Starry Sky Professional

Fang Xing's martial journey was just beginning. He hadn’t even completed the first stage of 'Skin Training', making him no more than a mere shrimp in the ocean.

Rashly traversing into another world could easily spell danger.

But humans thrive on using tools and leveraging external forces!

“A laser gun... If only I had a military-grade one, that would be awesome...”

A military-grade laser gun wouldn’t have any 'non-lethal' programming constraints, making it a handy little weapon.

“Forget about finding that in a regular store, maybe the black market is a better bet...”

With a kick, Fang Xing sent a pebble skittering across the surface of the small river, making it skip over ten times.

Within the Lan Star Federation, humanity was far from harmonious and unified; conflicting interests had plagued them since ancient times.

Furthermore, those terrifying outer gods had mastered 'imaginary space', enabling them to send kin into human territories, and even more dangerously, offspring of those malevolent gods!

The destruction they caused was minor compared to the spread of their beliefs, seeding hidden cultists among the population.

“Cultists, rebels... these are the true deep-rooted cancers within humanity…”

“It's said there's a black market outside Maple Leaf City, where anything can be sold, and perhaps even traces of cultists...”

“This water runs too deep. I'm just a good student, you know?”

“Besides, I don't have enough money...”

As soon as he thought about his wallet balance, Fang Xing's previous thoughts dissolved. “For now, study hard, work diligently, save up... Even if I can’t afford a laser gun, I could at least buy a taser...”

...Three days later...

【Name: Fang Xing】

【Age: 16】

【Profession: Martial Artist】

【First Stage: Skin Training】

【Military Boxing Twelve Forms: 57/100】

【Dragon Stance: 68/100】

【Gate of All Heavens: 5/100】

.....

Inside the school, Fang Xing finished his Dragon Stake practice and looked at his status panel, falling into a moment of silence.

“Three days of arduous training, and yet the Gate of All Heavens shows the fastest growth... speechless...”

“The most crucial martial state—the skin refining—has only increased by 1 point in proficiency. At this rate, I’ll still need 231 days to completely master skin refining before moving on to flesh refining... Only with both perfected can I attempt to break through to the second martial stage—the Tendons and Bones!”

“Skin refining is already taking almost a year. Flesh refining will only be more challenging, not to mention it takes four days for an increase on later stages, even five...”

“By this calculation, hoping to reach the third stage of martial arts before graduation is truly a dream...”

Fang Xing pressed his lips together in thought.

Of course, it isn't all calculated this way—special nutritional potions and even auxiliary training devices can greatly enhance cultivation speed.

However, these are beyond his reach.

“The only option is the ‘Dragon Stake’!”

“Right now, my Dragon Stake is still at the beginner level, so the efficiency of refining skin and flesh isn’t high... But when I reach a higher level... the efficiency will undoubtedly be incomparable.”

“Unfortunately, Dragon Stake advancement is also slow, proving once again, the path of martial arts is indeed arduous...”

Fang Xing lamented quietly to himself.

“Xing... time to go to work. This time it’s in the rich district... Ever heard of the Glorious Jiang Mansion?”

Liu Wei approached with a sly grin, eyes darting around.

“Oh? That famous luxury residential area—the one where all the wealthy people reside...”

Fang Xing seemed to recall something, his lips curling slightly: “Someone from school... seems to live in Glorious Jiang Mansion.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Wei’s face flushed a bit, glancing around nervously: “Enough talk, are you going or not?”

“Of course, I’ll go!”

Fang Xing readily agreed: “I need the money... but let’s make it clear, I won’t take any jobs related to the second stage.”

“Obviously, those at the second stage don’t think much of us either...” Liu Wei responded with utter conviction.

In the Blue Star Federation, it has become increasingly difficult to find work relying solely on physical strength.

The jobs Fang Xing and Liu Wei found previously were naturally not ordinary jobs, rather—human stakes!

For martial artists, sparring with a live person is ultimately more beneficial than practicing on a dummy!

Some natural-born students have the demand to hire human dummies for martial arts practice.

'The human body is incredibly intricate. Although specialized training robots exist, they're too extravagant for someone at the One Realm. Hiring someone, instead, is a matter of cost-benefit.'

On the way to the Splendid River Mansion, Fang Xing pondered this to himself.

After getting off the hover train, his eyes brightened.

Before him appeared a landscape of lush green hills and waters, dotted with the occasional villa, oozing an unparalleled sense of harmony and nostalgia.

The streets were clean and orderly, sparsely populated by well-dressed pedestrians.

The environment around the Yucai High School was already quite good, but compared to here, it was like the difference between a mere chicken and a phoenix.

At the entrance to the Splendid River Mansion, two uniformed security guards stood straight and tall like pine trees, exuding an inexplicable aura.

Fang Xing could tell with a glance that these two were unmistakably practitioners of the entry-level Dragon Stance, their presence fierce and intimidating.

'So this is the wealthy district? Even the security here are at least Third Realm martial artists...'

He internally remarked, while Liu Wei beside him approached with a grinning face, "Hello, senior brothers. Brother Wang... care for a smoke?"

They had worked here before and had become somewhat familiar, knowing those two guards hailed from Yucai High School and had survived the battlefield as hardened individuals.

If they weren't tough, they wouldn't have competed for this job.

Brother Wang had a hearty face, waved his hand, and said sternly, "Little Liu, even though we know each other, you still have to follow procedures... Register first, then let the resident call us, only then can we let you through!"

Liu Wei nodded repeatedly and signaled Fang Xing to move forward and register, giving him a knowing glance.

