Joe Di took a deep breath to calm himself, then spoke without hesitation, "So it was Hall Master Jaden Dai—my apologies, my apologies..."
As he said 'my apologies,' Joe Di's voice suddenly turned cold. "I am from the Origin Dao Sect. Pass this message to Hall Master Jaden Dai: I refuse to enter this formation gate. If he wants anything, he can speak to my sect master instead."
After saying this, Joe Di immediately left.
Only after walking a considerable distance did Joe Di secretly feel fortunate. If he had really stepped into that formation gate, Jaden Dai would surely have investigated him thoroughly.
Now that he hadn't stepped into the formation gate, Jaden Dai might just ask a few questions and let it go.
If someone carelessly set up a formation gate and threatened you, and you rushed right in, it would show you had something to hide—worried that refusing would lead to further investigation.
How many entering Grandridge aren't top-tier geniuses? As a genius, you must have the awareness of one. Geniuses don't just obey every command, especially since most here represent powerful sects. To blindly follow Jaden Dai's orders and step into the formation gate would disgrace your sect and undermine its prestige.
No matter how formidable Jaden Dai is, he wouldn't dare suppress these powerful sects at will. That's why the Transformation Realm cultivator said entering the formation gate is optional. Joe Di entered Grandridge as a member of the Origin Dao Sect—regardless of whether he's an outer disciple, he was still among the top twenty in the Pill Competition. If he obediently entered the gate, Jaden Dai would certainly subject him to special scrutiny and a thorough investigation.
On the contrary, by refusing to enter and swaggering off, he might avoid trouble altogether.
In Joe Di's view, disciples from smaller sects entering the formation gate wouldn't face much trouble—after all, they wouldn't dare defy Jaden Dai's orders.
Seeing that Joe Di left without entering the formation gate, the Transformation Realm cultivator at the entrance looked at his departing figure in surprise and muttered, "There really are those who dare not enter the gate. What boldness."
If Joe Di knew that every cultivator who came out ahead of him had entered the formation gate—including disciples from the Five Great Sects—he would never have simply walked away. He wasn't wrong about the situation, but he did misjudge Jaden Dai's status in the Dao Domain.
......
Artifact City.
Neither a Divine Dao City nor a Saint Dao City, Artifact City is a unique presence in the Dao Domain. Its name says it all—Artifact.
Though not a Saint Dao City, this city is renowned throughout the Dao Domain. Artifact City's prosperity rivals any Saint Dao City. No matter when you come, it's always bustling with people.
The most popular businesses here are all sorts of inns and lodges. But Artifact City is, above all, a city of artifact refinement—anyone who comes here can buy all kinds of magical treasures and materials.
Of course, if you have various magical treasures or materials, you can also sell them in Artifact City.
Countless famous artifact refiners reside here, and many sects focused on artifact Dao have established branches in the city.
When Joe Di arrived in Artifact City, half a month had already passed. At this moment, he had disguised himself as a burly young cultivator. Practicing the Path of Laws, unless he deliberately revealed his cultivation, even a Second Step powerhouse standing before him might not see through his true strength. Most cultivators dressed like Joe Di were from major sects, and unless personal interests were at stake, few would willingly provoke such people.
Joe Di instantly understood why Jaden Dai had intercepted him at Grandridge—it had to be because of the Five Direction Banners.
Jaden Dai's Five Element Escape Technique must have an issue. Although Joe Di had cultivated the Five Element Escape Technique before, he decisively severed it during his Dao Shaping stage. The only connection between him and Jaden Dai was the Five Direction Banners. If something else had gone wrong, Jaden Dai would have intercepted him elsewhere, not specifically at Grandridge.
Joe Di thought he had refined the Five Direction Banners, but after the incident at Grandridge, he was certain he hadn't. When he brought out the banners there, he exposed himself.
Or perhaps there was a hidden mark in the Five Direction Banners that he hadn't discovered. This worried Joe Di greatly. He now kept the banners in the Ninth World and dared not take them out. After his flame advanced, he decided to use Dao Fire to re-refine the Five Direction Banners—he refused to believe he couldn't find the mark Jaden Dai had left behind.
Fortunately, Jaden Dai didn't know Joe Di's exact whereabouts, so he didn't personally stay at the entrance to Grandridge—he only had a Transformation Realm cultivator keep watch just in case.
