High Martial: I Grind Professions

The car door slid open silently.

Li Wen was the first to step out, his posture ramrod straight, a characteristic intensity in his expression.

His father and mother followed close behind.

Once again, they watched with their own eyes as the family of three safely disembarked from a formal sedan that, from its appearance alone, was clearly expensive and signified high-level clearance.

Seeing a driver in a Fire Hall uniform respectfully open the door for them, then stand at attention by the car, completely dispelled any lingering doubts.

Shock, like a tangible wave, silently washed over the faces of relatives, both familiar and not, before settling in.

What followed was a complete reversal in their attitudes.

Li Fude, who was habitually the center of attention, surrounded by a crowd as he spoke, now wore a smile that had lost its usual touch of superiority, replaced by obvious caution and eagerness.

Beside him, Li Changjie watched Li Wen with a complicated expression. Whatever confidence he’d gained from his own D-level contract with the Fire Hall was utterly shattered by the sight of this exclusive vehicle.

More than the other clan members, Li Fude understood the symbolic meaning of the car. Within the Fire Hall’s system, not even a B-level contractor, or even a high-level executive at a branch hall, would ever be assigned a personal vehicle of this caliber.

This meant Li Wen’s rank within the Fire Hall had to be A-level at the very minimum!

His future prospects were on a completely different level—several orders of magnitude beyond what someone like himself, who had barely crossed the threshold of a Super Martial Artist and built a family business in a local firm, could ever hope to compare with.

"Ah Wen has really made it! He’s brought such glory to the Li family!"

"Sister-in-law, look how well you’ve raised your son! You’ll be able to live a life of leisure from now on!"

"Fourth Uncle, don’t you worry about the ancestor worship. We’ll handle it, you just rest!"

The relatives’ chattering compliments and enthusiasm instantly enveloped Li Wen’s parents, a stark and glaring contrast to their treatment in previous years.

Before Li Wen’s father could even pick up the sickle leaning against the car to clear the weeds around the ancestral graves, a young cousin—usually a quiet man with whom they had a distant relationship—swiftly snatched it away, his face wreathed in a smile.

"Fourth Uncle, how could we let you do such manual labor? We’ll do it, we’ll do it! Please, have a seat!"

Li Wen’s father and mother were caught completely off guard by this sudden wave of enthusiasm.

The old couple exchanged a glance, both a little bewildered.

However, their good-natured dispositions allowed them to quickly suppress their complex feelings. Li Wen’s father simply gave a slight nod, while his mother managed a gentle smile in response to the relatives.

"You’re all too kind. We’re all family."

At that moment, Li Fude himself walked over, patting Li Wen’s father’s shoulder with a beaming smile.

"Old Fourth, you’ve raised a fine son! From now on, the Li family will be counting on Ah Wen to look out for us!"

Li Changjie also sidled up to Li Wen, a hint of caution in his manner.

"Brother Wen, before... I was shortsighted before. About your work at the Fire Hall... if it’s convenient, we should talk more in the future."

Even the stern-faced bodyguard hired by Li Changjie’s family, a man dressed in the uniform of a High-level Martial Artist with an impressive aura, now looked at Li Wen with less scrutiny and more solemn respect.

Li Wen just responded calmly, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the sparse mountain forest in the distance. His mind didn’t seem to be entirely present.

He gave a slight nod, saying nothing more.

The ancestor worship ceremony was completed solemnly and swiftly, conducted in a subtle atmosphere that was outwardly cordial but filled with an undercurrent of status disparity.

The clan members all got back into their cars, preparing to return to the city.

「Meanwhile, in a dense forest at the foot of a mountain several kilometers from the Li family’s ancestral grounds, a Demon Beast extermination squad under the command of Bluestone City’s government was on a routine mission.」

The squad, about twelve or thirteen strong, was equipped with standard-issue personal energy weapons and various cold arms. They were cautiously clearing this buffer zone near the city outskirts.

Their captain was a burly, bearded man with a steady aura, already possessing the strength of a High-level Martial Artist.

He warily scanned the pitch-black entrance of a cave up ahead and gave an order.

"Number Three, deploy a recon probe. Everyone else, spread out in a fan formation and stay alert! There aren’t many signs of Demon Beasts in this area, but it’s better to be safe than sorry."

The well-trained squad fanned out. Just as Number Three was about to toss the micro-recon probe—

"ROAR!!!"

"AWOO—!!!"

Two deafening roars, filled with brutality and the stench of blood, suddenly exploded like thunder! An overwhelming, foul wind blasted toward them!

Two massive black shapes shot out of the cave like cannonballs! They moved so fast that they kicked up a cloud of dust like a small sandstorm.

The bearded captain’s pupils contracted abruptly as he cried out in shock.

"Damn it! It’s a Swift Wind Demon Wolf! Two of them?! Peak-level junior Super Martial Artist strength! Quick!! Form a defensive circle!"

Before he could finish, the two enormous demon wolves—each nearly three meters tall, covered in tough, blue-black fur, with ferocious fangs like daggers and speed like the wind—had already slammed into the hastily formed defensive circle, their bloodlust palpable.

"BANG! BANG! CRACK!"

"Ahhh—!"

The two soldiers at the forefront holding energy shields were sent flying, shields and all, by an immense, irresistible force.

