Chapter 138
Chapter 138: Zhi Upper Realm
The appearance of the material for the Breaking Star Stage meant that one had to reach the Star Breaking Realm to access it. Only at this level could one comprehend the quantity required.
Since it had appeared, it was time to collect it. The Bone Motion Art and Starry Finger were both needed, with five materials expected to bring some unexpected benefits.
Next, the Lock Force had to be absorbed.
Only two days remained before the required exercise.
Looking over the Lock Path interval star map, Wang Jie and his companions’ spacecraft was heading toward the Nebula Flow frontier. This region had the most extensive trading posts in the Lock Path interval, where materials, spacecraft, formation books, star artifacts, elixirs, and more could be exchanged.
After a while, as the spacecraft came to a halt, Miao Tai reminded him, “Lord, we have arrived.”
Wang Jie stepped off the spacecraft and looked up. The sky above was filled with immense planets revolving slowly. The spacecraft jolted as it moved, and around him, the streets bustled with noise. Numerous other ships were docked quietly.
Their spacecraft attracted many curious gazes.
Miao Tai led the way, weaving through the crowded streets, until they finally stopped in front of a small shop.
The shop was quite modest compared to the surrounding grand structures, more like a small convenience store in its simplicity. Yet, despite its size, the queue stretched down the street, blocking the flow of customers to other shops.
“Lord, this is the place to send messages to Black White Heaven. The price depends on the distance and the recipient of the message,” Miao Tai explained.
Wang Jie raised an eyebrow, “So, there’s a system for compensation in case the message isn’t received?”
Miao Tai sighed, “Yes, if the message doesn’t get a response, the store compensates the sender double.”
Wang Jie blinked in surprise. “So it’s the store that compensates, not the other way around?”
“Exactly. It’s to prevent people from trying to use connections irresponsibly. Sending a message could offend someone, so the store bears the risk as well,” Miao Tai explained. He added this last bit as a warning for Wang Jie, suggesting that unreliable connections could be dangerous here.
Wang Jie nodded, contemplating. He wasn’t sure if the Great Elder would respond, and with the pricing based on distance and the recipient, sending this message wouldn’t be cheap.
Before long, it was Wang Jie’s turn.
Inside the shop, a young servant was lazily lying on the counter, distracted, not even looking up. She spoke in a casual tone as she fiddled with her pet, “Please write the recipient’s name, identity, and location.”
Wang Jie stared at the paper and pen. He didn’t know the Great Elder’s identity in Black White Heaven, nor could he provide a location.
“What should I do if I don’t know?” he asked.
The servant responded indifferently, “If you don’t know, there’s a different price, but we can’t guarantee the message will be sent.”
Wang Jie wrote three characters: Zhi Xing Xue, then pushed the paper toward the servant.
The servant glanced at the paper, her eyes widened, and she quickly looked back at Wang Jie. She glanced at the paper again, then back at him, “Is this person from the Zhi family?”
Wang Jie nodded.
The servant’s expression became serious, “What is your relationship with this person?”
Wang Jie paused, unsure of how to respond, and then said, “She sent me to the Lock Path interval. She used the Nebula Flow. Oh, and there was someone else with her, named Zhi Ye.”
The servant’s face turned pale, her eyes widening in shock. “Zhi Ye?” she repeated.
Wang Jie nodded.
The servant swallowed nervously, took a deep breath, and forced a polite smile. “What message would you like to send?”
“How much is it?”
“For now, no charge,” she said without hesitation.
Wang Jie was taken aback. “No charge? I’ll dictate. Can you write?”
“If possible.”
“It’s not a secret.”
The servant took the pen solemnly. “Please, go ahead.”
Wang Jie looked at the blank paper, then began speaking, “Disciple obtained a great treasure at Sword Mastery Heaven and wishes to offer it to Senior, Wang Jie.”
