"Relax. This is Fivefold Plaza—no one can kill you here. But the Ren family isn't so easily crossed. I'll be waiting for you to spend the rest of your days in Fivefold City." As Henry Ren spoke, his aura surged, forcing Joe Di to retreat, step by step.
Joe Di cursed inwardly, wishing Ren would just grab his ring and leave. "What's the point of blocking me here?" he thought with annoyance.
Seeing that Henry Ren didn't dare take his ring, Joe Di could only sigh and say, "You're a Sea List master, yet you use your aura to intimidate a Soul Ancestor Stage cultivator like me. Doesn't that shame you?"
Joe Di's words rang out, carrying across the crowded Fivefold Plaza. It wasn't long before people turned to watch.
A few cultivators recognized Joe Di as Red Tassel Joe—the Red Tassel Blade slung across his back was impossible to miss.
"That's Henry Ren, ranked one hundred and six on the Sea List," someone whispered, but Joe Di's sharp divine sense picked up every word.
"Why would a Sea List master go after Red Tassel Joe? He's ranked ninth on the Potential List—he's got a real shot at making the Sea List someday."
"You don't know, do you? Do you know how Red Tassel Joe got his name?"
"I'm all ears."
"Red Tassel Joe wiped out the entire Radiant Squad at Nightlake..."
"Everyone knows that story—you don't need to repeat it."
"Henry Ren is kin to the Radiant Squad's captain. Now it all adds up."
...
The crowd thickened, and the situation grew clearer with every passing moment.
It didn't take long for everyone to realize why Sea List master Henry Ren was blocking Red Tassel Joe, a mere Soul Ancestor Stage cultivator. Red Tassel Joe's fame came from slaying Henry Ren's kin by Nightlake.
Personal vendettas like this were common at Fivefold Plaza. As long as no rules were broken, even the stewards simply looked the other way.
"I won't bully you just because I'm on the Sea List," Henry Ren said coldly. "You killed my kin, so I'll give you a chance: if you can withstand a single move from me on the Dueling Platform, I'll let it go. But you'll need to return the spirit stones you took from Rafael Ren. Otherwise, you can rot in Fivefold City for the rest of your life."
Joe Di suddenly understood—Ren wasn't here for revenge; he was here to extort him after hearing about Joe Di's windfall at the Fivefold Dao Tower.
Really, if Ren wanted to shake him down, he should've waited until Joe Di left Fivefold City. Why the rush?
Joe Di quickly figured it out. Ren must've checked up on him and learned that his cave dwelling at Fivefold Pavilion was nowhere near its lease's end, so he thought Joe Di wouldn't be leaving Fivefold City anytime soon. Catching Joe Di wandering the plaza, Ren seized his chance.
Thinking this through, Joe Di's face grew even paler. He said, "If I step onto the Death Arena against you, surviving would be a miracle. You're at the Seabreaker Stage, and you want me—a Ninth Level Soul Ancestor—to fight you on the Death Arena? Are you crazy, or am I?"
Henry Ren burst out laughing. "Didn't you hear me? I said the Dueling Platform in Fivefold City, not the Death Arena. I may be a Seabreaker Stage cultivator, but I'm not so shameless as to drag a mere Soul Ancestor to the Death Arena."
"And if I withstand a single move?" Joe Di, though cowed by Henry Ren's aura, still managed to keep his tone firm.
As he spoke, Joe Di's gaze locked greedily onto Henry Ren's ring.
Henry Ren laughed heartily. He'd never met a cultivator as brazenly greedy as Joe Di.
A mere Ninth Level Soul Ancestor, and yet his divine sense and eyes kept circling Henry Ren's ring. Clearly, Joe Di was after it. Truly, the ignorant know no fear. "If you can withstand a single move from me without injury, the ring is yours. But if you lose, you'll hand over your ring to me."
Just as Joe Di had guessed, Henry Ren knew he'd gotten nearly twenty million high-grade spirit stones from the Fivefold Dao Tower. Ren was desperate for spirit stones, and it was only natural he'd come for Joe Di.
Earlier, Henry Ren's divine sense had swept over Joe Di—he only had one ring.
Joe Di clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. "Fine. I'll take your bet."
Word of the wager spread quickly, drawing even more cultivators. Normally, no one would gamble their ring unless their life was on the line.