Chapter 3: The Limits of the Body (Please Continue Reading)
“Qi, have you broken through again? You really are a genius!”
The speaker was a tall young man with bronzed skin and a handsome face.
“Don’t tease me. I just got lucky this time. I’m no match for you,” Lin Qi said with a smile, shaking his head. He knew very well that his talent was nothing extraordinary at Tianhai No. 2 High School, one of the top schools. At best, he was above average.
His best friend, Jiang Tao, nicknamed “Old Hei” or “Part-time Brother,” had grown up alongside him, attending the same elementary and middle schools, and possibly the same university in the future.
Jiang Tao’s parents had died when he was young, leaving him and his younger sister to fend for themselves. Raised on government aid, he worked tirelessly at part-time jobs to support himself and his sister.
He was the true prodigy—coming from a similarly modest background, yet consistently ranking in the top three of their class and among the top fifteen in the grade.
Orphaned with a sister to care for, gifted and handsome, Jiang Tao was the embodiment of a protagonist’s luck stacked to the hilt.
Jiang Tao approached, glancing at the departing Wu Kang, and muttered critically, “Wu De rarely demonstrates or gives guidance during martial arts class; he mostly lets everyone watch you perform.”
“Having everyone ask you questions must be nice and easy for him.”
Lin Qi chuckled and explained, “Teacher Wu is quite skilled. Among all the martial arts instructors at No. 2 High, he ranks near the top. Just listening to his explanations is invaluable.”
“And our class has consistently maintained martial arts scores in the top three of the grade—that speaks volumes.”
“True enough!” Jiang Tao nodded in reluctant agreement.
…
“Ding-ling-ling!”
The bell rang, signaling the end of the one-hour martial arts class.
“Class dismissed!” Wu Kang’s loud voice rang out, and everyone relaxed.
Lin Qi stood up, feeling like time had flown by.
Clenching his fists, he thought, breaking through on the very first day of school was a good start.
Then he glanced at the data line on his panel.
[Template: None (99.8% + 0.1%)]
“The template progress has hit 99.9%. I can definitely reach 100% today.”
His eyes shone with anticipation; he wished he could train for another hour to max out the progress.
At that moment, a soft voice came from behind:
“Your body has reached its limit from prolonged intense training. If you keep pushing, it will collapse.”
“You’d better get some treatment!”
It was Wu Kang. He passed by Lin Qi, said this, and then left.
Lin Qi’s heart jolted. Watching Wu Kang’s retreating figure, all the joy and hope vanished instantly.
He clenched his fists tightly.
Had his body really reached its limit? No wonder he had been feeling unusually fatigued lately, muscles aching all over.
He had brushed off the exhaustion earlier, distracted by the progress on his panel.
“So my body has really hit its limit?”
Lin Qi understood the cause clearly: long periods of relentless training had drained his body without sufficient resources or proper recovery.
Restoring his body wasn’t impossible—he could see a professional masseur to relax his muscles or use special hospital equipment for rehabilitation.
But each option cost money; even the cheapest treatment was several hundred yuan and required multiple sessions, costing thousands overall.
Thinking of the mere 66 yuan left on him, Lin Qi felt an immense weight of pressure.
Just then, Jiang Tao approached, holding a piece of clothing and complaining,
“That Wu De runs off as soon as class ends, as if he’s afraid of wasting a single second.”
“Other teachers usually give some extra pointers after class.”
“He hasn’t really given us much guidance.”
After his rant, Jiang Tao looked at Lin Qi. “Qi, let’s freshen up. It’s time to head back to class.”
“Yeah,” Lin Qi took a deep breath, adjusted his mindset, grabbed his clothes, and went to shower.
…
In the chilly breeze sweeping through No. 2 High, the classroom of Senior Three, Class Three, dispelled the heat.
Colorful motivational slogans adorned the walls.
“Fight through the spring and autumn of a year, struggle a lifetime with no regrets!”
“Don’t lag behind like cattle and horses; fight like wild dogs!”
“…”
After martial arts practice, the students of Class Three began their class meeting.
Their homeroom teacher, Yan Hong, in her early thirties, wore glasses and a black suit, her features delicate.
She moved among the students with a clear voice and stern expression; no one dared to doze off under her gaze.
“You are now in Senior Three—the most critical year. Whether you become a worm or a dragon depends entirely on this year.”
“Since you chose martial arts and came to No. 2 High, your goal must be to enter a better martial arts university.”
“No. 2 High is one of the key schools in Tianhai City. Each year, 70% of our martial arts students are admitted to martial arts universities.”
“We have about 500 martial arts students each senior year; only around 350 make it, and over 150 fail.”
“Martial arts students have no chance to repeat a year. If you don’t get in, you either switch majors, join the military, or enter society as full-time martial artists.”
“If you don’t enter a martial arts university, your entire life will be spent at the bottom of the martial arts world—facing disaster beasts as cannon fodder, working yourself to death while others earn more in moments.”
“The gap in life is decided in Senior Three.”
“This is your last semester’s performance. Look at your grades and rankings. If you don’t want to fail, then you must train harder!”
Yan Hong’s words struck like a massive wave, pressing down heavily on everyone.
Many faces turned pale—they were all near the bottom of the grade and facing elimination.
All eyes fixed on the projection.
It was a report card ranking fifty students by score, with the top ten marked in gold.
