High Martial: I Grind Professions

This was no simple practice of forms, but a deep exploration and ordering of the "Dao."

Each movement verified, corrected, and perfected his understanding of the Saber Dao.

Sweat soaked his training clothes, then was instantly dried by his steaming, scorching vital energy.

Time lost all meaning in this selfless state.

After an unknown amount of time, Li Wen’s figure suddenly stopped, as if nailed to a rock.

He slowly opened his eyes. Deep within his pupils, it was as if tens of thousands of saber glints retracted and returned to tranquility.

An aura of completeness, yet tinged with a hint of something unfinished, rose from him before slowly settling.

"The peak of the Dao Realm... I’ve finally made it. All that’s left is the final perfection."

He whispered, his voice tinged with exhaustion, but filled more with satisfaction and a subtle hint of anticipation.

That final, missing sense of perfection was like a thin veil—clearly visible, yet momentarily impossible to pierce.

With a thought, a translucent panel appeared before his eyes:

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 34 years old]

[Realm: Marquis Level]

[Class: Scholar lv15 (1029546→1226646/1638400)]

[Skill: Saber Technique · Dao Realm (99%)]

[Cultivation Technique: Shocking God Stab · 7th Layer (100%)]

The peace of the past ten months had been the greatest aid to his arduous training.

The deterrent effect of the world projection had unexpectedly reduced the Demon Race’s harassment of Blue Star’s fortress cities to an all-time low.

As the person in charge of emergency reinforcements, the number of distress calls he received was negligible.

He had invested this precious, almost uninterrupted block of time entirely into honing his Saber Dao to the absolute limit.

The terrifying 150% comprehension bonus from his level 15 [Absolute Focus] skill was like a high-speed precision engine, pushing him to heights unattainable by his predecessors.

99%!

He was only one percent away from the Saber Technique’s "Domain Realm"—a state that countless Marquis-Level fiendgods dreamed of, and were even stuck at for their entire lives, unable to break through.

This step was a qualitative leap, the final threshold on the path to heaven, and one of the core requirements for the King Realm.

Countless brilliant geniuses were trapped at the peak of the Dao Realm their entire lives, unable to even touch the threshold of the "Domain," ultimately dying with regret.

Li Wen looked at the "99%" figure, his gaze calm and resolute.

He was well aware of how difficult this step was, but he also possessed absolute confidence.

’With [Absolute Focus], this barrier won’t hold me back for long.’

He mused internally, ’A few years? Or... maybe when my Scholar level increases again?’

A faint, detached smile touched the corners of his lips.

The experience gain for a level 15 Scholar was still slow, but he would eventually get there.

At that time, with a 150% comprehension boost, breaking through to the Domain Realm would be a matter of course.

Of course, it would be best if he could break through naturally before then, through hard training and enlightenment.

Sheathing his saber, Li Wen’s figure flickered and transformed into a streak of light barely visible to the naked eye, speeding toward his home in Changning City.

Several miles from home, Li Wen’s Primordial Spirit power habitually radiated outward, giving him a clear picture of the situation inside.

In the living room, besides his parents Li Hong and Wang Juan, there were two visitors—his clan uncle, Li Fude, and his son, Li Changjie.

The change in Li Changjie was remarkable.

The Li Changjie of this moment was no longer the high-spirited prodigy from the city’s Number One Middle School, whose eyes had brimmed with a sense of superiority.

He sat on the sofa, his posture upright yet slightly reserved. His brow held a settled gravity, his eyes were clear, and he wore the ordinary uniform of a guard. His aura was stable at the late Flying Star Realm.

Tempered by war and reality, he was no longer the youth who had looked down on his cousin from the county’s Third Middle School.

His Primordial Spirit clearly picked up the conversation in the living room.

"...Brother Hong, I’ve truly run out of options, so I’ve swallowed my pride to come to you and sister-in-law and ask Ah Wen for a favor..."

Li Fude’s voice was heavy with helplessness and pleading. His slightly chubby body leaned forward, his hands gripping Li Hong’s so tightly his knuckles turned white.

Li Hong looked at his cousin, who had once been quite prominent in the family but now appeared haggard, and an expression of pity crossed his face.

He didn’t agree immediately, instead asking in a deep voice:

"Fude, don’t be anxious. I know Changjie is a sensible and steady kid now. What exactly happened? Who did he have a conflict with? What was the cause?"

When Li Fude heard that Li Hong didn’t refuse him outright but instead asked for details, his heart instantly relaxed. He knew his older cousin’s heart had softened.

He quickly released his hands and explained everything in detail:

"Brother Hong, it’s like this. Changjie was on guard duty at the Number 3 materials depot in the northern part of Lingnan City. A few days ago, a young man, supposedly a junior from the Han family of the ’Iron Wall Marquis,’ named Han Shaofeng, showed up."

"Near the post... he was harassing a female worker who was there to deliver supplies. His words were frivolous, and he started getting handsy. The girl was so scared she started crying. Changjie couldn’t stand by and watch, so he stepped in to stop him."

Li Fude sighed, his face filled with indignation.

"With his ’fun’ interrupted, Han Shaofeng flew into a rage. He pointed at Changjie’s nose and cursed him for being a busybody who didn’t know what was good for him."

