High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Xu Wuyi raised his eyes and met Feng Zhuohua’s gaze.

”Minister Feng, I am well aware of the dangers of the Quicksand Star Realm,” he began, his voice steady. ”The Feathered People Civilization is far stronger than the Celestial Wolf forces. Their Priests have bizarre abilities, and the battlefield environment is complex, but I still have to go.”

”Your reasons?”

”Three,” Xu Wuyi said. ”First, I need to hone my skills in actual combat. I’ve only just mastered Golden Crow Burning Heart, and I need to test and perfect it on a truly high-pressure battlefield. You can’t forge battle-ready Martial Arts in a greenhouse.”

”Second, I need merit points. I still owe the research institute a debt of one hundred thousand merit points, and the Quicksand Star Realm is one of the front lines with the highest rate of earning them right now.”

”Third,” he paused for a moment. ”The Earth aspect of my Golden Crow Carrying the Earth Heart Image is still incomplete. The Quicksand Star Realm is primarily desert and gobi, containing various Earth-aspected Mental Realms like ’Deep Earth,’ ’Endurance,’ and ’Desolation.’ It’s an opportunity for me to complete my Heart Image.”

After listening, Feng Zhuohua’s expression didn’t change, but he tapped his fingers lightly on the desk.

”Very practical reasons,” he commented. ”No empty words, no impassioned slogans—just a clear focus on tangible benefits. That’s good. A Martial Artist on their path should always be true to their own heart.”

He stood up, walked over to the wall-sized Star Map, and pointed to a region marked in dark yellow.

”The Quicksand Star Realm. A minor sub-plane with an Energy Level Limit of 45. Currently, both our forces and the Feathered People Civilization have deployed over ten thousand conventional troops there, with more than a hundred Innate Level combatants. Grandmaster Level individuals have not yet directly intervened.”

”The overall strength of the Feathered People Civilization is more than triple that of the Celestial Wolf forces. Their individual combat strength may not be as formidable as a Werewolf of the same level, but they excel in high mobility, flawless coordination, and a well-developed Priest system. Their various curses, debuffs, and control abilities are nearly impossible to defend against.”

Feng Zhuohua turned to face Xu Wuyi.

”Your Liaoyuan Fire has powerful area-clearing capabilities, which is a perfect counter to the swarm tactics of the lower-ranking Feathered People warriors. But for that very reason, the moment you reveal yourself, you will become a priority target for assassination by the Feathered People.”

”The Feathered People have a special type of soldier called ’Wind Shadow Hunters.’ They specialize in assassinating our high-value targets, excelling at Stealth, surprise attacks, and hit-and-run tactics. Your spear is a melee weapon; it will be very dangerous if they get close to you.”

Xu Wuyi nodded. ”I understand.”

Since advancing to the Innate Level, the unique nature of his Heart Image Power had made him well-suited for long-range combat, so much so that he rarely had the chance to use his Spear Technique.

But anyone who thought he wasn’t skilled in close combat would be dead wrong.

”I know your Martial Arts skills are also excellent, but you have another weakness,” Feng Zhuohua said, a hint of confusion appearing on Xu Wuyi’s face.

Feng Zhuohua walked back to his desk and took out a metal box, about the size of his palm, from a drawer.

The box was a dark silver color, its surface covered with fine, flowing lines of Energy.

He pushed the box across the desk to Xu Wuyi.

”This is ’Starcore Heavygold.’ It comes from the core of a destroyed, high-energy Star Realm. The Federation’s current stockpile is very small.”

”For that old coot Yan’s sake, and since you’re willing to go to the Quicksand Star Realm, consider this a personal gift from me.”

Xu Wuyi opened the lid.

Inside lay a fist-sized, irregularly shaped piece of metal.

It wasn’t pure gold, but rather a dark, burnished gold with a starlit shimmer flowing within. It lay there quietly, yet it emanated a palpably dense and heavy aura.

