Chapter 73: The Ambitious Wang Jie
No wonder the Silver Radiance Empire had been acting so strangely. Moving cultivators and resources in secrecy, yet not directly mobilizing from the Frost Radiance Sect—even Jun Hua had forbidden him from leaving without permission. And now, Mu Ran had arrived even more covertly.
Gazing into the distance, Mu Ran realized that the entire border of the Silver Radiance Empire was being lined with formations. Mu Ran was definitely not the only Formation Daoist at work here.
Upon landing on the star, Mu Ran glanced at Wang Jie. “Do you need to rest?”
Wang Jie expressed his gratitude. “Thank you for your concern, Great Master, but there’s no need. Helping you complete this task is far more important.”
Mu Ran remained indifferent. “No need to rush.”
“Master, please instruct me as you see fit.”
Mu Ran sighed internally.
This planet was slightly larger than the previous one. Mu Ran estimated that Wang Jie would need about three and a half days to complete the excavation. Adding some deliberate inspections would stretch it to just enough time.
Wang Jie unsheathed his sword.
Mu Ran observed him closely. [This kid… his destructive power has improved?]
“Thank you, Great Master. I’ve grown more proficient in my swordsmanship,” Wang Jie said humbly.
Mu Ran forced a smile. “Not bad, not bad.”
Still three days.
Mu Ran was speechless. He forced Wang Jie to take a full day to check his work while he himself continued with the formation setups.
Only on the fourth day did he finally complete his part. Wang Jie leaped into the pit once more.
“Great Master, how will we activate it when the time comes?” Wang Jie asked with curiosity.
Mu Ran, exhausted beyond words, had been working nonstop. And there were still many more planets to visit. “A single catalyst will be enough.”
“Catalyst?”
“You’ll understand when the time comes.”
“Alright, then I’ll take a rest for now.”
“Wait—don’t rest yet.”
“??”
Mu Ran looked at Wang Jie seriously. “This is the perfect time to practice your sword techniques. You’ll gain deeper insights while in this state. This is a training method I refined in the Frost Radiance Sect.”
Wang Jie found this peculiar. [Is that really how it works?] He couldn’t shake the feeling that Mu Ran had more hidden struggles than he let on.
Still, it didn’t matter. He wasn’t even breaking a sweat.
As they neared the next planet, Mu Ran finally allowed Wang Jie to rest.
Wang Jie… actually went to rest.
Meanwhile, Mu Ran got to work setting up another formation. This planet was smaller than the previous two, meaning Wang Jie would likely finish in two days. He had to delay things.
Forcibly, Wang Jie rested for an entire day before resuming his excavation.
Time passed swiftly. More than a month had gone by as they traveled from one planet to another, laying down formations—all encircling the same region.
Mu Ran visibly aged from exhaustion.
On the other hand, Wang Jie remained full of energy. He even learned that the formations they had been setting up were Combined Double Tip Formations.
A single Double Tip Formation could only strike between two planets, but a Combined Double Tip Formation could devastate an entire region.
Along the way, they occasionally encountered other spacecraft, but no one exchanged words.
Wang Jie had guessed that war was brewing. Others must have realized it too.
The atmosphere in the Silver Radiance Empire had grown tense.
The only external visitors they had received during this time were supply deliveries for Wang Jie, particularly Cataclysm Materials needed to stabilize Lock Force after his underground excavations. This delivery granted Mu Ran a brief respite. Otherwise, he wasn’t sure if he would drop dead from exhaustion.
He regretted it now. He shouldn’t have presented himself as so high and mighty in front of this junior. Now, he couldn’t even step down.
“Finally done.” Mu Ran was weary, but when he looked at the Star Map, he felt satisfied. He gestured for Wang Jie to come over.
Wang Jie leaned in.
“See? This entire region is now covered by our Combined Double Tip Formation. If any living being steps inside and we activate it… heh.” Mu Ran didn’t finish his sentence, but his smirk said it all.
Wang Jie, however, was more curious about its power.
Mu Ran simply told him, “That’s classified.”
“Check your Personal Terminal. The Contribution System should be online now.”
Wang Jie opened his terminal. Sure enough, a new section labeled Contribution had appeared—simple and straightforward.
“What’s this?”
“Everyone who participated in this formation deployment receives rewards. You currently have ten points for assisting me in setting up the Combined Double Tip Formation. If we keep going, you could earn up to fifty.”
Wang Jie checked his interface. His name was there, alongside a single number—ten. The rest of the screen was blank.
Mu Ran chuckled. “Just wait. Before long, you’ll see some items in there that will blow your mind.”
Wang Jie frowned slightly. “This is a Frost Radiance Sect Contribution Reward, isn’t it?”
Mu Ran nodded. “Don’t ask too much. Just keep accumulating points. The more you have, the greater your benefits. This is a rare opportunity—don’t waste it.”
Wang Jie’s eyes gleamed. “Is there anything in there that could help me reach Star-Breaking Realm?”
Mu Ran scoffed. “Forget Star-Breaking Realm—if you gather enough points, even reaching Wandering Star Realm is possible.”
Wang Jie clenched his fists, excitement surging through him. “That’s incredible! Thank you, Great Master! Let’s keep going!”
Mu Ran nodded and headed for the next planet.
At first, he assumed things would proceed as usual. But Wang Jie had become too motivated. His comprehension of sword techniques deepened, and with a single slash, his excavation depth doubled.
Mu Ran was dumbfounded.
Now, Wang Jie was working too efficiently, while Mu Ran struggled to keep pace. Wouldn’t this make him look bad?
He cursed himself. If only he hadn’t said things that got this young man so fired up.
