High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 223: Chapter 156: Completion of the Ninth Layer, Birth of a Phenomenon

One hundred and ninety-eight steps!

The way they looked at Li Wen was no longer just awe; it was as if they were staring at a monster.

At Xinhuo University, reaching two hundred steps in the freshman mental fortitude test signifies the potential for the Great Sun Realm—an important threshold on the path to becoming a top-tier expert.

Countless senior students had been stuck between one hundred eighty and one hundred ninety steps for years, or even decades, unable to advance an inch.

But Li Wen, in just one year, had leaped from one hundred ninety steps to one hundred ninety-eight. This was simply not a rate of progress a human should possess.

However, Li Wen felt no joy.

’One hundred and ninety-eight steps... I’m still two steps away from my goal,’ he recited silently in his mind.

The gap of these two steps was the most solid and difficult barrier to break, the final accumulation of quantitative change just before a qualitative leap.

The feeling of fear and exhaustion that had nearly consumed him on the final step was still crystal clear.

He was absolutely certain that if he had impulsively tried to break through to the 9th Layer of his Divine Body this morning, this tiny gap in his willpower would have been the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

A failed breakthrough, a severely damaged foundation, all his efforts wasted... The mere thought of these consequences sent a shiver of lingering fear down his spine.

Relief outweighed regret.

’The only missing piece of the puzzle is my mental fortitude and will.’ Li Wen’s gaze became resolute once more.

He was well aware of his advantages. His absolute focus and his Third Layer Primordial Spirit allowed him to control power and energy with incredible precision.

His accumulated insight into the overall artistic conception of the Dawn Five Forms was more than sufficient in terms of skill.

Now, his greatest weakness was the final two steps of his willpower.

This wasn’t due to a lack of talent, but because the accumulation of ”quantity” and ”depth” had not yet reached the critical point to trigger a qualitative change.

Li Wen bid farewell to the attendant and the other disciples, who were still in a state of profound shock, and boarded the aircraft for his return trip.

Under the night sky, Xinhuo University was a blaze of brilliant lights, like a Star Sea embedded in the vast mountain range.

Back in the meditation room of Villa No. 1.

Li Wen sat down cross-legged, closed his eyes, and began to adjust his future cultivation plan.

’For the foreseeable future, the key to my breakthrough is willpower,’ he decided.

’I’ll temporarily stop the two hours of daily ”guiding lightning into the body” tempering at the Thunder Attraction Tower.

Instead, after my saber practice every afternoon, I will go to the Heart Mirror Hall to hone my mental fortitude!’

Every step inside that Illusion Array, especially the training after the one-hundred-and-ninety-fifth step that pushed his spirit and will to their absolute limits without causing any real harm, was far more effective than any so-called mental tempering that just wasted time.

The moment his will truly met the standard of a Great Sun Realm’s Divine-Demonic Will would be the moment the gate to the 9th Layer of the Nine Heavens Divine Body swung wide open for him.

With his plan set, his uncertainty vanished.

Li Wen opened his eyes. They were as calm as still water, yet held a will of steel.

Outside the window, the starlight was like liquid silver.

A new round of arduous training would begin tomorrow.

...

July 12, 227, Galactic Calendar.

Early in the morning, faint sunlight streamed through the windows of Villa No. 1 on Mingde Peak, spilling onto the floor.

Li Wen slowly opened his eyes. Just as he had every morning for the past month, the moment his consciousness returned, he instinctively pulled up his personal status panel.

[Name: Li Wen]

[Age: 19]

[Realm: Advanced Super Martial Artist (Level 29.9)]

[Profession: Scholar Lv. 12 (34560 → 48960 / 204800)]

[Skills: Saber Art · Intent (62%), Dawn Five Forms (Instant Rainbow Form 100%, Silent Rainbow Form 100%, Mountain Collapsing Form 100%, Celestial Gap Form 10%)]

[Cultivation Techniques: Nine Heavens Divine Body · Eighth Layer (99%), Shocking God Stab · 3rd Layer (100%)]

The various stats on the panel were like the most precise of clocks, recording every second of his unceasing effort.

Although the Nine Heavens Divine Body was still stuck at Eighth-Layer Perfection, the final breakthrough was not far off.

For the past month, he had spent two hours every morning stepping into the illusion that honed his will.

Each day, he endured the extreme pressure exerted by the illusion, as if forging a piece of stubborn iron in the depths of his soul.

His gains over the month had been significant; he had painstakingly advanced from the initial one hundred and ninety-eight steps to one hundred and ninety-nine.

He was just one final step away from the two-hundred-step mark.

Li Wen secretly estimated that with another one or two months of relentless, day-and-night tempering, he would surely cross the two-hundred-step threshold.

His Scholar experience points grew with every session of reading and contemplation, climbing steadily and consistently.

On the path of the saber, after crossing the 60% Intent threshold, his progress hadn’t stagnated. Building on his mastery of the Silent Rainbow Form, it had steadily climbed to 62%.

The ”Celestial Gap Form” remained difficult, at only 10%, but this rate of improvement was something countless saber wielders could only dream of.

After washing up and finishing a breakfast of high-energy nutrient solution, Li Wen did not head straight for the training grounds as he usually did.

Today, he had another destination—Enlightenment Peak, White Jade Plaza.

Today was the day for the new class of Xinhuo University disciples to hold their peak selection ceremony.

According to the university’s rules, all senior disciples not in seclusion were required to attend and observe the ceremony.

An invitation had naturally found its way to Li Wen as well. He had arranged to go with Fang Chenghong.

When their aircraft arrived at Enlightenment Peak, the majestic White Jade Plaza was already a sea of people.

Banners representing the twelve main peaks fluttered high in the air, with senior disciples from each peak gathered below to watch.

The air was filled with a clamor mixed with anticipation and curiosity.

Fang Chenghong habitually scanned the crowd for familiar faces, while Li Wen’s sharp senses picked up on the focus of the many discussions coming from the center of the plaza.

Almost everyone’s gaze was, subtly or not, directed toward a quiet youth at the front of the new disciples’ ranks—Sun Rui, distinguished by his red lips and white teeth.