Chapter 151

Chapter 151: Taking Over Suo Xing Jian

Wang Jie pulled out a small shield and tossed it over.

He didn’t need it anymore.

If it bought him time, it was worth it. Breakthroughs only got harder the longer you delayed, and everything else could be found again later.

The shield was a Second-Tribulation Chen artifact. Paired with the Cai He Force, it was no small price.

Qiu Chou agreed.

Truthfully, he hadn’t seized that batch of materials because it mattered to him. He’d run into it, taken it on impulse, and then paid dearly when Shen Wang chased him down. After a fight like that, leaving empty-handed would have been stupid.

But he was Roaming-Star Realm. A single batch of materials meant nothing for his cultivation. It wasn’t even icing on the cake.

Handing it to Wang Jie cost him nothing.

The moment Wang Jie saw the materials, he knew it—his ninth seal was secured. He only lacked the final piece needed to deepen the last imprint.

He immediately found a place to absorb Lockforce.

Three months passed in the blink of an eye.

He didn’t emerge until the ninth imprint had been deepened to Tianfan.

Then he boarded his ship, crossed a space-time minor vortex, and returned to the shop to contact Grand Elder Xing Xue.

Enough time had passed.

It was time.

The Shen Wang was fast.

And it was flashy.

Wherever it went, it drew stares.

The moment Wang Jie stepped inside the shop, the little attendant’s eyes lit up. He rushed over, all warmth and concern, and immediately began cursing Shen Wang with impressive enthusiasm.

“That man deserved it. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt, Brother Wang.”

Wang Jie smiled. “I’m fine. Thank you. Help me connect the call.”

“Right away.”

Not long after, Zhi Xing Xue’s voice came through. “How are you?”

“Junior is fine. Thank you for your concern, Senior.”

“Good. Very good.” Approval colored her tone. “You were blocked by a Roaming-Star Realm cultivator and still escaped. That’s no small thing.”

She paused. “If we’re being honest, part of it is my fault. I taught you how to gather intelligence—if I hadn’t, you might not have been cornered.”

Wang Jie answered calmly, “It wasn’t your fault. I was careless.”

Zhi Xing Xue sighed. “Your mind is sharp and your talent is frightening. It’s a pity you cultivate Lockforce.”

Wang Jie didn’t argue. He listened.

“Even so, I fought to secure you a Scripture Viewing qualification. Consider it your reward for this time.”

She’d told him before—she couldn’t help him in advance. But every calamity he survived earned him a return beyond imagining.

Last time, it had been the heart-protecting shield, a Third-Tribulation Chen artifact. Without it, Shen Wang’s attack would have killed him.

This time had been even more dangerous. The reward should be greater.

That was why Wang Jie had hurried to contact her.

And now he had it: Scripture Viewing qualification.

“Scripture Viewing?” Wang Jie frowned. “What does that mean?”

Zhi Xing Xue explained simply, as if it were nothing. To Wang Jie, it hit like a thunderclap.

Scripture Viewing meant reading scripture.

Black-White Heaven had two scriptures known across the universe: the Great Domain Scripture and the Roam-Refining Scripture.

The Roam-Refining Scripture was irrelevant to him. It was for Full-Star Realm cultivators—created to support the breakthrough into Roaming-Star Realm. Too far away.

But the Great Domain Scripture was different.

Anyone could read it. Its true impact emerged at Roaming-Star Realm: depending on compatibility, different effects manifested, and some readers even produced visions that shook the heavens.

Below Roaming-Star Realm, the changes were subtler—but still real. Strength, speed, Starforce, even senses like hearing and sight. Some gained a great deal; some gained only a little.

That was why Scripture Viewing mattered.

It mattered most to two kinds of people: Roaming-Star Realm, where the effect was clearest, and Ten Seals.

Because any improvement—any increase in foundation—raised the odds of breaking through the Ten Seals mountain.

Ten Seals was a mountain. Star-Breaking lay beyond it.

To reach Star-Breaking Realm, you had to shatter that mountain.

For ordinary cultivators, it was already nearly impossible. For Wang Jie—whose Ten Seals were anything but ordinary—he didn’t even know what “breaking it” would look like.

Scripture Viewing was a path that could help him.

It felt like water in a drought.

Wang Jie steadied his voice. “Thank you, Senior. With this qualification, breaking the Ten Seals mountain will be easier.”

Zhi Xing Xue’s tone softened by a thread. “Everyone has secrets.”

“You haven’t advanced because it’s difficult, or because the time isn’t right.”

“The Great Domain Scripture will help you.”

Wang Jie asked quietly, “Scripture Viewing qualification must be hard to obtain.”

“It isn’t hard for the Zhi family. Everyone has access.” There was a pause. “Outsiders… need fate.”

Wang Jie understood and didn’t press.

Zhi Xing Xue continued, “The last Lockforce cultivator to receive Scripture Viewing qualification was Xiao Rong.”

Wang Jie’s eyes flickered. “Xiao Rong?”

He’d heard that name more than once. Zong Cheng Ping’s master.

“He earned it through great merit on the star-cloud battlefield,” Zhi Xing Xue said. “Coincidence or not, merit is merit.”

“That merit also grants him free passage to and from the battlefield—and the ability to return to Suo Xing Jian.”

Her tone sharpened slightly. “What I fear is that they’ll send him after you. If he leaves the battlefield, I’ll notify you. Watch Zong Cheng Ping. He has feelings for that disciple. You may be able to maneuver through him.”

