High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 212: Chapter 154: Night Roaming, Primordial Spirit Secret Technique (3)

Unlike the distinct etherealness of his first attempt during the day, the small figure now seemed a bit more solid.

It floated in the dim light of the meditation chamber, a gentle, jade-like luster flowing around it. A sense of inner peace and clarity emanated from it.

The small Primordial Spirit adjusted its position slightly, passed through the closed window as if it were incorporeal, and emerged silently into the night sky outside the villa.

The chill of the night wrapped around it in an instant. But it wasn’t a gentle breeze that followed; it was a sudden torrent of air, sharp and bone-piercing.

The current felt like countless invisible blades scraping violently against the surface of the small Primordial Spirit. Though it appeared weightless, its form was a condensation of the very essence of his soul.

A sharp, scraping pain, as if from a knife, suddenly assaulted him, originating from the very depths of his soul.

Li Wen had already prepared himself mentally. He didn’t try to dodge or retreat. The small Primordial Spirit merely trembled for a moment before stabilizing its form, silently enduring the baptism.

This was the ”wind tribulation,” a necessary trial for a Primordial Spirit to advance from its nascent state into the Night Travel Realm.

These astral winds, formed from the qi of heaven and earth, were seemingly formless, yet they were the very whetstone that would temper the Primordial Spirit, allowing it to truly traverse the night sky.

Only by enduring this tribulation could the Primordial Spirit shed its initial fragility, grow resilient enough, and truly adapt to the rigors and external pressures of traveling at night.

The wind tribulation lasted for about ten minutes.

The duration itself hadn’t changed, but under the constant, agonizing pain, every minute and every second stretched on for what felt like a century.

Li Wen focused all his willpower on his Primordial Spirit, guiding it to persevere in the razor-sharp wind and comprehending the changes brought by every moment of the tempering process.

Finally, like ice melting into water, the piercing astral winds silently dissipated.

The lingering pain had yet to fade completely, but it was being replaced by a peculiar sense of solidity.

The outline of the small Primordial Spirit became incredibly distinct, as if carved from the purest crystal. The spiritual light within was now contained, no longer radiating outwards, making it seem far more stable and resilient. The previous sense of fragility and dissipation was almost entirely gone.

A thought stirred in Li Wen’s mind, and he tried to control the Primordial Spirit, willing it to float forward.

The thought had barely formed when the small Primordial Spirit appeared silently above a flat granite bench more than ten meters away.

This teleportation-like ability was noticeably smoother than before.

As the Primordial Spirit fed back clear information—the leaves on the trees, the grains of sand and dust, even the faint energy of the villa’s barrier in the distance—the true wonders of night travel began to unfold.

He controlled the small Primordial Spirit, moving it tentatively around the villa’s courtyard to familiarize himself with this new state of being.

However, after only a few short minutes, a strange sensation suddenly enveloped the Primordial Spirit.

The surrounding void, once tranquil and serene, suddenly transformed into a deep, unfathomable ocean teeming with an invisible pressure.

The darkness no longer felt like the mere absence of light, but a deep abyss that birthed unknown undulations.

An intense feeling of dread gripped the Primordial Spirit, as if this fragile flame of a soul could be utterly extinguished by the next mysterious wave, vanishing without a trace.

’This must be... the void-terror of the Night Travel Realm,’ Li Wen realized with a jolt.

’A Primordial Spirit that’s been separated from the body for too long is like a rootless plant. It loses the powerful protection of the physical form. While it becomes more sensitive to the hidden energy fluctuations in the void, it also endures greater psychological pressure. It seems my Primordial Spirit’s strength is still far from enough for true, long-distance roaming.’

’Time to go back.’ He no longer hesitated. The thought flashed through his mind.

The small Primordial Spirit hovering in the courtyard instantly blurred, transforming into a streak of pure light that shot straight through the wall and back into the meditation chamber.

It returned to the crown of Li Wen’s head before sinking into the familiar, safe, and warm expanse of his sea of consciousness.

Only upon returning to this fortress, built of his own essence and spirit, did that unsettling, devouring sensation from the void finally vanish completely.

’The Third Layer of Primordial Spirit, the Night Travel Realm... it’s as wondrous as they say, but fraught with peril.’ Li Wen slowly opened his eyes, a keen light flashing in their depths for an instant before vanishing.

He carefully replayed the experience in his mind, along with the contents of the many ancient texts he had read on Primordial Spirit cultivation.

’The texts say that once the Primordial Spirit enters the 3rd Layer, its ability to interfere with reality is greatly enhanced. By wielding Primordial Spirit Power, one can silently annihilate any expert below the Marquis Level who has not yet formed their own Primordial Spirit.’

’It could even pose a fatal threat to some newly-ascended Baron Realm experts whose Primordial Spirits are weak or who haven’t specialized in this area at all.’

’In the hands of a King-level expert proficient with the Primordial Spirit, killing an ordinary Marquis would be a simple task...’

Li Wen pondered this, his brow furrowed in thought.

’But... how is it done?’ He lifted his hand, and a nearly invisible tendril of telekinetic power reached out, easily levitating the fountain pen from the nearby desk and bringing it to him.

’Using Telekinesis to move objects, enhance my senses, or even get a burst of power in a fight—those are all easy enough to grasp. But the terrifying techniques described in the books, like a ”Primordial Spirit Impact” or ”Mind Annihilation”... The kind that directly targets an enemy’s soul and can decide life or death in a single thought... The books were always vague on the specific methods and forms of power required.’

He tried concentrating his Primordial Spirit Power and unleashing it into the air. But other than causing a barely perceptible ripple in the spiritual ether, it failed to produce the terrifying effect he sought—the kind that could instantly shatter a person’s will or destroy the core of their soul.

’Is my control over my Primordial Spirit Power not precise enough? Or... am I missing some critical activation method?’ The questions lingered in Li Wen’s mind.

He could feel that his Primordial Spirit Power was already quite substantial, far surpassing that of any Marquis who hadn’t cultivated their spirit.

But as for how to convert that power into the effective, overwhelming Soul Attacks described in the books, he had yet to find the key.