High Martial: I Grind Professions

"Quick!" Venerable Gu He was the first to react. With a thunderous shout, he acted without the slightest hesitation.

He shot to his feet, clenched his right fist, and unleashed a ferocious punch into the void before him.

BOOM—!

Space shattered like fragile glass, revealing the turbulent, chaotic spatial vortex behind it.

Venerable Gu He stepped through, and his figure vanished in an instant.

"Xingxuan, you stay on guard! Junior Brother Ye and I will go take a look!"

His voice echoed from the spatial rift, filled with unyielding resolve.

Venerable Ye Qin was just as frantic; no words were necessary.

With a flicker, he followed right behind Gu He, plunging into the spatial rift before it could close.

The two top Venerables of the Human Race had torn open the void without hesitation, racing with all their might to aid a junior who might have been attacked by a Demon Saint.

They had every reason to be worried.

The talent Li Wen had shown was simply too astonishing. His comprehension, his gift for the Primordial Spirit—every aspect shattered the known limits of the Human Race.

Under the crushing pressure of the Demon Race, he was the only flame of hope they had—the one person who might truly surpass the Saint Realm and lead the Human Race to turn the tide.

That flame could not be allowed to die out.

Within the spatial turbulence, Venerable Ye Qin sped onward with all his power, a single thought screaming in his mind:

’Hold on! Li Wen, you have to hold on! Just until we get there!’

「Outside Changning City. The wilderness.」

Space ripped apart as if torn by an invisible, giant hand. Two figures, trailing violent spatial fluctuations, descended with a thunderous arrival.

It was none other than Venerable Ye Qin and Venerable Gu He, who had torn through the void to arrive as fast as possible.

The moment they appeared, their immense Venerable-level wills swept out like radar, scanning an area hundreds of miles in every direction.

They vigilantly searched for any trace of the Wujing Demon Saint, their gazes immediately locking onto the lone figure on the scene—Li Wen.

"Li Wen!" Seeing Li Wen standing there, perfectly unharmed, the knot in Venerable Ye Qin’s chest loosened, and he let out a long, heavy breath. "Thank the heavens! You’re safe!"

Venerable Gu He’s sharp eyes scanned the area. Apart from a shockingly enormous crater and the lingering, violent energy in the air,

he found no trace of a demonic aura—especially not the terrifying pressure of the Saint-level demon they had expected.

His brows furrowed. "Where’s the Wujing Demon Saint?" he asked in a low voice. "Did he escape?"

Li Wen stared at the two top-tier Venerables who had suddenly appeared, his face a mask of shock and confusion.

"Chancellor? Senior Gu He? Why are you two here? Wujing Demon Saint? I didn’t see anyone."

"You didn’t see him?" Venerable Ye Qin froze, exchanging a bewildered look with Venerable Gu He.

They focused their senses again; there was indeed no lingering aura from a Demon Saint.

Venerable Ye Qin pointed at the massive crater and the aftershocks of Venerable-level energy that still hadn’t fully subsided.

"Then what about the Venerable-level combat fluctuations that just erupted here? Who caused them?"

Hearing this, Li Wen paused for a moment before realization dawned on him.

A wry smile touched his lips as he pointed to himself.

"Er... about that... If you mean the energy fluctuation from a moment ago... I think... that was me."

"You?!"

"That was you?!"

The eyes of Venerables Ye Qin and Gu He went wide.

Their gazes bore into Li Wen like searchlights, their expressions screaming one word: ’Impossible!’

"You... you’re saying that burst of energy, powerful enough to rival an ordinary Martial Arts Venerable, was just you... testing your strength?"

Venerable Gu He’s voice held a barely perceptible tremor. He stared intently at Li Wen, searching his face for any sign that he was joking.

Li Wen nodded, looking slightly embarrassed, and explained,

"Yes, Senior. I just had a breakthrough with my Primordial Spirit, reaching the Seventh Layer.

"On a whim, I wanted to test my current limits, so I tried it out here in the empty wilderness. I didn’t realize I’d make such a big scene and disturb you both."

"The Primordial Spirit... the Seventh Layer?!" Venerable Ye Qin gasped, his voice cracking.

He strode right up to Li Wen, his powerful will sweeping over him without reservation.

In that instant, he perceived the vast, profound, and abyss-like power of the Primordial Spirit within Li Wen.

"It really is the Seventh Layer of Primordial Spirit! A King Realm body with a Seventh Layer Primordial Spirit! And your burst power... it’s Venerable-level!"

Venerable Ye Qin murmured to himself, the shock on his face melting away like snow.

It was replaced by an irrepressible, volcanic eruption of pure ecstasy.

He slapped his thigh and roared with laughter.

"Hahaha! Excellent! What a lad! What a Changning King! What a Seventh Layer of Primordial Spirit! The heavens have blessed the Human Race! The heavens have blessed us!"

Although Venerable Gu He was more composed by nature, even his beard was trembling with excitement. A brilliant light flashed in his eyes as he nodded again and again.

"Excellent! Truly excellent! A King Realm body and a Seventh Layer Primordial Spirit... Your physical power alone can reach the level of a Venerable!

"And with your Primordial Spirit, using the Secret Techniques of the Seventh Layer, you could even match a peak Venerable! A truly fearsome new generation! Fearsome indeed!"

They could clearly sense that Li Wen’s physical cultivation was indeed still in the King Realm.

This only highlighted the terrifying fact that he could leverage Venerable-level power using his Primordial Spirit.

It meant that while still in the King Realm, his physical power alone was enough to clash head-on with an ordinary Venerable.

