Chapter 198

Chapter 198: An Old Acquaintance

Wang Jie’s quarters weren’t far from Bai Ye’s.

For a few days, he thought he might finally cultivate in peace and simply wait for the pill assembly.

Instead, on the second day, a visitor arrived—a Chen Refiner.

She was a middle-aged woman in crisp, practical clothes, with an imposing, capable air. The moment she saw him, she was enthusiastic to the point of fervor.

Wang Jie had always disliked dealing with other Chen Refiners. He was a counterfeit, after all.

And as expected, she came to ask about star-refining pills.

If Wang Jie could star-refine a pill and raise its grade, then Su Le and Mo Wan Yin would inevitably have sought out other Chen Refiners to try as well.

But this was beyond them.

“We also tried star-refining pills,” she said, “treating unusual starforce as an added ingredient. But we failed every time.”

“A pill formula is fixed. Add one ingredient or remove one, and the properties change.”

She looked at him like a starving believer staring at a god. “So I came to ask Master Wang: how do you star-refine a pill without changing its properties, and still raise its grade?”

“Master, I won’t ask for free. Whatever you want, I’ll give it. I can even become your disciple.”

Wang Jie could only sigh and offer the excuse he’d prepared long ago.

“Maybe it’s because I cultivate lockforce.”

The woman blinked. That didn’t answer the real question. If anything, it made it worse. A lockforce cultivator as a Chen Refiner?

It rewrote common sense.

Wang Jie adopted his most solemn expression. “Starforce is born of the universe’s essence. Cultivators absorb it and contend with heaven. It is overbearing, profound, fierce.”

“But lockforce is different,” he continued. “It is gentle. Hard and soft together—that is how things endure.”

The woman stared. “Master means… lockforce should be more humble?”

Wang Jie nodded as if she’d understood perfectly.

The woman fell into deep thought.

He saw her off soon after. She was Roaming-Star Realm and could star-refine Hundred-Star Realm tools, backed by a Hundred-Star Realm elder. As she left, she promised that if Wang Jie ever ran into trouble, he should contact her—she would make the elder act.

Not long after, another Chen Refiner came.

Chen Refiners were rare in a star chain-level sect like Frost-Hua Sect, but Black-White Heaven had many. Their abilities varied, but even so, there still weren’t enough to satisfy the elders. That was why Chen Refiners held such high status here.

Every Chen Refiner had a Hundred-Star Realm powerhouse behind them. No one dared offend them.

This one came for the same reason: star-refining pills.

Wang Jie used the same excuse and sent him away.

Before long, a rumor began circulating: a lockforce cultivator who star-refined could raise a pill’s grade.

The news shocked everyone who heard it.

A lockforce cultivator star-refining at all was unbelievable. But if pills could truly be raised in grade, then lockforce felt like the only explanation anyone could accept.

Wang Jie finally managed to cultivate in peace.

A few days later, the pill assembly began.

Su Le arrived, cheerful and openly pleased to see him. She pulled him along as she talked.

“The alchemy branch is huge,” she said. “My master is the best, of course, but there are other pill Masters too.”

“And it’s not just the alchemy branch. Lots of cultivators attend, and sometimes even people from the weapon path or array path show up.”

Wang Jie spotted a familiar face—Ye Huang.

Ye Huang saw him as well and offered a smiling nod.

Back on Star-Devourer, Ye Huang had tried to help him. He’d made a mistake near the end and nearly blocked him, but the intent had been there. Wang Jie still appreciated it.

He nodded back.

The bamboo grove by the river was packed. Pill cauldrons sat over open flame. Wine and food filled long tables along the bank.

Cultivators weren’t monks. They enjoyed themselves.

Wang Jie also saw the Chen Refiner who’d visited him earlier. His head began to ache, and he drifted farther away.

A booming laugh rolled through the crowd. Wang Jie glanced over to see a burly man holding a massive hammer—clearly a weapon path cultivator.

On the opposite side, seal-chen stones floated in the air, array path cultivators at work.

A pill assembly, and yet half the sect seemed to be here.

Wang Jie stayed in a corner. He hadn’t come to show off. He’d come to make his face known to Bai Ye, the Celestial Master, and to thank Mo Wan Yin for her help.

Then an old man approached and stopped in front of him.

“You’re Wang Jie?”

Wang Jie rose and bowed. “Greetings, Senior.”

The old man hummed, studying him. “For a lockforce cultivator to reach this point… perhaps only Zhong Yi could compare.”

Wang Jie’s heart jumped. “Senior has met Zhong Yi?”

“A long time ago.”

Wang Jie kept his posture respectful. “May I ask Senior’s name?”

“This old man is Si Shang He.”

Wang Jie’s breath caught.

Si Shang He—the most senior, highest-standing elder in the council of elders.

Back when Wang Jie had kidnapped a batch of the elders’ juniors, it had been Si Shang He who went to Zhi Upper Realm to negotiate with Zhi Xing Xue. In the end, they’d recognized Suo Xing Jian’s rules and allowed it to stand on its own.

Only Si Shang He had the authority to represent the council of elders.

Wang Jie bowed again. “Junior Wang Jie thanks Senior for your help back then.”

Si Shang He smiled and shook his head. “It had nothing to do with me. You simply had the guts to offend even my council of elders.”

His gaze sharpened. “Are you planning to hide in Suo Xing Jian for the rest of your life?”

Wang Jie lowered his head slightly. “In the council of elders’ eyes, junior is an ant. Many things… if I didn’t gamble with my life, I wouldn’t have lived to today. I can only take it one step at a time. If I offended anyone, junior is deeply uneasy.”

