High Martial: I Grind Professions

It was as if the box itself was a single, perfectly formed whole.

Merely resting in Venerable Ye Qin's hand, it created a strange sense of stagnation in the surrounding space, as if time itself were slowing in its presence.

'This is no mortal creation!'

The three Venerables fixed their gazes on Li Wen, their eyes filled with both tension and anticipation.

Li Wen took a deep breath, stepped forward, and extended his hands, carefully accepting the heavy, treasure-like box.

The moment his fingertips touched the box, a strange sensation, both cool and gentle, coursed through them.

It felt as if countless microscopic streams of information were trying to flood his mind, only to be blocked by an invisible barrier.

He held his breath, focusing his spirit. Cradling the box in both hands, he silently focused on the thought of opening it.

There was no earth-shattering sound, no dazzling flash of light.

The instant Li Wen's intention settled, the esoteric, flowing patterns on the seamless, dark-gold lid seemed to come to life, instantly glowing with a soft, golden radiance.

Like a deciphering code, they flowed and connected along a specific path.

Just a breath later, there was an extremely faint, crisp "CLICK."

The lid vanished without a sound, as if it had never been there, revealing the contents within.

Inside the box, there was no swirling, precious light, no majestic energy fluctuations.

There was only a deep, dark velvet lining that seemed to absorb all light.

And in the center of the lining lay a quiet... token.

The token's material was also unidentifiable—not quite jade, not quite bone. It was rectangular, about the size of a palm, and its entire body was a warm, pure white with smooth, rounded edges.

It lay there silently, simple and unadorned, looking almost too ordinary.

The four of them immediately focused their gazes on the front of the token.

On it was only a single word.

A word engraved in the most standard and ancient universal language of the cosmos:

"Recommend."

"Recommend?"

Li Wen and the others stared at the solitary word, their eyes filled with deep confusion and bewilderment.

"Pick it up and take a closer look," Venerable Gu He said in a low voice, being the first to recover.

Li Wen did as he was told, carefully lifting the white token from the darkness of the box.

It was cool to the touch, its texture fine yet tough.

He turned it over, and the back of the token came into view.

It was not blank. Instead, it was engraved with an extremely simple yet incredibly peculiar design.

The design resembled a stretched, symmetrical hourglass, or perhaps two opposing, half-unfurled wings.

In the center was an irregular vertical line, as if representing a spatial rift or a channel.

The lines were minimalist to the extreme, yet they exuded an indescribable sense of esoteric and ancient power.

"This..." Li Wen turned it over and over. Besides the word and the design, he could find no other text, energy fluctuations, or any other special features.

It was just like an ordinary token of trust, only its material was somewhat special.

"The word 'Recommend' on the front, and this strange design on the back..."

Venerable Xingxuan's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Her fingertips unconsciously traced patterns in the air, as if she were trying to deduce something.

Principal Ye Qin stared at the design and said slowly,

"This design... I've never seen it in any ancient text or ruin. It doesn't look like an emblem, but more like... an insignia? Or perhaps a symbol for some kind of existence?"

The four looked at each other again. Their powerful Divine Senses swept over the token repeatedly, but they still found nothing.

Finally, Venerable Gu He came to a conclusion, his voice tinged with a hint of uncertainty and even more gravity:

"This seems... more like a token of trust."

A token of trust left by a peerless expert who had surpassed the Saint Realm, one that could only be opened and obtained by an unparalleled prodigy who had reached the King Realm before the age of forty.

And yet, it was just a token—bearing only the ambiguous word "Recommend" and a mysterious design.

The rear mountain of Enlightenment Peak fell into a brief silence, with only the whisper of the wind blowing through the pine trees.

In the mists shrouding the future of the Human Race, an unforeseen path seemed to have appeared, and the answer was hidden within this seemingly ordinary white token.

They needed time to decipher it, to trace its origins, to find the... unknown place to which this "Recommendation" token pointed.

...

「Changning City, East District, the Li family estate.」

The living room was warm and cozy, the air filled with the fragrant aroma of tea.

Li Wen's father, Li Hong, and mother, Wang Juan, sat on the main sofa, surrounded by several close uncles and aunts.

The table was laden with fruits and snacks, painting a picture of a warm family gathering.

The Li Hong and Wang Juan of today were no longer the ordinary middle-aged couple from Bluestone County.

Ever since Li Wen signed with the Fire Hall and began to distinguish himself at Fire Hall University—and especially after becoming a Godfiend and shouldering great responsibilities—their status within the family had quietly undergone a world-shaking change.

At this moment, they were undoubtedly the center of the gathering, and their relatives' words were all filled with warmth and respect.

An uncle was laughingly recalling amusing stories from Li Wen's childhood, drawing peals of laughter from everyone.

Wang Juan's face was beaming with a gentle, satisfied smile, while Li Hong habitually tapped the ash from his cigarette into an ashtray, a subtle hint of pride in his expression.

