The next day, at noon.
It was lunchtime, and the Martial Arts Hall was nearly empty.
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 swept his gaze over the Status Panel.
[The Stars Are Calling98/1000 (mastery)]→[The Stars Are Calling100/1000 (mastery)]
"Another two points of proficiency. As expected, I can't waste daytime either."
He had gotten the idea last night while slacking off during Cao Shaoyu's lesson.
The Martial Arts Space had a 1:10 Time Flow Rate. As long as he had six free minutes in reality, he could complete one full round of practice for The Stars Are Calling inside the space.
"I can basically guarantee twenty points of proficiency every night. If I scrape together some time during the day, I can probably get another ten."
"That makes thirty points a day. I'll reach Great Accomplishment in a month!"
After doing a little calculation, Li Qingshan nodded in satisfaction.
However, proficiency did not come from thin air.
Li Qingshan looked at [available time: 323 days] in the Martial Arts Space, his brow faintly furrowing.
Each point of proficiency required four rounds of practice—four hours.
Thirty points of proficiency required a full one hundred and twenty hours, or five days.
Moreover, the Martial Arts Space merely ignored physical exhaustion. He still needed sleep to recover from mental fatigue, which would take at least another day.
In other words, every day that passed in reality consumed six days of available time in the Martial Arts Space.
As The Stars Are Calling advanced by leaps and bounds, the Martial Arts Space's available time was also being burned away at a rapid pace.
"Although the remaining available time is enough for The Stars Are Calling to reach Great Accomplishment, there won't be much left afterward. I need to prepare for a rainy day."
Li Qingshan lightly pinched the bridge of his nose, his eyes thoughtful.
"Kill monsters? But where am I supposed to find monsters...?"
After experiencing the Martial Arts Space's "super multiplier," he had no desire to go back to his old days of hardship.
Just then, a burly figure entered through the front door.
Li Qingshan's gaze shifted and locked onto him.
That afternoon, after another Body Forging session, all the students collapsed onto the floor.
Wan Keshan clasped his hands behind his back and walked over to Li Qingshan.
"Kid, if you've got something to say, say it. Don't give me this routine!"
Li Qingshan had been staring at him ever since he walked in. The stare had made his skin crawl.
"Uh... was I that obvious?"
Li Qingshan smiled awkwardly and said,
"Teacher, I actually wanted to ask where that Wolf Poison from the first lesson came from."
"Still thinking about that Wolf Poison?"
Wan Keshan's expression changed, and he frowned.
He felt that there was something seriously wrong with this student of his.
From splitting the vat open and tearing out its stomach on the first day, to later asking how to kill a Wolf Poison alone.
Neither was something a normal student would do.
There had been no movement from Li Qingshan over 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 brow furrow more deeply, Li Qingshan hurriedly explained,
"I'm just curious about Astral Beasts and want to learn more about them."
"Curious?" Wan Keshan's eyes shifted, and he gave a half-smile. "Once you go to New Continent, you'll have plenty of time to satisfy your curiosity. For now, focus on training."
New Continent?
Li Qingshan paused, then tested the waters.
"Teacher, was that Wolf Poison brought over from New Continent?"
"Of course. Unless the power of an Evil God is at work, ordinary Fierce Beasts cannot break free from the restraints of the Star Realm on their own," Wan Keshan casually explained, "New Continent suppresses a World Gate. The Wolf Poison was captured from there."
"World Gate!"
Li Qingshan's expression brightened.
At the request of our many readers, we now offer VIP membership with ad-free access.
The textbooks contained introductions to both the "Star Realm" and the "World Gate."
The Star Realm was a general term for otherworldly spaces whose dimensions differed from reality. Their number was unknown, and so were their sizes.
The only certainty was that all currently known Strange Beasts had invaded the human Federation from the Star Realm.
A "World Gate" was an Entrance to the Star Realm.
"But the textbooks never said there was a World Gate in New Continent!"
The thought flashed through his mind, and Li Qingshan's eyes lit up.
That Wolf Poison had been captured from the Star Realm.
There had to be countless more Strange Beasts within that Star Realm!
To him, a World Gate was no different from the Entrance to an experience dungeon.
As long as he was strong enough, not only could he obtain a massive amount of available time,
even raising the Martial Arts Space's level would no longer be an unreachable dream.
Still, that was something he could only consider after reaching New Continent.
Distant water could not put out a nearby fire. Li Qingshan asked unwillingly,
"Teacher, are there really no Fierce Beasts to be found on Old Continent?"
"You really dare to dream!" Wan Keshan glared at him and scolded, "So what if you found one? Do you expect to tie up all four limbs of a Fierce Beast like in class and let you 'study' it?"
"Or do you think you already have the strength to kill a Fierce Beast?"
"Uh..."
Li Qingshan was left a little dazed by the scolding. After hesitating briefly, he opened his mouth uncertainly.
"Teacher, actually..."
"Enough. Don't aim too high."
Wan Keshan directly waved a hand to cut him off, speaking earnestly.
"The Fierce Beasts on Old Continent are all accounted for. Each one has its own purpose. It isn't as though you can find one whenever you want."
"Besides, to maintain Old Continent's stability, any Fierce Beast entering Old Continent must pass through layer upon layer of review. The entire process is extremely strict."
"I had to submit a report in advance before I could apply for that Wolf Poison last time."
"In short, if you want to see more Fierce Beasts, train hard and strive to gain insight into the fourth level of The Stars Are Calling as soon as possible, then 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 retreating figure stride away like a shooting star and shook his head.
Just now, he had wanted to say that he already had the strength to kill a Wolf Poison alone.
But now, it seemed there was no difference whether he said it or not.
Given Old Continent's review system for Fierce Beasts, he currently had no chance to come into contact with one at all.
"Looks like if I want to 'kill monsters,' I'll have to go to New Continent first."
Li Qingshan temporarily suppressed his thoughts and did not grow too anxious.
Three years was too long. He could not wait.
But with the Status Panel, Li Qingshan did not need three years at all.
He only needed to grind proficiency for another month to gain insight into the fourth level of The Stars Are Calling.
By then, his Body Forging progress would surely catch up to the Second Year students, perhaps even the Third Year seniors, at a rapid pace.
After dinner, Li Qingshan and Zhao Hongzhou took a bus to the Yinghai Flagship Store.
Evening was when the gym did its best business, and the store was bustling with people coming and going.
"Coach Li!"
The receptionist's eyes sparkled, her face full of smiles.
Other coaches occasionally passing by also greeted him warmly.
"Brother Li, you're here!"
Li Qingshan smiled and nodded in response as he headed for the fourth-floor classroom.
The moment he entered, he saw Little Fatty stepping through the Mizong Step with nimble footwork, his face full of excitement.
"Coach!"
Cao Shaoyu stopped moving and ran over eagerly to greet him.
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 touch the corner of my clothes..."
Before you continue