Chapter 187: This Cultivation Is Like Cheating
[We interrupt this program with breaking news: A fatal incident occurred last night at Jingnan Hualu. Three security guards were attacked by a demon beast. Their bodies show signs of being gnawed on. The Martial Arts Police Station hereby urges all citizens to be vigilant. Demon beasts may be making a comeback. Please stay indoors at night...]
Lin Yi was sitting in the living room, feeding Xiaoqi.
Suddenly, a news report on the TV caught his attention.
He quickly looked up.
The TV screen showed the three bodies.
Although they were covered with white cloths, large, gory bloodstains were still visible.
"Demon beasts?"
Lin Yi’s brow furrowed slightly.
Xiaoqi seemed to have heard the news as well.
In the middle of eating its Demon Beast Meat, it quickly turned its head to look.
’Demon Beast Meat... Xiaoqi wants... Demon Beast Meat... eat meat...’
It stared at the TV screen.
A series of thoughts continuously entered Lin Yi’s mind.
Lin Yi quickly nodded. "Aren’t I feeding you Demon Beast Meat right now? Don’t stare at the pot when you’ve got food in your bowl!"
Hearing this, Xiaoqi reluctantly turned its head back.
It continued to eat the meat in its bowl.
Just then, his phone rang without warning.
Lin Yi picked it up and glanced at the caller ID. It was a call from Wei Nan.
"Hello?"
"Lin Yi, look at the news! Quick, look at the news! Something happened at your complex! Those security guards all got chewed up by a demon beast! What did I tell you? The wicked get what’s coming to them!"
"I saw that one of the three guards was that guy named Qian something.
Serves him right! Yesterday he was acting all high and mighty with me, and then he gets chewed up by a demon beast at night!"
"This is so damn satisfying! I was actually planning to find a chance to beat him up today, but now I don’t have to. Seeing as he’s dead, I’ll forgive him, hahaha..."
Wei Nan let out a burst of exaggerated laughter over the phone.
The laughter was so loud that Lin Yi quickly pulled the phone away from his ear.
Only after the laughter stopped did he press it back to his ear.
"They really weren’t good people. Qian Gang harassed Sister Qingru before, and the other two guards were no saints either. They were even planning on targeting some of the residents!"
"I think there was a girl in the complex they had their eyes on. Luckily, their comeuppance was swift, or else that girl would have been the one to suffer!"
Lin Yi said with a nod.
As soon as the words left his mouth, Wei Nan’s voice grew louder.
"Holy shit, for real? So they were just a bunch of animals?
Wait, isn’t your complex supposed to be high-end? How do they end up hiring just anyone?"
"Guards like that, aren’t they the biggest danger to the complex?"
Wei Nan was astonished.
Having guards like that in any complex would be extremely dangerous.
"Damn... This is the first time I’ve ever thought a demon beast was so damn cute. It was basically delivering justice for the heavens, wasn’t it?"
"Brutes like them should all be fed to demon beasts. It’s better for them to become demon beast rations. They’re just a waste of air when they’re alive. If I ever meet anyone like that again, I’ll send them on their way myself, son of a bitch..."
Wei Nan continued to curse endlessly on the phone, venting his frustration.
Lin Yi, on the other hand, listened patiently, not saying a word the entire time.
After more than ten minutes, Wei Nan had tired himself out from cursing and had fully vented his frustration.
He finally calmed down.
"Oh, right, one more thing. The Martial Arts Universities in the New District are apparently sending out their acceptance letters early!"
"And they should arrive in a day or two!"
Hearing this, Lin Yi was slightly taken aback. "A day or two? That fast? Didn’t they used to take a week to half a month to arrive?"
"Not sure. I heard that this year, a few of the Martial Arts Universities in the New District are in a hurry to snatch up students!"
"I’m guessing it’s definitely because of you, or at least it’s got something to do with you!"
"I don’t know the specifics. This is all info I dug up from the campus network.
I suspect there must be people from the New District lurking on our Old District campus network!"
"How else could so much explosive info get leaked?"
Wei Nan’s analysis wasn’t without reason.
Many students in the New District had tested their way in from the Old District.
They still had access to their old campus network, and it was common for them to come back and secretly drop some rumors from time to time.
And these rumors were usually quite accurate.
"That’s good, too. We can go to the New District early and see what the university environment is like.
Also, you and your parents should get packed too!" Lin Yi reminded him.
In response, Wei Nan sighed softly.
"Sigh, don’t even mention it. You know what my parents are like.
My mom can’t bear to part with her supermarket. She’s trying to sell it, but there isn’t much interest. And my dad... he’s just an old hardhead, you know?"
"He can’t let go of his job on the patrol squad. He even got injured during the demon beast incursion a while back and almost died!"
