"I’ll continue cultivating here for a while before I leave. I’m about to venture beyond the Red Line, so it’s not suitable for you two to follow me. Now that you’ve reached the Half-Step Earth Stage, if your cultivation stagnates, it’s time to go out and temper yourselves. Otherwise, staying in seclusion won’t help you progress." Joe Di spoke earnestly.
He understood just how powerful that blue-green blossom was. Frank Pang and Tyler He had only just reached the Half-Step Earth Stage, not even breaking through to Earth Stage yet. It was clear they hadn’t fully absorbed the essence of the Blueleaf Bloom.
Frank Pang and Tyler He exchanged glances, then nodded. Joe Di was right—if they kept cultivating like this, they wouldn’t make any more progress.
There were still some differences between martial arts and cultivation. Martial artists needed constant tempering to improve, while cultivators spent more time in seclusion.
But if a cultivator only secluded themselves, they’d be nothing more than a common ascetic, with little room for true growth. A true Dao cultivator not only spent time in seclusion but also traveled widely and tempered themselves like martial artists. Only then could they gain true strength and a deeper understanding of the Dao of Heaven and Earth.
Joe Di had read all this from the brief introduction in the Cultivator’s Jade Scroll. Though it was just a single sentence, Joe Di found it profoundly true.
"Joe, we’ll head back to our camp then. If you ever need my help, just say the word," Tyler He said immediately.
Frank Pang chimed in loudly, "I feel the same as Tyler. If you ask me to go east, I’ll never go west."
The fact that they’d made such rapid progress was entirely thanks to Joe Di. Their gratitude toward him ran deep.
"I sense that Celestia is dangerous. Just improving your cultivation isn’t enough—you need skills. I mentioned before that I’d teach you some blade techniques. My Di Family has a few ancestral moves. Take out your phones, I’ll record them for you and explain how they work." Joe Di had always intended to pass the Di Family blade techniques to Frank Pang.
Now that Tyler He was here, Joe Di decided to teach them both at once. After all, this blade technique wasn’t meant for just one person. Since that was the case, he might as well pass it on to a few more people and let it flourish. As for whether the Di Family's ancestors would call him a prodigal, Joe Di didn’t care at all. His descendants wouldn’t be practicing the Di Family’s Seven Blades in the future, but cultivating Daoist arts.
"Thank you, Joe!" Frank Pang was so moved by Joe Di’s words that his voice trembled with excitement.
Frank Pang had witnessed Joe Di’s blade strike that took off the Horned Lion Fiend’s head. In Frank’s memory, that moment was simply earth-shattering.
Tyler He figured he was lucky to be friends with Frank Pang. He resolved to stay close to Frank in the future, hoping to earn Joe Di’s favor as well.
Frank Pang wasn’t well-liked in class, yet he’d somehow befriended someone as extraordinary as Joe. It just went to show that genuine people always attract true friends.
...
After seeing Frank Pang and Tyler He off, Joe Di left the Cave Mansion as well. He hunted a wild rabbit, roasted it, and only then returned to the cave to continue cultivating.
Three more days passed. Joe Di noticed his cultivation speed had slowed down, so he simply ate another Blueleaf Bloom.
His cultivation, which had slowed to a crawl, suddenly surged forward again.
After reaching the Sixth Level Qi Refinement, even with the faster pace, Joe Di stopped cultivating a few days later. If he ate all the remaining Blueleaf Blooms, he might break through to the Seventh Level Qi Refinement.
But Joe Di didn’t plan to do that. The first Blueleaf Bloom had the greatest effect. Advancing from Fourth to Fifth Level Qi Refinement had been almost effortless. Fifth to Sixth Level took some time, but was still smooth.
Eating a second Blueleaf Bloom sped things up, but the effect was nowhere near the first. Sometimes, faster cultivation didn’t mean breaking through to the next level. To reach the Seventh Level Qi Refinement, eating more Blueleaf Blooms wouldn’t be enough. Besides, he sensed the flower was important for something else…
Was there something he was forgetting?
Joe Di rubbed his forehead, suddenly remembering the Foundation Pill Formula he’d won at the auction. He hadn’t looked at it closely, just glanced at it before. There was an illustration of a spiritual herb—blue-green in color…
Joe Di quickly took the Foundation Pill Formula out of his bag—it was the recipe for the Foundation Pill.
