High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 197: Chapter 151: Half a Year Later

’Let’s begin,’ Li Wen thought.

He guided the immense Thunder Energy—still astonishingly powerful even after being tamed—to wash over, permeate, and temper every minute corner of his body.

An intense pain, like needles piercing his very marrow, instantly spread throughout his body. It was far more severe than the first time.

But Li Wen didn’t even frown. His will had long been forged to be as solid as a rock.

This bit of pain was nothing more than a few sparks flying from a whetstone.

He closed his eyes, pouring all his focus into this deeper transformation, using his own body as the cauldron and the Celestial Thunder as the forge’s fire.

Inside the quiet room, only the low rumble of the ceaseless current remained, along with the figure floating motionlessly in the center of the sea of lightning, as unmoving as a reef in a storm.

Violence and tranquility, destruction and rebirth—at this moment, they formed a breathtakingly shocking tableau.

A new Chapter was quietly turning, forged in the tempering of even more intense lightning.

...

「Several months passed in the blink of an eye.」

The calendar page turned, stopping on December 12th.

Exactly half a year had passed since Li Wen joined Fire University and became a disciple of Nine Heavens Peak.

These six months had been monotonous yet fulfilling.

Li Wen’s life had settled into an almost perfect, closed loop.

In the morning, he would be at the Thunder Attraction Tower, feeling his body torn apart and reborn by the baptism of violent electric currents, then he would absorb the nourishment of knowledge from the vast sea of books in the Fire World.

In the afternoon, he would sweat profusely in the training grounds, his blade cutting through the air as he honed his burgeoning Blade Intent. Late at night, he would temper his physical functions in the Martial Arts Room of his own villa, feeling every bit of transformation brought by the Nine Heavens Divine Body.

With a discipline bordering on obsession, he packed every single day to the brim.

The first light of dawn streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows of the villa’s top floor, bathing the room in brightness.

Li Wen woke up right on time, his eyes holding a restrained divine light, completely free of drowsiness.

With a slight thought, the familiar data panel unfolded clearly before his eyes:

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 18]

[Realm: Advanced Super Martial Artist (Level 25.6 → 27.4)]

[Class: Scholar Lv. 11 (27,084 → 71,084 / 102,400)]

[Skills: Blade Arts - Intent (26%), Dawn Five Forms (Instant Rainbow Form 100%, Silent Rainbow Form (30%))]

[Cultivation Technique: Nine Heavens Divine Body - Fifth Layer (99%), Nine Heavens Divine Body Foundation Chapter (100%)]

A trace of satisfaction crossed his mind.

’These six months of arduous training weren’t for nothing.’

His physical body’s level had successfully broken into the realm of an Advanced Super Martial Artist, and he wasn’t far from the peak.

The experience bar for his Scholar class showed delightful growth, taking a huge, solid step toward the 100,000 experience needed for the next level.

His skills had progressed steadily. Among the Dawn Five Forms, the Instant Rainbow Form, which pursued ultimate speed, had reached perfection, allowing him to execute it at will.

As for the Silent Rainbow Form—which touched upon the spiritual level, focused on the annihilation of movement and stillness, and contained the mysteries of illusion—he had crossed the 30% threshold, with each practice session bringing new insights.

However, what made his heart burn with anticipation was the progress of his Nine Heavens Divine Body—Fifth Layer, 99%.

That last 1% was like a sheet of paper, thin and transparent, just waiting for today’s final push.

’The Sixth Layer, today is the day.’ The moment the thought surfaced, a blazing light ignited in Li Wen’s eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he leaped from his soft bed with a crisp, clean motion.

After finishing a high-nutrient, high-energy custom breakfast to replenish his body, he wasted no time, changed into his special training uniform, and stepped out the door.

The biting cold wind scraped against his cheeks, but for a Super Martial Artist of his realm, it had little effect. In fact, it brought a refreshing clarity that sharpened his mind.

He arrived at the entrance of the Thunder Attraction Tower with practiced ease. This time, he didn’t stop in the first-floor hall but headed straight for the stairs leading to the second floor.

