High Martial: I Grind Professions

With a single glance, Li Wen could tell that Chu Feng’s spear power... had likely long since surpassed the mid-stage of the Power Realm and entered the late stage.

The countdown ended.

The battle on Arena Seven erupted in an instant. Chu Feng moved!

He didn’t even assume a defensive stance. He simply flicked his right wrist.

HUMMM!

The dark silver spear seemed to come alive, letting out a low dragon’s roar.

His entire presence suddenly soared, a sky-piercing sharpness erupting from his steady demeanor.

In the next instant, he vanished from his spot.

SWOOSH—!

Like a blurry silver bolt of lightning, he shot into the crowd.

There were no earth-shattering roars, no dazzling displays of energy. There was only the simplest, most efficient spear technique, imbued with a boundless killing intent.

Thrust! Jab! Sweep! Smash!

His movements were minimal, his speed too fast for the eye to follow. As his wrist flicked and turned, afterimages of the spear filled the air.

Every time the spear tip jabbed out, a faint light would burst from a vital point on an opponent, like the space between their eyebrows or their throat. Every time the spear shaft swept across, it was like being struck by a giant iron rod, sending everyone in its path flying.

Five or six people were launched into the air at once, crashing heavily to the ground before dissipating into motes of white light.

With a crushing smash of the spear shaft, a late-stage Unity Realm contestant in front who tried to block was sent flying—along with his weapon—as if he’d been hit by a speeding truck, instantly arcing out of the arena...

Chu Feng’s figure weaved through the crowd. His footwork was as steady as a boulder, yet strangely, astonishingly fast.

Everywhere he passed was like a red-hot iron plunging into a snowdrift.

A dense, unending stream of THUDS and screams filled the air as the lights indicating elimination lit up one after another.

He was like a precision war machine running a program, devoid of any emotion, simply carrying out his mission of elimination with cold efficiency.

His spear was already beyond the realm of mere technique. Every strike stirred faint ripples in space—the terrifying manifestation of a perfected spear power.

With every move, large swathes of opponents were eliminated. The rate of elimination on Arena Seven was even faster than Lin Xuan’s shocking, field-clearing slash!

...

In the exclusive observers’ area.

The martial arts university observers’ eyes were practically glowing like lightbulbs. Their fingers tapped on their light-screens, leaving afterimages, as if they wanted to deconstruct and analyze Chu Feng’s every move.

Their recorded evaluations were filled with words like "Perfect," "Stunning," "Textbook-level," and "Confirmed S-rank, without a doubt."

"Excellent! He’s truly worthy of an S-rank contract!" A smile of undisguised satisfaction finally appeared on the face of Director Sun Zhenshan, who had been watching calmly. He nodded slightly, his tone filled with absolute confidence.

"This kid has a steady temperament and a solid foundation. His control over his spear power is perfect, and he’s already reached the late stage. What’s even rarer is his calm judgment and absolute control on the battlefield. His future is limitless!"

His gaze swept over the representatives from the other major powers, a hint of pride in his eyes.

The Fire Hall’s ability to sign Chu Feng to an S-rank contract before anyone else was undoubtedly proof of their and headquarters’ keen judgment.

Watching the figure on Arena Seven who was clearing out opponents as swiftly and steadily as an unshakeable pillar, the entire observation area was filled with admiration and anticipation for the S-rank contract holder.

...

Time ticked by, and on the large screen hovering above the virtual arena, the batch numbers kept changing.

Batch after batch of students were teleported in after the countdown hit zero. Then, after brief, intense battles filled with the clash of metal and bursts of energy, they were either eliminated or held their heads high and advanced to the next round.

In the area designated for the Flying Star Class of Bluestone Third Middle School, the air was thick with a mixture of anxiety and anticipation.

"See that? Every batch has a Power Realm genius in it."

A student from the Third Middle School pointed to one of the arenas where a fight was just ending, his voice tinged with a barely concealed envy.

"Yeah, the rules say it’s random, but the arrangement is pretty obvious."

Another student nodded in agreement. "They’re trying to prevent the top contenders from clashing too early, while also making sure every batch has a strong focal point to attract viewers and maintain hype."

Everyone understood implicitly. This was the unwritten rule behind the "pseudo-random" system—to balance the competitive intensity and maximize the tournament’s entertainment value and suspense.

