High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 457: Chapter 295: Ten Million Primordial Stones

The call ended. Li Wen took a deep breath. A new journey lay just ahead.

The first order of business was start-up capital.

He took out the Cosmic Bank account code and mental key given to him by Ancestral Master Chang Jia.

”Star Pivot, access the Cosmic Bank system. Bind my identity, activate the account, and withdraw all the Primordial Stones.”

”Processing... Identity binding complete... Account activation successful... Account balance confirmed: 10,000,000 Primordial Stones. Requesting withdrawal... Withdrawal successful. The Primordial Stones have been deposited into the exclusive space of your Star River Premier Account, Master.”

’It really is ten million Primordial Stones!’ Even though he already knew Ancestral Master Chang Jia had left him ten million Primordial Stones, he still couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy after seeing it reflected in his account.

Such a vast sum of Primordial Stones was an astonishing fortune, even for some Tier Three Star Lords.

Ancestral Master Chang Jia’s gift took care of Li Wen’s initial concerns.

This was also a major reason he hadn’t chosen to become an internal member of the Source Net.

He wouldn’t be short on Primordial Stones in the near term, so there was no need to put himself on the line just for resources.

At the same time, while he hadn’t found many specifics over the past two days, he had managed to learn one thing from various bits and pieces.

Internal members of the four major powers had a significant mortality rate during their training phase.

The Slaughter Tower had the highest rate, with internal member mortality reaching thirty percent.

In other words, out of every ten internal members, three were likely to die during training!

The Source Net’s training process for internal members was no different; it also had a significant mortality rate.

Although he was confident his abilities would keep him from perishing during the training period, he was a man with a system, after all. There was absolutely no need to take risks for resources before he had a clear grasp of the situation.

Of course, what he disliked even more was the complete lack of personal freedom. Once someone became an internal member, they had to strictly follow a development plan tailored by the Source Net without the slightest deviation, at least until they were strong enough to stand on their own.

Now, this capital was more than enough to cover all his early-stage expenses.

Li Wen didn’t linger. Without even needing to pack, he left the villa where he had stayed for just one day.

He took one last, long look at the bustling, energy-suffused Dubhe City, then transformed into a streak of light and shot toward the interstellar port.

A streamlined, silver-gray, medium-sized spaceship bearing the Source Net’s unique insignia was already waiting in a designated berth at the interstellar port.

The ship detected Li Wen’s identification code, and the hatch slid open silently.

A staff member stood at the entrance, dressed in the Source Net’s standard silver-gray combat uniform. His aura was steady, and he had reached the peak of the Venerable realm. He bowed respectfully.

”Lord Changning, I am Allen, your guide for this voyage. The ship is prepared and ready to depart for Elite Training Base No. 7 in the Morlo Star Region at any time.”

Li Wen gave a slight nod in acknowledgment and stepped into the spacious, comfortable cabin.

With a faint vibration, the ship detached from its berth and activated its warp engine.

It broke through the atmosphere of Lain Star in an instant, becoming a streak of light that vanished into the deep, brilliant Star River.

The ship’s speed gradually approached light speed. When it reached a critical threshold, a curtain of light imbued with the Power of Time suddenly enveloped the entire vessel.

Immediately after, the ship achieved light speed.

The familiar river of time appeared once more.

The transition was even smoother than when Li Wen used a Time Stone on his own; the ship entered the river of time without the slightest jolt.

Li Wen didn’t even realize the transition was complete until he looked through the viewport and saw the river of time flowing outside.

The ship’s AI projected a navigational Star Map, marking their destination: the core Star Domain of the distant Morlo Intermediate Empire.

The journey was estimated to take one month.

Li Wen did not waste the precious time during the journey.

He had the Star Pivot retrieve all public information on the Morlo Intermediate Empire, the status of the Lain Star Cluster within it, and Source Net’s Elite Training Base No. 7. Then, he began to read, fully immersed.

Meanwhile, in the privacy of his cabin, he continued practicing and developing the next stages of his saber techniques.

A month slipped by in a haze of cultivation and study.

The ship exited the river of time. As an immense planet, its surface covered with countless magnificent architectural complexes, came into view, the guide, Allen, spoke up:

”Lord Changning, we have arrived at the edge of the Morlo Star Region. The planet ahead is Sharp Edge Star, home to Source Net’s Elite Training Base No. 7.”

The ship began to decelerate, following a specific flight path through layers of rigorous identity verification and energy scans.

It finally landed on a private platform at a massive interstellar port on Sharp Edge Star.

The hatch opened, and he was hit by a wave of energy far more condensed, grim, and rife with competition than what he had felt in Dubhe City on Lain.

Before him lay a vast base constructed from high-strength alloys and Energy Crystals.

Countless young figures, each with a powerful aura and a unique form, moved about. This was a gathering point for geniuses from different Star Domains and races.

Li Wen walked down the ramp and set foot on the solid ground of Sharp Edge Star.

He looked up. Deeper inside the base, towering structures pulsed with the energy of high-intensity training. The very air seemed thick with an invisible pressure and a palpable will to fight.

