11: The Secret of Ultimate Strength and Breakthrough to Seventh Rank

Setting aside Li Long's situation for now.

On the other side, after celebrating with his parents at a restaurant, Lin Yi hurried back to the Library Pavilion of the Guangling Martial Academy without pause to find information regarding the Limit of Strength Realm.

Initially, the Library Pavilion's guardian refused to tell Lin Yi anything, advising him not to be too curious and that he would naturally find out when the time was right.

It wasn't until Lin Yi presented his Martial Arts Scholar token that the guardian stopped obstructing him. Instead, the guardian took the initiative to inform Lin Yi that all information regarding the Limit of Strength Realm could be found in the books on the second row of the third bookshelf on the third floor.

Afterward, Lin Yi went to the third floor of the Library Pavilion and spent a full two hours reading the collection, staying from the afternoon until nightfall, before he finally gained a deeper understanding of this Realm called Extreme Strength.

"Extreme Strength, so that's how it is."

In the Library Pavilion, Lin Yi gently closed an ancient book, a look of realization appearing on his face.

Extreme Strength, the full name being Strength Limit, was essentially the same as what Li Long had described, but the difficulty of comprehending it was not as high as Lin Yi had previously imagined.

Because the Extreme Strength Realm was originally a Realm of a Martial Artist's ultimate Flesh Body Control.

The process of every Martial Artist cultivating martial arts techniques was actually a process of continuously improving their Flesh Body Control. As the Realm of their martial arts techniques became higher, the Martial Artist's control over themselves would also increase.

Until a certain moment, when the Martial Artist's Flesh Body Control reaches a qualitative change, the Limit of Strength Realm is achieved.

"According to the records, for a Martial Artist to reach the level of qualitative change in Flesh Body Control, they must at least reach the Perfection level of a Sixth-Grade Martial Art."

Lin Yi thought silently to himself:

"The higher the Realm of martial arts techniques, the greater the probability of breaking through to the Limit of Strength Realm."

"Generally speaking, if one can reach Perfection in a Fifth-Grade Martial Art or Great Perfection in a Sixth-Grade Martial Art, then Breakthrough to the Limit of Strength Realm is almost certain."

"Additionally, to Breakthrough to the Limit of Strength Realm, besides the martial arts techniques reaching the minimum standard, one also needs a specific Limit of Strength Method."

"These methods are recorded in every Sixth-Grade and above martial art. For instance, the complete Bright Moon Saber Technique includes a matching Limit of Strength Method, and it is stored here on the third floor of the Library Pavilion."

"It's just that the Academy was previously worried that we Disciples might be too ambitious, so they intentionally hid the Limit of Strength Methods when teaching us martial arts. These methods are only opened to us when we are nearing graduation or have passed the Martial Arts Scholar exam."

"And now, I happen to be eligible to view these methods."

Lin Yi smiled and walked to another bookshelf, taking down a thin booklet of only about ten pages. It was precisely the Extreme Strength Method that complemented the Sixth-Grade Martial Art, the Bright Moon Saber Technique.

Afterward, Lin Yi stood directly in front of the bookshelf, quickly flipping through and memorizing the contents of this Extreme Strength Method.

Limit of Strength Methods were generally not complex; after all, they were only auxiliary methods for comprehending the Limit of Strength Realm. Thus, even an ordinary person would generally take only half an hour to completely memorize one.

As a Genius, Lin Yi was naturally even more exceptional. In just fifteen minutes, all the details regarding how a practitioner of the Bright Moon Saber Technique could Breakthrough to the Limit of Strength Realm were fully etched into his mind.

"The method is memorized; I'll go back and Cultivate immediately."

Returning the Limit of Strength Method to the shelf, Lin Yi's eyes shone brightly. He quickly went downstairs, greeted the guardian, and left the Library Pavilion... The days that followed became simple. Because he had become a Martial Arts Scholar and his martial arts technique Realm had already reached the Perfection level of a Sixth-Grade Martial Art, finding work was much easier for Lin Yi than before.

He casually found a job as an instructor at a large Martial Arts Hall, with a monthly base salary of one hundred taels of silver.

If he occasionally took the time to give private lessons to wealthy students, his monthly income was guaranteed to be at least one hundred and fifty taels. This was more than what his father earned in two or three months of escorting goods while living on the edge of a blade.

Combined with the fifty taels of monthly martial arts stipend silver for being a Martial Arts Scholar, Lin Yi's monthly income already exceeded two hundred taels. Even in the prefecture city, he was undeniably part of the high-income group.

So, after receiving the money, Lin Yi ignored his parents' objections and immediately moved his Family into a new house. Although it wasn't large, the location was good, and they no longer had to endure the stench of the gutter water.

Although his mother kept complaining that it was a waste of money, when she actually moved into the house, the smile at the corners of her mouth couldn't be suppressed.

