Chapter 191
Chapter 191: Two Leaves
One by one, individuals left Devour Star. Mo Wan Yin departed as well. Before leaving, she gave Wang Jie a casual farewell and nodded in respect to Little Blue.
Wang Jie stood on the ground, the weight of it sinking in—this was his Devour Star now. He had truly acquired a strange planet that belonged to him.
The outcome of the battle for Devour Star spread quickly throughout the sect.
Black and White Heaven was in an uproar, a commotion far greater than Wang Jie had anticipated. The status of the Zhi family in the Fourth Star Cloud was so high that the ripple effect of this event was felt far and wide.
For countless years, it had been the first time anyone saw the Zhi family suffer a defeat—an event that would surely be recorded in history.
“I thought Devour Star would either belong to the Six Dao Wanderer or the Zhi family, but it was taken by a cultivator from the Star Breaking Realm Lock Force. This is unimaginable.”
“This shows that even the Zhi family isn’t invincible.”
“But I heard that Wang Jie also has some backing, and it’s from the Zhi family too.”
“Even so, he still managed to take Devour Star by himself, in front of the Wandering Star Realm cultivators and the Six Dao Wanderers. That takes real skill, no matter the method.”
“True, ruthless indeed. But he has thoroughly offended the Zhi family.”
“I’ve heard that Devour Star was never meant to be given to anyone else. One of the tokens was in the hands of the Zhi family. For Wang Jie to take it is impressive.”
“Well, I couldn’t do it, and I wouldn’t dare to try…”
Zhi Xing Xue soon got the news and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Wang Jie had given her great pride. Bringing this kid along back then had been the right choice.
On the other hand, Zhi Qing’s face darkened. Without waiting for Zhi Shu to report back, she immediately issued a punishment, making it so Zhi Shu couldn’t even return to the Zhi Upper Realm. What a wretch.
Zhi Ye quietly drank tea, listening to his subordinates report.
The tea was clear, the leaves long and jade-like, with dewdrops gathering on the surface, offering a refreshing sight.
“This batch of Qingluo Dream Cloud tea is quite good. Bring me some more.”
“Yes, Lord.”
Zhi Ye took another sip, the corner of his mouth curving upward. “It’s quite good. Perhaps it can help solve that riddle.”
At this moment, the Elder Hall, Deacon Hall, and Discipline Hall were all discussing the matter of Devour Star.
The Black and White Realm Lords turned their attention to Devour Star.
But for now, these were distant concerns for Wang Jie, who, along with Little Blue, was walking across the land of Devour Star, wondering when he would break through to the Full Star Realm.
Little Blue was in no hurry to leave, at least not until Wang Jie’s injuries stabilized and she had seen him safely back to the Zhi Academy.
The outside world might say it’s easy, but the Full Star Realm was the easiest realm to reach. As long as you reached the Star Breaking Realm, 99% of cultivators would naturally ascend to Full Star Realm. It was only a matter of adding a bit more star force or lock force.
But even so, it was still a realm, and it wasn’t something you could just enter without preparation.
Little Blue spoke slowly, “For ordinary cultivators, absorbing the star force of an entire planet is the standard for Full Star Realm. But slightly stronger cultivators measure themselves against their own body, using the star force of a whole planet as a starting point. After all, everyone’s situation is different.”
“For example, you’ve just reached the Star Breaking Realm, but your lock force surpasses most Full Star Realm cultivators. It’s even comparable to the Wandering Star Realm.”
Wang Jie thought about it. His lock force likely surpassed the typical Wandering Star Realm, and he asked, “So, by what standard is it measured?”
“By the relative saturation of the body with power.”
“Saturation?” Wang Jie asked, puzzled.
Little Blue nodded, her expression serious. “Once you break out of the typical cultivator’s realm, external cultivation standards no longer apply.”
“We all know that initial cultivation starts at Ten Seals, then progresses to the Breaking Star stage, Full Star Realm, Wandering Star Realm, and so on. But did you know that some strange races in the universe are born with Ten Seals, and they can even cultivate to Eleven Imprints?”
Wang Jie was stunned. “Eleven Imprints?”
Little Blue’s expression grew solemn. “The human body’s limit is Ten Seals. I’ve never heard of anyone breaking this limit. But for other life forms, their cultivation limits vary. Some can reach Eleven Imprints, or even more.”
“Each extra imprint at the beginning adds more difference as you progress.”
She turned her gaze to Wang Jie. “So don’t think of humans as the masters of the universe. What you’ve seen is just the protective bubble created by humans. Beyond that bubble lies the truly cruel universe.”
“Let’s not get sidetracked. You don’t need to worry about that now. Back to Full Star Realm. For talented cultivators, the measure for Full Star Realm is the relative saturation of their body with power. Full Star Realm isn’t truly a realm in itself; it was established long ago by ancestors so that the younger generations wouldn’t be unable to see the far-reaching future realms.”
“So, it’s not as easy to distinguish as the Star Breaking Realm or Wandering Star Realm. But you can sense it.”
She raised her hand, and two leaves fell into her palm. She ripped one leaf in half. “One complete, one broken. It’s easy to tell the difference, isn’t it?”
Wang Jie nodded.
Little Blue continued, “That’s how Full Star Realm is. When you look at someone and feel their strength isn’t whole, that’s when they haven’t reached Full Star Realm. Full Star Realm isn’t determined by the amount of cultivated power.”
“How does one reach Full Star Realm?” Wang Jie asked.
“This is also not up to you. When your body and lock force are perfectly integrated, and it can no longer hold more lock force, that’s when you’ve reached Full Star Realm. Of course, you must have absorbed at least the lock force of an entire planet. Otherwise, you’ll never reach Full Star Realm.”
