No matter whether it was or not, Joe Di no longer dared to probe this fellow's cultivation level with his Spiritual Sense.
The attendant said to Joe Di, "Senior, in a moment I will come to your room and inform you of the auction details."
Clearly, this attendant also realized that the person asking about the rooms was no ordinary figure, and did not dare to leave him aside to handle matters for Joe Di.
"Alright." Joe Di didn't say anything further; he didn't want to spend more time with this cultivator of overwhelming strength.
"Senior, there are still a few superior cave residences available, each night costs one thousand top-grade spirit crystals..." After seeing Joe Di off, the attendant spoke respectfully.
"Then give me one superior residence, for a month." The cultivator tossed a storage pouch in front of the attendant and said indifferently.
The attendant became even more respectful, saying, "Very well. May I ask how I should address you, Senior?"
"William Sha." The cultivator's tone remained utterly unperturbed.
"What was the name of the cultivator who just went upstairs?" What made Joe Di uneasy was that he hadn't expected William Sha to ask for his name.
He only sensed that there was some connection between Sam Sand and the Seven-Pointed Dao Seed he had stored away, but he hadn't revealed any flaws, had he?
That's right, it must have been when he turned back and saw this cultivator, sensing a faint aura, causing a slight fluctuation in his mood. But that fluctuation was almost imperceptible.
Joe Di frowned. For the other party to notice such an almost nonexistent fluctuation, the only explanation was that their strength was far beyond his imagination—so powerful that he dared not even speculate.
"Senior, that guest just now is called Di Da," the attendant said, his tone growing even more respectful.
Joe Di sat in his room, refraining from using Law Array Banners. He couldn't guarantee that his Law Array Banners wouldn't be exposed before someone as powerful as William Sha, so he hadn't even altered the room's Guardian Array.
Unlike William Sha, who booked a month at a time, Joe Di only paid for ten days per stay, always maintaining priority.
Joe Di hadn't been sitting long before the attendant arrived at his room.
"Earlier, I was disrespectful to Senior. Please forgive me," the attendant said, bowing as soon as he entered. Clearly, he was a shrewd character.
Joe Di immediately sensed a faint spiritual aura swirling around him. His heart sank—clearly, the other party had some interest in him. If he hadn't cultivated the Rule Cycle, he wouldn't have noticed this subtle spiritual sense at all.
But Joe Di quickly set aside his worries. This was Origin Saint City—even if the other party was incredibly strong, they wouldn't dare act recklessly here. As long as he remained cautious when stepping outside, he'd be fine.
"It's fine. That senior's strength is unfathomable—I felt it too. Not just you, even I was startled at the time. I suspect that senior has already surpassed the First Step," Joe Di said, waving his hand casually.
William Sha did feel that Joe Di was a bit odd, because when Joe Di saw him, his spirit wavered slightly—even though it was extremely subtle, as a Dao Origin expert, William Sha noticed it immediately.
Now, hearing Joe Di's words, he felt relieved. The other party's cultivation was clearly someone who hadn't even condensed a Dao Seed. For someone without a Dao Seed, a momentary shock upon seeing such a powerful figure was normal—having no reaction at all would be strange.
As for the spiritual sense he'd cast on Joe Di, he was one hundred percent certain Joe Di couldn't perceive it. If a Dao Origin expert could be sensed by a mere Immortal Emperor, he might as well smash his head into a block of tofu.
William Sha withdrew his spiritual sense. It seemed he'd been a bit too cautious.
Sensing William Sha's spiritual sense retreat, Joe Di finally breathed a true sigh of relief. He felt lucky William Sha hadn't tried to forcibly check his appearance with spiritual sense. Although he'd used law-based techniques to disguise himself, if William Sha really was a Second Step expert, such tricks might not have worked.
It wasn't that his methods were useless—it was that his cultivation was simply too weak.
"Senior, this auction is jointly held by the Origin Dao Sect and the largest merchant guild in Origin Saint City. There will be plenty of rare treasures. The ticket prices aren't cheap—the hall tickets are five thousand top-grade spirit crystals, and the lowest-tier private box is twenty thousand top-grade spirit crystals, then..."
Joe Di didn't wait for the attendant to finish. He handed over a storage pouch, "Just get me the lowest-tier private box."
"Yes, Senior, rest assured. I will handle this for you immediately and deliver the auction token as soon as it's ready," the attendant said, delighted as he took the pouch.
Seeing his expression, Joe Di knew the attendant could get the private box for less than twenty thousand. He'd planned to tip him, but since the attendant was already making extra, he decided not to bother.
After the attendant left, Joe Di began setting up the room's defensive array. He didn't use Law Array Banners, opting instead for ordinary array flags.
After half a day, with the Guardian Array already in place, the attendant returned, handing Joe Di an auction token and informing him the auction would be held at the Pearl Chamber of Commerce.
Hearing the word 'Pearl,' Joe Di's expression grew distant. Years ago, he'd left Pearl City, and now he was an Immortal Emperor...
How much had happened in between? In the end, all he could do was sigh. His most pressing concern now was how to condense his Dao Seed and then forge his Dao.
After sending the attendant away, Joe Di placed a restriction and began his closed-door meditation, pondering how to condense a Dao Seed.
Days passed. On the seventh day, Joe Di stopped his attempts at condensing a Dao Seed. In seven days, he hadn't made even the slightest progress, not even a clue.
Clearly, shutting himself away wasn't going to work. He could only hope for enlightenment from the Origin Dao Sect's Primordial Ancestor during the Dao Discussion, hoping to glean some insight into condensing his own Dao Seed from the ancestor's Dao resonance.
With three days left before the auction, Joe Di decided to leave his room and stroll through the streets of Origin Saint City.
Since entering the Dao Domain, he had never wandered the sacred city. He was both an artifact refiner and an alchemist. Refining artifacts was one thing, but alchemy required a vast array of pill recipes and spirit herbs.
After slaying the so-called Pill Dao God Ji Mi, he'd acquired some pill recipes from his ring, but those were all low-grade—Joe Di didn't even bother with them.
Joe Di hadn't explored the Lightless Sea Divine City, but his spiritual sense had swept through it briefly. Aside from the main avenue at the entrance, the rest of Lightless Sea Divine City was nowhere near the level of Origin Saint City.
Both sides of the streets in Origin Saint City were lined with high-end shops. Joe Di casually entered a cultivation manual shop, where even the most basic Dao cultivation technique cost tens of thousands of top-grade spirit crystals.
Joe Di sighed to himself—good thing he'd struck it rich, otherwise everything he owned wouldn't be enough to buy even a single manual.
"Senior Le, Senior He, I sincerely apologize for what happened before. That was my fault, I..."
A voice of apology came from the entrance, but before the apology could finish, it was brusquely interrupted, "Huang Li'ai, we don't dare call ourselves your seniors anymore, and please don't force yourself to follow us. With your skills, you don't need us to take you to a trial. You'd better go alone—our legs are too thin to carry you..."
A man and a woman stood at the shop entrance. The man, who spoke, wore an expression and tone of utter disdain.
"Senior Le, I really was wrong. I was just boasting before—I didn't mean to belittle you..." The young man trailing behind them pleaded, his tone full of desperation.
Joe Di was suddenly struck by a sensation, as if he was about to grasp something important, but it remained just out of reach, lingering in his mind.
He vaguely sensed that whatever it was, it mattered greatly to his life—he had to seize it.
Seeing the annoyed man and woman about to leave as Huang Li'ai begged behind them, Joe Di quickly stepped forward to block their way.