Miles Phantom hurried back just in time. He pressed a ring into Joe Di's hand and said, "Go on in quickly. The opening period for Little Central Star is one year. I hope you can make further progress during this year."
Joe Di knew this ring must be what he exchanged for the three qualification jade tokens. He accepted it without hesitation. "Senior Phantom, Little Central Star only opens once every hundred years. I heard Lord Goldwin say that most of the spirit herbs inside are over a thousand years old. Why is that?"
Joe Di had wanted to ask this question for a long time, but simply hadn't had the chance until now.
Miles Phantom didn't answer Joe Di directly, but instead sent a voice transmission, "I've heard bits and pieces. They say Little Central Star is wrapped in fragments of the Law of Time. If anyone obtains one, they could ascend to become a supreme power in the universe..."
Joe Di drew in a sharp breath—fragments of the Law of Time...
Before, he hadn't known what this meant. But after obtaining the World Book, he understood clearly. Rumor had it that the universe contained some extremely precious Law Worlds, and any Law World was a priceless treasure.
To think that outside the Starlight Nexus there was actually a fragment of the Law of Time—a fragment split off from a Law World itself.
If a true powerhouse learned of this, they'd surely take the entire Starlight Nexus with them.
Suddenly, Joe Di remembered something. "Senior Phantom, you just said the opening period for Little Central Star is one year..."
Miles Phantom understood Joe Di's meaning without needing him to finish. "You're right. On the surface, Little Central Star opens for one year, but in reality, you'll be inside for a full ten years."
Joe Di was inwardly shaken—this was a lifesaver for him. What he lacked most right now was time. Ten years, even without the spirit herb resources of Little Central Star, he believed he could reach the Tribulation King Stage.
"Alright, you should all go in quickly," Miles Phantom urged. He could vaguely sense Lord Goldwin's divine sense sweeping around, and worried that lingering would bring trouble, he spoke up loudly.
Joe Di led his group toward the pillar of multicolored light. Just as he was about to enter, he sensed a subtle divine sense sweep over him. When Joe Di sent out his own divine sense in response, that presence vanished.
It was only natural to be watched, but Joe Di didn't care at all. He said to Garrett and the others, "Let's go. We'll enter Little Central Star too."
At this moment, all cultivators holding qualification jade tokens were rushing toward the dazzling pillar of light. Anyone who approached was immediately swept up and vanished.
As soon as Joe Di approached the pillar, a powerful force swept him up. With his tenth-level divine sense, he could faintly perceive that the light carried traces of foundational law energy.
Bang! Before Joe Di could observe further with his divine sense, he landed on the ground.
No one was nearby. It seemed the multicolored pillar was a teleportation beam, and everyone who entered was sent to a different place.
Looking down, he saw a seventh-grade Phoenix Cloud Grass at his feet. Joe Di was delighted—Little Central Star truly was a sanctuary for spirit herbs. Even without the herbs, the rich spiritual energy here made it an ideal place for secluded cultivation.
After picking the Phoenix Cloud Grass, Joe Di strolled a few steps and saw even more spirit herbs. He began frantically collecting every spirit herb he could find. Anything above fourth grade, he took without hesitation.
In just two months, Joe Di's minor world was overflowing with all manner of spirit herbs. He planted all the high-grade ones in the medicinal garden of his minor world.
During these two months, Joe Di hadn't seen Garrett or the others, nor received any messages from them. But he wasn't concerned—Little Central Star was filled with natural restrictions, and only at very short distances could messages be transmitted.
That day, just as Joe Di collected a patch of eighth-grade Blue Phantom Flower, he spotted a Rainbow Immortal Peach growing beside a trickling stream.
If you asked which item was most precious in the cultivation world, many cultivators might choose the Rainbow Immortal Peach—even if it wasn't the rarest. That's because legend says the Rainbow Immortal Peach can grant ten thousand years of life. To put it in perspective, a Transforming True Stage cultivator only lives a few thousand years. With a Rainbow Immortal Peach, even someone with poor aptitude could accumulate enough cultivation over the ages to reach the Transforming True Stage.
Joe Di had long coveted such a treasure. He'd once seen one at the bottom of a snowy mountain, but that Rainbow Immortal Peach had already withered.
Although this Rainbow Immortal Peach wasn't fully ripe yet, Joe Di wasn't about to let it slip away. Missing out on something so precious would be a crime.
Joe Di set down array flags, enclosing the entire area around the Rainbow Immortal Peach.
