Chapter 206
Chapter 206: The Gap
The Zhi Academy was not only the highest-ranked among the Four Great Training Fields but also the strongest in overall power.
Naturally, Lock Path Interval was the weakest.
Passing by the Zhi Academy, Wang Jie could already sense the strength of the Four Great Training Fields.
Yet compared to the Black White Heaven sect, the Four Great Training Fields were not even close to comparable. He had never expected that the gap between the First Star Cloud and the other Star Clouds was so vast.
Little Blue sighed emotionally, “Just the arrival of Galaxy Combat Equipment Company’s Third Miss required Black White Heaven’s Elders to personally greet her—and not just any Elder, but the one most senior in the Elder Council.”
“Not only that,” Wang Jie replied, “two Star Refining Realm cultivators even appeared, clearly demonstrating their respect.”
“Even so,” Wang Jie added, “I still don’t regret refusing to go to the First Star Cloud. The greater the gap, the less favorable it would be for me.”
Little Blue praised sincerely, “You’re wise. Lock Force cultivators already have little status here in our Fourth Star Cloud, and going to the First Star Cloud would only lower your position further. Over there, countless Lock Force cultivators exist, but they’re considered nothing more than—consumables.”
Wang Jie remained calm.
[Consumables, huh? A truly fitting description. But then again, aren’t we consumables wherever we go?]
Little Blue gazed at the stars, “The Skeletal Clan in the First Star Cloud are existences beyond words, representing terror, death, and despair. Imagine how terrifying it would be if they suddenly appeared in our Fourth Star Cloud.”
“No wonder the sect has sealed itself.”
“You were incredibly lucky to come back alive,” Little Blue said with a sigh.
The spacecraft passed beyond the Zhi Academy, soon approaching Great Star Mountain.
“Remember what I told you—every place has its own rules, and Great Star Mountain is no exception.”
“Go ask around. I’m leaving now.”
Wang Jie responded gratefully, “Thank you, Senior.”
The spacecraft remained behind, while the Devour Star remained at Lock Path Interval.
Wang Jie activated his personal terminal to contact Luo Yan, whose contact information had been provided by Little Blue.
Far away from Wang Jie, at the opposite end of Great Star Mountain on the Fifth Star Chain, blinding heaven thunder constantly flickered. Beside the Thunder Well, Luo Yan took off his glasses and lay down exhaustedly, soaked through with sweat, “I can’t do it anymore. I can’t watch anymore—my head’s spinning, and I feel sick.”
A group of people stood nearby, all former disciples who had fled here from Frost Radiance Sect.
“How many have you reached?”
“Only one glance captures five hundred paths—far below the requirement to practice the Star Method.”
“No wonder so many people can’t continue. I always wondered, since the introductions claim anyone can master the Star Method, how could anyone fail? Now I see why.”
“That’s not even the most critical issue. I heard that once you reach two thousand thunder paths per glance, these glasses become useless. You have to practice the last thousand by yourself. That’s what’s truly difficult. Many determined people get stuck there and have no choice but to leave. You can’t waste your life on one Star Method.”
“According to those from Black White Heaven, if you can’t reach two thousand paths within two years at Great Star Mountain, you should quit. Continuing beyond that is pointless—you’ll waste your time and still fail to master Stacking Heavenly Light.”
“How long have we been here?”
“Six years.”
Luo Yan sighed deeply.
He returned exhaustedly to the small house beside the Thunder Well. The houses around Thunder Well had to be rented, or else you couldn’t stay.
The benefit of living here was protection from the piercing heaven thunder, allowing communication within the Fifth Star Chain. With the heaven thunder interference outside, contacting anyone externally was impossible.
All of them had pooled money to rent this single room, taking turns resting.
Upon entering, Luo Yan saw a notification on his personal terminal. When he read the words “Master Wang,” his eyes lit up, and he excitedly made contact.
Inside the spacecraft, a beeping sounded.
Wang Jie looked at it and connected.
