Chapter 073
Chapter 73: Wang Jie’s Progress
No wonder the Silver Radiance Empire has been acting so strangely lately, secretly reallocating cultivators and resources without directly mobilizing any from the Frost Radiance Sect. Jun Hua had also instructed him not to leave without permission. Mu Ran’s arrival had been even more discreet.
Looking out at the horizon, Wang Jie pondered. The entire border of the Silver Radiance Empire was likely being arranged with formation dao. Mu Ran was certainly not the only formation daoist here.
They had arrived on another planet. Mu Ran glanced at Wang Jie and asked, “Would you like to rest for a bit?”
Wang Jie expressed his gratitude. “Thank you for your concern, Master, but no, it’s more important to help you complete the task.”
Mu Ran’s response was cool. “There’s no need to rush.”
“Please, Master, give me your instructions.”
Mu Ran gave him a subtle smile, which Wang Jie didn’t quite catch the meaning of, but the task at hand was far from over.
The planet they were working on was slightly larger than the previous one, and Mu Ran estimated it would take Wang Jie about three and a half days to complete the task. After factoring in time for him to intentionally check the work, that seemed like it would be enough.
Wang Jie drew his sword.
Mu Ran observed closely. The young man’s destructive power had increased, hadn’t it?
“Thank you, Master. I’m becoming more proficient with the sword technique.”
Mu Ran nodded slightly, his smile awkward. “Not bad, not bad.”
Three days passed, as predicted.
Mu Ran sighed, forcing Wang Jie to pause and check his work, giving him a mandatory one-day inspection period. Meanwhile, Mu Ran worked tirelessly on the formation.
By the time the fourth day had ended, Mu Ran had completed his task. Wang Jie dove back into the work.
“Master, how should we activate it?” Wang Jie asked, curious.
Mu Ran, exhausted and with no time to rest, glanced at the star chart with satisfaction. “A simple trigger will be enough.”
“A trigger?”
“You’ll know when the time comes.”
“Understood. Then I’ll go rest now.”
“No, wait, don’t rest.”
“?”
Mu Ran looked at him seriously. “Take this time to practice your sword. The deeper your understanding, the more you’ll gain. This is my experience from when I trained in the Frost Radiance Sect.”
Wang Jie found this advice strange. Was this really the key? He couldn’t shake the feeling that Mu Ran’s true intentions were more complicated than he was letting on.
But, no matter, Wang Jie hadn’t broken a sweat yet.
As the planet approached, Mu Ran gave him permission to rest.
Wang Jie… actually took a break. Meanwhile, Mu Ran began setting up the formation. This planet was smaller than the previous two, and Mu Ran could finish the task in two days at most. But he had to buy some time.
Wang Jie stretched his rest for a full day before getting back to work.
Days passed. Over the course of a month, they traveled across various planets, setting up the formations. They circled this entire area, and Mu Ran appeared visibly more aged with each passing day.
Wang Jie, on the other hand, remained in high spirits. He even knew that the formation they were setting up now was called the “Double Tip Formation,” a combination of multiple Double Tip Formations.
On its own, a Double Tip Formation could attack only the area between two planets, but a combined version could target a wide range.
They had encountered other ships during this time, but there was no communication between them.
Wang Jie could guess that a war was looming, and the atmosphere of the Silver Radiance Empire had become tense.
The only time outsiders came was to deliver supplies to Wang Jie, specifically the cataclysm materials. These were essential for unlocking the underground force fields, and replenishing the Lock Force was crucial.
This delivery allowed Mu Ran a rare moment of rest; otherwise, he wasn’t sure how he’d continue.
He regretted showing off so much in front of Wang Jie at the beginning. Now it was too late to back down.
…
Finally, after a long period of hard work, Mu Ran sighed in exhaustion, but his eyes lit up when he looked at the star map. He waved for Wang Jie to come over.
Wang Jie moved closer.
“Look, this is the combined Double Tip Formation we’ve set up. As soon as a living being steps in, we can activate the formation dao,” Mu Ran grinned mischievously.
Wang Jie’s curiosity was piqued. How powerful was it?
Mu Ran only responded cryptically, “It’s a secret for now.”
He then gestured for Wang Jie to check his personal terminal. “The Contribution System should be online now.”
Wang Jie opened his terminal and, indeed, found a new interface with the simple word “Contribution” displayed.
“What is this?” Wang Jie asked.
“Anyone who participates in this formation task will be rewarded. You currently have ten points for helping me complete the combined Double Tip Formation. If you continue, you can earn up to fifty points,” Mu Ran explained.
Wang Jie opened the interface and saw his name accompanied by the number -10. There was nothing else, just a blank screen.
Mu Ran continued, “Wait a bit longer, and you’ll see something good, something that will truly amaze you.”
Wang Jie raised an eyebrow. “This is the Frost Radiance Sect’s contribution reward system?”
Mu Ran nodded. “Don’t ask too many questions. Soon enough, you’ll understand. For now, just focus on earning more points. The more points you have, the greater the benefit for you. It’s a rare opportunity, don’t miss it.”
Wang Jie’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Is there a way for me to reach the Star Breaking Realm?”
Mu Ran scoffed. “Don’t talk about the Star Breaking Realm. With enough points, even the Wandering Star Realm is within your reach.”
Wang Jie beamed with enthusiasm. “That’s great! Thank you, Master, for the guidance. Let’s continue, then!”
Mu Ran nodded and moved toward the next planet.
He had expected their pace to follow the usual methodical routine, but Wang Jie, now energized by the prospect of the rewards, became even more proficient with his sword. One strike, and his depth of skill had doubled, leaving Mu Ran stunned.
