High Martial: I Grind Professions

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was June 12th.

Yesterday, Li Wen and Fang Chenghong had returned to the magnificent and ancient Xin Huo Ancestral Grounds and moved into the new student townhouse complex in the core region.

Individual villas with green tiles and white walls were built into the mountainside, nestled among lush, ancient trees. Each was equipped with a training room, a meditation chamber, and attendants dispatched by the university in uniform gray tunics to look after the students’ daily needs.

Such lavish conditions showed just how much Xin Huo University valued this crop of talented prospects.

Early in the morning, as the sun began to rise, its golden rays spread across the vast White Jade Plaza atop Enlightenment Peak.

Li Wen was among the two hundred new disciples who had passed through successive rounds of selection to represent the future of the Human Race. Dressed in uniform azure martial attire, they gathered here, brimming with vigor.

On this day every year, Enlightenment Peak was always abuzz with activity.

All of Xin Huo University’s current students, regardless of their year, gathered here dressed in their formal peak robes. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Looking out, one could see the senior student area neatly divided into twelve formations, each clearly distinct from the next.

The styles of their peak robes varied greatly. Some were as ethereal as clouds, others as solid as mountains; some blazed with rising flames, while others were adorned with stars. With their differing colors and patterns, there were twelve distinct styles in total, each symbolizing one of Xin Huo University’s twelve core legacy peaks.

The students stood tall, their auras profound and steady. The invisible presence they radiated coalesced into a powerful field, making the new arrivals feel both immense pressure and a surge of inspiration.

On the high platform at the front of the plaza, twelve figures stood tall and unmoving.

Their very presence felt like twelve colossal peaks holding up the heavens. Their auras were as deep as the ocean, and their gazes seemed capable of piercing one’s very soul.

These were the twelve Peak Masters of Xin Huo University, whose might was renowned across Blue Star. Every single one of them was a King-level expert.

"Look! The one who seems to be surrounded by flowing starlight, that’s the Peak Master of Xingyan Peak! I heard he once used his domain to single-handedly trap and kill three Demon Race experts of the same rank," a well-informed new student whispered in awe, his voice full of admiration.

"Is that the Peak Master of Red Flame Peak? Her vital energy is so scorching! They say on the battlefields of the Raging Flame Star Domain, she single-handedly used her spear to incinerate a demon nest that spanned dozens of miles!" another voice said, filled with reverence.

"And the one with the most profound and heavy aura, like the very foundation of the earth, he must be the Peak Master of Zhenyue Peak! I heard the Super Grade Divine-Demon Body he primarily cultivates has unparalleled defensive power. He once withstood a combined assault from three King-level Great Demons without losing ground."

Whispers and discussions rippled through the ranks of the new students, all of them thrilled to see these figures who, until now, had only existed in legends.

This was the true foundation of Xin Huo University! The twelve Peak Masters, representing twelve ultimate paths to the apex of the Martial Dao!

However, Li Wen, standing at the very front of the new students, merely glanced past the twelve awe-inspiring "summits" on the stage. His gaze traveled beyond the high platform, settling on the vast formation in the distance, a sea of twelve different colored robes—the senior student area.

His gaze swept back and forth through the seniors’ ranks, carefully examining face after face.

Calm, aloof, confident, humble, imperious... the expressions were endless.

But he never found the figure he was looking for—Ling Feng, the man who had slain a high-level Flying Star Level Demon Beast with a single blade strike on New Year’s Eve and left such a deep impression on him.

A faint sense of disappointment flickered through Li Wen.

Over the past few days, through his access to the university’s internal records and from information provided by Fang Chenghong, Li Wen had gained a much deeper understanding of Xin Huo University.

This was no university in the ordinary sense. It was more like an ancient sect, with a strict system and a time-honored legacy, dedicated to cultivating top-tier Divine-Demons to guard the Human Race’s star-frontiers.

Xin Huo University had no fixed term of study, but it operated under two almost cruel rules:

First, within ten years of enrollment, a student must use an Upper Grade or Super Grade Divine-Demon art to break through to the Flying Star Level. Failure to do so resulted in expulsion, as was the case with Fang Chengwu.

Second, after breaking through to the Flying Star Level and forming a Divine-Demon Body, a student’s strength still had to meet their peak’s specific assessment standards. Only then were they permitted to graduate and be dispatched to guard a Stargate.

Of course, there were exceptions. Ling Feng’s previous departure, for instance, had been for a special mission.

’Looks like he still hasn’t returned.’ Li Wen withdrew his gaze, pushing aside his faint disappointment.

For now, he needed to focus on the ceremony that was about to begin.

While Li Wen was searching for Ling Feng, the senior students’ section was an undercurrent of activity.

Countless gazes were fixed on the new faces, a mixture of curiosity, scrutiny, and appraisal.

"Which one is Li Wen?"

"There, the one in black at the very front. Hmm? He looks sharp, sure, but it’s not like he has three heads and six arms," a senior disciple commented, pursing his lips.

"I heard he cleared the ninth round of the Spiritual Sense assessment, the Wisdom Ten Forms Blade Skill! And he treated all those elite demon generals like they were nothing. That resume... Tsk, tsk. Which one of us could’ve pulled that off back in our day?"

"Yeah, with talent like that, probably only Senior Brother Ling Feng could hold a candle to him."

"Hey, look, is he checking us out?"

"Looks like he’s searching for someone."

"Who cares! Anyway, what’s your guess? Which peak will he choose? Sky-splitting Peak, with the most members and experts as common as clouds? Or the currently trending Xingyan Peak, which specializes in the art of trapping and killing? Or..."

The speaker lowered his voice, a hint of reverence creeping in, "...could it be the one known as the ’Absolute Peak’—the one with the most difficult arts, but whose practitioners are virtually unrivaled at their level once they succeed... Nine Heavens Peak?"

At the mention of "Nine Heavens Peak," the expressions of the senior students nearby grew complicated.

Getting into that place was easy enough. Graduating from it... was another story entirely.

Just then, the space in the center of the high platform rippled like the surface of water. A figure appeared out of thin air, silent and unnoticed, yet in an instant, they commanded the attention of everyone present.