The scene on the second floor was completely different from the first.

If the first floor was an entry-level lightning pool, then the second floor was a High-Voltage Domain.

The overall material had changed from purple-copper to a deeper, dark violet. The golden lightning patterns flowing on the alloy walls were thicker and more intricate, erupting in dense golden sparks where they intersected and collided, emitting a teeth-grinding CRACKLE.

The air was heavier, and the lightning energy was so dense it had almost liquefied into a light purple mist. Every breath carried a subtle numbing sensation.

The hall was a size smaller than the one on the first floor, with noticeably fewer quiet rooms, but it was currently much livelier.

Outside nearly every quiet room, labeled with grades like ”A,” ”B,” and ”C,” people were either waiting or had just finished their training.

This was because those who could come to the second floor were mostly veteran Super Martial Artists who had achieved some success in cultivating the Nine Heavens Divine Body, with their realm at the Fourth Layer at minimum. They stayed for longer periods, so the density of people was actually greater than on the first floor.

The clamor was mixed with the hum of flowing energy and the weary panting of those who had finished their cultivation.

A huge energy display screen showed the real-time energy levels and occupancy status of each quiet room.

Li Wen’s appearance immediately caught the attention of several Nine Heavens Peak disciples who were waiting to enter a room or stretching their muscles in the hall.

”Yo, Junior Brother Li, so early?”

”You’re here, Junior Brother Li! Looking good today!”

”Seeing you like this, are you planning something big today?” The greetings came one after another, their tone filled with sincere familiarity and admiration.

As was often said on the peak, they were few in number but tightly knit.

In the past six months, Li Wen had long since integrated into this small but highly cohesive group, thanks to his astonishing rate of progress and resilient mentality.

The senior brothers and sisters of the peak loved to bring this endlessly potential-filled junior brother along to their frequent private gatherings, and they had all become very familiar with one another.

Facing the enthusiastic faces, Li Wen also broke into a genuine smile and nodded in response to each of them.

”Yeah, I’m feeling pretty good today. I’m going to give it a try.”

His tone was casual, but beneath his deliberate composure was an irrepressible eagerness.

After a few simple pleasantries, Li Wen didn’t linger. His gaze swept across the large screen, and he walked straight toward the quiet room in the middle of the second floor, the one engraved with a deep purple ”B-1” and showing the highest energy reading.

That had been his regular training spot for some time.

Pushing open the heavy door to the quiet room, a wave of tyrannical Thunder Energy, far more intense than in the hall, rushed out at him, causing the skin all over his body to tense instinctively.

The interior space of the quiet room was much larger than the B-grade room he used on the first floor, but the environment inside was terrifying.

There were no conduits on the ceiling, only a swirling ”thundercloud” formed purely from dense lightning.

Golden lightning rolled and roared within it like giant pythons. Thick Electric Snakes continuously struck down from the cloud, smashing violently onto the Thunder Attraction Platform in the center of the floor, which was made of some strange black Crystal Stone.

The walls and floor were also covered in coarse golden lightning patterns, and the material between the patterns showed a dark red color, as if scorched by high temperatures.

The air was no longer a mist but a viscous, golden, liquid-like plasma, filled with a destructive aura.

Every inch of space here pulsed with violent energy sufficient to instantly carbonize any ordinary Super Martial Artist below the Flying Star Level.

If Li Wen hadn’t already cultivated the Nine Heavens Divine Body to the Fifth Layer Peak, his physical body having completed multiple rounds of lightning source tempering and possessing an extremely high affinity for lightning and terrifying Defense Power, he would have found it difficult to even breathe here with just the vitality of an Advanced Super Martial Artist, let alone cultivate.

Without any hesitation, Li Wen strode toward the Thunder Attraction Platform and sat down cross-legged.

In that instant, the thundercloud overhead seemed to have been provoked. A bolt of frantic golden lightning, as thick as a little finger, tore through the air like an enraged dragon that had spotted its prey, crashing down on his head with a deafening explosion.

