Chapter 078
Chapter 78: Ninth Star Chain
Outside the valley, Yu Yan gazed from afar, her eyes locked on Wang Jie. This captain, it should be you. The Ten Seals gave him an aura of depth, something rare.
Inside the valley, Wang Jie was picking up cataclysm materials, but he wasn’t in a hurry. If someone tried to snatch them, he’d let go, only picking up the materials others had missed.
Before long, the valley was empty.
All the cataclysm materials had been picked up.
The cultivators stood alert, eyeing each other warily, sensing that something was about to unfold.
Soon, someone stepped forward—the first cultivator to collect cataclysm materials. “Everyone here has fought through bloodshed to reach this point. Even within the Ten Seal realm, we’re all elites. So I’ll get straight to the point.”
“To avoid any future scheming or competition over materials in the upcoming tasks, I suggest we lay all the cataclysm materials out and distribute them based on ability. The stronger will receive more, the weaker less, or even none. That way, there won’t be any temptation to covet someone else’s materials.”
The suggestion seemed odd at first, but it quickly gained support.
Wang Jie looked around at those agreeing. He recognized some of them from a few days ago—they were in league with the speaker.
Soon, more and more people voiced their agreement.
Though it seemed unreasonable, to these cultivators who had fought to the death, they preferred to compete with strength rather than rely on luck to pick up materials.
Wang Jie agreed as well. He hadn’t picked much, but he considered himself strong enough to deserve more. This, too, was why many cultivators agreed—they were confident in their own abilities.
“Alright then, I’ll lead by example,” the speaker said, dropping the cataclysm materials onto the ground. “I, Lei Cheng, will not blame anyone if I end up with nothing.”
The first person to agree stepped forward and threw down a batch of materials. One by one, people followed, until Wang Jie was the fifth to step forward, tossing his materials down as well.
Some left more, others less.
Undoubtedly, some were hiding materials, but even they wouldn’t hide much.
Soon, the materials were piled up in heaps, and many gazed at them longingly.
Lei Cheng spoke again, “The rules are simple. Anyone who can win five rounds in a row can take half the materials.”
“Next, anyone who wins three rounds in a row can take the remaining half.”
“Any objections?”
Some licked their lips with malicious smiles, while others glanced around coldly, weapons gripped tightly, eager to test their strength.
“Is anyone willing to step in first?” Lei Cheng asked.
Everyone eyed each other warily, unwilling to make the first move.
Lei Cheng nodded, stepping into the center of the arena. “Fine, I’ll continue leading by example. I’ll step in and accept the challenge. But if I win five rounds, these materials are mine.”
He walked to the center, drawing a finely crafted iron rod from his storage ring. He swung it slowly, then with a sharp crash, slammed it into the ground. The ground didn’t even crack.
The display of destructive control made those around him take notice.
Lei Cheng wasn’t weak by any means.
Lei Cheng surveyed the others. “Is anyone willing to challenge me?”
A man stepped forward. “I’ll do it.”
Lei Cheng raised his iron rod and gestured, “Please, make your move.”
The man rushed forward, drawing his sword halfway, aiming to strike.
From a corner, Wang Jie watched quietly. The moment the man drew his blade, Wang Jie knew he would lose. In terms of controlling power, Lei Cheng was far superior.
As expected, the man was defeated.
Next, an old woman stepped forward. This mission included cultivators of all ages, and Wang Jie was one of the youngest.
The old woman was crafty, pretending to strike boldly but secretly attempting to ambush. Lei Cheng nearly fell victim to her trick, but ultimately, with the help of his iron rod, he won narrowly.
Wang Jie looked at the ground—this place had been reinforced. Otherwise, the Ten Seal battle would have left the mountains gone.
Recalling the materials falling from the sky, Wang Jie realized Yan Fu Yu had deliberately instigated the conflict among everyone.
The third challenger was a man with exceptional defense, able to create visible lock force around his body. Lei Cheng won again, but his lock force was weakening, and he wouldn’t be given the time to recover. The fourth challenger entered.
Lei Cheng lost to the fourth challenger.
This man wielded more than ten types of weapons, including firearms, and no rules prohibited the use of such weapons.
As Lei Cheng was defeated, one Ten Seal after another stepped forward. The strongest of them only reached the fourth round, where they were defeated by the first person to support Lei Cheng.
Wang Jie studied the situation carefully. It was clear that Lei Cheng had intentionally thrown the fourth round. He could have won. Was he testing something?
One by one, the Ten Seals stepped up, but no one could win five rounds in a row.
Wang Jie walked forward. At this moment, a middle-aged woman stood in the center. She was part of Lei Cheng’s faction—Lei Cheng, along with at least five others, had formed an alliance. They intended to claim all the cataclysm materials.
But now, they had met their match.
“Little brother, you’ve made it this far with great difficulty. I advise you not to make a move,” the middle-aged woman teased.
Wang Jie smiled. “Thank you, elder sister. Shall we begin?”
The woman waved him forward. “Come on then.”
Wang Jie took a step, then another, covering the distance in two strides, and with the third, he vanished.
The woman didn’t take him seriously, but when Wang Jie reappeared in front of her, her expression changed drastically. Before she could react, she felt an unprecedented blow to her abdomen. She collapsed, unable to cough, her vision blurring.
