The Stars Are Calling

The little fatty chattered endlessly, spittle flying everywhere.

Li Qingshan took a silent step back and, once he finished, gave a slight nod.

"Alright, time to start today's lesson."

"Huh?" Cao Shaoyu's expression froze, his excitement vanishing in an instant. He pulled a long face and said:

"Do we really have to do Broadcast Gymnastics?"

"What do you think?"

Li Qingshan's lips curled into a faint smile, the Chopping Knife cradled against his chest.

Cao Shaoyu shuddered, no longer daring to haggle. He trudged to the center of the classroom and spread his limbs.

But compared to yesterday's talent with the Mizong Step, today could only be described as a disaster.

The little fatty's movements were loose and sloppy—not even close to the basics, let alone getting started.

Li Qingshan's brow furrowed deeper and deeper, and he cut in with a stern voice:

"Stop! Is this how your school taught you?"

Before age fifteen, the New Continent's standard for screening Martial Artist talent was reaching the Third Realm of The Stars Are Calling.

Though the PE teachers in primary and secondary schools weren't as good as Wan Keshan, they couldn't possibly be this careless.

"The teacher's lessons were too hard, and they said it could help with Body Forging, but it didn't really do anything."

Cao Shaoyu muttered under his breath, sneaking a cautious glance at the coach.

"With practice like that, it's no wonder it didn't work!"

Li Qingshan shook his head, not pressing further.

Because he remembered that before his transmigration, his predecessor had only treated The Stars Are Calling as Broadcast Gymnastics, barely scraping by at the entry level.

In truth, this was the common norm.

The Stars Are Calling was easy to learn but hard to master. Without reaching the Second Realm to grasp Force Generation, you couldn't feel the Body Forging effects, and naturally, it failed to spark students' enthusiasm for training.

PE teachers in primary and secondary schools, facing thousands of students, couldn't supervise each one like in a Martial Arts Class.

"Alright, start from the beginning. I'll correct you one by one."

Li Qingshan stepped forward with the Chopping Knife, signaling the little fatty to begin training.

The scabbard tapped at his limb joints from time to time, correcting his posture.

Two hours later, the 108 moves were finally done. Cao Shaoyu collapsed to the ground, grimacing in pain.

Li Qingshan nodded, fairly satisfied.

Though he hadn't gotten started yet, it was clear his earlier guess was right—Cao Shaoyu did have some talent.

But the little fatty wouldn't lift a finger without a reward, and since The Stars Are Calling was too slow to show results, he'd never taken it seriously.

"Coach, what are we training tomorrow?"

Cao Shaoyu wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking hopeful:

"Can we switch to the Mizong Step?"

"Of course." Li Qingshan shot the little fatty a sidelong glance, half-smiling.

"After you finish Body Forging tomorrow, I'll reward you with an hour of Movement Technique practice. No overtime fee."

"Coach, I was wrong! Forget I said anything!"

Cao Shaoyu jolted, scrambled to his feet, and bolted for the door.

"I'm heading back to school!"

But before he reached the doorway, he tripped and fell.

Li Qingshan shook his head, went over to help him up, and asked curiously:

"You live at school?"

"My parents work in the provincial capital. They only come back on weekends, so I usually stay in the school dorms."

Cao Shaoyu looked completely unbothered, showing no awareness of being a left-behind kid.

But Li Qingshan didn't feel sorry for him either. Yesterday, this "left-behind kid" had dropped 120,000 on lessons without blinking.

With an extra 120,000 in his account, Li Qingshan no longer had to worry about Nutrient Solution, and his life settled into a routine.

Every day, he shuttled between school, the Gym, and home.

The proficiency of The Stars Are Calling steadily climbed at a rate of about 30 points per day.

The Body Forging progress also rose slowly but surely.

Day after day...

A month later, in the Martial Arts Space.

Wolf Poison snarled ferociously, its fangs gleaming with a chilling light.

A hundred meters away, Li Qingshan rested his long blade on the ground, a smile tugging at his lips.

"I'm in a good mood today. I'll kill you once to celebrate!"

Man and beast charged toward each other.

In the blink of an eye, they closed the hundred-meter gap, fangs clashing against the chopping knife.

After the first strike, Wolf Poison swiftly pivoted and lunged again.

Li Qingshan's gaze sharpened. Instead of circling behind it with Mizong Step as he usually did, he swung his arm directly.

