Chapter 093
Chapter 93: A Gift for You
The things Wang Jie had done were quickly reported to Jun Hua. She opened the holographic screen in surprise, revealing the situation inside the prison.
“What’s going on?” Yu Dong asked in a deep voice. Xuan was someone she had personally captured and knew very well. In the entire Silver Radiance Empire, aside from her and the Old General, no one else could suppress him. What was this Wang Jie trying to do?
Jun Hua replied calmly, “Let him be. Since he dares to act, he must have confidence. After all, he survived coming back from the Ninth Star Chain.”
Xuan continued absorbing Starforce from the starstones to recover, and after a long time, no one disturbed him.
He opened his eyes and looked at Wang Jie. “You and Jun Hua have a deep relationship. Not only is no one disturbing you, but even Yu Dong isn’t coming over.”
Wang Jie answered confidently, “There’s no need.”
Xuan said nothing further. He was cautious—Ten Seals? That wasn’t important. Even if Wang Jie was an ordinary person, anyone who dared to do such a thing in this situation had to be taken seriously. This battle was a life-or-death struggle.
Time passed—how long, he didn’t know. Perhaps it was several hours, perhaps longer.
Finally, Xuan slowly stood up. His body appeared slightly more robust than when Wang Jie had first seen him, and even his dry hair now had a slight luster. “Come,” he said.
Wang Jie clenched his fist and took a step forward. In this narrow prison, he didn’t waste any time—he struck immediately with a punch.
Xuan, who was most skilled in palm techniques, showed no mercy. He raised his hand, and the thick palm force, under the boiling Starforce, seemed to suppress even light itself. The moment it struck, the entire prison shook, and dust fell from the ceiling.
Boom.
A tremendous sound erupted as a large portion of the prison was completely destroyed.
Both Wang Jie and Xuan retreated at the same time.
Xuan was stunned. The force he had just unleashed was at least fifty percent of his full power—enough to kill a typical Star Breaking Realm cultivator—but this Ten Seals cultivator had blocked it.
Wang Jie silently assessed—about twenty thousand battle power? His own strength wasn’t fully unleashed yet. Again.
The prison continued to shake as Wang Jie poured in more power. His destructive force spread, even shattering the surveillance, making it impossible for Jun Hua and the others to see.
Yu Dong couldn’t help but leave the imperial palace to head for the prison. If Wang Jie couldn’t stop Xuan, they couldn’t allow him to escape.
Boom.
Xuan’s palm cracked, blood dripping from his fingertips. He stared in shock at the man before him. He had already used all his palm power, yet his opponent was still moving with ease, his strength growing fiercer by the moment. What kind of monster was this? A Ten Seals cultivator was this strong?
Looking at the man, the air around him seemed to twist, like transparent flames burning around his body, creating an incomprehensible collision of power.
Wang Jie’s excitement grew. “Come again!” Two surging forces collided, steaming the air and distorting vision, his body filled with bounding power, eager to unleash his strength.
Xuan gritted his teeth, gathering all his Starforce in his palm, making his hand tremble and ripple. Then, with a violent motion, he struck.
Boom.
Yu Dong watched in shock as the most solid part of the prison, like a framework, was shattered. The boiling force sent many cultivators flying. She hurried in, sweeping away the smoke and dust, and saw Xuan lying on the ground, gasping for breath, his eyes dazed, staring blankly upward, unsure of what he was thinking.
Wang Jie, leaning against the wall, calmly looked at him.
Yu Dong asked, “Is it over?”
Wang Jie nodded, “No wonder he’s the war god of the empire.”
Xuan slowly sat up, glancing at Wang Jie without speaking.
“So, you lost?” Yu Dong asked.
“He won,” Xuan replied.
Yu Dong was stunned, staring at Wang Jie. A Ten Seals cultivator, defeating a full Star Realm expert? That sounded a bit exaggerated, right? She had only heard of such things from certain monsters.