"You two have really raised a fine son!" a cousin-uncle exclaimed with heartfelt emotion,

"Xiaowen is the pillar of our entire family now, a hero of the Human Race! I heard that during the bloody battle in Changning City, it was all thanks to his timely rescue..."

"Yes, yes," another aunt quickly chimed in. "That child, Xiaowen, has been steady and mature since he was little. Destined for great things! Not like that little rascal of mine..."

Just then, an excited cry came from the corner of the living room: "WOAH—!!!"

A young man in his early twenties was looking at his phone, scrolling through the news.

He jerked his head up, his face flushed red with excitement. His finger trembled as he pointed at the screen, seemingly wanting to say something.

But he was so shocked he was momentarily speechless, only able to utter a few meaningless syllables.

His father, one of Li Hong's younger paternal cousins, frowned and began to chide him,

"Xiaoqing! You're a grown man now, be more composed! Learn from your cousin Li Wen. At your age, he was already... hmm?"

He had been about to say "already famous far and wide," but seeing his son's expression, as if he'd been struck by the greatest news imaginable, he swallowed the rest of his reprimand.

Wang Juan was more perceptive. Seeing that the young man's behavior wasn't mischief but a reaction to something major, she set down her teacup and smiled kindly.

"Xiaoqing, don't rush, speak slowly. What good news did you see? Share it so we can all be happy too."

Given permission, the young man called Xiaoqing took a deep breath, trying to calm his heart that felt like it was about to burst from his chest. His voice stammered with excitement:

"Aunt... Aunt! Un... Uncle! Brother Wen... Brother Wen... he's reached the King Realm!!!"

"What?!" Xiaoqing's father asked instinctively, thinking he had misheard.

"The King Realm?! Is... is it a Godfiend King?" another relative asked in disbelief, the melon seeds in their hand falling onto the coffee table.

Xiaoqing nodded vigorously, as if to prove he hadn't seen wrong.

"It's real! Absolutely real! The Fire Hall just posted an official announcement on their website! The virtual community, news feeds, they're all blowing up! The Changning King! Brother Wen has been promoted from Marquis Changning to the Changning King!"

Fearing his relatives wouldn't believe him, he quickly turned his phone screen toward them, his finger swiping rapidly.

On the screen, the Fire Hall's official announcement, marked with its flame emblem, was exceptionally eye-catching—

[Great News: The Human Race Gains Another King! Godfiend Li Wen has successfully condensed a Cosmic Domain in the Cosmic Cavern at Fire Hall University, advancing to the King Realm. He has been conferred the title: Changning King!]

Below it were countless congratulatory and amazed comments, as well as urgent news alerts from major media outlets.

The living room instantly fell into a dead silence.

The expressions on the faces of the relatives, who had just been laughing and chatting, were now frozen.

A few seconds felt as long as a century.

Only the constantly refreshing feed on Xiaoqing's phone silently proved the truth of this explosive news.

"HISS—" Finally, someone broke the silence by sucking in a sharp breath.

"King Realm... Changning King..." Li Hong muttered these words, the fingers holding his cigarette trembling slightly, his eyes filled with shock and an indescribable excitement.

He looked at his wife and saw that Wang Juan's eyes had instantly turned red. She gripped her husband's arm tightly, her lips trembling as tears of joy slid silently down her cheeks.

These were not tears of worry, but tears of a mother's ultimate pride and relief at seeing her son climb to a realm that represented the pinnacle of human martial power.

Immediately after, a huge uproar erupted!

"Oh my god! He really reached the King Realm!"

"The Changning King! The Li family has produced a King!"

"Congratulations! Oh, congratulations to you both! This brings such honor to our ancestors! Such honor!"

"A King at thirty-five... My heavens..."

"A blessing for the Human Race! A blessing for our family!"

"Quick, call my son! Tell him to frame this news article immediately!"

Li Hong and Wang Juan were instantly drowned in a flood of fervent congratulations and excited words.

The relatives' faces were all beaming with ecstatic pride, and their gazes toward Li Hong and his wife were filled with sincere admiration and envy.

The entire Li family estate was immersed in this sudden, immense glory—enough to shake all of Changning City, and even the entire Human Race.

...

「Meanwhile, deep beneath Changning City, the brightly lit Stargate fortress, steeped in the grim atmosphere of war, was also ignited by a wave of excitement.」

"Hey! Did you guys hear?! Huge news!!" A young soldier in a standard-issue combat uniform practically slammed the door to the break room open and rushed in, his face alight with irrepressible excitement.

"What's with all the fuss? Did another city-gate spot a small group of the Demon Race?" another squad member asked without looking up from polishing his weapon.

"No! It's Captain Li! Captain Li Wen!"

"What about Captain Li?" At this, everyone looked up.

"Captain Li... he's reached the King Realm!" the young soldier practically roared. "The news just dropped! Fire Hall's official website! He's been named the Changning King!"

"Holy shit?!" The break room instantly erupted.

"For real?!"

"The Changning King?! Oh my god!!"

"Quick! Check your terminal! The Fire Hall website!"