Chapter 340
Chapter 340: The Growing Wild Grass
Shu Rang’s expression turned icy as he stared at Shen Zhou: “You intend to block his cultivation for ten years?”
Shen Zhou nodded calmly: “You could see it that way. After ten years, he’ll be free. Senior can stop me, of course, but then my master will have to come speak with you personally. When that happens, I’m afraid senior still won’t be able to protect him.”
Ten years without cultivation would doom Wang Jie to certain defeat in the Starry Martial Meet.
And once defeated, his protection would vanish.
No one dared harm Wang Jie now, for he was the one who had initiated the Starry Martial Meet itself.
Shu Rang gazed deeply at Shen Zhou, then suddenly laughed: “Does that old ghost Da Yan really think I fear any of you? Fine, no need for you to watch him ten years. I, old man, shall head to the Star Palace myself and have a nice chat.”
Shen Zhou’s eyes narrowed, and he fell silent.
Shu Rang turned gently toward Wang Jie: “Take care of yourself. I’ll visit the Star Palace and stir up something big.”
Wang Jie’s eyes filled with worry: “Master, isn’t it safer to stay steady?”
If Shu Rang could handle those adversaries, he would never have needed to hide himself away in Black White Heaven.
Going to the Star Palace now was as good as courting death.
Shu Rang shook his head and softly patted Wang Jie’s shoulder: “Don’t worry. Your master didn’t hide in Black White Heaven because I feared them. I simply didn’t want more deaths over right and wrong. But now they’ve pushed too far; it’s different.”
“As for you…” He hesitated, stopping himself mid-sentence.
“What is the real reason?” Wang Jie asked.
Shu Rang’s eyes turned complicated: “If I tell you, there’ll be no turning back.”
Wang Jie smiled bitterly: “Does Master really think the Star Palace would believe you never told me?” Without waiting for Shu Rang’s reply, he continued, “Besides, disciple’s fate has long been bound to master’s. There’s no need for a way out. This is what I promised you.”
Shu Rang pressed his fingers firmly onto Wang Jie’s shoulder, hesitating for a long while before speaking quietly in the language of the stars.
At this moment, Wang Jie couldn’t grasp his master’s true meaning—it was a faith belonging to the Star Dao, beyond his current understanding.
Yet, within his heart, a seed of that faith was sown.
What was inheritance, truly?
Martial techniques? Cultivation methods? Wealth? Resources? None of these. True inheritance was the will of people, the culture of a race, and the unwavering faith of the heart.
This was also the hardest to destroy.
A war over beliefs was a battle that would never end until death.
“To be honest, as your master, I’ve let you down,” Shu Rang said quietly. “I couldn’t help you much, not even guiding you fully onto the path of a Star Path Master, yet I dragged you into battles that weren’t yours.”
“All I can do now is grant you absolute freedom to cultivate. I may not be able to help, but I won’t let anyone hold you back either.”
“Wang Jie.”
“In ten years, keep climbing upward. Earn yourself another ten years after that, and like wild grass, grow continuously. One day, your strength will spread throughout the universe.” With those words, Shu Rang seized Shen Zhou and directly dragged him away.
Wang Jie watched Shu Rang’s departing figure, slowly bowing in silent gratitude.
Without Shu Rang, he would never have reached this point.
[A battle not my own?]
From the moment he touched the Star Disk, these struggles had become his own.
In the boundless void, standing alone on the planet’s surface, Wang Jie felt a sudden and deep loneliness.
Black White Heaven was no longer a place he could return. Master had left, and he suddenly found himself unsure of where to go.
He waited quietly.
Not long after, someone arrived, seeing Wang Jie and showing surprise: “It’s you?”
Wang Jie turned to the speaker—a woman named Ji Xiang Wan, a Star Dome Visage observer. On the list Si Yao had given Wang Jie, she was the only one authorized to accept orders.
Ji Xiang Wan was from the Hundred Star Realm, a White Hunter directly under the White Realm Lord of Black White Heaven, holding an esteemed position.
Naturally, she also recognized Wang Jie.
Wang Jie looked at Ji Xiang Wan and calmly said: “As a Star Dome Visage analyst, I’m issuing you a mission. You won’t refuse, will you?”
