Chapter 152: Martial Arts Examination Center
He had just finished washing up.
Lin Yi got a call from Yang Yong, his coach at the Martial Arts Hall.
"Huh? You’re waiting for me outside the complex?"
Lin Yi was dumbfounded.
Yang Yong had actually come to pick him up and take him to the Martial Arts Examination Center personally?
This came as quite a surprise to Lin Yi.
After hanging up, he changed into his school uniform.
Lin Yi left his apartment and went outside the residential complex.
An Audi was parked there, and from the driver’s seat, Yang Yong rolled down the window.
He said with a broad smile, "Get in!"
Lin Yi nodded, quickly opening the car door and sitting in the passenger seat.
"A little curious why I came to pick you up today, aren’t you?"
Yang Yong asked with a smile, looking back at him just as he got settled.
Lin Yi chuckled and nodded.
He really did find it a bit strange.
"It was Old Chu who asked me to come!"
"Brother Chu?"
Lin Yi froze for a moment, then quickly turned to look at Yang Yong.
Lin Yi had previously arranged with Chu Zhengxiong and Qin Zhaoxue that they would come cheer him on.
On the day of the Martial Arts exam, they were going to be there to support Lin Yi.
But who would have thought... Yang Yong nodded lightly.
"They got called away on a last-minute mission and can’t make it for now, so they called me and asked me to take you to the exam!"
"They should be back by the time your exam is over!"
"Oh, right. He also booked a restaurant for tonight. He said he owes you several meals and figured today, after the exam, would be the perfect time to make up for all of them at once!"
After Yang Yong finished speaking with a smile,
Lin Yi’s brows furrowed deeply. "Brother Chu and the others have a mission? Wasn’t Blood Drop already eliminated?"
For some time now,
because the Martial Arts exam was just around the corner, Chu Zhengxiong hadn’t let Lin Yi participate in any more Demon Hunting Bureau missions.
So, Lin Yi wasn’t entirely sure what stage they were at.
Besides, for the past few days, he had been completely focused on improving his cultivation.
He really hadn’t paid much attention to anything else.
Yang Yong smiled relaxedly. "It’s just some cleanup work, nothing major!"
"Don’t you worry about a thing. Just focus on your exam!"
Lin Yi nodded and looked out the car window.
"Coach Yang, could we stop at a breakfast place?"
"A breakfast place? You haven’t eaten yet, have you? Sure, I know a spot up ahead. I’ll take you there for a bite!"
Yang Yong smiled, not thinking much of it.
The car gradually picked up speed, heading straight for the breakfast place he mentioned.
Soon, the car pulled over in front of the diner.
The two of them got out one after another and went inside.
The diner was huge, more like a large chain restaurant.
It had all kinds of breakfast foods imaginable.
The place was also quite crowded, mostly with students.
They were wearing uniforms from various high schools, and more than eighty percent of them were probably on their way to the Martial Arts exam.
Lin Yi walked up to the counter, gazing at the dazzling array of breakfast options.
Although the intense hunger he’d felt at home had subsided,
he still felt like he could eat a whole cow.
Even though this wasn’t Demon Beast Meat and wouldn’t be as effective for replenishing his consumed Qi and Blood,
Lin Yi couldn’t be picky right now.
Filling his stomach was the priority.
About ten or so minutes later,
Yang Yong stared at the small mountain of various foods piled up before him.
He was a bit dumbfounded again, asking in amazement, "Lin Yi, do... do you eat this much every morning?"
"Huh? No, just today... I feel especially hungry. Coach Yang, don’t be shy, breakfast is on me!" Lin Yi said while wolfing down his food, not forgetting to urge Yang Yong to eat more.
Yang Yong gave an awkward laugh. "That’s not what I meant. This meal is my treat. I was just a little curious..."
"I already paid!"
Lin Yi glanced up at Yang Yong.
Yang Yong was speechless.
Another ten-odd minutes later, Lin Yi and Yang Yong walked out of the diner.
Only then did Lin Yi feel like he had come back to life.
The feeling of fullness in his stomach gave him an inexplicable sense of security.
Back in the car, Yang Yong looked at Lin Yi and couldn’t help but chuckle several times.
"I really couldn’t tell you were such a big eater.
But being able to eat is a good thing. You’re at a growing age and practicing Martial Arts, so eating more is good for your body!"
"Here, take this!"
With that, Yang Yong took a small vial out of his pocket.
It looked just like a vial for an oral liquid supplement.
Lin Yi glanced at it and took the vial. "Coach, what is this?"
