Chapter 55
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Chapter 55: Power of the Stars
"I want the technique you just used to control my mind," Ming He said, not understanding or caring about what Bai Mengjiao was thinking. This was already the second time she had been controlled into doing something against her will, and she did not want it to happen a third time.
The best way to break free from control is not to avoid escaping but to master it oneself.
Ji Wu Xu had enchanted her with the fox clan’s innate divine technique, but Bai Mengjiao was not of the fox clan, and her control over Ming He lasted even longer than Ji Wu Xu’s; it must have been due to an external object.
"So that’s what you want," Bai Mengjiao murmured, her expression somewhat strange. "I thought…"
"What did you think?" Ming He interrupted coldly. "Did you think I wanted to rely on your power to reach the Wind Master realm?"
She slightly parted her lips to say, "I will cultivate my own abilities. Don’t worry, I’m not interested in you."
Ming He stated this fact with a faint smile, indifferent to the fact that her words might be a humiliation to Bai Mengjiao.
The proud Royal Bloodline of the Mermaid Clan had fallen to the point of being a mere tool, and now she was treated with such disdain!
Bai Mengjiao bit her lip, her chest heaving with emotions that were both angry and cold. "I can give you what you want, but in exchange, you must help me heal my injuries."
"Heal your injuries?" Ming He repeated, looking at Bai Mengjiao with a somewhat scrutinizing gaze. "Your cultivation is half in shambles, and your wounds are deep; you are no different from a cripple. I’m not a healer and can’t help you."
"You can," Bai Mengjiao replied firmly, mirroring Ming He’s earlier demeanor. "You have the Star Lock, don’t you?"
The Star Lock.
Ming He looked at her with surprise at her certainty but maintained her calm expression. "I don’t know what you’re talking about."
The Royal Bloodline of the Mermaid Clan actually knows about the Star Lock. What is this woman’s background? So, the reason she chose Ming He at the auction was because of the Star Lock?
As Ming He speculated, she quietly observed Bai Mengjiao as her lips curled into an assured smile. "The crafting and forging of the Star Lock are connected to my Mermaid ancestors. I am the inheritor of the royal lineage of the Mermaid Clan, so of course, I would know."
"I have no idea what you’re talking about," Ming He calmly repeated, as she really didn’t know.
Regardless, when she said she didn’t know, it meant she didn’t know.
"Do you intend to take advantage of me?" Bai Mengjiao asked through gritted teeth, "You’ve already taken my Mermaid Pearl, and I agreed to teach you the method; what else do you want?"
"I want you to teach me the method first," Ming He replied with a light laugh. "As for taking advantage of you—"
Ming He emphasized, "If I had not managed to break free from your control in time, I would not only have gained nothing and lost fifteen thousand middle-grade spirit stones but would also have become your laborer instead. You should keep the term ‘taking advantage’ for yourself."
Bai Mengjiao looked up to meet Ming He’s gaze, seeing in her eyes a sense of indifference and determination. She was not concerned about Bai Mengjiao’s identity or background and was determined to get what she wanted before discussing anything further.
"Fine, I’ll teach you the method," she said, her face pale as she glanced at the dagger in her chest. With a wave of her hand, she conjured a thread of spiritual light and sent it to Ming He. "Can you heal me now?"
"I can," Ming He replied, surprised by the method that had just appeared in her mind. With her right hand on the dagger handle, she swiftly pulled it out without hesitation, her expression unchanging as she stopped the blood from flowing from Bai Mengjiao’s chest. Then, she took out two pills—crushing one to sprinkle on the wound, while she put the other one directly into Bai Mengjiao’s mouth.
"How is the healing going?" Ming He asked her. The Star Lock did indeed recognize her as its master, but aside from that one time with the nebula stone and the Moonlight Stone at the auction, it had shown no further activity.
Nineteen said it was an ancient spiritual artifact, but she had yet to use it a single bit.
"I just need a wisp of Star Power; give it to me, and our transaction will end," Bai Mengjiao said, her expression calming slightly as her body began to lose strength, letting her lean against the wall behind her, finally feeling how desperate her situation had become.
"Star Power?" Ming He was confused. "What is that? How can I give it to you?" If Star Power can heal, then couldn’t Qin Chu Yi’s cold poison also be eliminated? And what about the spiritual contract?
"You know nothing. The Star Lock actually recognizes you as its master?" Bai Mengjiao stated, half envious and half astonished. She raised her hand, conjuring another thread of spiritual light to circle around Ming He. "Just use the method I taught you."
"It is possible, but it’s not very convenient right now," Ming He replied, gazing into Bai Mengjiao’s icy blue eyes, which looked ready to explode with anger. She felt no fear. "I bought a slot for the Merchants’ Guild’s teleportation array; there’s only a quarter of an hour left, and time is probably short."
"You—" Bai Mengjiao’s lips bled as her expression turned cold like a shura from the Deep Sea. She looked pale, wanting to say something but lacking the strength to speak.
“Just a joke, Friend, don’t take it seriously,” Ming He said with a light smile, supporting herself as she walked deeper into the alley. She casually released a wave of spiritual energy to block the view of ordinary people and began channeling the incantation from her mind toward the Star Lock at her heart.
