"Kid, stop daydreaming. Just focus on your studies at the Yanda Martial Arts Department. Who knows, maybe someday you'll get a chance to meet her on Celestia. Not to discourage you, but Elder Luo is practically an immortal now—his disciples are bound for greatness... Anyway, don't lose heart. Our Yanda Martial Arts Department is still the number one martial academy in Huaxia." A dark-skinned man noticed Joe Di still staring blankly across the lake and walked over to pat him on the shoulder.
The white-haired man could conjure fireballs and stand suspended in midair for several seconds, which truly astonished the teachers from Yanda. Still, these teachers were worldly enough—now that Celestia had appeared, anything seemed possible.
Joe Di knew the man was likely a teacher at the martial academy, and his attempt to comfort him was probably because of the white-haired man.
After all, he had an ambiguous relationship with Lydia Lu, the disciple of the white-haired man. Now Lydia Lu had soared to new heights; who could say she wouldn't forget her boyfriend from Yanda? Getting closer to Joe Di now was just a way to build goodwill.
"Haha..." Joe Di laughed and gave the dark-skinned man a friendly slap. "Don't worry about it. Women are just like that. In a few days, she'll come back to find me. This isn't the first time. Every time we have a falling out, she's the one who comes to apologize."
"This time your girlfriend isn't just having a spat with you—she's gone to Celestia to cultivate." A stern-faced woman couldn't help but mock Joe Di.
Joe Di waved it off, unconcerned. "It's all the same. Now I'm entering the Yanda Martial Arts Department to study, and one day we'll meet again on Celestia."
After speaking, Joe Di turned to the dark-skinned man and asked, "I only have one admission certificate, but I have a friend who wants to study at the Martial Arts Department with me. Is there any way around this?"
Though eager to befriend Joe Di, the dark-skinned man could only reply, "Admission to Yanda Martial Arts Department is strictly one certificate per person... But it's not impossible. Your friend can audit classes. They won't be an official student, but they'll still learn some real skills."
"Thank you so much," Joe Di said happily. He planned to give the admission certificate to Echo Young and audit the classes himself. Compared to becoming an official student, Joe Di preferred a bit more freedom.
Auditing classes had several advantages. First, he wouldn’t have to worry about teachers catching him cultivating the Grandwalk Codex. Second, he could always hear news about Celestia from Echo Young. Third, he wouldn’t have to sign a series of agreements with the Yanda Martial Arts Department. Most importantly, he could leave the department at any time.
Even with just his instincts, Joe Di could guess that once he entered the Martial Arts Department and used its resources to cultivate, he’d have to sign a series of binding agreements.
Ordinary agreements were one thing, but if he was forced to work for some faction on Celestia for a period, he’d be far less willing.
"My name is Frank Cen. When you register, just go straight to the prep class counter. Tell them your friend is your caretaker—then you’ll be assigned a room together." The dark-skinned man explained everything to Joe Di before heading back to the Martial Arts Department with the others.
Joe Di didn’t bother going inside to look for anyone. Now that he had the admission certificate, he wasn’t in a rush. He’d wait to find Echo Young, and if he couldn’t take down Quentin Jia, he’d deal with Zane Bi first.
...
Back at his residence, Joe Di didn’t see Echo Young—he was probably still out forging the steel blade.
After witnessing the power of the white-haired man at the entrance of Yanda Martial Arts Department, Joe Di decided to find a way to get to Celestia first. Maybe a year of cultivation here would only take a month on Celestia.
No matter what, he’d wait for Echo Young to return before making any decisions.
Joe Di walked over to the coffee table, ready to pour himself a glass of water. As soon as his hand touched the cup, a sudden surge of murderous intent made his heart race.
Without a second thought, Joe Di hurled the cup and quickly retreated.
Almost at the same time as Joe Di threw the cup and retreated, a blade flashed down. Joe Di’s heart sank—his strength was now more than double what it had been, yet this blade still felt nearly impossible to dodge.
Clang! The cup Joe Di had thrown was shattered by the blade’s light, which didn’t slow down at all and continued straight for his chest.
Oddly enough, Joe Di felt relieved. Though the cup hadn’t stopped the blade, it had dissipated much of the killer’s intent.
Spurt! Blood splattered as the blade swept from Joe Di’s left shoulder to his right chest. He slumped against the wall, pressing a few points on his body.
If not for that cup, or if he hadn’t sensed the murderous intent in advance, the opponent’s strike would have sliced him in half.
"No wonder you could force Zane Bi to flee. You’re far stronger than I expected." As he spoke, a short-haired man in yellow stood up.
The short-haired man stood at least one ninety tall and was powerfully built. Joe Di wondered how he’d managed to hide behind the sofa without him noticing.
"Are you one of that mad dog’s men?" Joe Di sensed the man’s aura was strong. He didn’t know his opponent’s level, but he could tell this was a formidable enemy.
A sharp glint flashed in the short-haired man’s eyes. "You’ve got guts. This is the first time I’ve heard anyone talk about Brother Jia like that."
While he spoke, the short-haired man didn’t attack Joe Di again. Instead, he stepped back to the big TV screen, plugged a connector into the NOB port, and turned on the power.
Joe Di stayed still; this man’s strength was definitely not below his own. Now that he was injured, the longer he waited, the better his chances.
Ever since obtaining the gray stone and the golden electric arc, his recovery after injury was far faster than ordinary people.
In less than a minute, a middle-aged man with a ruddy face appeared on the TV screen. He looked about thirty-four, his eyes slightly narrowed. Even through the screen, Joe Di could clearly feel the sharp killing intent in his gaze.
"Brother Jia, this is the one." The tall, short-haired man suddenly said, "This kid isn’t simple—my sure-kill strike didn’t finish him off."
So this was the infamous Quentin Jia. Joe Di’s hand gripped his dagger tightly as his gaze fixed on Quentin Jia on the screen.
"Sam Sang, where’s Lydia Lu?" Quentin Jia didn’t seem to care about Joe Di at all, asking instead about his precious disciple.
Sam Sang, the tall, short-haired man, replied with some confusion, "By rights, Lydia Lu should have taken this kid to the Seaton Hotel. I didn’t expect to find him back here when I came for something."
"Don’t kill this kid. I have some questions for him face to face..."
Before Quentin Jia could finish, Joe Di’s dagger was already slashing out—the Di Family First Blade. His injuries had mostly healed. Sam Sang was dangerous, so it was better to strike first.
"Huh!" Sensing the tearing force of Joe Di’s blade aura, Sam Sang let out a surprised cry and swung his own blade.
Clang! A tangible sound rang out as Joe Di’s blade aura was shattered.
Joe Di’s dagger was only about twenty centimeters long, while his opponent’s blade was a full meter. Even though Joe Di unleashed a long blade aura with the Di Family First Blade, it still wasn’t quite enough against Sam Sang.
Spurt! After Sam Sang’s long blade split Joe Di’s blade aura, it left another gash on Joe Di’s body. Though Joe Di’s attack also left a mark on Sam Sang, it didn’t even draw blood—just tore his clothes a bit.
Joe Di’s heart sank. He knew he was already a bit weaker than Sam Sang, and using the dagger put him at an even greater disadvantage.
"The kid’s got some skills. Judging by his aura, he’s close to advancing to the Profound rank. Sam Sang, don’t waste time—finish him quickly." Quentin Jia’s eyes narrowed on the screen; he was certain Joe Di was hiding something. Otherwise, how could someone so young be this powerful?
(That’s all for today’s update. Good night, friends!)