High Martial: I Grind Professions

On the Black Rock Trial Star, the raging energy storm had subsided.

All that remained were the massive, crisscrossing ravines and the bottomless, hemispherical crater.

They were a silent testament to the world-shocking power Li Wen had just tested.

He hovered in the void, feeling the boundless power surging ceaselessly within him, a power that felt as if it were touching the very edge of the universe’s rules.

Yet his state of mind was surprisingly calm, tinged with a faint, almost imperceptible apprehension.

Having tested the power of his Primordial Spirit in his new realm, his fused combat techniques, and his perfected—and even newly created—saber arts,

Li Wen knew there was one last thing, something he had long awaited, for which the answer was about to be revealed.

With a flicker of his thoughts, a translucent panel that only he could see appeared in his vision.

Just as he expected.

He had spent the last three days immersed in his breakthrough and the derivation of his saber arts, and the panel’s notification backlog had long since piled up.

It displayed a dazzling "999+" unread messages.

However, for the current Li Wen, whose Primordial Spirit had reached the 9th Layer and whose mind processed thoughts at speeds comparable to a super quantum computer, this flood of information was something he could process in an instant.

His consciousness swept through them like lightning, and countless notifications were instantly sorted and filed away.

His primary goal was crystal clear.

In that ocean of information, he precisely locked onto a system message that was shimmering with golden light, its font distinctly different from the rest:

[Congratulations, you are the first player on the entire server to raise a class level to Lv. 20. You have obtained the right to activate a second class!]

At the end of the message, a faintly glowing [Activate] button hovered silently.

’It’s here!’

Even with Li Wen’s current state of mind, he couldn’t stop a searing heat from surging in his chest.

Ever since his eighteenth birthday, this mysterious panel had appeared along with the "Scholar" class, completely changing the trajectory of his and Blue Star’s destiny.

Now, the path of the Scholar had reached its peak at Lv. 20.

The legendary right to unlock a second class was finally, truly before him.

This didn’t just mean another leap in power.

It also symbolized his entry into a deeper level of this panel system’s rules.

Without a moment’s hesitation, without even glancing at the other options,

he had already simulated the choice of his second class countless times in his mind long before his Primordial Spirit broke through and his Scholar class reached its max level.

His will as firm as a rock, Li Wen unhesitatingly pressed the [Activate] button with his thoughts.

[Activating second class...]

The text on the panel instantly vanished, replaced by a backdrop of the deep, starry sky.

A few seconds later, a familiar yet new interface slowly unfolded before his eyes.

It was identical to the one that had first popped up on his eighteenth birthday, presenting him with his class choice.

Rows of class names and icons, each exuding a different aura and representing a different path, were listed like stars:

[Scholar: Active Skill (Absolute Focus), Passive Skill (One Proof, Eternal Proof)]

[Martial Artist: Active Skill (Berserk), Passive Skill (Eternal Heart)]

[Elemental Master], [Psychic], [Mechanical Overlord], [Life Singer]...

The dazzling array of choices was overwhelming, each with its own unique characteristics.

Every class held the potential to reach the pinnacle of a certain field.

However, Li Wen’s gaze only briefly swept over the other classes before locking firmly onto [Martial Artist].

’A blade to shatter all laws, a body to achieve sainthood!’

This was the path that best matched his current Venerable’s body, his Primordial Spirit’s power, and the Martial Dao of the saber he had cultivated his entire life.

The path that could push his combat strength to the absolute peak!

The Scholar class gave him the wisdom and comprehension to perceive the Laws.

The Martial Artist class would transform that wisdom and comprehension into the purest, most powerful destructive force and survivability!

"Martial Artist!" Li Wen shouted inwardly, making his choice in an instant.

[Confirm "Martial Artist" as your second class?] The panel displayed a confirmation box.

[Confirm!]

As his final confirmation was registered, the entire panel seemed to come alive.

The icon representing [Martial Artist] suddenly erupted in a blinding golden light.

An indescribable, scorching heat originating from his Life Origin instantly flowed through his entire body.

It was as if some power dormant deep within his genes had been thoroughly awakened.

A stream of data cascaded down the panel like a waterfall.

New modules were being generated, loaded, and embedded into the core of his very being.

The process wasn’t long. Just a few minutes later,

when Li Wen summoned the panel with his mind again, new information was starkly displayed:

[Age: 37]

[Realm: Venerable]

[Class: Scholar Lv. 20, Martial Artist Lv. 1 (0/200)]

[Skills: Saber Arts · Venerable (Sky-Sunder 100%, Starfall 100%, Thunder Prison 100%, Imperial Ward 100%, Instant Flash 54%)]

[Cultivation Technique: All Things Return to Ruins Finger · 1st Layer (100%), Shocking God Stab · 7th Layer (100%)]

Li Wen’s gaze fell first on the class section.

’Just as I thought.’ He understood now, confirming his earlier suspicions.

The "Scholar Lv. 20" clearly indicated that this path had reached its end.

And behind the newly acquired [Martial Artist Lv. 1], the experience requirement was displayed as (0/200).

"Just like the settings in the game back then, the experience requirement for the second class is doubled." A faint smile touched Li Wen’s lips. He wasn’t surprised, let alone discouraged.

This was a rule the game designers had implemented back in the day to balance the advantages of multi-class players.

