While cultivating in seclusion within the Starhaven City of the Grand Way Array Sect, Joe Di found this to be the most leisurely period of his cultivation journey. During his retreat, not only was he undisturbed by anyone, but even the spatial rules remained perfectly calm.
Starhaven City of the Grand Way Array Sect often witnessed duels and magical combat; no cave residence could ever be free from spatial fluctuations. Yet, the area around his cave was so quiet that the only explanation was that all cultivators fighting in Starhaven City deliberately kept their distance from Joe Di’s residence, lest they disturb this newly arrived supreme powerhouse.
If one angered a powerhouse like Joe Di, just consider whose cave residence he now occupied—and ponder where its former owner, Hu Yezhi, had disappeared to.
In such a quiet place, with plenty of time on his hands, Joe Di naturally wanted to forge the finest flying vessel.
At first, Joe Di considered crafting a star-shaped Chaos Skyship, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
He realized his thinking had become rigid. His flying vessel would mainly traverse the void and Chaos, where there was no air resistance. Even if there were, he could simply add an array formation. Out of habit, his first thought when refining a flying artifact was always to make it pointed.
Should he then craft a flying chariot artifact? Joe Di casually constructed layers of spatial rules in the void, then raised his hand and drew out the Vast Iron Crystal.
Without constructing spatial laws, his current cave residence could never contain the Vast Iron Crystal he held. This chunk of Vast Iron Crystal was easily as large as an ordinary planet.
Gazing at the irregularly shaped Vast Iron Crystal before him, Joe Di shook his head, abandoning the idea of crafting a flying chariot.
He had no intention of cutting the Vast Iron Crystal; forging it into a flying chariot would be far too excessive, and an enormous waste.
Perhaps he could forge a colossal starship...
Joe Di frowned. He didn’t like starships; what he wanted was a leisurely flying artifact. With his strength, he certainly didn’t need his artifact to provide much offensive capability.
A Vast Iron Crystal as large as a planet... After much deliberation, just as Joe Di was about to settle on crafting a starship, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him. Hadn’t he just resolved to break out of his habitual thinking? If so, why make a ship, a warship, or a chariot? Why not simply forge a flying planet in the shape of the Vast Iron Crystal itself?
The thought of piloting a planet through Chaos sent a wave of excitement through Joe Di’s heart.
If another powerhouse happened to be in Chaos and saw his planet flying by, they’d surely be shocked. The sight of a planet traversing Chaos was something ordinary people wouldn’t even dare to imagine.
He would forge a flying planet—and call it the 'Chaos Star'.
His Chaos Star couldn’t be just for travel; it needed other functions as well. Since it was a planet, it should resemble a real planet. And what defines a real planet? It can support life. But not just the people riding the Chaos Star—his planet should host all the forms of life found on true life-bearing worlds: spirit plants, spirit beasts, and more...
Others might not be able to achieve this, but he could. Joe Di was a top-tier array master, and more importantly, he cultivated the Grand Dao of rules. He could construct his Chaos Star as a true rule-based flying planet.
The more Joe Di thought about it, the more excited and eager he became. Others traveled in ships, but he would journey in a planet. Not only would his planet outpace any ship, it would also be a true life-bearing world.
The material properties and inherent rules of Vast Iron Crystal were suited for artifact forging, not for nurturing spirit plants or spirit beasts. But Joe Di was confident he could make spirit plants and beasts thrive on Vast Iron Crystal—his method wouldn’t involve simply transplanting soil. Covering the surface with transplanted soil would be crude, and besides, such an approach couldn’t withstand rapid travel through Chaos or the void.
Joe Di’s solution was simple: Vast Iron Crystal itself absolutely could support spirit plants, and his reasoning lay in Ascendant Gold.
He had quite a bit of Ascendant Gold on him. Joe Di casually drew out a piece; Ascendant Gold came in all colors, from gold to black.
Initially, Joe Di thought the golden Ascendant Gold was the highest grade, but after comparison, he realized the true top-tier Ascendant Gold was the plain, grayish kind—so nondescript it resembled dirt.
Ascendant Gold was the crystallization of Grand Dao rules. If a spirit plant was infused with Ascendant Gold, its growth rate and spiritual potency would skyrocket.
