Chapter 103
Chapter 103: Thirteen Bends
For those in the Star Breaking Realm, the most desired discovery is a Strange Planet. This is because to break through to the Full Star Realm, one must absorb the Star Force of an entire planet. The more unusual the planet, the stronger the Star Force it produces, which leads to a more powerful breakthrough.
For example, the Frost Radiance Sect possesses several planets imbued with Frost Hua Star Force. If one can completely absorb the Star Force of such a planet, their internal Star Force will undergo a transformation into Frost Hua Star Force, making them far stronger than a typical Full Star Realm cultivator.
However, finding a Strange Planet is no easy feat. Without one, collecting Slaughter Stones must be done gradually.
Moreover, since mastering the Mourning Water Art, Wang Jie had been constantly training. It was only now that he had managed to transform his third seal into a deep black color. However, Cataclysm Materials were running low.
Those materials were substantial. Yan Fu Yu had provided some, and Wang Jie had also bought more in Green Mountain City and Imperial Capital Star. But even with all of that, he had only been able to complete three seals. To finish the remaining seven seals would require an immense amount of Cataclysm Materials. But they weren’t all that expensive. After all, even those cultivating the Star Breaking Realm’s Lock Force used these materials, so the price was relatively stable.
The issue was simply the scarcity of these materials.
Wang Jie immediately instructed Luo Yan to gather more Cataclysm Materials, both for the Ninth and Tenth Seals, without worrying about the price—just buy them all.
Luo Yan worked diligently, gathering materials, but after several days, he reported back, saying that the best Ninth and Tenth Seal Cataclysm Materials from both the inner and outer markets had been bought. The rest were not very useful.
Given the limited time for his training, Wang Jie didn’t want to waste it on materials with minimal Lock Force.
But the materials gathered were still not enough, and they were inferior to the ones he had collected previously.
It would take time to gather more.
Alternatively, he could purchase the materials from external sources, but the high cost would be due to transportation, and Wang Jie didn’t want to attract too much attention.
At present, his primary focus was on cultivating and saving money—there was so much he wanted to buy: Artifact Forging Dao, Formation Dao, Slaughter Stones, and so on. There were just too many places to spend money.
The outer market, filled with Frost Radiance Sect disciples and beings from outside the Frost Radiance Domain, was much livelier than the inner market.
Wang Jie walked through the outer market alone, hoping to inquire about the price of pills that directly replenish Star Force. His Field could strip and condense Star Force, allowing cultivators to directly absorb it, which should have a market. As long as the price was higher than Star Stones, there would be a profit.
But this involved Alchemy Dao, something Wang Jie didn’t want to sell himself. He couldn’t use Luo Yan either, so he needed a way to hide his identity.
“Brother, you look strong and capable. Come, learn Artifact Forging Dao with us!”
“Big brother, this little lady is new here. My storage ring was stolen. Could you give me some contributions for a meal?”
“Come, come! Look here, all kinds of young ladies…”
The street was bustling with noise, and Wang Jie looked around, especially intrigued by the non-human creatures walking through the market—it was quite the sight. He even saw a shop selling robots next to a brothel. The mixed atmosphere of this era was overwhelming.
Hmm?
Suddenly, his gaze fixed on a figure ahead. Taking a step forward, he said, “Senior, let me assist you.”
An old woman, looking confused, stared at Wang Jie, who had a warm smile on his face as he helped her, “Young man, I’m fine. I can walk on my own.”
“It’s no trouble, senior. Allow me to help you.”
The old woman blinked, still not understanding, “I have no money.”
“No need for money, senior.”
“Do you want my life?”
“Senior, you joke. I simply wish to help.”
Wang Jie gently helped the old woman to the other side of the street, exhaling in satisfaction. He smiled at her, saying, “Take care, senior,” and left.
The old woman looked at his retreating figure, still bewildered.
After spending several more days in the outer market, Wang Jie attended an auction when he noticed something that caught his interest. On the auction list was a Mask, a Three Tribulations Star Artifact that could alter one’s appearance, sufficient to deceive even cultivators from the Wandering Star Realm.
More than one person had their eyes on the mask. With it, one would essentially possess a second identity beneath the Wandering Star Realm.
So when the mask went on auction, the price soared.
In the end, Wang Jie managed to acquire it for a high price of Five Million Star Stones.
Normally, a Three Tribulations Star Artifact would be worth about Four Million Star Stones, but Wang Jie had paid One Million more than the usual price. It was no easy feat. Had the auction preparation been longer, the mask’s price could have soared to Six Million. The value of a Star Artifact not only depended on its rank but also on its uses.
This mask was clearly versatile.
Wang Jie only had Two Million Star Stones on hand, so he had to exchange his Three Tribulations Star Artifact Earrings at the auction house, valued at Three Million Star Stones. Though it was a loss, he had no choice but to make the trade.
Based on the valuation of the Three Tribulations Star Artifact, he had lost Two Million Star Stones overall.
At least he had acquired the mask.
Donning the mask, Wang Jie returned to the inner market and found a shop selling pills.
“How much for Star Force Pills?”
From his time in the outer market, Wang Jie had already learned that pills which directly replenish Star Force were called Star Force Pills. These were not fixed in formulation, as many Alchemy Dao masters made them differently. The effects varied, mainly in terms of absorption speed. The purer the pill, the faster the absorption.
Typically, one Star Force Pill would cost Five Times the Equivalent Star Stone Value.
While Star Stones could replenish Star Force, their absorption efficiency was much lower than that of Star Force Pills, making the latter five times more valuable.
However, when selling to shops, one would not get that price.