"Even after all that, he’s still reluctant to leave. These past two days, he’s been saying he needs to give his colleagues a proper farewell.
Holy shit, and you know how he’s saying farewell? By going out drinking every day!"
"Luckily, they start drinking at noon and go on until just before it gets dark. Then I have to go pick him up..."
Wei Nan complained nonstop.
But beneath his complaining tone, there was a hint of contentment.
The truth was, Wei Nan’s talent in Martial Arts wasn’t exactly outstanding.
In fact, you could say it was ordinary. Getting into a Martial Arts University was genuinely a difficult feat for him.
The reason he was so determined to pursue Martial Arts...
...was actually for his older brother.
Back then, his brother’s greatest wish was to get into a Martial Arts University and move their whole family to the New District.
But as it turned out, that was the year his brother had his accident.
From then on, Wei Nan was like a completely different person, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to Martial Arts.
His talent wasn’t enough, so he constantly improved himself through hard work and sweat.
With Wei Nan’s personality, he yearned more for freedom.
And yet, before the Martial Arts exams, he had actually agreed to nearly three months of secluded training just to break through his own limits.
As for just how bitter and difficult those three months of training were,
Wei Nan had complained about it,
but he never revealed a single detail.
Only he knew the true hardship involved.
Now, he had finally achieved his wish, placing third in the entire school.
Getting accepted into a Martial Arts University was already a sure thing.
You could say he had fulfilled his promise to his brother: to take his parents to live in the New District.
"By the way, how’s your packing coming along? Are you planning to go with us, or with Brother Chu and the others?"
Only after he was done complaining did Wei Nan remember Lin Yi.
"I don’t have much to pack. Just a few changes of clothes. I travel light!"
"We’ll see when the time comes. Brother Chu might be discharged from the hospital in the next couple of days. It seems the bureau is in a hurry and wants them back as soon as possible, so I might not be able to go with them!"
"Perfect! Then we can go together. My mom was just saying last night that you should travel with us..."
"Mm, we’ll see. Let’s decide after the acceptance letters arrive!"
The two chatted for a while longer.
Then they finally hung up.
Turning off the TV, Lin Yi went back to his room.
He found Xiaoqi had already curled up in its cardboard box and gone back to sleep.
Lin Yi couldn’t help but smile and shake his head. ’This little chick sure is lazy!’
Then, he also sat cross-legged on his bed and once again entered the Spatial Domain of the Star River Qi Transformation Technique.
A morning of cultivation.
It sent Lin Yi’s Qi and Blood soaring.
Lin Yi didn’t emerge from the domain until noon, when he started to feel a bit hungry.
He checked his Qi and Blood.
[Current Realm: 3-Star, 2nd-Order]
[Qi and Blood Value: 61.29%]
In just one morning, his Qi and Blood had risen by 32.74%.
The Martial Arts exams were over now.
The one thing Lin Yi had in abundance now was time.
If he used all his time to cultivate and raise his realm,
’Could he perhaps break through to the 4-Star realm before leaving for the New District?’
’This cultivation speed is like cheating. I wouldn’t believe it myself if someone told me!’ Lin Yi fought to keep a smile off his face.
He closed his personal status panel and headed for the kitchen.
The very moment he got off the bed,
Xiaoqi, who had also been sleeping in its cardboard box,
suddenly flapped its wings and jumped out of the box.
That’s right—it flapped its wings.
The sound of its wings beating against the air alerted Lin Yi.
He quickly looked back. Xiaoqi’s body hadn’t changed much.
But its wings and the plumage on its body had changed somewhat.
The colors seemed to have become deeper.
Its wings had also grown more feathers.
The multicolored feathers on its tail seemed to have grown a bit longer.
Only its size hadn’t changed; it was still just as small.
The three colorful tufts of feathers on its head had become more vibrant.
In the next moment, Lin Yi’s pupils contracted.
A flicker of shock flashed in his eyes. He realized that in just one morning,
’Xiaoqi’s realm had actually jumped from 1-Star, 4th-Order to 2-Star?’
"No way! Your talent is basically a cheat code. Did you come here with a system or something?"
Lin Yi couldn’t help but grumble.
He was truly envious.
Talent like Xiaoqi’s was enough to make anyone’s eyes turn green with envy.
In response, Xiaoqi just tilted its head, looking at Lin Yi in confusion.
He chuckled. "It’s nothing. Let’s get some lunch!"
Lin Yi’s mood to cook for himself was completely gone.
He changed his clothes and tucked Xiaoqi into his pocket.
Then he headed straight out the door.
He was sick of hand-pulled noodles.
And nothing else seemed interesting.
Today, he was planning to take Xiaoqi out for a big meal.
They would go to Old He’s place and really splurge for once.