“Junior understands.”

Wang Jie thought the call was ending.

But the other side fell silent.

“Senior?” he asked carefully. “Is there something else?”

Zhi Xing Xue’s voice lowered. “If possible… help me take over Suo Xing Jian.”

Wang Jie blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Literal meaning.” Her words were flat as iron. “Make Suo Xing Jian listen to you.”

Wang Jie drew a slow breath. “Can that be done?”

“The four refining grounds were meant to stand apart from Black-White Heaven. That was the old ancestor’s rule—meant to prevent the upper levels from crushing the lower and driving talent away.”

“But that rule has been eroded for a long time.”

“Wang Jie, if you can help me take Suo Xing Jian, I guarantee you a future of light.”

She let the promise hang for a beat. “At the very least, in the Fourth Nebula, no one will be able to bully you again.”

Wang Jie’s chest rose and fell once. “Junior will do my best.”

“This is dangerous,” Zhi Xing Xue said. “If you refuse, I won’t blame you.”

Wang Jie answered without hesitation. “Senior’s kindness to Junior is carved into my bones. If there’s a chance, I will do it.”

“In a while, elders’ juniors will come to Yi Sword Heaven. I’ll see if I can connect with them.”

“No need.” Zhi Xing Xue cut him off. “Those ties aren’t worth as much as a single sentence from certain people.”

“And I don’t need to win through flattery.”

“Do it however you want. I’ll cover you.”

The call ended.

Wang Jie immediately contacted Du Xian. As long as they were both in Suo Xing Jian, they could reach each other.

He didn’t need to go in person.

“Whose intel are you buying?” Du Xian sounded surprised.

“Zhi Xing Xue.”

Du Xian hesitated. “I can’t sell information from outside Suo Xing Jian.”

“I’m buying from the Star Vault Vista.”

“Then you need their intel handler, not me. I can’t contact them for you.”

Wang Jie’s shoulders eased. “Alright. Goodbye.”

“Wait,” Du Xian said quickly. “I can’t sell you that, but I’ve heard a few things privately. Just gossip. Want it?”

“Yes,” Wang Jie said at once. “Thank you.”

Du Xian’s voice turned thoughtful. “Zhi Xing Xue is already a second-tier senior figure in the Zhi family’s current generation.”

“Zhi Yu is the highest-ranked elder. He had three sons and two daughters. The three sons died one after another. Only the two daughters remain.”

“One is Zhi Qing. The other is Zhi Xing Xue.”

“Long ago, Zhi Xing Xue fell out with the family over a relationship and left for the Third Nebula. Zhi Yu even struck her name from the family register.”

“After that, Zhi Qing—who had always been suppressed by her—rose into power and gradually seized control of much of Black-White Heaven’s influence.”

Du Xian paused, then added, “Back then, Zhi Xing Xue was terrifying. ‘Xue’ is a name she took later. Her original name was Xue—the character for blood.”

Wang Jie’s breath caught. “Zhi Xing Xue?”

“Exactly.” Du Xian sounded almost amused. “In those years, most of Black-White Heaven trembled at the sight of her.”

“She was the kind who killed without hesitation, gave no one face, and even her father couldn’t change her mind.”

“She used iron-blooded means to crush the fallout from Zhi Yu’s sons dying and hold up the family head branch’s authority.”

“She offended countless people, but she also made countless people submit from the heart.”

“Still,” Du Xian said, “that was the past.”

“Now that she’s returned, this treatment isn’t only because of Zhi Qing. Some people are repaying old grudges.”

“And the only reason she’s been allowed back is because Black-White Heaven needs more Star-Refining Realm powerhouses.”

Wang Jie understood.

So now Zhi Xing Xue was essentially a blade hired by the very machine she once commanded.

No wonder a Star-Refining Realm with such seniority still couldn’t interfere with the Steward Hall—why she needed to rely on a mere Lockforce cultivator.

Du Xian continued, voice slow and pointed. “What Zhi Xing Xue lacks most is a chance—a chance to take power again.”

“Do you know that since she returned, Zhi Yu declared seclusion and refused to meet her? Not because he hates her. He’s giving her room.”

“Back then his words were too absolute. If he met her now, it would only force her into a worse position.”

Wang Jie absorbed that. “Thank you.”

Du Xian laughed softly. “No need. Consider it after-sales service. I hope the guest is satisfied.”

Not long after, Wang Jie’s ship sailed through the stars toward Lone Peak Gorge.

He contacted Zong Cheng Ping. “I want to meet Fu An and the others.”

Since the Shen Wang incident ended, Wu Yun hadn’t contacted Suo Xing Jian again. It seemed she’d put her pursuit of Wang Jie on hold.

Fu An and the others finally had room to breathe.

That didn’t last.

When Wang Jie reached out to them, it unsettled them. They couldn’t guess what he wanted.

It wasn’t fear. With multiple Full-Star Realm gathered together, the one who should have been afraid was Wang Jie—he could easily be surrounded.

But no one had the mood to strike.

Wang Jie cultivated on the way. When he arrived at Lone Peak Gorge, he didn’t rush to meet anyone. Lie Qiu and the others hadn’t arrived yet—they didn’t have ships that could keep up.

Only after everyone gathered did Wang Jie step into Fu An’s courtyard.

It had become a meeting place.

Despite everything, the four alliances and Lone Peak Gorge hadn’t lost many Full-Star Realm in this stretch of time.

The framework still stood.