Night.
Linjiang Road, Galaxy Bar.
The music was deafening, and dazzling lights sprayed wildly through the darkness.
Projected dancers twisted their bodies in midair, dressed scantily.
Beneath their illusory bare feet, silhouettes swayed their heads and bodies, venting themselves without restraint.
The smell of smoke, alcohol, and sweat mixed with the scent of hormones, fermenting in the enclosed space.
"It's been a month, and I still can't get used to this smell."
Wearing a security guard uniform, Li Qingshan frowned as he walked along the edge of the crowd toward the bar entrance.
Phew!
Li Qingshan exhaled and pinched his brow.
"Maybe I should change jobs—there are plenty of part-time gigs anyway."
"But the martial arts class starts tomorrow; I should check how they schedule things first."
"I finally saved 60,000 star coins—how long will that last?"
Sixty thousand star coins wasn't trivial; after all, his rent was only 1,000 per month.
But for martial cultivation, even the cheapest nutrient serum cost 3,000 per bottle—this money was clearly only a drop in the bucket.
"Good thing I have a cheat!"
Li Qingshan's mouth twisted into a smile as he glanced at the virtual screen.
[Li Qingshan]
[Realm: Body Tempering 9/100]
[Technique:
36th Set of Broadcast Calisthenics — "The Starry Sky Is Calling" 7/1000 (Mastery)]
[Feature: Martial Space] (Locked)
The last line, [Martial Space], was still gray and locked.
But just the technique familiarity alone had benefited Li Qingshan greatly.
Work yields results.
In just two short years, "The Starry Sky Is Calling" rose from Beginner 53/100, passed the Skilled tier, and reached Mastery.
Technique familiarity doesn't directly increase Body Tempering progress.
It represents training speed.
Each rank-up yields exponential gains.
Now, at Mastery, "The Starry Sky Is Calling" increased his training speed to at least eight times what it was at Beginner.
Body Tempering is a major cultivation stage, divided into ten levels, and it's a must to become a formal martial artist.
A progress of [Body Tempering 9/100] was already close to the first level of Body Tempering.
This was the result of Li Qingshan's hard work over the past two years.
And now, he was confident he could reach Body Tempering Second Level within half a year.
Moreover, as the technique familiarity improved, progress would accelerate even more.
"I wonder what exactly the [Martial Space] does, and what conditions unlock it."
Just as Li Qingshan was pondering, a slender hand slid over his shoulder from behind.
"Handsome, why are you alone? Want to have a drink with sister?"
Li Qingshan stepped back a pace, avoiding the hand on his shoulder, and turned to face the speaker.
She was a woman in her twenties, holding a glass in her left hand while her right remained outstretched.
Her purple-red wavy hair and pretty features were blurred by drink; her neck's pale skin stood out starkly.
Li Qingshan scanned for danger, composed himself, and said solemnly, "Miss, if you want a drink go to the bar. I'm a security guard—I have to work."
"A security guard can be handsome too!"
The woman smiled foolishly and took another step forward.
"You're so young—aren't you here to earn money?"
Li Qingshan's retreat slowed.
Indeed, the cheapest nutrient serum cost 3,000 a bottle; 60,000 wouldn't last long.
The woman's eyes lit up and she pushed her advantage.
"Set a price, handsome. Sister is very generous."
Generous?
Li Qingshan brightened, then abruptly shook his head.
No—he couldn't fall into that.
But as he looked her over again and swept past the obvious danger zones, he hesitated.
Maybe—it's not impossible?
Finally, conflicted, Li Qingshan held up an index finger.
"Ten thousand? That's doable..."
The woman smiled and was about to tap her wrist communicator to transfer the money.
"What's ten thousand! One million!"
Li Qingshan took a deep breath and made up his mind.
"One million, and I'll have that drink with you."
Ten thousand could only buy three bottles of nutrient serum—hardly worth it.
Besides, this would be his first time accompanying a customer!
Seeing Li Qingshan's martyr-like expression, the woman rolled her eyes and turned away.
"One million for a drink? What a lunatic!"
"Weren't you supposed to be generous?"
Li Qingshan sighed, regretful, and clicked his tongue.
He'd been working at the bar part-time for a month. People had approached him before and he'd firmly refused them all. This time, after real deliberation, he had been willing to take a gamble for his martial path.
"Sigh!"
He sighed and continued his duty.
As the night deepened, the music mellowed and the crowd thinned.
Li Qingshan changed clothes and exited through the side door.
Outside was a narrow alley, dimly lit.
At the mouth of the alley, Li Qingshan stopped—three figures blocked his way.
"Drink, I still want to drink~ hic—"
A drunken woman was being hoisted by two blond-haired thugs; her feet didn't touch the ground.
But the two thugs wobbled as well; all three together looked like laundry flapping in the wind.
"Still out picking corpses when you're this wasted?" Li Qingshan shook his head with a smile.
He had seen these two blond guys two or three times, always doing the same thing.
Hearing his voice, the two stopped and turned, watching him warily.
"Kid, mind your business."
One of them bared his arm, revealing a tattoo of a winged dragon flapping.
