Humans Can't, At Least They Shouldn't!

The door opened, and Li Qingshan stepped inside, a blade in each hand.

"Phew. Finally home."

He let out a breath and eagerly turned his attention to the status panel.

[Li Qingshan]

[Realm: Body Forging 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 (9/100)]

[Available Time: 8 years, 150 days]

[Time Flow Rate: 1:10]

"Eight years! That trip to Silver Glow Hotel was totally worth it."

Joy welled up in Li Qingshan's heart, like a man who'd suddenly struck it rich after a lifetime of poverty.

Before setting out, his best hope had been to get lucky and run into one or two Fierce Beasts—that would've been enough.

He'd even braced himself for a wasted trip.

But not only had he killed three Fierce Beasts, he'd also wiped out an Evil God Cultist worth "five years."

"For a while, at least, I won't have to worry about Available Time."

"Right, and there's still the bounty reward that hasn't come through yet!"

Thinking back to what the Patrol Bureau officer had said, Li Qingshan's mood brightened even more.

And tonight's haul didn't stop there.

He tossed the Chopping Knife into a corner, picked up the Thunder Pattern Blade, and walked to the center of the living room.

He drew the blade.

A flash of lightning vanished in an instant, the blade's light dissolving into shadows.

A few seconds later, the gleam stopped abruptly.

Li Qingshan stared at the blade glowing with a purple sheen and murmured, "It feels faster."

The same blade-light-into-shadows technique, but with the Thunder Pattern Blade, the draw was noticeably smoother.

It was as if the Thunder Pattern Blade and the Wind Shadow Blade martial skill were a perfect match.

Li Qingshan couldn't help recalling what Cao Ya had said earlier:

'This Thunder Pattern Blade was carefully chosen by me. It will be very important for your future martial skill training.'

"I thought he was just saying that so I wouldn't refuse to accept it. Turns out he wasn't exaggerating."

Li Qingshan sheathed the blade, once again feeling the weight of this "thank-you gift."

A gift's value wasn't just in its worth, but in the giver's sincerity.

"Looks like I'll have to look out for Little Fatty a bit more from now on."

Li Qingshan smiled freely, set down the Thunder Pattern Blade, turned, and walked to the table. He opened the insulated box.

Cold mist billowed out. Ten bottles of glowing blue liquid were neatly arranged inside.

"Only ten bottles of Nutrient Solution left. Time to bleed again."

Gritting his teeth, he took out one bottle, tipped his head back, and drank it down.

One bottle of Nutrient Solution a day—it was like swallowing gold.

He'd already spent half of the 120,000 tuition he'd earned earlier. Now there was only 60,000 Star Coins left in his card.

"I wonder how much the bounty reward will be. If it's too little, I'll have to head back to Yinghai and find a new client."

Muttering to himself, Li Qingshan walked back to the center of the living room. He took a deep breath and cleared his mind of distractions.

The first form of The Stars Are Calling: twist the hips and swing the arms.

Li Qingshan curled his toes, twisted his waist and hips, and raised his right arm.

Muscles layered and bulged, spreading down to his wrist. Veins surfaced on the back of his hand, reaching all the way to his fingertips.

At the same time, his breathing matched the movements, his Force Generation alternating between short, sharp bursts and long, drawn-out flows.

His heartbeat naturally followed the rhythm of his breath, and along with his waist, hips, and arm muscles, it began to tremble in sync.

This was the fourth realm of The Stars Are Calling: mastering Muscle Rhythm.

Li Qingshan felt neither surprise nor shock.

The moment the technique had leveled up, all of this had become instinct.

Finishing the first form unhurriedly, Li Qingshan moved on to the next...

An hour later, all 108 forms were completed.

Li Qingshan was drenched in sweat, steam rising from his body, and a smile unconsciously tugged at his lips.

The same Body Tempering practice, but after reaching Great Accomplishment, he could clearly feel his body growing stronger at a faster rate.

The smile didn't last long, though. A familiar pang of hunger suddenly struck.

"What's going on? Why is the nutrient solution digesting so fast?"

Li Qingshan's expression shifted. He couldn't afford to think too much.

He hurried to the corner table, grabbed another bottle of nutrient solution, and drank it down.

After a moment, the hunger eased slightly. Li Qingshan's eyes turned thoughtful as he pieced together the reason.

Good news: The Stars Are Calling had reached Great Accomplishment, and his training efficiency had indeed doubled.

Bad news: one bottle of nutrient solution could only support a single session of Body Tempering, meaning consumption had quadrupled.

"No, even if I down four bottles in a row, I probably couldn't complete four sessions."