Ji Xiang Wan nodded without hesitation: “I won’t.”
“Look after the Blue Star people on Feng Yu Xing. I will return.”
“Understood.”
“And please, send me to these coordinates.”
Ji Xiang Wan led Wang Jie away without further questions.
Within the Star Dome Visage, position wasn’t necessarily determined by cultivation level alone. It wasn’t strange at all that Wang Jie’s status exceeded hers. Her unquestioning obedience further raised Wang Jie’s estimation of the Star Dome Visage. For a power able to control people even in fringe zones like Black White Heaven, the depths of its hidden influence must truly be vast.
After some time, Ji Xiang Wan brought Wang Jie to a prosperous region of the Third Nebula’s Ninth Star Chain. There stood a large Star Dome Spaceship Trading House.
Star Dome Visage spanned across the universe.
Even the Silver Radiance Empire hosted one of their trading houses.
And each place possessed its own intelligence network, no matter how small or remote the area.
Wang Jie had authorization to access the closest intelligence sources, a privilege Ji Xiang Wan herself did not possess.
After bringing Wang Jie here, Ji Xiang Wan quietly departed.
Wang Jie entered the trading house and soon reached the top floor, overlooking everything below, the store manager respectfully trailing behind.
“Have a custom spaceship built for me.”
“Yes, sir. Do you have specific requests?”
Wang Jie calmly listed several features.
He was deliberately leaving clues. Should anyone investigate, not commissioning a spaceship after visiting this place would raise suspicion. He could abandon the ship, but the commission was necessary.
He had come here primarily to wait for Si Yao.
And during the wait, he could conveniently learn more about events in the wider universe.
When Wang Jie woke, enemies had already arrived at his doorstep. He’d been dragged away by that cheap master of his and now had no idea what had happened to the outside world.
Ever since Wang Jie defeated Ting Chen and won the Starry Martial Meet, the entire universe had boiled over. At first, it was because Wang Jie’s unexpected victory left countless people bankrupt, leading to investigations into his past, and endless discussions about the next Starry Martial Meet, ten years away.
But soon, the attention shifted elsewhere.
Wang Jie gazed solemnly at his personal terminal. [Twelve Heavenly Stems?]
The strange seal technique Ting Chen used during their battle was called the Twelve Heavenly Stems, and apparently, it involved something deep and hidden. Various sects had spoken about it, but their discussions were quickly suppressed. However, the harder people tried to silence it, the more heated the whispers became.
Some claimed the Twelve Heavenly Stems was linked to the Death Realm.
Others believed it connected to a bygone era.
Still others suggested it was a variation of the Star Position techniques.
In short, Ting Chen’s use of this power had drawn the gaze of numerous figures from the Four Pillar Realms.
Even through his terminal, Wang Jie could sense the turmoil.
The Three Tribulations of Time and the Twelve Heavenly Stems—no matter their true origins, the overwhelming might of these two powers clearly revealed the immense strength of the Star Dome Visage.
Yet, aside from this mystery, there was one particular image that stirred even more excitement.
In that picture, Wang Jie, covered in blood, was kissing Ting Chen right on the lips.
His cheeks flushed red. Even though that kiss had been born out of fury and impulse, the softness of that moment still lingered in his heart.
Along with the faint fragrance that had brushed past his senses.
At the time, he hadn’t paid attention, yet now it was imprinted deeply into his memory.
[I wonder how that woman is doing now? She must be furious.] He smirked inwardly. [Well, serves her right. And yet…this picture actually looks pretty cool.]
Wang Jie continued scrolling through the outside news.
A few days later, the phrase “Twelve Heavenly Stems” had vanished from discussions, yet that kiss image only grew more popular, a troubling sign that the matter was serious.
Several days after, Si Yao arrived.
The moment he saw Wang Jie, Si Yao praised him warmly: “I didn’t expect you’d truly make it to the end and win the Starry Martial Meet championship. Congratulations.”
Wang Jie gave him a strange look: “Are you sure? You know who I defeated, right? The Young Miss of your Star Dome Visage. She won’t seek revenge?”
