High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chu Feng was dressed in his usual sharp combat attire, sitting by the window.

When he saw Li Wen walk in, he looked up. A hearty yet competitive smile appeared on his handsome face as he nodded in acknowledgment.

The brutal battle during the provincial second mock exam finals had long since earned them each other’s respect.

Nangong Xue was also sitting quietly to one side.

She wasn’t wearing a combat suit today. Instead, she was dressed in simple, elegant, moon-white casual wear that made her already refined and otherworldly features all the more stunning.

Her skin was as fair as jade, her features so exquisite they seemed meticulously carved by the Creator. Her waist-length black hair cascaded like a waterfall, with a few playful strands brushing against her smooth forehead.

What was most captivating, however, were her beautiful eyes, which resembled ancient jade submerged in a deep pool. When calm, they were like an icy autumn lake—crystal clear and cold. Yet, deep within them seemed to hide faint, cold stars, and their every glance carried an indescribable ethereal quality and a sense of distance.

When her gaze fell upon Li Wen as he entered the cabin, the placid surface of that lake seemed to ripple almost imperceptibly.

Instead of her usual polite nod, she slightly adjusted her posture, her cool eyes now holding an intense curiosity and a scrutinizing gaze she had never shown before.

She studied Li Wen intently and without reservation, as if trying to see through his every detail.

Several other top prodigies were in the cabin, geniuses Li Wen had seen or at least knew by name from the second and third provincial mock exams. At this moment, they all cast their gazes over.

Their looks held a mixture of curiosity, awe, wariness, and envy.

Every person aboard this exclusive transport to the Fire University exam site was one of the brightest stars among the third-year high school students of Jiangnan Province.

Li Wen calmly returned the gazes of Chu Feng and Nangong Xue. His eyes lingered on Nangong Xue for a moment, and he could clearly feel the unusual attention in her stare.

He said nothing; there was no need for pleasantries.

Under the gazes of the others, which were filled with a medley of emotions, he walked straight to the first row of the spacious cabin.

The view was best from there, and the seat was the most spacious and luxurious—clearly reserved for him, the dual number one.

He had just sat down and gotten comfortable, not yet having had the chance to close his eyes and rest his mind.

The aircraft vibrated slightly and accelerated silently, soon shrinking Bluestone County into a mere dot on the vast chessboard of the earth below.

Outside the window, a sea of clouds churned, and below lay thousands of miles of magnificent mountains and rivers. But inside the cabin, Li Wen did not lose himself in the beautiful scenery.

Li Wen adjusted his posture, closed his eyes, and began to focus his spirit.

In his mind’s eye, there was the speed of a flitting shadow, the resilience of overlapping waves, the firmness of a guarded pass, the vastness of a low-hanging sky, and the weight of piercing a mountain.

The true intents of the Five Forms were like five separate, brilliant stars, slowly rotating and floating within his consciousness.

He needed to find the one critical point that would perfectly fuse them, the catalyst that would detonate them into a singular, unified Blade Intent.

His aura turned inward, condensed and still. In the silence, he once again began to quietly practice his deductions and build his momentum.

For him, this flight toward the future was still a training ground.

For Li Wen, who was immersed in his blade technique deductions, the two-hour flight passed in what felt like an instant.

He only slowly withdrew his focus when the light outside the aircraft seemed to be obstructed by something of invisible, majestic power.

Outside the porthole, a vast and boundless range of towering mountains crashed into view.

The range was immense, stretching for untold thousands of miles.

The main peak was so colossal it seemed to prop up the heavens, surrounded by layers of overlapping ridges.

This was the location of the holy land in the hearts of Martial Dao students worldwide—the Fire Ancestral Mountain Range, home to Fire University.

Fire University was situated here.

However, it didn’t occupy the summit. Instead, it was built in a staggered, magnificent fashion along the main body of the mountain range, as if it had existed since time immemorial.

Amidst the vast mists and lush greenery, one could faintly discern endless ancient halls and pavilions with flying eaves, interlocking brackets, carved beams, and painted rafters. These were not modern creations of steel and concrete, but a pure complex of ancient Eastern architecture.

A colossal stone archway serving as a mountain gate stood halfway up the mist-shrouded mountain. Inscribed upon it were four flamboyant, gilded characters in ancient seal script for the phrase "Passing the Torch." Even from a great distance, one could feel its majestic Dao rhythm capable of suppressing mountains and rivers, as well as the profound weight of ages.

Flowing clouds of pure energy formed a natural, river-like staircase that wound around the mountain. Occasionally, celestial birds would flap their wings, trailing streaks of iridescent light.

From a distance, the entire mountain range appeared to be enveloped in an invisible membrane of light, through which flowed abstruse runes. This was Fire University’s Mountain Protection Array. Even with Li Wen’s keen eyesight and Primordial Spirit perception, he could only glimpse a tiny fraction of it and was left shaken by its vast, unfathomable power.

This was the world’s most preeminent Martial Arts Holy Land, a transcendent existence born from an ancient sect, bearing the highest Martial Dao inheritance of human civilization.

Its sheer prestige needed no explanation. Merely gazing from afar at its grand aura, which was one with heaven and earth, was enough to make any newcomer hold their breath in silent awe.

The aircraft did not fly directly to the mountain gate but instead landed on the outskirts of an incredibly vast super-city at the foot of the mountain.

This city, named "Fire City," spanned a hundred li in circumference. Its walls, over a thousand feet high and crafted from Obsidian that gleamed with a cold, hard luster, were clearly built to repel Demon Beast invasions.

The city’s streets were wide, and the pedestrians were all young Martial Artists and Super Martial Artists. Each one exuded a sharp aura, radiating the prosperity of a golden age for the Martial Dao.

Li Wen and the others were guided to the front of a massive hotel that could only be described as a landmark building.