When his eyes landed on the Blueleaf Bloom, he understood at last. The plant he’d obtained was actually one of the three main ingredients for the Foundation Pill—the Blueleaf Bloom.
The Blueleaf Bloom was entirely blue-green—roots, stems, and blossoms. A mature Blueleaf Bloom had seven flowers, and the one he’d found had exactly seven. In other words, this was a fully mature Blueleaf Bloom.
He also realized that those two fiend beasts hadn’t been fighting over territory, but for the Blueleaf Bloom.
Clearly, those two fiends were at the peak of Qi Refinement, battling for the Blueleaf Bloom to advance even further.
According to the Cultivator’s Jade Scroll, the Foundation Pill was so precious that even inner disciples of major sects rarely received one. Its rarity was due to the scarcity of its key ingredients. Yet here he was, foolishly consuming the Blueleaf Bloom just to cultivate—what a waste!
From Fourth to Sixth Level Qi Refinement, as long as you had spirit energy and time, you could reach it eventually. But without a Foundation Pill, many cultivators would be stuck at Qi Refinement for life.
Joe Di decided to stop cultivating in seclusion. To break through to the Seventh Level Qi Refinement, he couldn’t just rely on isolation—he needed to go out and temper himself, just like Frank Pang and Tyler He.
The Blueleaf Bloom was too precious. Joe Di took out the Jade Vial he used for storing spirit stones, picked the remaining three blue-green blossoms, and placed them inside. Not only that, he carefully dug up the rest of the Blueleaf Bloom, wrapped it up, and put it in his backpack before leaping out of the pit, ready to leave.
The only regret was that he couldn’t take the stone sphere with him—it was probably something valuable. Once he had a Quantum Vault Ring, he’d come back for it.
Joe Di found himself missing the Celestia Ring. If only he’d won it at the auction…
Shaking his head, Joe Di let go of his greedy thoughts. Blessings and disasters often go hand in hand—who could say what fate would bring? If he’d gotten the ring back then, he might have faced a horde of powerful cultivators the moment he stepped onto the Celestia Grand Plaza.
With his current strength, he wouldn’t be afraid. But back then, he’d only just reached Fourth Level Qi Refinement. If he’d been attacked, he’d have had to surrender the ring—or his life.
...
Ten minutes later, Joe Di restored the cave entrance and chose a direction, leaving swiftly.
On the way, Joe Di encountered several fiend beasts, but their strength was far below that of the Scaled Crocodile Fiend and the Horned Lion Fiend. Now at Sixth Level Qi Refinement, Joe Di easily slew them all.
Unfortunately, without a Quantum Vault Ring, no matter how many fiends he killed, Joe Di couldn’t collect their materials. It was a pity, so eventually he stopped hunting and focused on traveling.
Five days later, Joe Di activated his Locator. After traveling for five days, he realized he’d already left the Red Line’s boundary.
There was only one red dot on the Locator. The trial seemed to be over, and the Elite Class students had left. The red dot was his current position.
Just as Joe Di was about to turn off the Locator, a red dot on the dim side of the screen suddenly flashed rapidly. After a moment, it disappeared again.
Was there another Elite Class student here? Joe Di knew that a flashing red dot was a distress signal. If someone was in danger and pressed the emergency button, their location would flash on others’ Locators.
Judging by the direction of the flashing dot, it was clear that the person, like him, had long since crossed the warning Red Line and entered the depths of Celestia.
Should he go help? Joe Di hesitated for a moment, then decided to check it out.
It wasn’t just about helping someone—Joe Di was planning to search for opportunities in Celestia anyway, with no fixed destination. Since he’d encountered this situation, lending a hand wouldn’t hurt.
Although he could fly, for safety, Joe Di didn’t ride his blade. He ran toward the flashing red dot for two hours before it appeared again on the Locator.
The flashing dot was now very close—almost right beside him. Joe Di stopped and sent out his spiritual sense.
Soon, Joe Di’s spiritual sense locked onto a massive, withered tree root. He’d never seen anything like it—the root alone, not counting the surrounding tendrils, had a cross-section as large as a soccer field.
In the powdery soil around the root, Joe Di could just make out a few blurred footprints.
Joe Di was certain the flashing red dot was right in the center of the withered root—the former heart of the tree. But even with his spiritual sense and his own eyes, all he saw was a layer of bark powder, no people, and no Locator.