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo’s proprietary AI assistant. You can authorize it to connect to your phone’s network."

"You can give it voice commands to assist with your Martial Arts Cultivation... or to help you order takeout, for instance," Manager Sun explained with a smile.

Lin Qi stared curiously at the woman before him. From her expression to the fine details on her clothes, she looked just like a real person.

"What’s the difference between this and an intelligent lifeform?" Lin Qi asked curiously.

"You’ve seen intelligent lifeforms. They can move around via a physical vessel, stay by their master’s side at all times, and even protect their master in critical moments."

"That makes a huge difference."

"This AI, on the other hand, is tied to the projection equipment, which is large, bulky, and not at all portable," Manager Sun explained.

Lin Qi nodded. ’There must be other differences,’ he thought, ’but the portability alone makes an intelligent lifeform incomparably more valuable.’

"Alright, I’ll let you get acquainted with the AI. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be going now."

After Manager Sun left, the Martial Arts Room fell silent, leaving only Lin Qi and the AI.

"Do you have a name?" Lin Qi asked.

"Hello. I am the Red Dome third-generation AI, designation 9527," the beautiful woman replied, her voice crisp and sweet.

"From now on, I’ll call you Little Chan," Lin Qi said, a sudden whim striking him.

"Thank you for the name, Master. Little Chan, acknowledged," Little Chan replied.

"Little Chan, what can you do?"

Little Chan waved a delicate hand, and a screen materialized in front of Lin Qi, displaying her user manual.

Most of the functions were what he expected: he could issue voice commands to order takeout, project videos, and look up information, freeing up his hands.

"Oh?"

’I can even change Little Chan’s outfit and hairstyle,’ Lin Qi thought with curiosity.

He immediately decided to try it out and gave Little Chan a new outfit.

SWOOSH.

The light and shadow before him re-converged. Little Chan now had long, flowing black hair and was wearing a form-fitting blue Combat Suit.

Lin Qi nodded in satisfaction. ’She looks a bit like the Three Holy Mothers from my past life.’

He began to pace around the Martial Arts Room, processing everything that had just happened.

’I’ve signed a B-level Contract with the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo. From now on, I’m one of their prized talents.’

’I’ve caught the eye of a major figure like Yue Feng and established a connection. Now I have some powerful backing.’

’Not to mention the large sum of Xia Country Coins and resources I’m about to receive. Even Mom is benefiting from this.’

At this thought, he immediately pulled out his phone and sent a message to his dad, Lin Zhen. There was no immediate reply; he was probably still at work.

So he sent a text to Jiangtao instead.

A moment later, a reply came back:

"Brother Qi, I’m coming over this afternoon to sign with the Red Dome Martial Arts Dojo."

Lin Qi smiled when he saw the message.

Then, he picked up a Long Spear and began to practice his Spear Technique.

...