Entering Fivefold City and not seeing Cynthia Winters chasing after him, Joe Di finally breathed a sigh of relief. That woman was still suspicious of him, but probably not entirely certain. She also knew she couldn’t do anything to him.
Fortunately, he had advanced his cultivation to the third layer of the Seabreaker Stage. If he were still at the Void Spirit Stage, that woman would truly have the guts to kill him.
At the edge of Fivefold Plaza stood the Sea List. Joe Di stared at the Sea List for a long time, finally deciding to make Henry Ren his target.
Henry Ren was now ranked ninety-seventh. As for the Five Sea Lords, Joe Di didn’t see any of their names on the Sea List. It seemed those five had already stepped into the Cauldron Stage.
"Are you the Red Tassel Joe?" A gray-robed youth glanced at the Red Tassel Blade on Joe Di’s back and suddenly asked.
Joe Di shifted his gaze from the Sea List to the gray-robed youth. This man was at the ninth layer of the Seabreaker Stage, his true essence condensed—a formidable opponent.
"That’s right. I’m the Red Tassel Joe, the one who likes doing good deeds without leaving a name." Sensing the youth’s mockery and disdain, Joe Di’s response was equally blunt.
"Hahaha!" The gray-robed youth burst out laughing. "I heard you challenged Henry Ren, but couldn’t even withstand a single move on the arena and ended up seriously injured."
"That’s absolutely right. I even lost my ring. By the way, I don’t think I caught your name?" Joe Di could sense the aura around this youth was no weaker than Henry Ren’s—perhaps even stronger. This guy was likely also on the Sea List.
If this guy was on the Sea List, then Joe Di’s luck had truly come through—he wouldn’t need to keep searching for Henry Ren.
The gray-robed youth shook his head speechlessly. Suddenly, he understood why this Red Tassel Joe dared to challenge Henry Ren on the arena—it was because he was a reckless fool.
He had a good relationship with Henry Ren. When he first heard that a Soul Ancestor cultivator wanted to challenge Henry Ren to a duel, he even doubted his own ears. Later, after meeting Henry Ren, he realized it was true. Now, running into Joe Di, he asked about it directly. For a Soul Ancestor Stage cultivator to challenge a Sea List powerhouse—admiring him would be strange. Clearly, this was the classic case of ignorance and fearlessness. Such cultivators rarely thrive in the cultivation world.
"I am Kevin Jin from Tianhai Pavilion..."
"Sea List No. 89?" Before Kevin Jin could finish, Joe Di asked in delight.
Kevin Jin stared coldly at Joe Di. "Put away your petty schemes, Red Tassel Joe. Quite the reputation you have. Back then, to get famous, you even gave your ring to Henry Ren. But you’re not qualified to challenge me. You should be grateful—if I accepted your challenge, after one move there’d be no more Red Tassel Joe in this world."
With that, Kevin Jin turned and left. He saw right through Joe Di—this was someone who would do anything for fame, even risk his own life.
Joe Di knew that, as someone on the Potential List, he was technically qualified to challenge a Sea List cultivator. He just didn’t know the exact steps required. Now that he’d run into Kevin Jin, how could he let him leave? Getting on the ranking as soon as possible was crucial for him.
"Haha, that’s right. I did lose my ring to Henry Ren back then. Fortunately, luck was on my side—I found a huge chunk of Earthvein Gold, bought myself another ring, and even had some left over." Joe Di spread his hand, revealing a piece of Earthvein Gold even larger than a millstone.
"Earthvein Gold?" Kevin Jin stared at the chunk in Joe Di’s hand, his eyes blazing—this was exactly what he needed.
In fact, it wasn’t just Kevin Jin who needed Earthvein Gold. Any cultivator would want it—it was one of the top materials for forging spiritual artifacts and treasures. Kevin Jin wielded a staff; if he got this Earthvein Gold, his strength would skyrocket.
"I'll fight you, and I'll let you have one move. I won't kill you, nor do I want your ring—just your Earthvein Gold. You want fame, I'll give you fame." Seeing Joe Di put away the Earthvein Gold, Kevin Jin couldn’t walk away anymore.
Joe Di replied coolly, "Who said I want you to let me have a move? I just want to fight you on the arena, nothing more."
"Fine, I'll let you have a few more moves. I guarantee you'll get famous." Kevin Jin tried to soften his tone.
Joe Di chuckled. "I don't want fame—I only want your spot on the Sea List."
Kevin Jin’s expression turned cold. "I'm afraid you don't have what it takes."
There’s no way to fake a challenge on the Sea List. Even if it were possible, Kevin Jin wouldn’t deliberately lose to Joe Di just for a piece of material.
Why do cultivators on the Dao Rankings have better fortune and faster progress? It's because the Dao Rankings are closely tied to the Central Realm.
The Dao Rankings in the Central Realm represent a cultivator’s fortune. If Joe Di wants his Sea List spot, he’ll have to challenge him on the Dao Challenge Arena. If he loses, it’s as good as losing his fortune, and his luck will decline.