To get from Lv. 1 to Lv. 2, the Scholar class had only required 100 experience points, while the Martial Artist class now needed 200.

"But even so, this is still a tremendous opportunity." Li Wen’s eyes shone as brightly as stars.

’In this real world, there are no other ’players’ competing with me. Double the experience? It just means investing a bit more time. In exchange for the cost of doubled experience, I get a second class with infinite potential and a whole new skill system. This is a deal I can’t lose!’

The novelty and sense of power from activating the Martial Artist class made Li Wen temporarily push aside the thought of immediately returning to Blue Star.

He decided to stay on this vast, solid Trial Star to conduct some preliminary exploration.

’In the early stages, a Scholar gains experience through learning. According to the game’s design, a Martial Artist’s experience comes mainly from cultivation and combat.’ Li Wen’s thoughts raced.

With his current strength as a top-tier Venerable, capable of bursting forth with power reaching the Peak of Saint Realm,

there was truly no one left on the entire Blue Star who could fight him with their full strength.

Gaining combat experience was off the table for now.

That left only one other path—cultivation!

SHING!

The clear ring of a saber echoed across the silent Trial Star.

The long saber reappeared in Li Wen’s hand, no longer for testing destructive power,

but to focus on polishing his techniques, the flow of his power, and every pulse of his qi-blood and True Astral energy.

The light of his saber moved like a dragon, sometimes flashing like sudden thunder, other times carrying the momentum of a falling star.

Sometimes it would form a purgatory of lightning, and at others, it would condense into a domain of absolute defense.

The final gleam of the blade, so fast it surpassed the limits of vision, was the ultimate expression of speed.

He immersed himself in the world of saber arts, tempering and refining every single move.

He was comprehending the finer control over his physical body and energy that the Martial Artist class provided.

An hour flew by in the blink of an eye while he was focused on his training.

[You have diligently cultivated your saber arts for one hour. Martial Artist EXP +6]

[Class: Martial Artist Lv. 1 (0→6/200), Scholar Lv. 20]

Seeing the notification pop up on the panel, Li Wen broke into a satisfied smile.

The last trace of doubt completely vanished.

Cultivating his saber arts could indeed reliably grant him Martial Artist experience points.

Although the efficiency didn’t seem high, the experience needed for early levels was low, so leveling up would still be fast.

Besides, as his class level and training intensity increased, the efficiency was bound to improve.

He didn’t remain immersed in his training, instead turning his attention to the two core skills that came with the Martial Artist class.

This was the true essence of the class system.

’First, the active skill—[Berserk].’ With a flicker of his thoughts, Li Wen instantly activated the skill.

BOOM!

It was as if a dormant volcano had erupted inside his body.

His normally stable True Astral energy and abundant qi-blood were instantly ignited, bringing them to a boil.

They began to surge and be consumed at an unprecedented, frantic rate.

At the same time, an irresistible sense of power filled his muscles, bones, and every single cell.

Strength, speed, explosive power... he could clearly feel the all-around amplification.

’The amplification is about 10%!’ Li Wen judged instantly.

To test it accurately, he deliberately avoided channeling the power of his Primordial Spirit.

He relied solely on his Venerable Level True Astral energy and physical strength.

He swung an ordinary chop toward a relatively intact mountain peak in the distance.

SHHNK!

The saber qi tore through the air and struck the mountain, leaving a deep gash.

Li Wen carefully sensed the intensity of the saber qi and its energy fluctuations.

’Confirmed. The power is consistently increased by 10%!’

Next, he activated [Berserk] again, this time infusing the power of his Primordial Spirit into his True Astral energy.

He executed his "Sky-Sunder" saber art, which contained the true meaning of a Venerable Level Law.

The power of the saber light surged, instantly reaching a level close to the Saint Realm threshold.

But Li Wen keenly perceived that maintaining [Berserk] in this fused state abruptly increased the consumption of his qi-blood and True Astral energy several times over.

Finally, he tried fully integrating his Primordial Spirit’s power throughout his entire body while in the [Berserk] state.

A terrifying sense of power, as if he could tear stars apart, arose within him, infinitely close to the level of an ordinary Saint Realm expert.

However, the rate of energy consumption, like a flood bursting through a dam, was enough to secretly alarm even Li Wen.

’This [Berserk] truly is a double-edged sword. The stronger the amplification, the more astonishing the consumption. I’ll have to be precise about when I use it.’

After testing the active skill, Li Wen turned his gaze to the passive skill, [Eternal Heart].

According to his memories of the game from his past life, this passive was considered a god-tier skill.

’Immunity to all crowd control effects, and... permanently maintaining a peak combat state?’ A resolute glint flashed in Li Wen’s eyes.

To verify this "permanent state" characteristic, he did something incredibly ruthless to himself.

He suddenly formed a palm-edge strike, imbuing it with a pure and powerful True Astral energy, and slammed it mercilessly toward his own Dantian Qi Sea!

PUFF!

A sharp pain shot through him, and Li Wen’s body jolted violently.

A large mouthful of crimson blood sprayed uncontrollably from his mouth.

The Dantian Qi Sea, one of the core sources of a Martial Artist’s power, was now damaged by his own hand.

The flow of his qi-blood instantly stagnated and fell into disarray.

"Cough... To think, the first time I’ve been injured... was by my own hand."