A Million!

Li Qingshan bathed beneath the starlight, gazing up at the stars that filled the heavens.

His gaze crossed endless void, building a bridge.

The dazzling river of stars reflected in his pupils.

At the center of his pupils, a hazy human silhouette flickered with starlight, waxing and waning unpredictably.

"Is this... a visualization method?"

Li Qingshan's eyes were filled with bewilderment and uncertainty.

Visualization methods were only involved after one entered the Inner Scene.

Having only just entered the Star Academy, all new students were busy preparing to enter the Crimson Rainbow Continent. Formal classes had not even begun.

Although he had been cramming all the courses before Year Ten, the entire Year Ten curriculum only covered knowledge before the Inner Scene, with scarcely any mention of "visualization methods."

The reason he had guessed as much

came from the resonance between the acupoints within his body and the nine stars.

During the previous transformations of the Martial Dao Space, nine beams of starlight had descended across the void, helping him smoothly complete the path of nine transformations.

Now, the hazy human silhouette constructed around those nine stars foretold the path that lay ahead of him.

Following that vague, intangible sensation, Li Qingshan gazed toward the river of stars.

Then...

He was completely lost!

There was no cultivation method, no written text, only the faintest, barely perceptible sensation.

It was like looking at flowers through fog, or... no, it was like fishing for the moon at the bottom of the sea!

"Comprehension?!"

Li Qingshan's face darkened as he withdrew his gaze.

If that faint sensation had not existed, he would never have noticed the anomaly within the river of stars.

But even so,

he was like a traveler floating in the ocean, holding only a water ladle yet dreaming of scooping up the moon from the seabed.

That water ladle was his comprehension!

"This is too much!"

Li Qingshan was indignant. His gaze swept over the hundreds of thousands of years of usable time remaining on the panel as he said coldly,

"Even if it's only a water ladle, sooner or later, I'll scoop the sea dry!"

He gathered his thoughts, and his expression returned to calm.

Li Qingshan sat down cross-legged and spoke aloud.

"Celestial phenomena are all phenomena... the alternation of day and night... the turning of the seasons... yin and yang, dusk and dawn..."

This was the first time he had not found memorizing texts agonizing.

After all, every ten thousand recitations increased proficiency by one point. It was something he could see and grasp.

Previously, one day in reality equaled a thousand days in the space. Nearly three years could raise his proficiency by more than five hundred points.

Now, he could work ten times as hard!

One day in reality, nearly thirty years in the space, meant more than five thousand points of proficiency!

Days passed one after another.

Within the cold, quiet room, the young man sat motionless in meditation and did not leave even once.

In Seven Stars City, many meddlesome wandering heroes were still waiting for Undying Yama's return.

At the same time, quite a few seasoned veterans kept a close eye on the movements of the Lingtian Sect.

Yet the Heaven, Earth, and Human Rankings had hung there for a long time without any changes.

Neither Undying Yama, the Seven Stars Sect, nor the Lingtian Sect made the slightest move again.

The conflict in the Far West faded away like ripples, and the martial world returned to tranquility.

In the blink of an eye, a month passed.

Knock, knock!

Someone knocked on the door.

On the bed, the young man's eyelids trembled as they slowly opened.

His eyes were somewhat vacant, filled with numbness.

"Junior Brother Li?"

The voice outside carried an added note of anxiety.

Li Qingshan's eyes moved, and his gaze swept over the cultivation method section.

Cultivation Method: "Celestial Phenomenon Seven Arts" / (Beginner) → Cultivation Method: "Celestial Phenomenon Seven Arts" / (Proficient)

The light gradually returned to his eyes. He got up, walked to the door, and opened it.

Sunlight poured in from outside, falling across his face.

Li Qingshan closed his eyes. Only after taking several deep breaths did he open them and look at the figure in white beneath the sunlight, a smile curling across his lips.

"Senior Brother Liu, long time no see!"

"It's only been a few months." Liu Licheng waved his hand, saying admiringly,

"I heard Junior Brother Li has been in seclusion for a whole month. I wouldn't have been able to sit still!"

"Just..." Li Qingshan paused, then shook his head.

