Chapter 204

Chapter 204: I’ll Wait for You

Zhi Xing Xue’s eyes grew complicated. “In today’s universe, nearly every powerful force with a name rose through bridgeway art.”

“For example, my Fixed-Chen Zhi family’s Fixed-Star Technique, the Heaven-Insect People line’s insect-controlling art, Flower Country’s heaven-healing art, the Nan family’s Four Seasons, and so on.”

“These are inheritable bridgeway art.”

“Of course, there are also ones that cannot be inherited. Those are actually the majority. But even if it can’t be passed down, the one who obtains bridgeway art can still become terrifyingly strong.”

“Some people are unlucky. They obtain a bridgeway art they can’t use, or don’t know how to use, and they vanish into history.”

“No matter what, any chance to obtain bridgeway art might give birth to an existence—or a force—that reshapes the universe’s balance.”

“Even in the worst case, it can still add a powerhouse to the sect.”

“That’s why the Milky Way Defense Corporation is pressing so hard.”

She sighed, then continued without waiting for Wang Jie to respond. “Actually, in terms of strength, the Milky Way Defense Corporation can’t compare to Black-White Heaven.”

“They’re only a subordinate force under the Jia Yi Sect.”

“But they’re in the First Nebula, with wide connections. They can keep stuffing their juniors into the interiors of various great forces.”

“Like Ghost Arrow, who obtained the Jia Yi Sect’s ultimate technique Eight-Cloud Arrow. And Luan Dao, who obtained Third Zen Heaven’s Outer Zen First Blade art.”

“If we tear our faces apart with them, we may draw in the Jia Yi Sect behind them.”

“That would be an absolute colossus. So it’s best to divide the benefits with the least noise.”

After that, Wang Jie talked with Zhi Xing Xue for a long time. She was patient with him, and she especially asked about Blue Star.

Wang Jie hid what happened with Shu Mu Ye and the conflicts with the Jia Yi Sect’s disciples. He focused on his feelings for Blue Star, which made Zhi Xing Xue praise him.

Elsewhere, Qi Xue Yin formally negotiated with Black-White Heaven over how to split the bridge-building benefits.

Just as Zhi Xing Xue said, one tenth was shaved off the Milky Way Defense Corporation’s original demand. That tenth had been won by Wang Jie’s two victories.

Like duels between generals in war, the fights had been for initiative.

No one wanted to pull in a third party to split the benefits—and that wasn’t good for the Milky Way Defense Corporation either.

Qi Xue Yin agreed to reduce by one tenth, but added one condition.

“The Milky Way Defense Corporation recently discovered many mineral planets,” she said. “Some of those planets have their own cultivation systems resisting us, and our lockforce cultivators have suffered heavy losses.”

“So we want to borrow some from Black-White Heaven. Just borrow, not take. How about it?”

She was negotiating with Elder Si Shang He.

Si Shang He agreed. A few lockforce cultivators weren’t important.

But Qi Xue Yin’s next line made him pause.

“One of them must be Wang Jie.”

Si Shang He knew Wang Jie’s current position in Black-White Heaven.

Wang Jie had helped Zhi Xing Xue seize Lockspace and suppress Zhi Qing’s faction.

Now Zhi Qing had gone into seclusion and wouldn’t come out. He had clearly accepted defeat—and it definitely wasn’t because of Zhi Xing Xue, but because of Zhi Ye.

That meant Zhi Ye stood behind Wang Jie.

And behind Wang Jie also stood Celestial Master Bai Ye.

The entanglement was too large.

Si Shang He immediately contacted Zhi Ye.

Zhi Ye refused at once. No matter the price, he would not let Wang Jie go.

Si Shang He relayed that answer to Qi Xue Yin.

Qi Xue Yin didn’t understand. “It’s just a lockforce cultivator.”

“Whether it’s his Chen Refiner identity or his current battle strength, once he hits his ceiling, it won’t matter.”

“He has no future.”

“Things Third Miss doesn’t know,” Si Shang He said evenly. “This is internal to Black-White Heaven.”

“We can lend lockforce cultivators. We can even give you some. It doesn’t matter.”

“But Wang Jie cannot be touched.”

Qi Xue Yin paused, then nodded. “Fine.”

