Chapter 124
Chapter 124: Lock Path Interval
With this thought, Wang Jie took a deep breath, feeling his spirits rise.
Too many people had told him that lock force had no future. Countless others had belittled it, from Elder Chu of the Frost Radiance sect’s outer court to Wu Ming, with their dull, disappointed gazes reminding him of the futility. No matter how strong his will was, he couldn’t avoid the influence of their words.
But things were different now. With Zhong Yi leading the way, why couldn’t he, Wang Jie, follow suit?
Two months later, the spacecraft arrived at the Fourth Star Cloud, and Zhi Ye steered the ship toward a strange place.
It was a region like a flowing river, where the starry sky seemed to ripple like glass, and the soft light refracted in bizarre colors. The entire region flowed toward the distant horizon, so fast that its speed was almost impossible to comprehend.
Xing Xue glanced at the people aboard the ship. “This is Nebula Flow. By traveling through Nebula Flow, we can reach the refining grounds at the fastest speed.”
“I… the old woman doesn’t know what will become of you, but if possible, give the Frost Radiance sect a chance to rebuild.”
“I… Xing Xue, thank you.”
Outside the ship, Zhi Ye shook his head. In his eyes, these disciples were not even as good as the outer court members of Black White Heaven. Relying on them to rebuild the sect was as foolish as hoping for kindness from the Zhi family. Whether these disciples could even survive the journey into Black White Heaven was uncertain.
Aunt was still as naive as ever.
But she was a star refining realm expert now. Returning, her family’s foundation had grown stronger, and her influence was greater.
As for the Frost Radiance sect’s disciples, their extraneous status? Black White Heaven had no need for such lowly beings. It would be best if they all perished in the refining grounds. Leaving a few alive would be nothing more than giving Aunt face.
Soon, Wang Jie and the others arrived at the Nebula Flow Dock. There, arrangements had been made for their destinations. Many spacecraft were waiting, and countless people waited to board, but Zhi Ye’s arrival caused everyone to step aside.
There were numerous trays, each varying in size.
Luo Yan and the others bid farewell to Wang Jie. “Lord, we’re heading to Great Star Mountain. Take care.”
Wang Jie patted Luo Yan’s shoulder. “Take care.”
Mu Ran suggested Wang Jie go to Zhi Academy, as most of the disciples here had chosen that path, but Wang Jie declined.
One by one, they departed.
Wang Jie was about to leave as well. “Please take me to the Lock Path interval,” he said, then turned to look into the distance. The spacecraft drifted alone in the starry sky, with Xing Xue still aboard.
He bowed deeply to Xing Xue. In the blink of an eye, everything vanished, leaving only endless lines of light weaving through the sky.
The only Frost Radiance sect disciple heading to the Lock Path interval was Wang Jie.
Xing Xue had led the escape from Frost Radiance sect, but she had never passed through the outer court, nor had she cared much for the lock force practitioners. The ones she had taken with her were all star force cultivators.
For five whole days, the surrounding lines of light gradually slowed. Wang Jie knew that they were nearing their destination.
As the tray was ejected from the Nebula Flow, heading for a distant planet, Wang Jie knew that he had arrived at the Lock Path interval.
No one was here to welcome him.
Wang Jie gripped the tray tightly as he was tossed into the planet’s surface. He felt the ground below him tremble.
A massive crash sounded.
A huge crater formed beneath him, surrounded by countless depressions scattered across the entire planet. The same could be said for the other planets nearby.
The starry sky was filled with fragments of planets.
This was the Lock Path interval, the starting point for billions of lock force practitioners from Black White Heaven.
The entire Lock Path interval occupied an entire star link, a vast region nearly twice the size of the territory occupied by Frost Radiance sect. All the paths connecting the star link and Nebula Flow were gateways into the Lock Path interval.
Lock force cultivators were constantly being ejected into this space.
“Eh? How come there’s only one? And such a small one.”
“Strange, normally, batches should be ejected.”
“This isn’t normal. The person might have some background. Maybe Nebula Flow Dock arranged this specially for them. Be cautious.”
Around him, countless onlookers stared at the tray that had crashed into the ground, waiting to see who would emerge.
But they saw nothing.
Wang Jie had already disengaged the moment he entered the planet. Now, he stood among the crowd.
He looked around. So weak.
These lock force cultivators seemed no different from those he had seen in the Frost Radiance sect. All weak, with not a single one at the Star Breaking Realm.
He turned and walked away.
At that moment, a woman approached and slowly bowed before him. “Customer, greetings. Little lady Du Xian, from the Star Dome Ship Trading Center. May I ask if you wish to purchase a ship?”
Wang Jie looked at Du Xian. “Star Dome Ship Trading Center? Is it under Star Dome Visage?”
Du Xian smiled. “Yes, that’s correct.”
Wang Jie nodded. “Lead the way.”
Soon, Du Xian guided Wang Jie toward the underground, explaining as they walked, “This is the Nebula Flow shore. Each planet is set up to receive new arrivals. Anywhere on the planet could be hit, so the underground is the safest place.”
