For a cultivator at the Prime Realm Stage, more than a year passes as swiftly as a few breaths. Joe Di had just finished consuming all his Prime Dao Fruits, and already the day for the opening of the Dao Fruit Tower had arrived.
As Dean Carter emerged from seclusion, he couldn't help but lament how cheap time felt. Originally, he had planned to spend the year refining artifacts and pills. But following Tammy Tang's advice, he chose not to advance his Dao Fire, and thus didn't refine artifacts. Simply advancing to Prime Dao Pill Saint had cost him over a year.
Whether it was the limited number of Prime Dao Fruits prolonging his pill refinement or the inherent difficulty in advancing to Prime Dao Pill Saint, both made Joe Di increasingly anxious. No matter what, after the Dao Fruit Tower convention opens, he must leave the Void Market as soon as possible to find a place for closed-door cultivation.
...
"Brother Carter, the Dao Fruit Tower is about to open! I’ve received a spot to enter, thanks to Senior Sister Tammy Tang. I’m heading there now." Dean Carter, who had been waiting outside, rushed forward excitedly upon seeing Dean Carter emerge.
No wonder Dean Carter was so excited—a spot in the Dao Fruit Tower was no trivial matter. Entering meant a chance at the extremely precious Prime Dao Fruits. Such a spot had long been auctioned for sky-high prices. Tammy Tang, a powerful cultivator of the Phoenix Clan, had only given Dean Carter a spot because of Dean Carter’s influence.
"Let’s go. Try to get as many top-tier Dao Fruits as you can. If you manage to find a Qianyuan Fruit, bring it to me—I’ll help you refine a Qianyuan Dao Pill." Joe Di patted Ding Chi’s shoulder, grinning.
Ding Chi’s eyes widened as he stared at Joe Di. "Brother Di, are you really a Prime Dao Pill Saint?"
He had always thought Joe Di was a Transformation Pill Saint, not a Prime Dao Pill Saint. In fact, even being a Transformation Pill Saint was already extraordinary—in this universe, there were very few of them. As for Prime Dao Pill Saints, encountering one was even more difficult.
"That’s right, I am a Prime Dao Pill Saint." Joe Di was quite satisfied that he had managed to obtain dozens of Prime Dao Fruits from Ji Hongsen and others. Otherwise, he would have had to wait until after the Dao Fruit Tower event to break through.
Joe Di was intimately familiar with the difficulties of advancing to Prime Dao Pill Saint. To become a Prime Dao Pill Saint by relying on someone else's Prime Dao Fruit during the Dao Fruit Tower period—one might as well forget about it. He had indeed crossed from Dao Transformation Pill Saint to Prime Dao Pill Saint in just over a year, but that didn't mean anyone else could do the same in a year. He cultivated the Dao of Laws, even forging his own supreme law domain—his Ninth World—which already placed him ahead of everyone else.
Once Dean Carter confirmed that Joe Di was a Prime Dao Pill Saint, he rubbed his hands together with excitement, wishing he could rush straight to the Dao Fruit Tower and gather a pile of Prime Dao Fruits. Prime Dao Fruits were rare, and as for Prime Dao Pills, they were almost impossible to come by.
......
Joe Di arrived at the Dao Fruit Tower plaza with Lightning and Dean Carter, only to find the place already packed to the brim with people.
Dean Carter didn’t mind—once the Dao Fruit Tower opened, all he needed to do was go inside. Joe Di, however, wanted to find a stall, and it couldn’t be in the back. After all, he was here to acquire Dao Fruits.
But all the stalls were already full, leaving Joe Di a bit helpless.
Sweeping his divine sense around, Joe Di quickly spotted a conspicuous location. There was already a massive sign that read: 'Ethereal Pavilion—Prime Dao Fruit Acquisition.' Beneath the bold lettering, various offers for trading Dao Fruits for Dao Pills were listed, though the highest grade pill available was only the Dao Transformation Pill.
Joe Di immediately walked over—he’d spotted a familiar face at the entrance to the Ethereal Pavilion.
Franklin Young had seen Joe Di approaching from afar. If he’d known Joe Di would come looking for him, he never would have waited outside the pavilion.
Franklin Young hoped Joe Di wasn’t here for him, so he hurried inside the pavilion shop. All he wanted was for Joe Di not to find him, to let him have some peace. In this stretch of void, if there was anyone he truly feared, it was Joe Di—no doubt about it. If he had to list the people he least wanted to see, Joe Di would be right at the top.