Si Shang He looked at him for a long moment, then turned and left without another word.

Wang Jie watched him go and finally exhaled.

At heart, he didn’t want to offend anyone either.

But there had never been room for gentleness.

He shifted farther away, instinctively avoiding attention.

Then the entire grove fell silent.

All eyes turned toward the bamboo grove entrance.

Low voices spread: the first nebula guests had arrived.

Wang Jie followed the crowd’s gaze—and froze.

Qi Xue Yin.

The universe was supposed to be vast. So why was she here?

The incoming guest was Qi Xue Yin of Milky Way Defense Corporation—the young miss who’d been beaten so thoroughly by Shu Mu Ye on Blue Star that she’d been forced into hiding until Wang Jie acted.

He’d never expected to see her again.

At the entrance, Qi Xue Yin wore a poised smile and walked straight toward Bai Ye and Si Shang He. She carried herself with elegant ease. Behind her trailed a group of cultivators who looked nothing like the others here—stern, calm, disciplined.

Compared to Blue Star, she had changed.

Most obviously, she had reached the Roaming-Star Realm. Her cultivation speed was terrifying.

Wang Jie swept his gaze over her entourage. He didn’t recognize a single face besides Qi Xue Yin.

He stepped back again, suddenly regretting coming.

If she recognized him, he had no idea what would follow.

Would Bai Ye mention him?

Probably not. Star-refining pills wasn’t a small matter. Black-White Heaven might spread it internally, but they wouldn’t casually hand that knowledge to the first nebula.

Still—caution was caution.

Wang Jie immediately messaged Su Le, asking her to warn Bai Ye: do not mention him.

“Wang Jie.”

Wang Jie turned sharply. Han Ling stood there, and beside him was Yun Ju.

Yun Ju’s face twisted. “How dare you call Senior Brother Han by name?”

Wang Jie’s stomach tightened. Yun Ju again.

Trouble.

Han Ling studied him, eyes unreadable. “It’s been more than half a year since Star-Devourer. You’ve improved.”

Wang Jie remembered Han Ling casually shattering his Thunder Pattern on Star-Devourer. Even among Roaming-Star Realm experts, the gap could be heaven and earth.

“I haven’t improved much,” Wang Jie said carefully. “I spent most of that time recovering. Senior Brother Han’s strength is astonishing.”

Han Ling smiled. “Interested in coming with me to the Star-Cloud Battlefield? I’ll keep you safe. You can earn some merit.”

Wang Jie was genuinely surprised—and immediately declined.

Han Ling sighed as if it were a pity. “At the Star-Breaking Realm you defeated Zhi Shu. You’re not bad. If you reach the Roaming-Star Realm, there will be a place for you among the six-path roamers.”

His smile returned. “Work hard. I look forward to the day we fight side by side on the Star-Cloud Battlefield. When that day comes, I’ll invite you to join the club.”

With that, he left.

Wang Jie frowned. Club?

Yun Ju’s expression grew darker. Han Ling wanted to invite Wang Jie into the club? Why?

“You can go too,” Wang Jie said flatly, not wanting this conversation at all.

Yun Ju stared at him. “Don’t get smug just because Senior Brother Han values you. Forget whether you can even reach the Roaming-Star Realm. Even if you do, you think you’ll still shine like this?”

His eyes were cold with contempt. “The farther you go, the more useless lockforce cultivators become.”

Wang Jie nodded. “You’re right. Thank you for the lesson. Now you can go.”

Yun Ju’s voice rose. “On Star-Devourer, if you hadn’t disguised yourself as Nan Xing and tricked me, I wouldn’t have been punished by Master!”

His voice kept climbing.

Wang Jie’s pulse jumped.

Don’t draw Qi Xue Yin’s attention.

“Don’t worry,” Wang Jie said quickly. “I’ll wait for you to come settle the debt.”

Yun Ju snorted and stormed off.

Wang Jie finally exhaled.

To be safe, he messaged Su Le again—and then Mo Wan Yin as well.

The pill assembly soon moved into its formal exchange. Pills were appraised, refined, and distributed. The better the pill, the more likely it was given to someone of status.

Wang Jie stayed far from the center as the pill Masters clustered together in animated discussion. Exclamations of praise rose now and then.

Time passed, yet the sky never shifted.

The Zhi Study Valley had been fixed.

As long as the pill assembly lasted, night would not fall.

This was what it meant to bend the world to human will.

Bai Ye refined a pill on the spot and gifted it to Qi Xue Yin. Qi Xue Yin thanked her, and the atmosphere warmed.

That was when Yun Ju stepped forward again, all smiles.

“I am Yun Ju, disciple of the White Realm Lord. Greetings, Third Miss.”

Qi Xue Yin turned to him politely. “So it’s Senior Brother Yun Ju. Senior Brother Han mentioned you earlier. Senior Brother is so outstanding at such a young age—Little Sister admires you.”

Yun Ju smiled. “Third Miss flatters me. Compared to Senior Brother Han, I’m far behind.”

Qi Xue Yin’s smile didn’t waver. “Senior Brother Han is older, after all. With Senior Brother Yun Ju’s talent, even in the first nebula you would be considered a genius. You’ll surely make a name across the universe.”

Yun Ju’s eyes brightened. “Then I hope Third Miss will look after me. I wish to be seconded to the first nebula. Does Third Miss have any advice?”

“The first nebula?” Qi Xue Yin said. “You could come to Milky Way Defense Corporation. With your ability, you might advance further there—and perhaps even compete for a chance to enter Jia Yi Sect.”

She tilted her head slightly. “If you return to Black-White Heaven after that, you may well become a six-path roamer.”