The blade cut through the wind, whistling louder and faster with each motion.

In an instant, the solid chopping knife vanished into the air, leaving only an unbroken cascade of blade shadows.

"Blade Light Becomes Shadow—Great Accomplishment in Wind Shadow Blade!"

The countless blade shadows spread like a net, descending in a shroud.

Wolf Poison's outstretched claws were instantly deflected by the shadows, its forelimbs covered in wounds.

It roared in frustration and pounced again.

But the blade shadows were impenetrable. It had no way through, and instead, gash after gash was carved into its body.

Blood flew with every shadow, and Wolf Poison's roars grew weaker.

In less than a minute, Wolf Poison's massive frame suddenly went limp, collapsing to the ground as streams of blood poured from its wounds, pooling into a crimson puddle.

The countless blade shadows dissipated in an instant.

Li Qingshan sheathed his blade, standing before the blood pool, gazing at the dying Wolf Poison with a satisfied smile.

"Finally managed to kill you 'head-on' once."

A month in, his Body Tempering progress had long surpassed 18/100, reaching Body Tempering Second Level.

Though his speed and punching power still fell short of Wolf Poison's, combined with Great Accomplishment in Wind Shadow Blade, he could now take it down in a direct fight.

But that wasn't the reason for today's "celebration."

Watching Wolf Poison breathe its last, its body reverting to a statue, Li Qingshan focused his mind and exited the Martial Arts Space.

In the classroom, Cao Shaoyu was drenched in sweat, training in Body Tempering.

Compared to a month ago, the chubby kid had shed a layer of fat, and his movements were perfectly standard—he was officially on the right track.

"A famous teacher produces a brilliant student!"

Li Qingshan smirked with self-satisfaction, his gaze falling on the translucent Status Panel.

[Li Qingshan] [Realm: Body Tempering 20/100] [Technique: The Thirty-Sixth Set of Broadcast Gymnastics—The Stars Are Calling 1/3000 (Great Accomplishment)] [Martial Skills: Mizong Step 276/3000 (Great Accomplishment), Wind Shadow Blade 5/3000 (Great Accomplishment)] [Functions: Martial Arts Space Lv1 (1/100)] [Available Time: 150 days] [Time Flow Rate: 1:10]

"The fourth level of The Stars Are Calling—Muscle Rhythm?"

Li Qingshan lightly pinched the bridge of his nose, carefully recalling the information that had flooded his mind when the technique upgraded.

"Use breathing to drive the heart's power, sense the nerves hidden in the muscles, and master the muscle twitch."

"At the moment of Force Generation in each movement, simultaneously activate the corresponding nerves and vibrate the muscles."

The content in his mind was no different from what Wan Keshan had explained before.

But unlike before, when he'd only half-understood, the moment The Stars Are Calling upgraded, he had fully "comprehended" it—his body instinctively knew how to do it.

"With the Status Panel and the time acceleration in the Martial Arts Space, I'm basically a budget version of 'heaven-defying insight.'"

Li Qingshan smiled contentedly, then shifted his gaze to the technique column.

[The Stars Are Calling 1/3000 (Great Accomplishment)]

"Didn't they say there were only four levels? Why is the Progress Bar still there?"

Beginner, Proficient, Mastery, Great Accomplishment, Perfection—these were the five levels the Status Panel divided skills into, and they matched the real world's classification for martial skills.

But The Stars Are Calling was different.

When Wan Keshan first explained the technique, he specifically mentioned that The Stars Are Calling only had four levels.

Li Qingshan had always believed that cultivation techniques and martial skills were different, hence the distinction.

But to his surprise, the now Great Accomplishment The Stars Are Calling, Mizong Step, and Wind Shadow Blade were no different at all—all requiring the same 3,000 proficiency points.

"Could it be that The Stars Are Calling can also be elevated to Perfection, and that a fifth realm exists?"

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

Every upgrade of a cultivation technique meant a doubling of body-tempering efficiency.

In the two months of the Martial Arts Class, his body-tempering progress had increased by 11 points.

Now that The Stars Are Calling had reached Great Accomplishment, with body-tempering efficiency doubled, even if further tempering became more difficult, he was confident he could reach Body Tempering Third Level within a month.

If The Stars Are Calling could be elevated to Perfection, and body-tempering efficiency doubled again...

His body-tempering speed would become absolutely terrifying!