After the jade vial was sent out, nearly everyone turned their attention to the teleportation array pattern in front of Eugene Yi.
Seven or eight breaths passed, yet the teleportation array pattern on the table before Eugene Yi the Wanderer remained unchanged.
Normally, the transfer would be instantaneous—less than half a breath. Now, after seven or eight breaths, nothing has appeared. Even a fool could tell something is wrong.
"Friend, why haven’t you sent me the Cosmic Essence?" Eugene Yi stared coldly at Joe Di and asked.
Joe Di thought to himself, 'Just as I suspected.' Normally, the Grand Exchange Hall would never stoop to such underhanded tactics. Yet, here was something even street thugs would disdain.
Joe Di had placed the jade vial on the teleportation array pattern—everyone saw it. They also saw the vial being sent out. Since it never arrived before Eugene Yi the Wanderer, there was only one possibility for Joe Di: the item was intercepted mid-transfer.
Unless Joe Di were allowed to thoroughly study the teleportation array for some time, even he wouldn’t know who intercepted the item.
If one thinks logically, the Grand Exchange Hall would be the prime suspect. But Joe Di was certain the hall didn’t intercept the item—it was secretly delivered into Eugene Yi the Wanderer's hands. The Grand Exchange Hall wouldn’t dare or bother with such a thing.
Yet this sort of thing, aside from outsiders like himself, was probably common knowledge among the others. Since everyone knew it had nothing to do with him, even if he resorted to force, few would side with Eugene Yi.
With that thought, Joe Di summoned the Azure Veil Blade into his hand and spoke in an icy tone, "Your grandpa is leaving now. You’re Eugene Yi, right? If you’ve got the guts, come and take your grandpa’s ring."
As Joe Di summoned the Azure Veil Blade and stepped away from his seat, he kept a close eye on the other cultivators. If too many rushed at him, he’d stop and offer a drop of Cosmic Essence to de-escalate.
Just as Joe Di predicted, when he stood and left his seat, no one tried to stop him. Only the black-robed elder spoke, "Fellow Daoist, you did take Eugene Yi the Wanderer's Soul Lotus, but the Cosmic Essence you sent out never arrived at his table. The Grand Exchange Hall never makes mistakes. There is only one possibility: you never sent the item at all."
Joe Di knew there were two possibilities. The other was that the Grand Exchange Hall deliberately let Eugene Yi the Wanderer secretly receive it. But saying so would be pointless, so he kept silent.
"You took someone else's item but refused to offer your own. That's a tyrant's trade. I believe Eugene Yi the Wanderer won't let you off later, and the Grand Exchange Hall won't interfere—this is a private matter between you two. But you came here to trade two Celestial Relics. You can finish trading the second relic, then settle things with Eugene Yi outside." The black-robed elder spoke calmly, but with a hint of menace.
Joe Di immediately understood: everyone knew he'd offered the jade vial of Cosmic Essence, but no one cared about that. Since Eugene Yi had gotten the Cosmic Essence, what mattered was Joe Di’s second Celestial Relic.
Joe Di felt reassured. He put away the Azure Veil Blade and returned to his seat, casting a mocking glance at Eugene Yi the Wanderer. Soon, when Eugene Yi saw the so-called Cosmic Essence was just a drop of ordinary water, he might go mad.
Realizing the Soul Lotus wouldn't be so easily obtained, Joe Di decided not to hand over the real Cosmic Essence to Eugene Yi. If the jade vial had been properly delivered, he'd admit his mistake and personally offer a drop of Cosmic Essence at Eugene Yi's table.
Now that the jade vial hadn’t been delivered directly to Eugene Yi, Joe Di naturally wouldn’t offer the true Cosmic Essence. If Eugene Yi was to drink foot-washing water, then let him drink it first.
Seeing Joe Di sit down again, Eugene Yi did not act immediately. The unspoken rule was that Joe Di was his target, and once Joe Di had traded the second Celestial Relic, Eugene Yi would have plenty of time to deal with him.
As Joe Di sat back down, the other cultivators also breathed a sigh of relief. Few cared about the feud between Eugene Yi and Joe Di; most were interested in Joe Di’s two Celestial Relics. The first wasn’t exactly an Innate Artifact, but it was a true treasure—even better than an Innate Artifact.
After sitting down, Joe Di pressed the trade button again. This time, no one contested his right to trade; everyone was waiting for his offering.
When the trade light in front of him lit up, Joe Di produced a jade box and announced, "I have here a Cosmic Membrane Fragment. I intend to trade it for the Earth King Tome, or an artifact of equivalent value."
The moment Joe Di spoke, the entire hall fell silent.
If he’d brought out a Cosmic Membrane Fragment in the Dao Domain or other divine realms, it would be no less valuable than a Celestial Relic. For some cultivators, it was even more precious. But here, a Cosmic Membrane Fragment wasn’t considered a top-tier treasure.
Most of the great powers here had seen Cosmic Membrane Fragments before. They were rare, but not uncommon during the era of world creation. It was only later, as they were consumed, that they became scarce. If everyone here were prone to booing, Joe Di would be hearing a chorus of jeers right now.
"So the second Celestial Relic you’re offering is this Cosmic Membrane Fragment?" The black-robed elder frowned, feeling he’d been played by Joe Di.
Not only the black-robed elder—every other cultivator felt the same way, as if they’d been tricked.
Joe Di frowned and said, "Of course! This is even more precious than my Cosmic Essence. I came from outside, and out there, this is priceless. Can any Celestial Relic compare to a Cosmic Membrane Fragment? I only brought it out because I urgently need a suitable artifact."
After Joe Di finished speaking, most of the once-enthusiastic cultivators began to file out. They’d come to see Joe Di’s Celestial Relics; who cared about a Cosmic Membrane Fragment? Still, it couldn’t be said that Joe Di had deceived them. Coming from outside, he genuinely saw the fragment as comparable to a Celestial Relic.
It was just like when Joe Di treated the Cosmic Essence as a Celestial Relic. Here, the Cosmic Essence was even more valuable than many Celestial Relics. If Joe Di could trade the Cosmic Essence as a Celestial Relic, why not the Cosmic Membrane Fragment?
"Senior, is the Cosmic Membrane Fragment not good enough? Why is no one offering a bid?" Joe Di asked the black-robed elder, feigning innocence.
The black-robed elder waved Joe Di off with a tone of disdain, "Your item is too good—no one can afford it."
Taking the cue, Joe Di put away the Cosmic Membrane Fragment, glanced at Eugene Yi the Wanderer who had been staring at him, and joined the other cultivators as they left the hall.
Although the real trading in the Grandway Exchange Hall only began after Joe Di left, no one cared about the anticlimactic end to the Grandway Trade Fair. Many followed Joe Di outside, eager to see how Eugene Yi the Wanderer would deal with this brash outsider.
Joe Di walked ahead, while Eugene Yi showed no urgency. According to the rules of the Grandway Abyss, Joe Di was his target—no one else could touch him. And since Joe Di couldn’t escape the Grandway Abyss, Eugene Yi wasn’t in a hurry; no matter how far Joe Di walked, he was still within the abyss.
As Joe Di and the cultivators exited, Voidbreaker in the Grandway Plaza opened his eyes wide at the scene. What was going on? The trade had just begun—why was it already over?
More cultivators left the Grandway Exchange Hall, but instead of leaving, they gathered around the Grandway Plaza, eager to see how the story between Joe Di and Eugene Yi would end.