Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Building the Bridge

Wen Xing Ru explained what the universe knew about that bridge.

She couldn’t say everything, but it was enough to make Wang Jie and the others understand a little.

A bridge with no origin and no end could grant the builder powerful bridgeway art.

Wang Jie had heard of bridgeway art from Wen Zhao. Back then, she’d told him he would understand once he left Blue Star, because she couldn’t explain it. So this was what she’d meant.

Bai Yuan’s voice stayed flat. “How do we know what you’re saying is true?”

Wen Xing Ru’s gaze was deep. “Dealing with Shu Mu Ye isn’t only to help Blue Star. More importantly, it’s to seize back the bridgeway art that belongs to the Jia Yi Sect.”

“You don’t understand how powerful bridgeway art is. Anyone who possesses it can enter the sect directly—no trial, no assessment.”

“And the strength of their bridgeway art becomes the biggest basis for judging their status in the sect.”

She paused. “And there’s more. Shu Mu Ye won’t deny it.”

Wang Jie and the others exchanged looks. They hadn’t expected anything like this.

It had started as a trial. The worst outcome had been that Blue Star cultivators became war slaves and were thrown into the interstellar battlefield, while ordinary people struggled to survive the apocalypse.

Now even that was gone. Blue Star itself had become the offering.

Wen Xing Ru rose. “I’ve already gathered the trialists. You don’t need to do anything—just find Shu Mu Ye’s whereabouts.”

“Whether you believe me or not won’t stop us from dealing with him.”

She looked around the room. “At worst, the Jia Yi Sect makes you war slaves. Even if we had to sacrifice Blue Star for bridgeway art, we would move you to another planet first. We wouldn’t erase your civilization.”

“But Shu Mu Ye won’t care about any of that. He only wants bridgeway art.”

Wang Jie spoke up. “This man is only at the Eighth Seal. It should be easy for the Jia Yi Sect to deal with him, right?”

“Why send you? From what you’re saying, you shouldn’t be his match either.”

Wen Xing Ru looked at Wen Zhao.

Wen Zhao explained, “Because of sect rules. Once a trial starts, it isn’t allowed to stop, under any circumstances.”

“Outside forces can’t interfere either. Unless you quit. The sect might save lives, but it won’t interfere with trialists or natives.”

Wang Jie frowned. “Even in a situation this urgent?”

Wen Xing Ru answered, “Once you step into the universe, you’ll understand how important tradition is in the cultivation world.”

“No one may violate tradition, because tradition is the most reasonable set of rules forged by ancient experts over countless years.”

Whether they believed Wen Xing Ru or not, they still had to find Shu Mu Ye.

At the very least, he was definitely a trialist. And if he was a trialist, he was an enemy of Blue Star.

Wang Jie asked Wen Zhao again, but she truly didn’t know more.

Still, Wen Xing Ru had no reason to enter the trial at all. She had already participated once—and earned an A-grade result.

More and more trialists hurried in from different bases.

Wen Xing Ru demanded Bai Yuan release the captured trialists, but Bai Yuan refused.

They couldn’t just trust her because she spoke with confidence. Who knew if she was playing them?

But Wang Jie had a feeling she was telling the truth.

Chong Ruo Ruo had mentioned that man—strong in a way that made your bones go cold.

Even so, Bai Yuan and the others wouldn’t immediately accept Wang Jie’s instincts.

The trialists behaved obediently. After arriving, they stayed outside the base—Wen Xing Ru included.

Qi Wu returned with Yun Lai.

“Wen Xing Ru?” Yun Lai’s eyes widened. “You released that signal? Haven’t you already done the trial?”

Wen Xing Ru glanced at him. “You lost with dignity.”

Yun Lai’s jaw tightened. He shot an annoyed look at the base. “What’s going on? Why interrupt the trial? And why aren’t you going in? Bai Yuan and Wang Jie can’t stop you, can they?”

Wen Xing Ru drew a slow breath. “Get ready. People from Cheng Yi Dao have slipped in.”

Yun Lai stared. “Cheng Yi Dao? Who? What did they sneak in for?”

“Shu Mu Ye.”

Yun Lai froze, as if he’d misheard. “Who?”

Qi Wu froze too. “Who?”

Wen Xing Ru repeated, flat as stone. “Shu Mu Ye.”

“Impossible.”

Yun Lai and Qi Wu gaped, as if she’d said a myth.

Inside Shang Jing City Base, Wang Jie received a guest: Bai Xiao, Bai Yuan’s daughter.

“Thank you for saving my old dad,” Bai Xiao said. She bowed, solemn and sincere.

Wang Jie waved it off. “It was nothing.”

Behind him, Old Five and the others stared at Bai Xiao like she’d stepped out of a story.

No wonder she was known as the number one beauty of Shang Jing City. People said she’d founded her hunting squad on strength and background—but her looks had helped too.

Her beauty could stun even women.

Wang Jie couldn’t help being impressed as well, but after seeing Wen Zhao, he had built up some resistance.

Bai Xiao smiled brightly. “Do you have time? I want to treat you to a meal, to thank you.”

Wang Jie started, “No need. It’s just—”

“Old Boss,” Qing Zheng whispered, leaning in, “this is a confession. You love collecting proposal letters, and now a beauty is confessing to you. You’re turning her down?”

Wang Jie shot him a look. “First, this isn’t a confession. Second, never bring up proposal letters again.”

Bai Xiao blinked. “Proposal letters?”

Old Five stepped forward with a grin. “Miss Bai Xiao, our Old Boss would be honored. When and where?”

