"No, not if."
Li Qingshan shook his head and said with certainty:
"Since the Status Panel has given me a progress bar, I can definitely grind it to perfection. The Stars Are Calling absolutely has a fifth layer!"
He trusted the Status Panel without the slightest doubt.
However...
Li Qingshan lowered his gaze. The cold line of numbers beneath Martial Arts Space made him calm down.
[Available time: 150 days]
A progress bar requiring 3,000 proficiency points and only 150 days of time—this was like a cup of water against a cartload of firewood.
"If I want to increase Martial Arts Space's available time, I can only kill monsters. But there simply aren't any Fierce Beasts to kill in the Old Continent now!"
Li Qingshan shook his head helplessly and withdrew his gaze.
Cao Shaoyu finished his final movement, then collapsed onto the floor, gasping for breath.
"Coach, are you awake?"
"What is it?"
Li Qingshan slightly raised his eyelids and looked at the chubby child.
"Still haven't trained enough today?"
"No, no!"
Cao Shaoyu waved his hands with a fawning grin and shuffled over to Li Qingshan's side.
His mouth opened and closed several times, as though he wanted to speak but hesitated.
"If you've got something to say, spit it out!" Li Qingshan said impatiently.
"Coach, I won't be coming to class tomorrow."
"Got it. Tomorrow's the weekend. Spend some quality time with your parents."
Li Qingshan waved dismissively.
Cao Shaoyu had taken leave several times before. His parents lived in the provincial capital and only had time to return to Luoying City to see him on weekends.
"Coach, this isn't me asking for leave." Little Fatty explained, his voice gradually dropping.
"My parents said that since I have talent, I can't let it go to waste. They're taking me to the provincial capital and hiring a Martial Arts Teacher from Wu Yi City to teach me."
"Hm?" Li Qingshan's gaze sharpened. He turned to Cao Shaoyu and asked seriously:
"You want a refund on the class fee?"
Because of his previous absences, Cao Shaoyu still had six days of classes remaining.
"No, that's not what I mean!"
Cao Shaoyu's face flushed red, and his voice grew even lower.
"Coach, I'm leaving tomorrow, and you don't..."
"I'm just teasing you." Li Qingshan shook his head with a laugh and rubbed Cao Shaoyu's head.
"Wuyi is the provincial capital. Your parents can hire a Martial Arts Teacher from there to teach you—that's an enormous stroke of luck."
"A real man doesn't act all bashful and coy. Once we reach the New Continent, we'll meet again!"
Cao Shaoyu already had talent. With a better teacher to guide him, he might not even need a year to train The Stars Are Calling to the third stage and head to the New Continent.
Spurred on by those words, Little Fatty puffed out his chest and said loudly:
"Mm, a real man keeps his word. Coach, I'll definitely work hard and strive to go to the New Continent."
Li Qingshan smiled, lightly patted the back of Little Fatty's head, picked up his Chopping Knife, and turned to leave the classroom.
But just as he turned around, a hand grabbed the hem of his clothes.
Li Qingshan looked back. Little Fatty, who had been full of heroic spirit just moments ago, now wore a fawning smile.
"Coach, I'm leaving tomorrow. Can you take me out to broaden my horizons?"
"Hm?"
Li Qingshan's expression changed. He looked Little Fatty, who had only just turned thirteen, up and down, and a dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"What do you want to see?"
"Coach, do you know Silver Glow Hotel?" Cao Shaoyu rubbed his hands together and said in a low voice:
"I heard it's really exciting inside!"
"Oh? Tell me, what's so exciting about it?" Li Qingshan's smile became even more dangerous.
He had heard of Silver Glow Hotel, but only knew that it was a luxury hotel.
He had not expected Little Fatty to be so well-informed, much less that he wanted to go there and "broaden his horizons."
Li Qingshan stroked the hilt of his Chopping Knife with his right hand, feeling that it was necessary to give Little Fatty one final lesson in ideological education.