“We buy Star Force Pills for Three Star Stones per pill.”
“So little? The outer market sells them for 3.5 Star Stones or 3 Contribution Points,” Wang Jie remarked.
“Well, then go sell them in the outer market. We can’t offer that price here in the inner market.”
Wang Jie turned to leave. Though it was just a half Star Stone difference, he had Eight Hundred Thousand Star Stones on hand, which meant he could make Eight Hundred Thousand Pills, and the price difference would add up to a significant sum—Four Hundred Thousand Star Stones.
The inner market served the inner disciples and important figures of the sect, who were not short of money. They trusted the quality of the inner market, so they mostly shopped there.
The inner market was not lacking in business.
Wang Jie continued on his journey to the outer market and confirmed that the shop he was looking for was Star Dome Trading House.
Indeed, it was part of the Star Dome Visage under the Silver Radiance Empire. Su Ying Yu was the shopkeeper of the Star Dome Material Trading House, and Wang Jie developed a positive impression of the shop.
The staff were courteous.
By using Eight Hundred Thousand Star Stones, Wang Jie would be able to produce Eight Hundred Thousand Star Force Pills and sell them for Two Million Eight Hundred Thousand Star Stones—a profitable venture.
Wang Jie was eager to return and continue his production, but the shopkeeper reminded him that if he continued to sell Star Force Pills, the price would drop significantly.
“Why?”
“Such Star Force Pills are only suitable for cultivators below the Tenth Seal. These cultivators don’t have much purchasing power since they lack money. They can replenish their Star Force with Star Stones, which just takes a bit longer. The true buyers of Star Force Pills are the disciples of large families. These people have fixed purchasing channels and often even employ Alchemy Dao masters.”
“Thus, Star Force Pills are nearly saturated. It will take a long time to sell them. Sorry, customer.”
Wang Jie understood—profit was not easy to make.
The true moneymakers were the Star Force Pills that could replenish the Star Breaking Realm cultivators’ Star Force. Wang Jie couldn’t make those just yet. He discovered that the Field he had developed was equivalent to his current level of cultivation. Only Star Artifacts could reach a higher level.
Unless he himself reached the Star Breaking Realm, allowing him to condense more Star Force, the current Star Force Pills he made were the limit.
“How many can you still buy?”
“Max one to two times the purchase price.”
Wang Jie went back, producing one million Star Force Pills.
Ultimately, these Star Force Pills were sold to the shop, and the shopkeeper reluctantly accepted, giving Wang Jie Two Million Star Stones while reminding him that they would no longer buy them. The shopkeeper also invited Wang Jie to bring other pills if he had them.
Watching Wang Jie leave, the shopkeeper went to the top floor of the trading house, where a man was examining a Star Force Pill under the sunlight.
“My lord, he’s gone.”
The man tossed the pill to the shopkeeper, “This pill is extremely pure—at least a Superb Grade Fourth Fragrance, but the refinement method is unclear. It wasn’t made by this person. He lacks the Alchemy Dao aura.” After a pause, the man looked out at Wang Jie’s retreating figure, “If he comes back, try to recruit him. He must have a powerful Alchemy Dao master behind him.”
“Understood.”
Meanwhile, Wang Jie was walking through the bustling streets, soon boarding a flying ship to return to Fog Peak.
Now, he had Three Million Eight Hundred Thousand Star Stones, which was still far from enough, but it would have to do for now. It was time to focus on cultivation.
Recently, besides looking into ways to make money, Wang Jie had also been exploring suitable cultivation paths for himself.
In the end, he set his sights on a place—the Thirteen Bends of Rainbow Peak.
This was a unique spot on Rainbow Peak, a short path with thirteen bends. Each bend increased the gravity, making it a perfect location for Wang Jie’s gravity-based training.
He needed gravity to aid his cultivation, whether it was for his Sword Step, Qi, or Star Methods. Gravity-enhanced training worked wonders for him.
He chose to train at night.
Because he was a Lock Force cultivator, and Rainbow Peak had no cultivators of the same level, if anyone saw him training in Lock Force, his identity would be revealed. He didn’t want to be exposed.
Ordinary people needed both day and night, and even Frost Radiance Sect cultivators followed the same schedule. The sun in the Frost Radiance Domain moved in a unique pattern, creating intense heat that countered the freezing cold of the domain, marking day and night.
While the Frost Radiance Domain was indifferent, Three Peaks enforced a curfew, allowing only a select few to move during the night.
As an honored guest, Wang Jie was allowed to go out at night.
Once the series of suns set beyond the three peaks, night fell. The cold was biting, but Wang Jie left Fog Peak and arrived at Rainbow Peak, heading towards the Thirteen Bends.
The Thirteen Bends—thirteen turns in the path, with each turn increasing gravity. The first bend had ten times the gravity, the second had twenty, and so on, until the twelfth bend, which increased from 120 times to 150 times the gravity.
It was said that any disciple who could surpass the Thirteen Bends would be promoted to an inner disciple directly.
But for all these years, very few disciples had succeeded.
This was because one was not allowed to use Star Force during the Thirteen Bends—only physical strength could be used to overcome it, which made the challenge extremely difficult.
Wang Jie stepped into the Thirteen Bends, and the gravity immediately increased. He walked forward effortlessly, feeling that the gravity up to a hundred times was no challenge for him.
He reached the tenth bend without breaking a sweat.
A hundred times gravity? No problem. He kept going.
The eleventh bend.
The twelfth bend. Was there anyone here?
Ahead, Wang Jie saw a man sitting cross-legged with his back to him, behind the twelfth bend. He hadn’t quite crossed it yet.