High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

The ground beneath his feet had the characteristic hardness of crystal; these dark blue clusters were as tough as alloy.

Xu Wuyi crouched, pressing his right hand against the crystal surface. The Power of his Heart Image rippled outward, unfurling a Gravity Perception Field with a four-hundred-meter radius.

The structure of the crystal clusters, the network of veins underground, the flow of the air, the energy frequency of the distant base’s shield... Innumerable bits of information flooded his consciousness.

”I’ve reached the designated position,” he reported in a low voice through his earpiece.

”Copy that,” He Ya’yin’s voice came through clearly. ”We’re in position, one-point-five kilometers from the infiltration point. Cover is good. We move at 14:00 hours. Synchronizing watches.”

Xu Wuyi glanced at his terminal: 13:47.

Thirteen minutes to go.

He moved forward under the cover of the crystal clusters, his movements as lithe as a panther, each step landing precisely within their shadows.

His dark gray Battle Armor blended almost perfectly with the deep purple surroundings.

He stopped six kilometers from the base.

This was the edge of the alert zone. He could feel the detection waves permeating the air—an early-warning network deployed by the Feathered People, covering a ten-kilometer radius around the base.

Charging in would trigger the alarm.

But triggering the alarm was the entire point of a feint.

Xu Wuyi took a deep breath. Within his sea of consciousness, the great, dark golden marsh began to ”breathe.”

The undulating rhythm of immense weight coursed through his body. The Golden Crow Illusion hovered over the heart of the marsh, its Flames flickering gently with each ”breath.”

Thanks to the insights gained from the Flame Marrow Crystal, the Golden Crow aspect of his power could now achieve a preliminary resonance with the Heavy Water.

He needed to make a big enough scene.

’Time to start with the most direct approach.’

Xu Wuyi pulled a high-explosive energy grenade from his tactical pouch. He pressed his thumb on the activation button, counted to three, and hurled it with all his might.

The grenade arced through the air, flying toward a detection node four kilometers away.

In the same instant, he exploded into motion!

With Quicksand Step at full power, his dark gray form shot toward the base like an arrow loosed from a bow. He held his long spear with the tip pointed forward, its dark-golden patterns flaring with a blinding light.

BOOM!!!

The grenade exploded above the detection node.

An orange-red fireball swelled, and the resulting shockwave swept across the crystalline plain. Shattered crystal fragments rained down in every direction.

Alarms instantly blared across the entire region.

The base’s shield flared, its light purple glow deepening to a dark violet. At the same time, the dark red Crystal Stone atop the high tower swiveled toward the explosion, and Energy began to converge within it.

”Enemy attack! East flank! Energy signature confirmed—Innate High Tier or higher!”

Fragments of the Feathered People’s communications were intercepted and translated by Xu Wuyi’s combat terminal, scrolling across his screen.

’Step one is a success.’

Instead of slowing, Xu Wuyi accelerated.

He no longer concealed his presence. The stealth coating on his dark gray Battle Armor deactivated, replaced by glowing, silver-white Energy patterns.

He was telling the Feathered People: *I’m here. I’m coming for you.*

From within the base, four grayish-white figures soared into the sky.

Sub-Kings.

The one in the lead was the tallest. The edges of his grayish-white wings shone with a cold, metallic light, and he wielded a Dark Silver Long Halberd. The other three were slightly less imposing, but their auras were all above Level 45.

’Only four?’ A jolt went through Xu Wuyi.

’The intel said there were six Sub-King guards. With only four coming out, it means two are still inside, holding down the fort. This fits our expectations; the Feathered People wouldn’t deploy all their top-tier assets at once.’

’But the problem is, the leader of these four Sub-Kings...’

Xu Wuyi’s Perception Field swept over him, and his terminal rapidly analyzed the data: Energy Level 49. A peak Sub-King, just a single step away from reaching King Level.

