Rankings

"With standards like this, he could still become Yinghai's general manager?"

Li Qingshan casually mocked him, then shut off his communicator.

He had only been partners with Yinghai before. Since things had turned unpleasant, there was no need to deal with them again.

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone knocked at the door. Li Qingshan perked up and quickly headed for it.

Outside stood the saleswoman making the delivery.

"Mr. Li, there are twenty bottles of Intermediate Nutrient Solution in total. Please sign for them."

The saleswoman held an insulated case, her smile blooming as her attitude grew even warmer.

From the initial ten bottles of Basic Nutrient Solution to this one-time purchase of twenty bottles of Intermediate Nutrient Solution, the young man before her had become her biggest customer.

And it was foreseeable that this customer would only become more important.

Li Qingshan took the insulated case and unfolded it over his arm.

Cold mist billowed out, revealing twenty neatly arranged bottles of pale red liquid.

"No problem. Take the payment directly."

Li Qingshan nodded and closed the case. His communicator brushed over the payment terminal the woman had taken out.

-160000

With the newly received one-million bonus, Li Qingshan did not feel nearly as heartbroken this time.

After the saleswoman left, he took out a bottle of Intermediate Nutrient Solution and held it before his eyes.

Compared to the Basic Nutrient Solution, the bottle had not changed in size. Only its color had shifted from luminous blue to pale red.

Logically, "pale red" should have been far less eye-catching than luminous blue.

But the truth was exactly the opposite.

The pale red before him held Li Qingshan's gaze firmly. Just looking at it made him feel a faint heat, already beyond the scope of an ordinary color.

Li Qingshan could not help recalling the crimson radiance around Wan Keshan last night. The two seemed to share the same nature.

"Could it be Blood Qi?"

He had heard the term "Blood Qi" from Yu Lei. Supposedly, it involved the realm after Body Tempering.

But Yu Lei's "supposedly" had always been severely lacking in substance. There was barely any real information in it.

"Forget it. As long as it works, I'll figure it out eventually."

Li Qingshan simply stopped thinking about it, uncorked the bottle, and tilted his head back to drink.

Basic Nutrient Solution tasted like a beverage, while Intermediate Nutrient Solution was like strong liquor.

No, it was even fiercer than strong liquor.

The scorching liquid fell into his stomach like crashing lava, splitting into countless searing tongues of flame that surged toward every part of his body.

His skin visibly flushed and heated up, with a faint vapor of sweat rising from it.

"No wonder ordinary people are strictly forbidden from using Intermediate Nutrient Solution. This has completely exceeded the bounds of 'nutrient solution'!"

Li Qingshan did not dare waste any time. He immediately assumed his stance and began Body Tempering training.

As he went through the movements one by one, his skin became increasingly hot, sweat seeping from every pore.

His body steadily grew stronger, while his stomach seemed like a furnace, continuously supplying all the nutrients needed for that growth.

An hour later, all 108 movements were complete.

Li Qingshan withdrew his stance and closed his eyes, quietly sensing the changes in his body.

Although there was no numerical feedback, the improvement from this training session had definitely surpassed last night's.

Moreover, he did not feel drained at all. The Intermediate Nutrient Solution in his stomach had not yet been fully consumed and was continuously replenishing his strength.

"Eight thousand a bottle. Worth every credit!"

Li Qingshan smiled in satisfaction and turned his gaze toward the Virtual Pod.

His stamina would still take time to recover, so this was the perfect chance to study it.

After all, it was the core of the entire private training room.

Filled with anticipation, Li Qingshan walked toward the Virtual Pod.

The Virtual Pod was spindle-shaped, nearly three meters long, with a gray-black alloy surface.

He ran his fingers over the shell and pressed the circular button at its center.

With a hiss, the pod's cover lifted, revealing a one-meter-deep chamber that resembled an alloy coffin.

Li Qingshan raised his brows and lay down inside.

The cover closed.

Pale blue light lit up the dark space and swept over his body as a mechanical voice sounded beside his ear.

"New user detected. Automatically comparing user information."

"Pupil confirmed. Fingerprint confirmed. Genetic information confirmed. New user confirmed as Federation citizen Li Qingshan."