“After a summer of hard work, I’ve improved a lot. The top ten will definitely have me.”
“I just didn’t perform well last semester.”
The classroom erupted with murmurs and chatter.
“Qi, we’re definitely stronger than last semester,” Jiang Tao whispered beside him.
Lin Qi looked at the report card:
[1st: Yu Jing]
[2nd: Zhu Yuqi]
[3rd: Jiang Tao]
[…]
His own name appeared at tenth place:
[Name: Lin Qi]
[Class Rank: 10]
[Grade Rank: 101]
Lin Qi saw his name, just barely making the last gold-marked spot.
Jiang Tao was third in the class.
Clenching his fists, Lin Qi sighed inwardly at his own lack of talent.
Both he and Jiang Tao came from ordinary families, but Jiang Tao remained firmly in the top three, his talent among the best in the grade.
They both trained hard, but his own efficiency was nowhere near Jiang Tao’s.
…
“Another thing!”
Yan Hong returned to the podium, switched the projection to a table.
“Every year in Senior Three, No. 2 High forms an elite class, gathering the top fifty students in the entire grade.”
“We provide the best teaching resources for their training.”
“Besides top-notch teachers, there are many perks. Those interested can come to me for an application form.”
“A week later, there will be a test focusing on martial arts achievements, vitality, and boxing skills. The top fifty in the grade will become members of the elite class.”
As Yan Hong finished, the class buzzed with excitement.
“So they’re really setting up an elite class—with the best teachers and the top fifty geniuses.”
“It’s hard to imagine how much we could improve in that environment,” a round-faced boy fantasized.
“Li Shaodong, stop dreaming. You’re ranked over 90th in the grade, no chance at all,” a chubby-cheeked girl scoffed.
The atmosphere in the class turned lively.
Li Shaodong shouted, “I can still make it, can’t I?”
Then he sat down with a sigh.
“Our class has six students in the grade’s top fifty.”
“Yu Jing, Zhu Yuqi, Jiang Tao, Kang Feiyue, Du Lin, Yang Lei.”
“The top five in the class are stable. The top eight have hope. The rest are just filling numbers.”
Others joined the discussion.
…
“Yu Jing and Zhu Yuqi will probably get into the elite class easily; they’re the absolute best,” a girl admired.
Others showed looks of envy.
A handsome boy in the front row smiled faintly at the gossip.
Nearby, a girl seemed to ignore the chatter and returned to her book.
…
“Qi, check your phone.”
Jiang Tao tapped Lin Qi’s shoulder.
Lin Qi took out his phone and saw a message:
[You have received a transfer of 3,000 Summer Country Yuan from “Taozi”!]
“This is your part-time job wage for the past few days,” Jiang Tao laughed.
Lin Qi was puzzled: “Wasn’t it 2,000? Why is it 1,000 more?”
Jiang Tao didn’t answer but said, “I heard what Wu De said.”
“Use this money to properly recover your body. We still have to aim for the elite class together.”
Lin Qi was deeply moved.
Jiang Tao’s family wasn’t wealthy either, yet he took Lin Qi along for part-time work and transferred money without hesitation.
One thousand Summer Country Yuan was a huge sum for him.
“Thanks!” Lin Qi could only reply with two words, hiding his gratitude in his heart.
…
“Ding-ling-ling~”
“Class dismissed~”
Evening self-study ended. The teacher quietly left, and students dispersed.
Lin Qi and Jiang Tao chatted briefly before parting ways. Lin Qi rode his bike away from No. 2 High, pedaling through the brightly lit streets.
He felt the exhaustion and soreness in his body.
“My body really has reached its limit. Fatigue follows me constantly, even affecting my focus in class,” Lin Qi sighed inwardly.
More than ten minutes later, under the night sky, Lin Qi opened the door and entered his home.
In the living room stood his burly father, Lin Zhen, along with a slender, pale-skinned, dignified woman.
“Xiao Qi!” The woman smiled warmly upon seeing him.
Lin Qi’s eyes brightened as he hurried inside.
“Mom, how are you feeling now?”
Fang Huiyi shook her head weakly but smiled, “I’m already cured. Don’t worry about me.”
“Your mother is still a bit weak and needs rest for a while,” Lin Zhen explained with a smile.
“Xiao Qi, why did you come home so early today?” Fang Huiyi asked curiously.
“Mom, you came back today, so I came home early to see you,” Lin Qi replied with a smile.
After a few minutes of small talk, Lin Qi returned to his room.
He turned on the fan, letting the rushing breeze cool his heated body.
Staring at the 3,000-plus Summer Country Yuan on his phone and feeling his exhaustion, he fell into a dilemma.
“There’s hardly any money left at home.”
“Mom’s health is worsening; she has to go to the hospital every month for treatment, and it costs a fortune.”
“The family is drowning in debt. Dad works himself to the bone but barely covers expenses.”
“There’s no way to squeeze out more money to buy resources for me. I have to find a way on my own.”
“I can only pin my hopes on the panel.”
Lin Qi clenched his fists and thought silently.
Then he looked at the panel.
[Template: None (99.9%)]
Just a bit more to reach 100%.
Lin Qi put away his cracked antique phone and stood in the center of his room, the concrete floor covered with footprints.
He stepped into the footprints and began standing meditation training.
…