"This lizard is ugly—I'd suggest you change it."
Li Qingshan glanced disdainfully and strode forward.
The two brutes put on fierce faces but were inwardly timid, ready to move.
"Excuse me, make way—you're blocking the path."
With that he pushed past one of them by a light palm to the shoulder.
The two and the woman sloshed as if drunk, staggering toward the alley wall.
By the time they recovered their balance, Li Qingshan had reached the alley mouth and stood by a bus stop.
At that moment, a bus arrived and the front door opened.
Li Qingshan stepped aboard.
First, he was a security guard.
Second, his shift was over.
"Vehicle starting. Please hold the handrails and don't move about."
He sat by the window and looked back at the alley.
The two blond-haired thugs visibly relaxed. The woman they had been carrying hung her head—her purple-red waves were conspicuous.
"I wonder who's the hunter, and who's the prey?"
The vehicle swayed and slowly pulled away...
Screech!
A harsh braking sound; the wheels stopped.
"Vehicle arrived. Please disembark from the rear door."
Li Qingshan stepped off and ran toward the nearby residential complex.
The place he rented wasn't new nor particularly old; the surroundings were okay, with a small park and some fitness equipment.
As he ran, the scenery flowed into his eyes and he couldn't help but marvel again.
"Is this really the Interstellar Age?"
Neither the fitness equipment nor the neighborhood showed much high tech.
Even the community looked not unlike Blue Planet back in his previous life.
"Is the gap between Old Continent and New Continent really that big?"
The thought flashed and was shoved aside—he would learn the answer sooner or later.
The apartment he rented was a typical one-bedroom; the living room was empty, furnished with nothing.
He headed straight to the kitchen, opened the fridge, and took out two one-kilogram packs of beef.
They had been in the fridge for a week yet still looked red and firm.
"Good—at least preservation tech has improved."
He unwrapped them, put them in boiling water with a pinch of salt.
Half an hour later the beef was cooked; he fished out a piece, rinsed it in cold water, and bit into it.
It wasn't gourmet, but he didn't care.
In a few bites he finished the beef, stretched in the living room.
"The Starry Sky Is Calling" has 108 moves, each not difficult.
Any healthy person can complete them in sequence—that's why it's a broadcast calisthenics routine.
But as a Body Tempering technique, its real feature was that it's easy to learn but difficult to master.
At Beginner level, you only needed to copy the motions and finish the 108 moves to strengthen the body.
To achieve Body Tempering effects, you must master the power application of each move—reflected on the panel as familiarity level.
At Mastery now, the emphasis is on breath control.
Huff!
With a heavy exhale, Li Qingshan curled his toes, twisted his hips, and raised his right arm.
Muscles bulged layer by layer, spreading to the wrist; veins rose across the back of his hand to his fingertips.
What was once a simple "hip-twist and arm-swing" at Beginner level had become immensely difficult.
Time passed; the 108 moves finished.
Li Qingshan relaxed; his clothes were drenched, sweat poured from his forehead, and steam rose from his head.
Ignoring fatigue, he rushed to the kitchen, grabbed the remaining beef, and started eating.
After finishing, he finally checked the panel.
"The Starry Sky Is Calling" 7/1000 (Mastery) → "The Starry Sky Is Calling" 8/1000 (Mastery)
One session wasn't enough to advance Body Tempering; even the familiarity increase wasn't due to this single session.
"Two practices a day, two days to gain 1 point—that means four sessions per point of familiarity?"
Since reaching Mastery, Li Qingshan had been summarizing the familiarity growth rules. He was now fairly certain.
But he wasn't satisfied with the result.
"Two days per point; with 992 points left, that's almost 1,800 days."
"Ugh! Five years!"
He gasped and felt the road ahead stretch endlessly.
"Wait—I forgot to factor in Body Tempering progress."
Scanning the panel, his spirits lifted.
"In six months I should be able to push Body Tempering to 20/100—that's Body Tempering Second Level."
"The stronger the body, the better the stamina and recovery. Then I could practice more than twice a day."
"The two support each other—maybe two to three years will be enough."
Halving the time didn't bring much smile to his face; his gaze lingered on the fridge.
"Maybe I should buy some nutrient serum and try it."
After all, what limited his progress was recovery speed.
If his recovery were faster, he could already train three, four, or five times a day and raise Body Tempering faster.
Sadly, before reaching Mastery, ordinary meats sufficed.
Now his stomach couldn't hold more food, and his digestion couldn't keep up.
"Nutrient serum..."
Li Qingshan swiped his communicator and stared at the 60,000 star coin balance, sighing helplessly.
What constrained him wasn't the serum itself but poverty.
Unintentionally, he recalled that purple-red wavy hair and smirked.
"They're freeloading and still pretending to be generous."
------
Outskirts, an abandoned construction site's second floor.
The concrete floor was soaked with blood; dark red trails wandered and intertwined, sketching a grotesque pattern.
Beside them, two mummified corpses knelt, gaunt and desiccated—no flesh left under their skin, skin clinging to bone.
A breeze passed; countless blond hairs flew up from the corpses' heads and scattered around.