High Martial: I Grind Professions

A halo of Law swirled, but it couldn’t hide the frozen air and silent, murderous intent of this place.

The Human Race contingent stopped at the edge of the River of Light. The Celestial Martial King stood with his hands clasped behind him, his presence as deep as a chasm and as steady as a mountain.

An invisible pressure, as real as a physical object, spread out, causing the hearts of the several peak Great Demon Kings on the other side to grow heavy.

On the Profound Turtle Old Demon King’s wrinkled face, apprehension was most apparent. He kept his eyelids slightly lowered, as if resting with his eyes closed.

In reality, his entire body’s Demon Power was retracted inward. The runes on his tortoise shell flickered in and out of sight, a sign that he was on high alert.

A Demon King shaped like a giant lizard and covered in dark gold scales fixed its cold, vertical pupils on the Celestial Martial King. Its thick tail swung unconsciously, stirring the thin mist of light around it.

Nearby stood a golden-winged great roc with an astonishing wingspan, its body wreathed in the power of wind and lightning.

Its sharp gaze swept over the Human Race contingent before finally locking onto the Celestial Martial King, filled with scrutiny and gravity.

There was also a Titan Giant Ape, as large as a small mountain with knotted muscles. It stood with its arms crossed, jets of hot air puffing from its nostrils.

Its eyes were filled with wild battle lust, yet also held a trace of imperceptible caution.

However, not all the peak Great Demon Kings were so restrained.

A short distance from the Profound Turtle Old Demon King, a humanoid Tiger Demon with a powerful build and bulging muscles stared fixedly at the Celestial Martial King.

The ’king’ character marking on its forehead seemed to throb.

It exuded a tyrannical aura that was completely out of place with the solemn or apprehensive atmosphere of the other Demon Kings.

"Celestial Martial King!" A low, provocative growl rumbled in the humanoid Tiger Demon’s throat.

Though quiet, the sound echoed clearly in the minds of his intended targets.

A vicious, eager glint flashed in his eyes, like a fierce tiger that had locked onto its prey, its claws already flexing in the air.

He first targeted the old, shell-backed elder who had suffered a loss before. "Old ghost!"

The Tiger Demon’s telepathic message carried a hint of instigation.

"I hear you suffered a nasty defeat at the hands of that Celestial Martial King last time. Your shell was nearly smashed to pieces, wasn’t it?

Can you really swallow that insult? How about we team up? With our combined power, plus my clan’s Secret Technique, we might just be able to tear open his domain and teach him a lesson!"

The Profound Turtle Old Demon King’s closed eyelids twitched slightly. He then slowly opened them, his murky old eyes betraying no emotion, only a bottomless calm.

He didn’t look at the Tiger Demon. His gaze remained on the distant River of Light as if he were comprehending the Law, but his telepathic reply to the Tiger Demon was clear:

"No, Tiger King. This old man is getting on in years; I can’t handle such turmoil. My injuries from last time have yet to heal. The mark left by his fundamental Power of Rules isn’t so easily erased.

This Celestial Martial King... is unfathomable. This old man won’t be joining the fun. You young ones have the drive, so feel free to go ahead."

His voice was flat and emotionless, holding no hint of joy or anger, yet it carried an undeniable refusal.

"Hmph!" The Tiger King snorted a jet of hot air, the vicious light in his eyes intensifying. His telepathic message was laced with obvious scorn:

"Old ghost, this isn’t like you! Back in the day, you were someone who dared to challenge a Demon Saint.

And now you’ve been scared witless by a titled king of the Human Race? It seems you really were beaten into submission last time. You’re even pulling your head deeper into that shell of yours!"

Faced with the Tiger King’s mockery, the Profound Turtle Old Demon King simply closed his eyes again, as if entering a meditative state, and ignored him completely.

On his shell, which was covered in the marks of time, a ghastly crack that nearly ran across his entire carapace pulsed with a faint fluctuation of Rules.

It flickered in and out of view under the swirling halo of light, a silent testament to the terror of his last encounter.

Having been met with a firm but polite refusal, the Tiger King’s anger grew.

Defiantly, he turned his gaze to the other peak Great Demon Kings.

"Golden Roc!" he said, turning to the golden-winged great roc whose wings blotted out the sky.

"Your speed is unmatched, the best among our peers! Don’t you want to test the mettle of this Celestial Martial King? If we team up—you take the lead to pin him down, and I’ll wait for a chance to unleash my power—we can definitely..."

"Not interested." The Golden Roc’s telepathic reply was as cold and proud as the striking of metal on stone.

"My goal is the ultimate mystery of the Law of Light, not some pointless struggle. The Celestial Martial King is no ordinary foe. Attacking him rashly would be a waste of energy, and the losses would outweigh the gains."

Its sharp eyes swept over the Tiger King, carrying a hint of imperceptible contempt, as if looking at a reckless brute.

The Tiger King suppressed his rage and looked at the Dark Gold Giant Lizard. "Scale Emperor, your defense is peerless. If you join me..."

The Dark Gold Giant Lizard’s vertical pupils glanced at him coldly. The frequency of its tail’s swinging increased slightly, and its telepathic message was brief and direct:

"The risk is too high, the reward uncertain. The Profound Turtle’s failure is a clear lesson. If you want to fight, go yourself."

Finally, the Tiger King pinned his hopes on the Titan Giant Ape, the one with the most savage aura:

"Brother Ape Demon! Your Divine Power is world-shaking, and you love a good fight more than anyone! This Celestial Martial King is so arrogant, don’t you want to..."

"ROAR!" The Titan Giant Ape let out a low, muffled roar like rolling thunder and flexed its arms abruptly.