The hotel was constructed entirely from white jade stone, which shimmered with a gentle spiritual light, and dark sandalwood. It was astonishingly tall yet didn’t seem out of place, its rustic simplicity belying an ultimate luxury.

A massive, gilded plaque above the entrance read: "Star-Viewing Pavilion."

Stepping inside, even the prodigies present, who had come from all over and were accustomed to grand sights, couldn’t help but be slightly taken aback by the scene before them.

The hall’s dome was incredibly high, and floating beneath it were orbs of Spiritual Energy that resembled real stars, casting a soft glow downward.

The floor was paved with single, massive slabs of polished Deep Sea Profound Jade that radiated a faint, cold aura and were so reflective one could see their image in it.

The dozen or so colossal pillars supporting the hall, each carved with a coiling dragon, were so thick it would take several people to encircle one. Every dragon was so lifelike it seemed ready to take flight at any moment.

A faint, refreshing scent of Focusing Spirit sandalwood permeated the air, calming the mind.

The passing attendants moved with light steps, and the faint but dense fluctuations of qi and blood from their bodies revealed that none of them were ordinary people.

By now, the hall was already bustling with a cacophony of voices.

Young geniuses from every continent, federation, nation, and major province across the globe had gathered. Some clustered in groups of two or three, conversing in low voices; others sat alone, meditating with their eyes closed; while others curiously sized up the newly arrived group.

This was a gathering of the small, elite fraction of Planet Blue’s younger generation—a true congregation of stars.

When the contingent from Jiangnan Province, including Li Wen, Chu Feng, and Nangong Xue, stepped into the hall under the guide’s lead, they immediately attracted a great deal of attention.

Li Wen, in particular, became the center of focus. He walked at the head of the group, his figure well-proportioned and upright, his aura as calm as still water, and his eyes as deep as an ancient, star-filled abyss.

From a corner, a few lavishly dressed young men and women cast their gazes over.

One of them, a sharp-looking young man with quick eyes, immediately lowered his voice, a hint of hard-to-conceal excitement in his tone:

"Quick, look, the people from Jiangnan Province have arrived. See the one at the front? Yeah, the one with the calmest aura. That’s Li Wen, the biggest dark horse from Jiangnan Province this year! He’s from a small place like Bluestone County, but he’s ridiculously strong. He’s a ’Technique Awakened.’"

"Oh? So that’s Li Wen? I heard he’s incredibly strong in actual combat?" a girl with long, straight legs and a pretty face asked, a look of surprise on her face.

The sharp-looking young man nodded emphatically.

"It’s a hundred percent true! During the Jiangnan Province second mock exam’s combat assessment, his blade technique was, at best, newly stabilized at the mid-stage of the Power Realm. Yet, he single-handedly defeated Chu Feng, the province’s original top seed, who was genuinely at the late-stage of the Power Realm.

"By the time of the third provincial mock exam, I heard he’d already reached the late-stage of the Power Realm with his blade technique! Judging by his bearing now, I’m afraid he’s even stronger.

"Of the two hundred spots we’re competing for, Li Wen is guaranteed to take one. What’s more, he’s a popular contender to break into the final top twenty."

"Damn! Defeated a late-stage Power Realm expert when he wasn’t even at the mid-stage? Is that for real?" A young man with a buzz cut clicked his tongue, his face a mask of disbelief. "He’s that much of a beast?"

The sharp-looking young man stated confidently, "How could my family’s intelligence network be wrong? The footage from this year’s Jiangnan Province exam has circulated throughout the upper echelons of every nation; it can’t be faked. In the ring, this Li Wen’s blade momentum is astonishingly vicious."

The long-legged girl furrowed her delicate brows. "Then... that’s one less spot out of two hundred..."

A sharp glint flashed in Brother Wang’s eyes. His lips curled into a slight smirk, revealing a confidence born from a superior starting point. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"No need to get too worked up. There are two hundred spots. Even if he takes one, that still leaves one hundred and ninety-nine. Besides, we need to look at the bigger picture.

"It’s true that Technique Awakened have an early explosive growth phase, but once that high-speed sprint is over, their potential is mostly exhausted. It’s difficult for them to reach higher realms step-by-step, the way we can. And..."

He paused, his voice dropping to a near-whisper, laced with a critical tone.

"Li Wen awakened far too late, which means his physical body’s cultivation level is definitely at the bottom of the barrel among our cohort.

"Furthermore, Fire University’s assessment isn’t just about combat. The key is a comprehensive evaluation of one’s comprehension, power, and mental fortitude.

"Technique Awakened only have an innate advantage in combat skills. When it comes to true Martial Dao comprehension... heh heh, they probably aren’t anything special. So, he might be in the limelight now, but that won’t necessarily be the case in the future."

His analysis sounded perfectly logical, perhaps intended to reassure his companions, or maybe even to comfort himself. He was unwilling to admit that a kid from some small-town county could truly stand on equal footing with those like them, who came from privileged backgrounds and had deep-rooted foundations.

"Brother Wang’s analysis is spot on. A brilliant take," the buzz-cut youth immediately agreed, a look of conviction on his face.

The long-legged girl also nodded thoughtfully. As she looked at Li Wen, the surprise in her eyes faded, replaced by a more critical assessment.

Li Wen’s five senses were far sharper than an ordinary person’s. As the power of his Primordial Spirit swept through the hall, every whispered word about him naturally flowed into his ears, not a single one missed.

His expression remained unchanged by Brother Wang’s analysis, his eyes as tranquil as an ancient well.

’This chatter is nothing more than a few specks of dust on my path forward.’

He was following the receptionist toward the service desk to check in.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the hotel entrance, one even larger than the one their own arrival had caused.

The gazes of many were instantly drawn toward it.