High Martial: I Grind Professions

Two o’clock sharp.

Fang Chengwu entered silently through the front door.

He scanned the enthusiastic students, a gentle, satisfied smile gracing his lips. He then clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention.

"Very good. For our first class, your spirits are high."

Fang Chengwu’s voice wasn’t loud, yet it clearly cut through the room’s clamor. "This morning was just a warm-up. This afternoon, we’ll get down to business. Everyone, come to the front."

The students quickly gathered in the open space at the front of the Martial Arts Room. Fang Chengwu stood with his hands behind his back. Although he lacked an imposing aura, he possessed a convincing and steady presence.

"The path of the Martial Dao begins with fundamentals and relies on accumulation, but the key is breaking through."

He got straight to the point. "Today, I will tell you about the critical junctures on the path to breaking through realms."

He began by discussing the basics of breathing techniques and blood & qi circulation. Although it was just a review, his insights were so subtle and precise that they often hit the nail on the head, leading many students to sudden enlightenment and a deeper understanding of their own Cultivation Techniques.

As he spoke, the topic naturally shifted to higher realms.

"Many people spend their entire lives either polishing their bodies to the limits of a Martial Artist or practicing a top-tier technique to its peak of perfection, yet they ultimately get stuck at the Martial Artist realm, living with regret for the rest of their days. Why?"

Fang Chengwu’s gaze grew profound. "Because they lack that power of unification, and they lack the secret techniques that can transcend the restrictive framework of conventional skills!"

"Secret techniques." Hearing this term, the students’ eyes lit up instantly, Li Wen among them, as if the two words held some kind of magic.

Fang Chengwu nodded slightly. "Correct, secret techniques. Many believe that you can only begin to condense a secret technique and unleash power that surpasses ordinary skills after pushing your art to the final Unity Realm. That’s not wrong."

His tone shifted, carrying a hint of a challenge. "But that’s not the only way! It’s not impossible to use a secret technique early, once you’ve cultivated a top-tier technique to the perfection level! It’s just... that path is far more difficult than comprehending a secret technique after reaching the Unity Realm. The requirements are incredibly demanding!"

At this point, Fang Chengwu’s gaze seemed to sweep casually over the crowd, finally pausing on Li Wen for a brief moment. His look seemed to hold a certain understanding and scrutiny.

Li Wen’s heart skipped a beat. He understood instantly.

’This seemingly ordinary Teacher Fang must have already studied the videos from yesterday’s selection assessment in detail.’

’He noticed the exceptionally fine body control and exquisite manipulation of power I displayed when fighting the three cyan virtual figures.’

’That was the enhanced body control I gained from using [Absolute Focus].’

Fang Chengwu retracted his gaze and continued, "The key lies in an extremely high requirement for Body Control Power!" He deliberately emphasized these words.

"To condense a secret technique ahead of schedule, your body, mind, and skill must all reach an unprecedented level of harmony and unity.

Especially in the instant you circulate your blood and qi and unleash your power, your minute control over every inch of muscle and every wisp of blood and qi must be absolutely perfect, without the slightest error!

Otherwise, not only will you fail to form the secret technique, you’ll suffer a backlash from it."

"And Body Control Power..." Fang Chengwu’s voice carried a heavy weight. "It’s not just the narrow path to secret techniques, it’s also the absolute foundation for reaching a higher Martial Arts Realm: the Realm of ’Momentum’!"

"The Realm of ’Momentum’?" The students held their breath even more tightly.

"What is ’Momentum’?" Fang Chengwu asked and answered himself.

"It is when your will guides your blood and qi, and your blood and qi in turn draw upon the power of heaven and earth, ultimately forming an invisible, crushing field of force!

A Martial Artist’s ability to project their blood and qi to kill enemies or injure them from a distance all rely on comprehending ’Momentum’!"

His voice suddenly rose, carrying an unquestionable authority:

"Whether or not you can comprehend ’Momentum’ is the key distinction between an ordinary Martial Artist and a true genius. It is also an insurmountable chasm on the path to the Flying Star Level!

If you fail to comprehend ’Momentum,’ no matter how strong you are, you will languish in the Super Martial Artist realm for your entire life!

But once you comprehend ’Momentum,’ it means you truly possess the qualifications to knock open the door to the Extraordinary!

There’s a saying you might have heard—beneath the Realm of ’Momentum,’ all are ants."

These words struck the heart of every student in the Flying Star class like a heavy hammer.

Li Wen clenched his fists even tighter, his heart churning with emotion.

He finally understood what Ling Feng’s descending blade strike had contained. It wasn’t just the condensed saber light, but a ’Momentum’ so terrifying that it had nearly suffocated him. That was the true source of its overwhelming power.

