High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Within the ethereal blue flames, the Celestial Wolf Illusion slowly dissipated. But the terrifying fury and killing intent lingered in the grand hall, refusing to fade.

Bas’s true body was not here.

The true bodies of Divine Beings could not easily leave their divine kingdoms, but a projection of his will was more than enough to cow the entire Celestial Wolf Star Realm.

...

「One day later.」

Xu Wuyi, Shi Gang, Liu Yue, Zhou Ming, and Lin Zhaowen stood on the landing pad, waiting for the shuttle that would take them back to the Federation.

Iron Sword and the others from the decoy squad were still receiving treatment in the medical center; their injuries were more severe and required a longer recovery period.

Shi Gang had already received his new hammer: a powered Heavy Hammer, dark silver all over. Its head was engraved with complex energy circuits that could unleash a shockwave when swung.

He caressed the handle, unable to put it down, muttering about testing its power when he got back.

Liu Yue had redeemed an advanced Cultivation Technique for her Shadow Blade art and had been studying it constantly for the past few days.

Her aura was more restrained than before, but Xu Wuyi could sense that the edge of her twin short blades was deadlier than ever.

Zhou Ming and Lin Zhaowen seemed to have reached some sort of collaborative agreement. The two were constantly whispering to each other, occasionally sketching and writing on a datapad.

Xu Wuyi vaguely overheard terms like ”energy ballistics correction” and ”Spirit Locking Assistance.”

”It’s here,” Lin Zhaowen said, looking up.

A silver-white, high-speed passenger shuttle slowly descended from the sky, and its hatch slid open.

The five of them boarded the shuttle. The cabin was already filled with people, mostly soldiers and officers rotating back from the front lines.

Seeing Xu Wuyi’s group, some people shot them curious glances. Anyone returning from the front at this time was either seriously wounded or on a special mission.

And while Xu Wuyi’s group of five were injured, their auras were stable, so they clearly weren’t the former.

No one asked any questions, though. It was a rule on the front lines: don’t pry into things that don’t concern you.

The shuttle took off, broke through the atmosphere, and entered low orbit.

This time, there was no spatial jump.

Although the passenger shuttle was far more comfortable than a special operations infiltration ship, the turbulence from a spatial jump was still hard on the wounded.

They would travel in orbit for twelve hours, arrive at the lunar transit station, and then return to Earth via a Teleportation Array.

Xu Wuyi sat by the window, gazing out the porthole at the receding Celestial Spirit Star Realm.

The dark purple planet slowly rotated in his view, the light of its two pale suns casting cold patches of light across its surface.

That was where Old Cat had made his sacrifice, where Milo had been slain, and where Iron Sword and the others were still fighting.

It was also the site of his first true experience on a Star Realm Battlefield.

He had been to the Celestial Spirit Star Realm before, but never on a military mission—he had been more of a mercenary then.

”What’s on your mind?” Shi Gang asked, sitting beside him and biting into an Energy Bar.

”Nothing.” Xu Wuyi pulled his gaze away from the window. ”Just wondering when I’ll be back.”

Shi Gang chuckled. ”Don’t worry. With our current strength, we’ll be sent to the front lines again sooner or later. But next time, it might be a higher-level Star Realm.”

Xu Wuyi nodded. If his Life Energy Level rose any higher, he would no longer be able to enter the Celestial Spirit Star Realm.

The path of a Martial Artist was never smooth sailing.

The front lines, the battlefield, the slaughter, life and death... these were all necessary trials on the path of growth.

And all he had to do was become stronger before the next trial arrived.

The shuttle flew smoothly along its orbital path.

Xu Wuyi closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his sea of consciousness.

The Mountain Peak Great Sun Realm floated there quietly. The light of the great sun was more substantial now, the flow of its flames more natural.

And around the great sun, dark golden sparks faintly flickered—the Mental Realm brand of the Undying Flame.

’Fire is motion, connection, resonance.’

This was the principle he had grasped in the crucible of life and death, and it was the future direction of his path.

Flame Venerable had said that once he understood ”what fire is,” he could begin his true training.

And now, he had his own answer.

It might be an incomplete answer, one that could change as he grew.

But at least he had taken the first step.

He had a vague premonition that this method of making flames ”come alive” was the direction he was headed, but that it was still missing something.

Twelve hours later, the shuttle arrived at the lunar transit station.

Passing through the Teleportation Array brought a familiar sensation of weightlessness and spatial distortion, but it was much gentler than a spatial jump.

A few seconds later, his feet touched solid ground.

Familiar air, familiar gravity, a familiar sky.

West Desert Military Region spaceport.

Xu Wuyi walked out of the teleportation hall and took a deep breath.

The stench of blood and sulfur from the front lines was replaced by crisp, clean air. Sunlight fell on his face, warm but not scorching.

He was back.

He returned with five thousand merit points, the top-secret records of an S-class mission, and the achievement of having slain a Divine Son.

’Time to get back to training.’

...

「Western Desert Royal Capital, East Garden.」

When Xu Wuyi pushed open the door to the bamboo house, it was empty.

A thin layer of dust covered the stone table, a clear sign that no one had been here for several days.

He set down his pack and came to a stop before the Celestial Bird Bathing in Fire Painting.

The painting was unchanged. The Divine Bird still stretched its wings amidst the flames, its gaze serene.

”Anna,” Xu Wuyi called out. It was the name of the residence’s AI.

Pale blue particles of light materialized in the air, quickly coalescing into the virtual form of an intelligent butler.

She gave Xu Wuyi a slight bow. ”Mr. Xu, you have returned.”

”Where is Flame Venerable?”

”The master left three days ago. He went to the ’Earth-Fire Abyss’ to collect an alchemical ingredient. He left instructions that if you returned, you are to wait for him here. He will be back in approximately five days.” Anna’s voice was calm and pleasant. ”Also, the master left a message for you.”

”What is it?”

”’The fire has revealed its nature; you may now observe it for yourself.’”

Xu Wuyi was silent for a moment before nodding. ”I understand.”

Anna’s figure dissipated.

Xu Wuyi sat down in the bamboo chair and gazed at the painting as scenes from the battle in the Star Realm surfaced in his mind.

Milo’s agonized screams in the dark golden flames, the shattering of the Celestial Wolf Illusion, the last images Old Cat transmitted... and the flame on the tip of his own spear, which had seemed to gain a life of its own.

’Fire is motion, connection, resonance.’

And now, Flame Venerable was telling him ”the fire has revealed its nature.”

”’Observe for yourself...’” Xu Wuyi softly repeated those three words.

He closed his eyes, but instead of beginning his Visualization immediately, he first activated the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace technique.

Qi and Blood circulated through his body, repairing the hidden injuries that had not yet fully healed.

Though he had been victorious in the Star Realm, clashing head-on with the Celestial Wolf Illusion and unleashing continuous bursts of power had placed a tremendous burden on both his body and his Spirit.

After two full circulatory cycles, his hidden injuries were gone, and his Qi and Blood were full and abundant.

Only then did Xu Wuyi turn his attention to his sea of consciousness.

The Mountain Peak Great Sun Realm floated there quietly.

But unlike before, the light of the great sun was now more substantial, and the flow of its flames was more natural.

And surrounding the great sun, the dark golden sparks were now circling and flickering in a regular orbit, like planets in a solar system.