High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Manager Qin clicked his tongue in amazement, then turned to the other two old men. ”Old Li, Old Chen, get the ’Triple-Layer Forging Method’ ready. Let’s show this young man what we’re made of today.”

Xu Wuyi’s spear was dismantled. The spearhead and shaft were separated and thrown into the Melting Furnace to be melted down again.

The Star Core Meteoric Gold, meanwhile, was placed in another, smaller Melting Furnace to be activated and softened with a special Energy Field.

The entire forging process lasted for a full eighteen hours.

Xu Wuyi watched the entire time.

He couldn’t comprehend the complex forging techniques, but he could sense that each of the three old masters’ hammer strikes contained a unique Spiritual Guidance. It wasn’t just physical labor; it was a profound form of Martial Arts cultivation.

The Furnace Fire flared and dimmed, and the sound of hammers rang out.

Under the intense heat and heavy blows, the metal continuously warped, fused, and reformed.

Finally, at dawn on the second day, a brand-new spear was pulled from the quenching pool.

The spear was about 2.2 meters long and dark gold in color. Its shaft was no longer a smooth cylinder but was instead covered in fine, scale-like patterns.

These patterns weren’t carved; they were naturally formed channels for guiding Energy.

The spearhead was about forty centimeters long, shaped like a narrow, three-edged pyramid. Its edges were incredibly sharp, and the cold glint at its tip looked as if it could pierce the void itself.

Manager Qin handed the spear to Xu Wuyi.

”Try it.”

Xu Wuyi took the spear in his hands.

’So heavy!’

If his physique weren’t far superior to that of other Martial Artists at his level, he likely wouldn’t have been able to hold it steady.

But the weight wasn’t a burden.

The spear felt cool to the touch, yet it faintly resonated with the Qi and Blood in his palm, as if it were alive. When he circulated a bit of his strength, the dark gold shaft began to glow faintly red, and the scale-like patterns pulsed like a living creature breathing.

With a mere thought, he infused a wisp of the Power of Heart Image into it.

HUM!

The spear quivered lightly, and a dark gold brilliance flowed across its surface. An inch-long, dark gold blade of energy spontaneously formed at the tip, pulsing unstably and distorting the surrounding air with its intense heat.

”The Star Core Meteoric Gold has perfectly integrated with the spear’s body. The weapon now provides a 150% amplification to Fire Attribute Energy, and its conduction loss for the Power of Heart Image is less than 5%.”

Manager Qin wiped the sweat from his brow, his exhaustion mixed with pride.

”When held, the shaft will resonate with the user’s Qi and Blood, and its practical swinging weight will adjust adaptively. You feel it’s heavy because it hasn’t fully ’acknowledged its master’ yet.”

”Acknowledged its master?”

”Imprint it with your Heart and Spirit,” Manager Qin said. ”A weapon of this caliber already has a Spiritual quality to it. It needs to be bound.”

Xu Wuyi did as he was told, guiding his Heart and Spirit and infusing the spear with the Power of his Heart Image.

A flash of blood-red light flickered across the dark gold shaft before it returned to normal.

At the same time, Xu Wuyi felt a mysterious connection form between himself and the spear. The feeling of weight suddenly vanished, and it became perfectly balanced in his hands, like an extension of his own arm.

He gave it a casual flick, and the spearhead cut through the air, letting out a low hum that sounded like a dragon’s roar.

”A fine spear,” Xu Wuyi praised sincerely.

”It doesn’t have a name yet,” Manager Qin said with a smile. ”You should give it one.”

Xu Wuyi stroked the shaft, feeling the slumbering heat and weight within.

”Let’s call it... ’Liaoyuan’.”

The Liaoyuan Spear, to match the Liaoyuan Fire. It was a perfect fit for his Martial Arts.

And the single spark in his heart would be ignited, starting with this very spear.

...

That afternoon, at Xingjing City’s Planar Channel Base Number 19.

It was a fully militarized, fortress-like structure, teeming with heavily armed soldiers and officers rushing to and fro.

