High Martial: I Grind Professions

In the real world, inside a private cultivation chamber.

Saphis’s eyes snapped open, the dark vortexes deep within his pupils spinning wildly.

He immediately received and read the intelligence report on his personal terminal, the one that had cost him five million Primordial Stones.

"Li Wen... a citizen of the Lain Junior Empire, registered for only one year?"

This opening piece of information made Saphis’s brow furrow, a trace of contempt creeping onto his lips.

But the following lines made his expression freeze instantly, turning incredibly grim.

"Bone age of forty... upon first entering the Moluo Middle Empire’s Seventh Elite Training Base, he broke through to the eighth floor of the Heaven-Reaching Tower?!"

"That same day... in the Ultimate Dueling Arena, he single-handedly defeated the reigning prodigies of his generation from Alka Star, including Ares Titan of the Titan Royal family, and... Isabel?!"

"...Primary cultivated Law... Time?!"

The intelligence report was very detailed, including Li Wen’s combat record and potential assessment from his time in the Moluo Empire.

The more Saphis read, the uglier his expression became.

He had originally clung to a sliver of hope that the other party was just some lucky guy who had stumbled his way into the Source Net.

Perhaps Isabel had only visited him out of curiosity or for some mission.

But this report completely shattered his illusions.

A man with a bone age of forty, from a junior empire, who could achieve such a stunning combat record within a single year.

A man who had even touched the threshold of the supreme Time Law... For Isabel to take the initiative and visit someone like that, alone—what else could it possibly mean?!

"Li Wen..." Saphis hissed the name through clenched teeth, every syllable steeped in cold hatred and jealous fire.

Isabel didn’t come from a prominent background; the Moon Spirit Race was just a minor clan. However, her master was a famous Immortal expert on the imperial capital star.

Saphis, with his high self-regard, had long considered this beauty favored by an Immortal expert to be his private property, off-limits to all others.

He had spent years scheming in his pursuit, even leveraging his clan’s power, yet he had never been able to truly get close to her cool and detached heart.

Isabel always maintained a polite but distant barrier with him.

And now, the moment this other guy arrived, she had taken the initiative to visit him alone.

It was like a vicious slap across Saphis’s incredibly arrogant face.

An indescribable, violent rage exploded in his chest.

His mind uncontrollably pictured scenes of Isabel inside Li Wen’s villa.

"Good... Very good!" Saphis’s voice was terrifyingly low.

The dark purple energy that had been swirling orderly around him suddenly spiraled out of control, instantly boiling over.

It transformed into a raging, pitch-black flame, making the entire cultivation chamber look like a demonic realm.

"Some country bumpkin who crawled out of who-knows-what godforsaken corner! How dare you touch the woman I’ve set my sights on, right under my nose?! Who gave you the goddamn nerve?!"

He slowly rose to his feet, his long, pale fingers turning white at the knuckles from the force of his grip.

His cold gaze seemed to pierce through the incredibly thick walls, locking onto the location of Villa 11 in Zone B.

"Li Wen..." he repeated the name in a low voice, his lips twisting into a distorted arc.

There was no warmth in that smile, only endless jealousy and hatred.

"I don’t care what kind of bullshit genius you are, or how many floors of the Heaven-Reaching Tower you’ve cleared..."

"I’ll make you understand that in the face of true imperial nobility, your pathetic little talent is nothing...

Coveting someone who doesn’t belong to you comes with a painful price.

Isabel... can only be mine!"

His last sentence echoed in the private chamber like the most vicious of curses.

The moment the words left his lips, Saphis abruptly raised his hand, his five fingers clenching into a fist in the empty air before the wall, which was inscribed with powerful protective runes!

"ROAR—!"

A silent roar of energy exploded in the chamber.

The churning, pitch-black flames instantly condensed, forming an impossibly large shadow claw.

The claw, carrying a terrifying power that seemed to tear space itself, viciously slammed against the wall.

BOOM—!

Blindingly brilliant sparks of energy erupted violently as the hard wall shuddered intensely.

The protective runes inscribed upon it burst forth with unprecedented radiance, barely managing to withstand the furious blow, but the entire chamber groaned under the force.

...

Li Wen was completely unaware that Saphis, the genius of the Yingge Clan, was secretly investigating him and had even developed a deep-seated hatred for him.

He had already put away the "Recommendation" token that carried the unexpected marriage contract.

His mind was now entirely focused on the core benefit for internal members of the Source Net—the monthly resource allocation.

’Star Pivot, query my resource allocation quota for this month,’ Li Wen said silently in his mind.

"Command received. Master, as a new member, your resource allocation for this month is a fixed base quota.

Three days of access to the Time Tower; five days of access to the Soul Origin Tower; five days of access to the Star Marrow Chamber; and five days of access to the Myriad Phenomena Mystic Realm.

Starting next month, your quota will be dynamically adjusted based on your ranking on the Source Net’s internal monthly leaderboard."

Star Pivot’s cold and efficient electronic voice rang out in Li Wen’s sea of consciousness.

’It’s a bit less than the quota at the training base...’ Li Wen thought, raising an eyebrow slightly, but he quickly came to terms with it.

It was reasonable to receive this much as a base quota. After all, once his ranking went up, the duration would surely increase significantly.

He wasted no more time and instructed Star Pivot, "Book the next available time slot in the Time Tower."

He then rose to leave the priceless villa in the core district.

He had been stuck on the verge of comprehending the Time Law for nearly a month.

The stagnant feeling of being able to touch the threshold but always falling short by a hair’s breadth was a constant torment to him.

Now that he was on the imperial capital star with access to a more powerful Time Tower, his desire for a breakthrough burned like a raging fire.