The Stars Are Calling, Prey!

Nighttime.

Linjiang Road, Galaxy River Bar.

The music was deafening, and dazzling lights splashed wildly across the darkened space.

Dancers' projections twisted in midair, scantily clad.

Beneath their illusory bare feet, figures swayed and bobbed their heads, venting to their hearts' content.

The smells of smoke, alcohol, sweat, and hormones fermented together in the enclosed space.

"It's been a month, and I'm still not used to this smell."

Li Qingshan, dressed in a security guard's uniform, frowned as he passed along the edge of the crowd and arrived at the bar's entrance.

Huff!

Li Qingshan let out a long breath and lightly pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Maybe I should find another job. There are plenty of part-time opportunities anyway."

"But I'm entering the Martial Arts Class tomorrow. I should first see how they arrange things there."

"I finally saved up 60,000 Star Coins. I wonder how long it'll last."

60,000 Star Coins was no small sum. After all, his rent was only 1,000 a month.

But compared to martial arts cultivation, even the lowest-grade Nutrient Solution cost 3,000 a bottle. This money was undoubtedly a drop in the bucket.

"Fortunately, I have a cheat!"

Li Qingshan grinned and looked at the illusory screen.

[Li Qingshan]

[Realm: Body Tempering 9/100]

[Technique:

Thirty-Sixth Broadcast Calisthenics Routine—The Stars Are Calling 7/1000 (Mastery)]

[Function: Martial Arts Space] (Locked)

The final line, [Martial Arts Space], was still gray and white, indicating that it had not been unlocked.

But the technique proficiency alone had already benefited Li Qingshan greatly.

As long as he worked hard, he would gain something.

In just two short years,

The Stars Are Calling had gone from Beginner 53/100, passed through the Proficient level, and reached Mastery.

Improving technique proficiency would not directly increase his Body Tempering progress.

But it represented cultivation speed.

With every level-up, the effects increased exponentially.

At the Mastery level, The Stars Are Calling cultivated at least eight times faster than it had at the Beginner level.

Body Tempering was a major realm divided into ten stages, and it was the only path to becoming an official Martial Artist.

Progress of [Body Tempering 9/100] meant he was already close to the Body Tempering First Stage.

This was the result of Li Qingshan's efforts over the past two years.

And now,

he was confident that he could reach the Body Tempering Second Stage within half a year.

Moreover, as his technique proficiency increased, he would only get faster and faster.

"I wonder what exactly the Martial Arts Space does and what conditions are needed to unlock it."

Just as Li Qingshan was pondering this, a slender hand reached out from behind and landed on his shoulder.

"Hey, handsome. Why are you all alone? Want to have a drink with your big sister?"

Li Qingshan took a step forward, avoiding the hand on his shoulder, then turned to look at her.

She was a woman in her twenties, holding a glass in her left hand while her right remained extended.

She had long, wavy purplish-red hair, pretty features, and bleary drunken eyes.

Below her neck, a patch of snowy white skin was particularly eye-catching.

Li Qingshan glanced at the minefield, quickly withdrew his gaze, and said seriously,

"Ma'am, if you want a drink, go to the bar. I'm security. I have work to do."

"A security guard can still be handsome!"

The woman gave a besotted laugh and stepped forward again.

"You're so young. Didn't you come here to work just to make money?"

Li Qingshan slowed as he stepped back.

That was true. Even the lowest-grade Nutrient Solution cost 3,000 a bottle. 60,000 Star Coins would not last long.

The woman's eyes lit up, and she pressed her advantage.

"Name your price, handsome. Big sister is very generous."

Generous?

Li Qingshan's eyes lit up, but then he violently shook his head.

No, he couldn't sink that low!

But after looking her up and down, his gaze once more passing over the minefield,

he... hesitated.

Maybe it wasn't impossible?

In the end, Li Qingshan raised one finger at her with a conflicted expression.

"Ten thousand? Sure..."

