Chapter 022
Chapter 22: Breakthrough
No one could resist the continuous cultivation using Cataclysm materials at the Seven Seal level. Even the Three Gods and Five Extremes hadn’t been so extravagant back then.
In a way, it meant that the current Blue Star hunting team was composed entirely of Seven Seal cultivators.
If this news were to spread, it would shock many.
But it also had to do with their small number. Now, apart from the Three Gods and Five Extremes, there were already many Seven Seal cultivators, as the cultivation speed had accelerated after the ten-year metamorphosis period.
Wang Jie walked slowly along the riverbank, his gaze fixed on the dark shadows constantly rolling beneath the water. They were snakes—huge ones, some of which were Six Seals, and others Seven Seals.
The detector kept beeping, reminding him of their presence.
“Boss, we’ll pull them out one by one to kill them. Who knows how many there are inside?”
“Can’t the detector tell?” Wang Jie asked.
He shook his head. “The detector can only gauge battle power. The numbers on it keep jumping, so it can’t tell how many there are.”
He decided to follow Old Nine’s suggestion and deal with them one by one.
Even if their numbers were large, the four of them at the Seven Seal level were more than enough to handle it.
Just as he was about to make a move, a streak of fiery red shot across the sky. Wang Jie looked up, his eyes shifting. Was that?
Not far away, Wen Zhao looked up, her face grim. The second batch of trial takers had arrived. Someone had broken through to the Eight Seals.
At the same time, people all over Hua Xia witnessed the event.
In Upper Capital City, Bai Yuan’s face darkened. Someone had indeed broken through. Who was it?
At Tianfu Base, Zuo Tian frowned, watching the meteor streak across the sky. He had only recently broken through, so who dared expose their Eight Seal cultivation at this time?
The meteors carved through the sky, and compared to the first wave, there were far fewer this time, though they were concentrated in the East.
Many unlucky cultivators from the first wave had been discarded into the sea, probably never to interact with Blue Star people again. But this second batch was different.
The five major bases erupted in shock.
Countless cultivators angrily searched for the one who had broken through to the Eight Seals, calling forth the second batch of trial takers.
The news spread quickly about the second batch of trial takers.
There were thirty-two of them.
All at the Eight Seal level.
The news silenced many. At the same level, trial takers were already stronger than Blue Star cultivators, and now, they were a full realm above. Who could stop them?
Zuo Tian moved swiftly, issuing a notice to urge everyone to break through to Eight Seals to resist the second batch of trial takers.
He called for Cataclysm materials to be prioritized for Seven Seal cultivators.
At the same time, the energy of the seals erupted across Hua Xia, spreading outward from various points.
Wen Zhao found Wang Jie and the others. “The third transformation is about to begin.”
Old Five was taken aback. “There’s a third transformation?”
Wen Zhao explained, “The trial is about selecting the best of the best. When the second batch of trial takers arrives, the role of Blue Star cultivators is essentially to serve them. The trial takers’ main targets are mutated beasts. Hunting these beasts is both a test and a reward.”
“So the mutated beasts will undergo a third transformation to adapt to the confrontation with trial takers.”
Wang Jie’s expression darkened. A trial where every step was a battle, it seemed. Indeed, the first batch of trial takers could have taken control of all of Hua Xia in a short time. If not for him, Golden Hill Base would have been ruled by Yan Si or Wen Zhao, and the other bases were no different.
The first batch of trial takers had underestimated the people of Blue Star, which had led to a situation they couldn’t control. Moreover, someone breaking through had attracted the second batch.
Above them, a fiery red meteor shot toward Upper Capital City.
Wang Jie immediately ordered everyone to board the flying vehicle and return.
In Upper Capital City, everyone stared at the approaching meteor from the sky, fear in their eyes. A trial taker had landed near them.
The meteor tore through the Upper Capital City sky, crashing toward the south.
With a loud boom, the ground shattered, dust flying up.
Bai Yuan’s figure flickered as he stepped onto the city wall and then headed south.
When he arrived, he saw a man slowly emerging from the dust, looking up at him. Their gazes met, and the man smiled, “Native, you dare to come find me. You’ve got some strength.”
Bai Yuan landed a thousand meters away from the man, feeling the overwhelming heat. The pressure of the Eight Seals hit him immediately. “Can you tell me what your plan is next?”
The man turned his gaze to Bai Yuan’s behind, where the massive Upper Capital City base stood. “This place belongs to me now.”
Bai Yuan sighed. “As expected, you’re more direct than the first batch of trial takers.”
The man withdrew his gaze, focusing back on Bai Yuan. “You are qualified to be my follower.”
To the east, the flying vehicle descended, but Wang Jie and the others didn’t disembark. They watched as Bai Yuan confronted the man.
“Do you know him?” Wen Zhao asked.
Wang Jie shook his head.
Cultivators from the back approached, one of whom was Tang Jie. Meanwhile, Upper Capital City’s base had already deployed drones, and the light screen was sent back. The base was close.
Bai Yuan raised his arm, and a sword appeared from his sleeve. He grabbed the hilt and pointed it at the man. “Can we discuss this? Don’t target this base.”
The man frowned. “If you point a sword at me, you can die.” As he spoke, his clothes fluttered without wind, and his hair lifted as he lunged toward Bai Yuan. The ground cracked beneath his feet. With his second step, a violent aura howled out, like a fierce tiger descending the mountain. The third step pressed down on the sky, and a suffocating force filled a vast range.
A roar echoed as the air swirled into a circle, expanding outward.
All the drones were destroyed. The light screen of Upper Capital City’s base went dark.
