High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

”I heard you were here, so I came to see you.” Hong Nianyi smiled. ”Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

Xu Wuyi stepped aside. ”Please, come in.”

The room in the guest quarters wasn’t large, but it was neat. The two sat down at a small table by the window, and Xu Wuyi poured her a glass of water.

”Why are you at the Research Institute?” he asked.

”My origin was damaged and needs special treatment.” Hong Nianyi took the glass, her tone calm. ”My master helped me contact the institute’s ’Life Restoration Department.’ They have a technique that can accelerate the healing of fissures in my origin.”

”It can’t completely replace time, but it can at least shorten a three-month recovery period to a month and a half.”

Xu Wuyi nodded.

The Research Institute’s technological level was indeed far beyond what the outside world could imagine.

”Is the treatment going well?”

”It’s alright, but the process is a bit agonizing.” Hong Nianyi took a sip of water. ”I have to lie in a restoration pod for eight hours a day while an Energy Field forcibly stimulates my origin to self-repair. The feeling... it’s like countless needles piercing your soul.”

She said it very casually, but Xu Wuyi could imagine the pain.

The origin is the foundation of a Martial Artist. Stimulating it directly was akin to rubbing salt in a wound.

”Is it worth it?” he asked.

”It is.” Hong Nianyi answered without hesitation. ”Every day I recover sooner is a day sooner I can return to the front lines.”

Xu Wuyi fell silent.

Some things between them needed no words.

”What about you?” Hong Nianyi changed the subject. ”I heard you were working on optimizing your Heart Image Martial Arts? How did it go?”

”I just finished.” Xu Wuyi briefly explained the characteristics of Golden Crow Burning Heart·Raging Fire. ”It’s mainly for clearing out low-level enemies and creating a battlefield advantage.”

”Area-of-effect damage... that suits you,” Hong Nianyi commented. ”Your Heart Phase Traits have always leaned toward crowd control. By solidifying it like this, you’ll be a Humanoid Cannon on the battlefield from now on.”

”A cannon is a cannon.” Xu Wuyi didn’t mind. ”As long as it can kill the enemy, it’s fine.”

The two chatted a bit more about their recent situations.

After resting in Linjiang for a week, Hong Nianyi received a notice from her master arranging for her to come to the Research Institute for treatment. She expected to be here for about another month.

As for Xu Wuyi, he was preparing to head directly to the Feathered People Civilization front lines once his Martial Arts was solidified.

”The Feathered People battlefield... be careful.” Hong Nianyi looked at him. ”Those winged bastards are more troublesome than Werewolves. They won’t fight you head-on; they just like to kite you from the air. It’s incredibly annoying.”

”I know,” Xu Wuyi said. ”That’s why I need to practice area-of-effect attacks. No matter how fast they fly, they can’t outrun my Heart Image’s perception.”

”Makes sense.” Hong Nianyi stood up. ”It’s about time. I have to go back to the Restoration Department for today’s treatment. When are you leaving?”

”In a few days.”

”Then I won’t see you off.” Hong Nianyi walked to the door and glanced back at him. ”Come back alive.”

”I will,” Xu Wuyi said.

The door closed softly.

The room grew quiet once more.

Xu Wuyi walked to the window, gazing at the eternally unchanging artificial light of the Research Institute’s underground space, but his mind was crystal clear.

’My Martial Arts is complete, and my injuries are healed.’

’Next, it’s time for the battlefield.’

’The Feathered People Civilization... He’d like to see just how many waves of his Raging Fire those winged members of the Alien Race could withstand.’

He closed his eyes. In his sea of consciousness, the Dark Gold Mountain Body Heart Image slowly rotated. At its peak, the Golden Crow spread its wings, flame runes flowing ceaselessly.

The energy pathways of Golden Crow Burning Heart·Raging Fire flowed through his heart, like an instinct carved into his very marrow.

He was just waiting for the command to let the Raging Fire rise and incinerate all foes.

...

