High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Two days later, the official reply from Linjiang Martial Arts University arrived on Xu Wuyi’s personal terminal.

He was in the backyard trimming the holly branches, a ”mission” his mother had given him. She said it was to get him to move around a bit and not coop himself up in the Cultivation Room all day.

When the terminal vibrated, Xu Wuyi put down the gardening shears, wiped his hands with a towel, and opened the message.

The sender was the official email address of the Linjiang Martial Arts University’s Academic Affairs Office. Attached was a document bearing an electronic official seal.

Xu Wuyi quickly skimmed the body of the message.

The wording was even more formal and courteous than before.

The Director of the Academic Affairs Office had personally signed it, giving high praise to the course plan Xu Wuyi had submitted. He described it as ”clearly structured, profound in content, and highly enlightening,” and stated explicitly that it ”fully meets all teaching requirements.”

The document then extended a formal invitation:

”Given that the course content involves the Heart Image Prototype, a critical domain of Martial Arts, and to ensure the effectiveness of the instruction, our university sincerely invites Martial Artist Xu to the Linjiang Campus to teach the course in person.”

”Our university has already made the necessary preparations. The expected class size will be over a thousand students. To guarantee instructional quality, the First Martial Arts Dojo will be used as the lecture venue, equipped with full video recording and spiritual resonance auxiliary equipment...”

Xu Wuyi’s gaze paused on the number ”over a thousand.”

A class of this size truly exceeded his initial expectations.

Teaching on the Battle Network came with almost no restrictions on venue or student numbers, but an in-person class was another matter entirely.

For a class of over a thousand, ensuring every student could hear the lecture clearly and feel the instructional atmosphere placed high demands on the venue and equipment.

The fact that Linjiang Martial Arts University was willing to invest these resources just so students could experience the Heart Image-related content ”in person” spoke volumes about how seriously they were taking this.

Xu Wuyi continued reading.

At the end of the document, a detailed course schedule was attached:

The course would begin in late February and run for four weeks, with one ninety-minute session each on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

Location: Linjiang Martial Arts University Main Campus, First Martial Arts Dojo.

Contact information for the Academic Affairs Office, liaison personnel details, travel and accommodation arrangements... everything was included.

After reading, Xu Wuyi closed the file and sent a message to Chen Mo:

”Linjiang Martial Arts University has invited me to teach in person. I’ve accepted. The course is in late February. I’ll send you the detailed schedule.”

A few seconds later, Chen Mo replied: ”Received. I’ll coordinate the security arrangements here in Red River and liaise with the people in Linjiang ahead of time.”

Having handled these matters, Xu Wuyi picked up the gardening shears again and resumed trimming the holly.

The winter sun filtered through the bare branches, casting a faint warmth on the back of his hand.

As he trimmed, he thought about the course.

’An in-person lecture, for a class of a thousand...’

’It’s definitely a considerable challenge.’

’Still, systematically organizing what I’ve learned from life-and-death combat and passing it on to the next generation of Martial Artists is part of the Martial Arts legacy itself.’

’Besides, you learn as you teach.’

’In the process of preparing lessons, lecturing, and interacting with students, I might even gain a deeper understanding of the Heart Image myself.’

Xu Wuyi snipped off an errant branch. Looking at the neatly trimmed holly bush, he made his decision.

The Lunar New Year was drawing closer.

The festive atmosphere in Red River City grew stronger by the day. Red lanterns hung along the streets, celebratory music played on a loop in the malls, and every household began to shop for New Year’s goods.

The Xu Family’s New Year preparations were also proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Mrs. Xu’s voice came from outside the window, ”Ah Yi, come help put up the New Year’s couplets!”

”Coming.”

Xu Wuyi got up and walked out of his room.

The New Year’s Eve reunion dinner was lively and warm.

His uncle’s family and his aunt’s family had both come. Over twenty people were crowded into the living room of Shanshui Manor. Children ran around while the adults bustled about preparing the meal, their laughter incessant.

As the most accomplished child of his generation, Xu Wuyi naturally became the center of conversation.

The elders asked about his time on the front lines, and he shared a few simple, permissible stories. His cousins, on the other hand, were more interested in his cultivation, curious about what the Grandmaster Realm truly felt like.

Xu Wuyi answered patiently, showing not a hint of annoyance.

This feeling of being surrounded by family made him feel very grounded.

After the New Year’s Eve dinner, the large family gathered in the living room to watch the Spring Festival Gala. Although entertainment options were incredibly abundant in this era, watching the Gala was still a tradition for many families as they stayed up to welcome the new year.

It was said to be a tradition that predated the founding of the Federation.

Xu Wuyi sat on a sofa in the corner, watching the lively song and dance performances on the screen and listening to his family’s idle chatter, his heart filled with peace.

At midnight, the sound of fireworks and firecrackers erupted outside.

Father Xu took the children to the backyard to set off fireworks, and Xu Wuyi followed.

In the night sky, colorful fireworks bloomed one after another, illuminating the winter night. The children shrieked with excitement while the adults looked up, their faces beaming with smiles.

Xu Wuyi stood among the crowd, looking up at the fleeting flashes of light.

He thought of the deep purple sky of the N-33 Star Domain, of the blasts of Energy on the Crystal Plain, and of the Starry Sky outside the transport ship’s porthole.

Those sights were just as spectacular, yet they carried a completely different meaning.

”Ah Yi, come light this!” a younger cousin said, handing him a sparkler.

Xu Wuyi took it and lit it.

FZZT—

Silvery-white sparks spewed forth, dancing and flickering in his hand, illuminating his face.

Warm, bright, and brief, yet full of life.

...

After the New Year, life returned to its peaceful routine.

Xu Wuyi’s daily rhythm remained regular, only now that his lesson plan was complete, he had more free time.

He would occasionally drop by the training hall at Honghe First Middle School to watch the students of his alma mater train, sometimes offering a pointer or two.

Those young faces, full of vigor and aspiration, reminded him of himself just a few years ago.

In early February, Linjiang Martial Arts University officially announced the course schedule for the new semester.

The course, ”The Condensation and Polishing of the Heart Image Prototype,” was placed in the most prominent position, with the instructor listed as ”Guest Professor Xu Wuyi.”

The day the course registration system opened, the Linjiang Martial Arts University campus forums exploded.

”Xu Wuyi is coming to our school to lecture? For real?!”

”It’s written clear as day in the course description. Guest professor, in-person lectures. It’s for third and fourth-years, but first and second-years can audit as long as there’s space.”

”I’m definitely signing up! This is the Federation’s youngest Quasi-Grandmaster!”

”I read the course plan excerpts. It’s awesome. Way more practical than the vague theories in the textbooks.”

”I heard the Academic Affairs Office originally only prepared a thousand spots, but enrollment broke a thousand in half an hour. Now they’re scrambling to coordinate a move to a bigger venue...”

It wasn’t just students; even many young instructors were tempted to apply to audit the course.