High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the Rift, at the direction where those terrifying eyes had disappeared, and at the unseen yet lingering saber gleam that still made their hearts palpitate. Then, they slowly turned their heads to look at Shen Jin in the distance.

The Sword Emperor still stood with his hands behind his back, looking as calm as if nothing had happened.

Xu Wuyi stood before the Rift, gazing in the direction where the Beast King had vanished. An indescribable feeling welled up in his heart. In that fleeting moment just now, he had clearly perceived the power of that saber gleam.

It was no ordinary Saber Technique, nor an ordinary application of Rules, but something far deeper that he had never seen before. When that saber gleam struck, he felt as though the entire world had frozen in that instant. This wasn’t born of fear or oppression, but because that strike itself was a part of the Rules.

It was Divine Intent.

The third step of a Grandmaster was gathering Divine Intent. Wherever Divine Intent reached, there laid the Rules.

Shen Jin’s Rule was the “saber.” Just by standing there, he was a saber. His drawing of the blade manifested the Will of the saber. His strike enacted the Rule of the saber.

That Beast King could withstand the suppression from the Power of Order, but it could not withstand Shen Jin’s strike. That was because the strike wasn’t delivered with mere physical strength, but with Rules. It was Rule against Rule; the saber against the Beast King’s Will.

The Beast King had lost, and it had lost utterly. It didn’t even dare to linger or attempt another attack, merely fleeing back into the depths of chaos in a miserable state, carrying the wound it had just been dealt.

Xu Wuyi took a deep breath and withdrew his right hand. In his sea of consciousness, the pale blue Heart of Order had dimmed considerably, its rotation slowing down. But he didn’t care. He had succeeded; he had suppressed the Rift and blocked the Beast King’s assault.

Had he not done so, the Beast King wouldn’t have been forced to reveal itself, nor would Shen Jin have been able to immediately lock onto it and wound it from afar.

He turned around and walked toward the outpost. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped and looked at Shen Jin.

The Sword Emperor still stood with his hands behind his back, his expression tranquil. Sensing his gaze, Shen Jin turned to look at him. Their eyes met in the air, and Shen Jin gave a slight nod, a flash of approval in his eyes.

Then he spoke, his voice as hoarse but powerful as ever. “Good job.”

It was only two words, but coming from Shen Jin, their weight was immeasurable. Xu Wuyi bowed slightly, saying nothing.

Ren Bai walked over and patted him on the shoulder. “Good kid,” Ren Bai said. “If it weren’t for you today, the consequences would have been disastrous.”

Xu Wuyi shook his head. “Grandmaster Ren flatters me. I merely did what I had to do.”

Ren Bai smiled and said no more. The surrounding Martial Artists finally reacted, and cheers erupted across the field.

“We won!”

“That Beast King ran away!”

They rushed forward and surrounded Xu Wuyi, their eyes filled with worship and gratitude. Some wanted to speak but swallowed their words just as they reached their lips, afraid of saying the wrong thing.

Xu Wuyi looked at them, a strange feeling swelling in his heart. These were people who truly fought on the razor’s edge between life and death, but now, they didn’t have to risk their lives anymore. Because the Rift was about to close, and those Star Beasts would never pour out again.

He took a deep breath and nodded at the crowd. “The Rift hasn’t closed yet,” he said. “Save the celebrations for when it’s over.”

The Martial Artists froze for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

“Right, right, right! We’ll celebrate when it’s closed!”

“Grandmaster Xu is right. Now is not the time to rejoice!”

“Everyone, go back and prepare. For these last three days, we must hold the line!”

The crowd gradually dispersed, each returning to their posts. Xu Wuyi stood where he was, watching the bustling figures, the still-burning wreckage of the equipment, and the Rift that had now shrunk to less than two meters wide.

Shen Jin walked up to his side, standing with his hands behind his back.

“Senior Shen, did you recognize that Beast King?” Xu Wuyi asked.

“No. But to withstand your Order Suppression and still escape my blade, it must be a High-tier Beast King at the very least. It is vastly stronger than the Tiger-shaped Beast King from before,” Shen Jin replied, shaking his head.

He paused, his gaze growing more profound. “It should be the true ruler of that Star Realm. It had been hiding this whole time, letting the Tiger-shaped Beast King and the Ape-shaped Beast King take the frontline. Only when those two died was it forced to reveal itself.”

Xu Wuyi listened, nodding thoughtfully.

Shen Jin continued, “However, it’s injured now, so it won’t dare return in the short term. Furthermore, with the Rift getting smaller and smaller, even if it wanted to come back, it wouldn’t be able to charge through.”

He turned around and looked at the technicians who were rushing to repair the equipment. “There shouldn’t be any major problems in the next few days. Still, we must remain vigilant. In case it decides on a desperate, last-ditch effort and charges out at the final moment, it’s not entirely impossible.”

Xu Wuyi nodded. “I understand.”

Shen Jin patted his shoulder, then turned and left. Xu Wuyi stood there, watching the Rift for a while longer before turning back to walk to the outpost. He needed to rest. That battle just now had taken quite a toll on him.

For the next three days, everything was peaceful. The Beast King did not reappear, and the Energy Fluctuations deep within the Rift grew weaker and steadier.

The technicians worked day and night, finally fixing all the damaged devices over the first two days.

On the evening of the third day, the sun began to set. The Rift that had once pierced the heavens and earth had now shrunk to less than half a meter wide. It looked like a tiny wound, gleaming faintly in the setting sun.

Shen Jin, Ren Bai, and Xu Wuyi stood in front of the Rift, watching the tear that was about to disappear completely. A large crowd stood around them. The technicians had set down their tools, and the Martial Artists gripped their weapons tightly. Everyone quietly watched the Rift, waiting for the final moment to arrive.

The final wave of energy beams bombarded it.

The tiny tear twisted violently, then abruptly contracted. Half a meter, thirty centimeters, ten centimeters, five centimeters…

Finally, it vanished. It was as if it had never existed.

The space that had once been torn open was now completely healed. The dark red glow disappeared, the twisted spatial barrier vanished, and those once-terrifying Energy Fluctuations ceased entirely. All that remained was an ordinary valley, ordinary rocks, and ordinary vegetation, standing quietly in the evening light.

No one spoke, and no one moved. Everyone stared blankly at the empty space, as if they hadn’t yet processed what had happened.

Then, the cheers erupted.

“It’s closed!”

“The Rift is closed!”

“We won!”

“It’s finally over!”