High Martial: I Grind Professions

This wasn’t a simple barrier of energy. It was more like a micro-space, an extension of his will, governed by the principles of the "blade."

This was the Blade Aura unique to Li Wen, born from the ultimate principles of the Shadow-Stealing Form.

At the very moment Li Wen was channeling his aura field with all his might, exploring its profound mysteries—in an office several rooms away...

Fang Chengwu, who had been meditating to refine his qi and blood, snapped his eyes open like a vigilant tiger.

His gaze, sharp as a knife, seemed to pierce through the walls, instantly locking onto the source of that sudden, blade-like presence.

"This is... an Aura?!" A glint flashed in Fang Chengwu’s eyes. The Aura was pure and sharp, imbued with the keen edge of something newly born, yet it also hinted at a terrifying penetrating power.

Most importantly, the direction of this presence... A thought, one he himself found almost unbelievable, flashed through his mind like lightning:

’Li Wen?! He broke through to the Aura Realm?!’

The thought was staggering. As far as he could recall, Li Wen had only just reached the late-stage Unity Realm a short while ago.

To go from the late stage of the Unity Realm to the Aura Realm in half a month... Such speed was simply unheard of!

Fang Chengwu shot to his feet. His powerful qi and blood remained contained, but his steps were steady and swift.

In just a few strides, he reached the door of the private Martial Arts Room at the end of the hall.

The closer he got, the clearer and more condensed that nascent Blade Aura became, suffused with Li Wen’s unique presence.

Standing at the entrance, sensing the undeniable sharpness leaking from beneath the door, Fang Chengwu was now certain.

’It’s not an illusion! It’s Li Wen!’

A wave of immense relief washed over him like a warm current. Without a moment’s hesitation, he reached out and knocked on the metal door.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! The sound echoed down the empty corridor of the Martial Arts Rooms.

Inside, Li Wen felt a jolt. He reined in his focus, and the newly formed, pale, sharp aura field receded like the tide.

He collected himself, walked over, and opened the door.

Standing in the doorway was Fang Chengwu, dressed in his usual simple, gray casual suit. His posture was ramrod straight, and the gaze behind his silver-rimmed glasses was sharp yet filled with profound relief as he looked at Li Wen.

His expression was gentle but held an irrepressible admiration, the corners of his mouth turned up in a slight smile.

"Teacher?" Li Wen asked, a little surprised. But seeing the look on Fang Chengwu’s face, he instantly understood.

Before Li Wen could say anything more, Fang Chengwu’s gaze shot past his shoulder, immediately taking in the shocking scene inside.

The cross-section of the severed special high-strength alloy pillar was unnaturally smooth, as if sliced by the most precise laser. The two heavy pieces lay on the floor to one side.

On the wall, a fresh, deep gash over ten feet long was even more striking—a white scar of metal scored deep into the surface.

If an ordinary student had caused this kind of damage, Fang Chengwu might have frowned and delivered a lecture.

But now, looking at the severed pillar, the gash on the wall, and feeling the sharp intent still lingering in the air—a prickling sensation on the skin—his expression showed not a trace of displeasure. Instead, it was instantly replaced by profound relief and immense satisfaction.

"Excellent!" Fang Chengwu’s voice was clear and steady, filled with praise.

He reached out and patted Li Wen’s shoulder, his eyes brimming with expectation and approval.

"That Aura just now... it really was you! From the Unity Realm to the Aura Realm in less than half a month! Li Wen, you’ve once again surpassed my expectations!"

He pushed up his glasses, adding with a gentle smile, "Well done. You truly are the peerless prodigy of our Bluestone Third Middle School."

As he spoke, he walked slowly into the Martial Arts Room. He carefully examined the two pieces of the severed alloy pillar, then walked over to the wall. He extended a slender finger and gently traced the gash, feeling the sharp essence that had penetrated deep into the metal.

"The penetrating power of that blade light... truly astonishing. To have such might right after breaking through..." He nodded and smiled warmly. "Excellent."

After giving his approval, Fang Chengwu didn’t forget to share the tremendous news.

He immediately took out his communicator and dialed Principal Huang Yuanting’s number. His voice was steady and firm.

"Old Huang! I’ve got news for you. Li Wen... the kid just broke through to the Aura Realm! That’s right! Blade Arts, Aura Realm! ... Yes, right here in a private Martial Arts Room at the Bluestone branch. Alright, I’ll bring him over."

A brief silence came from the other end of the line, followed by Huang Yuanting’s equally surprised and incredulous response.

Li Wen stood nearby, watching his composed, gratified teacher, and a sense of warmth and determination washed over him as well.

He knew his rapid breakthrough was only possible thanks to the excellent environment and unwavering support from his school and teachers.

At the same time Fang Chengwu was on the call with Huang Yuanting—

The Fire Hall’s vast internal network had already activated its automatic identification and reporting system.

Li Wen’s virtual pod connection logs, the anomalous energy fluctuation data from the instant of his breakthrough, and, most importantly, the critical information triggered by his status as a Class-A contract member—all of it was captured in real-time by the system of the city-level branch of the Fire Hall.

Moving far faster than any human could, the system compiled a brief: "Class-A Seed Contract Member Li Wen: Breakthrough in Blade Arts to Aura Realm." It was pushed directly to the desks of the relevant administrative personnel.

This brief eventually found its way to Director Sun Zhenshan, who was handling matters at the Fire Hall’s downtown headquarters.

"Hm?" Sun Zhenshan set aside the document he was holding and curiously opened the high-priority automated brief.

The moment he saw the keywords "Li Wen" and "Aura Realm," a look of clear astonishment spread across his otherwise composed face.