Chapter 70

Chapter 70: Second Plot

It was only two lines of text, yet it filled an entire page.

Wang Jie didn’t know much about Star Vault Vista, but for its name to spread across the universe—so far that even the Silver Radiance Empire had heard of it—meant its influence was terrifying.

He’d just finished reading the issue. Every section was packed with words, and most pages squeezed in several stories at once.

But this one?

Two lines. One full page. Everything else left blank, as if the emptiness was meant to force readers to imagine what couldn’t be printed.

Wang Jie lifted his head and stared at the bridge ahead, faint and half-hidden in the haze.

He’d already studied the Star-Breaking Realm. Not just the method of breaking through—because once the foundation of his Ten Seals was solid enough, the Star-Breaking Realm would be the next step—but also the common knowledge everyone passed around.

To outsiders, the Star-Breaking Realm was simple: break a star, and you were in. The star was usually only half the size of Blue Star. Shatter it, and you were Star-Breaking Realm. That was the definition.

If someone was stronger—strong enough to be called an elite—they could shatter a planet as large as Blue Star.

People like that were praised wherever they went.

In the Silver Radiance Empire, only two people had done it so far. One was Jun Hua, who achieved it while she was still in Frost Splendor Sect. The other was the old General.

Above them were the true monsters. Anyone who could destroy two Blue Star–sized stars during their breakthrough was a genius. That kind of genius would cause a sensation in the Silver Radiance Empire—and even in Frost Splendor Sect, they would be considered top-tier.

Three stars. Four. Five. Each additional star didn’t just add prestige; it marked a leap in quality.

Wang Jie didn’t know how many stars Wen Xing Ru’s group could shatter. He guessed they wouldn’t exceed four.

But Shu Mu Ye…

Thirteen.

Even the chief editor of Star Vault Vista could only label it beyond comprehension.

It was the same verdict Wang Jie had received after his second rebuild—something outside the bounds of ordinary people.

The fewer the words, the heavier the impact.

Wang Jie folded the paper and put it away. Shu Mu Ye was too far ahead.

That final battle on Blue Star had been fate’s joke, whether for Shu Mu Ye or for him.

Who knew what would happen the next time they met?

It didn’t matter. If he ever got the chance, he would kill him.

After wiping out that gang and taking a huge haul of disaster materials, Wang Jie didn’t rush to hunt mutated creatures. Something else came to mind—his Second Plot.

He’d tested all kinds of possibilities before and gotten nothing. He wasn’t sure what would happen with this chen artifact.

The wrist guard had come out of the Second Plot. Maybe this plot of land had something to do with weapons.

He stepped into the field and tossed a saber in.

The saber sank into the soil and vanished.

Wang Jie’s eyes lit up. It worked.

At last—movement.

In the next instant, a long rectangular block sprouted from the field. At first glance it seemed connected to the saber, but it wasn’t shaped like a blade at all. Its top and bottom were different colors, like mismatched materials stacked together without ever fusing.

Decomposition?

Wang Jie crouched and stared.

The block was small—only about half a meter tall and as thin as a finger.

Inside, layers of different materials were packed together. Material pressed on material, and in the middle of it all, Wang Jie saw something familiar.

Starforce.

Yes. Starforce.

He hadn’t cultivated it, but he recognized it at once.

Starforce could be separated out like this? And once it was separated… what then?

He reached out and touched it. The sensation was strange—like touching something that shouldn’t exist, yet still had texture.

He tried pulling the starforce out of the block.

It came out.

He could knead it like clay. He couldn’t absorb it—he didn’t know how—but he could compress it, roll it, shape it. The more he worked it, the denser it became, until it looked almost like a pill.

Then he shoved the starforce back into the block and pressed the block down into the field.

The block disappeared. The saber reappeared.

It had turned back into a saber.

So it could switch back and forth?

Wang Jie felt like he’d found a new toy. He experimented obsessively—saber into block, block back into saber. Then he tossed starforce and a random object into the field together.

The object fused with the starforce and became a brand-new chen artifact.

It was absurdly miraculous.

He tinkered for days, only stopping when it was time to do his exercises.

