Small World

Star River Calendar, year 9768. First High School, Beihe Base City.

"Pay more attention!! The Basic Foundation Stance is a stance painstakingly optimized and researched by our predecessors over countless years. It is the most suitable foundation-building stance for rookies like you."

"Top-tier stances like the Ape Demon Foundation Stance, Dragon Tiger Foundation Stance, and Azure Dragon Foundation Stance can only be cultivated after you have practiced the Basic Foundation Stance to a certain level."

"The Basic Foundation Stance can be cultivated all the way to the Qi Blood Ninth Change!! Once you reach the Qi Blood Ninth Change, you can learn higher-level stances like the Ape Demon Foundation Stance."

"Under current policy, if you fail to get into university after graduation, you must serve five years in the military. Serving your country is glorious, but high school graduates who enlist can only become ordinary soldiers. University graduates who enlist start as low-ranking officers with the rank of Second Lieutenant and receive priority training."

"Universities have abundant resources, and only after getting into one will you have more choices in life!"

A two-meter-tall man in a white martial arts uniform stood before the students with his arms crossed. With short hair, a face full of beard, and the build of a human bear, he shouted sternly at them.

That bear-like man was He Qing, the martial arts instructor of First High School!

"The Basic Foundation Stance!! And it has to be paired with a specific breathing technique. This is way too hard!"

Yang Lie practiced the Basic Foundation Stance seriously. Before long, sweat drenched his entire body, his muscles ached, and he finally collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

"Practicing the Basic Foundation Stance requires a great deal of nutrition. It is best if you can take Essence Nurturing Pills! Besides taking Essence Nurturing Pills, you can also obtain nutrition by eating spirit rice, absorbing the spiritual energy from spirit stones, or consuming Ferocious Beast Meat."

"If you cannot meet any of those conditions, then you must limit the time you spend practicing the Basic Foundation Stance! Blindly training hard will only ruin your body."

"With your current physical condition, you should keep your daily stance practice within one hour. If you can eat spirit rice and take Pills, you can increase that to two hours."

"I have seen too many students blindly train until they ruined their bodies, leaving themselves with all kinds of lasting injuries. Their ends were miserable."

He Qing swept his gaze over Yang Lie and the other students who could no longer hold on, his expression calm.

Yang Lie gasped for breath as he recalled the general state of this world.

Yang Lie's soul belonged to a transmigrator from Earth. Humanity in this world had already entered the interstellar age and discovered spirit stone mines as well as all kinds of heavenly treasures throughout the universe.

Relying on their overwhelmingly powerful martial arts, humanity had suppressed countless civilizations and plundered innumerable resources, only to encounter the terrifying Evil Gods.

Humanity and the Evil Gods fought savagely across countless worlds, ultimately managing to barely repel their invasion.

Beihe Base City was located on Konghe Star, an ordinary life-bearing planet colonized by humanity.

Humanity's history of colonizing Konghe Star was less than a hundred years old. They had established one Base City after another on Konghe Star as footholds for the colony.

Outside those Base Cities lived countless ferocious beasts, as well as the planet's native Ferocious Beastmen. This planet had originally only possessed ferocious beasts. Those Ferocious Beastmen were horrifying monsters formed when the power of the Evil Gods projected itself onto the planet.

Humanity on Konghe Star remained in a semi-wartime state all year round, using every ounce of strength to battle the ferocious beasts on the planet. Thus, anyone who failed to get into university would theoretically be conscripted for military service.

Yang Lie's parents had died fighting ferocious beasts, leaving him all alone.

"Not bad, your stance is quite solid! It seems you have already reached the Qi Blood Eighth Change. No wonder you are a specially recruited student the Headmaster paid a high price to bring in! With your talent, if you can surpass the Essence Solidification Realm and reach the Hundred Refinements Realm during your senior year, you may have a chance to enter an elite institution like Central Starry Sky University!"

He Qing stood in front of an exceptionally beautiful young girl with chestnut-colored short hair, snow-white skin, and a white training uniform, offering her guidance.

"The Hundred Refinements Realm!! The difference between people in this world is greater than the difference between humans and dogs! According to statistics, ninety percent of humanity on Konghe Star only possesses cultivation at the Qi Blood Realm! She has the ability to challenge the Hundred Refinements Realm within three years of high school. That is really enviable!"