Li Qingshan frowned, recalling the instructions for the nutrient solution.

Taking multiple bottles in a short time would cause the body to develop resistance, preventing full absorption.

But the solution was simple, as stated in the instructions.

"Intermediate Nutrient Solution, 8000 a bottle."

"Martial arts really is a bottomless pit! I hope the Patrol Bureau's reward money comes through soon." Li Qingshan sighed helplessly.

Still, thinking about switching to Intermediate Nutrient Solution, which might support four or even five sessions, brought him some comfort.

He glanced at the remaining bottles of nutrient solution, shook his head, and gave up on continuing his training.

After a quick wash, he lay back down on the bed.

"Wait, I almost forgot!"

Li Qingshan suddenly sat up, walked to the living room, picked up the Thunder Pattern Blade, and returned to the bedroom.

Gripping the hilt, he drew the blade, sat cross-legged on the bed, and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, the familiar circular platform came into view.

Li Qingshan turned, blade in hand, and looked at the one human and three beasts a hundred meters away. No surprise.

"Just as I thought!"

Just like with Wolf Poison back then, the monster projections were dropped directly the first time they were recorded.

But this time, Li Qingshan hadn't taken any shortcuts. He had killed all four monsters head-on.

"I killed you once, and I can kill you countless times!"

Li Qingshan raised his long blade high and charged forward.

The three Fierce Beasts across from him roared and lunged.

The human figure followed close behind, not much slower than them.

A hundred meters passed in the blink of an eye. Li Qingshan clashed with the one human and three beasts in a chaotic melee.

All four monsters had physiques comparable to Body Tempering fifth level. Li Qingshan dared not be careless, constantly shifting his footwork, pushing his Great Accomplishment Mizong Step to its limits.

Even so, it was a narrow escape every moment, and he nearly ended up in a beast's jaws several times.

"No good. Even with unlimited stamina, dragging this out will only lead to trouble."

After dodging another set of jaws, Li Qingshan frowned.

Under the combined assault of four monsters, he could only keep evading. His long blade had no room to strike.

"Screw it."

Li Qingshan's gaze hardened. He took a step and circled behind one of the Fierce Beasts.

The beast on his left reacted instantly, swiping its claws at him.

Li Qingshan didn't dodge. He reversed his grip on the blade and swung upward.

Pfft!

With a single slash, the beast's belly split open, its entrails spilling out.

"So sharp?"

The thought barely crossed his mind when the left claw slammed into his arm, sending him flying.

"Cough, cough!"

Blood trickled from the corner of Li Qingshan's mouth. He scrambled to his feet, stepping into Mizong Step to evade the follow-up attacks.

His left arm throbbed with pain, dangling and swaying—the bone inside had been broken by the strike.

But Li Qingshan's lips curled into a vicious grin.

"Worth it."

Compared to the tens of thousands of times he'd been "devoured by wolves" before, this pain was nothing.

Thanks to the sharpness of the Thunder Pattern Blade, trading one arm for a Fierce Beast had already exceeded his expectations.

With one Fierce Beast down, the coordinated attacks of the remaining three monsters showed plenty of gaps.

As Li Qingshan dodged, he also found openings to counter with his blade.

Soon, the other two Fierce Beasts fell in succession.

Only then did Li Qingshan have a chance to take a good look at the figure before him.

You Qingya was still wearing the same clothes as when she died, but her golden hair had turned black, and her appearance had reverted to how she looked when they first met at the bar.

"So this is your True Face?"

Li Qingshan didn't rush to attack. As he shifted and dodged, he carefully observed You Qingya's expression.

Earlier, Wolf Poison had only been a low-level Fierce Beast—driven solely by slaughter, no intelligence, impossible to judge.

Now he wanted to see whether monsters recorded in the Martial Arts Space retained their consciousness.

But clearly, he was overthinking it.

You Qingya's expression didn't change at all.

In fact, her wooden face had never shown any emotion.

She was like a puppet, driven only by the instinct to kill.

"What a shame."

Li Qingshan shook his head in disappointment and dodged another attack.

The You Qingya before him had no consciousness, yet her strength surpassed the real her.

Though she lacked martial skill, she fully unleashed the speed and power of the Body Tempering fifth level.

As her attacks were continuously evaded, You Qingya's movements grew fiercer.

In her wide, sweeping strikes, her clothes fluttered.

Li Qingshan's gaze habitually "swept for mines" for a moment, and a bold thought had just surfaced before it was snuffed out.

"A man can't—at least, he shouldn't!"

Li Qingshan's expression turned cold. He held nothing back, his blade turning into a blur of light.

In an instant, severed limbs flew, and blood splattered across the ground.