Chapter 169
Chapter 169: Mysterious and Unfathomable
In the vast expanse of the cosmos, there exist countless forces, including karma, time and space, and fate. Had Wang Jie just encountered such a power today? But why had no one ever mentioned being troubled by such a thing before? Yet, when he thought about it, he understood—it wasn’t as if he shared his own experiences with others.
Wang Jie paused and let out a deep breath, gazing at Yi Hao. “How are things?” he asked.
Yi Hao stood before Wang Jie, bowing deeply. “Thank you, Master, for your salvation. I am now restored,” he said, his voice filled with deep gratitude.
Wang Jie exhaled in relief, sinking wearily into a seat.
Yi Hao rushed forward, offering support, but Wang Jie waved him off. “It’s nothing, just a little tired. Karma is a power that weaves through the cycles of time and rebirth. Observing the past and future, each use of it drains tremendous energy, but a little rest will do.”
Yi Hao was astonished. “Master’s abilities leave me in awe.”
Wang Jie closed his eyes, pretending to meditate.
When he opened his eyes again, two hours had passed. Yi Hao had patiently waited the entire time.
As soon as Wang Jie’s eyes opened, Yi Hao eagerly presented a gift. “Thank you for your help, Master. Please accept this as a token of my gratitude.”
Wang Jie gently declined. “The price is fixed—one hundred star-stage sea stones. No less, no more.”
Yi Hao persisted, saying, “Please, Master, don’t refuse. This is my heartfelt offering.”
Wang Jie smiled. “Karma—there must be cause before there can be effect. One hundred star-stage sea stones are the cause of our meeting. If we alter the cause, the effect can no longer come to fruition.”
Hearing this, Yi Hao quickly withdrew his gift.
Upon returning to the shop, Yi Hao expressed his gratitude solemnly in front of the crowd before taking his leave.
Wang Jie sat in quiet contemplation. With the first issue settled, there would be more to come—second, third…
Outside, many were discussing, speculating on the methods Wang Jie had employed. Most still didn’t believe he could divine the future. Some even suggested that Yi Hao was merely an accomplice. Despite Yi Hao’s high standing as an alchemy daoist, rumors persisted, and people were unsure, questioning Wang Jie’s background.
The next day, a woman came to the shop, her face obscured by a wide-brimmed hat. She sat before Wang Jie. “I want to give it a try.”
Wang Jie studied her for a moment. “You and I are destined to meet. The price is one hundred star-stage sea stones.”
Without hesitation, the woman paid.
“What troubles you?” Wang Jie asked.
“Can’t you see it?” she replied.
“You tell me. It will be easier for me, but if you don’t speak, it’ll be more tiring.”
“I don’t want to speak of it. If you can solve it, I will offer you more starsea stones.”
Wang Jie chuckled lightly. “There’s no need for that. One hundred star-stage sea stones is the agreed price.” He then focused intently on the woman. “Your appearance.”
The woman lifted her hat, revealing her face to him.
She was incredibly beautiful, with a gentle and refined aura. Her eyes held a delicate, almost pitiful look, yet they also contained deep, unspoken wisdom. She smelled faintly of medicinal herbs, which was strangely soothing.
Wang Jie gazed at her deeply, closing his eyes for a long moment. When he opened them again, an hour had passed.
The onlookers outside had been watching in silence.
“Everyone has past-life karma, both good and bad. You, however, lack manners.”
The woman frowned. “What did you say?”
Wang Jie fixed her with a steady gaze. “I’m speaking of your past self. That’s why you’re facing retribution now. Have you ever respected the elderly?”
The woman was taken aback. In recent times, she had been inexplicably compelled to do two things: one, to glance at the creator of a work, and two, to help the elderly cross the street. She had no idea why she had this urge, but it was persistent, and it disturbed her peace. She couldn’t focus on her alchemy, let alone her cultivation.
She had consulted powerful cultivators, ones who were truly remarkable and reclusive in Zhi Academy. Yet, even they couldn’t discern the problem. Hearing Yi Hao’s story the previous day, she had tried to ask, but Yi Hao wouldn’t speak. That was why she had come here. She never expected that Wang Jie would actually identify the issue.
Just like Yi Hao, she had instinctively thought that Wang Jie was somehow behind the situation, but then she reconsidered—it was impossible. He didn’t have the means to deceive such a powerful, reclusive senior. If he had the ability, there would be no need for him to perform such actions. If it had nothing to do with him, it meant that he truly could see things that others couldn’t.
Helping the elderly across the street—she had done that. But the other thing, the creator of the work—who was that? What work? She had no idea who to look for.
As time went on, the feeling of anxiety became more intense, and yet there was no sign of outside interference. It was clear—it was her own problem. It felt so strange.
Wang Jie knew that his methods were bound to attract suspicion, and he understood that he would inevitably be scrutinized. But he was confident—no one would find the flaw. He wasn’t a fortune-teller, but so what? If he couldn’t do it, he wouldn’t try. He only performed divination for those with his card. These people could doubt him, but so what? Even if he faced the hundred-star realm, he was confident they wouldn’t be able to see through him. Otherwise, the Domain Lord would have already detected the issue back then.
That was his confidence.
At least within Zhi Academy, he could play this game. But if he were in Black White Heaven, he would have to be more careful. Who knew whether the Star Refining Realm could detect the truth?
In the Lock Path Interval, he could charge through with brute force. But here, in Zhi Academy, he could navigate with cards.
No matter how much the outside world doubted or schemed, as long as he could accomplish his goals, that was enough.