Their sturdy alloy shields shattered like paper under the sharp claws. Screams and the sound of breaking bones erupted simultaneously as blood instantly stained the ground.

"Hold the line! Open fire! Ready the energy net guns!"

The bearded captain’s eyes were bloodshot as he roared commands, his own large-caliber energy rifle spitting out a blinding beam of light.

The other squad members suppressed their fear and unleashed a dense barrage of fire on the two beasts.

However, for Demon Beasts at the peak of the junior Super Martial Artist level, the Protective Gang Qi formed by their Demon Power and their tough hides provided a defense far beyond what ordinary weapons could penetrate. The energy beams only created ripples on their bodies.

The demon wolves weaved nimbly through the web of firepower, each pounce and swipe of their claws carrying the force to tear through steel!

"Captain! We can’t suppress them with our firepower!"

"The energy net is useless! The bastards are too fast!"

"Xiaochen! Old Wu!"

Several more squad members were struck by the wolves’ claws as they failed to dodge or as the formation was breached. They were either killed or gravely wounded. The formation was on the verge of collapse, like a guttering candle in a gale.

"Calling headquarters! Emergency! Two peak-level junior Super Martial Artist demon wolves spotted five kilometers southwest of the suburban ancestral grounds! Heavy casualties! Requesting Super Martial Artist and heavy weapons support! Repeat, requesting—" The communications officer’s voice was frantic and desperate.

At that very moment, the Li family’s returning convoy rounded a mountain pass and ran straight into the bloody, brutal battlefield.

The dead silence was shattered by flying shrapnel, piercing beastly howls, human screams, and the deafening blasts of Energy Guns.

The lead vehicle in the convoy nearly crashed into a large boulder that had been sent flying.

"Oh my god!"

"That’s... a Demon Beast! A man-eating Demon Beast!"

"Blood... so much blood!"

"Turn around! Run!" Terrified screams and cries erupted from the convoy.

The Li family members had never seen such a spectacle. They were scared out of their wits and thrown into utter chaos. Some locked their doors tight, while others tried to reverse, only to block each other. The scene was a complete mess.

Especially after seeing the gore-strewn battlefield ahead and the two giant wolves that looked like demons from hell, many of them simply collapsed, trembling uncontrollably.

The exclusive Fire Hall car Li Wen was riding in was, of course, also part of the convoy.

Inside the car, Li Wen’s half-closed eyes snapped open. His Primordial Spirit, which he had kept contained within a radius of a few dozen meters, rapidly expanded.

A surging wave of Primordial Spirit power instantly spread out.

His Primordial Spirit was now countless times stronger than before. Although it hadn’t reached the second level, he could vaguely but clearly perceive the intense energy fluctuations and life auras a hundred meters away.

’Not good.’ A jolt went through Li Wen. His gaze, sharp as a blade, pierced through the front windshield and instantly locked onto the tragic battlefield.

Almost at the same moment Li Wen sensed them, the Swift Wind Demon Wolf King that was tearing at a soldier’s mutilated corpse seemed to scent fresh prey. It whipped its head around.

Its scarlet beastly eyes, filled with cruel excitement, stared intently at the nearby Li family convoy blocking the road. It seemed to think this group of "plump," non-threatening prey would be an easier catch.

"ROAR!" The other wolf king also took notice. It abandoned the remaining two or three squad members who were still stubbornly resisting its attacks, turned, and began stalking toward the convoy with a low growl.

The panic instantly reached its peak. Despair enveloped every single person.

"They’re... they’re coming for us!!"

"Help!!!"

Even the High-level Martial Artist bodyguard Li Changjie had hired now had an incredibly grim expression. He could feel that these two Demon Beasts were far beyond his ability to fight.

He instinctively moved to shield Li Changjie, but the hand gripping his weapon was slick with cold sweat.

"Damn it, get out of here! We’ll hold them off! Go, now!"

The bearded captain and the few remaining soldiers who could still move looked on with furious despair. Knowing full well that charging forward meant certain death, they still screamed themselves hoarse at the Li family members, their eyes bloodshot.

They held the front line, trying to draw the demon wolves’ attention, using their own bodies to buy this group of civilians a sliver of a chance to survive.

Seeing this, the last shred of hesitation in Li Wen’s heart was instantly burned away by a rising flame.

He could have left. With his speed and the car’s defenses, it wouldn’t have been difficult to escape with his parents.

But these people before him—these soldiers who, despite being in a life-or-death situation and knowing they were going to die, were still upholding their duty in their final moments, screaming and charging at the beasts to protect civilians they didn’t even know.

He couldn’t just stand by and watch.

’I am an A-level seed of the Fire Hall. I just comprehended Saber Intent and entered the Intent Realm. I have the power to do something.’

’Just a moment ago, I was thinking about my goals for the second provincial mock exam, thinking about accumulating resources.’

But in the face of such pure sacrifice—using one’s own flesh and blood to protect the weak—all those considerations suddenly felt as light as a feather.

The scales in his heart tipped completely.

BOOM!

Li Wen threw the car door open.

"Ah Wen! What are you doing?!" his father and mother cried out in terror.

Amid the stunned, uncomprehending gazes of his clan, who thought he was marching to his death, and the desperate, frantic roars from the extermination squad, Li Wen shot forward like an arrow released from its bow. He resolutely charged out of the convoy’s safe zone and raced toward the brutal battlefield.