High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Xu Wuyi took a step, executing his Quicksand Step to close in like a phantom.

The Liaoyuan Long Spear thrust out, its tip wreathed in dark gold flames, and pierced precisely into a gap in the Poison Miasma Commander’s neck scales.

SQUELCH!

The spear’s shaft drove deep, and flames erupted from within.

The Poison Miasma Commander let out a piercing shriek and struggled frantically, but the Gravity Field still held it fast, slowing its movements.

Xu Wuyi withdrew his spear and retreated, activating his power with a thought.

BOOM!

The fire of the Golden Crow Burning Heart erupted throughout the Star Beast’s body!

At a speed visible to the naked eye, the Poison Miasma Commander’s body shriveled and charred before turning into a pile of ash.

From start to finish, it took no more than fifteen seconds.

A Commander Level Star Beast, slain.

The battlefield fell silent.

Even Tang Xiuqi and Zhao Kun paused, turning to look in Xu Wuyi’s direction.

Tang Xiuqi knew, of course, that this Junior Brother Xu had already shown astonishing strength on the Star Realm Battlefield, but he never would have imagined... ’He’s already this strong?’

’To think, just a year or two ago when I first met him, he was just a somewhat promising Martial Artist, and now...’

’Below the Quasi-Grandmaster level, he’s already in the top tier. Even compared to me, he’s not the least bit inferior.’

The thought, ’The younger generation is truly formidable,’ surfaced in Tang Xiuqi’s mind.

Seeing this, the other two Commanders’ eyes filled with fear, and they turned to flee back into the Rift.

But how could Tang Xiuqi and Zhao Kun give them the chance?

A flash of swordlight and a heavy axe fell simultaneously. The Red Fang Commander and the Blade Fang Commander were soon cut down in their despair.

Leaderless, the remaining Star Beasts were quickly wiped out.

The battle was over.

From start to finish, it had taken less than ten minutes.

Xu Wuyi stood with his spear at rest, the phantom flames in his dark gold pupils slowly fading.

He looked toward Tang Xiuqi, who was also looking at him, a complicated smile on his pale face.

”It seems bringing you here was the right decision,” Tang Xiuqi said softly. ”With you here, the pressure on us... is lessened by a great deal.”

Xu Wuyi didn’t speak, merely nodding in response.

His gaze shifted to the distant Rift, to the white figure still seated cross-legged there.

Grandmaster Ren Bai never turned around, as if the battle had been nothing more than an insignificant interruption.

...

The post-battle cleanup lasted for about half an hour.

Su Wen led a team to inspect the battlefield, collecting valuable materials from the Star Beasts. Certain special bones, Crystal Cores, or glands could be used for crafting Potions or engraving runes.

Meanwhile, Xu Wuyi stood to the side, regulating his breathing to recover.

He had consumed about thirty percent of his Power of Heart Image in that battle, most of it on the ”Liaoyuan” wave he’d used to clear the field.

Killing the Poison Miasma Commander, by contrast, hadn’t taken much effort. The Profound Nether Celestial Spear’s gravity control combined with the flames of the Golden Crow Burning Heart was surprisingly efficient, even to him.

”Junior Brother Xu.”

Tang Xiuqi walked over with a detector in hand. The energy reading on its screen had already dropped back to a safe level.

”I saw the data just now. That field-clearing wave of yours took out eighty-three Star Beasts, eleven of them Commander Level.” He looked at Xu Wuyi. ”You were more efficient than all of us put together.”

Xu Wuyi shook his head. ”It’s just particularly effective against large groups of low-level enemies.”

”No need to be humble,” Tang Xiuqi said, putting away the detector. ”An ability like that is a strategic asset on the Rift’s defensive line. With you here, our second-tier rotation period can be at least doubled, and the casualty rate will drop dramatically.”

He was speaking the truth.

