High Martial: I Grind Professions

Over fifty Kings were precisely stationed across more than fifty of the most vital core fortress cities, each assigned based on their individual strength, foundations, and specializations.

The more densely populated the city, the more strategic its location, or the closer it was to a high-risk area, the stronger the King stationed there.

This arrangement not only ensured the core nodes were impregnable but also allowed the powerful Kings to quickly radiate support to surrounding areas in an emergency, forming a coordinated response.

As for the remaining dozens of human fortress cities, they were jointly guarded by multiple Marquis Level Gods and Demons.

For example, Changning City, a city that had endured numerous baptisms of fire and blood, also welcomed its new team of Guardians.

「Changning City Stargate Fortress, Command Center.」

Li Wen had just finished a routine scan covering the surrounding ten-thousand-li area when his communication bracelet vibrated faintly.

The arriving Marquis Level squad had reached the designated reception platform.

He turned and walked toward the platform with a steady gait.

A shuttle landed smoothly, its cabin door sliding open without a sound.

The first to step out was a middle-aged man with a resolute face, clad in streamlined, dark blue battle armor. His eyes were sharp, carrying the somber gravity of a seasoned warrior.

It was Marquis Jiangling, Lu Feng.

His gaze habitually swept over the fortress's defenses with a scrutinizing air before finally landing on the approaching Li Wen.

The moment he got a clear look at Li Wen, an incredibly complex wave of emotion flashed through Marquis Jiangling Lu Feng's eyes.

It was as if time had turned back, his memory instantly pulled to a sunny afternoon more than a decade ago.

Back then, he was the director of the Fire Hall in charge of the entire Jiangnan province. He had personally led a group of young students, including Li Wen, their eyes filled with both anticipation and anxiety, onto the shuttle bound for Fire Hall University.

"Li... Junior Brother." Marquis Jiangling's voice held a barely perceptible tremor as he sized up the young man before him. He stood tall and straight, his aura restrained yet unfathomable, and the Marquis was filled with emotion.

"I never expected that the next time we met, you would have already reached the same Marquis Level as me."

He reached out a broad, powerful hand and clapped Li Wen firmly on the shoulder. The gesture conveyed both sincere, gratified satisfaction and the weight of passing years.

"Back on the ship, you were just a high school senior who had barely qualified for the assessment. In the blink of an eye, you've become a renowned Marquis Level God and Demon, a guardian who ensures peace in your own right. Time really does fly."

Li Wen looked at the man who had once guided him, a sincere and respectful smile on his face. "Senior Brother Lu, it's been a long time."

They looked at each other, many words left unspoken.

Outside the fortress, the clouds of war gathered as if they were tangible, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere permeating every inch of Blue Star's air.

And inside this fortress named "Changning," the new and old Guardians had now come together.

Li Wen's communication bracelet vibrated again. A new directive appeared clearly: he was still responsible for emergency rapid response missions within a ten-thousand-li radius, with Changning City as the center.

Speed was still the fastest, sharpest sword in his hand.

He looked up at the gray, leaden sky outside the fortress, his gaze sharp and serene.

The countdown on their peace had reached zero.

...

...

「Demon Realm, Celestial Fox Palace.」

A grim, murderous aura filled the majestic palace.

The Talisman Emperor sat high on his throne, looking down on the dozen or so Demon Saints arranged in two rows below.

His icy gaze swept over each Demon Saint as his voice echoed through the great hall. "Are all divisions deployed and ready?"

"Reporting to the Talisman Emperor, my Red Scale Division's demon army has arrived at the designated Star Domain and is on standby!"

"The Ghost Shadow Division has finished assembling and can attack at any moment!"

"..."

Below, the Demon Saints rose one by one, their powerful voices ringing out as they reported, each one exuding the certainty of a mission completed.

Hearing these replies, a flicker of satisfaction, almost imperceptible, crossed the Talisman Emperor's stern face.

He could already envision the Human Race's fortified passes falling one after another under the assault of the demon tide, with the Demon Race's grand army pushing deep into Blue Star.

"Very good." The Talisman Emperor nodded slightly.

Then, his gaze fell on the Demon Saint responsible for communicating with Wujing Demon Saint. "And Wujing? How are his preparations?"

The Demon Saint who was addressed immediately bowed and replied:

"Reporting to the Talisman Emperor, Wujing sent a message not long ago. He has finished completely refining that treasure and can make his move at any time."

"Mm." A sharp glint flashed in the Talisman Emperor's eyes as he issued his final command.

"Send word to him. He is to launch the attack tonight, Blue Star time. His core mission is to tie down the Human Race's Venerable Level experts and create an opening for our main army to enter."

...

「Blue Star time, late at night.」

A nearly imperceptible ripple spread through the void.

Wujing Demon Saint's figure appeared silently in the shadows not far from a large fortified pass, Black Rock Pass.

His mission wasn't to charge into battle, but to ensure at the critical moment that the Demon Kings, whose power was comparable to Marquis Level Gods and Demons, could safely infiltrate the Human Realm through the Stargate and establish a foothold for the main army to follow.

At the same moment Wujing Demon Saint appeared, the Stargates inside a dozen large fortified passes across Blue Star seemed to receive a unified command, instantly erupting with intense light and energy.

Complex runes were fully activated, the spatial channels began to fluctuate violently, and a powerful spatial teleportation force came into effect.

...

「Fire Hall University, the pavilion on the back of Enlightenment Peak.」

Principal Ye Qin, Venerable Xingxuan, and Venerable Gu He were still seated around a table.

At this moment, however, the figures of Ye Qin and Venerable Gu He appeared slightly ethereal. They were not their true bodies, nor were they Primordial Spirit avatars, but rather illusory images projected from their consciousness.

Only Venerable Xingxuan's true body sat there quietly, guarding the core of the university.

The instant the Stargates at those dozen or so large fortified passes lit up simultaneously, the virtual projection screen in front of the three of them split into more than a dozen clear monitoring windows, displaying real-time images of each Stargate.

"It's starting," Principal Ye Qin's illusory projection said, his gaze like lightning, locked firmly on the screen.