Chapter 104
Chapter 104: Heavy Depth Star
Wang Jie saw the figure, and the person also noticed someone had arrived behind. Turning around, they locked eyes.
“Your humble servant, Huai Si. This junior brother’s face is unfamiliar—new to the inner sect?” Huai Si asked.
Wang Jie studied Huai Si. The man appeared slightly older, his gaze soft but penetrating, as though trying to see through him. It was an uncomfortable sensation.
Wang Jie said nothing and walked forward.
Huai Si’s eyes flickered. Is he ignoring me? Looks like he doesn’t recognize me. He must be a new inner sect disciple. But for someone new to make it here, he must be skilled in physical strength.
“Junior brother, no need to rush. Once you pass the Twelve Bends, gravity increases significantly. Rushing could lead to injury,” Huai Si offered kindly.
Wang Jie reached a spot just ahead of him. The two were almost at the same level. “Aren’t you sleeping?” he asked.
Huai Si froze, momentarily unsure of how to respond.
Wang Jie withdrew his gaze. “Go wash up and sleep,” he said before taking a step forward, crossing the Twelve Bends.
His words made Huai Si’s expression darken. “The junior brother seems to have quite a temper.”
Wang Jie’s back was to him as he replied, “No temper. Just a little blunt.”
“Then I’d like to see how far the junior brother can go,” Huai Si remarked, watching him.
Wang Jie turned back to face him. “How far can you go before you go back to sleep?” he asked.
Huai Si frowned. This person wants me to leave?
“Seems like I’m in your way, junior brother. How about this—if you can cross half of the Twelve Bends, I’ll leave,” Huai Si proposed.
From the Twelve Bends to the Thirteenth Bends, gravity increases thirty times. Crossing half means Wang Jie would face a gravity of 135 times normal. After all, the further one went, the harder it was to bear the weight. Huai Si himself could only practice under 120 times the normal gravity.
Without proper strength, it would be easy to get injured.
Wang Jie smiled. “Agreed.” Then he began walking forward.
His strength was a hundred times that of normal cultivators, and due to his deepened imprint power, his physical strength had also been enhanced. Upon entering the Silver Radiance Empire, he could bear a hundred times the gravity. Now, he was even able to try crossing the entire Thirteenth Bends.
Huai Si watched as Wang Jie steadily moved forward, eventually crossing halfway.
Huai Si’s eyes widened in surprise. He actually did it. A disciple from the Frost Radiance Sect could make it this far.
Wang Jie turned to him.
Huai Si nodded. “Impressive. May I ask your name, junior brother?”
“I don’t wish to say,” Wang Jie replied.
Blunt, Huai Si thought to himself.
He left, keeping his word.
After Huai Si’s departure, Wang Jie continued forward and stopped in a region with 140 times the normal gravity, where he practiced using yellow beans to focus his energy while also refining his use of lock force.
“One glance, three thousand… I’m still far from it,” he mused.
He cultivated well into the night and only returned when the first light of dawn appeared.
Back at his base, he handed over the weapons he’d refined to Luo Yan and received a thousand contribution points. His contribution points steadily grew, but he still felt it was too slow.
Days passed. Since the first day Huai Si had been shocked by his performance, the man had repeatedly come by late at night to try to get closer to Wang Jie. Wang Jie simply ignored him, passing him by to continue cultivating. This man was really annoying.
Half a month later, Wang Jie directly crossed the Thirteenth Bends and walked on.
His body adapted to gravity very well. Even with 150 times the gravity, it hardly felt like a challenge. He needed new places to test himself. And this Huai Si was truly bothersome.
He asked Luo Yan about Huai Si’s status, but Luo Yan didn’t know, as he was just an outer sect disciple.
Most places in the Frost Radiance Sect were suited for practicing Frost Star Force, especially the Three Peaks. If Wang Jie wanted to practice lock force without being noticed, he would have to leave the area.
He asked Luo Yan to find a suitable location, and eventually, Luo Yan discovered such a place—Heavy Depth Star.
Heavy Depth Star was a special planet owned by the Frost Radiance Sect, known for its extreme gravity. As such, its Star Force had a gravitational characteristic.
“Gravitational planets are quite common among special star systems in the universe. It’s said that the maximum gravity here can reach 500 times, and the owner is Elder Yan,” Luo Yan explained.
Wang Jie observed the hologram of Heavy Depth Star. “It’s not far. Seems like a good place.”
However, to cultivate on this planet, he needed Elder Yan’s approval, as it belonged to Elder Yan. Even honored guests had to apply.
Wang Jie inquired about the application process. It was simple—just pay contribution points. The points went directly to Elder Yan. Cultivating on the planet was done at one’s own risk; no one would take responsibility.
The cost was cheap—only 5,000 contribution points.
Thinking about it, it made sense. With the Thirteenth Bends, who would want to go to Heavy Depth Star to cultivate? Perhaps only a few people went there in a year.
Those who did were often outer sect disciples, and most couldn’t afford such an amount.
Wang Jie asked Luo Yan to cancel the request for refining weapons and directly set off for Heavy Depth Star. Nothing was more important than cultivation.
The journey from Fog Peak to Heavy Depth Star took nearly ten days, even though the distance wasn’t far.
Looking at the small planet covered in black rocks, it was even smaller than Blue Star. From afar, it looked like a piece of black glass embedded in the starry sky.
Heavy Depth Star had varying gravity in different directions, with some areas as low as other planets, while the highest could reach 500 times gravity.
Wang Jie landed the ship and stepped out.
There were no plants, yet there was oxygen. This came from deep within the planet.
Many powers arrange oxygen in certain places on planets for the convenience of their disciples, otherwise, only those from the Wandering Star Realm could survive.