He had arrived at the Source Net Elite Training Base.

...

Guided by the efficient, silent Source Net staff, Li Wen left the landing platform.

He passed through several energy barriers and entered the interior of Elite Training Base No. 7.

The space inside the base was far grander than it appeared from the outside, its alloy walls shimmering with a soft, flowing aura of energy.

The air was filled with a unique scent—a mixture of high-purity energy and metal—and an intangible pressure of competition that put everyone slightly on edge.

He had expected the registration area to be fairly empty; after all, Rondo Kars had mentioned that this was an ”elite training base” with an extremely high barrier to entry.

However, when he stepped into the spacious, brightly-lit registration hall, he found that reality differed somewhat from his expectations.

Including himself, there were already a dozen or so people scattered around the hall. Some were busy at light screens, some were waiting quietly, and others were conversing in low tones.

They came in all shapes and sizes. Some were nearly three meters tall, their gnarled muscles covered in a rocky, keratinous hide.

Others were slender and nimble, with light-energy wings as thin as a cicada’s sprouting from their backs.

Still others had skin with a metallic sheen, their pupils flickering with light that resembled flowing streams of data.

The diversity of the Human Race was on full display.

Among this diverse group, only one person’s appearance was remarkably similar to that of a Blue Star human.

He had the same standard features and well-proportioned build, but his hair was a rare, deep purple, and his eyes were a clear, icy blue.

Li Wen’s gaze inevitably fell upon him, and at almost the same instant, the young man keenly sensed the attention.

A flash of surprise crossed the ice-blue eyes, followed by a friendly smile as he took the initiative and walked over.

”Hello, my unfamiliar friend. I’m Lorne Meck, of the Blue Soul Human Race.” The young man extended a hand. His use of the common tongue had a unique cadence but was perfectly standard.

”Judging by your appearance, you must also be from a standard human lineage. May I ask which race you belong to?”

Li Wen shook his hand. The man’s palm was warm and his grip was strong; his Cultivation was clearly not to be underestimated.

”Li Wen. From the Blue Star Human Race,” he replied openly.

”Blue Star Human Race?” A flicker of deep thought crossed Lorne Meck’s eyes, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He quickly searched his mental list of known, powerful, standard human races—

The Holy Radiance Race, the Star Spirit Race, the Moluo Royal family, the Celestial Revelation Race... None of these renowned names matched.

He had never heard the name ”Blue Star Human Race,” which meant it was either a newly emerged race from some extremely remote, isolated corner of the universe...

...or a race whose potential was unknown, possibly even weak.

The universe was vast, and the branches of the Human Race were innumerable.

A race’s potential was determined by its historical foundation, the strength of its bloodline, its level of civilization, and the common achievements of its individuals.

The Star River Alliance roughly divided them into nine tiers.

Tier One races were the recognized imperial families and hegemonic powers, their potential boundless. Tier Nine, on the other hand, signified low potential and an absolutely disadvantaged position in the cosmic struggle.

The race to which Lorne’s Meck family belonged was ranked as a Tier Four.

Within the Morlo Intermediate Empire and even its surrounding star clusters, they were considered a Strong Race and held a prestigious reputation.

Realizing his fruitless mental search might have caused a misunderstanding,

Lorne Meck reacted instantly. The smile on his face didn’t waver in the slightest as he smoothly changed the subject:

”Haha, it’s great to meet you, Li Wen. We’re in luck, catching the last day of registration for this batch,” he said lightly, a hint of relief in his voice.

”If we’d missed today, we would’ve had to wait a whole month outside the base. That would have been a huge waste of time.”

His words casually revealed that he had come fully prepared for his time at the base.

”We are lucky, indeed,” Li Wen nodded, not pressing for details about the specific tier of the other’s race.

His impression of Lorne was decent enough; at least the man maintained a veneer of courtesy.

The registration process went smoothly. Advanced instruments scanned Li Wen’s biometric data and registered his identity as an external member of the Source Net.

He was also issued a badge identifying him as a preparatory member of Training Base No. 7.

Soon, the dozen or so newcomers, including Li Wen and Lorne, had all completed the process.

Afterward, a base instructor appeared. His expression was stern, his aura as deep as an abyss. Without a single wasted word, he simply gestured for the group to follow.

The group left the registration hall in silence.

They passed through several futuristic corridors and skirted the edges of training grounds that simulated various environments, eventually arriving in an area with a completely different style.

The view suddenly opened up to reveal a sprawling courtyard, suffused with ancient charm.

A towering energy shield simulated a blue sky with white clouds. In the center of the courtyard was an arrangement of rockeries and flowing streams, where energy-simulated koi swam about, emitting faint points of fluorescent light.

It was surrounded by a ring of single-story buildings in a unified, elegantly simple style—white walls, gray tiles, upturned eaves, and interlocking brackets—forming a standard courtyard house layout.

Clearly, the Source Net had deliberately created this relatively enclosed and intimate living environment

to encourage the preparatory members from every corner of the universe to interact, clash, and even... create friction with one another.