A faint Energy Fluctuation permeated the air—the after-effects of numerous Teleportation Arrays in constant operation.

After completing his identity verification and picking up his pre-battle briefing at the reception desk, Xu Wuyi was guided to Teleportation Hall Number Three.

Over twenty people were already waiting in the hall. All of them were Martial Artists heading to the Flowing Sand Star Realm, with their Cultivation generally at level 35 or higher. Most wore standard-issue combat uniforms and carried themselves with a sharp, formidable air.

Xu Wuyi, dressed in a simple black training suit, stood out in the crowd. The golden star insignia of an Innate Martial Artist on his epaulet shone brightly. Many eyes fell on him, some with curiosity, others with friendly nods of acknowledgment.

”Xu Wuyi?” a resonant voice called out.

Xu Wuyi turned to see a burly, rugged-looking middle-aged man walking over.

The man wore the combat uniform of the Dongjiang Battle Group, and the two silver bars on his epaulets marked him as a company captain.

”I’m Shi Yue, Captain of the Dongjiang Battle Group’s Third Company.” The big man extended a large hand. ”The higher-ups told me to look out for you in the Flowing Sand Star Realm. As it happens, my company is rotating in as well, so we’ll be traveling together.”

Xu Wuyi shook his hand. ”Thank you for the help, Captain Shi.”

”No trouble at all,” Shi Yue said with a grin. ”We all heard about your battle in Linjiang. Good work, kid. You did Dongjiang proud. Once we’re in the Flowing Sand Star Realm, stick with my company. It’ll be safer for you.”

As the two were speaking, an announcement came over the hall’s broadcast system.

”Attention all personnel traveling to the Flowing Sand Star Realm. Teleportation Array Three is about to activate. Please enter the teleportation zone in an orderly fashion.”

Shi Yue clapped Xu Wuyi on the shoulder. ”Let’s go. Time to head out.”

The group entered the teleportation zone in single file.

It was a circular platform over fifty meters in diameter. The floor was inscribed with complex spatial runes, and it was surrounded by twelve silver metal pillars, each topped with a massive spatial Crystal Stone.

A staff member made a final confirmation of the coordinates and Energy supply, then announced loudly:

”Teleportation countdown: ten, nine, eight... three, two, one, activate!”

The twelve metal pillars simultaneously lit up with a blinding silver light.

Space trembled violently, and their vision was flooded with silver.

Xu Wuyi felt his body lighten, followed by the familiar sensation of weightlessness and being pulled. With his extensive experience traveling between Star Realms, he was already used to it. He simply tightened his grip on ”Liaoyuan.”

A few seconds later, his feet touched solid ground.

The silver light faded, and the scene changed dramatically.

A dry, scorching wind gusted into his face, carrying the scent of sand and dust.

Before him stretched a boundless desert.

The sky was a dark yellow, with two dim, ochre suns hanging overhead. The ground was a mix of gravel and arid plains, dotted with a few withered, drought-resistant plants.

In the distance, he could see the silhouette of a towering military fortress, and even farther away on the horizon, the faint, shimmering outlines of what looked like floating Avian watchtowers.

He had arrived in the Flowing Sand Star Realm.

Xu Wuyi took a deep breath. The scorching air that flooded his lungs carried the faint aftertaste of gunpowder and blood.

He tightened his grip on his spear and stepped out of the Teleportation Array.

...

The light of the Teleportation Array dissipated completely, and the unique, dry heatwave of the Flowing Sand Star Realm washed over him.

Xu Wuyi stood on a plaza paved with alloy plates and surveyed his surroundings.

This was clearly one of the Federation’s frontline bases in the Flowing Sand Star Realm, and it was quite large.

In the distance were rows of dark yellow barracks and warehouses, and even farther off stood Energy Shield Generators dozens of meters tall.

High in the sky, two dim, ochre suns hung, baking the entire land until heat shimmered up from its surface. As far as the eye could see, there was only desert and arid plains, with the occasional twisted, dead tree and weathered rock pillar.

”Welcome to ’Sandstone’ Base.”