High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

”It’s cold outside, wear something warmer.” Mrs. Xu glanced up at him.

”I’m not cold.” Xu Wuyi sat down on the sofa, picked up the remote, and switched to the news channel.

On the screen were the Federation’s various year-end summary reports: economic data, technological breakthroughs, updates from the front lines...

The anchor’s voice was steady and objective, but Xu Wuyi could sense the weight behind the numbers.

The Feathered People’s advancements in biological weaponry had been temporarily contained, but the conflict never ceased.

The fight for control over the Insect Race-controlled zones was still ongoing, with casualty reports coming in daily.

Fortunately, he was currently on ”strategic reserve” status and didn’t have to participate in these large-scale operations for the time being.

”Ah Yi.” Father Xu suddenly put down his newspaper. ”The New Year is almost here. Your uncle’s family suggested we all have dinner together on New Year’s Eve. What do you think?”

”Sure.” Xu Wuyi nodded. ”Let’s have it at our place. We have enough room.”

”Alright, your mom and I will get things ready then.”

Just as they were speaking, Xu Wuyi’s personal terminal vibrated.

He looked down. It was a message on an encrypted channel from the Dongjiang Battle Group’s liaison office in Red River—in other words, from Chen Mo.

”Martial Artist Xu, a message has come from Linjiang. It requires your personal attention.”

Xu Wuyi stood up. ”Dad, Mom, I’m heading out.”

”Will you be back for lunch?”

”Yes.”

He put on his jacket and walked out the door.

A blast of cold air hit him as he stepped outside. Xu Wuyi didn’t drive; instead, he walked to the liaison office. It wasn’t far, only about a ten-minute walk.

The streets were already starting to feel festive for the New Year. Many shops had hung red lanterns, and their display windows featured signs for New Year’s sales.

The Lunar New Year was early this year, with New Year’s Eve falling in mid-January.

Pedestrians were bundled in thick coats, carrying bags of New Year’s goods, their faces a mixture of busy and expectant.

Xu Wuyi walked among the crowd, his pace unhurried.

Three months had passed, and the citizens of Red River no longer caused a sensation whenever he appeared, unlike when he first arrived. Occasionally, someone would recognize him and offer a nod or take a photo from a distance, but few ever approached to disturb him.

It was a form of unspoken respect.

The liaison office was located in an ordinary office building in Red River’s New District, looking no different from any other company on the outside.

Xu Wuyi swiped his Permission Card to enter the elevator and went straight to the top floor.

Chen Mo was already waiting in his office.

”Martial Artist Xu.” He stood up and handed over an encrypted datapad. ”An official letter of invitation from Linjiang Martial Arts University, sent through military channels.”

Xu Wuyi took the datapad and unlocked it with his fingerprint.

The screen lit up, revealing a document bearing the Linjiang Martial Arts University crest and the principal’s electronic signature.

The content was very formal and the wording precise, but the core message was clear:

It was an invitation for Xu Wuyi to serve as a guest professor at Linjiang Martial Arts University and teach a short-term course during the upcoming second semester, which would start after the New Year.

The course topic was his to decide, intended for third- and fourth-year students, and was tentatively scheduled for four weeks, with two sessions per week.

The attachment included a detailed course schedule and a list of resources the university could provide.

Xu Wuyi quickly scanned the document, then looked up at Chen Mo. ”What’s the military’s opinion?”

”Minister Feng has already approved,” Chen Mo said. ”He believes this is a good opportunity. On one hand, you can use this chance to consolidate and organize your own Martial Arts System. On the other, cultivating the Federation’s next generation of talent is, in itself, part of your strategic mission.”

Xu Wuyi nodded.

He wasn’t really surprised.

Linjiang Martial Arts University was the best Martial Arts University in Dongjiang Province, a member of the Seven-Star Alliance, and ranked among the top ten in the entire country.

The university’s invitation was both a recognition of his strength and a calculated move to leverage his fame and experience to improve their teaching quality.

