High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

”It stores enough high-purity Crystal Stones to run Tidesurge Fortress for half a month. The guard consists of three hundred soldiers, overseen by two Sub-King Level experts.”

”Our intelligence indicates one of the Sub-King Level experts was temporarily transferred to Raging Wave Fortress for a meeting yesterday. Only one is left guarding the station. This is our window of opportunity.”

Xu Wuyi carefully examined the conversion station’s structural diagrams and defensive layout.

”Mission requirements?”

”Within ten minutes, destroy the energy core and eliminate all the guards,” Yang Zhenyue said, his tone calm.

”Tie Zhan and Lu Wenquan will accompany you for protection. Su Wanqing will set up an interference barrier on the perimeter to delay the spread of Energy Fluctuations. Chen Feng and I will launch feint attacks from other directions to draw the Feathered People’s attention.”

”Understood.”

Han Mo clapped him on the shoulder. ”This is your first real operation in a month, and it’ll be your last. Afterward, you’re being transferred out of the Skywater Star Realm.”

Xu Wuyi looked up.

”Transferred?”

”The situation on the battlefield has stabilized. It’s only a matter of time before the Feathered People execute a full-scale retreat,” Yang Zhenyue explained. ”If you remain here, you’ll become the target of their desperate counterattacks. We need you at the next front—your abilities are needed there as well.”

”Where?”

”’The Rift Valley Star Realm,’” Han Mo chimed in. ”It’s the third major front in the Federation’s war with the Feathered People, and the fighting there is even more deadlocked than here in Skywater. Sending you there could break the stalemate.”

Xu Wuyi didn’t answer immediately.

He looked at the gradually expanding blue area on the battle map, a mix of emotions stirring within him.

He had fought in the Skywater Star Realm for over a month, killing thousands of Feathered People and witnessing the sacrifice of countless comrades-in-arms. And now, just as victory was on the horizon, he had to leave.

”When do I leave?”

”After you destroy the energy conversion station, you’ll withdraw immediately. Don’t return to Mountain Stone Base,” said Yang Zhenyue. ”A dedicated fleet will be waiting for you at the rendezvous coordinates. They’ll take you directly to the Rift Valley Star Realm via warp jump.”

”What about Teacher Han?”

”I’m staying behind.” Han Mo smiled. ”The Skywater Star Realm still needs someone to oversee it. Don’t worry. Tie Zhan and Lu Wenquan will go with you. They’re experienced and will be a great help.”

Xu Wuyi nodded and asked no more questions.

A soldier’s duty is to obey orders, and a Martial Artist’s foundation is forged through combat. Where he fought was not important.

What was important was the battle itself.

...

「The next day, at 4:00 AM.」

The sky was still dark, and a thick fog shrouded the surface of the sea.

Three stealth assault shuttles skimmed low over the water, their engine roar absorbed by silencing runes, leaving only the nearly inaudible whisper of their passage through the air.

Xu Wuyi sat in the middle shuttle, his eyes closed as he regulated his breathing.

The Liaoyuan Long Spear lay across his lap, the dark gold patterns on its shaft flowing slowly in the faint light of the cabin.

He could feel the warmth radiating from the spear’s shaft and the battle intent contained within, which was practically overflowing.

He had seen action only a handful of times in the past month.

Most of his time was spent in the Training Ground, under the guidance of Han Mo and experts from the research institute, continuously polishing his Power of Heart Image and exploring a deeper fusion of Gravity and Flame.

The results were remarkable.

In his sea of consciousness, the Dark Gold Mountain Body was even more solid than a month prior. The earthy-yellow patterns on its surface now extended halfway up the mountainside, a sign of his Gravity Rules being further supplemented.

The wings of the Golden Crow Illusion on the mountain peak were fuller, and the number of Flame runes on its feathers had increased from 108 to 216. Each one contained a terrifying, searing True Intention.

His mastery of the Profound Nether Celestial Spear was still at the Great Success realm, but his precision in controlling the Gravity Field had improved by thirty percent, and its effective radius had expanded to 350 meters.

His Quicksand Step had reached the peak of Minor Achievement, just one step away from a breakthrough.

More importantly, his understanding of the Power of Heart Image had reached a new level.

The Heart Image was not just a manifestation of Spiritual Power, but also a reflection of one’s own Martial Arts Will.

Every battle, every life-and-death struggle, would leave its mark on the Heart Image, pushing it to grow and evolve.

”Ten minutes to the target area.”

The pilot’s voice crackled over the communications channel, breaking Xu Wuyi’s reverie.

He opened his eyes, and the illusion of a flame flashed and vanished within his dark gold pupils.

Looking through the viewport, he could see a faint blue light glowing on the distant horizon. It was the energy conversion station’s Energy Shield, standing out in the thick fog like a beacon.

”According to the plan, Tie Zhan and Lu Wenquan will strike first to draw their attention. You will cut in from the flank,” Han Mo’s voice came through; he was commanding remotely from Mountain Stone Base. ”Remember, ten minutes. When the time is up, regardless of the outcome, withdraw immediately.”

”Understood.”

The shuttle began to decelerate, coming to a hover five kilometers from the station, suspended above the sea.

The cabin door slid open silently, and Tie Zhan and Lu Wenquan were the first to leap out.

Tie Zhan was already holding his warhammer mid-air, its dark-red head carving a scarlet trajectory through the fog. He grinned, his body smashing down toward the station’s main gate like a cannonball.

Lu Wenquan, on the other hand, formed hand seals. Twelve silver-white runes lit up in the air, forming a complex Energy Network that jammed all of the conversion station’s surrounding communication and detection systems.

Alarms blared instantly.

Inside the conversion station, the Feathered People’s Guard were startled from their sleep. The sounds of panicked footsteps, clashing weapons, and a commander’s roar all mixed together.

The pale blue Energy Shield activated at full power. Defensive turrets swiveled, locking onto Tie Zhan’s figure.

The battle had begun.

Tie Zhan’s warhammer slammed into the shield, setting off a deafening boom. The shield shuddered violently, its surface covered in dense ripples, but it held firm.

Dozens of defensive cannons fired simultaneously. Beams of energy tore through the fog, completely blanketing the area where Tie Zhan had been.

But he was already long gone.

Using Quicksand Step, Tie Zhan’s figure weaved through the barrage. Each movement perfectly timed to evade a fatal attack, while his warhammer continuously bombarded the shield’s weak points.

Meanwhile, Lu Wenquan stood on the sea’s surface from a distance, a tactical tablet floating before him. His fingers swiped rapidly, adjusting the parameters of the interference barrier.

”Shield energy output is focused on the front. Flank defenses are forty percent weaker,” he reported calmly. ”Xu Wuyi, you can move in.”

Xu Wuyi didn’t respond.

He was already moving.

Unleashing Quicksand Step at full power, his form became a streak of dark-gold light that shot across the sea’s surface. He left a long wake in the fog behind him, as if the water itself were being sliced open by a blade.

Five kilometers, crossed in three seconds.

He appeared on the conversion station’s flank, where there were only two defensive turrets and just over thirty Feathered Warriors who had hastily assembled.

”Enemy att—”

A Feathered Priest spotted him, but his shriek was cut short the moment it left his lips.

Xu Wuyi didn’t even raise his spear.

With a mere thought, the Gravity Field within a 350-meter radius suddenly changed.

’Profound Nether·Mountain Suppression.’

A crushing pressure descended, as tangible as a physical weight. All thirty-odd Feathered Warriors were forced to their knees simultaneously, their bones groaning under the unbearable load.