At this rate, Wang Jie’s efficiency was increasing rapidly, while Mu Ran struggled to keep up. How embarrassing.
Mu Ran cursed himself for motivating Wang Jie so much with his words. Now he had to endure the consequences.
Wang Jie, clearly excited and eager, looked at him. Mu Ran cleared his throat and handed over all the coordinates for the next planetary locations. “Go ahead and dig these out. Leave the ship to me. You go mark each one after digging. I’ll handle the Star Sealing Stones myself.”
“Won’t this tire you out, Master?” Wang Jie asked, concerned.
“Seeing your enthusiasm reminds me of my younger self. Alright, go ahead. Once you’ve marked them, you can ask the Emperor for more tasks. That will earn you more points, which will help you.”
Wang Jie deeply bowed. “Thank you for your support, Master.”
Mu Ran nodded, hands behind his back, and watched him leave.
A few days later, a new ship arrived, bringing another batch of cataclysm materials. Wang Jie boarded the ship and set off for the next planet.
As for Jun Hua, Mu Ran contacted her directly. He couldn’t wait for Wang Jie to leave. After all, this laborer had completed all the heavy work, and now he was eager for the young man to leave—too much pressure for him to handle.
Wang Jie had caught on. He realized that Mu Ran was lagging behind, struggling to keep up with his speed. So, he had been forced to repeatedly pause his work to match Mu Ran’s pace. But now, Wang Jie had no intention of wasting time.
Mu Ran, trying to save face, wasn’t improving his efficiency. He was wasting Wang Jie’s time, and that didn’t sit well with him.
Since Mu Ran was so set on face-saving, Wang Jie decided to speed up, not wanting to waste more time.
The cataclysm materials sent by the Silver Radiance Empire were allocated based on Wang Jie’s efficiency, so even if he delayed time, he couldn’t obtain more. Instead of wasting time, he might as well hunt beasts on his Slaughter Stone planets.
Thus, Wang Jie pushed his efficiency to new heights, digging through over forty planets in just fifty days. This would allow Mu Ran to set up four combined Double Tip Formations, but at Mu Ran’s pace, it would have taken him half a year to finish.
Meanwhile, the cataclysm materials he received strengthened all of his seals to a deep gray color—close to the level of Insect Xuan and Mo.
But then, something strange happened. No matter how much force he absorbed, his seals couldn’t deepen. There was an odd sensation, as though the seals couldn’t land properly.
He checked his terminal but found no information. It seemed that some things weren’t shared.
In the Silver Radiance Imperial Capital, Jin Chu stood before a massive star map, marked with various symbols representing supplies, personnel, formation dao, warships, and more.
Jun Hua and Yu Dong stood behind her.
Despite being part of the Silver Radiance Empire, Jin Chu was in charge of everything.
“We’ve arranged nearly a hundred combined Double Tip Formations. With less than half a year left, we should be able to complete three hundred formations, securing the boundary between the Frost Radiance Star Chain and the Ninth Star Chain.”
Jun Hua nodded. “The supplies are in place, and the disciples from the outer sect are arriving in ten batches. The news hasn’t leaked yet.”
Jin Chu smiled, her eyes focused on the map. “We can’t afford to be careless. This battle has been in preparation for a long time.”
Jun Hua bowed to Jin Chu. “Thank you, Senior Sister, for coordinating the formation daoists for this task.”
Jin Chu smiled. “I’m doing this for the Frost Radiance Star Chain. The formation dao arrangement is designed to fortify the path where the Ninth Star Chain is most likely to invade.”
Jun Hua didn’t say more. This battle was an offensive one, an invasion from the Frost Radiance Star Chain into the Ninth Star Chain, and they almost wouldn’t face a counterattack. The formation dao was just a safeguard, but in Jun Hua’s mind, it was more about protecting the Silver Radiance Empire. If the Ninth Star Chain did counterattack, it would be the first to strike at the Silver Radiance Empire.
Having formation dao to protect them made things much safer.
Mobilizing the formation daoists was no small feat. Jin Chu had to apply several times before she succeeded. This was thanks to her identity as the top disciple of the inner sect.
Without that status, even as the war commander, she wouldn’t have been able to coordinate the formation daoists.
Jin Chu continued to study the star map, but her eyes suddenly widened as she checked the contribution system. Wang Jie?
She glanced at the map again, noticing his name. He had already earned twenty contribution points, meaning he had helped the formation daoists complete two combined Double Tip Formations. His efficiency was high.
In her estimation, cultivators from smaller places could usually manage to dig through a planetary location in six days, but Wang Jie had accomplished much more in much less time. He was clearly working with Mu Ran.
The other cultivators from the Silver Radiance Empire had earned a maximum of ten points.
Contribution points weren’t easily earned. Only those at the Ten Seal Realm could assist someone like Mu Ran. The rest of the formation daoists used technological methods to help speed things up, but the ones handling the technology didn’t even know what they were doing, so they couldn’t be included in the contribution system.
Thinking for a moment, Jin Chu casually asked Jun Hua. Jun Hua and Yu Dong exchanged glances and silently agreed to keep Wang Jie’s possible connection with the Armor One Sect a secret.
Jin Chu noticed, though. She had been paying extra attention to the Silver Radiance Empire cultivators because some tasks ahead might require non-sect cultivators. The beasts from the berserk clan had an uncanny ability to smell out the scent of the Frost Radiance Sect.
Wang Jie had returned to the Accompanying Lake residence and tried to look up more information with his privileges, but found nothing. He rubbed his head, wondering if he should ask Jun Hua.
But then, Chang Qian arrived, bringing a new batch of sword tassels.