“The destruction caused by Nebula Flow’s speed doesn’t exceed ten kilometers underground, so life on these planets is centered below the surface.”
Before long, Wang Jie arrived at a bustling street full of technology and activity.
“How do you know I’m new?” Wang Jie asked.
“Because we know everyone who walks on the surface. Your face is unfamiliar,” Du Xian replied.
Wang Jie was surprised. “There must have been tens of thousands on the surface just now, and you know them all?”
Du Xian turned and smiled. “Yes.”
“We’ve arrived. Customer, please enter.”
Wang Jie looked ahead at the massive spacecraft trading center occupying a large space. He raised his head and saw the same blue sky and white clouds above him, just like the outside world. It was beautiful, and there was no sense of confinement. Even the rivers above him flowed beneath transparent glass.
“Would you like a drink, customer?” Du Xian asked.
Wang Jie interrupted. “No need. I’m new. Just tell me what I need to know.”
Du Xian smiled. “Alright. This is the Lock Path interval…”
Wang Jie listened quietly without interrupting. Du Xian spoke for quite a while before finally stopping, and Wang Jie now understood the basic rules.
The rules of the Lock Path interval were simple. Open the star map, mark the area of the planet you want, and that area becomes yours, as long as others accept it.
The most straightforward rule here was to fight for Slaughter Stone planets.
The more you acquired, the higher your status.
If you didn’t want to fight, you could simply find a corner or planet to live on and retire peacefully.
Wang Jie’s focus was on Sword Mastery Heaven, which he could enter, but it wouldn’t be easy. Sword Mastery Heaven was controlled by the Four Alliances, each having experts in the Full Star Realm. Unless he joined one of the Four Alliances and contributed step by step, entering Sword Mastery Heaven would be impossible. The alternative was to enter through Lone Peak Gorge, a path released by the Four Alliances for those outside the alliances to enter.
However, entering through Lone Peak Gorge wasn’t easy either. To apply, one would need to control at least ten Slaughter Stone planets.
“In the Lock Path interval, whether it’s gathering materials or entering Sword Mastery Heaven, there’s only one way: fight for it.”
“Fight for Slaughter Stone planets. The more you acquire, the higher your status.”
“Use any method necessary, whether it’s your own strength, schemes, or external connections. As long as your abilities are strong enough, you can dominate here. Black White Heaven won’t interfere.” Du Xian smiled as she poured Wang Jie tea, whether or not he drank it—just out of courtesy.
Wang Jie understood now. What a good place.
“So, for those who want to fight for more Slaughter Stone planets, a suitable spacecraft is essential. Otherwise, even if you have the strength, spending too much time on the journey is never worth it.” Du Xian smiled.
Wang Jie looked at her. “That makes sense. I’ll buy a spaceship.”
Du Xian opened a screen for Wang Jie to choose from.
“We have over a hundred spacecraft to choose from, classified into three speed tiers.”
“The first tier is planet-level ships, with average speed. Most other ship trading centers sell these, with prices ranging from one thousand to one hundred thousand starstones. The price difference depends on the style and materials.”
Wang Jie looked at the ships on the screen, their speed comparable to the one given to him by the Silver Radiance Empire.
This speed was average in the universe, but it was too slow. It would take a long time to travel from Silver Radiance Empire to Ninth Star Chain. Wang Jie moved on.
Du Xian introduced the second option: “This is a star belt-class ship. Its speed is comparable to a wandering star realm expert. It’s much more expensive, starting at four million starstones.”
Wang Jie was shocked. “Four million? Starting price?”
Du Xian smiled. “The speed of a wandering star realm expert is far beyond that of an ordinary ship, at least six times faster than the planet-level ones. The price is very reasonable.”
Reasonable? Wang Jie felt like this woman was trying to swindle him.
After all, what ordinary cultivator could afford this? Even Jun Hua would struggle to pull together four million in starstones all at once. Was the price here really so much higher than in the Third Nebula?
A second-tier star artifact only cost two hundred thousand starstones. This price was comparable to a third-tier star artifact.
“You’re telling me people here can afford this?” Wang Jie asked.
Du Xian smiled and opened the star map, pointing to one direction and drawing a circle. “This area belongs to one of the Four Alliances, the domain of Lie Qiu.”
“Lie Qiu controls over two thousand Slaughter Stone planets. Whether it’s cataclysm materials or the planets’ mineral and medicinal resources, she makes a lot of money every day.”
“She bought a stellar belt-class starship.”
“Cultivators don’t just focus on the present. It’s about opportunities. One opportunity can bring in far more than what they expect.”
Wang Jie thought of Jiang You Sheng, who had paid him a small sum for materials but casually gifted him a second-tier star artifact worth over two hundred thousand starstones.
He had no shortage of money. He simply saw the value in investing for future opportunities.
Wang Jie looked at the screen. “What about the third option?”
Du Xian’s eyes lit up. “The third option is a star link-class ship, starting at twenty million starstones. Its speed is six times faster than a stellar belt-class ship.”
“Let me give you a simple example. With the star link range of the Fourth Star Cloud, crossing it takes only two months.”