Cao Shaoyu noticed nothing. He rubbed his hands until they turned red and said excitedly:
"I heard that Fighting Tournaments are held regularly on the hotel's third basement level. There's one today, Coach..."
"Not interested!"
Li Qingshan's smile froze, and he turned to leave.
Underground Boxing—what was there to see?
"Huh?" Cao Shaoyu's excitement froze on his face. He lowered his head and said dejectedly:
"I just wanted to see what the Fierce Beasts from the textbooks looked like."
A fierce gust rushed at him.
Cao Shaoyu blankly looked up, only to see that the coach who had already walked out the door was suddenly standing before him as if he had used Teleportation.
"Next time, get straight to the point!" Li Qingshan said with a stern expression.
Cao Shaoyu was completely bewildered and asked blankly:
"What point?"
"Fierce Beasts!" Li Qingshan reminded him, then asked:
"You can see Fierce Beasts at Silver Glow Hotel?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Cao Shaoyu came to his senses and nodded repeatedly.
"I got some inside information. Silver Glow Hotel brought in a Fierce Beast tonight and is planning to arrange a Beast Battle."
"A Beast Battle?"
Li Qingshan pondered for several seconds. Meeting Little Fatty's shining eyes, he nodded.
"Fine. I'll take you."
According to Wan Keshan, every Fierce Beast brought into the Old Continent had its own purpose and had to undergo strict review.
The Beast Battle of an Underground Boxing ring was clearly not an official purpose, and Silver Glow Hotel should not have had that kind of influence.
Otherwise, when he had asked a month ago, Wan Keshan could not possibly have failed to tell him.
Li Qingshan did not know where Cao Shaoyu had heard this inside information, nor was he sure whether it was true.
But that did not stop him from going to "have a look." At worst, it would only waste a little time. And if there really was a Fierce Beast...
At that thought, the corners of Li Qingshan's mouth unconsciously curled into a smile.
"Coach, your smile is really scary." Cao Shaoyu shrank his neck.
"Quit wasting words. Hurry up and get a taxi!"
Li Qingshan grabbed Little Fatty by the back of his collar and strode downstairs.
Silver Glow Hotel was located in the southwest of Luoying City, more than ten kilometers from the city center. Since the surrounding area was still under development, it was mostly unfinished construction sites, making it somewhat desolate at night.
Only the hotel building blazed with light, standing tall in the darkness.
In front of the hotel lobby, a taxi slowly came to a stop.
With a smile on his face, the doorman hurried forward and opened the car door.
Cao Shaoyu eagerly jumped out and said excitedly:
"We're here to watch the Fighting Tournament. Where's the venue?"
The doorman's face stiffened for a moment, then his professional smile returned.
"Little friend, we are a legitimate hotel. We do not have the Fighting Tournament you are looking for."
"How can there not be one?" Cao Shaoyu immediately grew anxious, saliva flying everywhere.
"I checked everything out already. It's on your hotel's third basement level."
"Little friend, perhaps you have the wrong place." The doorman's smile remained unchanged.
"Our underground parking lot only has two levels. There is no third layer."
"Impossible! You're lying to me!"
Cao Shaoyu was so anxious that he stamped his feet, but the doorman seemed to have his smile carved onto his face, impervious to both soft and hard tactics.
With a clang of metal, a half-drawn Chopping Knife extended from the car door.
Li Qingshan got out of the taxi at an unhurried pace and turned to look at the doorman, whose smile had stiffened.
"Lead the way!"
"Yes, sir!"
The doorman gave a slight bow without a word of nonsense, then quickly turned and led the way.
"No, how can he do that?"
Cao Shaoyu was instantly dumbfounded. His face reddened at a visible speed as he said angrily:
"He looks down on people! Why did he ignore me just now?"
"Enough, hurry up and follow. If any middle school student could get in, this hotel would have been raided long ago."
Li Qingshan lightly patted the back of Little Fatty's head and stepped forward.
Before you continue