Chapter 192
Chapter 192: Different
Wang Jie didn’t understand why Little Blue was in a bad mood, nor did he ask. It was time to leave.
As for Devour Star, no one could board without Wang Jie’s approval, not even the elders or those from the Zhi family.
“Let’s start,” Wang Jie muttered, glancing briefly at Little Blue before beginning his exercises.
Little Blue watched, but couldn’t discern anything noteworthy, so she didn’t ask further.
For this session, Wang Jie didn’t take the revive pill, fearing that combining it with his exercises might heal his injuries too quickly and startle others. Cultivators couldn’t be fully trusted; he’d rather recover slowly on his own.
After finishing his exercises, Wang Jie opened his personal terminal and accessed the Black White Heaven’s Strange Planet directory. He saw his own name listed there, with an application for entry to Devour Star beside it. Anyone who wished to enter Devour Star had to submit an application.
“The overseer of this Strange Planet directory is Elder Yan, the one you’ve met before,” Little Blue explained.
Wang Jie frowned. That person? Although he hadn’t directly attacked Wang Jie, Elder Cheng’s actions were unchallenged by him, even though he was close by. Wang Jie had followed the rules, but that didn’t matter in the end.
It was time to head back to Zhi Academy.
There were plenty of ships on Devour Star. Many disciples had perished, yet their ships remained. Wang Jie could choose any of them. The ship Han Ling had used was now in his possession.
The ordinary ships were slow.
Since the Shen Wang ship had been destroyed, it was time to buy a new one for his return to Zhi Academy.
Little Blue agreed the speed was insufficient, so she detached from the ship and flew with Wang Jie towards Zhi Academy.
The Hundred Star Realm was far faster than a Star Link-class ship. They made it there in half the time it took on the previous trip.
After delivering Wang Jie to the Four Path Marketplace, Little Blue left.
Wang Jie immediately headed to Liuli Court to report his success to Su Le. If Su Le hadn’t requested Mo Wan Yin’s assistance, Wang Jie would have perished on Devour Star. It was a life-saving favor.
“Congratulations, Master, on returning with so much,” Su Le greeted. “Wait… Master, your hair?”
“Congratulations…” Mu Ran and the others cheered with joy.
Wang Jie nodded and quickly found Su Le.
Su Le stared oddly at Wang Jie’s bald head, chuckling, “Congratulations, Master. To be able to seize Devour Star from so many powerful figures, the entire Black White Heaven is buzzing with the news.”
Wang Jie gratefully replied, “If it weren’t for Young Lady requesting Senior Mo Wan Yin’s help, I would have died there. It’s I who should be thanking you, Young Lady.” He bowed deeply.
Su Le hurriedly stopped him, “Master, please, no need for such formalities. I was merely helping myself. After all, not everyone can refine the pills you can.”
Wang Jie laughed, “Young Lady, please prepare as many pills and rare starstones as you like. Your humble servant will certainly do his best.”
“Alright, but not right now. I don’t have much to prepare at the moment. Wait for Master to finish his seclusion. By then, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of pills.” Su Le smiled.
Wang Jie nodded and promised to accompany Su Le to the Zhi Learning Valley when the time came. He had to return to Lock Path Interval now, and this visit was his farewell.
He also wanted to personally thank Mo Wan Yin again.
Now that the Devour Star mission was complete, there was no need to stay hidden at Zhi Academy. His return to Lock Path Interval would be on his own time, so he set out to find Elder Xing Xue.
Wang Jie contacted a shop to reach Elder Xing Xue.
“Elder, it’s junior.”
Elder Xing Xue’s voice was bright, clearly pleased, “Are you back at Zhi Academy?”
“Yes.”
“Wang Jie, you’re even better than I imagined, more perfect than I thought.”
Wang Jie humbly responded, “If it weren’t for Senior Mo Wan Yin, I would have died on Devour Star.”
“Han Ling’s appearance was something we didn’t expect. As a Six Dao Wanderer, with his status, he could have selected any Strange Planet, but he shouldn’t have been concerned. He had been on the Star Cloud Battlefield for so long, rarely returning. This time, he came back secretly. It was my negligence.”
“It’s not Elder’s fault. It can only be said that Zhi Qing is despicable.”
“Heh, that’s just ability, not despicable. Though you’ve gone through near-death experiences, overcoming this ordeal will change your future. The sect’s attitude toward you will also change.”
Wang Jie’s eyes flickered as he thought of Elder Cheng.
“Will it change?”
“Of course. At the very least, you no longer need to worry about some deacon’s hall trying to send you to the Star Cloud Battlefield.” Xing Xue continued, then quickly shifted topics, “You can return to Lock Path Interval now.”
Wang Jie responded, “I was about to ask, when can I return?”
“As you wish. Lock Path Interval has no significant changes at the moment. Only Wu Yun is still hiding there. You’ll have to deal with that yourself.”
“Of course, I’ll take care of her.”
“Also, the reward I promised you will be placed in Lock Path Interval. You can go and collect it then.”
Wang Jie’s eyes brightened. “Thank you, Elder.”
“Mm. The ship has been arranged as well. My people can’t keep using Zhi Academy’s ship. Go to Du Xian and confirm the style. The budget is ample; feel free to choose.”
After ending the conversation, Wang Jie went straight to the Star Dome Trading Hall.
Du Xian greeted him with great enthusiasm. This wasn’t just because of his success with Devour Star, but also because Xing Xue was paying. Or perhaps, it was because of the fame gained from Devour Star.
“Customer, you’re amazing! To be able to seize Devour Star, that must have been so exhausting. You’ve even lost your hair!”
Wang Jie… everyone kept mentioning his hair.