The woman smiled brightly and raised the Communicator on her wrist, ready to transfer the money.

"What ten thousand? One million!"

Li Qingshan took a deep breath and made up his mind.

"One million, and I'll have a drink with you."

Ten thousand could only buy three bottles of Nutrient Solution. What was the point?

Besides, this was his first time drinking with a customer!

Faced with Li Qingshan's expression of righteous sacrifice, the woman rolled her eyes and turned to leave.

"One million for one drink? You're insane!"

"Didn't you say you were generous?"

Li Qingshan smacked his lips with some regret.

He had been working part-time at the bar for a month. It was not as if no one had approached him before, but he had always firmly refused.

This time, he had struggled for quite a while before deciding to take a gamble for the sake of martial arts.

"Ah!"

Li Qingshan sighed and continued performing his duties conscientiously.

As the night deepened, the boisterous music gradually softened and the crowd dispersed.

Li Qingshan changed clothes and exited through the side door.

Outside was a dimly lit alley.

When he reached the mouth of the alley,

Li Qingshan stopped. Three figures were blocking his path ahead.

"Drink, I want more drinks~ Hic~~"

A drunken woman was being held up by two blond-haired men, her feet dangling above the ground.

But the two blond-haired men were unsteady on their feet as well. The three of them swayed together like a clothes rack caught in the wind.

"They're already this weak, and they still came out to pick up a corpse?" Li Qingshan shook his head with a laugh.

He had seen these two blond-haired men two or three times. Every time, they were doing the same thing.

Hearing his voice, the two blond-haired men hurriedly stopped, turned around, and stared at Li Qingshan warily.

"Kid, don't meddle in other people's business."

One of them deliberately showed off his bare arm, which bore a tattoo of a winged dragon.

"That lizard is too ugly. I suggest you get a different one."

Li Qingshan gave it a disdainful glance and walked straight toward them.

The two blond-haired men immediately put on a fierce front despite their inner fear, preparing to make a move.

"Please move aside. You're blocking the way."

As his words fell, his palm pushed against one man's shoulder.

The two blond-haired men, along with the woman held between them, all stumbled and involuntarily leaned toward the nearby wall.

By the time they came to their senses,

Li Qingshan had already left the alley and was standing beside the bus stop sign by the road.

Just then, a bus pulled up, and its front door opened.

Li Qingshan stepped aboard.

First, he was only a security guard.

Second, he was off work.

"The vehicle is starting. Please hold onto the handrails and do not walk around."

Li Qingshan sat by the window and looked toward the alley entrance.

The two blond-haired men visibly relaxed, while the woman between them hung her head, her purplish-red wavy hair especially conspicuous.

"I wonder who's the hunter and who's the prey?"

The vehicle swayed as it slowly drove away...

Screech!

A piercing brake sound rang out, and the wheels stopped turning.

"The vehicle has arrived. Please exit through the rear door."

Li Qingshan stepped off the bus and ran toward a residential complex in the distance.

The complex he rented in was neither new nor old, and the surrounding environment was decent. There was a small park nearby, equipped with quite a few exercise facilities.

As he ran, the sights along the way entered Li Qingshan's eyes, making him sigh again.

"Is this really the Interstellar Era?"

Whether it was the exercise equipment or the complex's facilities, there was nothing particularly high-tech about them.

Even the environment of the complex was similar to Blue Star from his previous life.

"Is the gap between the Old Continent and the New Continent really that great?"

The thought flashed through his mind before Li Qingshan cast it aside.

Sooner or later, he would learn the answer.

Li Qingshan's rented apartment was a typical one-bedroom unit. The living room was completely empty, without any furniture.

After entering, Li Qingshan went straight to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and took out two one-kilogram chunks of beef.

The beef had been stored for a week, yet it was still rosy in color and firm in texture.

"Fortunately, food preservation technology has improved, at least."

Li Qingshan opened the packaging, put the meat into plain water, and sprinkled in a little salt.

