Chapter 017

Chapter 17: Cooperation

Wang Jie stepped into the corner and pointed toward the lake’s bottom. A spiral qi force surged through the air, striking the water with a sharp tremor. The earth beneath him rumbled, as if something had exploded under the lake.

Before he could strike again, the water churned, and a massive shadow swam past.

Hong Jian’s blade slashed through the air with a single, decisive cut, forcing the creature to emerge.

The blade’s edge cleaved the surface of the Mysterious Lake, splitting it in two. Beneath the surface, a giant black fish flicked its tail and struck at the blade, shattering it with a forceful whip. Turning swiftly, it tried to flee. Feng Yu, Big Beard, and others moved quickly, taking action from all sides.

This black fish possessed the strength of a seven-seal warrior. Before its ten-year metamorphosis period had passed, it couldn’t have reached such power. But now, killing it would take time. The main challenge was its incredible speed—it was elusive and hard to catch.

Wang Jie flicked his finger, sending a spiral qi force across the air to strike the black fish. The force tore through its body, and from there, the battle became simple. Hong Jian’s blade cut again and again, splitting the Mysterious Lake into fragments. The black fish’s blood stained the water, and soon, it was slain.

With the task done, Wang Jie turned and headed toward the clean zone to find Four-Eyes.

His residence no longer needed hiding, and Old Five had recovered, gaining the ability to protect himself.

On the 17th, Wang Jie and Old Five sat quietly in the courtyard, waiting.

Old Five glanced toward the second floor now and then, growing increasingly anxious.

After several hours, a figure jumped down from the second floor and landed before Wang Jie and Old Five.

Old Five, excited, exclaimed, “Old Nine, you can walk now?”

Wang Jie looked at Old Nine’s legs, his heart slowly at ease.

Old Nine smiled and raised his hand, looking at Wang Jie. “Thank you, Boss.”

Wang Jie chuckled. “The Three-Eyed Wolf King really worked. Congratulations on your recovery, Old Nine.”

Next, Wang Jie handed over the numerous cataclysm materials that Hong Jian had sent to Old Five and Old Nine, urging them to absorb the imprint power and cultivate quickly. Free gifts were always welcome. That’s how things were in this world—strength ruled, and resources were limited, so they were prioritized for those in need.

Fairness was the biggest joke.

Hong Jian had already done a lot. To protect the base, he fought mutated beasts to the death and showed no fear of the trial takers. Yet, even he had never considered allowing everyone outside the base to enter—it was unrealistic and would create too many conflicts, making management impossible.

Kindness only went so far.

This was the moral standard of the current age.

The three brothers had a good meal, and Old Five even forced Four-Eyes to join them. Four-Eyes was busy studying the cataclysm materials from the moon plant, visibly excited, but couldn’t escape Old Five’s persistent dragging.

“Zuo Tian will definitely break through,” Old Nine said suddenly, breaking the silence after dinner.

Wang Jie nodded, “I know.”

Old Five’s gaze darkened. “Boss, when are we dealing with him?”

“Wait until you break through to the seven seals,” Wang Jie replied.

“You’re not confident yet? That finger technique of yours is practically divine,” Old Five exaggerated.

Anyone who had seen Wang Jie fight Wen Zhao was in awe of his power.

Wang Jie’s expression grew serious. “Do you not remember why we failed two years ago?”

Old Five and Old Nine fell silent.

Wang Jie looked up. “Wen Zhao could dodge, but Zuo Tian might not be so different.”

“What do you plan to do?” Old Nine asked.

Wang Jie’s eyes narrowed. “First, let’s pay a visit to the Tianfu Base and see how much he’s hiding.”

The doorbell rang.

Wang Jie glanced toward the yard and saw a familiar figure standing outside.

Liu Ying?

He had almost forgotten about her.

Under the teasing gazes of Old Five and Old Nine, Wang Jie opened the door.

Liu Ying still looked the same—dirty and disheveled, with an aura that screamed “slum area.” Yet, she had managed to find her way here and hadn’t been driven away, so she clearly had permission to stay in the clean zone.

“Sorry, I’ve been busy and forgot to find you,” Wang Jie said, letting her in.

Liu Ying looked nervous, glancing at Wang Jie. “Did you, uh… go to see my big brother?”

Wang Jie handed her a photo.

Liu Ying stared at it, her eyes reddening as tears fell.

Wang Jie remained silent.

Upstairs, Old Five grinned. “Boss broke up with her?”

Old Nine rolled his eyes. “Stop talking nonsense.”

“But Boss really has unique taste—she’s quite the character,” Old Five praised.

Liu Ying left soon after, leaving behind ten vials of beast blood.

Wang Jie didn’t refuse—it was part of the cost for the mission, even though he no longer needed it.

In this world, no one deserved sympathy. For many people, living was worse than dying.

With the cataclysm materials provided by Hong Jian, Old Five and Old Nine eagerly absorbed the imprint power. Not long after, Old Five broke through to the seven seals. He was naturally talented, otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to participate in that event with Wang Jie two years ago.

Old Nine also successfully reached six seals and would likely break through to seven soon.

“The speed at which we’re absorbing imprint power seems to have increased,” Old Five remarked, amazed.

Wang Jie noticed the same change, especially after the moon plant had been slain that night.

The ten-year metamorphosis period?

Mutated plants and animals could suddenly evolve, increasing by a level. Humans couldn’t do that, but the speed of absorption and breakthroughs had indeed quickened.

As time passed, more seven-seal warriors would undoubtedly emerge.

If there were no trial takers, this would be a good thing. But now…

Messages kept pouring in from the outside, reporting ongoing attacks by trial takers on the various bases. As expected, their focus was on Blue Star’s cultivators.

