High Martial: I Grind Professions

The light screen clearly displayed: Rukawa Gale, Rank: Platinum III.

But the rank insignia above his own head was already a dazzling Platinum II.

A flash of light, and Li Wen’s figure appeared on one side of the familiar arena.

Opposite him, Rukawa Gale’s figure materialized at almost the same instant.

The moment he saw the "Platinum II" insignia above Li Wen’s head—a full rank higher than his own—the corner of his eye twitched uncontrollably, and he clenched his jaw.

The last duel—the cold sensation of that pale blade piercing his forehead, the shocked and deathly silent expressions of countless spectators from Japan—resurfaced like a nightmare.

His once-proud Platinum III rank seemed exceptionally dim under the radiance of his opponent’s Platinum II.

Rukawa Gale’s face was ashen, but he was facing the live broadcast cameras and the massive audience below the stage.

His intense pride forced him to suppress the churning humiliation and a faint flicker of fear. He lifted his head again, striking his signature arrogant pose.

"Last time, you got lucky with a sneak attack. You won’t have that kind of luck today."

After a brief moment of shock, the audience from Japan below the stage erupted in a deafening roar:

"Lord Gale will be victorious!"

"Last time was a fluke! If Lord Gale gets serious, that guy is no match for him!"

"Rank isn’t everything! Lord Gale’s Gale Sword Dao is second to none!"

Watching his opponent’s blustering act and the rowdy supporters below, Li Wen just smiled calmly. His voice wasn’t loud, but it cut clearly through the din:

"Rukawa Gale? You seem frightened. Don’t worry,"

He paused, held his virtual longsword in a reverse grip, and assumed a purely defensive starting stance. His gaze was calm as he looked straight at his opponent.

"This time, I won’t move. I’ll just stand here and let you attack. Come at me with everything you’ve got. Let’s see if your true strength can even shake my defense."

His words were like cold water splashed into hot oil.

"The height of arrogance!"

"Kill him! Lord Gale! Make him pay for his insolence!"

Rukawa Gale’s face instantly turned beet-red. A mix of shame and rage completely shattered his last shred of reason, erasing any thought of a strategic retreat.

Only one thought remained—to shatter his opponent’s infuriating calm. He roared, his voice nearly cracking, "Bastard! Die!!"

BOOM!

The instant the countdown ended, Rukawa Gale became a blur, an afterimage wrapped in sharp, azure gales. He pushed his speed to the absolute limit, a notch faster than in their last fight. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

His longsword tore through the air with a piercing shriek. An overwhelming torrent of azure Sword Qi swept toward Li Wen like a hurricane!

Facing this gale-force assault that could rip through steel, Li Wen did exactly as he’d promised. His feet were rooted to the stage, completely still. Only the hand holding his sword moved!

CLANG! CLANG! DING! DING! DING-DING-DING-DING—!

The sound of metal striking metal, so dense it was almost a continuous tone, exploded across the arena like a sudden downpour.

The sword in Li Wen’s hand seemed to transform, becoming living water, resilient vines, a heavy mountain wall.

He didn’t use a single offensive move, merely channeling the defensive essence of the Defensive Form to its absolute peak.

With a turn of his wrist, his blade flashed continuously. It would precisely block the weakest point of his opponent’s strike, skillfully redirect a fatal sword gleam, or spin to create layered rings of defensive light.

The ten-foot-long blade glimmers and the azure Sword Qi constantly collided, shattered, and flew off in all directions, slamming violently into the arena floor and the surrounding energy shield.

They erupted with muffled booms and sent out ripples of energy, causing the entire arena to tremble unceasingly from the ravaging aftershocks.

No matter how Rukawa Gale changed his moves, accelerated, or unleashed bursts of Sword Qi, Li Wen remained as steady as a rock.

That simple-looking sword in his hand seemed to have become an absolute barrier. No matter the fury of the storm, he stood firm and unmoving.

He even began to use the brief lulls in his absolute defense to incorporate a hint of the force-redirecting flow technique he had just begun to grasp. His movements, at first slightly clumsy, grew increasingly smooth and fluid.

The true essence of the Defensive Form grew clearer and deeper in the crucible of real combat.

’Defense... isn’t about brute force... it’s about flow... about redirection... it’s stability in motion... it’s making the opponent’s strength aid your own defense...’

Li Wen’s eyes grew brighter and brighter as his mind became completely immersed in the profound mysteries of the Defensive Form.

Each of his opponent’s attacks was like a heavy hammer, forging and tempering his path of defense.

Rukawa Gale’s heart, however, sank deeper and deeper.

Ten breaths! Twenty breaths! He had already given it his all, even using the minor tricks he kept up his sleeve, yet he couldn’t even make his opponent move a single step.

’Not only is his rank higher, but even his damn defensive swordsmanship has become this terrifying?’ In the live broadcast channel, the initial fanatic support was gradually being replaced by voices of doubt.

[Understanding of Defensive Form has deepened... Mastery +0.1%...]

[Mastery +0.1%...]

The numbers on the virtual panel ticked up silently. Though not as fast as during dedicated training, under the extreme pressure of actual combat, every sliver of progress was precious.

Unable to break through after such a long assault, fear and anxiety completely overwhelmed Rukawa Gale.

Seeing Li Wen’s focused eyes, which seemed to light up with dawning comprehension, a sliver of despair and the urge to retreat rose uncontrollably within him.

An infinitesimal, instinctual hesitation appeared in his sword form—an extremely dangerous flaw while attacking at full speed.

"Hm?" Li Wen, his perception honed to a razor’s edge, noticed it immediately.

In the instant Rukawa Gale’s resolve wavered and his movements faltered, Li Wen’s calm voice rang out again. It carried a perfectly timed note of seemingly genuine, concerned confusion: