If regret were possible, Emily Ji would have turned her insides green with remorse. Now, standing outside Joe Di’s residence, she realized that Joe Di had already left Yanda Martial Academy.
"Pa! Pa!" Unable to contain herself, Emily Ji slapped her own cheeks twice. If her actions led to her elder brother’s death, she would never forgive herself for the rest of her life.
Why did she come to Yanda Martial Academy to learn martial arts? Wasn’t it all for the hope of one day curing her brother? Now the divine physician was right before her, but she’d driven him away with her words.
"Sister Ji, please don’t be so anxious…" Ethan Qi, who had come with Emily Ji to look for Joe Di, quickly stopped her from hurting herself.
"But where am I supposed to find Dr. Di?" Emily Ji was so distraught that she burst into tears.
Though born into the Ji Family, she had always been independent and strong. Crying out loud in front of strangers—this was the first time it had ever happened.
Ethan Qi was also helpless. Joe Di had told him when leaving that he wasn’t sure when he’d be back.
"Wait, call him! Hurry, call him…" Suddenly, Emily Ji remembered how they could reach Joe Di and shouted in excitement.
Even Benjamin Ji and her mother, Laura Snow, who stood behind her, remained silent. If calling Joe Di were possible, none of this trouble would be necessary.
Ethan Qi comforted her, "I don’t know how long Brother Di will be gone, but I do know he made an appointment with Senior Violet Tseng. Before the Celestia Auction starts, they’ll meet up here and go together. Why not wait here for Brother Di?"
Ethan Qi was amazed. He’d always thought Joe Di had gone to the Ji Family just to get some money, but from the Ji Family’s reaction, it was clear Brother Di was confident he could cure Samuel Ji. It seemed his understanding of Brother Di was only the tip of the iceberg.
Benjamin Ji sighed, "That’s all we can do for now. Emily, stay at Yanda Martial Academy for the time being. Remember, don’t train in martial arts anymore. As soon as there’s news of Dr. Di, tell the family immediately."
……
The Ji Family naturally couldn’t find Joe Di. At this moment, Joe Di had already returned to the Lethe Mountains. Compared to his previous struggles, this time he reached the spot where he’d hidden his aircraft with almost no effort.
The aircraft was well hidden, with no sign of rainwater or debris seeping in. After inspecting it, Joe Di realized that repairing it would probably cost at least several million.
He already had a ticket for the auction, but what about money? He did have a batch of martial arts enhancement elixirs—he’d managed to make five bottles. But he couldn’t pin all his hopes on these. Besides, he had no idea how much they might sell for. He’d tested the elixir on Di Family disciples before; it allowed them to wield their blades more accurately and powerfully, mastering a new blade technique in the shortest time. In other words, its main use was to boost strength.
Now, with his extraordinary aptitude and the aid of the Grandwalk Codex, he’d learned the Di Family’s First to Third Blades almost effortlessly, so he didn’t need the elixir himself.
He couldn’t rely on the Ji Family. Violet Tseng might be beautiful, but she was as stingy as they come—no, more like a stubborn hen. Even when learning his Di Family blade techniques, she’d play little tricks, so he couldn’t count on her either.
As for Ethan Qi’s modest family fortune, it wouldn’t be enough for anything but spectating at the auction…
Sitting inside his aircraft, Joe Di racked his brains. In the end, only one name lingered in his mind.
There was no other way—he’d have to rob The Unfalsifiable. Only then would he have enough money for the auction.
Chuckling, Joe Di opened the aircraft door. Back when he entered the martial academy, it was Lydia Lu, The Unfalsifiable’s disciple, who had provided his admission certificate. Since The Unfalsifiable was the master, he couldn’t lag behind his disciple. This time, the auction funds would have to come from The Unfalsifiable.
Thinking of this, Joe Di’s mood improved greatly. He knew it wasn’t entirely safe to look for The Unfalsifiable just yet—he was still a bit weaker. This place was perfect for training the Fourth and Fifth Blades of the Di Family. Unlike at Yanda Martial Arts Department, he could unleash his blade aura freely here without worrying about damaging anything nearby.
Once he mastered the Fifth Blade, it would be The Unfalsifiable’s turn to worry about his own life.
Joe Di didn’t start training the Fourth Blade right away. Instead, he practiced the Third Blade. When he first learned the Third Blade, he always felt it wasn’t as powerful as he’d imagined.
In fact, the Fourth Blade was several times harder than the Third, while the simplest Di Family blade techniques were the First and Second Blades.
The First Blade was about momentum. When the blade was swung, it carried momentum that locked onto the opponent. Against weaker foes, it was almost guaranteed to kill with ease.
Previously, he’d used the Zanna Dagger to train the First Blade, which converted the blade’s momentum into blade aura.
The Second Blade focused on blade light. When swung, it unleashed a wide swath of blade light, dealing damage over a large area.
This is why the Di Family blade techniques are best suited for the battlefield—when blade light and killing intent combine, they are nearly unstoppable.
Because Joe Di didn’t have a real long blade, his First and Second Blades relied on blade aura to create killing intent. If Joe Di were truly powerful, it wouldn’t matter. But since his strength was low, using blade aura to generate killing intent put him at a disadvantage against stronger opponents.
That’s why he nearly lost his life to Sam Sang, the assassin—this was the underlying reason.
After mastering the Third Blade, the strike carried a swirling vortex of blade aura and killing intent—this is the true single-combat technique. When facing an opponent, the vortex blade aura could tear apart the enemy’s killing intent and bind them, making it nearly impossible to dodge.
That’s why only disciples who’ve mastered the Third Blade can be said to have glimpsed the true essence of the Di Family blade techniques.
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Because Joe Di had practiced the Third Blade at the martial academy’s training grounds, his technique was still somewhat restrained. When he struck, it lacked the sweeping, expansive momentum and felt small-minded. For the Di Family blade techniques, this was a major flaw.
The Di Family blade techniques were forged in the heat of battle and demand relentless forward momentum. Deliberately restraining blade aura and momentum is the greatest taboo.
Joe Di hadn’t received personal guidance from Di Family elders—he’d only trained using the Di Family Seven Blades manual. So even after mastering the Third Blade, his technique still had serious flaws.
If Joe Di hadn’t reviewed the first three blades again in this canyon, he might only have realized his blade technique issues during actual combat.
Now, as Joe Di unleashed the Third Blade without restraint, he immediately realized that it wasn’t that his technique was weak—it was that he hadn’t truly mastered the Third Blade at all.
His Third Blade was cautious and careful, which ran completely counter to the true spirit of the Di Family blade techniques—relentless and unstoppable.
That was close. After blaming himself, Joe Di began practicing the Third Blade again.
Now, alone in the empty canyon, wielding a real steel blade, Joe Di struck without hesitation. Blade aura swirled through the surrounding space, and he could even hear the crackling sound of air being torn apart.
Boom! As the blade swept down, a ravine several meters long appeared before Joe Di. Every stone within its range, no matter the size, was shattered. In the center of the ravine, an even larger vortex pit had been carved out by the swirling blade aura.
"This is the true Third Blade of the Di Family—nothing held back, relentless forward." Joe Di murmured to himself as he gazed at the trench he’d carved, feeling his Third Blade could still become even stronger.
This was the perfect place for him to train the Di Family blade techniques!
......