The situation outside grew more chaotic, but Golden Hill Base remained relatively untouched. Perhaps it was because there were fewer trial takers around, or perhaps they were deterred by the large pit outside the city.

Meanwhile, the anger of Blue Star’s people toward the trial takers continued to grow. Many had died at their hands, yet they couldn’t do anything to stop them. The gap in power was simply too wide, and trial takers were mostly seven-seal warriors, with few weaker ones.

One day, Feng Yu brought news. “Zuo Tian fought a trial taker squad, forcing them to recognize that Blue Star’s people have the right to equal dialogue. They’ve agreed to a meeting in Upper Capital City a month from now.”

Wang Jie was shocked, his expression turning serious.

Old Five and Old Nine were equally stunned.

That was a trial taker squad, all seven-seals, yet Zuo Tian had managed to force them to talk as equals? How had he done it? Even the weakest trial taker wouldn’t be so far below Zuo Tian.

The Tianfu Base had become the focal point of Hua Xia’s attention.

Previously, Upper Capital City had been the strongest base and the center of Hua Xia in peaceful times. But now, Zuo Tian had overshadowed everyone and became the leader in Blue Star’s negotiations with the trial takers.

Over the next two days, news from the outside flooded in, all praising Zuo Tian. The trial takers’ attacks on Blue Star’s cultivators had noticeably decreased.

Zuo Tian was already young, with a great public image, and as one of the three gods, he now became a figure admired by many.

The theme of the Upper Capital City meeting would be how to best utilize Blue Star’s resources before the second wave of trial takers arrived, strengthening both trial takers and Blue Star’s cultivators to deal with the new threat.

A month—it wasn’t long, but it wasn’t short either.

During this time, Zuo Tian suggested that everyone should focus on eradicating mutated plants and animals. This would not only protect Blue Star but also provide more cataclysm materials to use as bargaining chips in negotiations with the trial takers.

The proposal was immediately adopted by everyone.

Bai Yuan, one of the three gods from Upper Capital City, stood up to call for unity among humans, urging them to eliminate the mutated beasts before any internal conflicts.

The five major bases all responded.

Immediately, the number of cultivators heading out to hunt mutated creatures increased.

In the midst of all this, the four words “don’t break through” echoed in everyone’s mind.

Boom!

Outside Golden Hill Base, a bridge collapsed and fell into the river. On the south side of the bridge, a group of cultivators breathed a sigh of relief.

“That was close, we would have died if we fell into the river.”

“Gray Paw, how could you not know the bridge was going to collapse?”

Gray Paw hurriedly apologized, feeling a little wronged. How could he have known the bridge would fall?

“Hey, look, is that Weed?”

Everyone turned to look. In the distance, a car approached and stopped by the riverbank. From the vehicle, Wang Jie stepped out.

He was here for the snow steed.

With Zuo Tian’s fame now at its peak, it was no longer suitable for him to go to Tianfu Base. He wanted to learn more about the trial takers and their true objectives. Not knowing would put him at a disadvantage.

Turning, he saw a group of people staring at him.

Gray Paw?

Wang Jie withdrew his gaze. Since the bridge had collapsed, he could only cross on his own.

He slowly bent his knees and, with a sudden burst of force, shot across the river like a cannonball.

Gray Paw and his group stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Such boldness?

In this era, the greatest danger wasn’t the mutated creatures in the wild, but the vast and unpredictable rivers and oceans. No one dared to leap across rivers—that was as good as seeking death.

Wang Jie shot forward, planting his left foot on his right and adjusting mid-air, constantly moving closer to the opposite bank.

Just then, a massive serpent, as thick as a barrel, shot out of the water, its sharp teeth bared and gleaming. Its scales glimmered brightly under the sunlight.

A seven-seal-level mutated beast.

Wang Jie flicked his finger, sending a spiral qi force downwards, hitting the serpent’s head. The beast was knocked back into the water with a loud splash. Wang Jie leapt again, quickly crossing the river and landing on the opposite shore.

Gray Paw and the others watched in awe.

This was the style of a true master.

Wang Jie took out a map and glanced at it. Someone from the base had reported spotting the snow steed tracks on the northern bank of the Yangtze River. He hoped it was still nearby.

As he walked, he dealt with any mutated creatures he encountered, including two seven-seal-level beasts.

The wilderness was growing more dangerous.

In the distance, thunder rumbled, and dark clouds quickly obscured the sun. Rain began to pour down.

The misty rain blurred the world, but through the haze, Wang Jie saw a white flash—the snow steed. He immediately chased after it.

The snow steed ran for a while before stopping. On its back, Wen Zhao turned and raised his hand. Qi surged from his palm, releasing a wave of energy.

The visible qi twisted the rain, shooting toward Wang Jie.

Wang Jie dodged, “I’m not here to fight.”

Wen Zhao looked at Wang Jie and opened an umbrella with his left hand. “You’re looking for me?”

Wang Jie met his gaze. “What is the goal of your trial?”

Wen Zhao raised an eyebrow. “Why would you think I’d tell you?”

“Because we have a common enemy.”

“Oh?”

“The second wave of trial takers,” Wang Jie explained, recounting the events unfolding outside.

Wen Zhao paused, then said, “I thought the first wave of trial takers could suppress you all. I didn’t expect that, besides you, others could do such things.”

Wang Jie stepped closer to Wen Zhao, leaving deep footprints in the mud. “Blue Star people and trial takers need not always be enemies. We can cooperate.”

The snow steed growled, warning Wang Jie to keep his distance.

Around them, movement could be heard, but under the snow steed’s growl, everything settled down.

Wang Jie observed the snow steed carefully, especially its teeth—snow-white canines. Yes, indeed, very white.