”Starcore Heavygold...” Xu Wuyi had heard of this material.

Legend said it was incredibly heavy, with a small piece weighing several thousand kilograms. It also had excellent Energy conductivity, making it one of the core materials for forging Grandmaster Level weapons.

”The master smiths in the military’s foundry are already waiting,” Feng Zhuohua said. ”Take your spear and this metal to the Foundry on the third basement level. They will help you integrate the Starcore Heavygold into the spear’s shaft and re-forge it. The process will take a day.”

”This...” Xu Wuyi hesitated. ”Minister Feng, this is too valuable.”

”Just take it.” Feng Zhuohua waved his hand, his tone leaving no room for refusal. ”An old man like me can’t go to the battlefield anymore. I have no use for weapons, so it’s perfect for you.”

Xu Wuyi froze for a second, then he began to understand what Feng Zhuohua meant.

Every last piece of Starcore Heavygold the Federation possessed was accounted for and in use; there was almost never any to spare.

This piece wasn’t just pulled out of thin air. It came from Feng Zhuohua melting down his own former weapon...

Xu Wuyi fell silent for a moment. He stopped refusing and solemnly put away the metal box.

”Thank you, Minister Feng.”

Feng Zhuohua sat back down in his chair and waved his hand with a smile.

”Go on. Someone will meet you at the Foundry. By this time tomorrow, you’ll have your new spear. After that, head directly to Planar Passage Number 19. There’s a military Teleportation Array there with a direct link to the Quicksand Star Realm.”

Xu Wuyi stood up, saluted, and turned to walk toward the door.

As his hand touched the doorknob, Feng Zhuohua’s voice came from behind him.

”Xu Wuyi.”

He looked back.

The Vice Minister of the military sat in the shifting light and shadows, his face half-lit and half-dark.

”Come back alive.” Feng Zhuohua’s voice was calm, but his words carried immense weight. ”The Federation needs geniuses, but more than that, it needs geniuses who live to grow. Don’t disappoint the Flame Venerable’s expectations, and don’t disappoint your own potential.”

Xu Wuyi was silent for two seconds, then nodded.

”I will.”

The door closed softly.

Feng Zhuohua sat alone in his office, his gaze once again falling upon the dark yellow region on the Star Map, and it remained there for a long time.

...

「Basement Level Three, the Foundry.」

The temperature here was extremely high, causing the air to shimmer and distort from the heat waves.

In the center stood a five-meter-tall forge. The Furnace Fire within burned a pale, bluish-white, clearly no ordinary flame.

Three old men in special heat-resistant work clothes were busy in front of the forge.

When one of them, a gray-haired, deeply wrinkled old man, saw Xu Wuyi enter led by a major, he put down his tools and came forward to greet them.

”Martial Artist Xu? I am the supervisor of the Foundry. My surname is Qin.” The old man’s voice was hoarse, like sandpaper rubbing together. ”Minister Feng has already given his instructions. Did you bring the materials and your original weapon?”

Xu Wuyi took out his spear and the box of Starcore Heavygold.

Supervisor Qin took the spear, weighed it in his hands, and carefully traced the patterns on its shaft before nodding. ”The foundation is not bad. It uses ’Flame-Patterned Iron’ as the main material, with a small amount of ’Flowing Fire Gold’ added.”

”It’s likely a piece from the Star Martial Armory. A pity the forging technique is only average. Only sixty percent of the materials’ properties have been brought out.”

He then opened the box, and his eyes lit up the moment he saw the Starcore Heavygold.

”Good stuff! Truly good stuff!” he exclaimed, carefully lifting the metal chunk out and placing it on a special analysis platform.

An instrument scanned it, and sets of data flickered across a light screen.

”Density is seventeen times that of a conventional alloy, Energy conductivity is 99.3%, and it comes with three natural Traits: ’Heavy,’ ’Armor-Piercing,’ and ’Energy Amplification’... Worthy of a star core product.”