High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 195: Chapter 149: Nine Heavens Divine Body: Second Level (Part 2)

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Related hot threads on the campus forum racked up hundreds of replies:

”#MindBlown# Bowing down to the master, Li Wen! Is the Nine Heavens Divine Body peak performance right from the start?”

”Serious discussion: Does Li Wen’s success mean the entry barrier for the ’Nine Heavens Divine Body’ has been rewritten?”

”Du Yun and Fang Chenghong must be under immense pressure... starting on the peak at the same time as a guy like that...”

”What about that junior, Chen Xing, who was ranked twentieth? His comprehension is super high too, but I haven’t heard anything about him.”

”What does the person above know? Chen Xing has posted on the forum before. I heard he trains extremely hard. He’s the late bloomer type.”

...

The days slipped by quietly amidst disciplined cultivation and consolidation.

「Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.」

The date was September 7th, 226, Galactic Calendar.

Early morning, at the first hint of dawn.

After finishing the high-energy meal specially prepared for Body Cultivators, Li Wen left Villa No. 1 with a steady gait, just as he had every day for the past half-month, and once again set foot on the familiar path to Nine Heavens Peak.

After more than half a month of tempering himself with attracted lightning, he knew the mountain path, filled with thunderous pressure, like the back of his hand. His pace grew swifter and more composed.

When he arrived at the massive plaza where the Thunder Attraction Tower was located, he was surprised to see a figure—Du Yun.

At this moment, an older disciple of Nine Heavens Peak, clearly not the Eldest Senior Brother Gu Yan, stood beside Du Yun, murmuring serious instructions in a low voice.

The content was nothing more than the dangers of drawing lightning into the body for the first time, the key points of circulating the Cultivation Technique, how to maintain one’s focus when encountering excruciating pain, and so on.

Their gazes met mid-air.

Li Wen gave a calm, gentle nod.

Du Yun’s expression was complicated for a moment before he too gave a slight nod. He then returned his full attention to the warnings of the senior brother beside him.

He didn’t rush inside. Instead, he closed his eyes and focused his spirit for a moment before taking a deep breath and walking into the first-floor entrance of the Thunder Attraction Tower, accompanied by the older disciple.

Li Wen didn’t linger. He expertly navigated the familiar passage and stepped into the first-floor hall.

Unlike his first visit half a month ago, the hall was now dotted with figures moving in and out of the various cultivation chamber corridors. Most were older disciples of Nine Heavens Peak, their auras profound, with faint arcs of lightning-aura flowing around them.

When they saw Li Wen, many of them subconsciously cast scrutinizing or curious glances his way.

Li Wen paid them no mind, walking straight toward the area with the cultivation chamber he had reserved for the day.

For the past half-month, Li Wen had not missed a single day of his lightning-attraction cultivation.

Relying on the subtle energy perception of his [Second Layer Primordial Spirit] and the absolute control and powerful analytical abilities granted by [Scholar Lv. 11],

his understanding of the first layer of the ”Nine Heavens Divine Body” Cultivation Technique and his body’s adaptation to the power of lightning were improving at an astonishing rate.

Initially, he could only cultivate in Chamber C-5, where the energy was the thinnest and most gentle. But after just a few days, he felt the energy concentration was no longer sufficient for his tempering needs.

Subsequently, he began moving up step-by-step. Each new chamber he switched to contained a denser and more active Thunder Attribute energy.

Now, he had steadily advanced several levels and was situated in Chamber C-1, which was enveloped in a dark, copper-colored light.

Li Wen stepped into his reserved chamber, and the heavy door closed silently behind him.

In an instant, a violent yet pure lightning energy, far exceeding that of Chamber C-5, rushed toward him as if it were tangible. The crackling arcs of electricity in the air brought a slight numbing and prickling sensation.

”Hooo...” Li Wen slowly exhaled, adjusted his state, and began circulating his Heart Method.

’I should be able to reach Great Perfection in the first layer today.’

He could clearly sense the state of his physical body as the lightning energy washed over it; it was a signal that he was nearly full.

Wisps of domineering yet docile lightning entered his body, tempering every inch of his muscles, bones, fascia, and even the tiniest acupoints and cells.

With every breath, he could feel his strength growing and the faint arcs of electricity weaving through his flesh and blood.

’I wonder what this first-layer bottleneck will be like? According to the numerous cultivation notes from my predecessors that I’ve read in the Fire World, the bottlenecks of the first three layers of the ”Nine Heavens Divine Body,” while fraught with immense risk, are fundamentally a test of the body’s physical limits.’

’As long as my foundation is solid enough and my control over my power is sufficiently precise, I can accurately guide the energy to break through the barrier instead of letting it run rampant. If I can do that, I have a high chance of success. It might even nourish my body in return, making my fiendgod foundation even more solid.’

