High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 239: Chapter 158: Feixing Society, Flying Star Chart, Mid-stage Flying Star

...

Time flew by in a flash. The blossoms of spring quietly fell, and the summer heat silently faded.

When the autumn winds once again dyed the campus parasol leaves yellow, the date had slipped to July 12th, Galactic Calendar year 228.

A full two years had passed since Li Wen first entered Xinhuo University.

The gentle morning light filtered through enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, softly illuminating the luxurious yet understated cultivation chamber in Courtyard A-1 of Nine Heavens Peak.

Li Wen, who was sitting cross-legged, slowly opened his eyes.

In that instant, the chamber seemed to flash with golden lightning. From the depths of his eyes, two beams of golden light, so condensed they seemed tangible, flashed with incomparable sharpness before vanishing, drawn deep within.

He didn’t get up. Instead, he habitually opened the familiar yet mysterious panel in his mind:

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 20]

[Realm: Mid-stage Flying Star Realm (35.4%)]

[Class: Scholar Lv. 12 (110,520 → 175,320 / 204,800)]

[Skills: Blade Arts - Intent (99%), Dawn Five Forms (Instant Rainbow Form 100%, Silent Rainbow Form 100%, Mountain-Toppling Form 100%, Celestial Gap Form 100%, Thousand Radiance Form 99%)]

[Cultivation Techniques: Nine Heavens Divine Body - Ninth Layer (100%), Shocking God Stab - Fourth Layer (100%)]

As his gaze swept over the data, Li Wen felt no ripples in his heart, only the clarity that came from a precise grasp of his own condition.

In half a year, with the full, resource-intensive support of Xinhuo University, his physical cultivation had steadily advanced to the Mid-stage Flying Star Realm.

His blade mastery was also on the verge of reaching the Peak of Blade Intent; he was only missing the last 1% for the Thousand Radiance Form. Once all Five Forms were at 100%, he would have reached the Peak of Blade Intent. Then, all that would remain would be to merge the Five Forms into one, which would mark the birth of a Blade Soul.

However, reaching the Peak of Intent was easy; achieving the Soul Realm was difficult.

Countless brilliant talents had been trapped at the pinnacle of the Intent Realm for their entire lives, unable to even glimpse the doorway to the Soul Realm.

Even someone as powerful as Gu Yan, the lead disciple of Nine Heavens Peak, had lingered before this gate for years.

Across Xinhuo University’s entire student body, the only one publicly known to have reached the Soul Realm was Ling Feng.

This was the foundation of Ling Feng’s awe-inspiring reputation on campus.

Li Wen also knew how difficult this barrier was, but he wasn’t overly worried.

His greatest source of confidence was the steady increase in his Scholar class’s experience points; he was only about three months of accumulation away from his next level-up.

’He believed that when the vast light of comprehension from Lv. 13 descends, even if I can’t break through in one go, it will definitely provide an unprecedented opportunity for the final fusion.’

Pulling his thoughts back to the present, Li Wen stood up with a clean, powerful movement.

After washing up and consuming a special, high-energy breakfast to replenish his essence, his figure blurred.

SWOOSH—

A condensed streak of purple light suddenly pierced the tranquil air of the courtyard, instantly accelerating to its maximum speed and leaving behind only the faint sound of displaced air and a disturbed current.

The streak of light shot from Nine Heavens Peak straight into the sky, effortlessly overtaking one flying vehicle after another heading toward Enlightenment Peak, leaving them far behind in an instant.

As the wind from his high-speed flight rushed past, Li Wen looked down at the familiar campus below. Watching the flying vehicles fall far behind him, a sense of wistful reflection on the passage of time quietly surfaced in his heart.

’Just one year ago today, I was still one of the people riding in those vehicles.’

’In just a single year, I can now traverse the skies at such a speed.’

Looking back, the speed of his growth left even him in a momentary daze.