The servant wrote this down carefully, then took the paper and neatly put it away. She smiled at Wang Jie, “Please wait here. Leave your contact information, and we’ll reach out when there’s news. It’s best not to leave the area for now.”
Wang Jie nodded in understanding, then left.
As they stepped out of the shop, Miao Tai was curious. “Lord, how much did it cost?”
Wang Jie smiled, “Nothing.”
Miao Tai was stunned. “Nothing? That’s impossible! Even Zong Cheng Ping has to pay to contact Black White Heaven. This shop has direct ties to Black White Heaven, and they don’t care about the Four Alliances. How can they not charge?”
“Lord, wait here,” Miao Tai said, as they prepared to wait for a response, which would take a few days. Since they were here, Wang Jie decided to buy a few more things for the journey.
Unexpectedly, the arrival of needed items came earlier than expected.
Many supplies had been used up, and it was time to replenish them.
First came the elixirs.
He had used the Primal Bone Pill as food back at Heavy Depth Star, but that had been too extravagant. He hadn’t yet reached the Wandering Star Realm and still needed sustenance.
Sword Mastery Heaven had provided food through the Stone Sword Creature.
Miao Tai took him to the largest alchemical trading post in the area, where Wang Jie directly inquired, “Do you have any food replacement pills?”
The shopkeeper responded with a lazy smile, “Are you looking for Digestive Pills? We have plenty. One Star Stone per pill. How many would you like?”
Digestive Pills were simple elixirs, much cheaper than the Star Force Pills. One could go three days without hunger after consuming one.
Wang Jie bought two thousand. It wasn’t too expensive, so why not stock up?
Next, he turned to the Restoration Pills.
Restoration Pills were Star Breaking Realm-level elixirs, similar to the Revive Pills but specifically for normal wounds. Unlike the Revive Pills, which could heal severe injuries and expel destructive energy from a Wandering Star Realm expert, the Restoration Pills were much cheaper.
Revive Pills cost a million Star Stones per pill.
Wang Jie had used many of them, leaving only two, which made him hesitate to use them.
If only he had Restoration Pills back at Heavy Depth Star, he wouldn’t have needed to use the Revive Pills. The thought made his heart ache.
Restoration Pills were priced at a thousand Star Stones each. He bought two hundred, costing him 200,000 Star Stones.
Next was the formation books, another important purchase.
He visited the formation book trade post and bought the Eightfold Strong Lock Formation book. This formation could lock down ordinary Full Star Realm cultivators. While it might not seem useful to him at the moment, given the level of Full Star Realm cultivators he had encountered, it could come in handy.
Zong Cheng Ping had said he was the most formidable Full Star Realm expert in the Lock Path interval, but in reality, he was just a Lock Force cultivator.
Compared to those in the Star Force system, Lock Force cultivators lacked powerful battle techniques. Star Force cultivators, on the other hand, had decades of battle techniques and a variety of Star Force effects, such as the Frost Star Force. If he encountered a special Star Force Full Star Realm cultivator one day, Wang Jie would need to be better prepared.
The formation book wasn’t too expensive, costing 200,000 Star Stones, but he bought it as a precaution.
After these purchases, Wang Jie had used up forty of his 180 Starsea Stones.
He was still missing a strong defensive Star Artifact.
His experiences at Thunder Well and Heavy Depth Star had shown him how important it was to have a reliable defensive Star Artifact. While Star Artifacts couldn’t communicate with him, as long as they could block enemy attacks, they would serve their purpose.
But given his current resources, he could only afford a second-rank Star Artifact.
He hoped he could find a good one.
For several days, Wang Jie traveled to nearby planets, searching but failing to find a suitable second-rank Star Artifact for defense. There were third-tribulation Star Artifacts, but they started at four million Star Stones—way beyond his budget.
If only he hadn’t spent so much on the expensive spaceship.
…
Meanwhile, in Black White Heaven, there was a place known as Zhi Upper Realm.
