Chapter 153

Chapter 153: Rules Set by Ourselves

Zhi Ye found himself picturing the young man again.

A Lockforce cultivator. No future to speak of.

And yet he stood at the bottom of the world, baring his teeth at the sky.

Surviving a killing calamity had already earned Zhi Ye’s attention. Now Wang Jie dared to force the Elders’ Court openly.

If the Elders’ Court acknowledged it…

From then on, if Suo Xing Jian caught anyone interfering, the Elders’ Court couldn’t pretend it didn’t see. That steward Wu Yun wouldn’t dare move—Zhi Qing backing her or not.

Zhi Ye asked, “Has the Elders’ Court responded?”

“Not yet.”

Zhi Ye smiled faintly. “Are they afraid of losing face… or afraid of losing the unspoken rules?”

The messenger didn’t dare answer.

Zhi Ye dismissed him and leaned back, eyes thoughtful.

The Elders’ Court would hate opening this door. Unspoken rules existed everywhere. Crack one open, and you threatened too many interests.

Suo Xing Jian’s true value to Black-White Heaven wasn’t in materials. It was in Lockforce cultivators themselves—in the chain tied to the star-cloud battlefield.

And his aunt, it seemed, had no intention of resting.

The news fermented, spreading even to the other three refining grounds. Wang Jie’s name echoed again across Black-White Heaven.

People were stunned.

Hadn’t they only just heard about him?

A Lockforce cultivator with this much presence—was that even possible?

“I heard the Elders’ Court has been meeting for two days straight and still can’t agree.”

“I heard they’re not debating whether they should acknowledge it. They’re debating where Wang Jie got the audacity to threaten the Elders’ Court.”

“Elder Si went to complain to the black realm lord.”

“Suo Xing Jian belongs to the black realm. But it’s supposed to govern itself. What if Wang Jie doesn’t even give the black realm lord face?”

“At worst, let those juniors die. Do elders really care about them?”

“You still don’t understand. Those juniors are just the stone used to knock on the door. Whether they live or die isn’t the point.”

“The point is that Wang Jie has forced the Elders’ Court to take a stance.”

“Either ignore their deaths, eliminate Wang Jie, and force Suo Xing Jian back into line—or acknowledge Suo Xing Jian’s right to set its own rules.”

“Latest news: the black realm lord won’t interfere.”

“How is that possible?”

“That’s exactly why it makes sense.” The voice lowered. “Wang Jie is Ten Seals. He provoked the Steward Hall and the Discipline Hall, forced them to release Shen Wang to hunt him, and Shen Wang still failed.”

“That means Wang Jie has backing too. This reaches the sky.”

“This isn’t about ants. It’s lords fighting.”

“Lords above realm lords… the Zhi family?”

“Another update: an elder went to Zhi Upper Realm. They say even the Zhi family is discussing it.”

“Suo Xing Jian matters too much. Interests, face, the battlefield—no one can ignore it.”

“But even Zhi Yu can’t deny the old ancestor’s rule.”

“Exactly. Without that rule, any elder could slap Suo Xing Jian into dust. Right now, Suo Xing Jian holds the public truth.”

In Zhi Xing Xue’s residence, a servant hurried in. “Master, Elder Si requests an audience.”

Zhi Xing Xue lifted her head.

So he’d come.

“Let him in.”

Soon, an old man in white robes entered and bowed with grave formality. “It’s been a long time, Acting realm lord.”

Zhi Xing Xue’s eyes sharpened. “Acting realm lord?”

“No one has called me that in a long time. That was another lifetime.”

She tilted her head. “Brother Shang He—why bring it up?”

His name was Si Shang He, the highest-seniority elder in the Elders’ Court. He was of Zhi Xing Xue’s generation. They had trained together in the past.

“Xing Xue.” His voice was steady. “Since you still call me Brother Shang He, then I don’t need to explain why I’m here.”

“Wang Jie,” Zhi Xing Xue said.

“He’s a Ten Seals little kid.” Si Shang He stared at her. “Yet he dares do this. He reminds me of you.”

“Without your backing, it would be impossible.”

“I came personally. Tell me what you want.”

Zhi Xing Xue met his eyes. “What Wang Jie wants is what I want.”

Si Shang He’s brow furrowed. “You’ve changed. You used to be direct.”

“And you’ve changed,” Zhi Xing Xue replied calmly. “If you were the Brother Shang He I knew, you would have visited me long ago.”

His eyes burned. “When you left, you wounded too many hearts. Now you want to return to the past? It can’t happen.”

Zhi Xing Xue nodded once. “So I don’t blame you.”

“I will pay whatever price I must. But on this matter, I will not retreat.”

Si Shang He studied her for a long moment. “No room to negotiate?”

“None.”

The old man’s expression softened into weary resignation. “Then tell him to release them.”

“The Elders’ Court will issue a guarantee. From this day on, Suo Xing Jian sets its own rules. No one may interfere openly or secretly.”

“Anyone who does defies the Elders’ Court.”

Zhi Xing Xue’s shoulders loosened by the smallest degree. “Thank you.”

Si Shang He turned to leave. After a few steps, he stopped without looking back. His voice went flat.

“You and I—our bond ends here, cut in two by one blade.”

Then he was gone.

Zhi Xing Xue closed her eyes and remained still for a long time.

The old crone’s gaze dimmed. “Master, Elder Si once defended you with everything he had. He did so much for you. Why end it like this?”

She sighed. “That child went too far. No one expected him to be so extreme.”

Zhi Xing Xue opened her eyes. “He did it well.”