He banished all distracting thoughts and immersed his consciousness within his body. With [Absolute Focus] Lv. 11 fully activated, the power of his Primordial Spirit acted like the most precise scanner and regulator, guiding the vast lightning energy through the complex pathways of the first layer of the ”Nine Heavens Divine Body” Cultivation Technique, cycle after cycle.

His body was like a highly efficient furnace, greedily yet orderly absorbing the violent energy and converting it into the cornerstone for his own Fiendgod Hegemon Body.

An hour flew by in focused cultivation.

A soft humming sound came from within Li Wen’s body, as if some kind of bottleneck had been completely broken through.

At that moment, all the cells in his body reached a wonderfully saturated state, and his efficiency in absorbing the current concentration of lightning energy plummeted to its lowest point.

A feeling of smooth, unimpeded satisfaction flowed through his limbs and bones, and his sinews and skeleton seemed to resonate in harmony.

This was a clear sign that the first layer of the ”Nine Heavens Divine Body” Cultivation Technique had reached the Great Perfection Realm.

”Now is the time.” Li Wen’s eyes snapped open, a flicker of fine electrical light vanishing within them.

Without hesitation, he stopped absorbing the lightning energy and shot to his feet.

He didn’t immediately attempt to break through the tribulation. Instead, he quickly left Chamber C-1 and, following a familiar route, headed to the other side of the hall where the special chambers for closed-door breakthrough cultivation were located.

The Nine Heavens Divine Body is divided into nine layers. Each layer corresponds to a different divine thunder.

The key to breaking through to the second layer was to introduce the second type of divine thunder into the body.

Over the past half-month, he had repeatedly studied the essentials of the second layer of the ”Nine Heavens Divine Body” Cultivation Technique, supplementing it with numerous cultivation notes and explanatory modules.

Though he hadn’t fully comprehended it, he had already committed the key methods and pathways for breaking through from the first layer to the second to heart. He was confident he could handle the breakthrough.

He entered the breakthrough chamber and sat down cross-legged.

The walls of the chamber emitted a soft glow, isolating it from all external interference.

Li Wen’s mind was as still as water as his consciousness sank into the depths of his Dantian.

The core of his condensed Martial Arts True Essence, which had been tempered a thousand times by lightning, was now stirring restlessly, radiating an aura of yearning for transformation.

’Draw!’ ’Condense!’ ’Break!’

Li Wen recited the Heart Method’s incantation in his mind.

In an instant, the second type of divine thunder surged into his body.

With the power of his Primordial Spirit providing microscopic control, and in his state of Lv. 11 Absolute Focus, the world seemed to shrink until only he and the surging power within his body remained.

He pushed the first layer of the ”Nine Heavens Divine Body” Cultivation Technique to its absolute limit, guiding the powerful lightning energy and his abundant True Essence and vital energy.

Like a hundred rivers flowing into the sea—vast and mighty, yet precise and orderly—it charged toward the formless shackle of the first layer.

BOOM—!

The colossal roar came from the depths of his soul, from the very source of his physical body.

Li Wen’s entire body trembled violently!

An extreme pain, far surpassing that of his first time drawing lightning into his body—a pain that felt as if it would tear his body apart and reforge it—erupted suddenly.

At this moment, the tyrannical lightning Primordial Power shed its gentle disguise, revealing its dual nature of destruction and rebirth. It crazily scoured and reshaped his bones, down to the marrow.

However, this pain and chaotic energy—enough to make even an ordinary Flying Star Level expert turn pale with fright—seemed to meet an insurmountable dam when it reached Li Wen.

A delicate, gentle, yet incredibly tough, intangible force instantly spread to envelop his entire body, acting like the most precise mold and the calmest conductor’s baton.

It forcibly constrained the rampaging power, which was capable of destroying everything, within the correct path for the breakthrough.

Furthermore, his Lv. 11 [Absolute Focus] rendered his mind as clear as water, unmoved by the excruciating pain. He could see every minute change in the energy flow with perfect clarity, guiding it to strike, merge, and transform with precision and efficiency.

Violent shockwaves of energy pulsed through the chamber. Lightning flared across the surface of Li Wen’s body, and it was as if countless silver snakes were dancing wildly beneath his skin.

But under the supreme control of his mind and Primordial Spirit, this seemingly perilous tribulation lasted for only a few dozen seconds.

HUMMM—!

A deeper, steadier, low-pitched resonance, like the heartbeat of a newborn fiendgod, echoed through the chamber.

The rampaging lightning that had been surging outside his body instantly receded back inside, returning to a state of calm.

Li Wen slowly opened his eyes, his entire aura having quietly transformed.

A much deeper, more restrained, yet explosive pressure faintly emanated from his body.

His gaze was as sharp as electricity, yet it also held the confident calm of one who had mastered their power.

The second layer of the ”Nine Heavens Divine Body”—complete!

From the moment he stepped into the Thunder Attraction Tower to his successful breakthrough, the entire process had taken less than two hours.