High Martial: I Grind Professions

"Captain Li!"

"Senior Brother Li!"

Cries of alarm instantly erupted above the fortress.

Ling Feng, along with all the other defending God-Demons, was utterly stunned by Li Wen’s brazen, almost suicidal act.

They never imagined that at a moment when the disparity in strength was so vast as to be despairing...

Li Wen, rather than retreating to seek any possible chance of survival, had chosen the most direct and perilous path—spearheading a frontal charge!

"Hmph! You’re overestimating yourself. Courting death!" Li Wen’s actions completely shattered the Snake Division leader’s playful attitude. Such a blatant provocation instantly ignited his fury.

Facing the sharp, incoming blade light, he held back no longer.

With a cold snort, the terrifying power of a top-tier Marquis Level expert erupted. A tangible black aura coiled around his arm as he viciously slapped his palm toward the saber’s edge.

BOOM!

Where blade and palm met, a blinding light of energy burst forth from the core. A violent shockwave spread out in all directions like a circular tsunami.

The sturdy alloy floor of the fortress cracked inch by inch, and the defensive shield flickered violently, letting out a strained hum as if on the verge of collapse.

As the light faded slightly, Li Wen’s figure was seen being knocked back, sliding more than ten meters. Each step left a clear dent in the alloy floor. His face was a little pale, and the arm holding his saber trembled slightly.

But in that instant of collision, his deep eyes had turned cold and sharp, as if freezing all emotional fluctuations—he had activated Absolute Focus!

Not only that, but the power of his Primordial Spirit surged like rushing lava, pouring unreservedly into the vast ocean of his True Essence.

Under this extreme state, his True Essence and Primordial Spirit power forcibly fused, compressed, and sublimated!

A new, completely different, and powerful aura suddenly rose from Li Wen, instantly shattering the shackles of the top-tier Marquis’s oppressive presence.

"What?!"

"This... this power..."

It wasn’t just the Snake Division leader whose pupils contracted in disbelief; even Ling Feng and the others inside the fortress clearly felt the dramatic change in Li Wen’s aura.

It was a power fluctuation that had... stepped into the true Marquis Level domain!

Although they could feel this power was explosive and seemed difficult to sustain, at this moment, Li Wen had, on an energetic level, truly reached the standard of a "normal Marquis Level" expert.

’Late-stage Great Sun Realm... possessing the combat power of a normal Marquis Level? How is that possible?!’ The shock in the Snake Division leader’s heart was beyond words.

He knew Li Wen was strong—intel had shown he was on the verge of the threshold Marquis Level—but the scene before him completely overturned his understanding.

For a Great Sun Realm God-Demon to even touch the threshold of the Marquis Level was the stuff of legends. But to possess the combat power of a normal Marquis Level expert... this was an unimaginable monster.

For the first time, a trace of extremely well-hidden fear quietly grew in his heart.

Li Wen didn’t pause for a moment, charging forward with his saber once more.

Fueled by True Essence that was fused with the power of his Primordial Spirit, his blade flashes became more condensed, his speed faster, and his trajectory harder to predict.

He pushed the exquisite saber techniques of the Profound Dome Rainbow Silence Chapter to their absolute limit, sometimes striking like a sudden thunderclap, other times moving like ethereal, drifting clouds.

The Snake Division leader was, after all, a top-tier Marquis Level expert. His foundation and strength far surpassed Li Wen’s current state.

After his initial shock, he quickly adjusted. Black mist churned around him as his methods became vicious and cunning.

With every clash, Li Wen seemed to struggle, clearly at a disadvantage as the number of wounds on his body continued to grow.

Under the suppression of absolute power, technique alone couldn’t completely bridge the gap.

But Li Wen remained completely composed. He fought as he retreated, his saber flashing as he deliberately led the battlefield toward the desolate lands far from the urban area of Changning City.

He wasn’t trying to escape, but to create a space that was open enough not to affect the city.

"Trying to lure me away? Hmph, no matter what tricks you pull, you will die tonight!" The Snake Division leader saw through Li Wen’s intention, a cold sneer playing on his lips.

He was indeed shocked by Li Wen’s combat power, but the confidence of a top-tier Marquis Level expert left him with no fear.

He had come here on Fu Yan’s orders. His most important task was to kill Li Wen and avenge Fu Ye.

Whether Li Wen resisted stubbornly or tried to lure him away, the outcome would be the same.

His attacks grew even fiercer as he pursued relentlessly. The two of them, like two shooting stars, fought an intense battle while rapidly moving away from the brightly lit Changning City.

Just as the figures of Li Wen and the Snake Division leader were about to disappear over the distant horizon, Ling Feng snapped back to his senses, his expression growing extremely grim.

Without further hesitation, he forcefully pressed the red request-for-aid button, the one signifying the highest level of emergency.

The distress signal was instantly transmitted through encrypted communication channels to the Fire Hall headquarters and even higher-level command centers.

The potential Li Wen had shown was too shocking. A genius like him could not be allowed to fall here.

「Meanwhile, tens of thousands of miles away, on the rear mountain of Enlightenment Peak at Fire Hall University.」

Beneath a rustic pavilion, the white-haired headmaster sat cross-legged, appearing calm.

But before him floated dozens of light screens made of pure energy. Cascading down them like waterfalls were real-time battle reports, energy readings, aid requests, and IFF tags from Stargate fortresses all across Blue Star.

A dozen or so God-Demon officers with steady auras surrounded him.

Their fingers flew across virtual keyboards as they reported, analyzed, and proposed suggestions in low, rapid voices. The atmosphere was tense to the extreme.

This was one of the "nerve centers" for the entire strategic command of the Human Race’s defense line.

"Reporting to the Headmaster, we have a highest-level aid request from Changning City fortress. Confirmed presence of top-tier Marquis Level combat power. The defense captain, Li Wen, has erupted with Marquis Level combat power and is luring the enemy away from the fortress zone. Requesting urgent King-level support."