This was the home of the Fixed Star Zhi family. Anyone wanting to enter, even those at the Hundred Star Realm, had to apply for permission.
At that moment, Zhi Xing Xue’s face darkened. She sat across from three individuals—two elderly ones, one male and one female—and a younger woman standing behind them with a polite smile, gazing at Zhi Xing Xue.
“Great Aunt, are you going to make things difficult for us? We’ve been waiting for so long to finally reach this point, and now you’re requesting resources that are far too precious for us. If we are used this way, how will we explain it to our people?” the elderly man said.
Another elder added, “You probably haven’t heard, but since you’ve been away, the family’s resources have been stretched thin. The Star Cloud battlefield never stops, and we’ve been under pressure as well.”
“If you insist on needing these resources, perhaps I could offer some from my portion. How does that sound?”
Zhi Xing Xue’s face grew cold. “No need.”
“Well, Great Aunt, you are reasonable. But there’s another issue I must report. Some of the people you brought back have been causing trouble. They’ve stolen some seventh-grade equipment from the Zhi Academy’s boundary master.”
Zhi Xing Xue’s expression shifted sharply. She locked eyes with the woman. “What did you say?”
The woman smiled. “It’s the truth. You can check.”
Zhi Xing Xue’s expression darkened as she said nothing.
“Since this involves you, we’ve held back. But please educate your people. They come from small places and are ignorant of the rules. Even if we don’t use some things, they can’t take them.”
Zhi Xing Xue stood up and left.
Behind her, the two elders exchanged glances, smirking, unconcerned.
“Master, they’re clearly looking for trouble. The resources you need are not that much, just a few hundred-star realm resources. They even want to take that away from you,” an angry old woman said as she followed Zhi Xing Xue.
Zhi Xing Xue’s eyes turned cold. “Go check the Zhi Academy matter. They said someone stole seventh-grade equipment.”
“What? That’s impossible. A master capable of forging seventh-grade equipment wouldn’t be easily stolen from by a few disciples,” the old woman fumed. “It’s clearly targeting you.”
“Master, you’ve been away for so long. Now, even these juniors dare to make trouble for you,” she added angrily.
Zhi Xing Xue chuckled darkly. “Without the old man behind them, would they dare cause trouble for me?” Her gaze flickered. “It all comes down to influence. I’ve been away too long, and the elders are gone. Only you remain. I just want to live quietly now, but they keep causing trouble.”
The old woman sighed. “What you did in the past… It wasn’t exactly the most peaceful.”
Zhi Xing Xue, in truth, was Zhi Xing Xue, who had changed her name after marrying.
“Master, they’re only causing trouble for the disciples from Frost Radiance Sect. As long as you stay out of it, they’ll only get worse. Unless you’re willing to bow down.”
Zhi Xing Xue’s face was icy. “If they came straight to me and spoke properly, I might bow down. I’m not afraid of returning in a disgraceful state. But now, they think they can make demands?”
“I may be getting old, but I’m far from death.”
The old woman was pleased. “It’s best if you don’t bow down. Let’s fight, after all, you’re a Star Refining Realm master.”
“Oh, by the way, someone sent a message for you. The sender is Wang Jie.”
Zhi Xing Xue was taken aback. “Wang Jie? What does he want from me?”
At that moment, she couldn’t help but think, had Wang Jie been troubled too?
The disciples brought by Frost Radiance Sect mostly went to Zhi Academy, and none had much success, with only a few going to Great Star Mountain. Only Wang Jie had gone to the Lock Path interval.
That kid… surely, he wasn’t easily troubled. He must be fine in a place like Lock Path interval.
The old woman added, “He sent a message saying he acquired a great treasure in Sword Mastery Heaven and wants to offer it to you.”
Zhi Xing Xue was stunned. “A treasure? For me?”
“Yes, he’s a disciple of Frost Radiance Sect too.”
Zhi Xing Xue nodded. “Let’s go. I need to speak with him.”