High Martial: I Grind Professions

He laughed maniacally as he launched a ferocious counterattack. The massive warhammer whistled through the air, sweeping toward Li Wen with immense force and weight, forcing him to rapidly retreat and dodge.

The jeers from the audience grew louder, as if they were watching a comical performance.

The spectators who had just been discussing Li Wen’s bad luck were now certain that this fight was a foregone conclusion.

"A signed seed, and this is all he’s got? He’s not that impressive."

"Shield Mountain is awesome! He can just stand there and Li Wen can’t even scratch him. I’m dying laughing!"

"Give him another minute and he’ll collapse from exhaustion! Haha!"

Surrounded by taunts, Li Wen’s gaze remained as calm as still water. His earlier probing attacks had not been in vain.

Through repeated, precise strikes and evasions, combined with the near-microscopic perception of his Primordial Spirit, he had clearly "seen" the rhythm of his opponent’s "Immovable Fortress" energy flow and—the momentary gap!

It happened the exact moment Dun Shan’s center of gravity shifted from another swing of his hammer, when the energy of his shield barrier produced an extremely faint, fleeting fluctuation as his body turned.

Deep within Li Wen’s pupils, a cold glint suddenly converged.

Lv. 8 Absolute Focus, activated!

HUM!

There was no dazzling blade aura, no deafening whistle. Only an extremely condensed, nearly transparent line of pale light.

—Flowing Rainbow Five Forms: Shadow-Stealing Form!

It seemed to materialize from the void itself, ignoring the conventional concepts of distance and moving faster than the eye could follow.

It didn’t even seem to slash through; it was more like... it sliced open space itself.

PFFT!

A soft sound, like a needle piercing tough leather, rang out.

Before that line of pale light, the yellow energy shield—nearly as solid as an iron wall—was like thin ice meeting a red-hot needle.

It struck with unerring precision at the core node of that fleeting energy fluctuation, instantly piercing and tearing through it! The light of the defensive field abruptly dimmed.

The savage grin on Dun Shan’s face instantly froze, replaced by utter shock and bewilderment.

He felt an indescribable, bone-chilling sharpness that seemed to ignore all of his vaunted defenses and plunge directly into his body.

After tearing through the shield, the pale line of light barely paused or weakened. With the absolute will of "only speed is unbreakable," it gracefully swept across the vital point on Dun Shan’s thick, heavily armored neck.

SHING!

Somehow, Li Wen had already appeared ten steps to Dun Shan’s side, his long blade angled toward the ground. His posture was steady and his breathing even, as if he had nothing to do with the earth-shattering strike just now.

Dun Shan’s massive body stood frozen in place.

He subconsciously tried to raise a hand to his neck, only to feel his consciousness instantly blur as his vision was swallowed by endless darkness.

The next second, his enormous alloy body, along with the giant shield and warhammer, dissolved into countless motes of golden data and vanished from the arena.

[’Shadow’ (Gold 4) defeats ’Shield Mountain’ (Gold 1)!]

[Higher-Rank Challenge Successful! +40 Points!]

The entire arena fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.

The audience, which had been in an uproar just a second before, now seemed to have been collectively put under a Silence Skill.

All the jeers, discussions, and cheers were caught in their throats.

Countless pairs of eyes were glued to the brief victory notification on the light screen, and to the young figure in the center who was calmly sheathing his blade.

The dead silence lasted for a full two or three seconds.

"Ho... ly... SHIT!!!"

"What... what just happened?!"

"Am I seeing things? That huge guy Dun Shan... is just gone?"

"That... that white light! What kind of blade technique was that?!"

"An instant kill?! A Gold 1 got one-shot by a Gold 4?! My god!"

"This... How the hell is he a Gold 4?! This has to be a Platinum-rank master on a smurf account, toying with us!"

"That’s terrifying! That speed... Was he just toying with him before?"

"I recorded it! This is definitely going to be the top highlight in this week’s arena compilation! Who the hell is this ’Shadow’?! What faction’s super rookie is he?!"

A torrent of shocked, disbelieving, and wildly worshipful cries erupted like a volcano, nearly overturning the entire virtual spectator space.

All the spectators were utterly stunned by the unbelievable scene.

The blade speed and Insight Li Wen had displayed in that instant—which surpassed the limits of what was thought possible in the Gold tier—and the precise strike that had annihilated an unbreakable defense, left an indelible impression on their minds.

Li Wen paid no mind to the deafening uproar or the fervent gazes fixed upon him.

He felt the surging power within him and his perfect control over his body, confirming that the success of that strike relied more on the explosive burst from his 95% Body Control Power and a deeper understanding of the Shadow-Stealing Form’s mysteries.

With 40 points in hand, he was one step closer to his goal.

’The journey in the Infinite Arena,’ he thought to himself, ’has only just begun.’

The light of teleportation flared again, and Li Wen, fresh off his easy victory, vanished from the center of the arena. He left behind a legend and countless discussions waiting to be unraveled as he prepared to face his next battle.

The glow of victory faded from the light screen as Li Wen exited the ranked match against the Gold 1 opponent.

This was already his third clean and easy victory of the day.