And for him, it was indeed a good arrangement.

At his current Quasi-Grandmaster Level, even if he were to take a position at one of the Three Greats, he would start as an associate professor at minimum. Serving as a guest professor at Linjiang Martial Arts University was more than appropriate.

”As for the course topic...” Xu Wuyi pondered for a moment. ”Let’s go with ’The Coalescence and Refinement of a Heart Image Prototype.’”

Chen Mo noted it on his tablet. ”Understood. The university said the course syllabus and lesson plans need to be submitted for review in advance. It’s a required procedure. If you confirm you’ll accept the invitation, I’ll send the official reply.”

”Alright.” Xu Wuyi nodded. ”I’ll prepare the lesson plans as soon as possible.”

He had no objection to this, knowing it was a standard procedure. Even if a Grandmaster Level Martial Artist were to teach, the university still had a responsibility to its students.

”Understood,” Chen Mo replied.

After leaving the liaison office, Xu Wuyi didn’t head straight home but turned into a nearby teahouse.

He requested a quiet private room, ordered a pot of clear tea, and opened the document function on his personal terminal to start outlining the course content.

A Heart Image Prototype...

Those words were all too familiar to him.

From his initial observation of the *Celestial Bird Bathing in Fire Painting* and creation of the *Golden Crow Carrying the Earth* Visualization Method, to his Heart Image later evolving from a mountain into a great marsh, then integrating the Golden Crow’s Flame, and finally, forcibly merging ”Weight” and ”Burning” during the life-or-death battle in the N-33 Star Domain...

Every step had been an exploration and refinement of his Heart Image.

But distilling these insights into teachable points wouldn’t be easy.

Xu Wuyi took a sip of tea, his fingertips tapping on the virtual keyboard.

First, he had to define his target audience.

The third- and fourth-year students at Linjiang Martial Arts University were between twenty and twenty-two years old. Their Life Energy Levels were generally between 25 and 30. A few exceptional ones might have surpassed Level 30 and were already Martial Artists.

This stage was the crucial period for coalescing a Heart Image Prototype.

In the Federation’s Martial Arts education system, there was plenty of theoretical instruction about the Heart Image, but practical guidance on ”how to coalesce one” was often vague and abstract.

The reason was simple: everyone’s Heart Image is unique. There’s no fixed template.

But Xu Wuyi felt there were at least some common principles he could teach.

For example, what is the fundamental nature of a Heart Image?

He typed the first heading into his document: The Heart Image is the manifestation of Martial Arts Will.

This wasn’t the textbook definition, but his own understanding.

’A Heart Image isn’t some illusion conjured from thin air. It’s an ”ideogram”—a condensation of a Martial Artist’s understanding of their own path, their perception of power, and their insights into the Rules—all things on a spiritual level.’

Just like his dark-gold great marsh, which embodied ”profundity” and ”inclusiveness,” and his Golden Crow Illusion, which embodied ”combustion” and ”motion.”

’So, before coalescing a Heart Image Prototype, students must first ask themselves: What is my Martial Arts path? What kind of road do I want to walk?’

Xu Wuyi’s fingers flew across the keyboard as he began to elaborate.

Second point: the relationship between the Heart Image and the Mental Realm.

Many Martial Artists comprehend some form of Mental Realm before coalescing their Heart Image—like Flame, Frost, Lightning, Earth... These Mental Realms are the foundational materials for a Heart Image, but they are not the Heart Image itself.

’The Mental Realm must be ”internalized” and fused with one’s own spiritual characteristics to form a true Heart Image Prototype.’

He used himself as an example: his Flame Realm was initially just an external element. Later, he came to understand that ”fire is motion” and ”fire is connection.” After that, he grasped that ”fire coexists with life.” Finally, by combining it with his own characteristic of ”bearing,” he formed the foundation of his *Golden Crow Carrying the Earth* Heart Image.