Seeing this, Lin Yi also felt a sense of satisfaction.

Furthermore, with the support of this silver, Lin Yi's martial arts cultivation began to climb steadily. In just one month, he made another Breakthrough, achieving the Seventh-Grade Martial Arts Realm... "Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Inside a martial arts training room at the Guangling Martial Academy, two figures were seen constantly clashing.

One figure held a saber while the other held a greatsword. The massive collisions caused the surrounding air to let out a series of explosive booms.

Finally, after over four hundred moves, the figure with the long saber struck out. The figure with the greatsword couldn't block in time, and the saber was held directly against his neck.

"Lin Yi, just how on earth do you train?"

Feeling the icy edge of the snow-white long saber at his neck, Wang Kai gave a bitter smile:

"In this short month, your martial arts technique Realm has been progressing every single day."

"At the beginning, I could still fight you for a thousand moves before losing."

"Ten days later, I could only last eight hundred moves, and twenty days later, only six hundred."

"Now it's even more ridiculous; in less than five hundred moves, I've already been defeated by you."

"If you keep training at this speed, I estimate that in at most half a year, your Bright Moon Saber Technique will reach Great Perfection. By then, even breaking through to the Extreme Strength Realm will be a breeze!"

"Half a year?"

Hearing Wang Kai's words, Lin Yi smiled calmly.

It had to be said that as a Disciple from a top-tier great Family in Guangling Prefecture City, Wang Kai's discernment was indeed excellent; he could easily see Lin Yi's current Realm in the Bright Moon Saber Technique.

Through this month of bitter Cultivation, Lin Yi's Bright Moon Saber Technique had indeed progressed from (Perfection, 14%) a month ago to (Perfection, 31%).

According to this cultivation speed, and accounting for the time to Breakthrough the Bottleneck, it would indeed take at most half a year for him to reach the Great Perfection level and then easily comprehend Extreme Strength.

However, comprehending Extreme Strength in half a year might be a terrifying speed for an ordinary Genius, or even for a "Yellow-rank Genius" like Wang Kai, but for Lin Yi, this speed was still a bit slow.

After all, Lin Yi's requirement for himself was to benchmark against the Profound Rank Geniuses or even Earth-Grade Geniuses of the Zijing Merchant Guild.

If he only comprehended Extreme Strength after half a year, it would already be next year. According to this world's method of calculating age, even if Lin Yi wasn't truly fifteen yet, he would be counted as fifteen.

And comprehending Extreme Strength at fifteen would not reach the standard of a Profound Rank Genius; it would only be considered extremely strong among Yellow Rank Geniuses.

"No! It seems that if I want my rate of progress to be even faster, I must become stronger as quickly as possible, and then use that strength to gather four thousand taels of silver to manifest a second Talent."

"As long as the second Talent is one that can help me comprehend Extreme Strength, then whether it's a bright yellow rank or a Crimson Grade, it should significantly shorten the time I need to Breakthrough to Extreme Strength."

"As long as I can ultimately manage to Breakthrough before the New Year, then I will have comprehended the Extreme Strength Realm at fourteen. My level of Genius would then be completely different from comprehending it at fifteen."

Thinking of this, Lin Yi immediately said to Wang Kai beside him:

"Wang Kai, let's stop here for today! I have some things to attend to. We'll meet again tomorrow."

"Something to do?"

Hearing this, Wang Kai was also taken aback and asked in confusion:

"Lin Yi, doesn't your work as an instructor at the Martial Arts Hall start at the fifth mark of Shenshi (4:00 PM)? It's only just past the fifth mark of Weishi (2:00 PM) now. Why are you going so early?"

"To look for some other work and see if I can earn some more money."

Lin Yi explained:

"To be honest, my recent expenses to improve my cultivation have been quite large. Relying solely on the salary of a single Martial Arts Hall instructor isn't enough to maintain it; I must find other sources of income."

"So I reckon I'll only be able to spar with you during the Academy's class hours from now on. I hope you can understand, Brother Wang Kai."

"Short on money?"

Wang Kai frowned slightly and then said:

"Lin Yi, since you're short on money, I won't waste your time. But speaking of earning money, I actually have some good news for you."

"Oh, good news? What good news?"

Lin Yi was startled by the words.

"It's simple!"

Wang Kai answered with a smile:

"According to the news I've received, in the middle of this month, the Academy is about to hold its Entrance Exam as per custom."

"The Academy is taking this Entrance Exam very seriously. Even the Dean, who is usually as elusive as a divine dragon, will be in attendance. Moreover, the rewards for the exam will be significantly increased compared to previous years."

"So Lin Yi, if you're truly short on money, I think this exam should be a good opportunity for you."

"A good opportunity? Significantly increased rewards? Wang Kai, then just how significant is this 'significant'?"

Hearing this, a glimmer of expectation flashed in Lin Yi's eyes as he quickly asked.