High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 214: Chapter 154: Night Roaming and Primordial Spirit Secret Skill

”I understand. I will be sure to choose carefully,” Li Wen promised solemnly.

”Alright, you may go.” The principal picked up his teacup, signaling that Li Wen was dismissed.

”The intricacies of the Shocking God Stab are not easy to grasp. In the beginning, if you have any questions, make full use of the virtual mentors in the Fire World for answers. If you run into a problem that even the mentors can’t solve, or if something feels wrong during your cultivation, come find me.”

”Yes, sir. I’ll take my leave now.”

Li Wen bowed once more, then turned and walked briskly away along the starlit path he had arrived on. His figure quickly vanished into the night and the spatial ripples.

Silence returned to the pavilion.

Only after confirming that Li Wen’s aura had completely left the vicinity of Enlightenment Peak did the principal’s peaceful expression slowly fade. He gazed into the empty void outside the pavilion, his eyes profound, as if muttering to himself, yet also questioning some unseen presence.

”Star Core, tell me... do you think this boy... has a chance of one day walking the legendary path of Ascension through the Primordial Spirit?”

As his words faded, the empty air before him rippled like the surface of a pond disturbed by a pebble, the light coalescing to sketch the faint silhouette of a woman.

Her form hovered between the tangible and the intangible, seemingly woven from pure data streams and ethereal blue starlight.

”Difficult. But...” The voice of the woman called Star Core was ethereal and cold, as if drifting across the vastness of time and space.

”The qualities and growth potential his Primordial Spirit has displayed thus far... are the highest we have ever recorded. The hope he represents is greater than anyone we’ve seen.”

”As long as there’s hope... that’s all that matters.” The principal sighed softly. He set down his teacup, his finger unconsciously tracing a line across the table, leaving a faint trail of light in its wake.

”As long as there is hope, that’s what matters. What’s truly terrifying is hopelessness. The Prophet said the hope of the Human Race lies within the next few graduating classes. Ling Feng, Li Wen... or someone else?”

His gaze drifted to the deep night sky, as if piercing through space itself to behold the colossal, blood-red eye hanging in orbit near Blue Star—the Stargate. It was constantly twisting and expanding, a gateway to another dimension.

An inexpressibly heavy sense of dread surfaced in his eyes.

”We... are running out of time.”

The principal summoned a floating holographic screen, which displayed the top-secret ”Stargate Energy Fluctuation Monitoring Report.”

The energy spikes over the past month were staggering, and the upward trend showed no signs of slowing.

”The largest of the Stargates is devouring Void Energy at an accelerating rate. Our predictive models show that in as little as a few decades, its structural stability will breach the critical threshold. It will become stable enough for beings of a Venerable Level’s mass and power to pass through the barrier!”

The principal’s tone was grave. ”When that happens, the Venerables of the Demon Race will be able to cross over in their true forms, completely unimpeded...”

”And our Venerables... All of humanity has only thirteen! And that’s counting those on the other three planets.”

”And the Demon Race? The number of known Demon Venerables... is well over a thousand! To say nothing of the High-Tier Saint Realm beings backing them...”

The principal opened his eyes, the weariness etched even deeper into his features. ”Unless... we can produce a Saint Realm expert of our own, someone who can transcend the Venerable Realm.”

”Only a Saint Realm expert, with their absolute power, could act as the pillar that turns the tide, to forcibly seal or even destroy those colossal gates... Otherwise, the only thing awaiting us is planetary collapse and the end of our civilization under the crushing flood of the demon tide.”

Star Core’s holographic form remained silent, the light of her projection wavering slightly, conveying an unspoken somberness.

With a bitter smile, the principal swiped his finger across the holographic screen, pulling up Li Wen’s file and cultivation data. The growth curves of his various metrics were staggering.

”And yet, reaching the Saint Realm... is easier said than done.” He sighed, as if speaking to Star Core, and to the cold, empty void itself.

”The youngest of the Human Race’s current Venerables is already over a hundred years old. The eldest is more than eight hundred, and has been trapped at the bottleneck of the Venerable Realm... for a full six hundred years! The path forward is broken, with no successors in sight...”

On the holographic screen, the module displaying the Stargate’s energy data flashed with a glaring, blood-red warning that grew more intense by the second.

Time felt like an hourglass, the sound of the falling sand so clear it was suffocating.

...

Li Wen was completely unaware of the conversation that took place on Enlightenment Peak after he left.

His mind was completely consumed by one thing: mastering that Primordial Spirit Secret Skill as quickly as possible.

He strode purposefully to the airstrip beside the White Jade Plaza, where the personal aircraft were parked. With a fluid motion, he hopped onto his own sleek vehicle.

A silent, streamlined exhaust flared to life. The silver aircraft shot across the night sky, landing steadily on the private platform of Villa #1 on Mingde Peak.

Entering the villa, Li Wen went straight for the virtual pod.

Sensing his approach, the pod’s hatch slid open silently. Li Wen lay down inside without a moment’s hesitation.

His vision shifted, and in an instant, he found himself in the familiar Fire World—a vast, boundless ocean of data.

Without pausing, Li Wen focused his thoughts, passed through a transport gate with clear intent, and arrived in the world of Cultivation Techniques, where countless legacies were stored.

Unlike his previous visits, he had barely steadied himself when he noticed something unusual. Next to the area he usually browsed, an archaic portal radiating a soft, white light had appeared out of thin air.

Faint, flowing patterns of energy were visible on the lintel above the gate, highlighting its unique nature.

’This must be it.’ Li Wen knew at once. This had to be the entrance to the ”Primordial Spirit Secret Skill Legacy Area” that the principal had unlocked for him.

He reached out and gently pushed the seemingly heavy stone gate. A solemn, yet not oppressive, aura washed over him.