"I don't want Law Fragments. For twenty Genesis Dao Fruits, I only want to exchange for eighteen drops of Origin Dew." Right after Jared Mai spoke, someone else chimed in.
"I'll settle for just seventeen drops..."
More and more people vied for Joe Di's Origin Dew, which delighted him. He had only obtained a total of one hundred and three drops of Origin Dew back then, but since cultivating the Rule Dao and succeeding in body refinement, he'd used very little. He hadn't expected to be able to trade for Genesis Dao Fruits here.
The Genesis Dao Fruits he needed didn't necessarily have to be rare; even ordinary ones would do, since he only needed them to advance to Genesis Pill Saint.
Joe Di took the initiative and said, "Fellow Daoists, I only have twenty-five drops of Origin Dew. I hope to exchange one drop for two Genesis Dao Fruits. Of course, I don't care about the grade of the Dao Fruit, as long as it's a Genesis Dao Fruit. If you're willing to trade, please make your offers now."
Joe Di still had some Genesis Dao Fruits on him. If he could trade for fifty more, he'd definitely be able to break through to Genesis Pill Saint.
Although it wasn't exactly price gouging, Joe Di's offer was still rather excessive. Even so, as soon as he named his price, someone was immediately willing to trade.
In a short time, Joe Di's twenty-five drops of Origin Dew had turned into fifty Genesis Dao Fruits. As for Jared Mai, who started the whole exchange, he had to fight tooth and nail just to get the last two drops of Origin Dew.
But having traded for only two drops of Origin Dew, Jared Mai now resented Joe Di. If Joe Di hadn't been so greedy, how could he have ended up with just two drops? He hadn't seen a single shadow of Law Fragments, either.
Joe Di had no idea Jared Mai bore a grudge against him. Even if he did, he wouldn't have cared. Back when he was at Genesis Perfection, he hadn't feared Jared Mai, and now, having succeeded in Dao Fusion, he was even less concerned.
The Genesis Dao Fruits were an unexpected gain, but Joe Di didn't want to waste too much time here. He knew the old-timers here had plenty of treasures, though most were out of his reach. Since that was the case, he might as well trade for what he needed and leave early.
After another cultivator finished trading, Joe Di quickly pressed the trade button. He knew that although Origin Dew was precious and many here wanted it, it probably couldn't be traded for a Soul Lotus. Soul Lotus was a treasure of immense value in the Grandway Abyss, far more precious than Origin Dew.
When the trading array lamp in front of Joe Di lit up again, the cultivators in the Grand Exchange Hall perked up. Many had come today precisely for the innate treasures Joe Di mentioned. Despite the crowd, less than a fifth were actually here to trade.
Joe Di had already traded away twenty-five drops of Origin Dew. Now, as he pressed the trade button again, it was clear he was after an innate treasure.
It all depended on what Joe Di wanted. No one thought he considered himself to have too many innate treasures, so he must be aiming to get two more.
Joe Di raised a jade vial and announced, "I have here one drop of Cosmic Essence..."
Before Joe Di finished speaking, the entire hall erupted. Every cultivator here was either a peerless powerhouse or had been one. What hadn't they seen before? Yet, even for the most experienced, the appearance of Cosmic Essence sent waves of excitement through the crowd.
Everyone wanted a treasure like this, especially those saved by Creation Dao Resonance. It could help them perfectly fuse with the Dao, cleanse their soul and body, and take them further. People couldn't understand how someone as insignificant as Joe Di could possess a supreme cosmic treasure like Cosmic Essence.
Seeing the excitement in the hall, Joe Di understood just how valuable Cosmic Essence was to these people. If not for the heavy array defenses here, he suspected someone might try to snatch it from him on the spot.
Unfortunately, he only had seven drops of Cosmic Essence left. After trading this one, only six remained. Unless absolutely necessary or he had nothing else to offer, Joe Di truly hated to part with Cosmic Essence. Each drop was a life-saving treasure.
"Is this the innate treasure you mentioned, fellow Daoist?" the black-robed elder suddenly asked.
Joe Di replied calmly, "That's right. This drop of Cosmic Essence is one of the innate treasures I spoke of. Or do you think it's not worthy of the title? If so, I'll just put it away and not trade it."
"Of course it's worthy. What do you want in exchange?" asked a cultivator whose appearance was hard to discern. Joe Di glanced at him, suspecting he was at least a half-step Third Step, if not a full Third Step cultivator.
Moreover, after this person spoke, even the black-robed elder didn't dare say another word, showing his high status.
"Very well. What I want to trade for is two Soul Lotuses..."
As soon as Joe Di finished speaking, everyone's gaze turned to a man wearing a tall white crown.
Seeing all eyes on the white-crowned man, Joe Di suspected this might be Eugene Yi the Wanderer.
Everyone wanted Cosmic Essence, but Joe Di's asking price was rather outrageous. Normally, Soul Lotus wouldn't come close to matching Cosmic Essence in value. But here in the Grandway Abyss, Soul Lotus was also a top-tier treasure. Sometimes, it was even more valuable than Cosmic Essence.
Sure enough, the white-crowned man being stared at by everyone said coldly, "You want to trade one drop of Cosmic Essence for two Soul Lotuses?"
This guy was definitely Eugene Yi, and he surely had Soul Lotus. Otherwise, with the temperament of these old-timers here, he wouldn't have stepped forward to say such a thing.
Joe Di said coolly, "I'm just naming my price. If you're willing, we trade. If not, that's fine. I'm not forcing anyone, and besides, all the experts here have far more experience than I do. Everyone knows what a fair deal is."
The white-crowned cultivator replied in a gentle tone, "I have one Soul Lotus. I'll trade it for your drop of Cosmic Essence."
"No deal," Joe Di responded without hesitation.
If no one else offered a Soul Lotus, he'd negotiate with Eugene Yi slowly. Still, Joe Di sensed Eugene Yi was anything but simple. Now that negotiations had slowed, the Grand Exchange Hall was unusually quiet, with no one stepping in to interfere—quite unlike the earlier trade with Jared Mai.
This showed just how powerful Eugene Yi was. In Joe Di's view, Eugene Yi hadn't yet reached the Third Step.
"Bring out your other innate treasure. Together with this drop of Cosmic Essence, I'll give you two Soul Lotuses." Eugene Yi's tone remained slow and unhurried.
Joe Di simply ignored Eugene Yi and addressed the others, "Anyone else willing to trade? If not, I'll leave and head to Mountainview."
Joe Di knew that fighting was forbidden on the road to Mountainview—an unspoken rule of the Grandway Abyss. Once he said he was heading there, Eugene Yi wouldn't try to settle scores after leaving the trading hall.
It wasn't that Joe Di feared Eugene Yi; he was certain such a powerhouse wouldn't be easy to defeat. If Eugene Yi escaped, Joe Di wouldn't get even one Soul Lotus. Besides, even if he captured and killed Eugene Yi, he wouldn't be able to take his treasures—these old-timers kept everything in their own worlds, out of reach.
"You've got guts, young man. Fine, I'll trade with you," Eugene Yi said, slapping his desk. Two jade boxes appeared on Joe Di's table, showing just how much Eugene Yi needed the Cosmic Essence.
Joe Di didn't rush. He opened both jade boxes and checked their contents. Confirming they held two Soul Lotuses, he was actually puzzled—was it really this easy?
The doubt lasted only a moment. He placed a jade vial on the transport array and sent it over.
Seeing Joe Di send over the jade vial, Eugene Yi's lips curled into a mocking smile.
(That's all for today's update. Good night, friends!)