“Master, is it really you, Master? It’s Luo Yan!”
Hearing the familiar voice, Wang Jie smiled gently, “It’s me.”
“Master, why did you come to Great Star Mountain?” Luo Yan asked, excited and happy.
“I was transferred here. How are things going for you?”
“Pretty good. We were targeted for a while, but as long as we don’t cause trouble, it’s fine.”
Wang Jie recalled Mu Ran’s group’s hardships. By comparison, Luo Yan’s situation was much better. Great Star Mountain wasn’t Zhi Academy, after all—people here were focused entirely on practicing the Star Method, leaving little time to meddle in others’ affairs.
Besides, Luo Yan had a group of Star Force cultivators around him, making trouble less likely.
Great Star Mountain was merely a training field; most cultivators here weren’t very strong.
“Luo Yan, have you moved five people to tears with your stories?”
Luo Yan was astonished, “How did you know, Master?”
Of course, Wang Jie knew. Without this event, his own mastery of the Heaven Reversal Path would have been delayed further. He was genuinely grateful to Luo Yan.
“Master, you always said to share your story with others, so I told it when I got bored. Surprisingly, someone was truly moved—they even cried. Master, some people want to hear more—is there more?”
Wang Jie was speechless. He chatted briefly with Luo Yan, and then the spacecraft changed course, heading directly toward Thunder Well. Wang Jie wanted to see if those special glasses combined with the heaven thunder could enhance his control over Lock Force.
Du Xian had told him the entrance to Thunder Abyss was precisely at Great Star Mountain.
Black White Heaven had methods to help disciples improve Star Force control, which was why Heavenly Light Pavilion existed.
He was sent to Great Star Mountain specifically to practice Stacking Heavenly Light, allowing Zhi Xing Xue to interfere in Heavenly Light Pavilion matters.
After crossing through a Space-Time Mini Vortex and traveling two more days, Wang Jie saw a distant point of flickering light beneath the dark stars—that was Thunder Well. It grew larger the closer they approached.
Finally, the spacecraft landed at a dedicated docking area outside Thunder Well.
“Master!” Luo Yan quickly approached, excitedly greeting Wang Jie.
Behind him were the same people who had fled from Frost Radiance Sect, though fewer than before.
Wang Jie nodded, spoke briefly, then proceeded toward Thunder Well.
He realized Luo Yan and the others had no idea about recent events outside.
But upon reflection, it made sense.
People in Lock Path Interval had to contact a special shop for external news; otherwise, it was nearly impossible to receive information from outside.
This place likely had something similar.
How could Luo Yan deliberately seek out news about him?
After all, a Lock Force cultivator like himself shouldn’t cause any significant stir in Black White Heaven.
Taking the special glasses handed by Luo Yan, Wang Jie thought, [So this is it?]
“Master, you just need to put them on to capture the paths of heaven thunder around Thunder Well. If you can capture three thousand thunder paths in one second, you’ll qualify to practice Star Method on the real Great Star Mountain—not the Fifth Star Chain, but an actual mountain suspended diagonally in space. Only those qualified can climb it from bottom to top…” Luo Yan explained enthusiastically.
Wang Jie glanced around. Many cultivators surrounded Thunder Well, wearing glasses and intensely staring at heaven thunder, occasionally someone falling over in exhaustion.
Houses resembling those he saw at the Ninth Star Chain surrounded Thunder Well, indicating many places had similar arrangements.
Wang Jie sat beside Thunder Well, focusing ahead. The shallow lightning area suited Star Breaking Realm practitioners. With his current strength, he could practice deeper inside.
Watching these heaven thunder flashes, he suddenly thought of that dreamlike woman.
He didn’t know who she was or where she was.
[Perhaps, someday, when I stand at the summit, she might notice me.]
He suppressed the subtle stirring in his heart.
Focusing intently, he quickly caught the thunder paths, arriving at the final count: three thousand one hundred twenty-one in one second.
