High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 404: Chapter 244: Venerable—Li Wen

The cave’s environment played an immense role.

The veins of energy flowing across the ground emitted a warm glow.

It was as if the ley lines were providing Li Wen’s domain with an endless source of support and a stable anchor.

Within the chaotic firmament on the dome, purple specks of light represented the Law of Thunder, and silvery threads represented the Space Law.

Their brightness had clearly intensified. Wisps of primal aura drifted down, actively absorbed by Li Wen’s domain and Primordial Spirit, accelerating the fusion process.

Time seemed to lose all meaning inside the grotto.

One month, two months...

Like the most patient artisan, Li Wen meticulously wove the Law of Thunder he had comprehended into every corner of his Cosmic Domain.

Within the compressed space of the domain, the scenery was in constant flux.

At times, the silvery-gray space dominated, with purple lightning streaking through it like a roaming dragon.

At other times, it transformed into a sea of thunder, where spatial nodes stood firm like unshakeable pillars.

Eventually, the two became increasingly indistinguishable.

A noble purple tinge flowed within the silvery-gray, while the purple lightning held the profundity of space.

The aura of the entire domain grew incredibly condensed and heavy, carrying with it a heart-pounding, destructive pressure and a sharpness that could pierce through anything.

...

「Three months flew by.」

「Galactic Calendar, Year 246, July 14th.」

Within the compressed Cosmic Domain, the fusion of thunder and space had reached a state of flawless perfection, becoming a single, integrated whole.

All that remained was the final wisp—the very core, the most primal thread of the Law’s true meaning, symbolizing the ultimate mystery of the Law of Thunder: ”Destruction and Creation.”

Like a wild, untamable divine dragon of purple, it coiled at the heart of the domain, not yet fully merged with the core origin of space.

’Now is the moment!’ Li Wen’s Primordial Spirit’s eyes snapped open, and the vast power of his 7th Layer Primordial Spirit poured into the domain’s core without reservation.

Simultaneously, he mobilized the comprehension of thunder’s ultimate mystery he had accumulated when creating the Venerable Level saber techniques ”Void-Sever,” ”Starfall,” and ”Thunder Prison” deep within the Star Domain, amidst the raging storms.

RUMBLE—!

This was not a real sound, but the roar of the Law, detonating simultaneously in Li Wen’s sea of consciousness and the core of his domain.

The purple divine dragon of Law finally let out a joyous roar.

Carrying a supreme will that could pierce through eons and shatter all laws, yet also gestate new life, it plunged headfirst into the core origin of space within the Cosmic Domain.

Fusion complete!

At that very instant, the entire Primeval Origin Grotto began to tremble violently.

All the flowing veins of energy on the ground erupted with an unprecedented, brilliant radiance, like awakening dragons.

The chaotic firmament of the dome spun wildly, the specks and threads of light representing thunder and space blazing with extreme intensity.

Two pillars of light, so condensed they seemed solid, projected down to completely envelop the seated Li Wen and his newly transformed domain.

「Outside the grotto, high above Enlightenment Peak!」

The once-clear sky was abruptly shrouded by boundless, heavy, leaden clouds!

These were no ordinary storm clouds; they possessed a deep, majestic, dark-gold hue that seemed to contain infinite energy.

Their scope was vast, covering an area of nearly a thousand miles!

BOOM! KRA-KOOOM!!!

A colossal bolt of lightning—its color indescribable, as if condensed from pure Law—tore through the dark-golden firmament without any warning.

This bolt didn’t strike down; instead, it pierced through heaven and earth like a great pillar!

Then came a second, a third... and countless more bolts of Law lightning. They took on all shapes and sizes—some thick, some thin, some coiling like dragons, others straight as spears.

They spawned, roamed, and detonated wildly within the thousand-mile expanse of dark-golden clouds!

At the same time, the sky began to distort!

This wasn’t the twisting of a storm, but the folding and quaking of space itself!

Visible to the naked eye, spatial ripples like waves on water spread rapidly outward in concentric circles, with Enlightenment Peak at the epicenter.

Wherever the ripples passed, light was stretched into bizarre arcs, and fragile boulders were silently pulverized into dust!

At the core, where the dark-golden thunderclouds and spatial ripples intertwined, one could faintly perceive the phantom of a miniature universe, constantly being born and destroyed, rising and falling in the air.

Within it, silvery-gray and purple lightning intertwined—this was the projection of Li Wen’s ”Cosmic Thunder Domain.”

An indescribable and terrifying pressure, as if from the sovereign of the world itself...

...swept out from Enlightenment Peak like a tangible tsunami, thundering in all directions!

Within a thousand-mile radius, every living creature, be it a common bird or beast, a powerful Martial Artist, or even a Marquis or a King...

...felt an irresistible tremor and awe rise from the depths of their soul, an involuntary urge to prostrate themselves in worship toward the center of the phenomenon!

The faculty and students of Spark University, and even the fortress soldiers stationed farther away, instantly understood what was happening as soon as they looked up and saw the terrifying phenomenon blanketing the heavens.

”Gods... What is that?!”

”A celestial phenomenon! One that covers a thousand miles of sky and land!”

”It’s coming from Enlightenment Peak... It’s the Changning King, Li Wen! He’s having a breakthrough!”

”My God... this commotion... it’s ten, no, a hundred times more powerful than when he ascended to the rank of King!”

”A Venerable! He’s really becoming a Venerable! Earth’s fourth Venerable! A Venerable at thirty-seven years old!”

After a moment of stunned silence, a tidal wave of ecstatic celebration erupted.