This Second Plot was far more interesting than the first field.

A little over a month passed in the blink of an eye. Using the disaster materials from that gang and his exercise routine, Wang Jie deepened all Ten Seals to light gray, matching Wen Zhao.

Their realms were probably close now. When Wen Zhao left Blue Star, she was only at the Ninth Seal. By now, she should have reached the Ten Seals.

He had finally caught up to Wen Zhao’s group.

And it had been exactly two years since the first batch of trialists descended upon Blue Star.

Two years to reach a level comparable to the trial disciples of Jia Yi Sect.

They cultivated Starforce. He only had Lockforce.

Still—no rush. Step by step.

In Silver Radiance Imperial Capital, Jun Hua glanced at her personal terminal and turned to Yu Dong.

“It’s Wang Jie.”

Yu Dong looked up, eyes sharpening. “He finally contacted us. Let’s see what he wants.”

The line connected.

“I killed a group of people,” Wang Jie said bluntly. “They looked like Jun Tang’s men. Do you recognize them?”

He sent the footage over.

Jun Hua hadn’t cared at first. Then she saw the image, and her expression changed.

“Those interstellar pirates?”

Yu Dong leaned in, equally surprised. They’d searched for that gang for ages and never found them—yet Wang Jie had killed them.

“Where are you?” Jun Hua asked.

“On the Slaughterstone Planet.”

Jun Hua blinked, then exhaled. “So that’s why. No wonder no one could find them.”

Even she had forgotten the Lakeside Residence included the Slaughterstone Planet. That gang must have been there before, or they wouldn’t have known to hide there.

They were unlucky enough to run into Wang Jie.

“Well done,” Jun Hua said. “Those people were Jun Tang’s. We’ve been looking for them. You’ve earned merit.”

“That’s good,” Wang Jie replied. “I was worried I might have killed the wrong people.”

He paused, voice even. “So… are we done?”

“What reward do you want?” Jun Hua asked.

“No need. You’ve already given me more than enough.”

Jun Hua didn’t press. “Fine. If you want anything, tell me. Oh—Frost Splendor Sect has disciples coming. Do you want to come and see?”

On the Slaughterstone Planet, Wang Jie considered for a moment. “Alright. I’ll return immediately.”

He ended the call, went to the lake, and took his ship back to Silver Radiance Imperial Capital.

Frost Splendor Sect was a major sect—at least far stronger than the Silver Radiance Empire.

Its disciples wouldn’t be weak. Seeing them would help him understand the universe better.

He might even hear news about Jia Yi Sect, or Cheng Yi Dao.

The Silver Radiance Empire was too remote.

Back at the Lakeside Residence, Wang Jie washed away the exhaustion of the past days.

The light-gray marks on his body still weren’t very obvious. He had to keep going.

Deep down, he wanted to measure himself against Shu Mu Ye.

Thirteen sounded impossible… but he had beaten Shu Mu Ye once. Why couldn’t he do it again?

Even if it was hard, he would still walk that road.

“Reporting, Lord,” Cheng Qian said when he arrived. “These are the sword tassels we bought. And these are the locations of the empire’s Seven-Colored Flower.”

Wang Jie thanked him and tested the tassels one by one. None of them worked.

As for the Seven-Colored Flower… honestly, he didn’t even know whether that was its true name or just meant a flower with seven colors.

He set it aside. First, he needed to go to the Imperial Palace.

As the Emperor’s guard, he had never gone even once. That was ridiculous.

If Frost Splendor Sect’s disciples arrived and he wanted to watch, he had to enter as a guard—otherwise he wouldn’t even get through the gates.

Guards had a dedicated uniform, and he needed to collect it from the Imperial Palace.

There was even a private route from the Lakeside Residence directly to the Imperial Palace.

This would be Wang Jie’s second time meeting Jun Hua.

He wasn’t sure how to salute her.

Kneel?

Never.

But doing nothing felt wrong. She had given him too much. He should at least be polite.

“Hello,” Wang Jie said.

Jun Hua stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “…Hello.”

Wang Jie cleared his throat. “So… when will the Frost Splendor Sect disciples arrive?”

