High Martial: I Grind Professions

Respectful greetings rose one after another as students stopped in their tracks, bowing to the formidable Centurion.

However, their gazes, though respectful, were drawn more to the unfamiliar young man standing beside Blood Blade.

Head Instructor Blood Blade was personally escorting a student to the Time Tower?

It was absolutely unprecedented.

What made everyone’s jaws drop was that they actually caught an extremely faint trace of... a smile... on the Head Instructor’s perpetually icy face?

"Who’s that? The Head Instructor is actually escorting him personally?"

"Never seen him before. Is he new?"

"Making the Head Instructor smile... My god, am I seeing things?"

"He must be from a powerful background! I wonder which advanced civilization’s peerless genius he is?"

Whispers spread through the crowd as curious, surprised, and probing gazes focused on Li Wen like spotlights.

Li Wen was already used to such stares. From the moment his name topped the light screen outside the Heaven-Reaching Tower, he was destined to be unable to keep a low profile.

His expression was as calm as still water as he quietly followed behind Blood Blade, walking toward the Time Tower’s great gate, which shimmered with a silver halo.

To the side of the gate was a window set into the tower wall. Seated inside was an intelligent life form composed of pure light.

Its form constantly shifted, its core a slowly rotating, multifaceted crystal responsible for registering and issuing access to the Time Tower.

Under Blood Blade’s invisible pressure, the registration process was exceptionally swift.

The intelligent life form’s emotionless electronic voice rang out: "Student Li Wen, identity confirmed. Time Tower access allocated for this month: five days. Please retrieve your Time Token."

A palm-sized token, made of a material that was neither metal nor jade, was passed out from the window.

The token was dark silver, its surface inscribed with complex space-time runes. It felt warm and smooth to the touch, as if holding a solidified piece of time itself.

"You may enter the Time Tower with this token," the intelligent life form explained. "The token will automatically sense the time flow within and deduct the corresponding duration. When you leave, carry the token through the exit, and the timer will stop."

"Thank you." Li Wen took the Time Token. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, and he could clearly feel the peculiar Power of Space-Time it contained.

"Alright, we’re here, and you have your access. The rest is up to you." Blood Blade nodded at Li Wen, said no more, and turned to leave.

He was a Tier Five Star Lord Level expert, and moreover, the high-ranking Head Instructor.

Personally escorting Li Wen this far was already showing this peerless genius immense respect; he couldn’t possibly linger any longer.

The moment Blood Blade’s figure vanished at the edge of the plaza, Li Wen felt the curious gazes around him become even more brazen.

Holding the Time Token, he silently walked to the end of the line waiting by the entrance.

The line wasn’t long, with only a dozen or so people queuing quietly.

At the front of the line was a short, stout student in a flashy training uniform.

His small, round eyes darted about, sizing up Li Wen. The moment Li Wen took his place in line, an incredibly exaggerated smile plastered itself on the student’s face.

With an agile slide step, he moved to the side, his voice booming with a comically fawning tone:

"Boss! Please! After you! My spot, I must give it to you!"

His exaggerated movements and tone made the few people behind him unable to hold back their laughter.

At the same time, they immediately understood—anyone who could make the "base’s walking encyclopedia" act like this was definitely no ordinary person.

Li Wen was taken aback by this sudden "special treatment." He gave a slight smile and quickly waved his hand in refusal.

"There’s no need. I can just wait in line. This will hold everyone up."

"No it won’t! Not at all!" The short, stout student shook his head like a rattle drum.

"Yeah, Boss, you go first. We’re not in a hurry!"

"That’s right, please, go to the front! We don’t mind waiting!"

The dozen or so students in line behind him reacted instantly, taking a synchronized step back to make room.

They all chimed in, their faces holding friendly smiles mixed with a subtle, almost imperceptible attempt to curry favor.

Although they weren’t entirely sure of Li Wen’s identity, they knew it was never wrong to get on the good side of someone who was personally escorted by the Head Instructor and fawned over by this quick-witted bootlicker.

Seeing the look in their eyes, Li Wen knew he couldn’t refuse. He had no choice but to clasp his fist in his palm in a salute to the crowd and say sincerely, "In that case, my thanks to you all."

Then he walked to the very front of the line.

He didn’t have to wait long.

After only a few minutes, the Time Tower’s gate of flowing silver light slid silently inward, and a student emerged, their face weary but their eyes gleaming with excitement.

He had clearly reaped significant rewards, as he departed quickly without a moment’s delay.

Li Wen nodded to the people behind him once more, then took a deep breath, gripped his Time Token, and stepped into the silver halo.

The instant Li Wen’s figure disappeared through the gate, the crowd outside erupted with a BUZZ.

"Who the hell was that? Why all the fanfare?"

"Quick, check the news! Someone escorted by Head Instructor Blood Blade—there has to be an announcement!"

"Right, right, let’s see if there’s any big news today!"

"Oh my god! Quick, look at the internal bulletin board! The Heaven-Reaching Tower... the eighth floor?!!"

"What?!!"

"Who?! Who broke through to the eighth floor?!"

"It was him, the guy from just now! His name is Li Wen!"

"Bone age... forty?!!"

"GASP—He reached the eighth floor with a bone age of forty?! By the Star God above!!"

"A monster! An absolute monster!!"

"So it was him! No wonder! No wonder the Head Instructor escorted him personally!!"

Cries of shock, sharp gasps of breath, and incredulous chatter instantly flooded the plaza in front of the Time Tower.