Even though Xuan was imprisoned and his battle power wasn’t at its peak, he had at least reached the peak of the Star Breaking Realm. This meant Wang Jie had the strength to defeat someone at that level.
She was far from reaching that level with her Ten Seals.
At this moment, she increasingly believed that this person came from Armor One Sect. Who else, aside from them, could produce such a strong force with their Starforce cultivators?
Xuan got up and extended his hand to Yu Dong. “Give it to me.”
Yu Dong retrieved paper and pen and handed them to him.
He signed his name at the bottom of the paper and smiled bitterly. “I never imagined I’d end up like this.”
Wang Jie saw it and asked, “What does this mean?”
Yu Dong turned and walked away, ordering someone to imprison Xuan.
Xuan said nothing, heading deeper into the prison.
Wang Jie watched his retreating figure. In that moment, Xuan seemed much older.
“You’ve improved quickly,” a familiar voice said behind him.
Wang Jie turned around and saluted, “Greetings, Old General.”
The Old General looked Wang Jie over. Compared to the first time they met on the warship, when he had ignored Wang Jie, or the second time in the library when they were strangers, his gaze now held more curiosity and exploration. “How did you do it?”
Wang Jie was puzzled. “What do you mean, Old General?”
The Old General sighed. “So many heroes are buried under the force of lock force. It’s not that they can’t cultivate lock force, it’s just that they never encountered the right time, method, and resources. You’ve missed a great opportunity.”
Wang Jie didn’t know what to say—was this a compliment?
“Xuan, too, is a pity,” the Old General added.
Wang Jie was surprised. “What’s going on?”
The Old General said, “Xuan is very loyal. He would never betray Jun Tang. In fact, all of Jun Tang’s co-conspirators are dead. What they wanted wasn’t a co-conspirator, but a legitimate reason to eliminate certain people.”
Wang Jie’s gaze flickered as he understood. No wonder Xuan had only signed his name, leaving the rest for Jun Hua to fill in.
The person whose name was filled in would surely die.
In that moment, his emotions were complicated. He had only wanted to spar with Xuan, to test his own limits. But unexpectedly, he had become a pawn in someone else’s game.
He remembered Xuan’s desolate gaze.
He turned and walked away.
The Old General silently left as well.
…
The imperial palace. Wang Jie found Jun Hua and asked for the paper.
Jun Hua calmly looked at him. “This doesn’t concern you.”
Wang Jie replied, “I won the bet with Xuan, but I only asked him to surrender. I didn’t tell him to write something like this.”
Yu Dong snapped, “Wang Jie, know your place. You’re just a guard.”
Wang Jie’s tone was deep. “Precisely because I know my place, I’m here.”
Jun Hua and Yu Dong exchanged a glance, both surprised by his confidence. He must surely come from Armor One Sect.
Thinking of this, Jun Hua softened her tone. “Xuan isn’t just a cultivator. He’s a general of the Silver Radiance Empire, involved in a rebellion. From the beginning, he could never be pure. I understand that you have your own cultivation methods, but you shouldn’t interfere with the Silver Radiance Empire’s affairs.”
Wang Jie nodded. “If it doesn’t concern me, I won’t interfere. But he only wrote this after losing to me. As for the paper, I will take it. If you want it, go find him.”
Jun Hua looked at him, her gaze flickering. “Yu Dong, give it to him.”
Yu Dong frowned, wanting to say something, but eventually handed the paper to Wang Jie.
Wang Jie took it. “Thank you.”
Jun Hua said, “Such things can’t happen twice.”
Wang Jie looked at her. “I’ll make sure to get everything clear in the future.” After saying this, he glanced around. This wasn’t a palace, but a garden. When he arrived, Jun Hua had been chatting with Yu Dong.
“Sorry, Emperor, I’ve disturbed your leisure time.”
Jun Hua shook her head. “It’s no trouble. Would you like to sit and talk?”
Wang Jie declined and turned to leave. He noticed that Yu Dong was glaring at him, not at all friendly. But just a few steps out, his attention was drawn by something colorful. He looked toward it and saw a patch of seven-colored flowers growing in the sunlight, stunningly beautiful. Drops of water clung to the petals, and through them, the colors seemed to form a rainbow.