"It was only seclusion. It's nothing much."

"Did Senior Brother Liu bring back news of the 'secret order' this time?"

"That's right!"

Liu Licheng looked Li Qingshan up and down, then turned and led the way.

"This isn't the place to talk. Come with me to see the Sect Master first!"

The two walked one after the other through several covered corridors and entered the rear courtyard.

Long Yeyun was still seated beside the stone table, a teacup in his hand.

Beside him stood a lean young man, who looked at the pair with a smile.

Liu Licheng stepped forward and introduced him.

"Junior Brother, this is Senior Yan Kang from Town Abyss Fortress."

"Senior..."

"No need for introductions."

Yan Kang interrupted him, looked at Li Qingshan, and said with a smile,

"Junior Brother Li's great name is known to everyone across the nine Planetary Fortresses!"

"By your own strength, you killed so many alien races into behaving themselves. It was simply an unprecedented feat!"

"If not for Junior Brother Li, we truly wouldn't have been able to spare so many people this time!"

"You flatter me, Senior Yan."

Li Qingshan forced out a smile in reply. He truly did not want to bring up that "painful memory" again.

Long Yeyun set down his teacup and said,

"Enough. Since you're here, take a look at the secret order first!"

Li Qingshan nodded and turned his gaze toward Liu Licheng.

"Not me." Liu Licheng smiled awkwardly.

"I originally accepted the task of bringing the news back first. Who would have thought that my landing point would be in the Far South, on Titanium Extremes Gate territory?"

"On the way here, I happened to run into Senior Yan, so we returned to Seven Stars City together."

"It doesn't matter if it was a little late!" Long Yeyun waved his hand and raised an index finger toward the sky.

"Some things are difficult to say directly. Technology is more convenient!"

Yan Kang stepped forward and raised his right hand.

Mecha armor extended from beneath his sleeve like scales, covering his entire palm.

"Junior Brother Li, close your eyes. Don't resist."

After giving the reminder, he pressed his index finger to Li Qingshan's forehead.

Li Qingshan closed his eyes and felt the icy touch against his forehead.

Very soon, light and shadow appeared in the darkness, while Yan Kang's voice sounded at the same time.

"The projection will form directly on your retina, while the sound will travel through bone conduction and vibrate your eardrums."

As soon as he finished speaking, the light and shadow converged into a screen.

At the center of the image, a black-robed young man stood in the void, with endless shadows behind him.

"It should already be the Xinchen Era, right?"

A moment later, the video finished playing. The mecha armor on Yan Kang's hand receded, and Li Qingshan opened his eyes as well.

Long Yeyun took a sip of tea and smiled faintly.

"You've finished watching the secret order. What are your thoughts?"

Li Qingshan drew a deep breath and slowly spoke four words.

"The Dean is domineering!"

The Martial Dao Seven Stars had surrounded the starry void's shadow, operating for a full one hundred and twenty thousand years.

It could be said that for those one hundred and twenty thousand years, the Crimson Rainbow Continent had always been beneath the cannons' muzzles.

How was that merely a backup plan? It was clearly a readiness to flip the board at any moment.

No matter what tricks Old Taoist Tianji or the Spirit Controlling Evil Lord stirred up, they could simply be wiped out!

"That person can't hear your flattery!"

Long Yeyun shook his head with a laugh. Looking at Li Qingshan, he said seriously,

"The seven Deans have already made their decision. They will proceed on two fronts!"

Li Qingshan thought for a moment, then nodded in understanding.

The first preparation naturally rested on him.

However, because of "fate," they had made a second preparation at the same time.

They would mobilize fourth-rank Mecha Pilots and conduct a complete evacuation!

Li Qingshan thought for a moment, looked at Yan Kang, and asked curiously,

"Senior Yan, how many Mecha Pilots did the fortresses deploy in total?"

"Thanks to Junior Brother Li, the defensive situation is currently rather relaxed."

Yan Kang smiled and spoke in an understated tone,

"Each of the nine Planetary Fortresses deployed more than one hundred thousand fourth-rank Mecha Pilots. In total... around one million!"