「Two days passed quietly in the Research Institute’s meditation chamber.」

Xu Wuyi sat cross-legged with his eyes slightly closed, his entire Heart and Spirit immersed deep within his sea of consciousness.

He had long since memorized the complete Heart Method, energy pathways, and key principles for circulating his Heart and Spirit for Golden Crow Burning Heart·Raging Fire.

For the past two days, he hadn’t entered the virtual intranet for combat simulations. Instead, he purely deconstructed and reconstructed this newborn Martial Art on a conscious level.

He had practiced every detail, every variation, tens of thousands of times in his mind.

Until, at a certain moment, the feeling of everything falling into place arrived suddenly.

HUM—

Within his sea of consciousness, the perpetually floating Bronze Ancient Volume, the [Martial Arts Diligence Record], trembled slightly as light flowed across its surface.

On the pages that had previously only recorded a few Martial Arts like the Basic Body Refining Technique, new characters slowly materialized from illusion into reality:

[Martial Arts: Golden Crow Burning Heart·Raging Fire]

[Current Realm: Entry Level (0.1%)]

[Martial Arts Traits: Heart Fire rages, incinerating all foes.]

[Assessment: A nascent form of Heart Image Martial Arts, potential unknown.]

”Straight to Entry Level...”

Xu Wuyi opened his eyes, a faint shadow of a dark gold flame flashing and disappearing in their depths.

He wasn’t surprised.

This Martial Art had been derived from his own Heart Phase Traits.

Every detail was a perfect match for him. Coupled with the Research Institute’s optimization and the high-intensity training in the virtual intranet, skipping the ”Beginner” stage and going straight to ”Entry Level” was a natural outcome.

But more importantly, this meant the [Martial Arts Diligence Record] recognized this Martial Art. It could now be ”quantified” and rapidly improved through the ”Enlightenment” mechanism.

”Let’s begin.”

Xu Wuyi stood up and walked to the empty space in the center of the meditation chamber.

He didn’t use the true Power of Heart Image—the commotion would be too great. Instead, he used his Heart and Spirit to simulate it, practicing Golden Crow Burning Heart over and over again in his sea of consciousness.

He began with the opening move, igniting the Heart Fire.

Energy surged along the optimized pathways.

His Heart and Spirit locked on as his area-of-effect perception expanded.

The Flame True Seal condensed, spread, and covered the area...

Once, twice, three times...

On the Bronze Ancient Volume in his sea of consciousness, the number representing his proficiency began to climb at a slow but steady pace.

0.1%... 0.2%... 0.3%...

Each complete, standard practice session brought a tiny bit of progress. This improvement was imperceptible to the naked eye, but the numbers on the panel didn’t lie.

Xu Wuyi was completely immersed in his Cultivation. When he was hungry, he consumed the nutritional Elixir provided by the Research Institute. When he was tired, he sat cross-legged to meditate for a moment. As soon as his Spirit recovered, he would immediately continue.

Time lost all meaning.

After an unknown number of practice runs, when the counter for ”Standard Practice Sessions Completed Today” in his sea of consciousness quietly ticked to ”100”—

The familiar feeling descended with a ROAR.

[You have completed one hundred effective Cultivation sessions today, earning one ”Enlightenment”.]

A cool, clear torrent of understanding swept through his consciousness. Every detail of his Cultivation over the past two days, every test in the virtual intranet, every key point Ye Guanlan had explained... all of it was broken down, reassembled, and integrated.

Everything clicked!

Many subtleties that would have required repeated contemplation to understand were now as clear as the lines on his palm.

The Enlightenment lasted for about ten minutes.

When Xu Wuyi opened his eyes again, the data on the panel had changed:

[Martial Arts: Golden Crow Burning Heart·Raging Fire]

[Current Realm: Entry Level (29.8%)]

[Martial Arts Traits: Heart Fire rages, incinerating all foes.]

[Assessment: A nascent form of Heart Image Martial Arts, potential unknown.]