His opponent was a Martial Artist specializing in spear techniques. His attacks were crafty and swift, but in Li Wen’s eyes, the trajectory of the spear’s afterimages was clear as day.

He didn’t activate [Absolute Focus], nor did he use the power of his Primordial Spirit. Relying solely on his 95% Body Control Power and his 45% mastery of the Shadow-Stealing Form, he neutralized each of his opponent’s attacks.

His blade flashed, concise and deadly. Every exchange carried a fluid precision, as if every inch of muscle and every wisp of breath in his body existed to serve that blade of unbreakable speed.

At this point, opponents in the Gold tier could no longer pose a real threat to him.

He glanced at the countdown timer on the light screen. His free daily training time in the Infinite Arena for Fire Hall members was about to run out.

Li Wen let out a soft sigh and chose not to spend his precious Fire Hall points to buy extra time.

For one thing, as his rank increased, the caliber of his opponents had risen sharply. They were no longer ideal punching bags for him to simply hone his Shadow-Stealing Form; a moment of carelessness could lead to him being completely suppressed, defeating the purpose of practicing his blade.

For another, he understood the principle of balancing work and rest in cultivation—blade techniques were an extension of the body and will, requiring not only arduous training but also time to settle and digest what was learned.

Mindlessly immersing himself in endless battles could instead dull that keen Spiritual Sense for the blade’s edge.

With a flicker of his thoughts, the virtual arena dissolved like ripples in water, and his consciousness returned to reality.

Li Wen opened his eyes. He was on a cool, comfortable induction mat in a private Martial Arts Room. Outside the window, the daylight was perfect; it was afternoon.

...

The sun rose and the moon set, day after day.

In the blink of an eye, a week had quietly passed. The calendar now showed March 31st.

In a private Martial Arts Room on the top floor of Hongyi Building, Li Wen sat cross-legged. His six hours of cultural studies for the morning were complete. On his [Scholar] class panel, his experience points had quietly increased by 36, changing from 944 to 1696/12800.

This steady accumulation brought him another small step closer to Scholar Lv. 9.

After finishing a custom, high-energy lunch, a warmth spread through his stomach.

He didn’t rush to get up and practice his blade. Instead, with a slight turn of his thoughts, he summoned his personal status panel.

A translucent light screen hovered before his eyes, emitting a soft, clear glow:

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 18]

[Realm: Unranked (Level 8.3)]

[Class: Scholar Lv. 8 (944→1696/12800)]

[Skills: Blade Arts · Unity Realm (Body Control Power 99/100), Five Luminaries Celestial Rainbow Skill · Flowing Rainbow Five Forms · Shadow-Stealing Form (70/100)]

[Cultivation Technique: Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill (Perfected)]

His gaze finally settled on the last line: Blade Arts · Unity Realm (Body Control Power 99/100).

An indescribable sense of anticipation and excitement welled up in his heart.

From ninety-nine to one hundred percent—that seemingly insignificant single percentage point was known in the Martial Arts Realm as the "Threshold to Heaven."

It was the mark of true Great Perfection in the Unity Realm, a symbol of reaching the theoretical human limit of body control.

This meant his excavation of his body’s potential and his command over every wisp of power had reached a terrifyingly microscopic level of precision.

Only by taking this step could he, in the most perfect state, knock on the door to the Realm of Momentum.

After resting for a moment and allowing the essence of the food to be fully absorbed, Li Wen shot to his feet.

Without any hesitation, his blade was in his hand—the same Standard Rapier that had been with him all this time.

When the blade’s light appeared, it was no longer a violent squall, but a gentle spring breeze, exquisitely subtle.

He was still practicing the "Flowing Rainbow Five Forms: Shadow-Stealing Form."

The trajectory of each strike, the minute adjustments of his body—it was like performing a silent masterpiece.

His Lv. 8 [Absolute Focus] activated naturally, boosting his comprehension by 80%. It made his mind as clear as a mirror, reflecting the rhythm of every muscle and the flow of every wisp of qi and blood.

The jade-like Primordial Spirit at the center of his sea of consciousness also rippled faintly, helping him to look inward at himself from an extraordinary perspective.

In this state, the final trace of disharmony in the subtlest parts of his body, the imperceptible lag in his power transmission, were all infinitely magnified and clearly reflected in his mind. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The momentum of his blade flowed like moving clouds and flowing water, becoming smoother and smoother.

Suddenly, an indescribable feeling of complete clarity spread through his entire body.

It was as if an invisible membrane had been completely pierced. All internal blockages vanished in an instant, the circulation of his qi and blood no longer suffered any loss, and the transmission of his strength became precise down to the finest detail.

Muscles, bones, fascia, internal organs... every part of his body became a harmoniously resonating, perfectly synchronized whole.

100%! Body control, Great Perfection.

In that instant, Li Wen felt as if the entire world had become clearer by more than one dimension.

The trajectories of the airflow, the faint vibrations of the ground beneath his feet, and even the sound of his own blood flowing—all became incredibly distinct.

With a single thought, his fingertips trembled. His control had reached an appallingly fine degree, as if he could individually command a single hair on his skin to stand on end.

The power within his body was no longer a reserve to be mobilized, but an extension of himself that moved with his thoughts, as easy as lifting a finger.