"Li Qingshan, you have been authorized. Would you like to connect to the Battle Space?"

"Yes!"

As soon as he spoke, his vision suddenly brightened.

Towering cliffs rose straight into the clouds.

Li Qingshan stood before the sheer cliff face and lightly pinched the bridge of his nose.

The instant he entered the Battle Space, the AI Brain had transmitted quite a bit of relevant information.

The Battle Space could achieve 99% realism. Death within the space would not cause any harm in reality.

However, dying too many times within a short period would place immense pressure on one's mind. The exact limit depended on the individual.

"99% realism?"

Li Qingshan moved his limbs and pinched various parts of his body.

The sensation was already extremely real, but compared to the Martial Arts Space projection, it still carried a slight sense of looking at flowers through mist.

"Perhaps that is the final 1%."

Recalling the tens of thousands of times he had died in wolves' jaws, Li Qingshan was utterly certain that the Martial Arts Space was 100% realistic.

Due to its purpose, the Battle Space contained no entertainment facilities. The surroundings were completely empty.

Except for the sheer cliff soaring into the clouds before him.

"Old Continent Rankings."

Li Qingshan's gaze swept over the smooth cliff face, where countless names had been carved densely together.

Any martial arts student currently enrolled could leave their name on the rankings.

Thus, there were tens of thousands of names on the cliff at this moment.

Li Qingshan gave it a quick glance, then lifted his eyes toward the summit hidden behind the clouds.

The clouds automatically dispersed, and the names at the top gradually enlarged before his eyes.

"Old Continent's Number One, Mu Yu."

Li Qingshan nodded and withdrew his gaze.

His name was not yet on the cliff. To enter the rankings, he first had to complete his first battle.

Li Qingshan spread his fingers, and a projected screen appeared.

In virtual space battles, opponents were matched entirely at random by the system. He could choose any cold weapon that did not exceed the restrictions.

Li Qingshan swiftly selected the Thunder-Pattern Blade and pressed the matching button.

"Please prepare for battle. Your opponent has been selected: An Baoliang, ranked 68706."

"Countdown: 3... 2... 1!"

The light and shadows shifted, and the cliff vanished.

Holding the Thunder-Pattern Blade, Li Qingshan appeared on a circular platform one thousand meters in diameter.

Ten meters away, a tall, burly fat man was looking at him.

"Junior, this is your first time entering the Battle Space, isn't it?"

An Baoliang wore a friendly smile as he strolled over.

Li Qingshan gripped his sword hilt and frowned.

It was not strange that An Baoliang knew this was his first time in the Battle Space.

Li Qingshan could see An Baoliang's ranking, so An Baoliang could naturally tell that he did not yet have one.

But An Baoliang's completely unguarded manner at this moment was rather puzzling.

The Battle Space was not a place for small talk.

After considering it, Li Qingshan did not rush to attack.

"Senior, what can I do for you?"

"Don't be in such a hurry, Junior. It's only one battle. It doesn't matter if I lose to you."

An Baoliang deliberately spread his hands to show that he held no weapon, then explained.

"Junior, the more friends you have, the more paths you have. How about we exchange contact numbers first, then add each other after we leave?"

Without realizing it, An Baoliang had already walked to Li Qingshan's side, the corners of his mouth lifting.

"You should know that reaching a high ranking does not necessarily require strength." An Baoliang spoke meaningfully.

"As long as your network is broad enough, you can still run into acquaintances even through random matching!"

"Cheating?" Li Qingshan slightly raised his eyelids, getting straight to the point.

An Baoliang's method was indeed feasible, but the prerequisite was having a network that spanned all 107 provinces of the Old Continent.

And that was precisely the most impossible thing!

Such an enormous network could not possibly evade the AI Brain's system surveillance.

Martial arts student selection concerned the foundation of Federation policy. Anyone truly engaging in this kind of shady operation would be courting death.

What was more, An Baoliang had openly said it inside the Battle Space.

If he was not an idiot, then he definitely had another purpose.

But none of that mattered now.

Facing An Baoliang's smiling face, Li Qingshan smiled faintly as well.

Clang!

He drew his blade from its sheath.