Half an hour later, the beef was fully cooked. Li Qingshan fished out one chunk, cooled it under cold water, and began gnawing on it.

The taste was truly nothing special, but he did not care.

After quickly finishing the beef, Li Qingshan returned to the living room and stretched his body.

The Stars Are Calling consisted of 108 movements, and none of them were difficult.

As long as an ordinary person was physically sound, they could perform all of them continuously. That was the foundation of it being "broadcast calisthenics."

But as a Body Tempering technique, the true characteristic of The Stars Are Calling was that it was easy to learn but difficult to master.

At the Beginner level, one only needed to imitate the movements and complete all 108 of them to strengthen the body.

To achieve the effects of Body Tempering, however, one had to master the Force-Exertion Stage principles of every movement. On the panel, that was reflected as the Proficient level.

As for the current Mastery level, the focus was on breathing.

Huff!

With a heavy exhale, Li Qingshan curled his toes tightly, twisted his waist and hips, and raised his right arm.

His muscles bulged layer upon layer, extending all the way to his wrist. Veins emerged from the back of his hand and ran to his fingertips.

At the Beginner level, this had merely been a simple "hip twist and arm swing" movement. Now, it had become incomparably difficult.

As time passed, he completed all 108 movements.

Li Qingshan relaxed. His clothes were already soaked through, sweat streamed down his forehead, and white vapor rose from above his head.

Ignoring his exhausted body, Li Qingshan rushed into the kitchen, picked up the remaining chunk of beef, and began gnawing on it.

After finishing the beef, Li Qingshan finally let out a breath and looked at the panel.

The Stars Are Calling 7/1000 (Mastery) → The Stars Are Calling 8/1000 (Mastery)

One practice session was not enough to increase his Body Tempering progress, and the increase in proficiency was not solely due to this one session either.

"Practicing twice a day, gaining one point every two days... does that mean I need to complete four practice sessions to gain one point of proficiency?"

Ever since reaching Mastery, Li Qingshan had been summarizing the rules behind proficiency growth at this level. Now, he could basically confirm it.

However, he was not satisfied with the result.

"One point every two days, with 992 points left... wouldn't that take nearly 1,800 days?"

"Hiss! Five years!"

Li Qingshan sucked in a sharp breath, suddenly feeling that the road ahead was long.

"No, I overlooked the increase in Body Tempering progress."

His gaze swept over the panel, and Li Qingshan's spirits rose.

"In another six months, I should be able to raise Body Tempering to 20/100, which is the Body Tempering Second Stage."

"The stronger my body becomes, the better my stamina and recovery speed will be. Then I'll be able to practice more than twice a day."

"The two complement each other. Maybe two or three years will be enough."

The time had been cut in half, but Li Qingshan did not look particularly happy. His gaze drifted toward the refrigerator.

"I should buy some Nutrient Solution and try it."

In the end, what limited his progress was his body's recovery speed.

If he recovered quickly enough, he could practice three, four, or even five times a day right now, and his Body Tempering progress would rise even faster.

Unfortunately, before reaching mastery, all kinds of meat had been enough to replenish what his body needed.

But now, his stomach could not hold any more food, and his digestive ability could not keep up either.

"Nutrient Solution..."

Li Qingshan swiped through his Communicator and looked at his savings of 60,000 Star Coins, letting out a helpless sigh.

What limited him was not Nutrient Solution, but poverty.

Unconsciously, Li Qingshan thought of that long, wavy purple-red hair and curled his lip.

"She's reduced to mooching off others, yet she still acts so generous with me."

In the suburbs, on the second floor of an abandoned construction site.

The concrete floor had been soaked in blood. Dark red stains twisted and intertwined, forming a bizarre pattern.

Beside it, two desiccated corpses knelt on the ground, gaunt and withered. Not a trace of flesh or blood remained beneath their skin, which clung tightly to their bones.

A breeze blew past, sending countless yellow hairs drifting up from the corpses' heads and scattering in every direction.