Ranking Board

"With that kind of professionalism, he could still be Yinghai's general manager?"

Li Qingshan casually mocked him, then shut off the Communicator.

In any case, he had only been cooperating with Yinghai before. Since things had turned unpleasant, there was no need to deal with them again in the future.

Knock, knock, knock!

The sound of knocking rang out. Li Qingshan perked up and strode quickly toward the door.

Standing outside was the sales girl delivering his order.

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

The sales girl held the insulated box, her smile blooming like a flower as her attitude grew even warmer.

From the initial ten bottles of Primary Nutrient Solution to purchasing twenty bottles of Intermediate Nutrient Solution at once now, the young man before her had become her biggest customer.

Moreover, it was foreseeable that this customer would only become more and more valuable.

Li Qingshan took the insulated box and opened it against his arm.

As cold mist drifted out, twenty bottles of pale-red liquid sat neatly arranged inside.

"No problem. Charge me directly."

Li Qingshan nodded and closed the box. His Communicator swiped across the Payment Terminal the girl had taken out.

-160000

With the newly deposited one-million bonus, Li Qingshan did not feel nearly as much heartache as before.

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

Compared with the Primary Nutrient Solution, the bottle itself had not changed in size. Only its color had shifted from gleaming blue to pale red.

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

Yet the truth was exactly the opposite.

The "pale red" before him firmly seized Li Qingshan's gaze. Merely looking at it made him feel a trace of scorching heat. This had already exceeded the realm of ordinary color.

Li Qingshan could not help recalling the Crimson Light on Wan Keshan's body last night. The two seemed to share the same nature.

"Could it be vitality and blood?"

He had heard the term "vitality and blood" from Yu Lei. Supposedly, it involved the realm after Body Forging.

However, Yu Lei's "supposedly" had always been severely short on substance. There was practically no real information in it.

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

Li Qingshan simply stopped dwelling on it. He pulled out the stopper, tipped back his head, and drank.

Primary Nutrient Solution tasted like a beverage, but Intermediate Nutrient Solution was like hard liquor.

No, it was even fiercer than hard liquor.

The scalding liquid fell into his stomach like magma crashing down, splitting into countless scorching tongues of flame that surged toward every corner of his body.

His skin reddened and heated up at a visible speed, with faint sweat vapor rising from it.

"No wonder Ordinary People are strictly forbidden from using Intermediate Nutrient Solution. This has absolutely gone beyond the scope of 'Nutrient Solution'!"

Li Qingshan did not dare delay. He immediately assumed his stance and began Body Forging cultivation.

As he moved through one motion after another, his skin grew hotter and hotter, sweat seeping from every pore across his body.

His body strengthened bit by bit. His stomach was like a furnace, constantly supplying all the nutrients needed for him to grow stronger.

An hour later, he had completed all 108 movements.

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

Although there was no specific numerical feedback, the extent to which he had strengthened during this cultivation session had definitely surpassed last night's.

Moreover, his body did not feel drained. The Intermediate Nutrient Solution in his stomach had not yet been used up and was continuously replenishing his stamina.

"Eight thousand per bottle. Worth every penny!"

Li Qingshan smiled in satisfaction, his gaze falling on the Virtual Combat Pod.

His stamina still needed time to recover, so this was the perfect opportunity to study it.

After all, it was the core of the entire Single Training Room.

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

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

His fingers brushed over the casing before pressing the circular button at its center.

With a hiss, the pod cover lifted, revealing a one-meter-deep chamber that looked altogether like an Alloy Coffin.

Li Qingshan raised an eyebrow and lay down inside.

The pod cover closed.

Pale-blue light lit up the pitch-black space and swept across his entire body as a mechanical voice sounded beside his ear.

"New user access 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 enter the Combat Space?"

"Yes!"

As soon as he spoke, the scene before him suddenly brightened.

A sheer cliff rose a thousand fathoms, piercing into the clouds.

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

At the instant he entered the Combat Space, the Smart Brain had transmitted quite a bit of relevant information.

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

However, too many deaths within a short period would place immense pressure on the mind. The exact limit depended on the individual.

"99% realism?"

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

Although the sensations were already very real, compared to the Martial Arts Space Projection, there was still a faint feeling of viewing flowers through mist.

"Perhaps that is the final one percent."

Recalling his past experiences of being buried in a Wolf's jaws more than ten thousand times, Li Qingshan was utterly certain that the Martial Arts Space was 100% realistic.

Due to the nature of its use, the Combat Space had no entertainment facilities whatsoever. The surroundings were completely empty.

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

"Old Continent Leaderboard."

Li Qingshan swept his gaze across the smooth cliff face, where one name after another had been carved in dense clusters.

As long as one was a martial arts student enrolled in school, one could leave their name on the Ranking Board.

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

Li Qingshan gave them a hurried glance, then lifted his gaze toward the summit hidden behind the clouds.

The clouds automatically dispersed, and the name at the peak gradually enlarged before entering his sight.

"Old Continent First, Mou Yu."

Li Qingshan nodded and withdrew his gaze.

His name was not yet on the cliff. To make it onto the Ranking Board, he first had to complete his first battle.

Li Qingshan spread his five fingers, and a Projection Light Screen appeared.

In Virtual Space battles, opponents were entirely matched at random by the system. Weapons could be 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!"

Light and shadow shifted, and the sheer cliff vanished.

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

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

"Junior, this is your first time entering the Combat Space, right?"

An Baoliang wore a friendly smile as he strolled over.

Li Qingshan gripped the hilt of his blade and frowned.

It was not strange that An Baoliang knew this was his first time entering the Combat Space.

Li Qingshan could see An Baoliang's ranking, so naturally An Baoliang could see that he had no ranking yet.

But An Baoliang's utterly unguarded appearance at this moment was somewhat baffling.

The Combat Space was not a place for idle chatter.

After thinking for a moment, Li Qingshan did not rush to attack either.

"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 before explaining.

"Junior, more friends mean more paths. Why don't we exchange communication numbers first, then add each other after we leave?"

Without realizing it, An Baoliang had already walked up beside Li Qingshan, the corners of his mouth lifting.

"You should know that if you want a high ranking, you don't necessarily have to rely on strength!" An Baoliang said meaningfully.

"As long as your network is broad enough, even random matching can still pair you with acquaintances!"

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

The method An Baoliang described was indeed workable, but its prerequisite was a Network spanning all 107 Provinces of the Old Continent.

And that was precisely the most impossible thing of all!

Such a vast network could not possibly escape the Smart Brain system's surveillance.

Martial arts student selection concerned the very foundation of Federation policy. Anyone who truly engaged in such under-the-table manipulation would simply be courting death.

What was more, An Baoliang had actually said it out loud in the Combat Space without the slightest restraint.

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

But none of that mattered anymore.

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

He drew his blade.

Shing!