High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 204: Chapter 153: Li Wen Takes the Stage; Third Layer of Primordial Spirit

He said nothing, simply raising his cup as usual. ”Disciples of Nine Heavens Peak!”

”We are here!” Li Wen among them, the disciples of Nine Heavens Peak answered in unison.

”The path ahead is fraught with peril. No regrets, even unto death! May you strive ceaselessly and guard the Human Race together!” Fang Qinghan’s voice was deep and powerful.

”No regrets, even unto death! We will guard the Human Race together!” The disciples of Nine Heavens Peak raised their cups high, their voices perfectly synchronized and filled with a grim, resolute determination.

Li Wen’s voice blended in with the rest. As he felt their conviction, the blood quickened in his veins.

The Peak Masters did not stay long.

After symbolically sharing a drink with the disciples of their respective peaks, the Headmaster offered a few brief words of encouragement. Then, just as they had arrived, the dozen or so Peak Master Level experts vanished from the high platform without a sound, their auras fading into nothing.

Many disciples were still buzzing with excitement over seeing the Peak Masters, but a few of the top students sensed that something was amiss. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

’Their departure seemed faster than in previous years. And their auras faintly held a travel-worn haste.’

Li Wen’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

His Primordial Spirit had reached the second layer, and his Spiritual Sense far surpassed that of his peers.

’Amid the fluctuations of their auras as they departed, he had faintly caught an extremely weak trace of... blood?’

There was also a palpable, iron-laced killing intent, as if they had just stepped off a bloody battlefield and hadn’t had time to fully conceal it.

’Is it my imagination?’ The thought flashed through Li Wen’s mind.

”Brother Wen, what are you spacing out for? Come on, try this! It’s from the Kindling Chef!”

Fang Chenghong interrupted Li Wen’s thoughts, enthusiastically bringing over a large, shimmering platter of specialty Exotic Beast Flesh he had just ordered from a holographic menu.

”Oh? Alright.” Li Wen concealed the look in his eyes and put on a smile, immersing himself in the rare, boisterous warmth of mortal life.

But that faint, metallic scent of blood and the subtle sense of urgency were like a pebble tossed into the lake of his heart, sending out ripples that refused to be calmed.

He raised his cup, and as the crisp liquor slid down his throat, the Headmaster’s final words churned in his mind—a seemingly ordinary but heavy exhortation:

”’For the future of the Human Race, and for the undying flame...’”

...

The festive uproar of the New Year’s Eve gala didn’t diminish with the departure of the Headmaster and the Peak Masters.

The plaza on Enlightenment Peak was a sea of festivity, brightly lit and filled with the aroma of delicious food and the warm, joyous laughter of the disciples.

A space on the stage was quickly cleared. Several senior Flying Star Level disciples in training robes stood in the center to introduce the traditional warm-up event.

”Alright everyone, gather ’round, gather ’round!” The senior disciple hosting the event was a Flying Star Level senior from Sky-splitting Peak named Zhou Yi. His booming voice was full of energy, perfect for livening up the crowd.

”The annual New Year’s Eve special event—’Aura Clash’—is about to begin! For any newbies who haven’t played before, listen up while I explain the rules.”

He pointed to a dark, watermelon-sized metal sphere hovering in the center of the area.

”This is it! Your job is to channel the ’God-Demon Aura’ you’ve gained from your Super Grade cultivation techniques, condense it into a rope, and use it to grab this ball from a distance. Then, you pull with all your might! The disciple who pulls the ball across the line into their peak’s zone wins!”

”So what’s the key?” Zhou Yi raised his index finger, his voice climbing.

”—Quality! The higher the layer of the Super Grade method you cultivate, the purer your God-Demon Aura, and the tougher the rope you condense! No matter how strong you are, if your aura isn’t pure or dense enough, it’ll snap as soon as you pull! Got it?”

The rules were clear and simple, sparking eager discussion and excited shouts from the young disciples below the stage.

”We’re splitting this into two rounds!” Zhou Yi announced.

”First round, we Flying Star Level seniors will put on a demonstration! We’ll show you what a high-level performance looks like! For the second round, it’ll be your turn, the Super Martial Artists, to show us what you’ve got! Each of the twelve peaks will send up one representative. And now—let’s welcome the Flying Star Level representatives from each peak!”

At the edge of the stage, figures stirred in the Flying Star Level section.

Over on the Nine Heavens Peak side, Gu Yan just smiled and shook his head, his arms crossed.

Clearly, an event like this wasn’t important enough for their First Senior Brother to participate personally.

Soon, a lean and powerful senior disciple stood up. His name was Zhao Feng.

”Senior Brother Zhao Feng should go!” a disciple from Nine Heavens Peak shouted. ”He reached Sixth-Layer Perfection before his breakthrough!”

The other peaks did likewise. Sky-splitting Peak sent forth a burly man with a potent aura, while Xingyan Peak’s representative was a serene senior sister. None of them were their peak’s top disciple, but they were by no means weak.

”Twelve contestants, get ready—” Zhou Yi commanded.

In an instant, twelve beams of light of different colors and varying strengths shot out from twelve directions, precisely landing on the Profound Steel Ball in the center.

It wasn’t true light, but the instantaneous manifestation of incredibly condensed God-Demon Aura.

Crimson, platinum, azure, deep violet... The ’aura ropes’ of various hues seemed alive as they burrowed firmly into the sphere.

HUMMM! The instant the auras locked on, the heavy Profound Steel Ball boomed as if yanked by an invisible giant hand. It began to dart madly left and right, up and down, through the air.

”WHOA!” A great cry of astonishment rose from the new disciples.

”It’s going east! Whoa! Now it’s been pulled west again!”

”Look at that guy from Sky-splitting Peak! He’s a beast!”

The Profound Steel Ball shot about erratically at high speed, like a spinning top being yanked by twelve wild bulls.

One moment, a crimson aura would viciously drag it toward the Sky-splitting Peak section; the next, a deep violet rope would wrench it back, only for it to be immediately snared by the Xingyan Peak senior sister’s azure aura and pulled high into the air.