High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 261: Chapter 163: Guarding Bluestone County

Time flowed by as he read in silence.

The hands of the mechanical clock on his desk swept silently past noon. Li Wen gently closed his book.

[You studied diligently for six hours. Scholar EXP +540]

[Profession: Scholar Lv. 13 (297,400 → 299,020 / 409,600)]

A nearly imperceptible ripple of satisfaction flowed through his heart, the gratifying result of his daily accumulation.

He stood up and straightened his clothes. It was time for his fixed midday routine: lunch with his comrades stationed at the pass.

While guarding the pass, they ate, slept, and lived right here.

To foster team chemistry and allow for constant communication on combat readiness, the ten core Godfiend members of the Bright Moon Realm would gather in a cafeteria in the pass’s central area, regardless of whether they were on duty.

When Li Wen walked into the cafeteria, quite a few people were already seated.

The moment he entered, numerous gazes fell upon him, filled with respect, curiosity, and a subtle trace of awe.

"Haha, our Vice-Captain is here! Come, come, Brother Li, sit here!" a resonant voice boomed like rolling thunder.

The speaker was none other than the captain, Zhang Zhen, the soul of this defense force. He had the burly build of a bear and a straightforward, rugged personality.

But when his tiger-like eyes opened and closed, a sharp light glinted within them.

He gestured enthusiastically with a hand as large as a cattail fan, inviting Li Wen to take the seat of honor next to him.

The team members beside the captain also nodded to Li Wen in greeting.

"Vice-Captain Li!"

"Junior Brother Li."

Though the greetings varied, their attitudes all conveyed natural warmth and genuine respect.

No one looked down on him in the slightest because of his youthful appearance.

The reason couldn’t be simpler: Li Wen’s name was displayed high at the very top of Planet Blue’s Bright Moon Chart.

Despite being only at the Late-stage of the Bright Moon Realm, he had overpowered many experts at the Peak of the Bright Moon Realm to claim the number one spot. He was the undisputed strongest in the realm.

This level of strength had long since surpassed any normal measure of seniority.

Therefore, on the very first day Li Wen descended from the mountain, he was formally appointed as the vice-captain of this team.

If not for concerns about his limited experience guarding the pass, his combat power—virtually unrivaled in the Bright Moon Realm—would have made him the rightful captain of this team.

The atmosphere at the table was harmonious. Besides the necessary exchanges on defense dynamics, their conversation was also peppered with discussions about personal cultivation.

The team members had varied personalities. Some were as hearty as the captain, others were cautious and meticulous, and still others were taciturn but sharp-eyed, like an old veteran on Zhang Zhen’s squad with the surname Chen.

But regardless of their personality, their attitude toward Li Wen was surprisingly uniform: respect, mixed with a hint of aspiration toward a top-tier figure.

Lunch concluded in a harmonious and efficient atmosphere.

Everyone returned to their respective courtyards.

Li Wen soon returned to his own courtyard on the north side.

Instead of returning to his quiet room to rest, he walked straight to the open-air training ground in a corner of the courtyard.

A clear hum of a blade rang out.

Li Wen was already standing in the center of the training ground, his long saber in hand. Without any fancy opening stance, he executed a heavy and precise diagonal slash.

The movement wasn’t fast, yet it carried a strange rhythm and an indescribable sense of weight. As the blade cut through the air, faint purple arcs of electricity even flickered in and out of existence in the void.

His mind was not completely immersed in his saber techniques.

As his physical realm continued to advance, the power of his Primordial Spirit had condensed and strengthened again, its range far greater than when he was on the mountain.

With a slight stirring of his thoughts, an invisible and majestic will quietly expanded outward.

Even from this courtyard outside the city walls, his consciousness was like a vast, intricate net.

It instantly enveloped the pass’s entire core region. The floating Stargate and the spatial conditions for several miles around it were all under his mental surveillance.

No abnormal fluctuation could escape his "gaze."

Thus, he could divide his focus.

On one hand, he steadily honed the subtle feeling of his saber techniques merging with the Soul Realm, constantly refining the profound depths of the Profound Dome Rainbow Silence Chapter.

On the other hand, like the most vigilant Hunter, he kept a firm lock on the otherworldly gate that could spew forth a torrent of the Demon Race at any moment.

This was the level of control belonging to a top-tier Godfiend.

Of course, the defending Godfiends did not have to remain confined within the cold city walls at all times.

Each day, there were a few rotating leave slots, allowing personnel on duty to briefly enter the nearby Bluestone County to rest for a moment or visit family and friends.

Naturally, Li Wen often took this opportunity to go home.

That familiar purple flash of lightning would often silently leave the courtyard at dusk, traveling at a relatively low-key, afterimage-like speed through the passages outside the city walls and along the road to the county seat.

In a break during his practice, Li Wen’s gaze swept past the courtyard wall, looking toward the distant silhouette of the county seat.

His parents’ home was in that direction.

’This evening, maybe I can use a short leave slot to go home and have a normal dinner with them.’

The thought passed in a flash. His focus solidified once more as he resumed his steady, dedicated practice of the saber art—one that seemed slow, yet contained breathtaking power.

The tip of the saber trembled slightly, causing faint ripples of energy in the air, which he then precisely gathered within a tiny area.

The training ground once again fell silent, filled only with the rhythmic and powerful sound of his swinging blade.

Beyond the courtyard, high on the city wall, the team member on duty today was patrolling meticulously. The massive Stargate hung in the center, silently emitting a steady, ethereal glow.

The young man’s figure flickered and moved about the courtyard, the gleam of his saber dancing in the noon sun.