This shattered every record in the history of the Human Race!

Not even the Celestial Martial King had ever achieved such a frightening level of physical power.

Their gazes fell upon Li Wen, filled with undisguised awe, relief, and ecstasy, as if they were admiring a priceless, one-of-a-kind treasure.

"Let’s go, let’s go! We shouldn’t linger here. Back to Fire Hall University!" Venerable Ye Qin suppressed his excitement, tearing space open again with a wave of his hand.

This time, he personally guided a still somewhat bewildered Li Wen—who was taken aback by the two seniors’ enthusiasm—into the spatial rift alongside Venerable Gu He.

「Fire Hall University. The back of Enlightenment Peak.」

Spatial ripples shimmered, and three figures emerged.

Venerable Xingxuan, who had been left on guard, had already sensed their arrival and rushed over anxiously. "What happened? What’s the situation? Did you find the Wujing Demon Saint...?"

Her words died in her throat. She saw that far from looking grim, the faces of Ye Qin and Gu He were overflowing with an almost feverish joy.

Meanwhile, Li Wen, who stood between them, simply looked calm.

"Junior Sister Xingxuan, it was a false alarm!" Venerable Gu He said, his face wreathed in smiles and his voice booming,

"It wasn’t the Wujing Demon Saint! It was our very own Changning King, out in the wilderness testing his newfound power. He just happened to make a bit of a ’small disturbance’!"

"’A small disturbance?’" Venerable Xingxuan looked at Li Wen, confused. "But that Venerable-level fluctuation..."

"Exactly!" Venerable Gu He interjected, his voice brimming with pride and excitement,

"The lad was responsible for it! He just told us that his Primordial Spirit... has already broken through to the Seventh Layer!"

"The Primordial Spirit... the Seventh Layer?!" Venerable Xingxuan looked as if she’d been struck by lightning. She stood frozen on the spot, her beautiful eyes wide, her lips parted but unable to form a sound.

The shock of this news was no less than hearing that the Demon Emperor himself had descended!

The Seventh Layer of Primordial Spirit!

What did this mean? It meant that with his Primordial Spirit alone, Li Wen was powerful enough to rival an ordinary Venerable!

It meant that once he mastered the Primordial Spirit Secret Skills of the Seventh Layer, their power would be terrifying beyond imagination!

It meant he had the ability to defeat a Venerable while still in the King Realm!

This was... the stuff of myths and legends!

"Seventh Layer of Primordial Spirit... in the King Realm... with Venerable-level power..."

Venerable Xingxuan finally found her voice, which trembled as she spoke. "How... how is that possible... No, Li Wen, did you... did you really...?"

"Yes, Senior Xingxuan." Li Wen nodded calmly, confirming the earth-shattering fact. "I was fortunate enough to break through. My Primordial Spirit has reached the Seventh Layer."

"Good! Good! Good!" Venerable Xingxuan repeated the word three times, each one ringing with power and filled with indescribable excitement,

"The Seventh Layer of Primordial Spirit! Reaching it while still in the King Realm! The Human Race has a chance! The heavens have blessed our people! Ancestral Founder, we can finally see the hope you left for us!"

At this, Venerable Xingxuan became too emotional to speak.

Tears of joy and hope glistened in her eyes.

The elation of the three Venerables surged through the small courtyard like a tidal wave.

It was as if they could see the future: the Human Race, led by Li Wen, completely driving back the Demon Race and ushering in a new golden age.

Their joy stemmed from the immense impact of seeing a glimmer of life in a desperate situation, from a heartfelt acknowledgment and hope placed in Li Wen—an unbelievable miracle.

After a long while, the three Venerables’ emotions finally began to settle.

Li Wen looked at them and voiced the question that had been on his mind:

"Seniors, there’s something I don’t understand. The place I was testing my strength is thousands of miles from Fire Hall University.

"How were you able to sense the fluctuations I caused so clearly, and in such a short amount of time? And how did you pinpoint my location so precisely?"

The three Venerables exchanged a look, the excitement on their faces replaced by a solemn gravity.

Venerable Ye Qin took a deep breath. His gaze was deep as he looked at Li Wen.

"Li Wen, you now possess Venerable-level power, and your Primordial Spirit has reached the Seventh Layer. You are now qualified to know the deepest secret of the Human Race."

He paused, his tone grave. "The reason we were able to sense you is because... the Blue Star beneath our feet is no ordinary planet."

"Ages ago, our Human Race’s great founder—the one who surpassed the Saint Realm, the founder of the Fire Hall—

"used his great Divine Techniques to refine the Blue Star itself, turning it into a special... ’artifact’ imbued with immense life force!"

"The central hub that controls the entire Blue Star is hidden within the deepest reaches of the Fire Hall."

"The three of us," Venerable Ye Qin said, gesturing to himself, Gu He, and Xingxuan,

"have a duty to protect the Human Race, and so we have all left our unique soul imprints on that central hub. Because of this,

"we can clearly sense any powerful energy fluctuation that erupts anywhere on Blue Star. However, this perception has its limits."

"Fluctuations below the Venerable-level can only be vaguely perceived. We can’t pinpoint their location or judge their exact intensity. It is only when a fluctuation reaches the Venerable-level or higher..."

Venerable Ye Qin’s gaze burned as he looked at Li Wen,

"...that our imprints resonate with perfect clarity. We can instantly lock onto the source’s location and even roughly gauge its power level!

"So, that blast of power you just released? To us, it was like a lighthouse in the dead of night. Impossible to miss!"