High Martial: I Grind Professions

"It has begun." The eyes of Headmaster Ye Qin's phantom were like lightning, locked onto the light screen.

"It's still unknown which fortress the Demon Race will ultimately choose as their main breakthrough point."

Venerable Xingxuan's expression was equally grim as he scanned every screen.

"There's roughly a one-in-five chance. We'll have to rely on luck."

Ye Qin's phantom spoke in a calm tone, tinged with cautious anticipation.

The Human Race's Venerable Level combatants were also being secretly mobilized at this very moment.

Aside from Venerable Xingxuan's true body standing guard over Inheritance University, Headmaster Ye Qin and Venerable Gu He had also made meticulous deployments.

Their true bodies had long since departed in secret.

The Primordial Spirit avatars of Ye Qin and Venerable Xingxuan were each guarding one of two massive Stargates critical to Blue Star's survival—a defensive line they could not afford to lose.

Meanwhile, Headmaster Ye Qin's true body, Venerable Gu He's true body, and one of the latter's Primordial Spirit avatars had concealed themselves near three key, large-scale fortresses—locations identified through strategic analysis as the most likely breakthrough points for the Demon Race.

Their objective was crystal clear: if they were lucky enough to be waiting at the point where the main Demon Race army poured through, they could deliver a devastating blow before the demons had a chance to establish a foothold.

If they managed to intercept and kill Wujing Demon Saint, who was in charge of receiving the troops, they could turn the tide of the war in a single stroke and reduce the pressure from the Demon Race by nearly half.

However, the three Venerables knew that with Wujing Demon Saint's extremely cautious and cunning nature, the odds of such a fortunate event were minuscule.

He would never put himself in harm's way and expose himself to the hunting grounds of Venerable Level experts unless he was absolutely certain he could escape unscathed.

...

The view shifted back to the Stargates, which were in the process of teleporting troops.

The first wave of Demon Kings surged out from over a dozen Stargates almost simultaneously, each exuding an aura comparable to a Marquis Level powerhouse.

The instant they appeared, they didn't pause or hesitate, their objective perfectly clear.

As if they had rehearsed it countless times, they immediately transformed into dozens of streaks of light and shot without hesitation into the depths of the earth beneath the fortress.

They used the complex geological structures to make a swift escape and conceal themselves.

In the shadows, neither Ye Qin's true body nor Venerable Gu He's true body and Primordial Spirit avatar made a move, retracting their auras to the absolute limit.

Striking now would allow them to easily kill a few of the fleeing Demon Kings, but it would also alert the enemy and expose their own positions.

If they happened to be in the right place, it might even frighten the Demon Race into halting the rest of their large-scale invasion.

They were waiting for the signal that would mark the true arrival of the Demon Race's main army.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Soon, the light screens showed the Stargates at most of the large-scale fortresses dimming and shutting down after teleporting a few waves of Demon Kings.

Ultimately, only a single Stargate remained active, still blazing with the intense light of teleportation. It was located at Black Rock Fortress, where Wujing Demon Saint had lain in wait.

Unfortunately, neither Ye Qin nor Venerable Gu He were lying in wait at Black Rock Fortress.

This time, luck was not on the side of the Human Race.

Confirming that the Demon Race's main breakthrough point was not at their locations, the two Venerables no longer hesitated.

Since they couldn't get the big fish, they would start by cutting off its claws.

Headmaster Ye Qin's true body materialized near the fortress. He made no superfluous movements. Wherever his gaze fell, the formless Power of Rules descended.

Several Demon Kings fleeing deep underground suddenly froze, as if trapped in an impossibly thick mire that even slowed their thoughts.

Then, their demonic bodies and powerful Demon Souls were silently and utterly annihilated from both a physical and energetic level, as if wiped away by an invisible eraser, leaving behind only a few artifacts.

Meanwhile, near Ashen City Gate, Venerable Gu He likewise stepped out of the void.

His actions seemed even more simple and direct. He merely flicked his sleeve forward.

In that instant, space shattered inch by inch like fragile glass, creating an annihilating storm in the void.

The few Demon Kings who were also fleeing underground were torn apart by the terrifying spatial storm before they could even scream, their formidable demonic bodies and protective treasures shredded to nothing.

His methods were even more domineering and ruthless than Ye Qin's.

...

The view shifted back to the vicinity of Black Rock Fortress.

Wujing Demon Saint's true body had been lying in wait from a distance. His aura was completely merged with the folds of the void, making him seem like a patient hunter, or perhaps a cold, inanimate rock.

His keen Divine Sense perceived the spatial fluctuations of the nearby teleportation while simultaneously remaining vigilant for the appearance of any auras belonging to Human Race Venerables.

Time passed. The teleportation at Black Rock Fortress continued, yet he still hadn't sensed the power fluctuations of any approaching Venerable Level human experts.

Wujing Demon Saint's taut nerves finally relaxed a little.

'It seems the Human Race's Venerables really were tied down by the Talisman Emperor's arrangements and our feints,' he mused internally.

'The fact that they haven't moved to intercept our main force by now basically means they probably won't—or rather, can't—intervene here.'

'The initial phase of the mission is complete. I shouldn't linger here.'

Without the slightest hesitation, the space around Wujing Demon Saint once again produced an extremely faint, almost imperceptible ripple.

The next moment, his figure slowly dissolved into nothingness like melting snow, as if he had never been there at all.

...

「Inheritance University, in a pavilion on the back of Enlightenment Peak.」

On the virtual light screen, among the dozen or so monitoring feeds, only one remained brightly lit—the one for "Black Rock Fortress." It clearly showed a continuous stream of Demon Race members, all Demon King Level and above, pouring through the Stargate.