“He’s like I was. Isn’t he?”

The old crone thought, then nodded. “He really is.”

When the Elders’ Court’s announcement was released, Black-White Heaven fell into a stunned silence.

A tiny Lockforce cultivator had forced the Elders’ Court to lower its head.

The Elders’ Court’s face was shattered.

Of course, everyone understood the truth: that face wasn’t lost to Wang Jie, but to the lord behind him.

Wang Jie and the captured juniors were only the lowest pieces on the board.

Wang Jie didn’t care how the outside interpreted it. He only knew Suo Xing Jian was free now.

At least for now.

No one would dare interfere at this moment. And if anyone did, the Elders’ Court would be the first to strike them—if only to salvage its own dignity.

At Lone Peak Gorge, Zong Cheng Ping and the others bowed. “From this day on, the four alliances and Lone Peak Gorge acknowledge you as supreme.”

Wang Jie watched them bow and felt uncomfortable.

On Blue Star, he’d been alone—dragging two brothers behind him. Later, in the silver radiance empire and the Frostflower Sect, it had been the same. Status rose and fell, but power was never his concern.

This was the first time.

And he couldn’t deny it—it felt good.

He understood what they truly revered: not him, but the Zhi Xing Xue behind him who could make the Elders’ Court bend.

But that didn’t matter.

“Enough.” Wang Jie waved it off. “How long until the yearly transfer of Lockforce cultivators?”

“Next month.”

“The number confirmed?”

“Ten million. Already set. Waiting to be sent to Ping Xiao.”

“Don’t send them to Ping Xiao,” Wang Jie said. “Send them according to this list.”

Zong Cheng Ping took the list. Five place names, each with a number beside it. Added together, the total exceeded ten million.

“This is…?”

“Don’t ask,” Wang Jie said. “Just do it.”

The star-cloud battlefield was a general term. It wasn’t one single battlefield, but many scattered ones.

Ping Xiao was simply Suo Xing Jian’s transit point. Ten million cultivators flowed through Ping Xiao and were redistributed according to the battlefield’s needs.

That redistribution—those quotas—was the true prize Wu Yun and her backers had controlled.

Every battlefield was tied to a different lord in Black-White Heaven. Quotas were bargaining chips. They traded placements, resources, and manpower for other favors and advantages.

Disaster materials were only the surface layer. Starforce cultivators didn’t care about those. It was a smokescreen.

Battlefields were where victories and defeats shaped standing. This was an interest chain that ran from the bottom all the way to the top.

Now, control of that chain—control of Lockforce cultivators—had moved into Zhi Xing Xue’s hands. She handed Wang Jie the destination names. Every location on that list had someone waiting—someone tied to her, ready to receive the transfer.

That meant the balance on the star-cloud battlefield would shift.

Once or twice wouldn’t matter. Ten million Lockforce cultivators thrown into war was a drop in an ocean.

One battlefield could lose a million in a single campaign.

But year after year, even a thirty percent survival rate became terrifying. Those who climbed to Hundred-Star Realm or Star-Refining Realm lived for centuries, even millennia.

Their trades weren’t built on today.

They were built on tomorrow.

This was Zhi Xing Xue’s first real step toward reclaiming authority in Black-White Heaven—establishing a voice, a network of interests. Each place name represented a high-level figure who could now trade with her.

Before, she had none.

Ships departed in streams, heading for different coordinates in the stars.

Suo Xing Jian looked unchanged.

Yet everything had shifted.

Wang Jie waited for materials.

With so many slaughterstone worlds, each month’s harvested materials were gathered to the four alliances and Lone Peak Gorge, then sent onward to Black-White Heaven.

But now, as Suo Xing Jian’s decision-maker, Wang Jie could hold back what he needed.

Which meant he could receive enormous quantities every month—far beyond what any single force could obtain.

In three months, he could gather enough to deepen the tenth imprint to Tianfan.

In a year, enough for four imprints.

A flood of resources.

Nothing the Frostflower Sect had ever had could compare.

A little over a month later, as the last batches of transferred Lockforce cultivators were received and moved on, the year’s quota was complete.

At Zhi Upper Realm, Zhi Ye set down his brush and looked up at the report. “My side?”

“Yes. In past years, fewer than a million Lockforce cultivators were sent to Hao Qian Domain. More than half would die as soon as they reached the battlefield.”

“The survivors were too few, which is why Hao Qian Domain’s battlefield has under thirty million Lockforce cultivators now, with fewer than a hundred considered battle elite. Many tasks can’t find enough people to execute them.”

“Now we’ve gained far more,” the messenger said. “Hao Qian Domain should breathe easier.”

Zhi Ye smiled and returned to his writing. “Aunt didn’t tell me ahead of time. Was she trying to surprise me?”

He paused, then added softly, “Accept it. The surprise may be small, but it’s better than nothing.”

Elsewhere, the old crone reported happily, “Master, Elder Li Tong He asked me to pass his thanks.”

Zhi Xing Xue smiled. “He is Li Xiang’s son. Even if he didn’t side with me, he won’t be hostile.”

“We increased his Ying Yang Battlefield’s intake sixfold,” the old crone continued. “It’s a huge gift.”

“When Zhi Qing controlled Suo Xing Jian, he could only get less than three hundred thousand. They say he fought with his hands tied, losing more than he won. He couldn’t even gather enough merit to exchange for what he needed.”

“Now he’s suddenly rich.”

Zhi Xing Xue’s smile lingered.

Then her expression shifted. “Little Lan. Receive the guest.”

The old crone straightened and walked out.