Joe Di also took out a ring and handed it to the steward cultivator, saying, "Senior, I have two hundred and seven stalks of Stacked Reed Grass here, along with two drops of Origin Dew. I only wish to go to Master Yan Yun's Dao Arena to listen to his discourse on the Dao."
Dean Rivers looked at Joe Di in astonishment. Among Joe Di, Maya Mu, and Zane Wu, Joe Di's cultivation was the lowest, yet he had brought forth the most treasures. What Joe Di presented was precisely enough to gain entry to the Dao Arena and hear the lecture of Dao Ancestor Yan Yun, indicating that this cultivator likely possessed more Stacked Reed Grass and Origin Dew.
Joe Di knew the other party could deduce that he still had Origin Dew and Stacked Reed Grass on him—not only that, but they could also guess that Maya Mu and Zane Wu still had some left as well.
However, he was not worried. Even if the Origin Dao Sect knew, they would not do anything to the three of them. If the Origin Dao Sect were the sort of petty, unscrupulous sect, it would never have become one of the top sects in the Dao Domain.
"That's fine. You can become an outer disciple of our sect, and with this, you may attend Master Yan Yun's Dao Arena in a month to hear his lecture." Dean Rivers produced a jade token and handed it to Joe Di. This token was different from those given to Maya Mu and Zane Wu.
Seeing Joe Di accept the jade token, Dean Rivers continued, "Your status as an outer disciple can be processed at the disciple hall after you have listened to the Dao Ancestor's discourse. Since you are only an outer disciple, you cannot travel with us."
"Thank you, Senior." Joe Di gratefully accepted the jade token.
He never intended to become an inner disciple of the Origin Dao Sect. Not only did he possess a complete set of rule techniques, but he also had many secrets of his own.
As more and more cultivators returned from Hive Shoals, the area outside the west gate of Lightless Sea Divine City grew increasingly lively.
Yet Joe Di sensed a business opportunity among them. There were plenty of cultivators watching, but very few could offer Stacked Reed Grass from the Chaos Hive—only a dozen or so each day.
With this in mind, Joe Di immediately sent a message to Maya Mu and Zane Wu, then swiftly left the Lightless Sea Divine City.
Half a day later, all of Lightless Sea Divine City knew that someone was selling Stacked Reed Grass grown in the Chaos Hive on a reef island tens of thousands of miles away from the city. The price was not outrageous—just one thousand high-grade divine crystals per stalk. Those without divine crystals could trade with forging materials or spirit herbs.
The news spread through Lightless Sea Divine City like a bomb. A thousand high-grade divine crystals per stalk—one hundred stalks would only be a hundred thousand high-grade divine crystals.
For ordinary cultivators, a hundred thousand high-grade divine crystals was indeed a huge fortune. But if spending that could get you into a good sect, it was a bargain.
For some of the larger sects, even a million high-grade divine crystals wouldn't get you into the inner sect. Now, with just a hundred thousand, you could become an inner disciple—only a fool wouldn't make the trade.
Normally, it would be madness to exchange a thousand high-grade divine crystals for a single stalk of Stacked Reed Grass. But now, only a fool wouldn't do it. This was a one-time opportunity, and there weren't many fools.
In an instant, countless cultivators rushed to the reef island, bringing divine crystals, spirit herbs, and ores, all with one goal—to trade for Stacked Reed Grass.
When the first batch of traded Stacked Reed Grass was verified to have come from the Chaos Hive, Lightless Sea Divine City grew even more frenzied.
More and more cultivators flooded to the nameless reef island, all for the chance to trade for Stacked Reed Grass.
......
Naturally, the one running the stall on the nameless reef island was Joe Di. The only difference was that this time, Joe Di had disguised himself as an old man with a black face.
Joe Di had over sixty thousand stalks of Stacked Reed Grass. What he lacked most was not this Chaos Hive-grown Stacked Reed Grass, but divine crystals and other cultivation resources.