"Changjie followed the rules. He acted according to regulations and didn’t fight him. He just insisted that his duty required the man to leave."

"But... alas, since that day, Changjie has been secretly targeted at every turn!"

"He’s been assigned the hardest and most exhausting night shifts."

"His patrol route was deliberately moved to the most dangerous area, and his requests for leave have been denied without reason."

"And that’s not all. Yesterday, someone even hinted that if this continues, they might find an excuse to accuse him of dereliction of duty..."

"But Changjie was just doing the right thing! He did nothing wrong! We’ve really run out of options, so we can only come and beg Ah Wen. Could he... could he have a word with that Iron Wall Marquis?"

"Or, maybe have Ah Wen speak to Changjie’s direct superior? We’re not asking for anything else, we just want Changjie to be able to perform his duties normally, without being targeted endlessly like this..."

As Li Hong listened, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper.

When he heard that the incident started because Li Changjie had acted righteously to stop the scion of a fiendgod from bullying a woman, and not because his own nephew was causing trouble...

The hesitation and difficulty on his face instantly vanished, replaced by the protective anger of a man defending his own and the righteousness of an elder.

"That bastard!" Li Hong slammed his hand on the coffee table, making the teacups jump.

"Acting so recklessly just because he’s sheltered by his ancestors, bullying civilians, and even retaliating against a guard on duty? He’s lawless!"

"I’ll accept this task on Ah Wen’s behalf! We can’t let this kind of wicked behavior slide!"

He spoke to Li Fude and his son with absolute resolve, "Don’t you worry. When Ah Wen gets back, I’ll have him handle this immediately! Changjie did the right thing. Not only should he not be punished, I think he should be commended!"

Upon hearing this, Li Fude and Li Changjie’s faces were instantly flooded with irrepressible excitement and gratitude.

Li Changjie’s eyes even turned a little red. He stood up and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Fourth Uncle! Thank you!"

Just then, the living room door was gently pushed open.

Li Wen’s figure appeared in the doorway, a calm smile on his face.

"Dad, Mom, Uncle Fude." He first greeted his elders, then his gaze fell on Li Changjie and he nodded. "Changjie is here too."

He walked to the center of the living room, his gaze sweeping over the emotional father and son before finally landing on Li Hong. His tone was gentle, yet carried a reassuring strength:

"I heard everything just now. Leave this to me."

He looked at Li Changjie, a hint of approval in his eyes.

"Go to your shift as normal tomorrow. That Han Shaofeng, and the people behind him, won’t bother you again. The justice you deserve will be returned to you tomorrow."

His words were calm, yet they seemed to carry immense weight.

The anxiety that had plagued Li Fude for over ten days finally settled completely. He was so grateful he was on the verge of tears.

Li Changjie straightened his back, a light rekindling in his eyes, and said solemnly, "Thanks, Brother Wen."

...

「Galactic Calendar Year 243, August 1st. A training ground on the outskirts of Changning City.」

The air seemed to freeze, with only the hum of a saber blade slicing through the sky left to echo.

Li Wen’s figure flashed and weaved across the empty field. The long saber in his hand was no longer a simple weapon, but an extension of his limbs, a manifestation of his will.

Every slash followed a trajectory with an indescribable rhythm—supremely concise, yet containing endless possibilities.

At times, the glint of the saber was like a fleeting shadow, too fast for the eye to follow.

At others, it was like a surging river, carrying an endless, majestic momentum.

And at others, it condensed like a needle, its edge concealed, only to erupt in an instant with a sharpness that could tear space itself.

His saber technique had already reached the pinnacle of the Dao Realm.

From the killing intent of a battlefield of clashing steel, to the silent, life-giving Dao of a gentle spring rain, to the true meaning of annihilation that could destroy all creation with thunderous might...

The various "Daos" he had comprehended flowed and merged in his heart like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

Every swing of his saber was an act of ordering and integrating these "Daos."

He could clearly feel that the membrane separating him from the higher state—the Domain Realm—was already as thin as a cicada’s wing.

Wherever the saber’s edge passed, space was no longer a silent backdrop, but rippled faintly, almost imperceptibly.

It was as if his will was attempting to "define" the world around him, to imbue it with unique "rules."

Although this hint of the Domain Realm was still faint and hazy, like a candle in the wind, it truly existed.

And with every practice session where Li Wen poured his entire mind and spirit into his movements, it gradually became clearer and more stable.

Sweat trickled down his temples. Li Wen slowly sheathed his saber, and the turbulent aura around him gradually calmed.

He closed his eyes, savoring every bit of insight from his practice, his desire for the realm beyond the bottleneck growing ever stronger.

Finishing his training, he transformed into a streak of light and returned to Changning City as usual.

However, just as he was about to arrive over the city, his communicator vibrated slightly.

A message from Principal Ye Qin, a Venerable, appeared. The content was concise and grave: "Come to the back mountain of Enlightenment Peak. Quickly."

’A personal summons from the principal must mean something important is happening.’

He didn’t dare delay for a second. His body carved a sharp arc in the air, instantly changing direction as he sped toward Inheritance University, tens of thousands of miles away, with all his might.

With his Marquis Level strength, even without using the massively draining Divine Technique "Body Transformation into Nine Heavens," his normal speed was still astonishing.

The distance of tens of thousands of miles rapidly shrank beneath his feet.