Wang Jie stepped on the hard rocks, adjusted to the surroundings, and then followed the map ahead.
This was the area suitable for spacecraft landing. Ahead, the gravity was eighty times. Beyond that, it increased to 160 times. This was the gravity he needed. Any more, and it would be unbearable.
Here, the surroundings were completely empty, perfect for cultivating without any restrictions.
Wang Jie released his lock force, controlling the yellow beans, and walked through the gravity zone. Occasionally, he used Sword Step, leaving cuts in the earth as he moved farther.
Time passed slowly.
At the Rainbow Peak, the Thirteenth Bends, Huai Si went every day but never encountered Wang Jie again.
“Is it time for the eighth set of beginner fitness exercises?” he wondered.
Wang Jie took a deep breath, his body soaked in sweat. It was extremely hard to perform exercises under the gravitational pressure, but he had grown used to it. Around him, a pile of Cataclysm materials absorbed energy.
Unknowingly, he had been at Heavy Depth Star for half a year.
During this time, he only absorbed the lock force from the materials while doing exercises, never in a rush, knowing that once the Cataclysm materials were gone, there would be nothing left.
Now, six of his seals had turned deep black.
Once this round of absorption was complete, the materials would be gone.
As for lock force, he had reached a thousand per glance.
It must be said that training lock force in this gravity zone was highly effective, and both Armor Eight Steps and Sword Step had progressed rapidly.
The only bad memory was when he accidentally crossed into the 180-times gravity zone using Sword Step. At that moment, his body nearly collapsed under the pressure. If not for managing to take a step back into the 160-times zone, he might have died there.
Just a twenty-times difference in gravity, yet it felt impossible to cross.
It was like his hundredfold strength had reached its limit.
But even so, that experience had increased his qi a bit. Indeed, only by touching the limit could one grow, though he didn’t dare try that method again unless someone was there to help.
Heavy Depth Star’s emptiness and desolation were what Wang Jie found most comforting. Gazing at the starry sky, aside from Blue Star, there was no other home.
Here, he felt a rare sense of safety.
However, that solitude didn’t last long.
A second spaceship appeared on the planet, landing not far from Wang Jie’s ship.
When Wang Jie returned to his ship to rest, he saw it—and saw the familiar figure descending from the new ship: Huai Si.
Not him again? Is he watching me?
Huai Si smiled and greeted Wang Jie. “Junior brother, long time no see.”
Wang Jie frowned. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”
Huai Si didn’t mind. He had already gotten used to being brushed off by Wang Jie. “Since junior brother stopped going to the Thirteenth Bends, I’ve had no reason to go. I checked and thought you might come here. Looks like I was right. Haha.”
Wang Jie didn’t respond and entered the ship, closing the hatch behind him.
Huai Si watched the ship, his gaze flickering. Who exactly is this person? I can’t even find any information about him.
Anyone who could cross the Thirteenth Bends would be a disciple of the inner sect. Normally, such a person should be directly promoted to true disciple. But this one never made that promotion—it’s too strange.
Wang Jie, meanwhile, also found Huai Si strange. Why is this person so fixated on him? It’s as if he must figure out Wang Jie’s background. Both are disciples of the Frost Radiance Sect, yet Wang Jie had no connection to him. Why the obsession?
Unable to understand, he chose not to dwell on it.
Several hours later, Wang Jie stepped out of the ship and looked toward Huai Si’s vessel.
Huai Si noticed and stepped out. “Junior brother, is something wrong?”
Wang Jie raised his hand, showing his storage ring. “It can hold many things. I’m not coming back. Do as you like.”
Huai Si froze, watching as Wang Jie walked toward the gravity zone, unable to stop him. “Junior brother, what’s your name? We’ve known each other for so long, shouldn’t you tell me?”
Wang Jie didn’t answer, continuing to walk.
Huai Si frowned. “If you’re preparing for the Starry Martial Meet, you should be promoted to true disciple and enjoy more resources.”
Wang Jie stopped, turned, and looked at Huai Si. “Starry Martial Meet?”
Huai Si was surprised. “Junior brother hasn’t heard of the Starry Martial Meet?”
“I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know much about it.”
“I thought you were focusing on your cultivation to surprise everyone at the Starry Martial Meet.”
“What is the Starry Martial Meet?” Wang Jie asked, standing still.
Huai Si had planned to fish for information, but when Wang Jie turned to leave, he quickly explained. “The Starry Martial Meet is a grand event across the entire universe. At that time, the strongest from each realm, starting from Star Breaking, will be decided for all to see.”
Wang Jie was curious. “What’s the purpose of it?”
Huai Si shook his head. “It’s a tradition. At first, no one knew the purpose. But the older the universe’s sects, the more they respect tradition. As long as it’s a tradition, they’ll try their best to keep it alive.”
Tradition, Wang Jie thought, reminded of the Armor One Sect’s trials, which were also based on tradition and couldn’t be stopped.
“I don’t know what your cultivation level is, but since you made it past the Thirteenth Bends, I’m sure you’ll shine at the Starry Martial Meet,” Huai Si praised.
Wang Jie looked at him. “You’re not bad yourself.” Then he turned and left.
Huai Si watched his retreating figure, unsure of what to say to stop him. With a sigh, he muttered to himself. He wasn’t really concerned about Wang Jie. No matter how strong he was, he could never surpass a true disciple. What he cared about was whether there was someone behind Wang Jie guiding him.
Without guidance, how could a disciple cross the Thirteenth Bends?
Even true disciples couldn’t do that.
As for the Frost Radiance Sect, he had to learn everything about it, thoroughly.
Blunt, huh? Then he would use the methods to deal with blunt people.