Star Realm, Boundary Gate

The next day, at noon.

It was lunchtime, and the Martial Arts Hall was sparsely populated.

In a corner, Li Qingshan leaned against a cushion with his eyes closed, seemingly fast asleep.

An hour passed.

Li Qingshan opened his eyes and glanced at the panel.

[The Stars Are Calling 98/1000 (Proficient)] → [The Stars Are Calling 100/1000 (Proficient)]

"Another two proficiency points. Sure enough, I can't waste my daytime either."

He had gotten the idea while slacking off during Cao Shaoyu's lesson last night.

The Martial Arts Space had a 1:10 time flow. As long as he had six free minutes in reality, he could complete a full round of practice for The Stars Are Calling inside the space.

"Every night, I can reliably gain twenty proficiency points. If I scrape together some time during the day, I can get another ten or so."

"That makes thirty points a day. In one month, it'll reach Major Mastery!"

After doing some quick calculations, Li Qingshan nodded in satisfaction.

However, proficiency did not come out of thin air.

Li Qingshan looked at the Martial Arts Space's [Available Time: 323 days], his brow furrowing slightly.

Each point of proficiency required four rounds of practice, or four hours.

Thirty proficiency points required a full 120 hours—five days.

Moreover, the Martial Arts Space only ignored physical exhaustion. He still needed sleep to recover from mental fatigue, which would take at least another day.

In other words, for every day that passed in reality, six days of available time in the Martial Arts Space would be consumed.

As his progress in The Stars Are Calling advanced by leaps and bounds, the Martial Arts Space's "available time" was also being rapidly depleted.

"Although the remaining time is enough for The Stars Are Calling to reach Major Mastery, there won't be much left afterward. I need to plan ahead."

Li Qingshan lightly pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes thoughtful.

"Kill monsters? But where am I supposed to find monsters...?"

Having experienced the Martial Arts Space's "super multiplier," he had no desire to return to his old hard days.

Just then, a burly figure entered through the front door.

Li Qingshan's gaze shifted and fixed on him.

That afternoon, after another Body Tempering session, all the students collapsed onto the floor.

With his hands behind his back, Wan Keshan walked over to Li Qingshan.

"Kid, if you've got something to say, say it. Don't pull this on me!"

Li Qingshan had been staring at him ever since he entered, to the point that it was making his skin crawl.

"Uh, was I that obvious?"

Li Qingshan smiled sheepishly and said,

"Teacher, I actually wanted to ask where you got that Wolf Venom from during the first class."

"You're still thinking about that Wolf Venom?"

Wan Keshan's expression changed, and he frowned.

He felt that there was something seriously wrong with this student of his.

From splitting a vat and cutting open its belly on the first day, to later asking how to kill a Wolf Venom alone.

Neither of those was something a normal student would do.

There had been no movement from Li Qingshan for the past half month, and Wan Keshan had thought he had finally settled down.

He had not expected another "surprise" today.

"Teacher, don't overthink it."

Seeing Wan Keshan's frown deepen, Li Qingshan hurriedly explained,

"I'm just curious about Star Realm Exotic Beasts and wanted to learn more about them."

"Curious?" Wan Keshan's eyes shifted as he gave a half-smile. "Once you get to New Continent, you'll have all the time in the world to satisfy that curiosity. For now, focus on training."

New Continent?

Li Qingshan paused, then probed cautiously,

"Teacher, was that Wolf Venom sent over from New Continent?"

"Of course. Unless the power of an Evil God is at work, ordinary Feral Beasts simply can't break free of the Star Realm's restraints on their own," Wan Keshan explained casually.

"New Continent suppresses a 'Boundary Gate.' That Wolf Venom was captured from inside it."

"Boundary Gate!"

Li Qingshan's spirits rose.

The textbooks had introduced both the "Star Realm" and "Boundary Gates."

The Star Realm was a general term for alternate-dimensional spaces that differed from reality. Their number was unknown, and so were their sizes.

The only certainty was that all currently known exotic beasts had invaded the human Federation from the Star Realm.

A "Boundary Gate" was an entrance to the Star Realm.

"But the textbooks never mentioned that New Continent had a Boundary Gate!"

The thought flashed through his mind, and Li Qingshan's eyes lit up.

The Wolf Venom had been captured from the Star Realm.

There had to be countless more exotic beasts within that Star Realm!

To him, the Boundary Gate was no different from the entrance to an experience dungeon.

As long as he was strong enough, not only could he gain a massive amount of "available time,"

even upgrading the Martial Arts Space would no longer be out of reach.

Of course, that was something he could only consider after reaching New Continent.

Distant water could not quench immediate thirst. Unwilling to give up, Li Qingshan asked,

"Teacher, are there really no Feral Beasts to be found in Old Continent?"

"You really dare to dream!" Wan Keshan's eyes widened as he berated him.

"So what if you found one? Do you expect to tie up a Feral Beast's limbs like in class and let you 'study' it?"

"Or do you think you're strong enough to kill a Feral Beast now?"

"Uh..."

Li Qingshan was somewhat dazed by the scolding. After hesitating briefly, he said uncertainly,

"Teacher, actually..."

"Enough. Don't get ahead of yourself."

Wan Keshan directly waved a hand to cut him off, saying earnestly,

"The Feral Beasts in Old Continent are all accounted for. Every one of them has its own purpose. You can't just find one whenever you want."

"Besides, to maintain stability in Old Continent, any Feral Beast entering Old Continent must undergo layer after layer of review. The entire process is extremely strict."

"I had to submit a report in advance just to apply for that Wolf Venom last time."

"In short, if you want to see more Feral Beasts, train hard. Strive to comprehend the fourth level of The Stars Are Calling as soon as possible and master Muscle Rhythm."

"Only then will you have a chance to enter New Continent Martial Arts University in your third year."

After another round of encouragement, Wan Keshan turned and left.

Li Qingshan watched his teacher's briskly departing back and shook his head.

Just now, he had wanted to say that he already had the strength to kill a Wolf Venom alone.

But now, it seemed that whether he said it or not made no difference.

Given Old Continent's review system for Feral Beasts, he had no chance of coming into contact with one at present.

"Looks like if I want to 'kill monsters,' I'll have to get to New Continent first."

Li Qingshan temporarily suppressed his thoughts and did not worry too much.

Three years was too long. He could not wait that long.

But with the panel, Li Qingshan did not need three years at all.

To "comprehend" the fourth level of The Stars Are Calling, he only needed to grind proficiency for one more month.

By then, his Body Tempering progress would definitely catch up to the second-years, perhaps even the third-year seniors.

After dinner, Li Qingshan and Zhao Hongzhou took the bus to Yinghai Flagship Store.

Evening was peak business time for the gym, and people came and went through the store.

"Coach Li!"

The receptionist's eyes sparkled as she beamed at him.

Other coaches occasionally passed by nearby and greeted him warmly as well.

"Brother Li, you're here!"

Li Qingshan smiled and nodded in response as he headed toward the fourth-floor classroom.

The moment he entered, he saw the nimble little fatty stepping through Lost-Trace Steps, his face full of excitement.

"Coach!"

Cao Shaoyu stopped and ran over to greet him eagerly.

Li Qingshan smiled knowingly.

"You won?"

"Hehe, Coach, you have no idea. I finally got my revenge today. That bastard Lou Jiang couldn't even catch the hem of my clothes..."