High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

He arrived at the airport.

Zhou Zheng helped him with his luggage. ”Martial Artist Xu, I won’t see you inside. The Seventh Squad of the Special Operations Division will remain in Linjiang to ensure your parents’ safety. Please, don’t worry.”

”Thank you for your hard work.” Xu Wuyi shook his hand and turned to walk into the airport terminal.

The private plane arranged by the military was already waiting on the tarmac. Xu Wuyi boarded, the cabin door closed, and the engines started.

Two hours later, the plane landed at the Yuntai City airport.

Xu Wuyi stepped out of the cabin and took a deep breath of the cool, early spring air of Yuntai City.

It had been almost four years.

He had come from a remote town as a mere Martial Disciple and spent over three years of his university life here.

He had survived the slaughter of the battlefield and earned the Federation’s highest honor. Now, returning once more, his status and state of mind were completely different.

Without notifying anyone, Xu Wuyi hailed a taxi himself and headed straight for Star Martial University.

As the car entered the university district, a familiar cluster of buildings came into view.

The towering academic buildings, the expansive training grounds, and that iconic Star Martial Tower.

”We’re here, student,” the driver reminded him.

Xu Wuyi paid the fare, got out with his luggage, and stood before the main entrance of Star Martial University.

The bronze gates were as majestic as ever. On the lintel, the name ”Star Martial University” gleamed in the sunlight. Students came and went in small groups, laughing and talking, brimming with youthful energy.

Xu Wuyi smiled and stepped through the school gates.

He didn’t head for the dorms, but instead walked directly toward the faculty office area.

Along the way, he passed a few underclassmen. They looked at him with confusion at first, but then someone recognized him and exclaimed in a hushed voice, ”That’s... Senior Xu Wuyi!”

”It’s really him! The Federation Hero!”

”I heard he’s already an Innate Martial Artist, and he’s only a fourth-year...”

Their whispers reached him, their gazes filled with curiosity, adoration, and awe.

Xu Wuyi didn’t stop, merely nodding in response to a few students who greeted him as he continued on his way.

Soon, he arrived before a standalone, small building made of bamboo.

Lingyun Small Building.

The plaque was the same, the bamboo grove was the same, but the bamboo leaves seemed a little denser than he remembered.

The door was open. As Xu Wuyi reached the entrance, he saw Han Mo sitting on a bamboo chair, engrossed in an ancient scroll he held in his hands.

”Teacher Han,” Xu Wuyi said softly.

Han Mo looked up. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes when he saw Xu Wuyi, and then he smiled. ”You’re back?”

”Yes, I just returned to campus.” Xu Wuyi walked into the house and sat down opposite Han Mo.

Han Mo set down the scroll and studied him for a few moments, raising an eyebrow. ”You broke through again?”

Xu Wuyi nodded. ”I had an epiphany with my Heart Image before the new year and broke through to Level 44.”

”Level 44...” Han Mo repeated under his breath, his expression complex.

He remembered it clearly. When he first met Xu Wuyi over three years ago, the boy wasn’t even a Martial Artist yet, merely in the Martial Disciple Stage, just at the Entry Level of cultivating the Hundred Refinements Melting Furnace.

In just three short years, he had gone from a Martial Disciple to a Level 44 Innate Martial Artist.

That speed could no longer be described as ’genius’; it was simply inconceivable.

”Is your foundation stable?” Han Mo asked, his tone laced with concern.

”It’s completely stable,” Xu Wuyi said. ”I spent some time recuperating at home, so I’m in excellent condition now.”

Han Mo nodded and then suddenly laughed. ”Excellent. Truly excellent. If my teacher knew his Cultivation Technique could produce a student like you, he would be overjoyed.”

The teacher he spoke of was, of course, Grandmaster Yue Lianshan.

Xu Wuyi was silent for a moment before saying softly, ”I will continue Grandmaster Yue’s legacy.”