The slightly chubby Zou Qi had also collapsed beside Yang Lie. Looking at the chestnut-haired girl with envy, he said, "Her name is Fang Lingxiu. The Headmaster personally recruited her. I heard she receives a two-million scholarship and ten spirit stones every year. And with her here, the one-million scholarship and ten spirit stones for first place in our grade for all three years will be hers too."

Yang Lie smiled. "She really is enviable."

Spirit stones were the foundation of human civilization. Refining Pills, cultivation, growing spirit rice, and countless other fields all required them. A single spirit stone sold for as much as one hundred thousand yuan outside, while a kilogram of ordinary rice cost only three yuan.

Schools competed to recruit geniuses because once they cultivated a talent capable of entering university, they would receive massive financial grants and preferential resource allocations for the next several years.

Just as Zou Qi had said, the vast majority of students could not complete the Qi Blood Nine Changes and advance to become martial artists during high school. Most of them would be conscripted after graduation, trained, and then sent into battle.

After class, Yang Lie finally left and headed to a market in the city.

"Low-Grade Spirit Rice, Pure White Pearl Rice! Ten thousand yuan per kilogram!!"

"Freshly hunted first-tier ferocious beast, Tusker Ferocious Pig meat! Only one thousand yuan per kilogram. Eating meat is more cost-effective than eating rice!!"

"..."

Vendors shouted loudly, drawing in customers.

On other planets, Ferocious Beast Meat was far more expensive than Low-Grade Spirit Rice. However, Konghe Star was crawling with ferocious beasts, and the area outside Beihe Base City was no exception. With large numbers of ferocious beast hunters active there, the price of low-tier Ferocious Beast Meat had been driven down.

"How much is this Scarlet Armored Vicious Ant?"

Yang Lie first bought seeds of Pure White Pearl Rice and other spirit plants. Then he came to a stall where the corpse of a low-grade first-tier ferocious beast lay on display. It was two meters long, covered in scarlet armor, and had a hole blasted through its forehead. Squatting down, he asked.

The stall owner glanced at Yang Lie and replied indifferently, "Ten thousand yuan each!"

Yang Lie tested the waters. "Scarlet Armored Vicious Ants are the most common ferocious beasts outside. A single nest can contain thousands, even tens of thousands of them. Even a Qi Blood Realm martial artist can easily kill one. Isn't ten thousand too expensive? How about lowering the price?"

The stall owner said impatiently, "A Qi Blood Realm martial artist can indeed easily kill one Scarlet Armored Vicious Ant. But finding one that is alone is not so easy. As for an ant nest? Even a Hundred Refinements Realm martial artist would only flee in panic if he encountered one alone! Are you buying or not? If not, stop causing trouble!"

"I'll buy it if you deliver it to my door," Yang Lie said.

The stall owner's eyes lit up, and he became noticeably friendlier. "What's the address? I'll deliver it right away!"

There were simply too many Scarlet Armored Vicious Ants. If the stall owner could not sell it today, he could only sell it to the government's official purchasing station. There, a complete Scarlet Armored Vicious Ant would fetch only one thousand yuan. That was why those martial artists came to the market to set up stalls.

After Yang Lie gave him the address, he rode back home in the stall owner's truck.

After carrying the Scarlet Armored Vicious Ant into his home, Yang Lie drew all the curtains, locked the door, pressed his hand against the ant's body, and closed his eyes. Faintly sensing a ball of white light between his brows, he silently said, "Enter the Small World!"

The next moment, Yang Lie vanished from where he stood and appeared with the Scarlet Armored Vicious Ant in a mysterious space.

That mysterious space was only one mu in size. At its far end grew a lush green sapling about two meters tall, with only two leaves growing from its branches.

There was also a shallow stream running through the one-mu space.

"This is the ability I awakened after transmigrating—the Small World!"

Yang Lie took out a Pure White Pearl Rice seed and examined it carefully.

"Low-Grade Spirit Rice, Pure White Pearl Rice seed. Consume one spirit stone to alter the seed's traits and accelerate its growth in the Small World. Consume ten spirit stones to raise the seed's quality to Mid-Grade. Growth period: ninety days. Each mu can produce one hundred kilograms of rice."

