High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 264: Chapter 164: Another Identity

All eyes turned to the center of the platform, to the purple figure standing tall with his blade, the hem of his robes swaying gently in the energetic aftershocks.

"Li Wen!"

"Captain Li!!"

"Beautifully done!!!"

The roar of his name was the only sound.

This unprecedented and glorious victory—the complete annihilation of an invading force led by a peak-level Demon General with near-zero casualties—was almost entirely thanks to his astonishing burst of power at the most critical moment, and the ruthless reaping that followed.

Despite the crowd’s fervent gazes and deafening cheers, Li Wen’s face showed little excitement.

He simply offered his usual humble smile as his longsword returned to its sheath with a soft SHING.

He surveyed the surrounding wreckage and his exhilarated teammates, then spoke calmly:

"It was just a fluke. We had the intelligence advantage. The Demon Race had no idea I was here and completely underestimated our combat strength. Next time, they’ll be on guard. Trying to lure them in deep or easily take out a key figure with a Talent Divine Technique won’t be so easy."

The captain walked over, his expression a mixture of a survivor’s relief and deep admiration for Li Wen. He nodded and said:

"Li Wen is right. This victory was built on the enemy’s lack of intelligence, especially their complete misjudgment of your strength. Next time they come, they’ll be far more cautious and might even use more targeted methods. They certainly won’t be lured this far from the Stargate again."

He had personally experienced the power of the Lion Demon Roar Divine Technique, so he understood better than anyone just how crucial and timely Li Wen’s intervention had been.

A nearby teammate dusted himself off, adding with a hint of relief:

"Still, this is a good thing. At least we hurt them bad this time, and now they can’t gauge our true strength. The gate here in Bluestone County will probably be a lot quieter for a while. It’s a good chance for us to recover, and it benefits the surrounding regions too."

"I hope so," Li Wen said, nodding. His gaze swept over the battle scars on the platform, then turned to the swirling nebula of the Stargate, which had returned to an eerie calm. His expression was profound.

He knew this was only the beginning of a long vigil.

And events unfolded just as they had predicted.

「On the other side of the world behind the gate.」

"Hmm? Not back yet?" growled Shi Li, a Marquis Level Demon King whose mountainous frame exuded an aura as terrifying as the abyss.

He stared at the motionless portal with his enormous, golden, slitted pupils. After waiting for several full hours, he finally had to accept the worst.

"Worthless! A bunch of worthless trash!" His furious roar made the grand hall reverberate.

He had sent his finest elites. His own heir was among them, a pure-blooded talent whose strength was top-tier even among those at the Peak of Bright Moon Realm. To think they had all been wiped out.

’Could Blue Star have deployed multiple Great Sun Realm cultivators that quickly? Or did a Marquis Level expert just happen to be passing through?’ Shi Li was completely baffled.

He could rack his massive lion’s brain until it cracked and he still would never guess that the culprit behind the annihilation of his elite force was a mere human at the Late-stage Bright Moon Realm.

...

「Galactic Calendar 231, July 18, Night.」

Inside the Bluestone County underground fortress, a constant light shone down on the metallic floor of a meditation chamber.

Li Wen sat cross-legged in the center, his body wreathed in visible ripples of pure energy.

A crimson, pigeon-egg-sized pill slowly dissolved in his palm. Wisps of medicinal energy seeped into his meridians, tempering a physical body that had long since reached the Late-stage Bright Moon Realm.

For the past six months, the underground fortress at Bluestone County had enjoyed a rare period of peace, earned by the total annihilation of the invading Demon Race.

Only sporadic Demon Race scouts attempted to spy, and they were immediately driven back by the vigilant sentinels the moment an alarm sounded.

But this peace was confined to Bluestone County’s small corner of the world. The other satellite cities around Changning City, and even counties farther out, still struggled under the shadow of the Demon Race invasion, where brutal battles could erupt at any moment.

As such, Li Wen, a core asset with combat power comparable to the Great Sun Realm, was frequently assigned to reinforcement missions.

Six months of campaigning had tempered him in blood and fire. Not only had his cultivation steadily risen, but he had also developed an indescribable, murderous aura.

A nearly tangible miasma of demonic slaughter clung to him, causing ordinary members of the Demon Race to tremble and retreat instinctively on contact.

Right now, however, Li Wen’s focus was on the Scholar experience bar that had clearly materialized in his consciousness:

[297400 → 404320 / 409600].

He was only 5,280 experience points away from his Scholar class breaking through to Lv. 14.

This signified a massive, imminent leap in power.

Not only would the ten percent boost to his comprehension allow for more efficient enlightenment, but his Spiritual Power would also surge terrifyingly.

The quality of his Primordial Spirit would be pushed to a new height. Even if it didn’t allow him to break directly into the fourth layer, the improvement would be astonishing.

The stronger his Primordial Spirit, the more unfathomable the power of his hidden trump card, the Shocking God Stab. This was the source of his confidence in being able to face a Marquis Level expert.

Just as he finished absorbing the last wisp of the pill’s medicinal energy—

BZZZT!

The large energy display in the meditation chamber and the personal terminal on his wrist simultaneously flashed with a blinding red light.

A shrill alarm klaxon shattered the chamber’s tranquility.

A blood-red coordinate and a distress call were clearly displayed: [Nanzha County]

’Nanzha County?’ Li Wen’s eyes scanned the information, instantly pinpointing the location.

Nanzha County was in the southern part of Changning City, a great distance from Bluestone County in the north.

His mind raced, but there was no hesitation.

His seated figure vanished abruptly, leaving only a faint distortion in the air where he had been.

The next instant, he appeared on a surface-level landing pad in Bluestone County.