"Brother Zi Mo, Sister Bing, we're heading to the sect's residence now." Felix Zheng greeted as he brought Celia Qi over.
Joe Di was much warmer to Felix Zheng than to Senior Brother Wan who was with Sherry Frost. He quickly clasped his fists and said, "It's truly a pleasure to meet Brother Felix. Until we meet again."
Joe Di's words came from the heart. Meeting Felix Zheng had brought him not only the Skyblade Refined Gold, but also the Lizhu Grass. Even the Mindshift escape technique was related to Felix. Although the escape technique might bring him trouble, it was indeed remarkable.
"Good, until we meet again." Felix Zheng was a bit flattered by Joe Di's enthusiasm.
After seeing Felix Zheng off, Joe Di said to Sherry Frost, "Sherry, I need to go find my junior brother, so I can't watch the arena matches for now."
Joe Di had no intention of lingering with Sherry Frost. He hurried off to look for Garrett. Although Garrett was much more agile now, he was still wanted by the Qi Trading House. Joe Di worried that Garrett, being careless, might get noticed by the Qi Trading House.
Seeing Joe Di walk away after saying just a word, Senior Brother Wan snorted coldly, "What an ill-mannered brat. Who does he think he is?"
Sherry Frost didn't chase after Joe Di. Instead, she watched his departing figure and said, "Senior Brother Wan, this guy really is a bit arrogant. It's not easy that he's survived this far. But he does have some skills—even a late Foundation Stage cultivator is wary of him. I suspect he's also at late Foundation Stage."
What Sherry Frost valued most was the Foundation Pill Joe Di possessed, along with some other pills. To her, if Joe Di could produce a Foundation Pill, it meant he had other pills as well. This was something she hadn't told Senior Brother Wan.
Unfortunately, this second-generation cultivator from a cultivation family wasn't moved by her beauty at all. Truly blind, he paid her no attention.
Joe Di walked alone to a secluded spot and immediately took out his communication pearl, sending Garrett more than ten messages in a row. After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply, Joe Di began to worry.
Skyveil Plaza was bustling with activity, especially as the opening of the Skyveil was approaching. All sorts of people gathered here.
The arenas for the Skyveil Secret Realm competition, where cultivators battled for the coveted Skyveil Token, were even more crowded. This was the final day of matches, and nearly every fight involved a Skyveil Token.
Unable to find Garrett, Joe Di also came to the edge of the Skyveil arena to watch the matches.
Tyler He? As soon as Joe Di arrived at the arena, he spotted a familiar face. It was the Elite Class Six student who had been bitten by the Seven-Colored Snake, whom Joe Di had saved, and who, along with Frank Pang, had followed him for a period of training.
Several years had passed, and Tyler He had reached the Eighth Level of Qi Refinement. He was now fighting on Arena No. 110, facing an opponent at the Ninth Level of Qi Refinement.
Tyler He's experiences over the years had clearly been extraordinary. Despite only being at the Eighth Level of Qi Refinement, he wielded a Nine-Bead Staff and was forcing his opponent to retreat step by step.
Joe Di, with his rich combat experience, could tell at a glance that Tyler He would defeat his opponent soon.
Boom! Sure enough, after a short while, Tyler He's Nine-Bead Staff split apart, transforming into nine consecutive beads that struck the Ninth Level Qi Refinement cultivator, sending him flying.
The Ninth Level Qi Refinement cultivator spat out a stream of blood while still airborne, then crashed heavily to the ground, severely injured.
A tall, thin Foundation Stage cultivator stepped onto the arena and announced loudly, "Arena No. 110, independent cultivator Tyler He wins and enters the top twenty. Tyler He, do you wish to continue competing for a higher ranking on Arena No. 110? If not, you have earned a ranking token and may use it to claim a Skyveil Pass. If you wish to continue, please leave the arena and await the next match..."
Tyler He clearly didn't want to fight another round. He bowed and said, "Reporting to the steward, my abilities are limited. It's already a stroke of luck to earn a spot for entering Skyveil. I won't participate in the next match."
The steward seemed to know Tyler He wouldn't compete again. He immediately produced a jade token and handed it to Tyler He. "With this ranking jade token, you may go and claim your Skyveil qualification token."
"Thank you, Steward!" Tyler He was overjoyed and quickly accepted the jade token.
Watching this, Joe Di thought to himself that it seemed independent cultivators weren't completely barred from earning a Skyveil Token after all. He knew Tyler He's background well—like himself, Tyler had come from Earth, with no backing. Yet now, he'd earned a jade token on his own merit.