He suddenly remembered what Cheng Qian had said—that there were seven-colored flowers in the imperial palace.
These were one of the materials for the Sword Step technique. Without thinking, he made his way toward them. These flowers were far more beautiful than the ones Cheng Qian had found.
Jun Hua and Yu Dong watched him curiously. What was he doing?
Wang Jie reached the flowers, turned, and asked Jun Hua, “May I pick one?”
Jun Hua raised an eyebrow. “Of course.”
Wang Jie carefully plucked one, remembering that the material required it to be given to the person closest to him. He looked around, and the person nearest to him was Yu Dong.
Should he give it or not?
If he didn’t, the material would be useless. He wasn’t sure if picking a new one would help, but it might waste the chance to complete the material.
But if he did… it would be awkward.
After a moment of hesitation, he gritted his teeth and decided—no matter what, he would give it. Sword Step was the priority.
He walked over to Jun Hua and Yu Dong.
The two women watched, perplexed. Was he fond of flowers?
Wang Jie approached Yu Dong and handed her the flower. “This is for you.”
Yu Dong was stunned, staring blankly, unable to comprehend. In all her years, this was the first time she had encountered such a thing.
Jun Hua, too, was caught off guard. She had grown used to her emperor status, always mindful of her image, but now she was visibly dumbfounded.
Wang Jie looked at Yu Dong. The woman wasn’t exactly beautiful, but she wasn’t unattractive either. She had a neighborly elder sister vibe. Who would have thought that this woman was Jun Hua’s sharpest weapon?
“Take it. Can you hold it?” Wang Jie repeated.
Yu Dong subconsciously took it, staring at Wang Jie, then glancing at the flower.
Wang Jie let out a breath. If she hadn’t taken it, the material wouldn’t have been completed. Of course, that was assuming the seven-colored flower was indeed useful.
“Thank you,” he said, then turned and walked away without another word.
The two women were left stunned in the breeze.
…
Outside the imperial palace, Wang Jie checked the paper and smiled. It was done. Wonderful. Now, only two materials for the Sword Step remained: the Star Gazing Sword Style’s Star Extinction and the exquisite sword tassel.
He had the tassel, but was reluctant to part with it. He would find another.
As for the Star Gazing Sword Style’s Star Extinction, he was certain he could do it—just waiting for the right opportunity.
Now, to the prison.
Xuan had been moved, and the previous prison was destroyed.
Wang Jie quickly found him and, in front of him, tore up the paper. “Sorry, that wasn’t my original goal. I’ve disturbed you,” he said, and walked away.
Xuan watched Wang Jie’s back as he disappeared, his gaze falling on the torn paper on the ground. “Not his original goal?”
…
In the imperial capital, within a luxurious estate, the Old General was clearly enjoying himself.
Soon, someone brought him news.
The Old General’s eyes lit up as he looked toward the Accompanying Lake residence, smiling to himself. “Interesting child.”
Wang Jie returned to the Accompanying Lake residence and resumed his cultivation.
Days later, news arrived from the front lines. The Third Defensive Line of the Ninth Star Chain had collapsed, and the Eighth Star Chain warships were heading for the Eight Prison Realms. This wasn’t major news, as the collapse of the Third Defensive Line had been inevitable. What was important was the following message.
The Eight Prison Realms had been ambushed.
The Berserk Clan had suffered heavy casualties.
When Wang Jie heard this news, the first thought that crossed his mind was the mission. The Eight Prison Realms were the core of the Berserk Clan, and unless they tore through the defensive lines one by one, no one should have been able to enter the Eight Prison Realms. Yet the Frost Radiance Sect had launched a massacre there, meaning they had found another way in.
And this route could only be known by the Berserk Clan themselves.
He exhaled, shaking his head. It didn’t matter. He continued his cultivation.
Days passed again, and a new message arrived—this time, a bad one.