High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

A gentle and steady gravitational wave emanated from within the ore, like the core of a miniature star.

This gravity wasn’t a pull in the physical sense, but an ”anchoring” on the level of the Rules, which had a natural calming and integrating effect on his Heart Image.

He no longer hesitated. Sitting down cross-legged, he pressed the Anchor Stone to the point between his eyebrows.

His Spiritual Power slowly extended, establishing a connection with the ore.

The next moment, the Anchor Stone transformed into a streak of gray-black light and entered his Sea of Consciousness through the point between his eyebrows.

Within his Sea of Consciousness, the great, dark-gold marsh trembled slightly.

The Anchor Stone hovered in the center of the marsh, rotating slowly.

The gray-black spiral patterns on it lit up with a faint glow, and an invisible gravitational field spread out, enveloping the entire marsh.

Under the pull of this gravitational field, the subtle ripples of the Rules beneath the marsh’s surface began to slowly adjust their direction, converging and merging toward the Anchor Stone’s position.

Xu Wuyi could clearly feel his Heart Phase Stability increasing at a visible rate.

’It really works.’

Reassured, he picked up a crystal tube of Earth Vein Nectar, uncorked it, and drank it down.

The amber-colored liquid was cool on his tongue, but as it slid down his throat, it immediately transformed into a warm torrent that surged through his entire body.

This warm current wasn’t violent. Instead, it was like melting snow in spring, gently yet firmly seeping into every cell.

Xu Wuyi could ”see” the latent exhaustion accumulated from long-term battles and rapid breakthroughs being washed away and repaired, bit by bit, by the Earth Vein Nectar.

At the same time, he took a Nine Orifice Essence Condensing Pill and swallowed it.

Once ingested, the pill dissolved into nine streams of pure energy, each surging toward one of the nine major orifices in his body.

Unlike the gentle Earth Vein Nectar, these energy streams possessed a sharp Penetration Power. Like nine invisible needles, they precisely pierced deep into the orifices, forcibly unblocking the stagnant channels of Qi and Blood.

A stinging sensation followed, but it wasn’t intense.

Xu Wuyi steadied his Heart and Spirit, guiding the nine energy streams to circulate through the orifices. With each cycle, his Qi and Blood grew a fraction purer, and its circulation a fraction faster.

「Time passed slowly.」

Xu Wuyi was immersed in a state of deep recuperation, his awareness of the outside world at a minimum.

What he didn’t know was that during his seven days of seclusion, a few things of varying importance had happened in the outside world.

On the second day, the Lin Family formally declared bankruptcy and liquidation. After the main family members sold all their assets to pay off their debts, the entire family moved to a small, remote city in the west.

Their departure was quiet, with no media coverage and no one to see them off.

On the fifth day, the Red River City government announced plans to build a ”Martial Artist Cultural Exchange Center” in the new district south of the city, with an initial investment of one billion Federation Coins.

According to inside sources, the project was spearheaded by the Qiao Family, with joint investments from multiple corporations. The goal was to make Red River the second major gathering place for Martial Artists in Dongjiang Province, after Linjiang.

「On the seventh day, Xu Wuyi came out of seclusion.」

At eight in the morning, when he pushed open his door and walked out, his mother was knitting a sweater in the living room, and Father Xu was reading the newspaper.

”Ah Yi!” Mrs. Xu immediately put down her knitting and stood up. ”Are you done recuperating?”

”Yeah.” Xu Wuyi nodded, a relaxed smile on his face.

Seven days of seclusion had yielded significant results.

He summoned Anna and scanned his physiological data again.

[Life Energy Level: 44 (Fully Stabilized)]

[Qi and Blood Purity: 96.8% (Excellent)]

[Heart Phase Stability: 98.1% (Excellent)]

[Foundation Comprehensive Score: 97.5 (Instability Index: 0.3%, Natural Stabilization Limit Reached)]

A Foundation Comprehensive Score of 97.5 and an Instability Index of only 0.3% was the most ideal state possible.

The tiny remaining fraction would naturally dissipate during his daily cultivation over the next month or two, requiring no further special conditioning.

His Life Energy Level would also increase naturally. Xu Wuyi estimated he would soon reach Level 46, but any progress beyond that would require patient, persistent effort.

His Heart Image was only a step away from complete Perfection. He had essentially reached the level of a Quasi-Grandmaster, but the accumulation process would take time.

He needed to accumulate his Life Energy Level and Power of Heart Image, and while his Heart Image and physical body grew, he had to polish them to a state of harmonious integration. Only then could he enter Level 47 and officially step into the realm of a Quasi-Grandmaster.

This process no longer had any bottlenecks, but it would still take time—perhaps as long as one or two years.

”How do you feel?” Father Xu asked, putting down his newspaper.

”Great.” Xu Wuyi walked into the living room and rolled his shoulders. ”Never better.”

He was telling the truth.

Although he had broken through to Level 44 before, there was always an ungrounded, unstable feeling, and his power would occasionally feel slightly sluggish when circulated.

Now, that feeling was completely gone.

His Qi and Blood flowed like mercury, and his Heart Image was as steady as a mountain.

Every ounce of his power was under his complete control, and every breath was deep and forceful.

”That’s good.” Father Xu smiled. ”Your mother has been worried sick these past few days. She made all sorts of different soups for you but was afraid to disturb you, so she just kept reheating them.”

Mrs. Xu shot him a glare. ”You talk too much.”

Xu Wuyi’s heart warmed. ”Mom, you’ve worked hard.”

”It was nothing. You being well is better than anything.” Mrs. Xu pulled him to a seat. ”Breakfast is still warm. Go on and eat.”

Breakfast was millet porridge and steamed buns, along with a few small side dishes.

Xu Wuyi ate slowly, savoring the true, original flavors of the food.

His senses had become sharper after his breakthrough. He could even discern more layers in the sweetness of the millet porridge and the savory aroma of the meat filling in the buns.

...

In Red River City, the winter chill of February had not yet dissipated. Last year’s withered leaves still clung to the plane trees lining the streets, rustling in the breeze.

Xu Wuyi stood at his front door, holding a small bag of luggage. His parents stood beside him, and his mother was holding an insulated bag.

”There are some freshly steamed buns inside for you to eat on the way.” Mrs. Xu pressed the bag into Xu Wuyi’s hands and straightened his collar. ”Remember to let us know you’ve arrived safely at the university.”

”I know, Mom.” Xu Wuyi took the bag, his heart filled with warmth.

He was now a fourth-year student with only a few months left until graduation. He planned to return to Star Martial University to spend his final stretch of time there.

Father Xu patted his shoulder. ”Go on now. Be safe on the road.”

Xu Wuyi nodded, turned, and got into the private car waiting by the roadside. Zhou Zheng was in the driver’s seat. Seeing him get in, he smiled and greeted him, ”Martial Artist Xu, straight to the airport?”

”Yes, thank you.”

The car slowly pulled out of the residential complex, drove through the streets of Red River, and headed toward the airport on the outskirts of the city.

Xu Wuyi leaned back in his seat, watching the streetscape flash by outside the window.

The winter had passed quickly and had been very fulfilling. He had spent time with his parents, visited relatives, conditioned his foundation, and occasionally offered guidance to the children at Honghe First Middle School.

There was no battlefield slaughter, no urgency of cultivation—just the life of an ordinary person.

But days like these were, in the end, just an interlude.

He was a Martial Artist, an Innate Martial Artist, and a hero of the Federation. His path still lay ahead, and he could not stop.