High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 192: Chapter 147: Drawing Lightning into the Body, the First Stage

This was an absolute no-fly zone for conventional aircraft.

Any flying object that dared to intrude would lose control due to the chaotic electromagnetic fields, only to be mercilessly torn apart by the violent lightning that filled the sky.

Li Wen took a deep breath. The ionized air rushing into his lungs invigorated him.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he stepped onto a narrow, winding mountain path, half-hidden among jagged rocks and low-lying, electricity-etched shrubs.

This was the safe route that his Senior Brother, Gu Yan, had specifically pointed out when he led the new disciples on a tour to familiarize them with the area.

Meanwhile, halfway up Nine Heavens Peak, inside the ancient and imposing Nine Heavens Hall.

The Peak Master of Nine Heavens Peak, seated on the main throne with faint arcs of lightning flowing around his body, slowly opened his eyes.

He appeared to be in deep meditation, but in reality, his incomparably powerful Primordial Spirit had long since spread out, blanketing the entire peak like an invisible canopy.

The moment Li Wen set foot at the base of the mountain, he had been keenly sensed.

The Peak Master was naturally aloof and taciturn, rarely taking the initiative to monitor his disciples’ cultivation.

However, Li Wen was different.

His peerless Spiritual Sense, his astonishing comprehension during the entrance examination... all of it had made even this King-level expert, who was accustomed to seeing geniuses, take notice.

In his heart, he believed Li Wen’s absolute floor was reaching the rank of Marquis, with great potential to push for the King rank itself.

For a King-level expert who could single-handedly guard two underground city-fortresses, the significance of a King-level disciple from his own peak—one who also walked the path of the Nine Heavens Divine Body—was self-evident.

The Peak Master calculated silently in his mind, ’The Seventh Layer... This boy should have a great chance of achieving it, right?’

His own achievement back then had been a world-shocking Eighth Layer, so he knew just how demanding the aptitude and willpower required for each additional layer were.

Even with the talent Li Wen had displayed, his initial expectation was that reaching the Seventh Layer would be satisfactory enough.

The thought that Li Wen was at the critical juncture of attempting to draw lightning into his body for the first time stirred something in the Peak Master.

There were precedents of novices being careless during their initial attempt, getting injured by the violent lightning, or even having their foundations damaged.

”Gu Yan.” The Peak Master’s Primordial Spirit pulsed faintly, and a thought silently crossed space, precisely delivered into the mind of Gu Yan, who was cultivating in his private abode more than ten li away.

”Down the mountain, your Junior Brother Li has just arrived, intending to ascend the peak and enter the Thunder Attraction Tower. Go down and follow him secretly. Protect him. Don’t let the wild lightning of this mountain damage his foundation. Afterward, explain to him the important points of drawing in lightning.”

Gu Yan, who was in the middle of comprehending a secret lightning-elemental pattern, snapped his eyes open, a flicker of surprise in them.

He thought, ’If I remember correctly, Li Wen has only been in contact with the Nine Heavens Divine Body for a little over a month, and he’s already starting to draw lightning into his body?’

But since their Master hadn’t tried to stop him, it wasn’t his place to ask too many questions.

As for why his Master had asked him to go personally, he didn’t dare ask that either.

Normally, a chore like escorting a new disciple up the mountain was something the Peak Master would never personally involve himself in, much less name him, the Senior Brother, specifically for the task.

This year, because Li Wen, Du Yun, and Fang Chenghong—the top three on the golden roll—had all chosen Nine Heavens Peak, their Master was indeed paying much more attention... but Gu Yan had a gut feeling it was mostly because of Li Wen alone.

’This junior brother’s importance in our Master’s heart is probably far greater than anyone imagines,’ he thought.

”Yes! Your disciple obeys!” Gu Yan didn’t dare to delay. He bowed respectfully in the direction of the Peak Master.

The next second, his figure, like a bolt of lightning melting into the wind, vanished from outside his abode in a few flickers, speeding down the mountain.

...

On the other side, Li Wen was completely unaware of the Peak Master’s attention or his senior brother’s swift approach.

He was walking with intense focus along the rugged mountain path.

The roar of thunder boomed all around, rolling from far to near, shaking one’s very soul.

From time to time, thick, purple Electric Snakes tore through the dark clouds overhead, striking various parts of the mountain range and erupting in deafening blasts and blinding flashes.

The whistling mountain wind carried the distinct, acrid smell of ionized air.

An ordinary Super Martial Artist in such an environment would likely be terrified, needing to constantly be on guard against random lightning strikes and the ubiquitous stray charges, their speed inevitably suffering as a result.

Li Wen, however, moved through it all with exceptional steadiness and speed.

His steps never faltered or paused. Each footfall landed precisely on the raised rocks or hard-packed earth of the path—spots that had been trodden countless times by his predecessors and showed few signs of lightning strikes.

When faced with a sudden flash of lightning ahead, he would either sidestep it with a small, preemptive movement or leap lightly, passing over a dip in the ground where an arc of electricity had just dissipated.

Areas of dense, stray electricity—enough to paralyze a High-level Martial Artist and prove troublesome even for a Super Martial Artist—were either circumvented with imperceptibly nimble footwork or passed through with a brief burst of speed.

He wasn’t relying on some ”peerless Spiritual Sense” to predict every bolt of lightning—although his Primordial Spirit did indeed allow him to perceive changes in the atmospheric electric field more keenly.

The real reason he could walk this path as if it were flat ground was one of the characteristics of his Lv 11 [Scholar] class: [One-Time Proof].