"Mid-Grade Spirit Rice Pure White Pearl Rice can definitely greatly increase the speed of my Qi Blood cultivation, but it is not the best choice right now!"

Yang Lie's gaze fell upon the Scarlet Armored Vicious Ant's corpse.

"Bury the corpse of a Scarlet Armored Vicious Ant. After ten days, Scarlet Armored Ant Fruits will grow in this one-mu Spirit Land. Consuming nine Scarlet Armored Ant Fruits will grant the strength of one complete Scarlet Armored Vicious Ant while strengthening the consumer's physique and defense."

"Burying ferocious beast corpses is more cost-effective!! Since I cannot sell Pure White Pearl Rice, it would be best for me to disguise myself as a martial arts genius. That way, I can obtain more resources."

"I'm currently a first-year student. During the first school year, I can find a way to obtain the strength of four first-tier ferocious beasts. During the second year, I can consume Pure White Pearl Rice to improve my cultivation. During the third year, I'll act according to the situation! According to Instructor He Qing, getting into university should not be a problem for me, but entering a First-Rate University or a top elite university will be difficult!"

Yang Lie buried the Scarlet Armored Vicious Ant's corpse directly in the soil, then left the Small World.

"Open the door, Ah Lie!! Did you die in there? Open up!"

The moment Yang Lie left the Small World, he heard knocking at the door. Opening it, he saw a beautiful girl with short black hair, a tall and slender figure, long legs, and delicate features.

The girl was Yang Lie's neighbor, Qian Xiner. The Yang Family and Qian Family had always been very close. After Yang Lie's parents died, the Qian Family had taken care of his daily life. Qian Xiner and Yang Lie could be considered childhood sweethearts.

"Come on, eat at my place!" Qian Xiner said.

"Okay," Yang Lie replied.

Yang Lie followed Qian Xiner into the apartment across from his.

"Little Lie is here. Hurry and wash your hands for dinner!"

A beautiful woman wearing an apron and light, exquisite makeup smiled gently at Yang Lie. She was Qian Xiner's mother, Fang Li. She was the deputy director of the Education Bureau, and Yang Lie had only been able to enter First High School, this top-ranked school, because of her help.

A tall, handsome young man with short hair put down his tablet and gave Yang Lie a slight nod. He was Qian Ming, Yang Lie's father's best friend. He was also the director of the Public Security Bureau in Beihe Base City.

The dining table was covered with dishes cooked from Ferocious Beast Meat, while the rice was expensive Low-Grade Spirit Rice. It tasted excellent.

"Little Lie, you have begun practicing martial arts too! These are Essence Nurturing Pills. One bottle each for you and Xin'er. Cultivate well!"

After dinner, Qian Ming took out two bottles and handed one each to Yang Lie and Qian Xiner.

"Thanks, Dad~!"

Qian Xiner smiled sweetly and took one of the bottles.

Yang Lie said solemnly, "Uncle Qian, these Essence Nurturing Pills are too valuable. I can't accept them!"

A bottle of Essence Nurturing Pills contained ten pills, yet a single bottle cost ten thousand yuan. In Beihe Base City, an ordinary waiter earned only a little over three thousand yuan a month. One bottle was equivalent to three months of an ordinary person's salary.

Qian Ming's face sank. "Your parents saved my life! I promised that you would be my son! Take it, or you are looking down on me!"

"Then I won't stand on ceremony, Uncle Qian!"

Only then did Yang Lie accept the bottle of Essence Nurturing Pills.

Qian Ming's expression eased slightly.

After chatting for a while, Yang Lie returned home.

Night.

"Lily, I want to betroth Xin'er to Little Lie. What do you think?"

Qian Ming lay in bed, holding Fang Li as he spoke slowly.

Fang Li raised her slender brows and said decisively, "I object! Little Lie is a good child. It is true that his parents did you a great favor, but you cannot sacrifice Xin'er's happiness and force her to marry him. I can agree to you funding Little Lie's university education, but sacrificing Xin'er's happiness is out of the question."

"What if they love each other?" Qian Ming asked.

Fang Li chuckled. "Then what is there to discuss? Of course I would agree! As long as Xinxin likes him, I have no objection!"

Qian Ming smiled as well. "I understand!"