"It replenishes Qi. You might use up a lot of Qi and Blood during the Martial Arts exam today. Drinking this will restore it quickly. Don’t wait until your Qi and Blood are severely depleted, or it’ll be too late to replenish..."
"Hey! Wait, I told you to drink it during the exam if your Qi and Blood get seriously low. Why are you drinking it now?"
Before Yang Yong could even finish,
Lin Yi had already twisted the cap off and chugged the contents down.
Under Yang Yong’s astonished gaze,
Lin Yi said with a smile, "I’m already pretty depleted right now..."
Seeing Lin Yi’s cheerful grin,
Yang Yong was once again at a loss for words.
While driving, he fell into deep thought.
After a long moment, he reached into his jacket again, took out another vial, and handed it to Lin Yi.
"Here. You can’t drink this one yet..."
Yang Yong was clearly on edge now.
When Lin Yi reached for it, he instinctively pulled his hand back for a second.
After finally handing it over, he said, his voice tinged with pain, "Be careful with this one. Don’t treat other people’s things so casually. This single vial is worth over five hundred thousand..."
"How much? Over five hundred thousand?"
At first, Lin Yi hadn’t thought much of it.
But when he heard how expensive a single vial was,
he was completely stunned.
Yang Yong nodded. "What did you expect? This is Qi Replenishing Liquid. It’s completely different from the stuff you guys usually drink. Especially when your body’s Qi and Blood are severely depleted, one vial can restore it completely!"
"It’s a lifesaver, especially in a fight..."
Yang Yong explained, still wincing at the cost.
Only then did Lin Yi carefully put the bottle of Qi Replenishing Liquid into his Storage Ring.
’I just drank five hundred thousand?’
’If I had to earn that money through Demon Hunting...’
’How many demon beasts would I have to kill to make back the cost of that one vial?’
Lin Yi smiled and said, "Coach Yang, I’m sorry to have put you to such expense!"
"This Qi Replenishing Liquid is from the New District, right?"
"The prices in the New District seem pretty high..."
Hearing this, Yang Yong glanced at him with a smile.
"The cost of living is okay. For everyday life, there’s not much difference from the Old District."
"It’s just that cultivation resources are definitely more expensive. But there are also more opportunities to make money, far more than the Old District can compare to. You’ll understand once you finish your exam and go to the New District!"
"Making money there is much, much easier than it is here!"
Lin Yi smiled and nodded, already looking forward to life in the New District.
Before long, police cars became more frequent on the road.
There was a police car almost every three to five meters.
On both sides of the road, officers from the Martial Arts Police Station and public security teams were everywhere.
They had the entire street leading to the Martial Arts Examination Center under tight control.
That’s right, the location for the Martial Arts exam was no longer at a school.
Instead, several test sites had been designated, which were the Martial Arts Examination Centers.
It was said that the staff at the Martial Arts Examination Centers were all sent by the Martial Arts Alliance.
The equipment here was more professional, and the exam security was much tighter.
There was absolutely no chance of cheating.
When Yang Yong drove up to the outside of the Martial Arts Examination Center,
there were even numerous soldiers in military uniforms.
Lin Yi only gave them a single glance.
He was surprised to find that none of these soldiers had a low cultivation realm.
The lowest were at the 2-star or 3-star realm.
There were even quite a few at the 4-star and 5-star levels. Each one of them had a murderous glint in their eyes and an imposing aura, radiating authority without being angry.
A faint, baleful aura emanated from them.
They were definitely people who had been on a battlefield.
This made Lin Yi feel it was a bit strange. This year’s Martial Arts exam seemed much stricter than in previous years.
In past years, security had consisted of, at most, officers from the Martial Arts Police Station.
And even they had a lackadaisical attitude and didn’t take it too seriously.
But this year was completely different. Even the military was here...
After saying goodbye to Yang Yong, Lin Yi got out of the car.
Holding his admission ticket, he walked toward the center’s entrance.
Just as he reached the main gate, someone shouted from behind him.
"Lin Yi?"
Hearing the voice, Lin Yi quickly turned to look.
He then broke into a smile. "You guys are at this test site too?"
Shen Mengyi, Zhou Qi, and Sun Tao all walked over with smiles on their faces.
"What a coincidence! All of us are at the same test site? It must be fate!"
Although they had only been apart for two days,
it felt to each of them like it had been a long time.
The memories of them training together resurfaced in their minds. Just as they were laughing and talking, preparing to head inside,
a figure charged straight for Lin Yi.
Zhou Qi’s expression darkened, and he instinctively spun around and kicked at the person.
BANG—
"What the fuck..."