High Martial: I Grind Professions

What they had to do was get away from the eye of the storm as quickly as possible and meet the minimum requirement for advancement—placing in the top ten.

Li Wen naturally noticed their movements, but his heart remained untroubled.

He wasn’t a warmonger or a bloodthirsty killer. Since his opponents had wisely chosen to avoid a direct confrontation, he had no interest in hounding them relentlessly.

The rule was to eliminate opponents to gain points. Who he eliminated didn’t matter.

With a clear goal in mind, Li Wen picked a random direction and his figure blurred into a shadow. He casually swung the pale gray blade of qi, condensed from his Blade Intent, and wherever he passed, few could withstand a single exchange. His points steadily climbed.

Just as he was cutting through the competition as if no one could stop him, he caught sight of a somewhat disheveled figure at the edge of his vision. The person was being ruthlessly suppressed by a burly Martial Artist wielding a heavy warhammer, their situation perilous.

It was actually Li Changjie.

Whether it was by luck or misfortune, his cousin—who had just been shocked by Li Wen in the real world—had been assigned to the same arena for the second round.

In fact, Li Changjie had spotted Li Wen the moment they were teleported in. But the arena was vast, and a subtle awkwardness in his heart made him subconsciously keep his distance.

However, he failed to avoid trouble as he had hoped.

At this moment, Li Changjie had been forced into a corner by the warhammer-wielding Martial Artist. His armor groaned under the dull impacts, its durability dangerously low. His face was slick with sweat and fear as the shadow of elimination loomed over him.

Three more strikes, and he would likely be eliminated.

Just in the nick of time.

A pale gray blade gleam, so condensed it seemed solid, tore through the air. It shot out from the side without any warning, striking with absolute precision.

Its speed far surpassed the reaction times of both Li Changjie and the warhammer-wielding Martial Artist.

"SHIIING—!"

Like a hot knife through butter, the blade gleam—imbued with a razor-sharp intent that made Li Changjie’s scalp tingle—instantly pierced the warhammer-wielding Martial Artist’s body.

The Martial Artist still wore a savage grin from his impending victory, but his body had already dissolved into white light, his points halved.

And the tip of this deadly blade gleam’s trajectory had grazed right past Li Changjie’s face.

The icy, death-tinged edge of the blade’s power washed over him, making the hair on his body stand on end and nearly stopping his heart.

Experiencing the power that had killed his opponent at such close range gave him a deeper, unforgettable understanding of Li Wen’s strength. It wasn’t just a matter of being stronger than him; Li Wen was on a completely unattainable level.

The shock of his narrow escape from death far outweighed his gratitude. Li Changjie’s face was deathly pale. After confirming the fatal attack wasn’t aimed at him, he was left with the lingering fear of a survivor and an indescribable awe.

He subconsciously looked toward the direction the blade gleam had come from—where Li Wen stood—and gave a difficult, awkward nod of thanks. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

The distant figure—Li Wen—merely gave the slightest of nods in acknowledgment, as if the single strike that had just turned the tables was nothing more than a casual, insignificant gesture.

Then, Li Wen’s figure flickered again and melted back into the chaotic battlefield to continue his "harvest," not pausing for even a moment.

The brief entanglement brought on by blood ties—an act of grace born from a vast disparity in power, communicated only through a gesture and a glance—was now over.

Like a pebble creating a fleeting ripple on the surface of a lake before sinking to the bottom, it was gone without a trace.

Meanwhile, on another light screen that had captured the spectators’ attention—Arena Two, where Lin Xuan was.

The situation there was a stark contrast to the peaceful coexistence in Li Wen’s arena.

Lin Xuan’s expression was as hard as iron, his gaze sharp enough to pierce a person’s very soul.

He ignored the ordinary contestants fleeing in panic, his target locked on the only other person in the arena who had reached the ’Intent’ stage—Zhou Xiao, ranked 22nd in the provincial mock exam.

Zhou Xiao watched the murderous Lin Xuan approach step by step, feeling a blade’s power that was far deeper and fiercer than his own. His expression turned ugly as he quickly shouted:

"Brother Lin! Don’t be rash! The rules allow for ten winners. Why must we fight to the death right now?"

However, the only response he received was an even deeper chill in Lin Xuan’s icy pupils and a deadly flash of a blade, as fast as lightning, that tore through the air!

"Fight to the death?" Lin Xuan’s voice was devoid of any warmth, but his blade’s power erupted violently, kicking up a gale. "You’re not worthy!"

Zhou Xiao’s face fell in alarm. With an angry roar, he instantly raised a heavy alloy tower shield in front of him.

He was confident in his superior Defense Power, and his rank of 22nd in the provincial mock exam was a testament to his strength.

Reality, however, was cruel.

"BOOM—!!!"

A heart-stopping explosion rang out!

Lin Xuan’s blade, carrying an overwhelmingly tyrannical power that seemed capable of sundering any obstacle, ruthlessly struck the center of the tower shield.

Fragments of the exploding shield flew in all directions like shrapnel from a detonated bomb.

Zhou Xiao felt an irresistible, immense force blast through the nearly shattered shield and into his arms. His bones groaned under the strain, and he was sent flying backward as if struck head-on by a siege hammer, spewing blood.

A single strike!