Fang Xing approached, shifted his body to block the surveillance, and with a sidelong glance saw Liu Wei casually slipping a pack of cigarettes into Brother Wang's pocket, nodding in approval: 'His technique is so practiced... Just like the arduous training of the twelve forms of military boxing...'

But Fang Xing understood the logic that dealing with minor characters is often more difficult than facing major ones, and silently cursed in his heart: 'Galaxy brand? Those cost over a thousand per pack, huh? Quite the rip-off...'

Brother Wang accepted the cigarettes, smiling broadly, "We've received the call; we'll take you there... It's the rules."

As he spoke, he gestured towards a maglev car parked next to the guard booth, "Get in!"

This was evidently to prevent visitors from wandering about and disturbing other residents.

Fang Xing and Liu Wei got in, and the maglev car immediately lifted into the air, heading towards a villa.

Along the way, the leather seats were extremely comfortable, with not the slightest bumpiness.

Liu Wei gazed around left and right, as if visiting for the first time, making Fang Xing secretly chuckle, aware that he was searching for his white moonlight—Ouyang Qianqian.

Ouyang Qianqian was Liu Wei's classmate, with a well-developed figure, fair skin, and large eyes.

More importantly—the other person is a natural human!

Although there's no legal barrier between natural humans and biohumans, just a series of disparities like ethnicity, resources, and social status can be enough to make a young lad feel despair.

For this reason, Liu Wei has always kept his admiration hidden in his heart. Aside from Fang Xing, no one in the class knows about his crush on Ouyang Qianqian.

At this moment, another hovercar flew by, passing Fang Xing and his companions.

It seemed there was only a young girl inside the car.

“Huh!”

Liu Wei abruptly turned his head, his eyes widening but quickly shut his mouth.

“Alright, we're here...”

Wang drove Fang Xing and Liu Wei to the front of a villa's gate, then smoothly got back in his car and left.

Only then did Liu Wei speak up: “Ah Xing, that person just now... do you think it’s Bai Lianyi?”

“I don't know, I didn't get a clear look.”

After all, it was just a fleeting glimpse, but Fang Xing felt there was a seventy to eighty percent chance.

“Bai Lianyi is like us, a biohuman. How could she afford to live in a place like this? And she's a top student in our class... but she's never liked associating with us. Could the rumors be true?”

Liu Wei's eyes darted around.

Fang Xing was left speechless. Bai Lianyi was indeed attractive, possessing a delicate, refined charm that surpassed Ouyang Qianqian’s. Many admired her at school, and her aloof nature, lack of companions, and the resulting rumors had started to spread.

“I heard it's four hundred each time...”

Liu Wei seemed to murmur to himself.

“Cough cough, let's not spread rumors... especially...”

Fang Xing slightly raised his chin, indicating that their employer would soon come out and reminding Liu Wei that there were surveillance cameras at the gate, so it was best not to take such risks.

“Sigh...”

Liu Wei sighed, “It's a shame... I don't have money.”

Fang Xing glanced at him sideways, knowing that Liu Wei had more savings than he did and was much more frugal.

‘What about your white moonlight, Ouyang Qianqian? Could she not compare to your vermilion mark?’

Just as he was about to say something, the villa’s door opened automatically, and a girl’s voice called out: “You’ve arrived? Come to the training ground by yourselves!”

Fang Xing walked through the garden, arriving at an open area.

Wooden stakes and racks surrounded the area, each adorned with a variety of weapons.

As he sniffed the air, the strong medicinal scent filled his nostrils, indicating that the stakes had been treated with a special solution to aid in healing and invigorating the body.

Nearby, a young girl stood by one of the stakes.

Her hair was tied up in a bun, and she seemed no older than thirteen or fourteen. Her face still bore the innocence of youth, with delicate and charming features. She wore a training outfit and held a wooden sword in her hand.

The sword was dark red, its texture clearly visible, and it shone with a greasy sheen, as if it had been polished for a long time.

“My name is Gu Yun. I've hired you both.” Gu Yun swung her wooden sword, pointing it towards a weapons rack. “Do you know what to do? Pick up two wooden sticks, let's train...”

“Uh, little sister, this might not be a good idea. What if we accidentally hurt you...” Liu Wei lifted a wooden stick, swung it, and it made a dull sound in the air as he spoke apologetically.

Gu Yun raised an eyebrow, “If you can hurt me, I'll double your pay!”

“Alright!” Liu Wei shouted and held the stick with both hands, delivering a move called ‘Splitting Mount Hua’. The stick's shadow came crashing down.

Crack!

The stick struck the ground with a sharp sound.

“So fast!” Fang Xing's face twitched as he recalled the little girl's move, her steps quick and agile like a cat, moving as swiftly as the wind.

“Attack!” Just as he pondered, a shadow flashed beside him, accompanied by a fierce shout. A blade slash landed on Liu Wei's shoulder.

“Ah!” Liu Wei cried out, flying back as if his shoulder was dislocated.

If it had been a real sword, his shoulder and perhaps half of his torso would have been severed.

Liu Wei lay on the ground, looking at Gu Yun, and couldn't help but wail, “You've mastered flesh refinement and even have the B-level martial art ‘Demon Blade’? Some fighters in the second realm might not even be able to beat you! This isn't right!”

“But I'm only a first realm warrior; I haven't broken through yet...” Gu Yun smiled sweetly and turned to Fang Xing. “Your turn... but I'm too strong, it won't be effective this way...”

She pressed the ring on her hand, and her clothes suddenly gleamed. “Let me activate my gravity suit before we fight!”

(End of Chapter)