Chapter 126

Chapter 126: Space-Time Minor Vortex

The hatch opened with a soft hiss.

Wang Jie stepped out.

Miao Tai was waiting.

He’d been waiting for this moment with his nerves drawn tight.

At first, when the claims began flashing across his star chart, he’d panicked. When he heard a newcomer had bought a star-belt-class ship, he’d nearly decided to run.

Then he learned the truth: Ten Seals.

Only Ten Seals.

And only one person.

That single fact had almost scared him to death.

Sure, a Ten Seals who dared claim his planets had to have either ability or backing—but not enough to kill him outright. And if it came to it, he could always flee. In Suo Xing Jian, even Black-White Heaven’s name didn’t mean much. Refining grounds had their own rules.

He didn’t go looking for trouble, but he didn’t fear it either.

So he waited.

Now, seeing Wang Jie step out, Miao Tai forced a smile—polite first, hostile later. “I am Miao Tai. Brother, where did you come from?”

Wang Jie lifted his eyes.

Jia Eight Steps.

He vanished.

Miao Tai’s pupils contracted. “What—”

He spun.

Wang Jie was already behind him. A hand settled on Miao Tai’s shoulder.

It felt like a mountain slamming down. Freezing dread shot up his spine. Every brutal lesson Miao Tai had learned in years of fighting screamed the same warning:

Don’t move.

Move and you die.

Sweat beaded on his brow. His throat worked.

A Ten Seals… instantly subduing a Star-Breaking Realm.

Why was someone like this in Suo Xing Jian?

Why was he cultivating lockforce?

“Brother… what is this?” Miao Tai’s voice shook.

Around them, dozens upon dozens of Ten Seals cultivators stared, stunned by the speed.

Wang Jie smiled, almost pleasantly. His fingers tightened.

Power surged through Miao Tai’s body. Half of him went numb, his knees buckled—and Wang Jie held him up like a puppet.

“I’m claiming this place,” Wang Jie said. “Any objections?”

Miao Tai swallowed. “None. Absolutely none. Not only do I have no objections, I prepared a hundred beauties for—my lord—inside. My lord may enjoy them at leisure.”

Wang Jie stared at him.

Then he sighed. “You’re Miao Tai?”

“Yes.”

“Want to fight?” Wang Jie asked. “I’ll give you a chance. Don’t worry—I won’t kill you. I just want you to be useful. Easier to use if you’re convinced.”

Miao Tai folded at the waist so fast it looked like he’d broken. “I’m convinced beyond doubt. My lord may use me as you please.”

Wang Jie released him and walked into the golden palace.

The air reeked of alcohol. He frowned. Too heavy. Too thick. Too much.

He wasn’t used to it. He was still young, still new to the wider universe.

Outside, someone leaned close to Miao Tai and whispered urgently, “My lord, should we strike? We have numbers. No matter how strong he is, he’s still Ten Seals. He can’t crush all of us.”

Miao Tai’s jaw worked. His eyes flicked to the star-belt-class ship.

Finally he ground out, “Not yet. Watch first.”

Wang Jie had deliberately left Miao Tai that opening. With so many people present, the advantage was Miao Tai’s.

And Miao Tai still didn’t take it.

Interesting.

Wang Jie left the palace and returned to the ship. Perfume and wine fumes clung to him. He didn’t like it.

Miao Tai was brought aboard, eyes wide as he took in the ship’s interior. “My lord… this is a star-belt-class ship? It’s… extravagant.”

“You’ve never seen one?” Wang Jie asked.

“Never.”

“Then why didn’t you surround me?”

Miao Tai’s expression turned reverent in an instant. “When you struck, my lord—one glance and I knew those trash weren’t worthy. My lord is invincible.”

Wang Jie’s mouth twitched. He’d never met someone who could flatter with such shameless speed. It was unsettling.

He changed the subject. “Out of your one hundred and twenty-five planets—any special ones?”

Miao Tai gave a bitter smile. “No. Suo Xing Jian has special planets, but they’re rarely slaughterstone planets.

“And ordinary planets aren’t ours to claim or interfere with. That’s Black-White Heaven’s rule.”

Wang Jie’s gaze sharpened. “You’ve taken a lot of women. That’s not exactly honorable.”

Miao Tai hurried to defend himself. “My lord, I compensated them—mortal resources, and a path into cultivation. And I warned my men: anyone who resisted fiercely was to be released, unless…”

He scratched his head, grinning awkwardly. “Unless it was true love.”

Wang Jie didn’t press. He could check. If Miao Tai was the sort to massacre and loot freely on Jadecrest Star, he wouldn’t keep him.

The universe was cruel, but Wang Jie refused to cross his own bottom line.

People of Hua Xia had their own code.

It wasn’t hypocrisy. It was restraint—something he owed himself.

It was also what the Director had taught them.

Wang Jie stayed on Jadecrest Star for several days. Miao Tai delivered catastrophe materials in piles—truly staggering amounts.

Miao Tai controlled over a hundred slaughterstone planets. That was nearly half of what Shuang Hua Sect possessed. Even after consuming a lot and distributing plenty to his subordinates, he still had more than enough.

Wang Jie accepted everything. Who knew how much Heaven-Reversal Path would devour?