If it weren't for the recent stagnation in the Demon Clan's strength, and with the domain crisis looming, he would never have come to the Dao Fruit Tower himself. It was only for the sake of the clan's power that he specially sent people to search for the Primordial Nirvana Fruit.
"Who are you looking for?" As soon as Dean Carter arrived at the entrance of the Ethereal Pavilion, he was stopped by a Demon Clan cultivator in the Path Transformation stage.
Dean Carter clasped his fists and said, "I heard that Franklin Young is here. I wanted to ask if you could spare some territory for me. I was just about to..."
Before Dean Carter could finish, a harsh voice interrupted him, "Stop right there."
Immediately, a tall, thin man with triangular eyes and sparse hair strode over and blocked Dean Carter's way.
This man was at the early Dao Origin stage, his gaze cold and sinister, which made Dean Carter deeply dislike him.
"What is it?" Dean Carter's tone was chilly. He refrained from acting because the man with sparse hair was a fellow human cultivator.
Most of the human cultivators Dean Carter had met in the Ethereal Market were at the first stage; few had truly stepped into the Dao Origin realm.
The Dao Origin cultivator with sparse hair ignored Dean Carter and instead respectfully clasped his fists to the Demon Clan Dao Origin guarding the Ethereal Pavilion, "Brother Kuang, this outsider is not a member of our Sacred Dao Alliance. He must be unfamiliar with the rules. I will take him away immediately. Please forgive him, Brother Kuang."
The Demon Clan cultivator glanced at Dean Carter with slanted eyes, then fixed his gaze on the sparse-haired Dao Origin cultivator. "Friend Heng, I hope this is the first and last time something like this happens. Don't let it happen again."
"I promise it won't happen again. This person must have just arrived at the Ethereal Market..." The cultivator surnamed Heng hurriedly explained.
After saying these words, the Heng cultivator turned a cold gaze to Dean Carter. "You must be new to the Ethereal Market, right? Who told you that human cultivators don't need to register with our Sacred Dao Alliance? Who gave you such nerve?"
"Who are you?" Dean Carter didn't move an inch.
The Heng cultivator snorted, his Dao Origin domain enveloping Dean Carter. Just as Dean Carter was about to make a move, a gray-robed cultivator rushed over, bowed to the Heng cultivator, and said humbly, "Alliance Leader Heng, Daoist Dean has just arrived at the Ethereal Market and doesn't yet know that human cultivators must register with the Sacred Dao Alliance. Please be magnanimous and don't take it to heart."
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The cultivator surnamed Heng saw the gray-robed man and frowned, his tone indifferent. "Luan Wenxing, I haven't settled accounts with you yet."
Dean Carter also recognized the newcomer as Luan Wenxing. His Dao partner was Ji Lingzhu—Dean wondered if she had come as well. A quick sweep of his divine sense revealed Ji Lingzhu not far away.
"Daoist Luan, why have you returned again?" Dean Carter asked in confusion. He knew that Luan Wenxing and his Dao partner Ji Lingzhu had left the Ethereal Market reluctantly because of a Qianyuan Fruit.
"Dean, let's talk about this later." After speaking, Luan Wenxing clasped his fists once more to Alliance Leader Heng. "Alliance Leader Heng, Daoist Kan's Dao Fruit Tower slot was indeed traded from elsewhere—I can vouch for that..."
Before Luan Wenxing could finish, Alliance Leader Heng snorted coldly again. "I, Heng Siyue, don't need you to teach me how to do things. Are you the leader of the Sacred Dao Alliance that you must meddle in everything? Kan Zitong not only flaunts her status from the Sacred Dao Realm, running rampant in the Ethereal Market and tarnishing the reputation of our realm, but she has also made enemies with other races. It's not just about a Dao Fruit Tower slot. I imprisoned her because..."
Kan Zitong? Dean Carter immediately recalled the name—it was that middle-aged woman. When he first entered the Ethereal Market, it was Kan Zitong who had warned him.
Kan Zitong was always extremely cautious in her actions. If someone claimed she was reckless and offended other races, Dean Carter would never believe it.
Now, hearing that Heng Siyue had actually imprisoned Kan Zitong, Dean Carter was furious.
"Haha, Dean, I really didn't notice you had come. Please, come in quickly!" Dean Carter had been delayed at the Ethereal Pavilion entrance for so long that even Franklin Young couldn't pretend not to notice; he had to come out. Franklin's words also interrupted Heng Siyue.
(The second update is still late)