The woman took a deep breath and spoke with a heavy tone, “How should I resolve this?”
Wang Jie calmly replied, “You owe someone an apology.”
The woman thought of the creator of the work.
“Who?” she asked.
“I don’t know their name, only their face.”
She exhaled deeply. “I want to see them.”
Wang Jie drew in the air, sketching the face of the man he had seen on his journey back from Heavy Depth Star to Frost Radiance Domain, hearing music along the way.
As soon as the final stroke was made, the sound of music filled the air once again.
Wang Jie’s pupils contracted sharply, his face turning pale in an instant. How could this be?
Similarly, the woman also heard the music and stared at the face of the man. A cold sensation washed over her, as if she had been pulled from the Nine Netherworld’s cold frost. Both of them suddenly turned pale, and the warmth of the world vanished.
At that moment, both felt as though they were being watched by some indescribable gaze.
Wang Jie quickly waved his hand, dispelling the image of the man. Sweat dripped from his forehead, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
The woman, too, was shaken.
They felt as though they had just crossed into a world beyond comprehension—an experience akin to life and death.
After a long moment, they both exhaled, looking at each other.
“You—how are you?” Wang Jie asked.
The woman swallowed, her eyes filled with fear and confusion. “What was that just now?”
“You heard it?” Wang Jie asked.
“Yes.”
Wang Jie lowered his gaze, still feeling the goosebumps. The fear was instinctual, something he couldn’t control.
The warmth of the sun slowly returned, dissipating the chill.
“That was the cause from a past life,” he said slowly, making up a reason.
The woman’s face changed again as she stared at Wang Jie, her eyes now filled with disbelief. She realized that he hadn’t lied. That feeling, like seeing a dead person come to life, was something she had never experienced before.
It was terrifying. How could something like that exist?
As she continued to feel a sense of lingering dread, Wang Jie quietly activated the Silver Radiance Art, remaking the card in the field.
The moment the card was reformed, the woman’s anxiety vanished.
She felt a rush of relief, but also an even greater sense of awe. It was as if she had touched something extraordinary. Looking at Wang Jie, she saw him as someone who could communicate with another world. She had witnessed it firsthand.
With that, she stood up and bowed deeply to him. “Little Lady Su Le, thank you for your assistance, Master.”
Wang Jie, exhausted, waved her off. “I’m just fulfilling my duty. There’s no need for thanks.”
Su Le looked at Wang Jie with a deep, respectful gaze. “Master said we are destined to meet. How long will this fate last?”
Wang Jie met her gaze. “How long do you want it to last?”
Su Le’s eyes turned vacant. “That person—what is my connection to them?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Wang Jie replied casually. “The cause from a past life has been dealt with. You can go and do as you please now.”
Su Le left, but before she did, she told Wang Jie that if he encountered trouble, he could find her and gave him her contact details.
Wang Jie knew who she was.
Su Le.
She was a member of Xu Yang’s faction, and Xu Yang was the highest-ranking figure in Zhi Academy’s Alchemy Dao lineage, second only to Xu Yang himself.
As he watched her leave, Wang Jie reflected on the strange sensation he had just experienced and shuddered involuntarily.
He promised himself he wouldn’t engage in such things again. He couldn’t understand why drawing that face had caused such a disturbance. His instincts told him that if the time had continued, they would have encountered an unimaginable terror.
Closing the shop, he took a break.
“Master, please, I have one more request,” someone said, entering the shop. “I’d like you to perform a reading. Here’s one hundred star-stage sea stones.”
Wang Jie glanced at the person, recognizing that they didn’t have a card. “You and I have no connection. I won’t do it.”
“I will offer one thousand starsea stones,” the person insisted.
Wang Jie raised an eyebrow. “A troublemaker. How could someone ordinary bring so many starsea stones to ask for a reading?”
“I won’t do it. Not even ten thousand starsea stones would change my mind.”
The person shouted, “You don’t know how to do it. You’re just a fraud!”
Wang Jie calmly shut the door.
He had truly been shaken. Time for a break.
Meanwhile, Su Le returned and met Xu Yang.
Xu Yang, seeing Su Le, asked with concern, “Are you all right?”
Su Le shook her head. “I’m fine.” She looked at Xu Yang and said, “Don’t cause any more trouble for that person, no matter what they say from Zhi Upper Realm.”
To the outside world, it was assumed that Su Le was Xu Yang’s disciple or junior, but in fact, Xu Yang was more respectful toward her than anyone else.
“Is there a problem with him?” Xu Yang asked.
Su Le frowned. “No matter who is behind him, this person cannot be offended.”
Xu Yang nodded. “Understood.”
“And what about the artifact-forging dao and formation dao people?”
“They’re not our concern.”
Wang Jie rested for three full days before reopening the shop. When he did, someone walked in—it was Gao Chi.
He had been sent by Ji Zheng from the Artifact Forging Dao to deal with Wang Jie, intending to frame and kill him. But Wang Jie had been safely inside the shop all this time, so no one could do anything.
Gao Chi had come because he had heard that the shop was selling gravity star force pills.
He was a gravity star force cultivator but had failed in competition and ended up in Zhi Academy, living out his remaining years.
For him, gravity star stones were rare, let alone the gravity star force pills. But upon seeing the price, he hesitated.
They were too expensive.
Five hundred star-stage sea stones per pill. Although Gao Chi was an expert in the Wandering Star Realm, he had once competed for a deacon position in Black White Heaven but failed, losing his precious gravity Strange Planet. His resources had been steadily dwindling.
He simply couldn’t afford to buy them at this price.