Countless people rushed out of their homes to gaze at the grand spectacle—a scene that seemed to herald both apocalypse and genesis. Tears of excitement streamed down their faces as they let out deafening cheers.

”He did it! Venerable Li Wen!”

”Venerable Changning! Long live the Human Race!”

”The fourth Venerable! The heavens have blessed the Human Race!”

The cheers and shouts merged into a single roar that echoed across the thousand-mile landscape.

They intertwined with the sky’s deafening yet paradoxically silent roar of the Law, composing a magnificent symphony of the Human Race’s ascent.

The three Venerables—Ye Qin, Gu He, and Xingxuan—stood atop Enlightenment Peak. They let the terrifying pressure wash over them, their faces filled with excitement, relief, and profound emotion.

Ye Qin murmured, ’A thousand-mile phenomenon... resonance of the Law... Even the Founding Ancestor’s breakthrough, as recorded in the histories, was likely no more than this, was it?’

...

「Inside the Primeval Origin Grotto.」

The pillar of light enveloping Li Wen slowly dissipated. The seated figure opened his eyes.

Two beams of purplish-silver divine light, as condensed as matter and seemingly containing an infinite, thunderous universe...

...shot from his eyes, instantly piercing the grotto’s restrictive formations and lancing into the heavens.

All the flowing energy veins within the grotto settled into tranquility, yet they were brighter and more lustrous than before, as if they had undergone a baptism.

Li Wen slowly rose to his feet.

With his movement, an indescribably vast aura naturally began to emanate from him.

The aura was as heavy as the earth that bears all things, as profound as the boundless cosmos, and carried the supreme majesty of one who commands thunder and shatters all laws.

He wasn’t deliberately releasing his pressure. His mere existence caused the surrounding space to groan as if overburdened, unable to bear his presence.

He looked down at his palm and gently clenched his fingers into a fist.

KRAK—!

In the center of his palm, a tiny patch of space instantly collapsed and was annihilated.

It formed a singularity of absolute darkness, which was then instantly filled and smoothed over by surging, silvery-purple arcs of electricity.

This was the most fundamental manipulation of space, born from the combination of pure physical power and his newborn Law Domain.

’The Venerable Realm...’ Li Wen murmured softly. His voice was calm, yet it seemed to resonate with the world itself.

The power flowing through his body—be it the vast, majestic True Energy or the Primordial Spirit that was as dense as a tangible object...

...or the brand-new power that had completely transformed into a ”Law Domain”—all of it had undergone a heaven-and-earth-shattering qualitative leap.

If before he could battle a top-tier Venerable by relying on his various techniques...

...then now, he felt that his nascent Venerable Level power alone was enough to approach the combat strength of a top-tier Venerable.

This was a complete transcendence of his very state of being, a deeper level of mastery over the Laws of the world.

RUMBLE!

The heavy stone door of the grotto rumbled open.

Li Wen stepped out.

With no earth-shattering fanfare, his figure appeared directly in the sky above Enlightenment Peak.

He stood suspended in midair, directly beneath the core of the terrifying thousand-mile phenomenon.

The moment he appeared, all the Law lightning between heaven and earth instantly grew more active.

And yet, they circled him with perfect docility, like subjects paying homage to their sovereign.

The phantom of the miniature universe rose and fell behind him as his domain of intertwined silvery-gray and purple lightning unfurled naturally.

Though its range wasn’t large, it seemed to be a world unto itself.

It sealed off the raging phenomenon of the outside world, making him appear even more otherworldly and exceptional.

The lightning of the dark-golden firmament draped him in divine radiance, and the spatial ripples bowed in submission at his feet.

He hovered there, his figure not particularly imposing, yet in the eyes of all, he had become the center of the universe, the very pillar supporting the heavens.

The venerable majesty he naturally exuded was more deeply moving than the celestial phenomenon in the sky.

It caused the fervent cheers from across the thousand-mile expanse to quiet down, transforming into a reverent awe that stemmed from the depths of their very souls.

The three Venerables—Ye Qin, Gu He, and Xingxuan—flew up to meet Li Wen.

These three great pillars of the Human Race now looked at Li Wen, their gazes filled with unprecedented gravity, elation, and a hint of unconcealable astonishment.

”Congratulations!” Venerable Ye Qin’s voice boomed with sincere joy. ”Li Wen, as of this day, the fourth Venerable of the Human Race is born!”

”Congratulations, Venerable Changning!” Venerable Gu He and Venerable Xingxuan chimed in.

Li Wen stood suspended in the air, his gaze slowly sweeping over the sea of cheering people below.

His eyes swept over the excited crowd, past the familiar grounds of Spark University, and finally settled on the distant horizon, where the phantom of the Demon Realm loomed.

His eyes were as calm as still water and as deep as an abyss, but beneath that placid surface lay a majestic power and an unshakeable conviction, enough to move heaven and earth.

The fourth Venerable of Earth, at the age of thirty-seven, had, on this day and in this place, ascended to rule supreme!

At this moment, the curtain rose on a new era.

...

High above Enlightenment Peak, the leaden clouds dispersed and the Law lightning faded away, leaving only the figure of Li Wen suspended in the air.

Though the pressure that had permeated a thousand miles had been retracted, the venerable air that he exuded with every movement was more persuasive than any celestial phenomenon.

News of Li Wen’s breakthrough to the Venerable Realm hit like a meteor crashing into a placid lake.

The ripples it created, originating from Spark University, instantly swept across the entire network, sending shockwaves throughout all of Earth.