So strong.
Everyone was stunned—his speed and power were flawless.
Lei Cheng’s expression darkened. Who was this kid? He had been observing everyone, but he completely misjudged this one—this kid was formidable.
He exchanged a glance with another person.
That person stepped forward. “Little brother, impressive skill. Now, it’s my turn.”
Wang Jie gestured to him, and no one dared to call him arrogant.
The man struck with a palm, aiming at the ground. The palm was soft, but it carried poison in the wind. This man had not fought before.
Wang Jie raised a hand and slammed it down, sending the man’s attack flying, then countering with a strike of his own that defeated the man.
The third challenger attempted a sneak attack from behind.
Wang Jie wasn’t concerned. He turned, delivering a flying kick. It was simple, like fighting an ordinary person.
In Wang Jie’s eyes, Ten Seal cultivation was nothing.
Outside the valley, Yu Yan’s lips curled upward. This kid was even stronger than she had imagined.
The fourth challenger was the first to respond to Lei Cheng. He wielded a sharp sword technique never seen before, having held back earlier, clearly intending to be the one to win three rounds in a row after Lei Cheng.
These people had long planned how to divide the materials.
But it was too late.
Wang Jie caught the sword’s tip with his fingers. In the man’s astonished gaze, he bent the sword’s blade. With a ringing sound, the blade flew through the air and embedded itself in the mountain wall. The man staggered back several steps and was defeated.
Wang Jie won four rounds in a row—quick and decisive.
Everyone stood frozen. Was there such a vast difference between Ten Seal cultivators? Most of them had never even had the chance to see the chosen ones from large sects, let alone imagine that the gap between Ten Seals could be so wide.
Lei Cheng stepped forward. He was the fifth challenger. If Wang Jie won, he would claim half the cataclysm materials.
“Little brother, what’s your name?”
“Wang Jie.”
Lei Cheng was taken aback. “As expected, you must be from a large sect.”
Wang Jie replied, “Why all the talk? Let’s begin.”
Lei Cheng took out a second iron rod. The two rods clashed, and lock force flashed between them, flowing like heavenly thunder.
Outside the valley, Yu Yan was astonished. What skillful use of lock force! Not only that, this person’s lock force was immense. As expected, he was using the deep gray seal.
Such a person could be considered a powerhouse even in the Frost Radiance Sect’s outer court.
In the cultivation world, those with broad experience understood a common truth: many geniuses were overlooked outside of major sects. Cultivating lock force didn’t mean having no future—it simply meant limited potential. But that didn’t imply weakness.
For example, in the outer court of the Frost Radiance Sect, the sleepless one had also deepened his seal to the deep gray level in Ten Seal, comparable to the sect’s true inheritors, shaking the sect’s foundation. Had it not been for the lock force restrictions, his power would have been formidable.
With those thoughts in mind, Lei Cheng had already struck, his lock force crackling like heavenly thunder. Wang Jie dodged, the ground shattering beneath their feet, the air boiling. Lei Cheng’s power reached ten times that of an ordinary Ten Seal cultivator—a spectacular feat.
But in the end, he was still defeated by Wang Jie.
Wang Jie unleashed his sword technique: Star Gazing Sword Style.
He had used this technique to assist Mu Ran, and now, he revealed it in full. However, just like before, he only displayed a fraction of its true power. If he had used the full technique, even the Frost Radiance Sect would have taken notice.
Lei Cheng lost without complaint, while the others were shocked. They had never witnessed such a powerful sword style before.
Wang Jie took half the materials without hesitation. Lei Cheng took the other half, and no one objected. The remaining cultivators continued their competition—there was much more to be done.
The more materials there were, the greater the danger of the task.
But Wang Jie had no room to refuse.
When the last material was claimed, the battle came to an end.
Yu Yan announced that Wang Jie would be the captain for this mission. Everyone else would have to follow his orders.
No one objected. Wang Jie was far stronger than all of them.
Just a few days after Wang Jie was made captain, the mission began.
The spaceship set off toward the distance.
Looking at the route, it was heading straight for the Ninth Star Chain.
Wang Jie and the others were aboard, each with their own private quarters.
After a month of travel, the spaceship stopped. Yu Yan’s voice echoed, urging everyone to look outside.
They saw the dark starry sky and in the distance, a giant… mantis?
Wang Jie rubbed his eyes. A mantis?
“This is called a Nine-Eyed Mantis. It’s commonly used in defensive lines during wars. Its strength is unremarkable—adults can reach Ten Seals, and occasionally there are those in the Star-Breaking realm. The most unique feature is that its vision can overlap. When one sees something, the others can see it too, forming a total of nine. Each mantis can see extremely far distances, making them perfect for guarding defensive lines.”
“It belongs to the cosmic giant beasts, capable of surviving in space. Even without reaching the Wandering Star realm, they can still fly freely through the universe. There are many such creatures, and I’m sure some of you have seen them. Their abilities exceed what you can imagine.”
“Now that we see it, it means we’ve reached the Fifth Defensive Line of the Ninth Star Chain.”
“The Ninth Star Chain has five defensive lines. Our destination is the Green Square Star Cluster, situated between the Third and Fourth Defensive Lines.”
“Now, let’s continue.”
The spaceship moved forward, bypassing the mantis and entering the Ninth Star Chain.