The last time Gu Yan had led the way, all the safety points along the route, the distribution of dangerous areas, the markers of special landforms, and even the subtle details of muscle memory that Gu Yan had unconsciously revealed while walking certain sections...

...all of this information had been meticulously recorded, analyzed, and permanently archived in the depths of his memory by Li Wen’s powerful Spiritual Power and his Scholar’s instinct.

Now, as he walked, there was no need for conscious recall. Environmental cues naturally triggered the corresponding optimal travel plan, as if he were following a template.

A few minutes later, when Gu Yan landed silently in the shadow of a giant boulder with a clear view overlooking the mountain path below, this was the exact scene that greeted him.

Li Wen’s figure was like a nimble fish, weaving through the intersecting lightning and fierce winds.

His speed far exceeded what Gu Yan remembered of an ordinary senior disciple’s first solo ascent of the peak.

That posture, that fluid movement—how could he possibly be a rookie venturing into the storm zone alone for the first time? He was practically on par with a veteran disciple who had been cultivating on Nine Heavens Peak for several years.

”Hiss...” Even for someone like Gu Yan, a top-tier Flying Star Level expert with extraordinary experience, he couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath, his heart filled with an indescribable shock.

’Such quick reflexes, such precise pathfinding! A Spiritual Sense like that... No wonder Master values him so highly!’

He almost instantly attributed Li Wen’s performance to that legendary, Extraordinary Spiritual Sense talent.

It was a stunningly impressive performance.

「Meanwhile, inside Nine Heavens Hall.」

The Peak Master of Nine Heavens Peak, who had been watching with a sliver of his Primordial Spirit, now showed a flicker of emotion on his otherwise impassive face.

The skill Li Wen demonstrated in climbing the mountain was no longer just about passively sensing danger; it was more like he had achieved a considerable degree of active understanding of this complex thunderstorm environment.

The difference between the two, and the significance it represented, forced him to re-evaluate the boy’s potential...

And so, under Gu Yan’s shocked gaze and amidst the Peak Master’s re-evaluation, Li Wen proceeded with steady steps. His figure weaved effortlessly through the violent lightning, and he crossed the final, treacherous stretch of the mountain path completely unscathed, coming to a firm stop in the vast plaza before the magnificent Thunder Attraction Tower.

The sun was obscured by dark clouds; only the roiling lightning at the peak cast his shadow long and slanted.

Before him lay the true starting point of his path to a divine and demonic physique—the training chambers of the Thunder Attraction Tower.

As soon as he drew near, Li Wen could feel that the aura of lightning here was several times denser than anywhere else on Nine Heavens Peak.

Fine arcs of electricity danced in the air with a faint crackling sound, and his skin tingled slightly just from being near.

He focused his gaze and observed it closely. The Thunder Attraction Tower stood majestically, its entire structure like a colossal Thunder Stone connecting heaven and earth.

Its external structure had a strange, layered appearance, and at its very peak, one could faintly make out the phenomenon of lightning coiling and gathering.

The behemoth before him was a three-story tower. The higher the level, the deeper the metallic luster of its construction, and the more blinding and thick the lightning that flowed across its surface, with the energy pressure it emitted increasing exponentially.

The first layer was a deep bronze-purple, its lightning patterns gentle but dense.

The second layer shifted to a dark purple tinged with gold. The lightning on it writhed like pythons, and the occasional wisp of energy that escaped was enough to make the air smell burnt.

The third layer was almost pure black, like the core of a small thunderstorm vortex. It was so awe-inspiringly terrifying that it was a forbidden zone that not even Flying Star Level experts dared to tread lightly.

According to the records of the Nine Heavens Divine Body, cultivating the first three foundational layers only required one to endure the relatively gentle baptism of lightning on this first level.

As for the second layer? With Li Wen’s current physical strength as a mid-level Super Martial Artist, if he were to rashly intrude, he would probably be torn to shreds by the violent lightning in an instant.

Withdrawing his assessing gaze, Li Wen’s eyes were calm as he walked straight toward the heavy bronze gate of the first layer, which was covered in profound lightning patterns.

”Junior Brother, wait!”

Just as Li Wen was about to reach out and push the door, a familiar voice sounded from behind him.

Senior Brother Gu Yan’s figure emerged from behind a nearby cyan stone covered in lightning-etched marks.

”Senior Brother Gu?” Li Wen stopped and turned to look.

Gu Yan strode forward, his expression solemn. ℯℯ𝑙.

”Junior Brother Li, you must not be careless when drawing lightning into your body for the first time. This first step of ’Lightning-Induction Body Refining’ is exceptionally dangerous. I came specifically to share some experience with you.”

He spoke slowly, but every word was clear and heavy with importance.

”First, although the lightning energy inside has been guided and controlled, you must still use the Heart Method from the ’Foundation Chapter’ to slowly guide the lightning to temper your body. You absolutely must not be greedy or rush for quick results. Otherwise, a sudden surge of violent lightning could easily damage your meridians and tear your flesh.”

”Second, and most critically, during the Body Refining process, you must maintain an extremely high level of mental focus. You cannot relax or let your attention wander for even a moment while circulating the key principles of the Heart Method!

You must shut out all external distractions and concentrate fully on sensing the flow of lightning energy within your body. The slightest mistake could lead to failure and injury in your Body Refining at best, or a damaged foundation and even death at worst. Back when a few of us senior brothers first started, we all suffered greatly because of a tiny lapse in concentration.”

Li Wen listened intently, showing no signs of impatience.

...he knew that Gu Yan was acting out of genuine concern and responsibility born of their shared fellowship. Thus, he listened humbly to all the warnings without a trace of arrogance.

”Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother.” Li Wen cupped his fist solemnly.