The morning passed quickly.

Lin Yi had started to build some rapport with the other students at the Martial Arts Hall.

The strong are always respected.

That’s a truth that never goes out of style, no matter the time or era.

Lin Yi had already demonstrated his strength yesterday.

And this morning, he had become a flash of golden light, shattering a wooden stake with a single punch.

This left all the students utterly shocked.

Whether it was talented students like Sun Tao, Hu Quan, and Li Xuewen...

...or any of the other regular students...

At this moment, they were all eager to get on Lin Yi’s good side.

Even Zhou Qi’s attitude had undergone a significant change.

"Same as usual. Order whatever you want, my treat!"

Zhou Qi said generously, pulling out his black and gold student card.

"You guys are always treating me, I feel a little bad... so I won’t stand on ceremony!"

Lin Yi picked up a tray.

Ever since eating Demon Beast Meat yesterday,

he had developed a special fondness for it.

The benefits of this Demon Beast Meat for the body were simply indescribable.

This was especially true for people like them who practiced Martial Arts, as it offered numerous advantages.

It improved the body, boosted Qi and Blood, and strengthened one’s physique.

Lin Yi even wondered if he could achieve immortality and ascend to the heavens if he ate Demon Beast Meat regularly.

He piled his tray high with meat.

In contrast, he took very few staple foods—only half a small bowl.

Zhou Qi was no longer surprised by Lin Yi’s appetite.

After Sun Tao and the others got their food, the group found an empty table and sat down.

"I really never expected your talent for Martial Arts to be this good. Do you know what Brother Yang said about you?" Zhou Qi said with a smile.

Lin Yi paused, then shook his head. "What did he say?"

"He said you can’t be considered human anymore, just a monster... an absurdly talented monster!"

"He also said that in all his years of teaching, he’s seen countless geniuses!"

"But you’re the first one he’s seen with talent as good as yours!"

As Zhou Qi said this,

his eyes were fixed on Lin Yi, watching for any change in his expression.

But Lin Yi remained calm throughout.

He just smiled briefly before continuing to eat the Demon Beast Meat in front of him.

It even gave Zhou Qi the impression that Yang Yong’s praise was far less appealing than the Demon Beast Meat.

Only after eating a few more pieces of meat did Lin Yi seem to remember what Zhou Qi had just said.

"Coach Yang is exaggerating..."

The casual remark almost made Zhou Qi choke.

’Is this how geniuses are?’

At their Martial Arts Hall, a single word of praise from Yang Yong could make any student happy for days.

It was a sign of having earned Yang Yong’s approval.

Even Zhou Qi was no exception.

Yet, hadn’t Yang Yong given Lin Yi more than just a single word of praise?

And every bit of it was exceptionally high.

And all he got in return was a simple ’Coach Yang is exaggerating’?

’Then again, it makes sense.’

’With Lin Yi’s talent, there must be plenty of people who praise him like that.’

’No matter where he goes, he’s always the center of attention.’

’Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been recommended as a sparring partner.’

Besides, starting yesterday, Lin Yi had already proven with his actions that even a high school student could be their sparring partner.

Today, Lin Yi had given them an even bigger surprise.

At this point, Zhou Qi no longer held any of the disdain he’d had for Lin Yi yesterday.

Instead, he was more focused on befriending and winning him over.

With a genius like Lin Yi, it was always better to be friends than enemies.

If he were to fade into mediocrity in the future, then it wouldn’t matter.

But the fear was that with his monstrous talent, he was bound to become the brightest star in the vast Xinghai.

"A Dapeng one day soars with the wind, ascending ninety thousand li."

A person like that was someone to befriend, not to make an enemy of.

Before long, two-thirds of the Demon Beast Meat on Lin Yi’s plate was gone.

Seeing this, Zhou Qi smiled and said, "Is that enough? If not, go get some more. Don’t be polite with me!"

"It’s enough. If it weren’t, I wouldn’t be polite!" Lin Yi said with a laugh.

Zhou Qi smiled back and continued eating.

...

「After lunch.」

All the students had a one-hour break.

Lin Yi was no exception. He sat in the rest area, closing his eyes to recuperate.

Suddenly, a phone rang urgently.

Lin Yi opened his eyes, took out his phone, and glanced at the caller ID.

It was a call from Wei Nan.

Ever since Wei Nan had left for tutoring with the master his father arranged,

the two of them hadn’t been in contact for a long time.

Seeing Wei Nan’s name on the screen now, Lin Yi quickly answered the call.

"You brat, you finally decided to give me a call?"

On the other end of the line, Wei Nan laughed. "First off, I swear I wasn’t intentionally avoiding you. It was just so sudden. I wasn’t even prepared before my dad whisked me away!"

"How are you? Have you been doing okay lately?"

"Okay. A lot stronger than before," Lin Yi replied with a nod.

"That’s good. By the way, have you gathered enough for the registration fee? How much are you short? If you need, I can chip in," Wei Nan said hurriedly.

Wei Nan had been persuading Lin Yi to take the martial arts exam for a long time.

In Wei Nan’s eyes, Lin Yi’s talent was far greater than his own.

His cultivation level was also a notch higher.

If Lin Yi didn’t take the martial arts exam and walk the path of Martial Arts, it would be a complete waste of his talent.

If Wei Nan wasn’t broke, he would have just paid for Lin Yi’s registration himself.

Seeing that the registration deadline was only a few days away,

Wei Nan was getting anxious.

Lin Yi smiled and nodded. "I’ve got enough. I’m going to register at school tomorrow!"

"You got enough? That’s great! I was so worried... I guess you’ve been Demon Hunting this whole time?"

"Yep, been Demon Hunting constantly."

"Oh, right. Are you still planning to move out of your house?"

Amid his excitement, Wei Nan remembered this issue.

Lin Yi had been desperate to move out of that house before.

To get away from Lin Dazhi and Liu Hongmei.

That desire was even stronger than his desire to register for the martial arts exam.

"Of course I’m moving. I just haven’t had time to look for a place..."

"Then you don’t have to look. How about I introduce you to a shared rental?" Wei Nan said with a smile.

"A shared rental? How many people?"

"It’s not really a few people sharing. Let me put it this way: I have a cousin, and she’s what you’d call a ’spend-it-all.’ Her monthly salary is never enough!"

"She has an apartment that she lives in by herself. She’s short on cash again and wants to rent out a room to earn some spending money."

"She was complaining to my mom about it once, and my mom thought of you!"

"She asked me to see if you’d be willing to rent with my cousin. You’d all be people we know, so we know you’re trustworthy, and there’s no need to worry about character or anything. What do you think?"

"The best part is the price is cheap—eight hundred a month. You don’t have to pay for utilities like water, electricity, or gas. You can just go back and sleep... How about it? If you agree, I’ll let my cousin know. If not, no big deal."

After Wei Nan finished explaining the situation,

Lin Yi joked, "Is your cousin pretty?"