High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 339: Chapter 189: Marquis Changning—Li Wen

”Becoming a Marquis? I wouldn’t even dare to dream of reaching the Great Sun Realm in this lifetime. I’d be content just to make it to the Bright Moon Realm,” a young Martial Artist lamented.

”Alright, don’t get ahead of yourself. Worry about becoming a Martial Artist first,” his companion teased with a laugh.

Similar discussions were popping up all over the city.

To the vast majority of people, a Marquis-rank God-fiend was an existence high above the clouds.

But now, one had emerged so ”close” to home, stirring up people’s boundless imagination about power and the future.

...

In the southern district of Changning City, inside Wang Hu’s home in a slightly run-down residential area.

”Yes! Excellent!” Wang Hu slapped his thigh as he read the official announcement pushed to his communicator, his face flushed with an irrepressible, excited glow.

”Hahaha! Who would have thought! In my lifetime, I, Wang Hu, have actually taught a student who became a Marquis-rank God-fiend!”

He laughed heartily, but his eyes grew a little moist.

The image of that student from the Martial Dao class at Bluestone County Third Middle School reappeared in his mind—the one with the determined gaze, who trained as if his life depended on it.

”I knew it! That kid has a relentless, unyielding spirit in his bones. Once he sets his mind to something, he dives in headfirst, and nothing can stop him! I knew if he just kept at it, he’d amount to something great! My judgment, Wang Hu’s judgment, wasn’t wrong!”

”Daddy, Uncle Li Wen is so amazing!” his young daughter, Wang Xi, looked up at him, her big eyes shining with adoration. She clenched her small fists tightly.

”When I grow up, I want to be as strong as Uncle Li Wen! I’ll become a powerful God-fiend and protect Mommy and Daddy, and protect our home!”

”That’s right! My Xi has ambition!” Wang Hu scooped his daughter up and affectionately rubbed his forehead against hers.

”Work hard, and in the future, our Xi will definitely become a God-fiend who can stand tall and proud, and drive all those damned Demon Race members out of our homeland!”

...

Inside the rest area of the Stargate fortress, in the underground citadel of Changning City.

”Tsk, tsk, that’s Captain Li for you! Half a month, just half a month, and he became a Marquis!” a young garrison soldier exclaimed, his tone filled with admiration.

”Yeah, that speed... Captain Zhao went to the Fire Hall to prepare for his breakthrough half a year ago, but Captain Li came from behind and managed to become a Marquis first.”

A veteran soldier next to him nodded in agreement, an expression on his face that was both surprised and yet seemed to expect it.

”I just wonder if Captain Li will come back to us in Changning now that he’s a Marquis,” another soldier asked expectantly.

”If Captain Li could come back to preside over things... Changning City would be truly impregnable!”

”Hard to say. A Marquis-rank God-fiend’s scope of responsibility is definitely much larger. There will probably be new arrangements,”

someone analyzed. ”But Captain Li has feelings for Changning. It’d be for the best if he could come back.”

The soldiers chattered away, all genuinely happy for the captain they once fought alongside, their words filled with hope for Changning City’s future.

...

The shockwave that swept through the city naturally reached Li Wen’s quiet villa in the core district of Changning City.

Li Wen’s parents had received countless congratulatory calls and messages. They were now sitting in their living room, their faces filled with pride, but also a trace of an imperceptible, complex emotion.

”Ah Wen... he really became a Marquis,” his mother murmured, her fingers unconsciously stroking the screen of her communicator.

Her son’s achievement was far beyond her imagination. Amidst the joy, her worry for his safety had also deepened.

Becoming a Marquis meant greater power, but it also meant heavier responsibilities and greater risks.

”Yes. It’s the official announcement, it can’t be fake,” his father’s voice was calm and steady, but his eyes shone with a brilliant light.

He squeezed his wife’s hand tightly. ”This child... ever since our time in Bluestone County, he’s just charged forward, head down. No one could ever stop him. Now... he’s finally reached this height. We should be happy for him.”

”Happy, of course I’m happy.” His mother nodded, then sighed softly.

”I just don’t know how he is right now. He just broke through, did he immediately get busy again? That child... he’s never home.”

”He’s a Marquis-rank God-fiend now. The burden on his shoulders is heavier,” his father said with understanding.

”The Demon Race is watching like a tiger, and hidden shadows are stirring up trouble. How could he ever truly rest? The best we can do is take care of ourselves and not give him anything to worry about.”

The living room fell silent for a moment, with only the faint clamor of the city audible from outside the window.

Behind that world-shaking glory was the deep, restrained concern of his parents.

...

...

「Galactic Calendar, Year 236, April 22nd. Afternoon.」

「Hongxi City.」

A piercing alarm, like the roar of a dying behemoth, echoed through every corner of Hongxi City’s underground citadel.

The air was thick with the scorching scent of gunpowder, blood, and rampaging Demon Power.

The defensive shield around the citadel’s perimeter had long since shattered, and turbulent energy ravaged the area, carving deep gashes into the hardened alloy walls.

On the ground, the bodies of Human Race warriors and demon soldiers lay intertwined. The battle was horrific.

In the core area of the citadel, the fighting was especially fierce.

Ding Jun, Hongxi City’s God-fiend Captain—an expert whose skill had long since entered the ”Dao Realm” and whose strength was comparable to a threshold Marquis—was currently trapped by five figures radiating immense Demon Power.

These five members of the Demon Race had varied forms, but the surging pressure of their bloodlines revealed their status as direct descendants of a Demon Saint. All of them were at the Peak of the Great Sun Realm.

They coordinated seamlessly, unleashing one Divine Technique after another.

A pillar of crimson fire pierced the sky, carrying a heat that could incinerate all creation; an eerie poisonous fog spread silently, corroding protective True Essence;

A heavy, ochre-colored giant fist slammed down with the force of a mountain; sharp wind blades shrieked as they sliced through space; and a bewitching, demonic phantom lay in wait, ready to mesmerize the mind.