After nearly four months, Joe Di had almost exhausted all spirit herbs below Grade Four before he could finally refine Grade Three elixirs. This was only possible because he possessed Dao Fire and could vaguely sense the characteristics of the herbs.
He guessed that the Fivefold Dao Tower was about to close, so Joe Di stopped refining pills. He couldn't help but sigh—at this rate, becoming a Seventh Grade Alchemy King would take so much time and resources, it might be better to just cultivate to the Seabreaker Stage and challenge those on the Sea List.
Becoming a Seventh Grade Alchemy King required more than just time and spirit stones; it also demanded a vast supply of high-grade spirit herbs. The Central Realm had far more cultivation resources than the other continents, yet even here, high-grade herbs were extremely scarce. Without sect support, unless he entered some secret herb realm, the Seventh Grade Alchemy King was out of reach for now.
After lamenting the difficulty of cultivation, Joe Di put away all his Grade Nine defensive arrays and headed to the Fivefold Dao Plaza.
At this moment, what Joe Di cared about most was not his ranking on the Fivefold Dao Tablet, but whether he had made it onto the Potential List. As long as he was on the Potential List, he would qualify to challenge the Sea List cultivators.
Ninth place on the Potential List—Joe Di was relieved when he saw this ranking. Though he didn't know how he got this spot, it didn't matter; as long as he was on the Potential List, that was enough.
"Young Master Hong Ying is here!" As soon as Joe Di appeared in the Fivefold Dao Plaza, someone recognized him, and countless eyes turned his way.
Compared to the top nine on the Fivefold Dao Tablet, Joe Di, ranked tenth, was actually more famous. One reason was his reputation for generosity—he would stick up for unfamiliar cultivators without asking for reward or recognition. Another reason was that Joe Di was a rogue cultivator, the only one among the top ten to reach the upper ranks of the Fivefold Dao Tower without sect backing. On top of that, he was the only one below the Seabreaker Stage among the top ten.
Although the most suitable cultivation realms for climbing the Fivefold Dao Tower were Golden Core Stage to Seabreaker Stage, in reality, those who made it to the top ten were almost always at the Seabreaker Stage.
Even without considering anything else, the fact that Joe Di reached the top ten while still below the Seabreaker Stage was an impressive feat in itself.
Joe Di immediately noticed Cynthia Winters watching him from not far away. Fortunately, that woman understood the situation and didn't approach to confront him at this moment.
As more and more people crowded over to see what the tenth-ranked rogue cultivator looked like, Joe Di had no choice but to reveal himself, taking the Fivefold Dao Token—floating behind his name on the Fivefold Dao Tablet—into his hand.
He wasn't sure what kind of jade the Fivefold Dao Token was made of; it was generally yellow, about half the size of a palm, with 'Joe Di 132' inscribed in the center.
Judging by the inscription, the score he had earned was 132. Joe Di still didn't know how these points could be used, but he was certain they were extremely valuable.
Just as he put away the Fivefold Dao Token, a middle-aged man walked up to Joe Di, cupped his fists, and said, "Daoist Joe, I heard you're a rogue cultivator? Have you considered joining our Snow Sword Sect?"
Before Joe Di could reply, another person hurried over and said, "Daoist Joe, our Sky Mist Sect invites you to join us. We'll grant you the position of Outer Elder."
"Our Fire Refining Valley..."
Seeing even more sect cultivators crowding in, Joe Di quickly cupped his fists and said, "Thank you all for your generous offers, but I already have plans. Please forgive me for declining."
With that, Joe Di squeezed his way out of the crowd.
Of the sects inviting him, a few might genuinely value his talent, but Joe Di was certain that most were after the 132 points he held in his hand.