High Martial: I Grind Professions

Chapter 368: Chapter 208: The Myriad Phenomena King’s Dissatisfaction

Without the constant support of Spiritual Power and the boost to his comprehension, he could never have cultivated the Shocking God Stab to perfection.

His blade techniques would not have improved so quickly, and the Star Dome Domain and Domain Realm Blade Intent would have been completely out of the question.

Unfortunately, ever since he graduated from high school and left the environment where he could reliably gain Scholar experience through various exams, his methods of gaining experience had become extremely limited, restricted solely to reading books.

This had undoubtedly slowed his leveling speed considerably.

Although the system was later balanced by increasing the experience gained from reading tenfold, Li Wen still felt the setup was highly unreasonable. But he quickly came to terms with it.

After all, the rules of this panel were derived from a game he had played in his past life.

For the sake of so-called game balance, it was commonplace for the development team to be fickle, constantly making adjustments.

He clearly remembered that in the original game’s design, all classes would undergo a major version update upon reaching level 16.

After that update, the ways each class could gain experience would become much more diverse.

This was especially true for the Scholar class.

An extremely critical bug instantly surfaced in Li Wen’s mind, causing his fingers, which were turning the page, to pause slightly.

Once a Scholar reached level 16, a new way to gain experience would be added: selling one’s own written works.

The bug was that, initially, the update had no restrictions.

Players could insanely farm stats off each other.

You could buy 999 copies of my work in one go, and I could immediately buy 999 copies of yours.

By repeating this loop indefinitely, a Scholar’s experience could be maxed out in an instant.

This exploit only existed for a single day before it was emergency-patched by the developers.

It was changed so that a single person could only buy one copy of the same work.

Furthermore, only Scholar-class players could make purchases, completely shutting down the possibility of inter-class farming.

Countless players who had used the exploit were banned back then.

Li Wen had missed out on the ”feast” due to getting the information late, but for that very reason, it had left a deep and lasting impression on him.

At this moment, a great temptation and an equally great doubt churned in his heart.

’When my Scholar level reaches LV16, will this bug from the ”game’s design” reappear in this real world, on my strange panel?’

’If the bug exists and I use it to farm experience like crazy, will it trigger some kind of ”anti-cheat” mechanism in the ”system”?’

’Will I be directly ”banned” like those players back then... or worse?’

After all, this panel was the foundation of his survival and his path to the pinnacle.

If it were disabled, everything he had would turn to dust.

’To farm, or not to farm?’ The thought wrestled violently in his mind.

’If I farm it, I risk getting banned and being completely finished.’

’But if I don’t, and there’s no ban, won’t I have missed a golden opportunity to instantly skyrocket my Scholar level and cause my comprehension and Spiritual Power to soar again?’

’The loss would be just as immense!’

”...Huuuh.” Li Wen let out a long, silent breath.

He forcibly suppressed the turmoil in his heart and shook his head hard, as if trying to toss aside this hot potato for the time being.

’Anyway, I still have a fair amount of experience to accumulate before I reach Scholar LV16. Agonizing over it now is pointless and will only cause more trouble.’

He refocused his attention on the text before him, carefully reading line by line.

Experience +1, +1, +1

...

It increased slowly but steadily.

While he was engrossed in his reading, people began to awaken one after another from their comprehension of the long river of light.

When they saw Li Wen completely absorbed in what looked like an ordinary, leisure book—in a precious, convergent Star Domain where Laws were made manifest—their eyes couldn’t help but reveal astonishment, confusion, and even a hint of pity.

The Myriad Phenomena King, who had always been hot-tempered and straightforward, furrowed his brow so tightly it formed a deep crease.

The originally peaceful aura around him fluctuated slightly, a clear sign of his deep dissatisfaction.

In the Myriad Phenomena King’s view, a spectacle of universal Laws, so clear and intuitive, was right before them. This was a sacred ground for enlightenment that countless experts dreamed of.

’And Li Wen isn’t seizing every single second to desperately comprehend the Law of Light, but is reading a book instead?’

’Isn’t this getting his priorities backward? Focusing on the trivial and ignoring the monumental?’

’It’s sheer arrogance, a waste of a god-given opportunity!’

However, Li Wen seemed oblivious to the gazes of confusion and veiled disapproval cast his way.

His mind was already immersed in an ocean of knowledge, and his powerful Primordial Spirit had insulated him from all external distractions.

Only the soft rustle of turning pages was especially clear—and especially... out of place—in this quiet Star Domain shrouded in a halo of light.

Three days passed quietly in this Star Domain where time, space, and the Laws were all slightly chaotic.

Li Wen once again closed his book and carefully returned it to his spatial bracelet.

He felt mentally refreshed, his state adjusted to its absolute peak.

He rose and walked over to the Celestial Martial King, who was meditating with his eyes closed, his aura as deep and vast as the sea. Li Wen spoke to him respectfully via telepathic transmission:

”Senior Brother Celestial Martial, I would like to return to the edge of that thunder world to continue my comprehension. The Law of Thunder there is more compatible with the Blade Intent I just broke through to. My efficiency in gaining enlightenment might be higher.”

The Celestial Martial King slowly opened his eyes. His profound gaze seemed to pierce through space as he nodded.

”Very well. Of the three thousand Great Daos, one should choose the path that suits them best. Above all, be careful.”