With the planets now under his influence, he had Miao Tai keep most of the claims under Miao Tai’s name while Wang Jie claimed ten himself—enough to submit an application to enter Yi Sword Heaven.

He had Miao Tai file it.

Miao Tai hesitated as he spoke. “My lord, entering Yi Sword Heaven through Lone Peak Gorge is not easier than entering through Four Alliances. In fact, far more people apply through Lone Peak Gorge.

“The competition here is fierce. And Lone Peak Gorge is… snobbish. My lord should go in person and show your strength. Otherwise, Ten Seals cultivation is easy to overlook.”

“How many slots does Lone Peak Gorge have each year?” Wang Jie asked.

“Ten.”

“Only ten?”

“That’s already considered many. Two years ago, Lone Peak Gorge gained another Full-Star Realm expert. Without that, there wouldn’t even be ten.

“Four Alliances, on the other hand—each alliance has fifteen.”

Wang Jie scrolled through the star chart, doing the math. Ten slots… there was no guarantee he’d make it.

Anyone who had claimed ten slaughterstone planets could apply. Plenty of factions could rotate claims between members. Two thousand planets outside Four Alliances—at ten planets per person, that was two hundred applicants. Even if the real number was half, it was still crowded.

He’d just arrived. Without doing something to stand out, Lone Peak Gorge would ignore him.

“Then we go to Lone Peak Gorge,” Wang Jie said.

Miao Tai stiffened. “My lord… you plan to speak with the Full-Star Realm experts?”

“Yes.”

Miao Tai’s eyes flickered. Ten Seals defeating Star-Breaking Realm wasn’t unheard of—especially since he knew how mediocre he himself was.

But Full-Star Realm was different. Even the weakest Full-Star Realm wasn’t something Ten Seals could challenge.

Still, he didn’t argue. If Wang Jie died at Lone Peak Gorge, that would be ideal.

The ship set out.

Even with a star-belt-class ship, the trip would take time—unless they used another method.

Miao Tai offered it carefully. “My lord, we can travel via a space-time minor vortex.”

Wang Jie turned his head. “A space-time minor vortex?”

“My lord doesn’t know?”

“Explain.”

Miao Tai blinked, then nearly laughed to himself. No wonder this man had bought a star-belt-class ship—what a sucker. “A space-time minor vortex is a passage that can span massive distances. Under normal circumstances, it can cross an entire star chain.

“Suo Xing Jian is so vast it covers about half a territory. This will save us an enormous amount of time.”

Wang Jie’s expression didn’t change, but his eyes cooled.

So Du Xian had known and deliberately said nothing.

Both served Star Vault Vista, yet Du Xian was far colder than Su Ying Yu. If he met her again, he would remember this.

The ship turned toward the space-time minor vortex.

Wang Jie asked how many existed in Suo Xing Jian. Miao Tai answered that there was only a pair, positioned near the Nebula Stream at both ends.

That startled Wang Jie. He’d believed there was only one Nebula Stream.

The universe was full of things beyond his knowledge.

Half a day later, he saw it.

A vertical whirlpool suspended in space.

The closer they drew, the stronger the pull felt—like a mouth opening, eager to swallow them whole.

Wang Jie’s chest tightened. It reminded him of the instinctive fear he’d felt the first time he faced the thunder well.

Miao Tai kept stealing glances at him. Wang Jie truly looked like it was his first time seeing it.

So… maybe he really didn’t have some grand background?

Miao Tai’s earlier caution had rested on a simple assumption: no ordinary Ten Seals could possess footwork that fast, or dare to seek him out alone. There had to be a major power behind him.

Now, watching Wang Jie stare at the vortex like a man seeing a miracle for the first time, doubt crept in.

What if he really was just lucky?

Regret gnawed at him—but it was too late. On this ship, he had no chance.

Better to wait for Lone Peak Gorge. Those Full-Star Realm experts were ruthless. This man might not survive them.

The ship entered the space-time minor vortex.

Outside, the vessel faded inch by inch into darkness.

Inside, Wang Jie felt… nothing.

No pressure. No jolt. No shift.

Then the void seemed to flow, and in an instant, they were out.

The stars were still dark, still endless—only a bright sun far away marked the change in location.

Wang Jie opened the star chart and stared.

They had crossed a distance that was nearly an entire star chain. In Suo Xing Jian terms, half the territory—gone in a heartbeat.

Now Yi Sword Heaven was only ten days away.

Without the space-time minor vortex, it would have taken half a year.

So this was what true convenience looked like.

Wang Jie glanced at Miao Tai. “Where are you from?”

Miao Tai blinked. “My lord?”

“Were you born in Suo Xing Jian, or did you come from outside?”

“Outside,” Miao Tai answered quickly. “One of the four refining grounds—Zhi Academy. But when I arrived, I didn’t even know that star chain belonged to Zhi Academy.”

Wang Jie nodded slowly.

So “four refining grounds” referred to portions of four regions, not entire regions.

Just like Suo Xing Jian—ten thousand slaughterstone planets and places like Yi Sword Heaven, but surely countless other planets beyond, with their own civilizations. Some would pursue technology, some cultivation. Most would never even hear of Suo Xing Jian, much less Black-White Heaven.

Same region.

Completely different worlds.