Joe Di himself was an artifact master capable of refining low-grade divine artifacts. Today, however, he wasn't in Artifact City to refine artifacts or buy magical treasures—he was searching for a treasure to advance his flame.
A treasure for flame advancement was sure to exist in Artifact City.
Joe Di had already heard that the most powerful force in Artifact City was the Baiye Artifact Pavilion. Rumor had it that the Baiye Artifact Pavilion once possessed innate treasures. Regardless of the truth, it was now the largest in Artifact City.
As soon as Joe Di entered the Baiye Artifact Pavilion, he saw all sorts of low-grade divine artifacts. Here, if you could imagine it, you could find it. Joe Di glanced around— even the cheapest low-grade ring hook cost tens of thousands of high-grade spirit crystals.
Better low-grade divine artifacts ranged from tens of thousands to millions. Joe Di sighed inwardly—whether in alchemy or artifact refinement, these were lucrative trades. But both the artifact and alchemy paths were equally arduous. An ordinary cultivator barely had enough time to train, let alone delve into artifact or alchemy Dao.
Most artifact Dao experts, except for a rare few, did not have high cultivation—they simply lacked the time to train.
Take Joe Di himself—if he hadn't cultivated the Path of Laws, he wouldn't have had the qualifications to study artifact Dao or alchemy Dao, let alone pursue array Dao as well.
Joe Di glanced around and soon spotted a huge signboard to the side.
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The Baiye Artifact Pavilion has seven floors in total. The ground floor sells all kinds of low-grade divine artifacts and basic refining materials. Likewise, if you bring in artifacts or materials, they will buy them here as well.
The second floor is for mid-grade divine artifacts, the third for high-grade, the fourth for supreme-grade, and the fifth is dedicated to top-tier materials.
"Excuse me, senior, what are you looking for?" A charming female cultivator, noticing Joe Di's interest in the signboard, hurried over to inquire.
Joe Di replied in a slightly hoarse voice, "Do you have any materials to help advance my flame?"
Upon hearing Joe Di ask about materials for flame advancement, the charming female cultivator became even more enthusiastic. "Senior, if you're looking to advance an ordinary flame, I can take you to the fifth floor to have a look."
Customers who inquire about flame advancement materials are usually truly wealthy.
Joe Di nodded. "Alright, take me to the fifth floor."
"This way, senior." Hearing that Joe Di was truly heading to the fifth floor, the female cultivator grew excited. Nothing on the fifth floor was cheap—if Joe Di bought anything, her commission would be enough to fund her cultivation for quite some time.
Joe Di followed the female cultivator. Although he didn't see any obvious experts along the way, he could sense powerful divine senses discreetly sweeping over him from time to time.
As soon as Joe Di entered the fifth floor, he was stunned by the materials on display. Though he had acquired many treasures himself, aside from the Nirvana Black Geng Stone and Law Fragments, he had nothing worth presenting here.
Soon, Joe Di spotted several materials for flame advancement: Flame-nurturing Amethyst, Divine Fire Silkworm Silk, and Yin Concealment Flame Pearl.
The cheapest of these, Flame-nurturing Amethyst, cost seven million high-grade spirit crystals, while Divine Fire Silkworm Silk was valued at twenty million.
This left Joe Di disappointed. Though these flame advancement materials were expensive, they weren't what he needed. His flame was advancing from immortal flame to divine flame—a major leap that required something even better. Using these materials to cross such a threshold was risky; even if successful, it could harm the Dao Fire. If the Dao Fire lost its spirituality, it would be ruined.
"Is there anything better?" Joe Di asked, a little disappointed.
The charming female cultivator's heart sank at Joe Di's question—she was sure he was just pretending. If Divine Fire Silkworm Silk wasn't good enough, what could be better?
Still, she patiently explained, "If you want something better, you'll have to attend the Dao Exchange. In one hour, our Baiye Artifact Pavilion will hold a Dao Exchange on the sixth floor. If you're lucky, you might find an advancement material superior to Divine Fire Silkworm Silk."
The Baiye Artifact Pavilion has an odd tradition—no matter how many treasures they possess, they never hold auctions. To buy their best items, you must become a distinguished guest and earn the privilege to attend the Baiye Dao Exchange.
The Baiye Dao Exchange is held frequently, but only the wealthy can attend. Ordinary cultivators don't even qualify to enter.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)