Bai Xiao gave them the time and place, then left.

Old Five winked at Wang Jie. “Old Boss, done.”

Wang Jie sighed. “With a big enemy in front of us, you still have time for this?”

Qing Zheng smiled. “That’s exactly why. The more Blue Star people there are, the better our chances of passing things down. If we all die as war slaves on the interstellar battlefield—or get sacrificed as piles—then as long as one person lives, it’s still something. Even if it’s just a child.”

“I’m only eighteen,” Wang Jie said. “You’re thinking way too far.”

He turned and went back to his room.

In a few days, it would be time for another routine. But the consumption of disaster materials kept climbing. He’d used everything Bai Yuan’s group had given him, and a few days wasn’t nearly enough to gather more.

As for breaking through the Ninth Seal, it still didn’t feel like enough.

He needed to start collecting.

The next day, a pile of disaster materials was delivered.

Wang Jie stared. “What is this?”

Qing Zheng waved a hand. “Take it and use it.”

“Yours?”

“It’s my old dad’s. He gave it to you.”

Wang Jie nodded. “Tell him thanks.”

The wealth of Shou Qing Group rivaled the five major bases. This delivery alone was more than enough.

It would let him do another routine.

“There’s more coming,” Qing Zheng said. “Use it freely.”

“Does Shou Qing Group not need it?”

“Old Dad said we have to learn to invest.”

“Right now, there are only two best investments on all of Blue Star. One is Bai Yuan.”

“Bai Yuan has Shang Jing City backing him, so he doesn’t lack disaster materials. That leaves you, Old Boss.”

Wang Jie smiled and carried the boxes into his room.

Two more days passed. By his count, his next routine would be tomorrow or the day after. He couldn’t be sure anymore—the interval kept shortening.

Another of the four experts the Jia Yi Sect had added arrived.

Her name was Qi Xue Yin, the Eldest Miss of Milky Way Defense Corporation.

After she arrived, she didn’t enter the base. She stayed with Wen Xing Ru.

Shu Mu Ye’s whereabouts were found.

Over those days, most of the cultivators from the five major bases went out searching. Every drone was launched. People died. In the end, they confirmed his location.

Shan Cheng.

Shu Mu Ye was in Shan Cheng.

But Shan Cheng, in the apocalypse, had long been occupied by mutated creatures.

Finding him hadn’t been easy.

Wang Jie and Bai Yuan’s group boarded a craft and headed out.

Crafts also launched from five directions across Hua Xia, carrying trialists.

When Wang Jie’s group arrived, people from Tian Fu Base were already there. They had brought a Ten Seals trialist, who bowed respectfully the moment he saw Wen Xing Ru.

Wen Xing Ru and the others all looked toward the figure in the distance.

A man stood in the sky.

Wang Jie’s eyes tightened. The Eighth Seal—it really felt like the Eighth Seal. But how could he stand in midair?

Even with footwork, Wang Jie could only dash through the sky. He couldn’t hover.

But that man was literally walking on the air.

“How can he fly?” Sister Tang blurted.

Wen Xing Ru’s voice went grave. “For Shu Mu Ye, within the Ten Seals, anything impossible becomes possible.”

Wang Jie glanced at her. “People have limits, but you talk about him like he has none. How much do you actually know about him?”

No one answered.

Wen Xing Ru and the others clearly didn’t want to say more.

So Wang Jie looked at Yun Lai with open contempt. “Looks like you don’t know either.”

Yun Lai’s face twisted. “I don’t know? He—”

“Shut up,” Wen Xing Ru snapped.

Yun Lai clenched his teeth and fell silent.

Beside Qi Wu, Qi Xue Yin glanced at Wang Jie, then looked back toward the distance.

This woman was different from Wen Xing Ru and Wen Zhao. Her clothes and style leaned toward technology. A combat power detector covered part of her face, and every piece of gear she wore looked advanced.

Another craft arrived. A bald boy stepped out—short and small, only about a meter tall. A short, unfinished sword lay in his hand.

Wang Jie stared. It was called a sword, but it looked like a branch roughly carved into a blade, with twigs still protruding.

He’d never seen anything like it.

And the boy was strange, too. A child could come?

His arrival changed Wen Xing Ru and the others at once. They walked over together.

“Greetings, Senior Brother Mo,” Wen Xing Ru said, bowing.

Yun Lai and Wen Zhao bowed immediately.

Qi Xue Yin stepped forward. “Xue Yin greets Lord Mo.”

The other trialists didn’t know who he was, but they bowed anyway.

Only the Blue Star cultivators didn’t move.

The bald boy lifted his head. His eyes were dull as he swept them all in. Then his gaze slid to the distance, and only when he found Shu Mu Ye did a spark flare.

He took a step, passed everyone, and walked toward Shu Mu Ye.

Wen Xing Ru hurried to stop him. “Senior Brother Mo, please wait. Chong Xuan hasn’t arrived yet. We can wait for him and strike together.”

Senior Brother Mo didn’t answer. He kept walking, step by step.

Wang Jie leaned toward Wen Zhao.

Wen Zhao lowered her voice. “His name is Mo. He comes from Third Zen Heaven.”

“Third Zen Heaven is as famous as the Jia Yi Sect.”

“I didn’t expect the sect to invite him. He reached the peak of the Ten Seals years ago, but he still hasn’t broken through.”

Wang Jie frowned. “How old is he?”

“In the universe,” Wen Zhao warned, “don’t judge cultivation and strength by age. You’ll pay for it.”

“I told you—some people might be born with power beyond the star-breaking realm.”