High Martial Arts: Enlightenment after Practices

Chapter 429: Chapter 429: Total War

He closed the news page and pulled up a private forum for the Star Realm Battlefield.

Access required Martial Artist authorization. The posts were mostly experience-sharing from real, hard-fought battles.

"West Seventh District Black Stone Vein Destroyed, Celestial Wolf Civilization Enraged," "Blood Wolf Order Reappears, 100,000 Merits Offered for the Head of a Mysterious Human Martial Artist," "Analysis: Recent Activity of Celestial Wolf Civilization Priest-Level Units Down by 37%..."

Xu Wuyi clicked on the last post.

The poster, codenamed "Battlefield Observer," had provided a detailed analysis.

From the decreased deployment frequency of Priests, they deduced that the Celestial Wolf Civilization was contracting its defensive lines and concentrating its forces to deal with a potential large-scale offensive from the Federation.

The post ended with a prediction: there would be a major move within two months.

Most of the replies below agreed with this judgment.

"The brothers on the front lines have all felt it. The Celestial Wolf dogs have been acting a lot more cowardly lately."

"Not cowardly. They’re charging up a super move."

"Heard the Federation transferred three Grandmasters to the western front."

"More than that. My uncle is in Federation Military logistics. He said the Energy Crystal Stone reserves alone have increased fivefold..."

Xu Wuyi closed the forum.

Teacher Han was right; the Federation was indeed preparing a major counterattack. Recalling Martial Artists below Level 47 was to prevent them from becoming cannon fodder in the clashes between Grandmaster-Level experts.

It was the right strategy, but he still felt a little stifled.

...

In the days that followed, Xu Wuyi lived a life of rare tranquility.

He contemplated his Heart Image every day, but his proficiency didn’t increase quickly.

But Xu Wuyi wasn’t in a hurry.

He knew this was a stage of accumulation. The path after reaching Great Success in a High-Tier Body Refining Method was long, and rushing was not an option. Besides, his current training focus wasn’t on increasing proficiency, but on solidifying his foundation and deepening his understanding.

He usually ate lunch at home, where Mrs. Xu would cook a wide variety of dishes for him.

In the afternoons, Xu Wuyi generally didn’t train.

He would either go for a walk, wandering around Red River City, or stay home and read, downloading works on Martial Arts theory from the Star Martial University’s digital library. Occasionally, he would go online to keep up with developments on the front lines.

Red River City hadn’t changed much, but the way Xu Wuyi saw it had.

Before, he thought the city was too small and too ordinary. He yearned for the bustle of a place like Star Martial City and the hot-blooded passion of the battlefield.

But now, walking down familiar streets, looking at the roadside shops, the school playgrounds, and the children playing in the park, he suddenly understood how precious this peace was.

This wasn’t weakness, nor was it escapism.

This was what ordinary people spent their entire lives protecting.

Martial Artists fought and died on the front lines precisely so these streets in the rear could remain peaceful, so children could play without a care, and so the elderly could leisurely play chess.

One afternoon, Xu Wuyi passed by Honghe First Middle School.

It was the end of the school day. Students poured out of the gates in small groups, talking and laughing.

The Life Energy Level of most of them was between 5 and 8. A few from the Martial Arts classes could reach Level 10, and those who could break through to Level 11 or 12 were as rare as a phoenix feather.

However, they were already much stronger than Xu Wuyi’s generation in high school, which showed that the quality of students at Honghe First Middle School had improved in recent years.

And for these kids, this was their youth.

Xu Wuyi stood across the street, watching for a long time.

He remembered what he was like in high school. Back then, just like these students, he was full of hope for the future, yet also a little lost.

He hadn’t known if he could get into a university, or if he could break through to become a Martial Artist.

Now, he had made it, and he stood on higher ground.

But he had also lost a great deal.

"Senior Brother Xu?" A tentative voice sounded out.

Xu Wuyi turned his head and saw a boy in a Honghe First Middle School uniform looking at him nervously.

"You are?"

"I-I’m Chen Hao, from the third-year Martial Arts class." The boy’s face was a little red. "Two years ago, when you came back to school to give a speech, I was in the audience. What you said was great, it was a huge inspiration to me."

Xu Wuyi remembered. That had indeed happened.

"How are your preparations coming along?" he asked.

"My Life Energy Level is 13.7. My teacher says if I work hard, I might be able to break into the provincial top one hundred," Chen Hao said. "I want to apply to East River Martial Arts University, but my family’s financial situation is average. I’m afraid even if I get in, we won’t be able to afford it..."

Xu Wuyi fell silent for a moment.

He was reminded of himself back in the day, worrying about the same thing—getting into a university but having no money for Potions or equipment.

"Just focus on the exam," he said. "After you get in, the university offers grants, and you can also apply for student loans. The most important thing is to make yourself worth the price."

Chen Hao nodded vigorously. "Thank you, Senior Brother Xu!"

Watching the boy’s retreating back as he ran off, Xu Wuyi felt a wave of emotion.

’This is a legacy.’

Back then, Teacher Wang had guided him. Now, he was guiding a junior.

Generation after generation of Martial Artists had walked this path. Some might go further, while others fall along the way, but there would always be someone walking this road.

...

In the evening, Xu Wuyi watched TV with his father.

The news was reporting on the Federation’s mobilization. The screen flashed with images of busy production lines in factories, scenes of troop assemblies, and footage of front-line Martial Artists rotating out for rest.

"Is a big war really about to start?" Father Xu asked, a little worried.

"Yes," Xu Wuyi nodded. "But the main battlefield is in the Star Realm. The Federation homeland is very safe."

"As long as it’s safe." Mrs. Xu brought over a plate of fruit. "Ah Yi, will you have to go then?"

Xu Wuyi paused. "I’ll have to. But I’ll be in the Federation for the near future."

He didn’t say too much, afraid of worrying his parents.

But in reality, he wasn’t confident himself.

The Feathered People Civilization front was relatively stable, but there was no such thing as an absolutely safe place on a battlefield. And with his abilities, it was highly likely the Federation Military would send him on dangerous missions.

’This is the fate of a Martial Artist.’

’Once you enjoy the resources and possess the power, you must bear the corresponding responsibility.’

...

「On a morning at the end of April」

Xu Wuyi finished his morning exercises as usual. He sat down at the desk in his house and opened the Federation Military’s internal network on his personal terminal.

A crimson war emblem was displayed in the most prominent position on the homepage.

[Federation Calendar Year 2XXX, April 28th. The Federation Military has launched an all-out offensive against the Celestial Wolf Civilization, codenamed "Thunder." As of dawn today, we have confirmed seven Celestial Wolf Deities killed, seventeen forward bases destroyed, and three major resource supply lines severed...]

Xu Wuyi’s finger swiped across the light screen, lines of battle report data scrolling past quickly.

His expression gradually turned grim.

The scale of this war was far greater than he had imagined.

According to a brief summary in the battle report’s appendix, the Federation had deployed at least fifty Grandmaster-Level powerhouses directly to the battlefield this time.

This was nearly a third of the Federation’s total publicly known Grandmasters.

The Celestial Wolf Civilization’s counterattack was just as frantic.

While being steadily pushed back on the main front, large numbers of small Werewolf units began to scatter and attack the defensive lines in various Federation war zones.

They no longer defended strongholds. Instead, they broke up their larger formations into smaller ones, adopting guerilla tactics. They specifically targeted weakly defended supply lines and outposts, intending to tie down the Federation’s forces.