If Joe Di takes his spot on the Sea List, it’s equivalent to killing his future. No way Kevin Jin could tolerate that.
Joe Di responded calmly, "I’m at least on the Potential List, and you’re just a lower-ranked Sea List cultivator. I’m qualified to fight you, aren’t I?"
Kevin Jin finally remembered that Joe Di was on the Potential List. He stared at Joe Di for a long while before saying, "Alright, I accept your challenge. But I want some stakes."
Joe Di grinned. "Of course. If you can beat me, this Earthvein Gold is yours."
...
Fivefold City was lively again, this time the excitement centered around the Dao Challenge Arena.
Red Tassel Joe, who had disappeared for more than two years, returned to Fivefold City and immediately challenged Kevin Jin, ranked 89th on the Sea List.
There were few in Fivefold City who hadn't heard of Red Tassel Joe. He had helped many cultivators at Nightlake, driven away the Radiant Squad and Sunset Squad, never accepting rewards or leaving his name.
He then shocked everyone by reaching the ninetieth floor of the Fivefold Dao Tower, becoming one of the top ten on the Fivefold Dao Stele. If Red Tassel Joe hadn’t done something foolish—challenging Henry Ren—he would still be a model for many cultivators.
Challenging the Sea List powerhouse Henry Ren was the only blemish on Red Tassel Joe’s record, because he couldn’t withstand even a single move.
After losing to Henry Ren, Red Tassel Joe disappeared for several years. No one expected that upon his return, he would challenge another Sea List powerhouse, this time at the Dao Challenge Arena. The Dao Challenge Arena is not an ordinary dueling stage—there is no holding back. Many cultivators believe Joe Di survived last time only because Henry Ren showed mercy.
Even cultivators who liked Joe Di thought he was courting death at this moment.
In just the time it takes to burn an incense stick, news of Joe Di challenging Sea List powerhouse Kevin Jin at the Dao Challenge Arena had spread throughout Fivefold City.
By the time Joe Di and Kevin Jin stood on the Dao Challenge Arena, the plaza was already packed with cultivators.
"Joe Di, are you sure you want to challenge Kevin Jin, ranked 89th on the Sea List?" After Joe Di and Kevin Jin stood on the arena, a middle-aged man also landed on the stage.
This middle-aged man was Judge Lee, the referee for the Dao Challenge Arena. At this moment, he was quite annoyed—it was clearly a waste of his time, but since Joe Di was qualified to challenge Kevin Jin, he had no choice but to be there.
"Let’s begin." After saying a few words, the middle-aged man took his seat at the referee’s position by the arena. If both sides were evenly matched and couldn’t determine a winner after twelve hours, the judge would decide who was stronger. In fact, in his eyes, it would be impressive if Joe Di could last even a single move.
Kevin Jin snorted, summoned a staff over a meter long into his hand, and simply brought it down in a single strike.
Joe Di sensed the shift in space—Kevin Jin didn’t see him as a threat at all. This strike enveloped the space around him, clearly aiming to suppress him in one blow. Such tactics are only used when there’s a large gap in strength.
But Joe Di could tell Kevin Jin didn’t intend to kill him.
He summoned the Red Tassel Blade—azure light exploded!
Boom! Violent true essence swept across Kevin Jin’s staff, and the force he controlled instantly collapsed. Kevin Jin staggered back more than ten steps before barely stopping.
Joe Di didn’t pursue. In fact, that strike hadn’t even used thirty percent of his strength.
Kevin Jin stared blankly at Joe Di. He’d fought countless battles, and with just one exchange, he knew Joe Di was no weaker than him.
"I underestimated you," Kevin Jin said, his tone now heavy after taking a deep breath.
Joe Di smiled slightly. "Now you can go all out, right?"
Joe Di had wanted to see the difference between himself and a top Seabreaker Stage cultivator, so he was waiting for Kevin Jin to go all out.
"Alright!" Kevin Jin said, and his staff began to tremble, the killing intent spreading with the ripples.
"Kill!" Kevin Jin shouted, merging himself with the rippling killing intent, sweeping toward Joe Di—this time, he was serious.
Joe Di still stood motionless. He swung the Red Tassel Blade again; azure light and the trembling staff shadows collided, splintering into a tidal wave of shattered blade patterns that crushed Kevin Jin’s killing intent.
Seeing the endless fragments of blade intent about to pierce into Kevin Jin, Joe Di sighed and stopped his attack.
The aura of death approached. Kevin Jin was shocked and barely managed to summon a shield.
The fragments of blade intent struck the shield and dissipated.
Kevin Jin let out a breath, put away his staff, and clasped his hands to Joe Di. "Thank you for showing mercy."
Joe Di had clearly shown mercy—otherwise, Kevin Jin would already be dead. He couldn’t understand why Joe Di was so strong, yet couldn’t withstand a single move from Henry Ren years ago.
He knew Henry Ren’s strength well—he was no match for him at all.
Judge Lee finally snapped out of it, hurried to the stage, and announced, "Joe Di wins and takes the 89th spot on the Sea List; Kevin Jin moves down one rank."