However, Joe Di quickly reconsidered. As soon as Tyler He stepped down from the arena, several people surrounded him.
Joe Di saw Tyler He wave his hand repeatedly, clutching his ranking jade token as he hurriedly squeezed through the crowd. But this time, even more people followed, including Foundation Stage cultivators.
Joe Di's powerful spiritual sense quickly noticed a pattern. Once this group followed Tyler He, the others stopped in their tracks. He even overheard a cultivator nearby sigh, "The Sea League guys beat us to it again. They've snatched at least seven spots today."
In a short time, Joe Di understood: these independent cultivators who managed to seize a spot by their own strength quickly became targets for other factions. The factions coordinated among themselves—if you go after this spot, I'll go after another, making sure not to overlap.
Joe Di followed as well. Sure enough, as soon as Tyler He left the arena area, he was stopped again. Unlike before, this time it was a blatant confrontation.
"Kid, you fought viciously, even injuring your opponent. The cultivator you beat is my friend. If you hand over your ranking jade token and compensate us with some spirit stones, we'll let this go. Otherwise, this place will be your burial ground." A Foundation Stage cultivator blocked Tyler He, speaking bluntly.
Tyler He wasn't stupid. The place to exchange for the Skyveil Secret Realm jade token was still several miles away. Given the situation, not only was he unable to reach it, but even if he did, would the Skyveil Secret Realm token really be his?
[System message skipped: Irrelevant to the narrative.]
"Cripple him and take his stuff." Seeing Tyler He remain silent, the Foundation Stage cultivator grew impatient and waved his hand.
The three late-stage Qi Refinement cultivators nearby immediately lunged at Tyler He.
"Wait!" Tyler He shouted, but he was a moment too late—the three Qi Refinement cultivators showed no intention of stopping.
Bang, bang, bang! The three Qi Refinement cultivators rushing at Tyler He seemed to trip over stones, falling flat on the ground.
Of course, the three Qi Refinement cultivators hadn't tripped over stones—their faces hit the ground hard, and they couldn't get up at all.
"Who are you? Are you trying to go against my Sea League?" The Foundation Stage cultivator glared at Joe Di, shouting angrily. He could see clearly it was Joe Di who had acted.
Joe Di stepped forward, grabbed the Foundation Stage cultivator by the throat, and slapped him several times.
Slap! Slap! Slap! After several strikes, the Foundation Stage cultivator's face was torn and bleeding, his teeth flying out mixed with blood.
Joe Di then threw the cultivator to the ground, stepped on his head, and said coldly, "I'm openly opposing your Sea League. What can you do about it?"
Feeling a deadly aura coming from Joe Di's foot, the Foundation Stage cultivator quickly apologized, "Sorry, senior, I was blind..."
But with all his teeth knocked out, his speech was completely unclear.
Joe Di lifted his foot and said calmly, "Sea League had better not provoke me again. Otherwise, I'll uproot your entire faction."
"Senior, this is my ranking jade token." Tyler He didn't wait for Joe Di to speak, but proactively handed over his ranking jade token.
Joe Di took the jade token, nodded to Tyler He, and said, "You know your place. Since that's the case, you may go."
"Yes, senior." Tyler He felt a bit aggrieved, but knew this was already a good outcome for him. At this moment, he regretted not listening to Zeng Beizi, who had advised him not to participate in the independent cultivator matches. He thought the arena would have some rules after all.
Now it seemed that rules only applied to the strong. For a rootless independent cultivator like him, others clearly didn't care about rules.
As soon as Tyler He left the crowd, a clear voice transmission sounded in his ear: "I've taken your ranking jade token, and I've also placed a Skyveil Token for you in your storage pouch. Don't take it out to check—when you enter Skyveil, just take out the jade token and go in."
Tyler He instinctively wanted to look back, but his years of experience made him resist the urge and hurry his pace. At the same time, he sent his spiritual sense into his storage pouch and immediately saw the Skyveil Token inside.
Who was this senior? So principled, and even considerate of him?
Wait, that voice sounded familiar...
It was Joe Di—definitely Brother Joe Di. Tyler He finally realized the person who had sent him the voice transmission must have been Joe Di; only Joe Di could have saved him.
As for whether Joe Di could save him, Tyler He had no doubt. Brother Joe Di wasn't even afraid of the Qi Trading House, let alone a mere Sea League.
Tyler He was filled with excitement, quickening his pace—he had to tell Zeng Beizi the news as soon as possible. He knew Zeng Beizi had been searching for Brother Joe Di.
[Author's note skipped: Non-narrative message.]