High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

The pavilion grew quiet again.

Zhao Qingwei kept her head lowered until her father left. Only then did she let out a soft breath and raise her eyes to Xu Wuyi.

”I’m sorry,” she said in a low voice. ”I should have been the one to tell you about this directly. But Father insisted on meeting you himself to show the gravity of the situation.”

”It’s no bother,” Xu Wuyi said with a smile. ”It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. Besides, I’m not losing out on this deal; I’ve even gained a Grandmaster for an uncle.”

Zhao Qingwei couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him. She was silent for a long moment before speaking again. ”I heard you’ve already started taking on Federation missions.”

”Yes, Dean He helped me file a special application for the permissions.”

Zhao Qingwei nodded. ”I’m sure you’ve already noticed. At this stage, it’s not that difficult to earn resources with the merit points you get from Federation missions.”

Xu Wuyi was taken aback for a moment, but after thinking it over, he realized she was right.

The income from the two missions he had just accepted could cover his resource needs with little to no pressure, leaving him with a considerable surplus.

”The Federation provides significant subsidies on merit points for veteran Martial Artists and Innate Martial Artists,” Zhao Qingwei said with a smile.

”The goal is to help these individuals grow, but not through targeted aid. Instead, they subsidize the mission rewards. Do you... know why?”

Xu Wuyi blurted out the answer almost instantly. ”If it were targeted, the limited slots would inevitably fall into the hands of a select few.”

He knew all too well what it was like to deal with limited slots.

Zhao Qingwei was clearly aware of his past. She pursed her lips into a smile. ”Exactly. That’s why the period when a Federation Martial Artist lacks resources the most is actually between Level 15 and 35. It’s also when Noble Family sponsorships are most concentrated.”

”The reason I’m telling you this is that, with your current reputation, many major Noble Families will likely approach you in the future. They might try to recruit you, propose an alliance, or perhaps...”

She thought for a moment but ultimately decided against saying the words ”marriage alliance.” Based on her understanding of certain people, the first step of such an alliance was often to create an irreversible situation, which was far more effective than a simple verbal overture.

”In any case, if you do decide to engage with one of these families, don’t accept their material resources. Their personal connections, access to channels, and even certain special Cultivation Techniques will be far more helpful to you.”

Xu Wuyi fell into thought for a moment, then nodded solemnly in thanks.

He knew Zhao Qingwei’s reminder came from a good place. Not every family was like the Zhao Family, whose direct-line daughter happened to be his classmate, which was why they were more generous and fair.

He’d had little contact with these major families before and didn’t understand their inner workings. Without her warning, he could have easily been duped.

Besides, these sorts of arrangements are often framed as consensual, so he wouldn’t even be able to claim he’d been tricked. He would just have to suffer the loss in silence.

The two chatted for a little while longer before Xu Wuyi took his leave.

After returning to his residence, he immediately contacted Qiao Zhiyao on the Battle Network to tell her about the situation.

Qiao Zhiyao was unconcerned, saying only that she would inform her father and that they wouldn’t need to worry about the subsequent arrangements.

However, three months had passed since the end of the youth tournament, and her second attempt to break through to the Martial Artist realm had failed, leaving her quite distressed.

”Senior Brother, how did you succeed so easily?” Qiao Zhiyao asked, her face full of confusion.

”Well...” Xu Wuyi hesitated. It wasn’t that he was unwilling to tell her; he simply didn’t know the reason himself.

In terms of accumulated power and foundational strength, Qiao Zhiyao was not in the least bit inferior to how he had been back then.

They both cultivated the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace, and Qiao Zhiyao had even completed the Nine Transitions of Heart Fire.

He recalled that he had only been at the eighth transition when he felt his breakthrough to Martial Artist was a natural and foregone conclusion; everything after that was just to further solidify his foundation.

He thought for a long time before finally giving her an answer.

”Perhaps it was because... I wasn’t in a rush.”

...

「Nine a.m., August 15th. Third Spaceport, Seventh Star Realm Defense Zone.」

Xu Wuyi stood before the assembly point, carrying a simple bag.

The spaceport was built on a massive floating platform. Below lay the grayish-brown earth of the Star Realm. The sky was a dim crimson, with three stars of varying sizes suspended overhead. Their light was blazing yet devoid of warmth.

Over thirty Martial Artists had already gathered, most of them appearing over the age of thirty. Their auras were sharp and formidable; they were clearly veteran Martial Artists, seasoned by years of fighting on the Star Realm Battlefield.

Dressed in a black training uniform, the youthful-looking Xu Wuyi seemed somewhat out of place.

Many cast questioning gazes his way, but no one approached to strike up a conversation.

At 9:10 a.m., a middle-aged man in a dark green military uniform, the rank of major displayed on his shoulders, strode toward them.

He was nearly two meters tall, with swarthy skin and a vicious scar on his left cheek that ran from the corner of his eye down to his chin.

”Everyone, fall in!”

His voice was booming, filled with an authority that brooked no argument.

The group of over thirty people quickly formed three ranks.

The major’s gaze swept over the crowd, lingering on Xu Wuyi for an extra moment, but he said nothing.

”I am Zhao Tieshan, Vice-Captain of the Third Patrol Regiment in the Seventh Defense Zone. For the next fifteen days, you will be integrated into the squads of my regiment to carry out garrison and patrol missions.”

”The rules are simple: obey orders, complete your missions, and come back alive.”

”Now, for squad assignments!”

Zhao Tieshan took out a tactical tablet and began reading out names.

”Wang Meng, First Squad!”

”Li He, Second Squad!”

...

”Xu Wuyi, Fifth Squad!”

Xu Wuyi stepped out of the formation and moved to the designated position.

The Fifth Squad had six members, including him. The captain was a grim-faced man of about forty named Zhou Heng. With a Life Energy Level of 38.5, he was an old veteran of the defense line.

The other four team members were all in their early thirties, with Energy Levels ranging from 35 to 37.

Zhou Heng glanced at Xu Wuyi and gave a slight nod, his version of a greeting.

Once the assignments were complete, Zhao Tieshan waved a hand. ”Board the vessel!”

A military transport vessel, roughly fifty meters long and painted jet-black, slowly descended, its hatch sliding open.

Everyone boarded in an orderly fashion.

The transport’s interior was spacious, but there were no seats, so everyone remained standing.

Weapon racks lined the bulkheads, filled with Standard Battle Sabers, long spears, shields, and various other supplies.

The vessel shuddered slightly as it took off, speeding toward the defense line.

Xu Wuyi stood by a viewport, gazing outside.

The terrain of the Seventh Star Realm consisted mainly of barren plains and hills, with sparse vegetation. Occasionally, one could spot bizarrely shaped Star Realm flora, their colors dull and their forms twisted.

In the distance, a winding, grayish-white wall was faintly visible.

...

The transport vessel descended over the defense line, finally touching down on a landing pad behind the Third Outpost.

The hatch opened, and Zhao Tieshan stepped out first.

”All squads, follow your captains and report to your assigned billets! In half an hour, gather at the command post to receive your mission briefings!”

Everyone filed out in succession.

Zhou Heng led the six members of the Fifth Squad along a paved path toward a row of simple barracks on the outpost’s western side.

”This is the Third Outpost. The Fifth Squad’s defensive sector covers three kilometers of the western flank,” Zhou Heng said as they walked, his tone clipped. ”Barracks are two men to a room. Sort it out yourselves. Xu Wuyi, you’re with Chen Wu.”