“Master, how many?” Luo Yan asked eagerly. The people behind him also watched curiously, wondering how many heaven thunder paths a master who cultivated Lock Force but could refine Starforce could see.
Wang Jie smiled faintly and revealed the result.
Luo Yan was stunned, unable to believe it.
The group behind him stared blankly, utterly dumbfounded.
Luo Yan stood frozen for a long moment before finally coming back to himself. He turned proudly to the group behind him, declaring smugly, “See? Didn’t I tell you Master was incredible? He can directly cultivate the Star Method! Who else doubts me now? Hmm? Anyone?”
The group behind him eyed Wang Jie with lingering doubts.
“Master, can you truly see beyond three thousand paths of Heaven Thunder?” someone asked hesitantly.
Wang Jie nodded.
“Then let’s take the qualification test,” another suggested, partly out of curiosity, partly to see if Wang Jie was telling the truth. “Once qualified, you can go practice Stacking Heavenly Light on Great Star Mountain.”
Luo Yan immediately rebuked them, “What do you mean by that? You doubt Master? Let me tell you clearly—if Master says he can see it, he can see it! Stop doubting!”
Wang Jie laughed softly, “Where do we test for qualification?”
“Over there. Allow me to guide you, Master.”
“Master, after you.”
Luo Yan hurried to the front, proudly saying, “Master, follow me. I’ll show them what a real genius looks like.”
Together, the group crossed toward the other side of Thunder Well.
Along the way, many passersby took notice. Some clearly recognized Luo Yan and his companions, teasing as they passed, “Going for the qualification test? Which one of you qualified? Tell us so we can envy you.”
“Luo Yan, is it you?”
Laughter burst out from several directions.
Luo Yan ignored them completely, quietly whispering to Wang Jie, “These people always look down on us. When we first arrived, they caused us plenty of trouble. We just chose not to engage.”
He then asked softly, “Master, how did you fare in the Lock Path Interval?”
Wang Jie glanced briefly at the mocking faces and quietly asked, “Luo Yan, do you have anything to protect yourself with outside?”
Luo Yan chuckled awkwardly, “Uh, nothing really. Master, what do you need? We can pool some money to buy it.”
Wang Jie shook his head gently, taking out a storage ring and passing it to him, “Take this; it’s yours now. You can open it directly—just use your blood to recognize it as master.”
Luo Yan was puzzled, “Master, what is this?”
“When traveling outside, you must always have something to defend yourself. But don’t tell anyone else; you should always remain wary.”
Obediently, Luo Yan put the ring away.
Inside, Wang Jie had given him many precious treasures: millions of starstones, a Revive Pill, Restoration Pill, Swift Movement Pill, an Eightfold Strong Lock Formation technique book, and—most importantly—a Thousand-Colored Stone.
This Thousand-Colored Stone could greatly assist in cultivating One Glance Three Thousand. Its value was comparable to a Fourth Tribulation Star Artifact.
Selling just a few of these items would earn an astronomical fortune. Even the millions of starstones alone were an enormous sum.
Wang Jie could give Luo Yan even more, but treasures brought risks. Too much wealth could be dangerous. What he had given was enough for now. Next time they met, perhaps he would give more.
Besides, too much might make Luo Yan arrogant.
Luo Yan had no clue how priceless the things Wang Jie gave him were. He was completely lost in the thrill of pride.
The qualification test itself was simple. The cultivator in charge of testing released Heaven Thunder, and Wang Jie immediately counted the exact number of thunder paths.
Qualification secured.
Effortless.
Luo Yan was so delighted, his chin practically pointed to the sky.
The group quickly offered their flattery, making Luo Yan glow with happiness.
With the test finished, Wang Jie bid farewell. It was time to head to Great Star Mountain.
Luo Yan wanted to escort him there, but Wang Jie gently declined. There was no need; it was better they stayed here and continued their cultivation.
As for Thunder Well, it could help him cultivate the Thunder Pattern. But right now, practicing Stacking Heavenly Light was more important. It was what Elder Xing Xue cared about most.
The rest could wait.