Si Yao shook his head with a gentle laugh: “Young Miss doesn’t know you belong to Star Dome Visage. Either way, both of you represent Star Dome Visage, so your success only proves my good judgment. And even if she tries to trouble you, I’ll block her.”
[Is he that tough?] Wang Jie didn’t quite believe it.
Suddenly, Si Yao’s expression grew solemn as he announced: “Wang Jie, analyst, given your victory as champion of the Starry Martial Meet, Star Dome Visage has decided to reward you with—Dreamdrunk Manor, located at the Second Star Link of the Third Nebula.”
Wang Jie stared blankly, thinking he’d misheard.
Even Si Yao’s eyes trembled slightly after he spoke. Clearly, even he hadn’t expected such a lavish reward. Earlier, they’d said if Wang Jie reached the top ten, he might receive a Frost Radiance Sect. But now, offering this felt unbelievably heavy.
After all, Frost Radiance Sect couldn’t compare to Dreamdrunk Manor.
One belonged to the Eighth Star Chain, while the other was the Second Star Link.
Within the Third Nebula’s Nine Great Star Chains, the South Clan reigned supreme. Below them stood Ornate Jade Gate and Dreamdrunk Manor, evenly matched. The others could be arranged freely. Dreamdrunk Manor was a power equal to Ornate Jade Gate.
Yet now it was simply handed to him?
Wang Jie’s mind raced. How could Star Dome Visage offer such a precious place? He had heard of Dreamdrunk Manor—Third Nebula’s strangest region, always enveloped in intoxicating wine fragrances so powerful even Star Refining realm cultivators could be rendered helpless. No one from outside could intervene there, nor had the people inside ever interacted with the outer universe.
Ever since the South Clan vanished, some of the Nine Great Star Chains waited for their return, while others rebelled, eager to claim Dreamdrunk Manor. Yet, Dreamdrunk Manor remained closed off, impossible to contact.
On both the Yin Yang Battlefield and the Twin Wind Line, no cultivators from Dreamdrunk Manor had ever appeared.
They were as invisible as ghosts.
If Si Yao hadn’t mentioned it, Wang Jie might’ve forgotten entirely.
“Does Dreamdrunk Manor belong to Star Dome Visage?” Wang Jie asked hesitantly.
Si Yao nodded slowly, “Indeed. It has belonged to us for a long time, though only a few know this secret. Now, it belongs to you, Wang Jie.”
Wang Jie was stunned. “How exactly does it belong to me?”
“You just need to go there. They’re obedient.”
“Are there Star Refining realm cultivators inside?”
“Of course. Otherwise, how could they maintain the Second Star Link?”
Wang Jie’s gaze burned bright: “Can I command them to do anything?”
Si Yao affirmed firmly once again: “Yes. From now on, Dreamdrunk Manor is yours. Rest assured, no one will interfere, nor will its inhabitants resist. To them, who they listen to makes no difference—as long as you don’t order them to die.”
Wang Jie knew he had hit the jackpot.
Dreamdrunk Manor was leagues beyond Frost Radiance Sect. And since this reward came directly from Star Dome Visage, even they couldn’t bypass him to interfere.
But why such an extravagant gift?
Wang Jie remained puzzled. “Is winning the championship truly worth such an immense reward?”
Si Yao was equally uncertain: “I understand your excitement. Anyway, the Second Star Link isn’t far. Shall I take you there now?”
Of course, Wang Jie was tempted. Once he controlled Dreamdrunk Manor, he would finally have roots in the universe instead of drifting aimlessly.
He’d fled from Frost Radiance Sect and escaped from Black White Heaven. He refused to keep running.
Yet, even excitement had to be controlled. It wasn’t the right time. Dreamdrunk Manor would remain there; it wouldn’t run away.
He had just ten years.
His master had gone to the Star Palace to secure him a precious decade of free cultivation time. He couldn’t waste it.
Wang Jie solemnly faced Si Yao. “Senior, could you instead send me to Three Chan Heaven as quickly as possible?”
Si Yao paused, astonished; he’d assumed Wang Jie would head directly for Dreamdrunk Manor. “You want to go to Three Chan Heaven?”
Wang Jie nodded gravely. “Ten years pass swiftly.”