Finally, when the massive number on the screen jumped to "28," the moment everyone from Bluestone Third Middle School had been waiting for arrived.

HUMMM—

A faint light, signaling teleportation, flashed, and Li Wen’s figure instantly vanished from his spot.

"Li Wen’s up!" Huang Hao, who was standing closest to him, was the first to cry out, his voice filled with excitement.

"Where? Which arena is Li Wen on?"

The surrounding students from the Third Middle School erupted, their gazes sweeping across the twenty massive, floating arenas like radar.

He was their school’s only prodigy to have reached the Power Realm, the pride of all the high school students in Bluestone County.

Soon, someone with sharp eyes spotted him.

"Found him! Arena Three! He’s on Arena Three!"

The students from the Third Middle School quickly focused their attention on Arena Three, their hearts filled with pride and expectation.

In the same batch as Li Wen, another genius who had comprehended the Power Realm was also teleported in.

As before, the two were placed in different arenas.

The other one, whose name was far more renowned than the up-and-coming Li Wen, was Fang Yiming. He ranked in the top ten of the provincial mock exam, and his strength and reputation made him the benchmark for all seed contestants.

The moment Fang Yiming appeared on Arena Fourteen, the number behind the "eye" icon above his head—symbolizing the viewer count—skyrocketed, breaking thirty thousand in the blink of an eye and still climbing wildly.

In comparison, the number behind the "eye" icon next to Li Wen’s name on Arena Three was initially just a few hundred—mostly his classmates from Bluestone Third Middle School—looking utterly insignificant next to Fang Yiming’s popularity.

Meanwhile, in the special area, the martial arts university observers responsible for evaluation were looking down, scrolling through the real-time contestant data on their light-screens.

"Batch twenty-eight. Two Power Realm seeds again," one observer noted blandly, glancing at the list.

"This one called Li Wen..." An old, white-haired professor next to him paused on Li Wen’s data page. When he saw a certain number, a sharp glint flashed in his cloudy eyes.

"His provincial ranking in last month’s mock exam was... forty-eighth? And he was still in the Unity Realm?" His voice was laced with incredulous surprise.

"What? Someone from the Unity Realm broke into the top fifty?"

Another, younger observer quickly pulled up Li Wen’s file as well, scrolling down with a look of utter astonishment on his face.

"And what’s even more ridiculous is that it’s only been a month, and he’s already broken through to the Power Realm? That rate of improvement..."

"Look at the notes," the old professor said, having clearly scanned the detailed file already. He pointed to a key information field. "His designation is: ’Technique Awakened’ specialization."

"Oh..." The young observer let out a long sound of understanding, much of his surprise fading.

"No wonder. That explains it. Technique Awakened do have a natural advantage in improving their technique realm in the early stages. I was wondering why the Fire Hall only gave him an A-rank contract; it felt like a mismatch for his momentum. So this is the reason."

"What a shame," the first observer who spoke said, shaking his head with deep regret in his voice.

"If he weren’t a Technique Awakened, but a conventional or even rarer type of Awakened, then based on this leap in improvement and the feat of breaking into the top fifty while in the Unity Realm alone,"

"forget an S-rank, he could have even vied for the legendary SS-rank contract. A Technique Awakened... sigh. That’s the price of borrowing against your future potential."

The regret in his words was obvious, clearly showing his reservations about the ultimate potential of a Technique Awakened.

The observers fell silent.

It was true that a Technique Awakened was dazzling in the early stages, but the awakening was often both a blessing and a curse. The arduous and limited path that followed was a well-known consensus in the Martial Arts Realm.

On Arena Three, the white light of the teleportation gradually faded.

Li Wen’s figure solidified, appearing on the cold, metal platform.

His eyes quickly scanned his surroundings before landing on the weapon rack that had just materialized in front of him.

The rack displayed a variety of standard-issue melee weapons.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Li Wen reached out and grasped a standard-issue combat saber with a thick spine, a narrow edge, and a cold glint concealed within its steel. He then picked up some light yet sturdy black alloy plates and assembled them into vambraces and a breastplate to protect his vital areas.

His movements were swift and practiced, showing he was clearly familiar with this virtual pre-battle procedure.