High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 334: Chapter 187: Comprehending the Star Dome Domain (Part 2)

After bidding farewell to the Headmaster, Li Wen appeared at the foot of Nine Heavens Peak with a mere thought.

The mountain was the same as ever, wreathed in clouds and mist, with hints of Sword Qi faintly visible.

He arrived at the familiar Courtyard A-1.

The small courtyard was still tidy, clear evidence that someone had been maintaining it.

However, the faces of the disciples coming and going on the mountain were now mostly unfamiliar.

Upon asking around, he learned that Peak Master Fang Qinghan had left six months ago to oversee a major Stargate. The peak’s affairs were being temporarily managed by a senior elder.

The peers he had once known had either left the mountain or been transferred to the front lines. A poignant sense that the place was the same, but the people were gone, quietly surfaced within him.

He didn’t linger. He simply sat quietly in the courtyard for a moment, sensing the lingering traces of his former presence, before rising to leave.

His destination was clear: Star Dome Peak.

Even before he set foot on the mountain path to Star Dome Peak, a completely different aura washed over him.

This peak wasn’t characterized by jagged crags or perilous ridges; on the contrary, it seemed exceptionally understated.

The air was filled with an ineffable sense of tranquility and depth.

As far as the eye could see, the plants, trees, and stones all seemed to be tinged with a faint, star-like luminescence.

Even in broad daylight, one could faintly perceive the ambiance of a descending Star River.

Looking up, the summit didn’t appear to be solid. Instead, it was veiled in a flowing, dreamlike halo of pale blue light, as if it were a conduit to the depths of space.

Li Wen ascended the steps, his gait steady and deliberate.

The closer he drew to the summit, the clearer the sensation of merging with the cosmos became, as if each step landed upon the very ley lines of the stars.

The summit was a wide, flat expanse, and at its center was a massive cave entrance made of a material that was neither metal nor jade.

A soft light swirled at the mouth of the cave, faintly emitting an aura that calmed the mind and spirit.

This was one of Firestarter University’s most central secret grounds—the Star Dome Grotto.

Without a hint of hesitation, Li Wen stepped into the grotto.

The grotto’s interior was far vaster than it appeared from the outside, as if it were a pocket dimension unto itself.

The scene that met his eyes made him pause.

It was a far cry from the solemn scene he had imagined, of cultivators sitting in silent, arduous meditation.

Deep within the grotto, two men were seated at a naturally formed stone table.

One was Zhao Zheng, who had entered this place six months prior. The other was also a burly man, his aura deep and profound.

What surprised Li Wen even more was the stone table before them. On it sat a stone chessboard etched with the trajectories of stars, and next to it were two steaming teacups.

The aroma of tea mingled with the crisp, clean air of the grotto and wafted through the space.

”Check! HAHA! Senior Brother Zhang, I’ve broken your corner-star formation after all!” Zhao Zheng’s hearty laughter echoed in the spacious cave.

”Hmph. Only because you had the first move,” the burly man called Senior Brother Zhang retorted, though he didn’t seem angry.

Just as the two were about to start a new game, Zhao Zheng caught a glimpse of the figure at the entrance out of the corner of his eye. He froze for a second, then a delighted smile spread across his face.

”Junior Brother Li? HAHA! I had a feeling you’d be arriving soon! Come, come!”

Senior Brother Zhang, seated at the stone table, also looked over at Li Wen with curiosity.

Li Wen walked over, a hint of confusion on his face. ”Senior Brother Zhao, Senior Brother Zhang. What are you two...?”

He glanced at the chessboard and the hot tea, utterly unable to reconcile this leisurely scene with the legendary, arduous process of comprehending the Star Dome Domain.

Zhao Zheng stood up, enthusiastically pulled Li Wen down to sit, and expertly poured him a cup of hot tea.

”Here, here, sit down and have a warm drink. You find this strange, don’t you?”

He chuckled and explained,

”This Star Dome Domain... it’s mysterious beyond comprehension. When I first got here, I was just like you, wanting to spend twenty-four hours a day in dry, bitter meditation. And the result?

It was completely useless. My brain turned to mush, and I just got more and more agitated. It wasn’t until I talked with Senior Brother Zhang that I understood you can’t rush this kind of thing.

It’s like a star hidden in the fog; the harder you strain your eyes to see it, the fuzzier it gets.

Sometimes, if you just empty your mind, do something else, and soak in the atmosphere of the grotto, a flash of inspiration might just pop up on its own.

Balancing exertion and rest, maintaining a peaceful state of mind—that’s the true path.”

Senior Brother Zhang also nodded slightly.

”Junior Brother Zhao puts it crudely, but he’s not wrong. The Star Dome is vast; you cannot force your way through it. All who enter this grotto are here by fate. You just need to wait patiently for the flower to bloom.”

Li Wen nodded thoughtfully, accepting the tea from Zhao Zheng.

The tea was warm and carried a peculiar, clean fragrance. As it went down his throat, a cooling sensation spread straight to his Sea of Consciousness, and his spirit felt instantly refreshed.

And so, in this strange atmosphere, the three of them began to chat idly, like old friends at a reunion.

Their topics ranged from the defenses of Changning City to the recent changes at Firestarter University, deliberately avoiding the pressures of cultivation.

After a few pots of tea, the lingering tension from his breakthrough and subsequent journey quietly melted away, leaving Li Wen’s mind in a state of unprecedented peace. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

After bidding farewell to Zhao Zheng and Senior Brother Zhang, who were continuing to ”balance exertion and rest,” Li Wen began to wander through the grotto.

The grotto walls were not ordinary stone but a deep, abyssal black, naturally studded with countless tiny, glittering points of light, like stars.

They emitted a faint yet pure starlight, bathing the entire grotto in a dreamlike glow.

The most peculiar feature was the ceiling. It resembled a flowing, miniaturized projection of the night sky, with celestial bodies tracing their paths in slow, constant motion according to some profound, unknowable law.

Pale, silvery motes of energy, visible to the naked eye, drifted through the air like miniature stardust. With every breath, they were naturally drawn into his body, bringing with them threads of coolness and clarity.

Deeper within the grotto, there were several vortices where energy had naturally converged, each one emitting the rhythmic fluctuations of a different Dao.

Without deliberately seeking a special spot, Li Wen settled down cross-legged on a smooth stone platform near the center of the grotto.