The violent aura distorted the space around it, but its telepathic message was surprisingly rational:

"Tiger King, don’t provoke me. I like to fight, but I’m not suicidal! That Celestial Martial King’s aura... it’s even more terrifying than last time!

The Profound Turtle’s shell was almost shattered. Do you think my fists are that much harder than his shell? If you want to go, go. I want to spend a few more days comprehending the Law!"

Rejected repeatedly, the Tiger King’s face turned so grim it looked like it could drip water.

He glanced around. Whether it was the cautious Profound Turtle, the proud Golden Roc, the cold Scale Emperor, or the seemingly savage but actually shrewd Titan, not a single one was willing to join him.

Their strengths were indeed on par with his own, but for that very reason, they understood the terror of the Celestial Martial King even better.

’Without the Profound Turtle’s defense, said to be the best in the Star Domain, to take the brunt of the attack; without the Golden Roc’s ultimate speed to tie him down;

without the Scale Emperor’s defense to share the pressure; without the Titan’s power to clash head-on;

if I, the Tiger King, were to charge in alone against the unfathomable Celestial Martial King—the one who instantly killed the Sky-Splitting Peng King and wounded the Profound Turtle—

there would likely be only one outcome: bringing disgrace upon myself, or perhaps even following in the Sky-Splitting Peng King’s footsteps.’

’A bunch of gutless rats!’ the Tiger King cursed inwardly. His ferocious gaze lingered on the Celestial Martial King for a moment before he unwillingly retracted his aura.

He understood that without allies, attacking the Human Race contingent alone—especially confronting the Celestial Martial King directly—was tantamount to suicide.

His monstrous, ferocious aura was extinguished as if doused with cold water, leaving only deep apprehension and a stifling, unvented frustration.

He could only do as the other Demon Kings did and lock his gaze firmly on the Celestial Martial King,

and on the group of equally powerful young geniuses from the Human Race behind him.

The young man standing just behind the Celestial Martial King, whose aura was as deep as an abyss and whose gaze was as sharp as a blade, was especially high on his list of individuals to watch.

The core of the Star Domain once again fell into a delicate, peaceful standoff, forcibly maintained by the Celestial Martial King’s might.

Seeing that the Demon Race had no intention of making a move, Li Wen was happy to remain idle.

With his current strength, there was truly no one in this Star Domain who could stop him.

He could even single-handedly slaughter every member of the Demon Race in the entire Star Domain.

However, he had no such plans at the moment. His comprehension of the Space Law was still too shallow; he had only grasped the barest surface of it.

’Hunting down the Demon Race right now would be a waste of time. It’s better to improve myself first.’

’At my current rate of improvement, these demons below the Venerable Level pose no threat to me whatsoever.’

’Other people’s future potential is unknown, but I’m certain my future combat power will be enough to destroy the entire Demon Realm by myself.’

’Not to look too far ahead, but once my Primordial Spirit enters the eighth layer, I’ll reach the level of a peak Venerable with my Primordial Spirit alone. Combined with my Primordial Spirit Secret Skill, I’ll even possess the combat power of the Saint Realm.’

’When that time comes, I alone can end this war that has lasted for several hundred years.’

Thus, the current Li Wen had no interest whatsoever in hunting down the demons in the Star Domain.

As long as these demons didn’t come seeking their own deaths, he couldn’t be bothered to take the initiative to kill them.

So, in the end,

both sides chose to hold their positions, maintaining a fragile, unspoken agreement to mind their own business.

The Celestial Martial King’s gaze was like lightning. After sweeping it across the Demon Race assembly and confirming they had no immediate intention of attacking, he paid them no further mind.

His primary goal in leading everyone back to the Star Domain was not slaughter.

Rather, it was to seize this final opportunity to absorb the true meaning of the Laws in this strange land—formed by the descent of a world from the Demon Realm—and build a solid foundation for future breakthroughs.

The group included Sun Rui, Ling Feng, and several other Marquis Level geniuses.

If a chaotic battle approaching the Venerable Level were to break out, protecting them would be a huge burden and could even lead to unnecessary casualties.

"Since the Demon Race isn’t moving, we need not provoke them," the Celestial Martial King’s steady and powerful voice reached everyone’s ears.

"The phenomenal manifestation of the Laws here may be thinner and more obscure than last time, but the essence in the core region is purer and more condensed. Seize this moment. Each of you, find a path that resonates with you and comprehend it with a calm mind!"

At the Celestial Martial King’s command, the tense nerves of the humans relaxed slightly, and they quickly turned their attention to the magnificent spectacle unfolding in the core of the Star Domain.

This was no longer a simple River of Light, but a bizarre landscape formed by the interweaving and materialization of multiple Laws, like an open-air museum of cosmic principles.

Beside the River of Light, a more condensed stream—one that seemed to be made of pure liquid light, far more concentrated than what they had seen on the periphery—snaked through the void, emitting a warm and sacred aura.

Specks of light danced like sprites, their trajectories containing the true meaning of light—speed, penetration, purification, and more.

A glint flashed in Sun Rui’s eyes. Without hesitation, he flew closer and sat cross-legged at the river’s edge.

A soft halo bloomed around him, resonating with the river of light. He guided wisps of light to circle his body, deeply analyzing the essence of light’s speed and the transformation of its energy forms.

He had gained immensely here last time, so he was now on familiar ground. His aura faintly merged with the river of light.

Seeing that Sun Rui had already entered a deep meditative state beside the River of Light,

the other titled Kings and Marquis Level experts also began searching for areas in the core region where the Laws were dense, and they sat down cross-legged to meditate.