In the past, facing a Beast Tide of this scale, the second-tier team would have had to fight bitterly for over twenty minutes, and injuries—or even casualties—were inevitable.

But today, the battle was over in ten minutes, and the entire team was unscathed.

Such was the value of a crowd-clearing ability.

”I’ll stay for as long as I can,” Xu Wuyi said.

”Good.” Tang Xiuqi nodded. ”Go get some rest. There shouldn’t be another surge today. The energy readings have stabilized; the next fluctuation won’t be for at least twenty-four hours.”

Xu Wuyi returned to the fortress.

He didn’t head back to his dorm right away, instead making his way to a Cultivation Room.

The day’s battle had given him some new insights. Using the Profound Nether Celestial Spear in actual combat, in particular, had granted him a deeper understanding of Gravity Manipulation.

Inside the Cultivation Room, Xu Wuyi stood motionless, spear in hand.

He replayed the moment in his mind: the Poison Miasma Commander bound by the Gravity Field, its movements sluggish.

That feeling of ”altering local Rules” was completely different from the ”incinerate all creation” nature of the Golden Crow Burning Heart’s fire.

One focused on control, the other on destruction.

”If I could just combine the two perfectly...”

Xu Wuyi muttered to himself, then shook his head.

’Not yet.’

His Profound Nether Celestial Spear was only at the Minor Achievement realm, so his Gravity Manipulation was still crude. He could only manage simple changes in direction and intensity.

To form a true ”Gravity Domain,” he would need to reach the Great Success Realm at a minimum.

And while his Golden Crow Burning Heart technique had reached Great Success, it was still a long way from the Perfection realm.

The total amount and the degree of control he had over his Power of Heart Image both limited the Flame True Seal’s power and duration.

’One step at a time.’

He put away his long spear, sat down cross-legged, and began his routine meditation.

In his sea of consciousness, the Dark Gold Mountain Body slowly rotated.

The patterns on the mountain’s surface had grown clearer—a change brought about by the supplementation of the Earth Rules.

Though progress was slow, every small advancement made his Heart Image more stable, allowing it to contain even more Power of Heart Image.

Two hours later, Xu Wuyi opened his eyes.

He was fully recovered. In fact, thanks to the recent battle, his Power of Heart Image had even grown by a minuscule amount.

Such were the benefits of real combat.

A Martial Artist ultimately grows through battle. Sometimes, a single life-or-death struggle is worth more than ten years of secluded, arduous training.

...

Over the next few days, the Profound Abyssal Rift entered a period of relative calm.

Energy Fluctuations remained low. Only one small-scale surge occurred, involving fewer than thirty beasts, and it was easily handled by the patrol team.

Xu Wuyi gradually settled into the rhythm of life at the outpost.

He participated in training and patrols during the day, practiced the two new Martial Arts at night, and went to the edge of the Rift to seek insight in his spare time.

Grandmaster Ren Bai spent most of his time sitting cross-legged before the Rift, maintaining the sealing formation.

Occasionally, young Martial Artists would approach him for guidance, and he answered each one in turn. Though he had an aloof disposition, he didn’t put on airs.

Xu Wuyi also approached him a few times to ask about his uncertainties regarding the Gravity Rules.

Grandmaster Ren Bai’s answers were always concise and profound, pointing directly to the essence of the matter.

He never taught specific techniques. Instead, he would explain the principles at the level of the Rules, leaving Xu Wuyi to find his own understanding.

This teaching method, in turn, allowed Xu Wuyi to gain far more.

He discovered that everyone’s understanding of the Rules was unique; another person’s path would not necessarily be right for him.

What Grandmaster Ren Bai did was broaden his horizons and point him in the right direction. The actual path was one he had to walk himself.

That afternoon, Xu Wuyi came to the edge of the Rift as usual.

He hadn’t brought his spear. He simply sat down cross-legged and slowly extended the perception of his Heart Image, trying to sense the chaotic and violent Energy Field surrounding the Rift.