“It’s fine. What, are you offering to console me?” Wang Jie asked with a chuckle.
Du Xian grinned, “Of course! We have all kinds of healing pills, and drinks suitable for your current state. For instance, this Nirvana Dew can cure hidden ailments. Oh, and this Soul Guiding Soup helps you forget worries and sleep well. But the best one is the Boiling Spirit Tea.” She smiled, her expression almost seductive. “Once you drink it, it makes your blood boil and gives you that feeling.”
Wang Jie blinked. “What feeling?”
“That feeling.”
“What feeling exactly?”
Du Xian rolled her eyes at him. “Customer, pretending to be clueless isn’t funny.”
Wang Jie was speechless. He really had no idea what she was talking about. Boiling blood? It reminded him of the Gong Nation’s Blood Stabbing Method.
Speaking of which, the Bone Motion Art’s required materials still weren’t complete—just one more was missing.
For the handsome pet breeding, he wasn’t sure when that would be finished, but at Zhi Academy, this task wasn’t too difficult. There were plenty of cultivators here, many of whom, even if they didn’t specialize in pills, tools, or formations, still knew a bit. It would be easy to solve.
So, what exactly was a handsome pet? He’d already searched extensively at Lock Path Interval.
“Back to the matter at hand. Customer, are you here to confirm the ship’s style?” Du Xian asked eagerly.
Wang Jie smiled at her. “Let’s make a ship like the Shen Wang.”
Du Xian blinked. “Customer, the budget is ample this time. What about a Star Cloud-class ship?”
“No need.”
Du Xian sighed. “Alright, customer. Please wait a moment. I’ll arrange it for you right away. The last Shen Wang was actually transferred from Zhi Academy.”
Star Cloud-class ships start at one hundred million starstones. Whether Xing Xue had prepared it for him or not, Wang Jie could afford one himself.
But after the Devour Star ordeal, he realized that no matter how good the ship, it could easily be destroyed.
The Shen Wang ship was gone in an instant.
There was no need to waste that money. As long as it worked, that was enough.
The Star Link-class speed would do.
Once he reached the Wandering Star Realm, he could buy a better ship.
And this new ship would be called… Devour Star.
Once the ship was confirmed, it was time to buy defensive star artifacts. This was crucial. If it weren’t for the Thousand Spirit Armor in his battle with Zhi Shu, the outcome might have been different.
Unfortunately, the Thousand Spirit Armor had been destroyed.
Soon, Wang Jie found a similar defensive star artifact at Star Dome Trading Hall. It was made from seventh-grade materials and could be worn, and it was denser and harder than the Thousand Spirit Armor. It was called the Locking Star Armor, and it seemed like a perfect fit for him.
It was cheaper than the Thousand Spirit Armor since Star Dome Trading Hall had a discount. He also bought Thunder Sealing Pills, a new batch that had arrived. He bought them all, as they sealed Heaven Thunder’s power more effectively, and they were more expensive. The total cost was two hundred fifty million starstones.
Thunder patterns were better the stronger they were.
There was nothing else he needed to buy.
Now, he just had to wait for the Devour Star to arrive before heading to Lock Path Interval.
Mu Ran and the others stayed at Zhi Academy, unable to transfer to other training grounds. But no one would bother them here anymore.
The blacksmith named Ji Zheng had disappeared, no one knew where he went.
Master Bian and the others had also stopped making moves, wary of Wang Jie.
As for Gao Chi, after hearing that Wang Jie had claimed Devour Star, he disappeared and never dared show his face again.
Though Wang Jie had come to Zhi Academy as a temporary measure to avoid Wu Yun, he hadn’t been idle here.
Now, leaving, he felt a bit reluctant.
The Four Great Training Fields, Zhi Academy, and Lock Path Interval were two extremes. Wang Jie was particularly curious about Death Island, a place that seemed suited for him. He wasn’t so interested in the Great Star Mountain and its Stacking Heavenly Light.
After encountering Stacking Heavenly Light on Devour Star, he knew its defense was strong, but in life-or-death situations, defensive star artifacts were more reliable. To Wang Jie, offense was always the best defense. Instead of wasting time cultivating defensive star methods, he preferred to rely on solid star artifacts.
Wang Jie stayed at Liuli Court for less than ten days, and then the Devour Star ship arrived.
He bid farewell to Su Le, Mu Ran, and the others, then boarded the Devour Star, heading for Lock Path Interval.
There was the option of taking the Nebula Flow from Zhi Academy to Lock Path Interval, but it would take longer, so it was faster to fly the ship directly.
This time, he was alone, with no one to escort him.
Since he had just claimed Devour Star, countless eyes from Black White Heaven were on him, and even the Zhi family wouldn’t dare act against him now. Xing Xue had assured him that he would be safe.
Wang Jie, without telling anyone his route, set off for Lock Path Interval.
Xing Xue’s guarantee wasn’t much to him. The real guarantee was making sure he kept himself well-hidden.
The vast starry sky always made him feel awe, as if the universe itself were a lid covering the world.
It had been nearly half a month since leaving Zhi Academy.
During this time, he had been using the Thunder Sealing Pills, continually enhancing his Thunder Pattern’s defense. The limit of the red Thunder Pattern seemed to be two hundred thousand combat power. After that, it would turn to the blue Thunder Pattern.
Wang Jie wasn’t greedy. As long as it could defend against two hundred thousand combat power, he could handle most Wandering Star Realm cultivators with ease.
“Thunder Sealing Pills, huh? Not bad, but they’re too expensive.”
A sudden voice rang out, nearly scaring Wang Jie out of his wits.
He turned pale, staring at the corner where the Cheap Master had no idea how long he’d been waiting.
“Master, scaring people like that could really kill someone.”