News of the discussion quickly reached Zhi Xing Xue.

When she heard it, her expression shifted. She set down her personal terminal and looked at Wang Jie. “Qi Xue Yin wants to take you away.”

Wang Jie’s face changed.

He didn’t want to deal with First Nebula people right now.

The more he understood the universe, the clearer his situation became.

A Chen Refiner had no value in a Star-Refining expert’s eyes.

As for his battle strength, it couldn’t sustain the “future” others imagined for a lockforce cultivator.

In everyone’s eyes, he could only be impressive at the Star-Breaking Realm, the Full-Star Realm—at most the Roaming-Star Realm. Beyond that, he was useless.

That meant outsiders wouldn’t need to worry if they did something to him.

And his foundation was all in Black-White Heaven.

Lockspace. Zhi Xing Xue. Celestial Master Bai Ye’s Pill Path.

And most importantly—Shu Rang.

If he left the Fourth Nebula, he would be in trouble.

Zhi Xing Xue studied him. “Don’t worry. We rejected it.”

Wang Jie let out a slow breath. “Thank you, Senior.”

“Everyone else wants to go to the First Nebula. Why don’t you?” Zhi Xing Xue asked, curious.

She’d said it partly to test him, and she found he truly didn’t want to leave.

Wang Jie gave a bitter smile. “Junior knows his own limits.”

“Without Senior’s protection, no matter how Junior performs, outsiders will only see a lockforce cultivator with no future. Life and death would be in someone else’s hands.”

“Junior doesn’t want to leave Senior.”

That last line warmed Zhi Xing Xue—and made guilt stir in her chest.

She shouldn’t have tested this child.

He had fled with her from Shuang Hua Sect, alone and helpless, even begging her to protect his homeland.

Zhi Xing Xue said seriously, “Don’t worry. As long as you don’t want to go, even if I exhaust everything, I won’t let anyone force you.”

Wang Jie stood and thanked her sincerely.

“There’s one more thing,” Zhi Xing Xue added.

“Qi Xue Yin invited you to a banquet. I was worried you’d be tempted, but now I’m not. Go.”

“The sect already refused to send you to the First Nebula. If you don’t even attend the banquet, it’ll be too disrespectful.”

“Yes,” Wang Jie said. “Junior will go now.”

The banquet was held inside Black-White Heaven, not far from the arena, in housing prepared for guests.

The environment was beautiful. A waterfall poured down from the distant starry sky, the water reflecting countless stars.

Wang Jie sat by the lake and watched.

Many people were there—Han Ling, Mo Wan Yin, and the others. Ghost Arrow and Luan Dao were the center of attention now. Black-White Heaven disciples came to speak with them again and again. They couldn’t keep a low profile anymore.

Wang Jie was the same.

From time to time, someone approached him as well.

Azure had come over earlier and asked him one question: if Earth Bastion hadn’t restricted her movement, could Wang Jie still have defeated her easily?

Wang Jie answered, “No.”

It was a lie. Azure’s battle strength was at most one hundred fifty thousand. For the Full-Star Realm, that was already outrageous.

But in Wang Jie’s eyes, it didn’t mean much.

Still, Azure seemed satisfied.

If Ghost Arrow asked… no. He wouldn’t ask. It would only humiliate him.

Qi Xue Yin came over and sat down across from Wang Jie. “You really won’t come with me?”

“In the First Nebula, resources, experience, and foundations are nothing like here.”

“The Milky Way Defense Corporation isn’t a top power in the First Nebula, but look—even Black-White Heaven has to send elders to accompany us.”

Wang Jie shook his head. “I’m really not going.”

“But we should settle our account.”

Qi Xue Yin frowned. “What account?”

Wang Jie smiled. “Qi Wu once promised me that as long as I stepped into the starry sky, he’d give me a big gift.”

“That promise was made in the name of the Milky Way Defense Corporation.”

Qi Xue Yin blinked, then remembered. “Right. You captured Yun Lai back then.”

“That chubby kid wanted to trade Yun Lai back, and he used Yun Lai to pull strings so the Yun family wouldn’t make trouble for us. So he promised you something. I remember.”