Wang Jie understood.
“You can try absorbing lock force from Devour Star. The lock force here is more than enough for you to reach Full Star Realm. But because this is Devour Star, you’ll need someone to protect you while you absorb it. Otherwise, Devour Star might end up absorbing the lock force from your body instead.”
“It can do that?” Wang Jie was taken aback.
Little Blue smiled. “Because it’s Devour Star.”
Wang Jie found a spot to sit down and began to feel the lock force within Devour Star. It was as vast as an ocean, far more than what he had.
He calmed his mind and slowly began circulating the Heaven Reversal technique, the method he used to absorb lock force, now connecting it to Devour Star.
Immediately, he felt as though the ground beneath him trembled, like an ocean in a great earthquake.
Wang Jie suddenly opened his eyes, letting out a breath, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.
“How is it?” Little Blue asked.
Wang Jie looked at the land. “It’s overwhelming. Even a small shift feels like the earth is shaking.”
Little Blue chuckled. “This is the lock force ocean. Don’t think absorbing the strength of an entire planet is easy. If it were, many people who just reached the Star Breaking Realm would already be Full Star Realm.”
“I understand now,” Wang Jie replied.
“Of course, the lock force in Devour Star is far beyond what any single planet’s lock force could compare to. I don’t even know how much lock force is here. You’ll have to feel it for yourself. Take your time. No rush. My master asked me to protect you properly.”
Wang Jie nodded. “Thank you, senior.”
He closed his eyes again, feeling the lock force within Devour Star, slowly drawing it in, carefully adjusting his absorption.
Little Blue observed Wang Jie, her expression thoughtful.
How long had it been? Two breaths? One breath? Normally, it would take cultivators a long time to draw in the force of an entire planet, but Wang Jie… almost immediately seemed to connect.
What cultivation method did he use? How was he able to draw in so quickly? Especially considering this was Devour Star.
Wang Jie continued to connect with the lock force within Devour Star, the indescribable shock hitting him again. This time, he was mentally prepared, suppressing his panic, and simply felt.
Humans were small, yet as the lock force connected with Devour Star’s vast energy, he felt as if his body had left the human form, observing from afar, from the Star Dome.
The smallness of it all was striking, and yet, he had no ground to stand on. It was overwhelming.
He opened his eyes once more, taking a deep breath to steady himself, then tried again.
Time and again, he tried, drawing the lock force from Devour Star. Finally, on the third day, the lock force surged toward him, a sensation like prying apart a planet with a lever. The lock force beneath the ground was like a tsunami, and he felt as though he was standing on the shore, facing the coming wave. He wanted to retreat, but it was too late—his Heaven Reversal technique activated on its own.
At that moment, Little Blue watched, her eyes focused on the ground beneath. She suppressed the star force.
The previously roaring lock force instantly stagnated, then began to shrink and fade. Finally, it entered Wang Jie’s body, where it merged with his flesh under the influence of the Heaven Reversal technique.
Wang Jie let out a sigh of relief. No wonder Little Blue had stayed behind to protect him.
Without her, he would have been overwhelmed by the endless lock force and might have been consumed by it, like stones swept away by a tidal wave.
Now, it was just right.
Little Blue observed quietly. Wang Jie’s lock force had fused with his body, but it had not yet reached its current limit. Had he been lacking materials during his time at the Zhi Academy? Perhaps Devour Star had arrived just at the right time. Zhi Qing had hoped to use Devour Star to eliminate this child, break Master’s arm, but instead, this child had taken the star for himself.
I hope you can go even higher—high enough to truly assist Master.
Wang Jie continued absorbing lock force. The Heaven Reversal technique could deepen his imprint to its limit, forcing the lock force to integrate with his body.
Little Blue had initially thought Wang Jie would stop after a short while, reaching the limit of his physical capacity. But unexpectedly, it was as if he couldn’t stop absorbing.
How could there be so much?
His body was like a dry well, seemingly unable to fill no matter how much was poured in.
This was not a good sign.
Though the more lock force one absorbed, the higher their combat power, the more lock force meant the faster they would reach their upper limit. Initially, Little Blue had thought Wang Jie might at least reach the Wandering Star Realm, but now… it didn’t seem likely.
Such vast lock force merging with the body was easy, but to reach the Wandering Star Realm, the lock force had to merge with the blood and bones, allowing one to step into the stars.
How could so much lock force be integrated?
The more there was, the less possible it seemed.
However, this was not something Wang Jie could decide, as he had not yet reached the limit of his physical saturation.
Little Blue’s expression grew heavy. Master may be disappointed. With such overwhelming lock force, it seemed impossible to reach the Wandering Star Realm, not to mention the inherent limits of the lock force itself.
Such a pity.
Time passed, and Wang Jie opened his eyes. In that moment, a familiar sense of satisfaction enveloped him, and he exhaled, feeling much lighter.
His previously injured body felt far more agile.
He turned to Little Blue. “Senior, thank you.”
Little Blue nodded but her expression remained grim. “Your body has temporarily reached its limit for merging with the lock force, but this isn’t the limit of a Star Breaking Realm body. You can continue cultivating until you reach the true limit of the Star Breaking Realm and absorb lock force again, completing the saturation. That’s when you’ll reach Full Star Realm.”
Wang Jie nodded in understanding. “Then when should I try absorbing lock force again?”
Little Blue glanced at him. “Perhaps I will return at that time.” No matter what happened, even if he didn’t reach the Wandering Star Realm, Master would still take care of him because of what had been done before.