”I know.” Han Mo looked at him, his eyes filled with gratification. ”You never disappoint.”

The two chatted a bit more about recent events. Han Mo asked about how things were in Red River, and Xu Wuyi briefly mentioned some trivial matters from the new year holiday.

As they talked, Han Mo suddenly stood up and flexed his wrists.

”How about it? Interested in a little spar with me?”

Xu Wuyi was taken aback. ”Right now?”

”Right now.” A spark of interest flashed in Han Mo’s eyes. ”I’m very curious about what level you’ve actually reached. A Level 44 Innate Martial Artist whose Heart Image has completed its transformation... I want to test it myself.”

Xu Wuyi’s interest was piqued as well.

Han Mo was a veteran Quasi-Grandmaster, likely already at Life Energy Level 49, just a single step away from becoming a Grandmaster. Sparring with him would be the perfect way to test his own current strength.

”Alright.” Xu Wuyi stood up.

”Let’s use the Battle Network. It’s more convenient.” As Han Mo spoke, he was already accessing his personal terminal. ”I’ll create a private room and give you access.”

Xu Wuyi nodded, and they both connected to the Star Martial Battle Network.

...

Battle Network, private training space.

The space was configured as a vast grassland. The sky was high and clear, with a gentle breeze brushing across the tips of the grass, creating waves of green.

Han Mo and Xu Wuyi stood fifty meters apart.

Both had changed into the Battle Network’s standard training uniforms. A longsword materialized in Han Mo’s hand, its blade glowing with a faint azure light.

Xu Wuyi, for his part, raised his hand in a gripping motion. A crimson spear took shape in his palm—a virtual replica of Liaoyuan.

”I won’t hold back,” Han Mo said, his tone turning serious. ”You shouldn’t either. Let me see just how much you’ve grown in these four years.”

”Understood.” Xu Wuyi tightened his grip on the spear, his gaze serene.

The moment the words left his mouth, Han Mo moved.

With no warning, no buildup of momentum, his figure seemed to transform into a wisp of azure smoke, instantly crossing the fifty-meter distance as his sword tip thrust straight for Xu Wuyi’s throat.

Fast!

Precise!

Ruthless!

This was the fundamental quality of a veteran Quasi-Grandmaster. There was nothing flashy, just a simple thrust, yet the perfect combination of speed, angle, and timing made it incredibly difficult to counter.

Xu Wuyi did not retreat.

With a flick of his wrist, he brought Liaoyuan’s shaft horizontal, its tip precisely striking the point of the sword.

CLANG!

The sound of metal on metal rang out across the grassland.

They separated on contact, each taking three steps back.

A look of surprise flashed in Han Mo’s eyes. ”What a precise block.”

He had used seventy percent of his strength in that last strike, and his speed was like lightning. Yet Xu Wuyi had managed to react after him but strike first, intercepting it with precision. That level of perception and reaction time was already beyond the scope of an ordinary Innate Martial Artist.

”Again.” Han Mo charged forward once more. This time, his Sword Momentum changed, transforming into a sky full of azure light.

The sword light rained down, enveloping all the vital points on Xu Wuyi’s body.

Xu Wuyi took a deep breath. In his sea of consciousness, the dark golden great marsh rippled slightly.

Gravity Field, activate.

Centered on him, the gravity within a ten-meter radius suddenly tripled.

Han Mo’s Sword Momentum clearly faltered.

Although it was only a momentary hesitation, it was more than enough for Xu Wuyi.

The Liaoyuan spear became a streak of crimson light. Its tip jabbed, flicked, swept, and chopped, each strike precisely cutting off the connection points in the sword light’s pattern.

The techniques of the Profound Nether Celestial Spear flowed effortlessly from his hands.

CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—

A dense series of collisions rang out as one continuous sound.

Their figures crossed rapidly on the grassland, sword light and spear shadows intertwining. Qi Force radiated outwards, carving deep furrows into the ground beneath their feet.