Seeing Wang Jie’s eager expression as he glanced in his direction, Mu Ran coughed lightly and decisively handed over all the planetary coordinates he had prepared. “Go dig them up yourself. Young ones are always impatient—I understand that—but I cannot afford to be. Formation work is a taxing endeavor; even the slightest mistake could lead to complete failure.”
Wang Jie responded, “Then this junior shall dig at a slower pace and accompany Master.”
Mu Ran waved him off. “No need. Just leave the spaceship with me and focus on excavating the next batch of planets. Mark each one properly once you’re done. I’ll handle the placement of the Star-Sealing Stones myself.”
“Won’t that be too exhausting for you, Master?”
Mu Ran chuckled. “Seeing your diligence reminds me of my younger days. Go on, then. Once you’re finished, you can ask your Emperor for other tasks to earn more merit. It will benefit you greatly.”
Wang Jie bowed deeply. “This junior thanks Master for his guidance.”
Mu Ran clasped his hands behind his back and hummed in acknowledgment.
A few days later, a new spaceship arrived, delivering another batch of Cataclysm Materials. Wang Jie boarded the ship and set off toward the next planet.
As for Jun Hua, Mu Ran contacted her directly.
Honestly, he was relieved to see Wang Jie leave. After all, the labor was already done, and keeping him around only added unnecessary pressure.
However, Wang Jie had deliberately increased his speed. He had noticed that Mu Ran’s formation work could not keep up with his pace, which forced him to slow down unnecessarily. That was unacceptable—it wasted his time.
This man was both proud and inefficient. Wang Jie had already learned everything worth knowing from him, so there was no reason to linger.
The Silver Radiance Empire provided Cataclysm Materials based on his efficiency. Even if he intentionally dragged things out, he wouldn’t gain any extra rewards. Instead, his time would be better spent hunting creatures on his Slaughter Stone Planet.
So, Wang Jie pushed his efficiency to the limit.
In just over fifty days, he had excavated over forty planets—enough for Mu Ran to construct four Combined Double-Tip Formations. At Mu Ran’s pace, that would take at least half a year to complete.
During this time, Wang Jie successfully used the Cataclysm Materials to strengthen all his marks to the Dark Gray Seal level. He estimated that his current standing was on par with Insect Xuan and Silent.
But something felt off.
No matter how much Seal Power he absorbed, he couldn’t deepen his imprint any further. It was as if his mark had reached a plateau and could not take root.
He searched for information on his Personal Terminal, but found nothing.
Clearly, this knowledge wasn’t publicly shared.
In the Silver Radiance Imperial Capital, Jin Chu stood before a massive Star Map, marked with various indicators representing supplies, personnel, formations, warships, and more.
Behind her stood Jun Hua and Yu Dong.
Though this was the territory of the Silver Radiance Empire, it was Jin Chu who commanded everything.
“We’ve already established nearly a hundred Combined Double-Tip Formations. With less than half a year left, we should be able to complete the planned three hundred formations, securing the border between the Frost Radiance Star Chain and the Ninth Star Chain.”
Jun Hua nodded. “The supplies are in place. Ten million Outer Sect Disciples from the sect are arriving in ten waves. So far, there are no intelligence leaks.”
Jin Chu acknowledged with a hum. “We cannot afford to be careless. This war has been in preparation for a long time.”
Jun Hua formally saluted. “Many thanks to Senior Sister for deploying the Formation Daoists from the sect.”
Jin Chu smiled. “I do this for the Frost Radiance Star Chain. The formations are set along the fastest invasion route of the Ninth Star Chain into our territory.”
Jun Hua said nothing further.
This was an offensive war—a campaign of aggression by the Frost Radiance Star Chain against the Ninth Star Chain. A counterattack was highly unlikely. The formations served as a safeguard, but Jun Hua believed their true purpose was to fortify the Silver Radiance Empire. If the Ninth Star Chain did retaliate, the empire would be the first to bear the brunt of the assault.
Defensive formations provided a far greater degree of security.
Deploying Formation Daoists was no trivial matter. Jin Chu had petitioned the sect multiple times before finally securing approval. This was largely due to her status as the strongest Inner Sect Disciple. Without that leverage, even as the war’s commander, she would not have had the authority to mobilize such a valuable resource.
As she continued analyzing the Star Map, she also checked the Contribution System—an essential part of war merit distribution.
“Hm?”
A name caught her attention.
Wang Jie?
Her eyes flickered across the Star Map. This individual had already accumulated twenty war merits, meaning he had assisted in the completion of two Combined Double-Tip Formations. His efficiency was remarkably high. By her estimates, most cultivators from such remote regions would take at least six days to complete the excavation for a single planet. If she recalled correctly, Wang Jie had been assisting Mu Ran.
The other cultivators from the Silver Radiance Empire had, at most, earned ten war merits.
War merits were not easy to acquire. Only Ten-Seal Cultivators were even eligible to assist a Formation Daoist like Mu Ran. More advanced Formation Daoists worked in tandem with technology, enabling faster work. However, those who controlled the machinery had no idea how the formations actually functioned, so they were not counted in the Contribution System.
Jin Chu pondered for a moment before casually asking Jun Hua about Wang Jie. However, Jun Hua and Yu Dong instinctively exchanged a glance, keeping silent. They tacitly agreed not to mention that Wang Jie might be connected to Armor One Sect.
Jin Chu took note of their reaction.
She had been paying particular attention to Silver Radiance Empire cultivators for a reason. Soon, she might need to use non-sect cultivators for certain tasks.
The Berserk Clan had an uncanny sense of smell. They could detect the presence of Frost Radiance Sect members.
Back at the Accompanying Lake Residence, Wang Jie attempted to research his problem again but found no new information.
Rubbing his temples, he debated whether to ask Jun Hua directly.
Just then, Cheng Qian arrived, bringing with him another batch of Sword Tassels.
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