In just half a day, Joe Di had traded away forty-five thousand stalks of Stacked Reed Grass. He now possessed thirty-five million high-grade divine crystals, along with a pile of low-grade spirit herbs and forging materials—an absolutely terrifying fortune.
Yet Joe Di did not plan to continue trading. He still had over ten thousand stalks of Stacked Reed Grass from the Chaos Hive, which might be useful in the future.
With this thought, Joe Di stood up and announced loudly, "Friends, I have exchanged all my Stacked Reed Grass and will be leaving here today."
Hearing that Joe Di was done trading, the latecomer cultivators instantly went wild.
"He must still have Stacked Reed Grass—we should just take it from him together!"
"Yes, let's take it from him together!"
The crowd surged forward, and several Dao Forging cultivators lunged toward Joe Di's position.
Joe Di sneered inwardly, pulled out an array flag and tossed it out, then immediately activated another array disk.
In the next moment, the cultivators charging at Joe Di were trapped and killed by the array, while Joe Di was enveloped in the white glow of the teleportation array disk and vanished instantly.
No one pursued Joe Di. Since he had made such preparations, even if they caught up, it would be a wasted effort.
The disciple recruitment activities of the major sects in Lightless Sea Divine City saw a sudden surge in qualified candidates—over a thousand—thanks to Joe Di's unexpected appearance.
Some cultivators chose the outer sect. Those struggling to survive in the Lightless Sea, though wealthy, could not always produce a hundred thousand high-grade divine crystals. Being able to pay ten thousand for ten stalks of Stacked Reed Grass and enter the outer sect was still a good thing. Any outer disciple had the chance to enter the inner sect.
The wealthy cultivators naturally bought a hundred stalks of Stacked Reed Grass without hesitation, opting to enter the inner sect.
......
With a large sum of divine crystals, Joe Di did not return to Lightless Sea Divine City. He had disguised himself as an ordinary itinerant cultivator and headed to Origin Saint City.
Origin Saint City was close to the Origin Dao Sect and under its control. It was a renowned place in the Dao Domain. Joe Di's main purpose in coming here was to attend Master Yan Yun's Dao discourse at the Origin Dao Sect in a month.
At present, he was completely unable to forge his Dao. Although he had witnessed how Zane Wu forged his Dao, Joe Di still had no real concept of Dao Forging.
Zane Wu was able to forge his Dao by drawing on Joe Di's rule Dao. Joe Di could not follow Zane Wu's method—doing so would be a waste of his rule techniques.
Origin Saint City was packed these days; clearly, most cultivators had come to hear Master Yan Yun of the Origin Dao Sect deliver his Dao discourse.
Joe Di asked at more than a dozen inns before finally finding a place to stay at the Northway Resthaven Inn. The cost of lodging these days was shockingly high—even though the inn he found was not upscale, a single night still cost a thousand high-grade divine crystals.
Joe Di sighed inwardly. Fortunately, he had sold some Stacked Reed Grass; otherwise, he might not even have been able to afford a room.
"Senior, in seven days, there will be a grand auction in Origin Saint City. If you wish to attend, I can help you purchase a ticket." The attendant who helped Joe Di with his lodging offered as he handed over the jade room token.
An auction? Joe Di thought of the tens of millions of high-grade divine crystals he still possessed—perhaps he should take a look. With so many experts gathered, there was sure to be something valuable.
Just as Joe Di was about to say, 'Then please help me buy a ticket for the auction,' a voice sounded behind him: "Are there any rooms left? Get me one."
Joe Di instinctively turned to look. When he saw the cultivator standing beside him, his heart skipped a beat.
This fellow seemed somewhat familiar, yet his cultivation was as unfathomable as the Sea of Mist—how could Joe Di possibly recognize him?
Wait, the seven-pointed Dao Seed! That Dao Seed carried a certain aura, almost as if it had been inherited from this person.
Joe Di's heart sank. Could the seven-pointed Dao Seed belong to this person? But then he realized it couldn't be—the Dao Seed was now in his possession, and the other should have been gravely injured. This person's strength was unfathomable; the seven-pointed Dao Seed couldn't possibly be his.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)