The next morning, at dawn.

The faint light of the morning crept over the horizon, and in the quiet bedroom, Li Qingshan quietly opened his eyes.

"Comfortable!"

Turning over and sitting up, Li Qingshan stretched lazily, feeling refreshed all over.

He got out of bed and walked to the bathroom.

Li Qingshan splashed a handful of cold water on his face and looked up at the mirror.

In the mirror,

The dark circles were long gone, his spirit was vibrant, and droplets of water slid down his chiseled face.

"The last time I asked for a million was definitely too low. With this face, I should at least ask for ten million!"

Li Qingshan smiled with satisfaction and turned to walk into the living room.

Looking at the empty living room, he felt a bit lost for a moment.

Recently, he hadn't gotten up this early and had no training plan for this time of day.

His gaze swept to the left wall, where a machete leaned against it.

"Blade technique!"

Li Qingshan recalled yesterday's plan, raised his wrist, opened his communicator, and found the compressed file saved separately.

Wind Shadow Blade!

The information on Wind Shadow Blade was similar to Phantom Step, with both text and video explanations.

However, compared to the inhuman entry-level steps of Phantom Step, Wind Shadow Blade was much simpler.

The set of blade moves wasn't complicated; its only feature was speed!

In the video, the middle-aged instructor demonstrated the entire set of blade moves once, then suddenly sped up.

"Proficient in blade technique, the blade moves like the wind!"

As the words fell, the cold light flickered, resembling a howling gale, continuous and unending.

"Mastering the blade technique, the long blade breaks the wind!"

The sound of breaking wind echoed as the long blade sliced through the gale, sharp and fierce.

"The blade light becomes a shadow!"

The blade light grew faster and faster, leaving behind afterimages.

Li Qingshan was dazzled, unable to track the long blade, and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Is this the grand mastery of Wind Shadow Blade?"

In the video, the middle-aged instructor's demonstration hadn't stopped and was getting faster.

"The wind shadow follows, the blade technique is perfect!"

This novel is available on bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

Whoosh!

The blade light stirred up a whirlwind, surrounding him, and the afterimages solidified in the wind.

In the blink of an eye, three blade lights extended from different angles, as if three people were striking simultaneously in the gale.

Li Qingshan blinked, observing carefully.

But no matter how he looked, he couldn't distinguish the real from the fake.

"Or perhaps, all three blade lights are real?"

Just as Li Qingshan was beginning to understand,

The blade light gradually stopped, the wind shadow dissipated, and the middle-aged instructor sheathed the blade.

"Phew!"

Li Qingshan let out a long breath.

The blade moves like the wind, the long blade breaks the wind, the blade light becomes a shadow, the wind shadow follows,

These are the four stages of Wind Shadow Blade: proficient, mastery, grand mastery, and perfection, each with its own characteristics.

"Let's start with the basics."

Li Qingshan calmed his excited emotions, reopened the video, and repeatedly watched the initial blade move demonstration, comparing it with the text to understand and memorize.

Half an hour later,

Li Qingshan picked up the machete by the wall and stepped out.

It was still early, and there were only a few elderly people exercising downstairs. Li Qingshan casually found a patch of grass and drew his blade.

After taking a few deep breaths, he began to move the long blade.

The characteristic of Wind Shadow Blade is speed, but Li Qingshan's movements were exceptionally slow, looking no different from the elderly doing morning exercises.

Chop, slash, sweep, lift, intercept...

Li Qingshan focused intently, recalling every detail of the blade moves in his mind and presenting them with the machete in his hand.

Ten minutes later, he completed the entire set of blade techniques.

Li Qingshan paused, then drew the blade again.

The same moves, the same blade technique,

But this time, the blade's momentum was no longer sluggish, but sharp and swift.

In less than a minute, he had finished practicing the set of blade techniques.

"The panel is indeed reliable!"

Li Qingshan smiled, sheathed the blade, and glanced at the panel.

[Li Qingshan]

[Stage: Body Refinement 12/100]

[Techniques:

The 36th Set of Radio Gymnastics: 'The Stars Are Calling' 22/1000 (Proficient)]

[Martial Skills: Phantom Step 2/1000 (Proficient), Wind Shadow Blade 2/100 (Beginner)]

[Function: Martial Arts Space Lv1 (1/100)]

[Available Time: 356 days]

[Time Flow Rate: 1:10]

......

At school, in the Martial Arts Hall.

Wan Keshan entered through the front door, as usual, scanned the room, and finally fixed his gaze on Li Qingshan.

After sizing him up,

Wan Keshan showed a satisfied smile and gestured for the students to spread out and begin their training.

......

In the evening, back home.

"The break is over, it's time to push forward."

Li Qingshan chuckled, took out a bottle of nutrient solution, consumed it, and continued body refinement.

Each session of body refinement left him exhausted.

But Li Qingshan relished it, carefully feeling his body grow stronger bit by bit.

As night fell, he completed four sessions of body refinement.

Li Qingshan took a quick shower, drew his machete, and lay down on the bed.

"Langdu... today, I won't just offer my neck."

Li Qingshan's expression was invigorated as he closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, he was back in the Martial Arts Space.

Li Qingshan gripped the handle of his blade, twisted his right foot, and in an instant, turned to face Langdu.

Roar!

Langdu let out a low growl, kicked off with its hind legs, and lunged forward.

At a hundred meters, Langdu needed two seconds to cross the distance.

In the past, these two seconds were Li Qingshan's "lifeline," allowing him to dodge Langdu's first pounce.

But now, Li Qingshan realized he didn't just have to dodge!

He advanced instead of retreating, charging straight at Langdu.

In a flash, man and beast were about to collide over the hundred-meter distance.

Li Qingshan suddenly shifted his steps, Phantom Step becoming instinctive, his form eerily sidestepping to Langdu's right, raising his machete and slashing in an instant.

Splat!

Langdu landed, a blade mark left on its back.

Li Qingshan didn't relax for a moment, keeping a close watch on Langdu ten meters away.

Ten meters was just a leap for Langdu, and he had never dodged Langdu's second pounce before.

Roar!

Langdu let out a roar and lunged again.

Li Qingshan had no time to react, relying solely on instinct to step aside.

Their forms crossed, the massive body brushing past his eyes.

"Dodged it!"

The thought had just flashed when a claw swiped from behind...

In the bedroom,

Li Qingshan opened his eyes, briefly recalling the encounter, then began another attempt.

Throughout the night, given the absolute speed difference, Li Qingshan could only rely on his body's instincts to step and dodge.

With luck, he could evade three to five of Langdu's attacks.

With bad luck, he couldn't even dodge the second pounce.

But compared to before, where he met his end a thousand times a night, it was much better.

The increased survival time also accelerated the improvement of Phantom Step and Wind Shadow Blade.

......

Time passed, day after day.

Li Qingshan commuted between home and school, a routine of two points.

Daily body refinement training, twice at school, four times at home, never interrupted.

His body grew stronger, and the progress of body refinement and proficiency in The Stars Are Calling gradually increased.

However, the progress of Phantom Step and Wind Shadow Blade was even faster.

Almost every night, Li Qingshan trained in the Martial Arts Space for over 20 hours.

It's worth mentioning that,

Perhaps because he died less frequently,

When he woke up the next day, although a bit tired, his mental state was noticeably better than before.

In the blink of an eye, 20 days passed.

In the pitch-black bedroom,

Li Qingshan suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp.

Phantom Step, grand mastery!