"Should be over now, right?"
All the students stared wide-eyed as Li Qingshan sheathed his blade and walked back; none of them could relax their breaths.
His white martial robe was soaked in fresh blood, clinging to his skin and outlining his muscles.
The cleaver in his right hand was covered in blood; drops fell from the tip and left a thin trail on the floor.
His handsome face was already stained, and the smile on his lips looked savage, full of bloodlust.
Liang Mingyu took several steps back, his face filled with fear.
"What... what are you going to do?" he cried.
Li Qingshan looked at him, puzzled and innocent.
But that casual glance was different through Liang Mingyu's eyes.
Blood ran from his forehead along his brow, and beneath the dark streaks a cold, blade-like gaze met him and shattered his courage.
Liang Mingyu's knees gave out; he fell to his knees and begged, "Don't kill me!"
Li Qingshan was confused and shot a look at Master Wan.
"Coward—if you have no guts, get out of the martial class!" Master Wan barked, snapping Liang Mingyu awake.
Seeing Liang silent and Liu Jingya still unconscious on the floor, he quietly marked both of them out.
Being afraid is not shameful, but those who cannot even face danger have no place in the martial class.
"Teacher, the knife." Li Qingshan held the hilt out to Master Wan.
Wan frowned. The blade had been pulled from the wolfpoison's insides and was caked with not only blood but filth, giving off a foul smell.
Not only the cleaver—Li Qingshan himself also carried a strong, unsettling scent.
In the end Wan waved his hand. "Fine. Keep the blade. Today's lesson is over. Go to the rest area and wash up."
"Thank you, teacher!" Li Qingshan said with a pleased look and, showing no disgust, ran toward the rest area with his cleaver.
As he left, the students finally let out the breath they'd been holding.
They looked at the wolfpoison's mutilated body and began talking; the atmosphere became lively.
In that moment the beast did not seem as frightening—Li Qingshan was more terrifying.
The chatter grew louder, and Wan did not stop it; he swept his gaze over the excited faces with a satisfied smile.
Although the first martial lesson ended early, its purpose had been achieved—perhaps even better than expected.
Yu Lei watched Li Qingshan's retreating figure, then approached Master Wan and pursed her lips. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, uncle."
Hong Qian, standing behind Yu Lei, shivered and glanced between her and Master Wan.
Wan's face twitched. "At school, call me Teacher!" he said, then relaxed. "For your first time facing a beast, you stood your ground and faced its threat. You did well."
Though Yu Lei was his niece, she had never seen a beast before. Their performance ranked among the best in previous classes.
"What about Li Qingshan?" Hong Qian asked, more relaxed but curious about the teacher's judgment.
Wan hesitated, then shook his head. "Li Qingshan... he is hard to judge."
He had never met anyone like Li Qingshan before—how should he judge him?
In the rest area, the private shower steamed. Li Qingshan stood under the spray, letting the water wash over him while watching the panel.
[Li Qingshan]
[Realm: Body Tempering 9/100]
[Technique: The 36th Routine — "The Stars Are Calling" 8/1000 (Proficient)]
[Feature: Martial Space Lv1 (1/100)]
[Available time: 1 year]
[Time flow rate: 1:10]
The Martial Space had unlocked, and the related information appeared in his mind the moment it opened.
Martial Space is a mysterious training area that automatically stores projections of every monster that died by his hand.
The newly unlocked Martial Space was only Lv1; both experience and available time are gained by hunting monsters.
Note that using available time does not reduce Martial Space experience.
Inside Martial Space his projected consciousness uses no stamina, so he can fight freely and hone his skills.
Defeated monster projections can be reassembled again without cost.
Not only martial moves but also techniques can be practiced there. Training on projections does not advance body tempering, but it does increase technique proficiency.
"More importantly, there is no stamina consumption inside Martial Space!" Li Qingshan's eyes lit up as he calculated.
Each practice of "The Stars Are Calling" required full effort for an hour. With his previous recovery speed, he could only train twice a day—four sessions in two days to raise proficiency by one point.
But inside Martial Space he could train continuously for 24 hours, gaining six proficiency points in a single day.
With a time flow ratio of 1:10, one real day equals ten days inside Martial Space.
"So spending a full day in Martial Space could raise sixty proficiency points?" He gasped.
From one point in two days to sixty points in one day—that's a 120-fold increase.
In just over half a month he could raise his routine's proficiency by one tier—doubling training efficiency again.
From an ordinary high school student after crossing over to being first in the martial class, he had improved little by little by raising technique levels.
He suspected no one in the class had reached Proficient with "The Stars Are Calling." Even Zhao Hongzhou had taken supplements; Yu Lei, Hong Qian, and Liang Mingyu were the same.
Yet without a single supplement, Li Qingshan still outperformed them.
"Maybe Teacher Wan saw a sliver of hope for New Continent in me because he noticed my technique level," Li Qingshan thought.
Wan had all the students' records; knowing Li came from public care and combining that with his test scores, recognizing his potential was not hard.
But the panel's cold text snapped him back to reality.
[Available time: 1 year]
"One year won't be enough to gain another level," he frowned.
Each upgrade of "The Stars Are Calling" brings exponential increases in training efficiency, but it also becomes much harder.
It had taken him two years to reach Proficient from entry. Without Martial Space, the current progress would have taken at least three more years.
Could he raise it another level with the time he had? He didn't know the exact requirements, but the remaining available time was certainly not enough.
"Hunt monsters to get Martial Space time and experience," he mused. "But where to find monsters?"
"Forget it. Even a single wolfpoison is beyond me now. No use overthinking." He rubbed his temple and cleared his mind.
He closed his eyes and quietly let the water wash over him.