She took out a card and handed it over. “This is a voucher for the Star Dome Star Fusion Center. There are ten billion starstone inside. Enough?”

Wang Jie took it and put it away carefully. “Enough.”

Ten billion starstone.

He hadn’t expected her to be so generous.

It was too much.

Qi Xue Yin added, “If you’re willing to come with me, I’ll give you one hundred billion starstone.”

Wang Jie stared. “Don’t tempt me that hard. I can’t handle it.”

Qi Xue Yin smiled faintly. “Here, reaching qi refining won’t be easy.”

Wang Jie’s expression tightened as he stared at her.

Qi Xue Yin chuckled. “Is it that hard to guess?”

“On Blue Star, you were dazzling, but not to the point of beating Shu Mu Ye.”

“The third challenge must have been because of qi refining. I couldn’t see it, but I could guess it.”

“A lockforce cultivator reaching qi refining isn’t a big deal.”

“Especially since there was that Corpse Sect Hundred Coffins. You learned from him.”

During the Blue Star trial, Wang Jie hadn’t known the full picture. He had only accepted things passively.

But after returning, Qi Xue Yin’s side would definitely review it—or learn details through the Jia Yi Sect.

Whether it was Chu Yao teaching him qi refining or pushing Blue Star away, she knew.

But she didn’t seem interested in saying more.

“Back on Blue Star, you were pretty cold,” Qi Xue Yin said, “and you didn’t smile much. Why did you change?”

Wang Jie smoothly shifted the topic. Without that level, he didn’t want to know more. It would have no meaning.

Qi Xue Yin looked up at the starry sky. “Inside the Ten Seals, we’re all kids. Only after reaching the Star-Breaking Realm can you touch certain things. And then you have to change.”

“And you shocked us too much back then.”

“Even if I looked down on everyone, I couldn’t look down on the one who beat Shu Mu Ye.”

Wang Jie’s voice cooled. “Don’t say that again in the future.”

Qi Xue Yin studied him, her gaze distant. “The news from Blue Star was sealed in the end. If someone could publicly defeat Shu Mu Ye now, that would be a huge event.”

“Wang Jie, is it possible you’ll have that day?”

Wang Jie smiled. “Then wait for the Starry Sky Martial Tournament. Maybe I’ll appear.”

Qi Xue Yin nodded. “I’ll wait for you.”

Then she hesitated and added, “You probably know why we came this time. What do you think? Interested in taking a look?”

“A look at what?” Wang Jie asked.

“Bridge-building.”

“A complete, real bridge-building.”

Wang Jie met her eyes, then nodded. “Thank you.”

The banquet ended calmly, even pleasantly.

Because Wang Jie had helped them save face, Elder Si Shang He and the others were in good spirits. They looked at him far more kindly than before.

Only White Realm Lord Jun Qian didn’t attend.

Zhi Ye didn’t attend either.

Not a single Star-Refining expert was present.

That was normal.

A Star-Refining expert wasn’t an ordinary cultivator. There was a saying in the cultivation world: after Star-Refining, you are no longer mortal.

That was the status of the Star-Refining Realm.

Wang Jie didn’t return to Lockspace.

Qi Xue Yin was going to take him to see bridge-building, and for now he was still staying in the Zhi Study Valley.

He didn’t want to stay in the Zhi Study Valley.

Celestial Master Bai Ye kept giving him trouble.

“Teaching me star speech won’t cost you a chunk of flesh. Just teach me, okay?”

“I’ll teach you pill refining. If you want to be my apprentice, fine. If not, you can be my junior brother. I have a master too. I can accept you on my master’s behalf. How about it?”

“Senior,” Wang Jie said, exhausted, “first, I don’t know star speech. Second, why do you insist on learning it?”

“If you learn star speech, does that make you a Star Dao master?”

“Because it’s high-class,” Celestial Master Bai Ye said without shame.

“The more mysterious and high-class something is, the more I want to understand it.”

“Those Star Dao masters hide their heads and tails, hoard their knowledge, and act like they’d rather carry Star Dao into their coffins. It’s irritating.”

She glanced at Wang Jie. “You little kid aren’t even that old, and you already have this bad habit before you’ve even learned Star Dao. That’s not a good thing.”

Wang Jie…