Just as he was about to send the entire patch of Rainbow Immortal Peach into his minor world, he heard a voice: "Hold on."
Someone had arrived. Joe Di's divine sense had already discovered the newcomer, but he had no intention of holding back. He raised his hand and sent the Rainbow Immortal Peach, along with the soil, into his minor world.
A blue-haired youth landed before Joe Di. "What you just put away was a Rainbow Immortal Peach, wasn't it?"
"That's right." Joe Di replied coolly. He'd already sensed the blue-haired youth's divine sense probing him—this was the same hidden presence he'd felt when entering the teleportation light.
The blue-haired youth nodded. "I know you—Joe Di, from the Polar Night Continent. I can't tell if you're lucky or unlucky. Unlucky, because you managed to find a Rainbow Immortal Peach; lucky, because after just two months, I've already found you. To thank you for your help, before I kill you, I should explain why..."
As he spoke, the blue-haired youth tossed out dozens of array flags, sealing off the entire area. It was clear he had no intention of letting Joe Di leave.
Joe Di didn't move, letting the youth do as he pleased. He had a vague idea of the youth's background, but wasn't certain yet, so he waited for the youth to reveal more. With only first-level Cauldron Lord cultivation, and weaker than Joe Di, he posed no threat.
Once the blue-haired youth finished setting up the killing array, he noticed Joe Di hadn't budged and remarked in surprise, "You're quite calm. My name is Blake Azure, from the Azure Family of Changtian Star. By the way, I'm a ninth-level King Array Master."
Joe Di smiled faintly. "Never heard of you, but I can guess why you're looking for me. If I remember right, I once obtained a Mindshift Stone with your imprint on it. So you suspect I might have the Soul Tempering Memory Stone..."
Blake Azure was delighted by Joe Di's words. "Exactly! Whether or not you have the Soul Tempering Memory Stone, as long as you tell me how you learned Mindshift, I might just let you go."
Once he'd finished setting up the killing array, Blake Azure was confident Joe Di was doomed. With a ninth-level King Array Master’s array, even Joe Di couldn't escape.
Joe Di chuckled. "I'm no fool. If I couldn't learn something so simple, why would I want the Soul Tempering Memory Stone? Actually, you want it because you couldn't learn the technique yourself, right?"
With a flick of his hand, the Soul Tempering Memory Stone he'd once traded for appeared in Joe Di's palm.
"It really is..." Blake Azure shrieked with excitement, immediately unleashing his magic treasure, the Severing Mountain Token, at Joe Di—completely forgetting Joe Di had just insulted him. He hadn't attacked earlier because he wanted to force Joe Di to reveal how he learned Mindshift. Now that Joe Di had brought out the item, he no longer cared.
Joe Di's Tiansuo Blade appeared in his hand. Without moving his feet, he simply swung—a single slash from the Cracking Blade, one of his three signature techniques.
"Haha, you probably didn't expect me to be a Cauldron—" Blake Azure's words were cut short mid-sentence.
His Severing Mountain Token transformed into seven command seas, meant to suppress Joe Di. But under Joe Di's slash, the command seas halted, and the terrifying blade force surged forward like a series of crashing waves—one after another, endlessly.
Boom, boom, boom! Just two waves were enough to shatter the seven command seas conjured by the Severing Mountain Token. With the command seas gone, the killing intent of the Cracking Blade surged unrestrained toward Blake Azure.
Blake Azure frantically threw out array flags, trying to activate his killing array—only to realize it wouldn't respond at all.
Regret flooded Blake Azure. He shouldn't have tried to activate the array first—he should have blocked Joe Di's slash. Sadly, he'd wasted his best chance, and the blade wave crashed into him.
Deathly killing intent swept over him. Terrified, Blake Azure screamed, "Joe Di, I'm from the Azure Family, one of the top clans on Changtian Star! You can't kill me..."
Joe Di sneered, "I've already killed the Sect Master of Kun Sect, one of the Five Grand Sects. What makes your little family matter at all?"
"Ah..." Blake Azure stared at Joe Di in horror. In his mind, only one thought echoed: Uncle Haolan was killed by Joe Di... And why wouldn't his killing array activate—why?
Bang! The wave of the Cracking Blade crashed into Blake Azure, countless shattered blade petals turning into killing intent that engulfed him, ripping him to shreds.
(That's it for today's update. Good night, friends, and please vote for the novel this month!)