Filling!

Ding ding ding!

The notification chimes rang without end, and one compressed file after another appeared in his inbox.

The ten Starry Sky Martial Arts included not only the Starry Sky Martial Arts themselves, but also the prerequisite A-rank martial arts that went with them.

"Ten Starry Sky Martial Arts should be enough to last me for a while, right?"

Li Qingshan let out a soft sigh, his expression complicated.

Back when he had cultivated "Wind Thunder Limitless," the Martial Dao Space had still been level three, with a time flow ratio of one to a thousand.

At the time, he had secluded himself for more than three months—one hundred days in reality, one hundred thousand days within the Martial Dao Space—before finally cultivating it to completion.

But now, the Martial Dao Space was level four, and the time flow ratio was one to—

Even including the prerequisite A-rank martial arts, cultivating another Starry Sky Martial Art would take only a little over ten days!

But... only the real-world time had decreased!

More than one hundred thousand days, a cultivation path of nearly three hundred years—he still had to walk it step by step.

And a thousand Starry Sky Martial Arts would amount to a full three hundred thousand years!

"Time to work hard again!"

Li Qingshan took a deep breath. The complexity in his eyes faded, leaving behind only his usual resolve.

He casually closed his inbox, opened the academy intranet again, and looked over the mission board.

Before breaking through to the Inner Scene, the mission board was not open to freshmen.

Even now, he could only see tens of thousands of Garrison Missions and could not compete for other bounty missions.

Garrison Missions did not merely involve guarding planets; there were also missions to assist Mecha Pilots in guarding certain shipping routes.

Li Qingshan was in no hurry. His gaze swept across the mission descriptions one by one as he selected carefully.

A moment later, his brows furrowed slightly.

"No Ziying Star?"

Cultivating the "Star River Cosmos Sutra" only required him to grind through the Starry Sky Martial Arts one by one. Unlike his other classmates, he did not need to choose special environments to aid his visualization technique cultivation.

Naturally, he wanted to choose Ziying Star as his garrison location and cultivate in seclusion without worries.

Unfortunately, after reviewing every Garrison Mission, he did not find a single one related to Ziying Star.

Left with no choice, Li Qingshan could only continue searching in the direction of Ziying Star.

Before long, he found a suitable planet.

Dick Star, more than three hundred light-years from Ziying Star.

Garrison period: ten years!

Mission reward: 1,000 credits.

"Ten years?" The corners of Li Qingshan's lips lifted into a satisfied smile.

For other students, the rewards for Garrison Missions were mediocre, while ten years was far too long. Hardly anyone was willing to take them.

But for him, the reward did not matter. What mattered was that he could cultivate in seclusion with peace of mind.

His fingers tapped the screen. He accepted the mission and confirmed immediate departure.

He then rose directly to his feet, pushed open the door, and headed outside.

When he reached the courtyard entrance, a woman in a fitted black outfit, looking no older than thirty, was waiting outside.

It was Dai Lan, the Young Hall Master of the Extreme Heaven Martial Hall.

Li Qingshan was not particularly surprised. Smiling, he greeted her.

"Martial Aunt Dai, long time no see!"

"It has only been a year."

Dai Lan shook her head. Her eyes remained fixed on Li Qingshan, her expression mingling nervousness and anticipation.

"I heard that a major upheaval occurred on Crimson Rainbow Continent this time. I wonder..."

Li Qingshan rubbed the iron ring on his finger and smiled faintly.

"Rest assured, Martial Aunt. I have already found the 'method' you mentioned."

"You found it?!"

Dai Lan's expression brightened. She did not ask further, merely letting out a breath of relief.

"It's good that you found it, good that you found it..."

Seeing this, Li Qingshan thought for a moment before suggesting, "Since you care so much, why not return to Ziying Star with me and meet Teacher Wan in person?"

Dai Lan's gaze shifted, hesitation appearing on her face. In the end, she still shook her head.

"Forget it. When he wants to see me, he will naturally come to meet me."

"However, I can send one of the martial hall's Starships to take you back."

Just as they were speaking, a Small Spaceship suddenly flew over and hovered in midair.