Countless people in the base heard the roar, and the sky darkened.
Bai Yuan gripped his sword, raised his eyes, and slashed.
A cold gleam flashed.
The agitated air fell silent in an instant.
Bai Yuan tightened his grip on the sword and stood motionless. In front of him, the man stared at him, his body split in two.
In the flying vehicle, Wang Jie’s eyes narrowed. The sword was incredibly fast.
No one had expected that the Eight Seal trial taker would be cleaved in a single stroke by Bai Yuan.
Such a big commotion, and everyone thought the entire Upper Capital City base would be attacked… and it ended like this?
Bai Yuan sheathed his sword, turned, and walked away.
Old Five and the others stood stunned. This was incredible.
Wen Zhao hadn’t expected Bai Yuan to be this powerful either. She couldn’t help but look at Wang Jie.
Wang Jie also looked at her.
“The trial taker underestimated him, but there’s indeed a gap in strength. Even without underestimating him, a second strike would have been enough to kill him,” Wang Jie said.
Wen Zhao agreed. “This guy isn’t the strongest among the second batch of trial takers, but he’s not someone a Seven Seal native can kill with one sword. That Bai Yuan’s battle technique is no simple matter; it could be one of Armor One Sect’s secret techniques.”
Qing Zheng marveled, “No wonder he’s considered the strongest of the Three Gods and Five Extremes. That sword strike was ruthless.”
Wang Jie sighed. “Now I believe even the second batch of trial takers may not have anyone stronger than you.”
The man had appeared grandiose, but in reality, he couldn’t compare to Wen Zhao.
The flying vehicle started up again, heading back to their original position.
They needed to investigate who had broken through to the Eight Seals and called forth the second batch of trial takers. Otherwise, this would happen again. No one would care about the big picture. But more urgently, each base needed strong cultivators to remain stationed. Otherwise, they would be taken over.
Back at the river.
The method had changed.
Wang Jie stood at the river’s edge, the power of his seals boiling inside him. A mark appeared on his abdomen. This was the eighth seal.
He had broken through.
Wen Zhao, not far away, watched him intently.
She was curious to see how powerful Wang Jie had become after breaking through to the Eight Seals.
Wang Jie himself was curious as well. He could clearly feel the difference in his body after the breakthrough. There was more seal power. Time to test it.
He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
A giant finger descended from the sky, and another appeared from the riverbed.
Like a giant stepping out of the void, the two fingers pressed down on the river below, trapping it between them.
Qing Zheng and the others gaped in astonishment. This was too exaggerated.
Whose fingers were that big?
Wen Zhao narrowed her eyes. She had seen this technique before. The absolute suppression she experienced made her almost suffocate. She was from the Wen family, one of the three families of Armor One Sect, and had access to the martial hall, learning numerous battle techniques, even mastering the Bridge Law. Yet, she was still overwhelmed.
This finger technique was extraordinarily powerful.
The river was cut in two by the two fingers, and the snakes at the bottom of the river all died, no more than ants in front of the Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger.
This single strike even changed the river’s course, pausing the water flow for a moment.
“Go collect the materials,” Wang Jie reminded.
Old Five and the others quickly dove into the muddy river to retrieve the dead snakes’ Cataclysm materials.
“You said you would teach me,” Wen Zhao’s voice came from afar.
Wang Jie exhaled. The seal power had consumed nearly half of his energy, but it was far less than the previous time, and he had become much more adept. The breakthrough had indeed been useful, but it also had to do with his regular training.
“Of course, but you’ll need to learn the Luo Xuan Finger first.”
Wen Zhao frowned. “I know the Luo Xuan Finger. What was that finger technique called just now?”
“Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger.”
Wen Zhao seemed to recall something. “Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger? Wait, I’ve heard that before. Did you say it’s called Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger?”
Wang Jie turned around. “That’s right, have you heard of it?”
“It’s impossible. The Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger has been lost for ages. How could you possibly know it?”
“Lost? Armor One Sect doesn’t have it?”
“They do, but that was in the past. This technique is extremely difficult to learn. It’s said that a senior from Armor One Sect died outside thousands of years ago, and he was the last person to master it. Once that senior died, no one in the sect could ever learn it. Where did you learn it?”
Wang Jie pointed at the sky above.
Wen Zhao looked up at the sky projection. Was it from the martial hall? Yes, that senior must have left a trace in the martial hall, but could one learn the Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger just from that trace? It seemed impossible. She glanced at Wang Jie again, who looked completely calm. She didn’t know how to refute him.
Besides the martial hall, where else could he have learned the Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger?
Armor One Sect had always been watching Blue Star.
Wang Jie smiled at her. “Alright, don’t think too much about it. If I teach you, you’ll learn it, right?”
Wen Zhao bitterly smiled. “It’s not that easy. Even the sect’s elite prodigies couldn’t learn it.”
With one strike of the Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger, they obtained a considerable amount of Cataclysm materials.
“Boss, if we hunt a few more days, our hunting team’s ranking will definitely rise.”
Wang Jie nodded. “These materials should be enough to push you all to the Eight Seals. The third batch of trial takers won’t arrive so soon. Even with enough materials, cultivators still need time to break through to the Nine Seals. How long do you estimate it will take?”
Wen Zhao thought for a moment. “Cultivating below the Breaking Star stage isn’t that hard. Some people are born with Breaking Star stage power, and even those so-called Heaven’s Chosen prodigies, even if born ordinary, can step into ten Seals with their insight.”
“I didn’t believe there were people like that on Blue Star, but now, with you and Bai Yuan, I can’t underestimate this place.”
Wang Jie nodded. “Then let’s hurry up.”