High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Walking through the campus of Star Martial University, looking at the familiar buildings and the students coming and going, Xu Wuyi suddenly felt as if he were from another era.

Four years ago, when he first arrived, he was just another genius from a small city in Dongjiang Province. In a place like Star Martial University, teeming with monstrous talents, he hadn’t been particularly outstanding.

Four years later, he now stood at the pinnacle of his generation, having even surpassed most of his seniors.

Among the students of his year who could once contend with him, people like Qin Rui, Tana, and Li Hao had long since been left in the dust.

It was already impressive for them to become Martial Artists; the Innate Realm remained hopelessly out of reach, to say nothing of the fact that Xu Wuyi could now clash with Quasi-Grandmasters.

Across the entire Federation, even considering the geniuses from the years just before and after his, only two people from his own class had set foot in the Innate Realm: Zhao Qingwei and Chu Shanhe.

One of them had received the guidance of Grandmaster Lin Jianyi, while the other had mastered a miraculous technique, the *Blood Nerve*. Both had their own fortuitous encounters.

Then there were seniors from previous years, like Hong Nianyi and Pan Yan...

It was only now, as Xu Wuyi looked back, that he realized just how far he had come.

...

In the days that followed, life settled back into a steady routine.

At five in the morning, before the sky had brightened, he was punctually inside the Cultivation Room of Villa 7 in the Hidden Dragon Garden.

The Pile Skills of the *Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace* tempered his Qi and Blood again and again. The dark-gold Heart Fire burned steadily deep within his Dantian, and every breath he took carried a searing heat.

His mornings were for Visualization, his afternoons for studying Martial Techniques, and his evenings were spent nourishing his Qi and Blood to consolidate his foundation.

After two weeks of this routine, on a Friday morning, Xu Wuyi’s personal terminal received a communication request from the East Courtyard dean’s office.

”Xu Wuyi, Dean He would like you to come to his office at ten this morning,” Anna’s voice calmly relayed.

”Alright, thank you.”

At ten o’clock sharp, Xu Wuyi knocked on He Yifeng’s office door.

”Come in.”

As he pushed the door open and entered, he saw He Yifeng sitting behind a large desk, reading a paper document.

Seeing Xu Wuyi, he smiled, put down the document, and gestured to the chair opposite him.

”Sit.”

Xu Wuyi sat down.

He Yifeng studied him for a few moments, his eyes filled with pleased satisfaction. ”Not bad. Your aura is steady, and your Qi and Blood is refined. It seems these last few months haven’t been wasted.”

”I wouldn’t dare to slack off.”

”Slack off?” He Yifeng laughed. ”If you were slacking off, then everyone else might as well give up on Cultivation.”

He paused, his expression turning serious. ”I called you here to ask about your plans. The war is over, and your garrison duties have come to an end for now. You should have a period of relative freedom.”

Xu Wuyi nodded. ”I’ve been considering that as well.”

He Yifeng took a list from a drawer and pushed it toward Xu Wuyi. ”This is a list of all the registered Grandmasters and Quasi-Grandmasters in the Federation who are willing to receive visitors, along with their areas of expertise and locations.”

Xu Wuyi took the list and glanced over it. It contained over thirty names, spread across the various provinces of the Federation. A few were even permanently stationed on the Star Realm Battlefield.

”During the war, many of our courses and textbooks were written and produced by these masters,” He Yifeng said.

”Studying from textbooks is important, of course, but communicating with someone face-to-face is a completely different experience. Many young talents go through this after breaking through to the Innate Realm. They travel, visit renowned masters, broaden their horizons, and learn from the strengths of many.”

He looked at Xu Wuyi. ”You’ve achieved Great Success in Heart Image, and you’re only a step away from becoming a Quasi-Grandmaster. How to take that step, what path to walk—everyone’s choice is different. Listening to the perspectives of various masters will help you.”

Xu Wuyi studied the list carefully. It contained not just names, but also brief descriptions.

Some specialized in Body Refining, others were experts in Spiritual Cultivation, some had a unique genius for creating Martial Techniques, and a few were renowned for their teaching.

”Thank you for your guidance, Dean,” Xu Wuyi said with great solemnity.

”Don’t thank me. You’ve earned this.” He Yifeng waved his hand. ”The university has taken note of your performance on the Star Realm Battlefield. Consider this list a small reward for your contributions.”

He paused, then added, ”There’s no hurry to start visiting. You can look around the university first. Star Martial is a big place, and many of its professors and instructors have their own unique insights. Talk with them. You might have some unexpected breakthroughs.”

”I understand.”

Leaving the dean’s office, Xu Wuyi didn’t head straight back to the Hidden Dragon Garden. Instead, he took a detour to the university library.

The massive building housed a vast collection of Martial Arts classics, research papers, and notes from past masters, all accumulated since Star Martial University’s founding.

Although most of the material was available on the Battle Network, the physical originals often included annotations from generations of readers. Sometimes, the thoughts recorded between the lines were more valuable than the main text itself.

Xu Wuyi spent the afternoon in the library, looking through several journals on the experiences of cultivating in the Innate Realm.

Different people had different interpretations of ”Heart Image Manifestation.” Some emphasized the purity of one’s Spiritual Power, others focused on the fusion of one’s Mental Realm with the physical body, and still others proposed using a ”Dao Heart” to command all else.

Each viewpoint had its merits, but none of them could be applied to him wholesale.

Xu Wuyi closed the last book and sighed softly.

’As I thought, I still have to walk my own path.’

Over the next month, Xu Wuyi followed He Yifeng’s advice and began selectively visiting some of the campus’s more well-known professors.

The first was Professor Liu of the School of Materials, a Quasi-Grandmaster who specialized in researching the applications of Exotic Beast materials.

His laboratory was filled with all manner of peculiar samples: bones, carapaces, and secretions.

”Heart Image Manifestation is, in essence, the materialization of an energy structure.” Professor Liu pushed up his glasses, speaking rapidly.

”It’s like these Exotic Beast materials. The reason they possess special properties is that their internal energy patterns form a stable structure on a microscopic level. Your Heart Image also needs to find that ’stable structure.’”

The second was Professor Chen from the Department of Martial Arts History, an elderly scholar who studied the heritage of ancient Martial Arts. His office was piled high with ancient texts and rubbings.

”The ancients spoke of how ’the Dao models itself on what is natural,’” Professor Chen said, unhurriedly brewing tea.

”Your Heart Image contains both Heavy Water and a Golden Crow. How can the two be unified? You must find the ’harmony’ between them, not just force them together.”

The third was Instructor Wang from the Academy of Combat Tactics, a retired military Martial Artist who excelled at battlefield combat.

”Why are you overthinking it?” Instructor Wang was blunt.

”A Heart Image is your fist. As long as your fist is hard enough, that’s all that matters. On the battlefield, nobody cares if your Heart Image is ’harmonious.’ A Heart Image that can kill the enemy is a good Heart Image.”

Each professor’s viewpoint was different, and some were even contradictory. But Xu Wuyi listened intently, taking it all in, to be slowly digested later.