’Weapon: Dark Silver Long Halberd. Its Energy Fluctuations share the same origin as Jialou’s Curved Saber. It must be standard-issue equipment from the Blood Sacrifice Divine Hall.’

”Human Martial Artist, Xu Wuyi.” The peak Sub-King hovered a hundred meters in the air, his long halberd pointed downward at an angle. His voice, amplified by energy, echoed across the plain. ”Did you think the same trick would work twice?”

’He knows my name.’

Xu Wuyi halted, resting the butt of his long spear on the ground. He looked up to meet the Sub-King’s gaze, the illusion of the great marsh swirling slowly within his dark-golden pupils.

”We’ll find out if it works soon enough.”

The words had barely left his lips when he moved.

He didn’t charge forward, but darted to the left.

The instant he moved, three dark red beams of Energy pierced the spot where he had been standing. Crystal clusters exploded, leaving three bottomless holes in the ground.

The Defense Cannon Platforms on the base’s high tower had opened fire.

The peak Sub-King snorted. With a single beat of his wings, he dove like a cannonball. His long halberd sliced through the air, a dark red cone of Energy coalescing at its tip as he aimed straight for Xu Wuyi’s back.

Without looking back, Xu Wuyi thrust his spear behind him.

The tip of the spear met the tip of the halberd.

CLANG!!!

The deafening clang of metal on metal made the surrounding crystal clusters hum violently. A circular shockwave expanded from the point of impact, carving a deep furrow through the crystalline ground.

Xu Wuyi used the momentum to glide forward, while the peak Sub-King faltered for a moment in mid-air.

”Impressive strength.” A flicker of surprise crossed the peak Sub-King’s eyes. ”You’re stronger than the reports indicated.”

”The reports are out of date.”

The instant Xu Wuyi landed, he stomped his right foot hard.

Profound Nether·Mountain Suppression!

The Gravity Field, with a radius of three hundred fifty meters, suddenly shifted. Gravity intensified fivefold, pulling everything downward. The other three Sub-Kings who had just caught up all faltered, the beat of their wings slowing noticeably.

But the peak Sub-King was almost unaffected. Energy erupted from within him, shrouding his body in a dark, blood-red light as he powered through the Gravity Field in pursuit.

He swept the long halberd, its blade tracing a blood-red crescent through the air.

Xu Wuyi parried with his spear but was sent sliding back more than ten meters by the force of the blow, his feet gouging two deep trenches in the crystal ground.

’A peak Level 49. He’s in a completely different league from someone like Jialou, who had barely crossed the threshold.’

”Martial Artist Xu, we’re approaching the infiltration point,” came He Ya’yin’s voice through his earpiece, laced with the faint static of Energy interference. ”Defenses on the west side of the base are thirty percent weaker than projected. You must have drawn them off.”

”Copy,” Xu Wuyi replied curtly, his eyes never leaving the peak Sub-King.

His opponent didn’t resume the chase. Instead, he raised a hand, signaling.

The three other Sub-Kings spread out, forming a triangle with Xu Wuyi at its center.

”A kill formation.” The peak Sub-King’s voice was icy. ”I’ll give you two choices: surrender, or die here.”

Xu Wuyi just smiled.

He raised his left hand, curling his fingers as if grasping something.

A dark golden Water Drop condensed above his palm.

”I choose a third option.”

The Water Drop shot out.

Its target: the Level 48 Sub-King to his left.

The Sub-King was prepared. He folded his wings in front of him, and a dark red Energy shield materialized instantly.

The shield’s surface was covered in intricate runes, its defensive power sufficient to block a full-force attack from a Martial Artist of the same level.

But *Water Drop* was no ”same-level” attack.

PSSSH—

The faint sound of something being pierced.

A pinprick-sized hole appeared in the center of the Energy shield, with cracks spreading out from it. The Water Drop passed through the shield, continued onward, and pierced the Feathered Person’s left shoulder.

It wasn’t a vital point; Xu Wuyi had missed the mark by half an inch on purpose.

He was aiming for shock and awe, not an instant kill.