And how was Ascendant Gold formed? It was refined from Vast Iron Crystal after countless ages and the tempering of infinite Dao rules. That’s why Joe Di believed Vast Iron Crystal could be made into the ultimate material for nurturing spirit plants.
He couldn’t possibly transform all the Vast Iron Crystal into endless Ascendant Gold, but his cultivation was the Path of Rules, as well as the Dao of All Things and the Way of Unity. Along the Grand Way Path, he had even gained the Life-and-Death Grand Way. With the Dao Tree’s help, even if he couldn’t refine all Vast Iron Crystal into Ascendant Gold, he could certainly make it into life-nurturing material for spirit plants.
Perhaps the process would take a long time, but Joe Di didn’t mind. Sharpening the axe won’t delay chopping wood—spending a little more time now would save time later when traversing the vast Chaos.
Behind him, the Dao Tree was surrounded by golden light of Dao rules; the Path of Rules, Dao of All Things, Way of Unity, and Life-and-Death Grand Way formed a nearly perfect ring of Dao. These Dao rings enveloped both the Dao Tree and Joe Di, slowly expanding until they shrouded the planet-sized Vast Iron Crystal.
In just a short time, Joe Di was fully immersed in refining the Vast Iron Crystal with his own Dao. As he did so, he pioneered a new method of artifact refinement: before forging, he first used his Dao to temper the materials themselves.
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As Joe Di refined the Vast Iron Crystal with his Dao, circles upon circles of Dao patterns formed around the perimeter of his cave residence.
Even a casual glance at these Dao patterns would reveal their boundless and profound Dao aura—as if this very aura would guide cultivators to the highest level.
If not for Joe Di’s terrifying strength, someone would have already tried to infiltrate his cave with divine sense or even force their way in.
Even Joe Di’s reputation couldn’t stop the cultivators of Starhaven City who were fanatical in their pursuit of the Dao. Though they dared not probe with divine sense, they could still sit at a distance, quietly comprehending the vast Dao aura and seeking breakthroughs of their own.
...
At the plaza near the entrance to the Forgeworld, Cyril Night, Quentin Gong, and Zachary Yu had already arrived. Zachary Yu still looked uneasy; there were simply too many arrogant and domineering figures here. He had once been hunted by Cyril Night and would have perished if not for Joe Di's intervention.
"Ha! Brother Cyril, not bad—you even managed to catch this ant." As soon as Zachary Yu arrived, someone in the bustling plaza laughed and greeted them. Clearly, he was unaware of the events that had transpired in Starhaven City.
Many had witnessed Cyril Night chasing Zachary Yu out before. Now that the two had returned, even with Quentin Gong joining them, no one paid much attention. Quentin Gong might be a Sixth Step cultivator, but he was known more for his smooth manners than for strength or backing.
Cyril Night’s expression turned cold. "Brother Yu is my friend now. Mind your words."
The cultivator who spoke also darkened. "Cyril Night, others may fear you, but I couldn’t care less who you are. If you don’t know your place, you’re nothing to me—just an ant."
Cyril Night was respected here for his strength and connections. The cultivator who spoke had hoped to befriend him, but didn’t expect Cyril Night to rebuff him so bluntly—his flattery had backfired.
On the Forgeworld plaza, aside from those preparing to enter the Vast Expanse, many cultivators were resting or trading Ascendant Gold. Now, as soon as a conflict broke out, all eyes turned their way.
Conflicts weren’t rare here; what was unusual were the two involved. Cyril Night was strong and well-connected, enjoying considerable influence. But the other cultivator was even more formidable—a follower of Vincent Wen from Starhaven City. Cyril Night had just embarrassed him, and if he didn’t retaliate, it would be a slight to Vincent Wen.
Among the three Saintmasters of Starhaven City—the Grand Way Array Sect’s Ezra Hu, Andrew Sun, and Vincent Wen—Vincent Wen was the third.
Vincent Wen always wore a gentle smile and had a pale, youthful face. But anyone who thought he was easygoing would be gravely mistaken. Of the three Saintmasters, Vincent Wen was the most ruthless. He never quarreled openly, but anyone who crossed him vanished without a trace. Thus, he earned the nickname 'Yin Saint'—always smiling, yet deadly behind the scenes.
(End of today’s update. Good night, friends!)