High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 226: Chapter 156: Ninth Layer Achieved, Phenomenon Arises

The hour of saber practice was not for improving his technique, but for using this most familiar method to bring his vital energy, spirit, and will into a perfectly coordinated, peak state.

The moment he sheathed his saber, the aura around him reached its apex, its sharp edge concealed, ready to be unleashed.

Only then did he turn and walk with steady steps toward the towering, purple Thunder Attraction Tower.

The first floor of the Thunder Attraction Tower was noticeably livelier than it had been over two months ago.

In addition to the few senior disciples cultivating the first three layers of the Divine Body, there were now two young yet eye-catching figures—Sun Rui and Zhao Qiming, recent additions to Nine Heavens Peak.

Sun Rui’s famed, peerless comprehension truly lived up to its reputation.

After only a month with the *Nine Heavens Divine Body Foundation Chapter*, he had already succeeded in drawing lightning into his body, a pace that rivaled even Li Wen’s in the beginning.

Zhao Qiming, though a bit slower, had also finally managed to draw lightning into his body a few days ago after two months of effort.

At this moment, both were seated cross-legged near their respective C-grade cultivation chambers, faint arcs of electricity dancing over their bodies.

The moment Li Wen stepped into the first-floor hall, all eyes were drawn to him.

He hadn’t been seen here for over three months, so his appearance naturally drew a great deal of attention.

A brief silence was followed by a wave of respectful greetings.

”Senior Brother Li!”

”Greetings, Senior Brother!”

...

Li Wen nodded gently in response, his expression mild, but he didn’t break stride, heading straight for the stairs leading to the upper floors.

Once he disappeared around the bend in the staircase, the first-floor hall erupted into a flurry of hushed but heated discussion.

”I heard Senior Brother Li has spent the last three months at Heart Mirror Hall, tempering his will.”

”So that’s why we haven’t seen him for Body Tempering in over three months? He was off tempering his will?”

”Did you guys feel that just now? His aura...”

”For him to come to the Thunder Attraction Tower now and head straight upstairs...”

”Do you even have to guess? He must be here to break through to the Ninth Layer!” This speculation was like a boulder dropped into a placid lake, instantly sending ripples everywhere.

”The Ninth Layer?!”

”My god... How long has it even been?”

”The last person to reach the Ninth Layer was a hundred years ago, wasn’t it?!”

Everyone gasped, their faces etched with utter shock and disbelief.

The Ninth Layer of the Nine Heavens Divine Body!

That was the ultimate realm of the Nine Heavens Divine Body!

The news spread like wildfire, quickly moving from the first floor of the Thunder Attraction Tower to the entirety of Nine Heavens Peak. In an even shorter time, it swept through all of Torch University.

Sun Rui, who was also in the crowd, slowly opened his eyes. His profound gaze followed the direction Li Wen had departed, and the burning desire to surpass him that smoldered in their depths now blazed even more fiercely.

’The Ninth Layer?’ This was indeed a speed he hadn’t anticipated.

But it didn’t make him shrink back. Instead, it ignited an even stronger fighting spirit within him.

Li Wen paid no mind to the commotion and shock behind him.

His mind was focused, his steps resolute.

The third floor of the Thunder Attraction Tower was as vast and desolate as ever, with only the faint vibration of lightning energy hanging in the air.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Li Wen walked straight toward the heavy door in the far back—the entrance to the special A-grade breakthrough chamber, used specifically for ascending to the Ninth Layer.

He pushed open the great door, which was cast entirely from a strange, dark purple metal covered in arcane patterns.

A destructive aura, far more ancient, violent, and terrifying than that of the second-floor chamber, rushed out to meet him.

The energy-guiding patterns inside the chamber were no longer a simple, bright silver, but a deep, dark gold interwoven with purplish-black, resembling a dormant Ancient Thunder Beast.

In the center of the room, an impossibly complex array core spun slowly, seemingly brewing a divine punishment from the Nine Heavens, something not of the mortal world.

This was the key to drawing in the ninth and most terrifying type of divine lightning—the ”Nine Nether Demonic Lightning.”

Its power far surpassed the sum of the previous eight types of divine lightning combined. Without a will at the level of the Great Sun Realm, exquisite control, and an incomparably tough physique, forcibly attempting this was tantamount to suicide.

Li Wen stepped inside, and the great door swung silently shut behind him, completely sealing off the chamber.

He sat cross-legged atop the eye of the array.

Without hesitation, he fully activated his Eighth-Layer Perfection of the *Nine Heavens Divine Body* Cultivation Technique. His body’s interior transformed into a massive lightning forge, every cell resonating with a hum of yearning to be strengthened.

His mind became highly focused as he simultaneously awakened the immense power of [Absolute Focus Lv. 12] and the [Third Layer of Primordial Spirit].

”Draw!”

A thread of his consciousness reached out, precisely igniting the core pattern of the array.

RUMBLE—!!!!

This was no mere pillar of lightning, but a roar that seemed to erupt from the abyss of the Nine Hells.

A bolt of purplish-gold divine lightning, so pure it was almost pitch-black, erupted from the array’s core without warning. It contained the majestic power of endless destruction and rebirth, and in an instant, it completely engulfed Li Wen.

Even though he was well-prepared, the moment the Nine Nether Demonic Lightning—which contained the baleful primordial energy of the world itself—poured into him, Li Wen’s body convulsed violently.

His skin was instantly charred black and began to crack. His blood felt as if it were boiling away, and a pain that pierced his marrow and tore at his soul—far beyond anything from his previous tempering—assaulted him.

This power was utterly berserk, filled with a will of resistance and destruction. It rampaged wildly within him, trying to shred and annihilate every inch of his flesh and every wisp of his soul.

The excruciating pain slammed against the shores of his consciousness like a tidal wave, threatening to shatter them at any moment.

Li Wen clenched his jaw, the veins on his forehead bulging like writhing serpents.

His will, comparable to that of the Great Sun Realm, now displayed its true might. It stood firm like the heart of a forge in an endless storm.

No matter how the world-ending lightning tribulation scoured his consciousness, its very core remained perfectly clear and unshaken.