“Not sure,” Jun Hua said, amusement flickering in her eyes. “But it should be soon.”

She glanced outside. “Ming Xu.”

A man entered and dropped to one knee. “Emperor.”

“Take Wang Jie to familiarize him with the Imperial Palace,” Jun Hua ordered. “Get him settled into his post.”

“Yes.”

Wang Jie didn’t feel comfortable lingering, so he quietly followed Ming Xu out.

After he left, Jun Hua chuckled.

Yu Dong said, “He doesn’t have a shred of a subordinate’s restraint around you. He’s a shameless rascal.”

Jun Hua hummed. “Keep watching him.”

Ming Xu led Wang Jie through the Imperial Palace. As the Emperor’s guard, the least Wang Jie could do was avoid getting lost inside it.

Ming Xu was the chief steward of the guards, older than the Starforce cultivator Wang Jie had killed on the Slaughterstone Planet. He carried a steady, fierce aura—but to Wang Jie it felt forced, like a mask. Beneath it, he seemed brittle, like dead bamboo that would snap under pressure.

Ming Xu was very curious about Wang Jie. When he learned Wang Jie lived at the Lakeside Residence, his gaze shifted completely.

“Chief Steward Ming,” Wang Jie said.

“Just call me Brother Ming or Brother Xu,” Ming Xu replied.

“Alright, Brother Ming.” Wang Jie didn’t waste time. “How many Star-Breaking Realm experts does the empire have?”

“Very few,” Ming Xu said. “Only a handful are officially under the empire. There are probably Star-Breaking Realm experts among the common people too, but there won’t be more than ten.”

“More outside the empire than inside it?”

“That’s the cultivation world. Most regions are controlled by cultivation forces, but there are always exceptions.” Ming Xu paused, then sighed. “Our Silver Radiance Empire is already pretty good, and that’s because we belong to Frost Splendor Sect. Frost Splendor Sect backs us…”

He spoke at length, especially about how difficult the Star-Breaking Realm was. Even after all these years, he still couldn’t reach it.

Jia Yi Sect had many Star-Breaking Realm experts, but that was Jia Yi Sect. Here, most people had never even heard the name.

Ming Xu was only at the Ten Seals, yet he served as chief steward. It said a lot about how average the empire’s cultivation world was.

Still, average didn’t mean weak.

“The Emperor is close to Full-Star Realm,” Ming Xu said quietly. “They say her battle power reading can exceed thirty thousand.

“And Miss Yu Dong is already Full-Star Realm. She surpassed the empire’s former War God Xuan.

“The most unfathomable is the old General. He’s definitely also Full-Star Realm.”

He shook his head and laughed bitterly. “You and I are the same, in a way. I have no hope of breaking through. You have no future.”

Wang Jie didn’t interrupt. Old men tended to talk like that.

Then Ming Xu clapped him on the shoulder. “Brother Wang, from now on, it’ll be you and me protecting this Imperial Palace.”

Wang Jie nodded, expression calm.

But who said he had no future?

Lockforce had no future… supposedly. That depended on where its limit truly was.

He’d checked on purpose. There were people who cultivated Lockforce and still reached Star-Breaking Realm—some even reached Full-Star Realm.

As long as he could reach Full-Star Realm, he could protect Blue Star.

After leaving the Imperial Palace, Wang Jie went straight for the Seven-Colored Flower locations.

The empire had over fifty recorded spots, and that was only what Cheng Qian had found so far.

Wang Jie went to the first location, picked a flower, and handed it to the nearest woman.

Nothing.

He went to the next, picked another, tried again.

Location after location was ruled out. He caused plenty of commotion, but he managed to smooth things over each time.

All fifty were wrong.

He still couldn’t complete it.

Was Seven-Colored Flower a proper name?

If so, where was he supposed to find it?

Wang Jie rubbed his temples. The sword tassels were no better. More and more were delivered to the Lakeside Residence, and none worked.

A few days later, Jun Hua sent a message.

Frost Splendor Sect’s disciples were about to arrive.

Wang Jie returned at once and prepared himself.