Translator: AnubisTL
Following the runes on the room plaque, Jieming quickly found his assigned quarters.
He pushed open the metal door, which was inscribed with soundproofing and protection runes, and the sight that met his eyes made him raise an eyebrow slightly.
According to the information on the plaque, each room was equipped with a laboratory. However, upon closer inspection, it was less a room with a lab and more a lab that had reluctantly carved out a small area for a lounge.
Over ninety percent of the space was occupied by various basic yet complete experimental equipment—an energy-sensing matrix, a material analyzer, and a rune-engraving platform were all present.
The simple bed in the corner and the small washroom seemed more like necessary appendages added to satisfy basic physiological needs.
"Very wizard-like, very practical." Jieming not only took no offense to this but nodded in approval.
This was the way of life that most wizards, including himself, were truly accustomed to.
In his Golden Garden and in the core laboratory of the Purgatory Sulfur Plane, he spent the vast majority of his time in exactly this manner; rest was merely a necessary respite between research sessions.
If prolonged mental strain didn't hinder learning and research efficiency, many wizards would likely resort to potions to eliminate the need for rest entirely.
He performed a cursory inspection of the laboratory's standard equipment. Its precision and functionality met and even exceeded the required standards, sufficient for most non-cutting-edge frontier experiments.
Of course, for him, such facilities were merely a pleasant addition. His primary equipment—the private set maintained and upgraded by the Black Giant Priests within his internal grotto-heaven—remained his main strength.
Learning that there was still some time before his Grandmentor's formal audience or the advancement ritual, Jieming completely abandoned any thought of going out to explore.
Although the various research projects in the Purgatory Sulfur Plane were managed by the efficient Black Giant Priests, Jieming felt it was still necessary to remotely review the key data and progress each day via his soul contract for peace of mind.
Besides that, his core mission during this recuperation period was to digest and absorb the vast amount of knowledge he had purchased. He could study anywhere.
Thus, he directly began his "secluded cultivation" right here in this "guest room."
With this, three months quietly slipped away.
A series of hurried knocks, delivered with a distinct rhythm, shattered the absolute silence of the laboratory like a stone thrown into a still pond, rousing Jieming from the vast sea of spatial theories he had been immersed in.
He frowned, reluctantly setting aside the complex rune structure he had been analyzing, and rose to open the door.
Viola stood outside.
She brushed past him without a word, squeezing into the room. Instead of speaking, she simply stared at Jieming with her strangely shimmering eyes, scanning him from head to toe as if he were a rare specimen.
Confused by her scrutiny, Jieming spoke first. "What is it, Senior?"
Viola clicked her tongue in amazement. "You really are a monster! Three whole months! I asked around—you actually never left this room? You just stayed in here studying the entire time?"
She gestured to the equipment around him, which showed clear signs of frequent use. "You finally make it to headquarters, with all these new gadgets and so many wizards of your own rank to network with, and you weren't tempted in the slightest?"
Jieming shook his head, his tone flat. "There's a lot I need to learn during this break. I'm not interested in anything else for now."
"Not interested?" Viola narrowed her eyes suspiciously, leaning in closer. Her nostrils flared slightly, as if she were sniffing the air.
A look of "just as I thought" crossed her face. "I don't think you're uninterested. I think your greatest interest is the act of learning itself!"
Jieming was momentarily stunned, then it dawned on him.
He remembered Viola's unique "Law of Pain."
Upon entering, she must have instinctively sensed the emotional fluctuations within him.
The mental exhaustion from prolonged, high-intensity study, the frustration from difficulty in understanding—these would typically be accompanied by varying degrees of "pain."
Yet, from Jieming's own perspective, he felt no such pain. "Strictly speaking, my greatest interest isn't learning knowledge, but improving my strength."
Seeing that Jieming understood her detection, Viola stopped pretending. She rolled her eyes. "I've never met anyone as freakish as you! Is learning as natural as breathing for you? Does it not even cause a shred of 'pain'?"
Jieming smiled but didn't explain his uniqueness, simply changing the subject. "Senior Sister, you didn't come all this way just to confirm if I'm a 'pervert,' did you?"
Reminded by his words, Viola slapped her forehead. "I almost forgot the main point! Mentor Clark just sent word that Grandmentor has finished his final preparations and plans to officially meet with all of us—his disciples and grand-disciples—tomorrow."
Jieming's heart tightened as he immediately grasped the key point. "Grandmentor is preparing for his advancement?"
Viola thought for a moment and shook her head. "Not quite at the final moment yet. According to Mentor, this meeting is more of a final adjustment and preparation before the advancement. It's also an opportunity for everyone in our lineage to get to know each other and familiarize ourselves."
"After all, the chance to observe an eighth-tier advancement is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Grandmentor hopes his descendants will be better prepared so they can gain as much insight as possible when the time comes."
Jieming nodded in understanding.
This is like a pre-battle rally, he thought. It's both to boost morale and to establish the rules.
After relaying the important news, Viola watched as Jieming had already sat back down at the workbench, picked up a Knowledge Crystal, and prepared to continue his research. Her lips twitched uncontrollably.
She felt that Jieming's aura—his indifference to his surroundings and his single-minded immersion in the ocean of knowledge—was becoming more and more like Mentor Clark's, if not even surpassing it.
Refusing to give up, she quietly used her Law Perception to probe him again.
It was still a "pure land," devoid of any negative emotional fluctuations that usually arose from studying profound knowledge. There was only a state of near-perfect "serenity."
"What a monster..." Viola muttered under her breath. This time, her tone held less teasing and more of a complex mix of emotion, tinged with a faint, barely perceptible admiration.
Only those who had truly climbed the peaks of knowledge understood the crushing "pain" brought by the continuous mental drain and sense of frustration when trekking the rugged, steep mountain paths of theory.
She... or rather, the vast majority of wizards, could force themselves through such bitter cultivation as Jieming was by sheer willpower, but they could never find it so "sweet."
"At this rate, he might surpass me before long," Viola thought, watching Jieming's focused profile.
Then she shook her head, decided not to disturb him further, and gently closed the door as she left.
(End of the Chapter)
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