Hearing this, Sun Rui, who was nearby, thought for a moment and said:

”Senior Brother Li, I won’t be going with you this time. The efficiency for me to comprehend the Law of Light versus the Law of Thunder is about the same.”

”Besides, with Senior Brother Celestial Martial presiding here, it’s much safer and more stable. You must be wary of the Demon Race while you’re out there alone.”

His tone was sincere; he had clearly weighed his options.

”Understood.” Li Wen cupped his fist in salute.

He actually felt more at ease with Sun Rui not coming along; he preferred being alone anyway.

As the Myriad Phenomena King watched Li Wen turn and transform into a subtle streak of light, shooting off alone once more toward the thunder world filled with destructive and berserk power without a hint of hesitation, the dissatisfaction in his eyes nearly materialized.

He snorted heavily. Although he didn’t voice his criticism directly, the intense fluctuation of his energy and his tightly pressed lips revealed the conclusion he had reached.

’This genius from Blue Star named Li Wen may have monstrous talent, but his personality... it’s far too arrogant and conceited. He looks down on everyone!’

’He’s utterly unsociable, to an extreme degree!’

In the depths of the Star Domain, crisis lay hidden.

Li Wen’s solitary figure, set against the magnificent yet eerie backdrop of light and shadow, appeared exceptionally lonely, and exceptionally... resolute.

...

At the edge of the vast, boundless thunder world, Li Wen’s figure seemed tiny, yet incomparably determined.

He had returned alone to this strange land, filled with both destruction and vitality.

Above him, billions of Thunder Serpents danced wildly, tearing through the void as they erupted from incomprehensible dimensions.

In the next instant, they would annihilate, weaving a colossal net that blanketed the heavens and the earth.

The power contained within the deep purple core region was enough to make even a peak King-level expert’s expression change.

The air was thick with the acrid smell of ozone and pure lightning energy particles.

Every breath brought a subtle numbing sensation, yet it also stimulated the activity of every cell.

The Spiritual Power in his sea of consciousness, which had been depleted from prolonged use of Absolute Focus, had now fully recovered during his journey back.

Without the slightest hesitation, a sharp glint flashed in Li Wen’s eyes as he sank his consciousness deep into his sea of consciousness.

’Activate, Absolute Focus!’

Instantly, an invisible force field seemed to envelop him. All the external clamor—the roar of thunder, the agitation of energy—were sealed away, leaving only absolute clarity and tranquility.

His sense of time stretched out infinitely. The speed of his thoughts soared to its peak, his brain operating like a precision instrument that had been overclocked.

His Perception Power and analytical ability toward the surrounding world were enhanced to an unbelievable degree.

The 150% boost to his comprehension was displaying its astonishing effects.

His gaze, like the most precise detector, locked onto a silver-white Electric Snake snaking out from a crack in the void.

Under the state of [Absolute Focus], the seemingly chaotic and violent bolt of lightning—its trajectory, the way its energy condensed, its transitional nodes, the information released at the moment of its annihilation—all of it transformed into countless streams of deconstructible data that flooded into Li Wen’s consciousness.

He ”saw” how energy particles were accelerated, torn apart, and reassembled under a strong electromagnetic field.

He felt the subtle distortions in space created by the high-speed movement of electric charges.

He experienced how the true meaning of ”speed” in that instantaneous burst transcended the shackles of physical form.

These insights flowed like a constant stream into the lake of his nascent ”Extreme Speed” Blade Intent.

Under the reflection of the Law of Thunder, the prototype of his Blade Intent became clearer and more condensed.

He subconsciously used his finger as a blade, tracing it lightly through the void. The faint airflow stirred by his fingertip actually flickered with faint sparks of electricity, emitting a soft CRACKLE.

Each slash was a process of integrating the observed trajectories, condensation methods, and explosive characteristics of the lightning into the framework of his blade technique.

His gaze was no longer limited to a single Electric Snake; instead, he simultaneously captured tens, even hundreds of lightning bolts of different forms and intensities.

There were faint blue arcs as fine as hair, crimson pillars of lightning as thick as dragons, and even more of the heart-pounding, deep purple demonic lightning of destruction.

He tried to understand the connections and transformations between them, to comprehend the cycle of lightning from ”birth” to ”extinction.”

He sought to grasp the higher-level flavors of the Law contained within, such as ”Judgment,” ”Purification,” and ”Creation.”

These profound insights continuously expanded the boundaries and depth of his Blade Intent.

He even cautiously guided a trace of the outermost, relatively gentle lightning energy into his body, allowing it to circulate through his meridians.

Every slight sting and numbness was accompanied by a more direct comprehension of the fundamental nature of lightning energy.

It also subtly tempered his physical body, quietly increasing his divine physique’s resistance to lightning.

His Nine Heavens Divine Body technique began to operate instinctively. A nine-colored brilliance faintly flowed across the surface of his skin as it attempted to absorb and convert this berserk energy.

Day after day, the concept of time grew hazy here.

Li Wen maintained a posture of nearly eternal concentration.

He would only stop when the Spiritual Power in his sea of consciousness was nearly exhausted from repeated deep analysis and high-intensity deductions, bringing with it a piercing, needle-like pain.

He would then take a translucent Crystal Potion from his spatial bracelet, uncork it, and drink it all in one gulp.