He even suspected that Ling Feng’s saber technique was on an even higher level than his ’Momentum.’

"Of course, comprehending ’Momentum’ is still too far off for you. Besides... before becoming a Flying Star Level, the foundation you build as a Super Martial Artist is equally important." Fang Chengwu’s tone returned to calm, but his words were even more thought-provoking.

"The strength of a Flying Star Level practitioner is determined by the foundation laid during the Super Martial Artist stage—the depth of their Divine-Demon foundation."

"The ’Super Martial Artist’ stage is a crucial period of transformation in a Martial Artist’s life! A Martial Artist tempers their blood and qi, but a Super Martial Artist begins to use that powerful blood and qi to initially temper and nurture their own ’Divine-Demon Body’." Fang Chengwu’s voice held a trace of yearning.

"For example, if you cultivate the Splitting Blade Golden Killing Skill, once you reach the Super Martial Artist stage, you’ll have a chance to touch upon a sliver of the mysteries of a Divine-Demon Body like the ’Heaven-Sundering Divine Body’ or the ’Geng Metal Destruction Body’. This is when the Divine-Demon foundation begins to be forged."

"But take note," he said in a serious tone, "at the Super Martial Artist stage, you can only possess a fraction of a Divine-Demon Body’s power, or perhaps just a mere prototype.

Only when you cross the Flying Star chasm and become a true Flying Star Level expert can you begin to truly unleash the world-altering, terrifying might of a Divine-Demon Body."

Fang Chengwu paused, his gaze sweeping over the students’ eager faces before he offered a shocking example:

"Do you remember the Demon Beast raid during winter break? That late-stage Flying Star Level behemoth was powerful enough to destroy Bluestone County, so why was it defeated so easily by Ling Feng, who is also at the Flying Star Level?"

His self-answered question echoed through the quiet Martial Arts Room:

"Because it’s true they were at the same level, but Ling Feng’s Divine-Demon foundation far surpassed that of the Demon Beast.

The power and defense granted to him by his terrifying Divine-Demon Body, combined with his supreme saber-arts realm, gave him the strength to crush others at the same level.

Slaying that Demon Beast was, for him, as easy as cutting melons and chopping vegetables."

Finally, Fang Chengwu’s voice carried a warning, but also the guiding light of a beacon pointing toward the future:

"So, everyone, don’t aim too high, but don’t be shortsighted either. The strength of a Flying Star Level is set in stone back when they are still a Super Martial Artist.

If you want to become a powerful Flying Star Level expert like Ling Feng, or even surpass him, you must build the most solid Divine-Demon foundation possible during the Super Martial Artist stage, no matter the cost!"

"And the key to forging a profound Divine-Demon foundation..." Fang Chengwu’s expression became incredibly solemn. "Is rare resources!"

"Those rare medicinal herbs, ores, and Spiritual Liquids condensed from the essence of heaven and earth... they are indispensable treasures for accelerating your transformation, solidifying your foundation, and breaking through your limits!"

"Resources like that, how rare are they? How precious?" He looked around at the students, his words carrying the cruelty of reality and the slimness of opportunity.

"Looking across all of Hua Country, the only institutions that can consistently provide the core resources needed to influence one’s Divine-Demon foundation are the hallowed halls of the four top Martial Dao academies."

"The four great academies gather the power of the entire nation, giving them the ability to provide the most supreme fortunes to the most talented geniuses. As for Xinghuo University... that is the pinnacle of the Martial Dao on Blue Star, and the opportunities within are simply unimaginable."

Fang Chengwu shook his head slightly, his voice lowering.

"And those ordinary or average martial arts universities? It’s not that they have nothing, but the few resources they do have are just a drop in the bucket for a genius who hopes to reach the Flying Star Level.

Because among their students, forget about becoming a Flying Star Level in four years—very few even break through to become a High-level Martial Artist! Naturally, those universities have no need, nor the ability, to offer such core resources."

That last sentence struck Li Wen’s heart like the beat of a heavy drum.

The spark of desire in his eyes burned hotter and more resolute at that moment.

"Alright, that’s all on the secrets of the realms for today." Fang Chengwu clapped his hands, ending the earth-shattering lecture.

"Digest this knowledge, and then... prepare yourselves for this afternoon’s combat training!"

The gentle smile reappeared on his face as his gaze swept over the students, finally landing on Li Wen and a few others.

"The path to becoming stronger is right beneath your feet. You want rare resources? First, prove you’re worthy of them!"

His voice wasn’t loud, yet it carried the weight of a thousand mountains, igniting a surge of fighting spirit throughout the room.