”Hmph!” Even though he was prepared, the instant this violent Thunder Energy, far surpassing that of the first floor, poured into him, the soul-tearing, bone-piercing agony still made Li Wen grunt as his body trembled violently.

But his eyes remained exceptionally calm and resolute.

The Nine Heavens Divine Body’s Fifth Layer Heart Method began to operate at full power.

Inside his Dantian, the vitality that had long been condensed to the consistency of mercury and contained a trace of lightning source properties surged, rushing endlessly along the Cultivation Technique’s pathways to form a solid defense and guidance system.

Destruction and rebirth were locked in a tug-of-war.

Guided by the Nine Heavens Divine Body’s Heart Method, a portion of the pure and tyrannical Thunder Energy was forcibly restrained and used to madly temper and hammer his muscles, bones, skin, and even his cells on a deeper level.

Another portion was devoured and assimilated by the Heart Method, converted into his own foundational lightning power, and infused into his limbs and bones, slowly pushing the progress bar stuck at 99% forward.

From deep within his body came a series of rumbles, like the forging of a bronze hammer or the clashing of metals.

His bones were like chalcedony, containing golden lightning patterns within. His blood flowed like mercury, carrying tiny sparks of electricity.

With each tear and reconstruction, his muscle fibers grew tougher, containing explosive power.

A faint golden radiance began to shine from the surface of his skin, as if he were cloaked in an armor of lightning.

Time flowed by amid extreme focus and the endless cycle of destruction and rebirth.

A little over an hour felt like an entire century to Li Wen, who was immersed in his cultivation.

Finally! Just as his body’s efficiency in absorbing this violent Thunder Energy reached a certain peak, an extremely faint yet incredibly clear shattering sound, like a CLICK, echoed in his mind.

The progress bar that had been stagnant for so long—99%—suddenly leaped forward.

100%! The Nine Heavens Divine Body, Fifth Layer—Complete!

A torrent of vitality, far more powerful and purer than before and carrying a faint, rumbling-thunder-like fluctuation, erupted from his Dantian and instantly washed over his entire body.

Li Wen’s eyes snapped open, a golden electric glint flashing through them before vanishing.

He forcibly suppressed the excitement in his heart and the urge to draw down more lightning.

At this stage, the Fifth Layer was complete. Continuing to train in this B-1 room would still be effective, but it wouldn’t directly help him break through to the Sixth Layer.

’The next step is the breakthrough.’

He stood up crisply, left the quiet room, and walked toward the breakthrough chamber next to the hall, which was specially designed for this purpose.

The two Nine Heavens Peak disciples waiting by the door saw Li Wen emerge, and their gazes immediately focused on him, especially when they sensed the unique aura of recent completion that he hadn’t yet fully restrained.

”Junior Brother Li? Did you... reach the completion of the Fifth Layer?”

One of the younger senior brothers couldn’t help but ask, his tone filled with surprise and a hint of imperceptible envy.

They were his seniors, but who didn’t know how difficult it was to cultivate the Nine Heavens Divine Body? This junior brother’s progress was simply terrifying.

Li Wen didn’t waste words, nodding in confirmation. ”Yes. I’m preparing to break through to the Sixth Layer.”

As soon as he said this, a sharp light burst forth from their eyes.

”Hiss! Damn!”

”So fast! You’re aiming for the Sixth Layer right after completing the fifth? Junior Brother Li, that’s incredible!”

”Quick, breakthrough chamber A-1 is empty.”

The other disciple reacted extremely quickly, immediately swiping open the heavy alloy security door beside them.

They knew very well the dangers of breaking through each layer of the Nine Heavens Divine Body and didn’t dare to delay for even a moment.

”Thank you, senior brothers.” Li Wen gave them a fist-and-palm salute, didn’t linger, and darted into the A-grade breakthrough chamber that was now his.

The breakthrough chamber was larger than the lightning attraction room, but its internal structure was relatively open and simple.