High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 337: Chapter 188: Marquis Conferment, Combat Power of a King

At the center of his Dantian, the core, which had once been like a blazing, scorching sun, began to undergo a stunning metamorphosis under the infusion of endless energy and the powerful compression of the Star Dome Domain.

Its volume shrank, yet its light became more focused, radiating a terrifying pressure that made the heart tremble.

That sun seemed to have reached the end of its life cycle. Its light collapsed inward rapidly, and its internal structure was completely reorganized under the guidance of the Star Dome Law.

As the frantic infusion of energy continued, the sun collapsed to its absolute limit.

Immediately after, a silent genesis erupted!

The point of collapse suddenly expanded. A splendid, nebula-like energy gushed forth, its light brilliant and dazzling, yet deep and vast—far beyond what a single sun could compare to.

This nebula spun and expanded rapidly within Li Wen’s Dantian. Countless tiny points of light were nurtured and born within it, like a scene from the dawn of the universe.

The nebula expanded, its light intensified, and its structure solidified.

Finally, the spinning nebula, containing innumerable points of energy and light, took its final form. It transformed into a vast, profound expanse that seemed to hold endless stars and power—a Star Dome!

This Star Dome now occupied Li Wen’s Dantian. It was no longer a solitary sun, but a vast model of the cosmos, containing myriad stars, self-contained and perpetually cycling.

The moment this Star Dome formed, a wave of power—vast, majestic, and seemingly capable of communing with heaven and earth and commanding the space around him—erupted from Li Wen!

This power instantly shattered his original realm’s barrier, reaching a new, far higher level—the Star Dome Realm (Marquis Conferral).

The faint phenomenon of stardust around him surged in intensity, transforming into clearly visible motes of starlight that shone out from his body.

It resonated strongly with the dim light of the entire Star Dome Cavern, the lights flickering in a magnificent and mysterious display.

Li Wen slowly opened his eyes. Within them, the reflection of a Star River seemed to shimmer, making them incredibly profound.

He felt the vast Star Dome within his body and the new power that seemed capable of controlling the domain around him. His heart was calm.

From this moment on, reaching the Marquis Conferral realm was a natural success.

「...」

The resonant phenomenon within the Star Dome Cavern suddenly spread outward.

It became an invisible ripple that swept across all the nearby mountain peaks. The dense power of the stars triggered a celestial phenomenon, causing the crowd of spectators and cultivators outside the cavern to turn their heads.

”There’s movement again!”

”The energy fluctuation is so strong this time, even more intense than the last! It’s the sign of a breakthrough!”

”It must be Senior Brother Zhang! He’s been in there for almost a year.”

”It could also be Senior Brother Zhao Zheng. He’s been inside for over half a year.”

The discussions were endless, but almost no one cast their gaze toward the figure who had entered only half a month ago.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to think it, but that they didn’t dare.

In the entire history of Kindling University, there had never been a precedent of someone comprehending the Star Dome Domain and breaking through to the Marquis Conferral realm in just half a month.

This wasn’t a matter of looking down on him; it was an inevitability based on common sense.

WHUMMM—

The starry mist at the cavern’s entrance churned and parted automatically.

A tall, straight figure walked out slowly. He did his best to restrain his aura, but the majestic pressure from his recent, not-yet-fully-stabilized breakthrough was undeniable.

That pressure, combined with the oppressive presence unique to a Marquis-rank God-Demon, still spread out like a tide, clearly imprinting itself on everyone’s senses.

It wasn’t Senior Brother Zhang, nor was it Zhao Zheng.

It was Li Wen!

For an instant, the entire peak fell into a dead silence.

All eyes were frozen on that excessively young face, filled with incredulous shock.

”Li... Senior Brother Li?!”

”Half a month... to Marquis Conferral?!”

”My god...”

The astonishment lasted only a moment before being drowned by an even more torrential wave.

”Congratulations, Senior Brother... uh, Junior Li, on achieving Marquis Conferral!”

”Congratulations, Junior Li!”

”A blessing for Kindling! A blessing for the Human Race!”

After the gasps of shock came heartfelt congratulations and respect, the voices rising and falling in waves.

Li Wen smiled and cupped his fist to the crowd, returning the salutations one by one.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he didn’t linger. With a slight movement, he turned into a faintly blurry afterimage and instantly vanished from the peak.

He needed to immediately verify what level his strength had reached after stepping into the Star Dome Realm.

「In a barren, desolate canyon of rubble deep within the Kindling Ancestral Vein」

Li Wen’s figure appeared out of thin air.

The next moment, with a mere thought, his entire body seemed to be devoured by an invisible bolt of lightning, instantly transforming into a blinding flash of electricity.

The flash of electricity vanished in an instant, silent and traceless. It left only a minuscule spatial ripple in the air as he reappeared on another cliff dozens of kilometers away.

This was the Divine Technique his physical body awakened after his Nine Heavens Divine Body entered the Star Dome Realm—Body Transformation into Nine Heavens!

His body would briefly elementalize, turning into pure lightning. Not only did his speed increase to a terrifying degree, but in this state, he was also largely immune to physical attacks. It was a supreme art for pursuit and evasion.

The only drawback was the fairly intense consumption of True Essence.

Retracting the Divine Technique, Li Wen returned to his normal state.

He didn’t use Body Transformation into Nine Heavens, merely flying through the air in his normal state.

With a flicker of his figure, he easily crossed a distance of over ten kilometers.

Although this speed was far inferior to his lightning form, it was still astonishingly fast.

As far as he knew, for King-rank God-Demons who didn’t specialize in speed, an entry-level King could flash about half a kilometer to a kilometer in a single leap.

A standard King could manage one and a half to two kilometers; a top-tier King, three to three and a half. Only a peak King could barely reach ten li (five kilometers).

Yet his normal flash-step already covered over ten kilometers!

This meant his base speed was more than double that of a peak King!

If he were to use Body Transformation into Nine Heavens, his speed would be over ten times that of a peak King, even surpassing some Venerables.