Zhou Xiao, ranked 22nd in the provincial mock exam and renowned for his Defense Power, had his prized alloy tower shield utterly destroyed and was himself grievously wounded.

Lin Xuan stood with his blade in hand, the hem of his clothes fluttering in a non-existent wind. He looked down at the pathetic, ashen-faced Zhou Xiao struggling to his feet and delivered a cold judgment:

"Do you see now? You piece of trash. You’re the first."

He raised his longsword again, pointing it at Zhou Xiao and at all the other terrified contestants in the arena.

Lin Xuan’s feast of slaughter had only just begun.

...

The fifty-first batch concluded far faster than any before it.

The reason was simple: each of the twenty arenas was presided over by at least two prodigies who had reached the ’Intent’ stage.

Before their overwhelming power, even opponents at the Peak of Unity Realm were cleared out as easily as breaking dead branches. Two or three minutes were all it took to end the match.

As the top ten were decided in the final arena, the last group of advancing contestants was teleported back to their original positions amidst a flash of light.

Now, only two hundred figures remained on the vast, empty plaza.

Each one represented the absolute cream of the crop among this year’s high school seniors in Jiangnan Province. The most dazzling among them were the fifty-odd prodigies who had reached the "Intent" stage.

At that moment, the virtual coliseum erupted both inside and out.

The spectating students buzzed with discussion, excitedly guessing who would have the last laugh in this battle royale of prodigies.

Even in the special observation area, the representatives of the four major powers and the scouts from the various Martial Dao universities had lost their earlier composure, their faces now showing a greater degree of focus and curiosity.

In a chaotic arena battle, especially one involving so many ’Intent’ stage prodigies, victory was no longer determined solely by one’s realm.

Split-second judgment in combat, a keen insight into the flow of battle, clever use of the rules, and even a little bit of luck could all become decisive factors.

The champion of the provincial mock exam, Chu Feng, stood as straight as a spear, his gaze sharp.

He knew that although he was strong, his advantage was limited.

If several prodigies of similar strength ganged up on him, even he could very well be eliminated prematurely.

Therefore, in the previous rounds, he and four other schoolmates from Provincial City First Middle School who were also in the top ten of the mock exam had already reached a tacit agreement. In the final battle, the five of them would team up to clear the field first, securing the greatest advantage in points and safety, before deciding the final rankings among themselves.

But Chu Feng’s group wasn’t the only one with this idea.

Nangong Xue, ranked second in the provincial mock exam and from Provincial City Second Middle School, had also gathered several of her school’s ’Intent’ stage prodigies, forming another powerful alliance.

The remaining top-ten contenders and other powerful ’Intent’ stage prodigies were naturally unwilling to just wait to be devoured by the "big fish."

They too had secretly formed alliances, but their numbers were smaller, and their overall strength was slightly inferior to the two major alliances of Chu Feng and Nangong Xue.

So, they quickly turned their attention to the "lone wolf" experts who were on their own—like Li Wen.

During the short break, a sharp-looking prodigy quickly found Li Wen, who was standing quietly in the crowd, resting and recuperating.

"Student Li Wen? I’m Wang Shuo from Provincial City Third Middle School, ranked eighth in the provincial mock exam." The newcomer got straight to the point, speaking quickly.

"I’m sure you can guess the situation ahead. Chu Feng and Nangong Xue’s factions will likely join forces. If the rest of us don’t band together, we’ll definitely be the first ones they eliminate.

We’ve gathered a few friends from the top ten and top twenty, and we hope you’ll join us. We can work together to clear out the others first—especially the ’Intent’ stage members from weaker teams. After that, we can compete for the final rankings based on our own abilities. What do you say?"

His gaze was fixed on Li Wen, a hint of expectation and scrutiny in his eyes.

Hearing this, Li Wen’s eyes shifted slightly.

’If I don’t join, with my ’Intent’ stage strength and my status as a ’lone wolf,’ I’ll surely become a primary target for the three major groups,’ he instantly weighed the pros and cons.

’My goal of placing in the top three of the province will instantly go up in smoke.’

’If I join, even though it’s a temporary team of strangers who’ll be wary of each other, it at least provides a buffer. It will allow me to avoid the initial onslaught and bide my time.’

With almost no hesitation, Li Wen nodded. "Alright. I’m in."

His voice was calm, betraying little emotion.

A pleased expression appeared on Wang Shuo’s face. "Excellent! Once we’re teleported in, try to move toward us. We’ll prioritize clearing out the unallied ’Intent’ stage stragglers!"

Li Wen agreed.

’This so-called alliance is extremely fragile,’ he thought, his mind as clear as a mirror. ’It’s based purely on self-interest.’

’Once the other threats are eliminated, or if I appear to be a threat to one of the core members, a backstab could happen at any moment.’

’I’m only joining to use this alliance as a chance to survive the initial chaos and conserve my strength. It’s not about trust.’

’When it comes down to it, I can only rely on myself.’

The rest period ended quickly.

The grand system announcement once again echoed through the space: "Final Battle—Two-Hundred-Person Melee, Commence!"

The next second, all two hundred figures were teleported simultaneously.

The scene before him changed, and Li Wen found himself on an incredibly vast, gigantic arena.

This arena was dozens of times larger than any of the previous ones, formed by merging the spaces of all the arenas that came before. It was large enough to accommodate the two hundred top experts for their final showdown.