"Thank you for the offer, Martial Aunt, but I have already accepted a Garrison Mission. It happens to be on the way."

Li Qingshan did not try to persuade her further and simply said, "Martial Aunt, then I'll be taking my leave first."

Dai Lan froze for a moment, asking in confusion, "You're heading out on a mission without even bringing a weapon?"

"I already brought one."

Li Qingshan smiled, lightly tapped off with his right foot, and leaped directly onto the spaceship.

The hatch closed, and the spaceship shot straight into the heavens...

In the starry sky, a Small Spaceship broke through Noon Sun Star's atmosphere, accelerated continuously once more, and began departing its distant orbit.

At the same time, a mechanical voice sounded within the spaceship.

Destination: Red Rainbow Main Star.

Estimated travel time: three days.

About to enter the Hyperspace Channel. Please prepare yourselves.

Countdown: 10... 9... 8... 3... 2... 1!

Buzz!

The hull suddenly shuddered, and the scenery beyond the porthole shifted.

The originally glittering starry sky turned into something like a kaleidoscope. One star after another stretched rapidly, transforming into twisted streaks of light.

Li Qingshan sat by the window. After watching for a while, he slowly withdrew his gaze.

Hyperspace jumps could normally only be performed by Starships.

The spaceship beneath his feet had been custom-made exclusively for the Star Academy. It could perform short-distance jumps and deliver students to Red Rainbow Main Star.

As for the rest of the journey, they could only transfer to regular routes themselves.

Of course, Star Academy students were spread across the entire starfield. Many senior students carrying out bounty missions also possessed their own Starships.

Small Starships could even be purchased in the Star Academy marketplace, with prices starting at 5,000 Universal Credits.

It was not expensive for Li Qingshan, but there was no need for one.

The Storage Ring given by Old Taoist Tianji contained a cubic space only one hundred meters on each side. It simply could not fit a Starship.

"Since I can cultivate anywhere, I might as well make a trip to Red Rainbow Main Star and see Little Fatty."

Li Qingshan smiled faintly, activated his Communicator, and decompressed "Azure Lotus Shoreless Sword."

The projected screen swiftly unfolded, filling with vast amounts of text, images, and related videos.

Li Qingshan calmed his mind and examined them one by one.

An hour later, all the videos had finished playing, and the projected screen automatically retracted.

"I can only use a saber in place of a sword."

Li Qingshan turned his palm over, and the Thunderclap Saber appeared in his hand.

Gripping the hilt, he leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, and moved his thoughts.

When he opened his eyes again, the familiar Circular Platform entered his sight.

And there was also... a decrepit, aged, hunched figure wearing a mask, desperately running toward him.

Tap tap... Thud!

Its feeble body could not support such a mad dash, and it fell flat onto the ground.

Two wrinkled, withered hands stretched out with all their might, grasping futilely through the air.

Li Qingshan looked down at his feet and sighed with feeling.

"Old neighbor, we meet again."

He stomped down. With a bang, the aged body turned to ash and scattered without a trace.

At the same time, a hunched sculpture slowly appeared at the edge of the platform, its face covered by a Grinning Mask.

Li Qingshan swept a glance over it without looking again, then raised his head toward the ceiling.

At the center of the vast river of stars, the Nine Brightest Stars occupied the middle, arranged in the shape of the character "great."

The surrounding stars encircled them, their brilliant radiance outlining a hazy human silhouette.

"Star River Cosmos..."

Li Qingshan murmured, his gaze falling upon the hazy figure's right hand.

There, three more stars had lit up. Compared with the other parts, that area had already become much clearer.

The hazy figure coiled at the center of the star river was his "Dao."

And the three illuminated stars were the "principles" filling it.

Inner Scene cultivation meant comprehending the Dao and understanding its principles.

Once all the "principles" had been filled in, the Inner Scene could manifest outward, visualization could become reality, and the foundation of a dharma form could be built.

"The path is already clear. All that remains is to work hard."

Li Qingshan smiled faintly, drew his saber from its sheath, and beneath the bathing starlight, began to wield it...