When the conspicuous streak of purple light landed like a meteor on the edge of the White Jade Plaza on Enlightenment Peak, it happened to be witnessed by Fang Chenghong, Du Yun, and their friends, who were just arriving.

The group stared at the figure descending gracefully from the sky, sensing the restrained yet still imposing aura of a Mid-stage Flying Star cultivator. The envy in their eyes was practically overflowing.

”It’s Li Wen!” Chen Xing said in a low voice.

”When we first met during the entrance exam, he was just a budding Martial Artist, while we were all High-level Martial Artists...” Du Yun lamented, his tone complex.

In just two short years, the companion who had stood beside them had left them far behind, soaring high among the clouds while they were still in the Super Martial Artist realm.

”Tsk, Mid-stage Flying Star... What a monster,” Fang Chenghong said, shaking his head. His tone was part jest, part genuine admiration.

Seeing Li Wen land a short distance ahead, the group tucked away their complex emotions and quickly walked over.

Fang Chenghong grinned, deliberately drawing out his words as he called out, ”Sen-ior Bro-ther Li! Morning!”

Li Wen, who had just steadied himself, turned at the call. Seeing Fang Chenghong and the others, he couldn’t help but show a helpless yet warm smile.

Xinhuo University regulations did indeed require students to address those of a higher cultivation realm as ”Senior Brother.”

Although it had been more than half a year since he moved out of the Mingde Peak villa district, they all kept in frequent contact. He was long used to the teasing from Fang Chenghong and the others.

”Knock it off,” Li Wen replied with a laugh.

After meeting up, they exchanged some brief banter before naturally falling into step together, chatting and laughing as they walked toward the designated viewing areas for each Peak.

The spot for Nine Heavens Peak was already quite near the front.

”Senior Brother Li!”

”Ah, Junior Brother Li Wen has arrived!”

The moment Li Wen’s figure stepped into the Nine Heavens Peak viewing area, a wave of enthusiastic and respectful greetings washed over him.

The disciples of the Peak, regardless of their seniority or cultivation depth, all nodded to him in acknowledgment, their smiles sincere.

This junior brother, who had enrolled only two years ago, had quickly become a core pillar supporting the glory of Nine Heavens Peak. He represented not just their past splendor, but also a future of infinite potential.

With a peaceful smile, Li Wen nodded back in greeting to each of these senior brothers and sisters, whether he knew them well or not.

He casually sat down in a spot near the front with Fang Chenghong, Du Yun, and the others.

Soon, the low-voiced conversations of the surrounding disciples reached Li Wen’s ears.

The focus of everyone’s discussion, aside from the new students currently undergoing the Peak Selection Ceremony, was another name that had been gaining just as much momentum in the past year—Sun Rui.

”Did you hear? Sun Rui broke through in the Thunder Attraction Tower yesterday! He reached the Ninth Layer of the Nine Heavens Divine Body!”

”*Hiss*... Really? How long has it been since he enrolled?”

”It’s absolutely true! The commotion wasn’t as insane as when Junior Brother Li Wen broke through, but that aura of the Nine Heavens was unmistakable!”

”My god, has it been that long already? He truly deserves his reputation for peerless aptitude.”

”Incredible! Our Nine Heavens Peak is really something else, with two cultivators at the Ninth Layer! I wouldn’t have dared to even imagine this before!”

”Exactly! Our Peak’s reputation is going to be at its zenith now...”

The surrounding discussions clearly reached his ears.

And the news about Sun Rui made a glint of approval flash in Li Wen’s eyes.

That youth who had stared at him on last year’s Peak Selection Day, his eyes burning with intense fighting spirit, had indeed lived up to his astonishing talent and determination.

Reaching the Ninth Layer of the Nine Heavens Divine Body in a single year—a speed worthy of being recorded in the annals of Xinhuo University.

The fact that Nine Heavens Peak now boasted two cultivators at the Ninth Layer was a shocking development. Its immense appeal would undoubtedly become apparent during the upcoming Peak Selection.