In the next moment, under the influence of the mysterious technique, the Star Lock emitted a soft glow, swirling around Ming He and Bai Mengjiao. Ming He felt a sense of wonder as she noted the sensations in her chest and the resonance deep within her soul. She then guided the Star Power from Bai Mengjiao into the wound inflicted by the Moon Crescent Dagger.
Bai Mengjiao bit her lip, her expression pained, though her complexion improved slightly from its earlier pallor. She glanced down at the wound Ming He had caused, a flicker of resentment in her eyes. If not for this injury, with the Star Power now within her, she wouldn’t feel so weakened.
“The transaction is complete. Farewell, Friend,” Ming He said, her gaze following Bai Mengjiao’s to the wound she had inflicted. Yet, she felt little remorse. From the moment the game began, she had accepted the consequences of every move.
Had it not been for her experience with Ji Wu Xu—when her mind was nearly ensnared to the point of leaping off a cliff—and had she not clung to the fierce determination and anger she felt in that moment, she might never have broken free from Bai Mengjiao’s mental control.
If she hadn’t broken free, she would have not only wasted fifteen thousand middle-grade spirit stones, failing to obtain the Mermaid Pearl and everything she now possessed, but she would also have remained under Bai Mengjiao’s command.
And then, whatever Bai Mengjiao demanded, she would have had no choice but to comply.
With those words, Ming He turned and walked out of the alley, leaving Bai Mengjiao’s plans—whether to reclaim power in the central region’s deep sea or pursue other ambitions—behind her.
Behind her, Bai Mengjiao watched her shadow, her eyes glinting with a complex emotion. She stared intently at Ming He’s retreating figure until it vanished from the alley.
The Sword Cultivator in Blue, the Star Lock—she would remember.
…
In front of Baiyu Building.
Carriages streamed endlessly, and cultivators bustled about. Even after the auction had concluded, Ding Kang City remained lively, for Baiyu Building was not only a venue for auctions but also the second-largest commercial hub after the Merchants’ Guild, offering an array of rare and peculiar items.
At that moment, some cultivators strolled leisurely, their eyes darting toward the grand stone door of Baiyu Building, waiting for the figure they hoped to see.
They were waiting for Ming He, waiting for their chance to break through to the Wind Master realm.
“Hey, where’s my token?” Ming He emerged calmly from the crowd, tapping the shoulder of a young man at a tea stall across from Baiyu Building. She cast a faint, knowing smile at the cultivators.
With the Breath Control Technique and the Spirit Gathering Stone, she no longer had to tread the same perilous path as the protagonist.
Auctions were often synonymous with killing for treasures, but Baiyu Building proved more benevolent than she had expected, offering side paths and back doors.
“My lord?” The young man turned, startled, upon seeing Ming He’s face. “What are you doing here?” She had clearly entered Baiyu Building earlier, and he had been watching the door, certain she hadn’t exited that way.
“I took a detour,” Ming He replied simply, then pressed, “Where’s my teleportation array token?”
“Here.” The young man handed her a leaf-shaped disciple token. “Take this to the Merchants’ Guild teleportation tower. Oh, the slot I secured for you is two-way. Keep the token; you can use it if you wish to return to Ding Kang City in the future.”
Two-way teleportation.
Ming He accepted the token, glanced at it briefly, and turned to leave. “Thank you.”
The young man blinked, clearly surprised by her gratitude. After a moment’s hesitation, he murmured, “My lord, I’m Er Hu. If you need anything when you return to Ding Kang City, you can ask for me at the city gate.”
“Alright,” Ming He acknowledged, committing the name to memory before heading toward the Merchants’ Guild teleportation tower.
The Merchants’ Guild’s primary domain was in the central region, but as the foremost trading company on the Tianwu Continent, its influence extended across all regions and states.
Ming He entered the Merchants’ Guild teleportation tower alongside other cultivators, feeling the profound and vast aura emanating from the structure. Once again, she was reminded of the noble stature of Lou Qing Shang.
When the time came, the steward of the Merchants’ Guild closed the teleportation tower. Ming He stood inside, unaware of his actions, but suddenly the world seemed to spin around her, and in an instant, her surroundings had transformed.
It was a mysterious feeling.
She felt both in harmony with the infinite universe and yet distant, as if separated by a barrier on the Great Path. The teleportation array, she realized, was indeed a manifestation of formation mastery.
Formation mastery.
Ming He recalled the young man in black clothes, carrying a sword, who had spoken of specializing in formation mastery. She thought of the sword’s light, cold and piercing across nineteen states, Nineteen, and the battlefield of the heavens.
Floating Cloud Sect.
Clenching her fist, filled with anticipation, she stepped out of the teleportation tower and into a city even more prosperous than Ding Kang City.
Yun Mo City, where the Floating Cloud Sect resided, was the foremost city of the Eastern Region and one of its upper cities. Here, cultivators and prodigies were as numerous as fish in a river, and the spiritual energy was dense and vibrant. This was where the Eastern Region’s most elite cultivators gathered.
The Floating Cloud Sect perched atop Floating Cloud Mountain, while Yun Mo City lay at its base. Here, cultivators and ordinary folk were intertwined, all part of the Floating Cloud Sect’s domain.
At that moment, Ming He stood at the edge of this city, at the foot of Floating Cloud Mountain.
She looked up toward the summit, where she could faintly discern the outline of the Floating Cloud Sect that Qin Chu Yi had described—a grandeur and majesty far surpassing Liu Yun. This was the place she was destined to reach.
