Joe Di opened his eyes in surprise—he had finally caught the traces of the formation around the blue bead.
His gain was far more than just a blue bead. Given enough time, he would be able to arrange such invisible and intangible void formations himself.
Joe Di raised his hand and cast dozens of formation flags, then reached out. A gap suddenly appeared in the formation that had locked the bead, and Joe Di’s hand accurately seized it.
A bone-chilling cold surged through; Joe Di nearly dropped the bead. A burst of true fire appeared in his palm, but even so, he felt as if his hand was about to freeze stiff.
With a bead this icy, Joe Di didn’t dare hold it for long. He quickly took out a jade box, placed the bead inside, and sealed it with several restrictions before storing the box away.
As soon as Joe Di took the blue bead, his divine sense clearly perceived the full layout of the great formation surrounding the blue pool. He cast dozens more formation flags, and a distinct blue vein appeared before him.
Joe Di finally understood why the pool’s water was blue and why its spiritual energy was so rich.
It turned out there was a blue vein within the pool. He still didn’t know what the blue vein was, but that didn’t matter—the answers would surely be found in the World Tome.
This blue vein was the source of the blue pool’s spiritual energy. It would be strange if Joe Di didn’t take it. As formation flags flew out, before he could collect the vein, his divine sense detected at least a hundred or two people rushing in. Without hesitation, he sped up.
Boom! Amid the roaring noise, a blue spiritual vein, dozens of meters long, was swept up by Joe Di and sent straight into his Herb Garden Ring.
Almost at the exact moment Joe Di took away the blue spiritual vein, a hundred or two people rushed in. With the blue vein gone, the protective formation around the pool and the array above it lost their power. Across the pool, a three-to-four-meter-tall fruit tree bore three green fruits, each etched with faint patterns.
Because Joe Di had swept away the blue spiritual vein, everyone instantly spotted the fruit tree.
“Soulcore Fruit?” Most people immediately recognized the three spirit fruits, their eyes burning with desire.
No matter the cultivation world, Soulcore Fruit is an extremely rare and precious treasure. Many sects have failed to advance further, largely because they have never obtained a Soulcore Fruit.
Soulcore Fruit can be refined into Soul Condensation Pills—the best alchemical medicine for Golden Core cultivators to break through to the Soul Ancestor stage.
Some Foundation Establishment cultivators and a few who had just reached the Golden Core stage knew they couldn’t hope to seize the Soulcore Fruit. Their eyes were filled with longing, but they didn’t dare to fight for it. Those with higher cultivation, several mid-to-late Golden Core cultivators, charged madly toward the far side of the pool, determined to snatch the Soulcore Fruit.
In contrast, a few Golden Core cultivators who had been cultivating inside the pool did not move. They knew how formidable Joe Di was, and with him closest to the Soulcore Fruit, they wouldn’t be able to snatch it even if they tried.
Joe Di now tried to avoid relying on pills for breakthroughs, but who wouldn’t covet a treasure like the Soulcore Fruit? Besides, the Soulcore Fruit was a boundary-crossing item; if he couldn’t break through to the Soul Ancestor stage, using it wouldn’t make much difference.
No matter how fast those late-arriving Golden Core cultivators were, none could match Joe Di. With a single divine sense shift, he landed beside the Soulcore Fruit and swept the entire fruit tree into his Herb Garden Ring.
After Joe Di took the Soulcore Fruit, the Golden Core cultivators who had tried to snatch it landed around him, surrounding him completely.
“The spiritual energy in this pool can cleanse the impurities from your meridians...” A Foundation Establishment cultivator discovered the benefits of the blue pool and cried out in delight.
Joe Di had drawn away the spiritual source vein from the blue pool, but that vein had been here for who knew how long—the pool had long since been saturated with this spiritual energy.
Even with the spiritual source vein gone, the pool’s spiritual energy was only slightly weaker. It was still many times better than cultivating with top-grade spirit stones. In a place like this, breakthroughs came far more easily.
Aside from the several Golden Core cultivators surrounding Joe Di, most of those who had given up on fighting for the Soulcore Fruit simply leaped into the pool to cultivate. They had only followed the eighth-level Golden Core cultivator inside, not as his subordinates, but to seek opportunity.
“Hand over what you took, and I’ll spare your life.” The speaker was the eighth-level Golden Core cultivator. He hadn’t seen Joe Di take the blue bead or the blue spiritual vein—otherwise, he never would have spoken so boldly.
Joe Di glanced at the nine Golden Core cultivators encircling him: four were below the third level, three were mid-stage, and two were late-stage. The two late-stage cultivators included the eighth-level Golden Core who had just spoken, and another at the seventh level.
With a flick of his hand, a long blade appeared in Joe Di’s palm. His gaze swept over the nine Golden Core cultivators as he spoke calmly: “I did indeed obtain the Soulcore Fruit, but there were only three. I come from a major sect—if you insist on making enemies with me over something you know you can’t get, then by all means, stay.”
Joe Di’s current cultivation was only at the first level of Golden Core. Although he had stayed in the blue pool for several days, most of his energy had been spent breaking formations, so he hadn’t advanced to the second level yet.
If all nine of them attacked together, Joe Di figured it would be a tough fight.
“I’m still a ways from reaching peak Golden Core. I’ll withdraw for now,” said a second-level Golden Core cultivator, cupping his fists before leaping into the blue pool to cultivate.
The other three early-stage Golden Core cultivators saw the second-level one withdraw and, after cupping their fists in respect, leaped into the blue pool as well.
They weren’t intimidated by Joe Di; it was simply that he’d said there were only three Soulcore Fruits. Even if they killed Joe Di, those fruits would never end up in the hands of early-stage Golden Core cultivators like them. Since they had no hope of the Soulcore Fruit, why make an enemy of a major sect? It was far wiser to seize the chance to cultivate in the blue pool.
The eighth-level Golden Core cultivator didn’t stop them from leaving. In his view, it was best if everyone withdrew—leaving him alone with Joe Di.
As the four withdrew, Joe Di’s long blade transformed into streams of murderous blade aura, slashing out.
Seeing Joe Di dare to attack first, the eighth-level Golden Core cultivator was infuriated. A golden breastplate appeared abruptly on his chest; he didn’t even bother to block the blade aura, instead swinging his spear with a tearing roar toward Joe Di.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The fierce blade aura struck the golden breastplate. Though it didn’t break through, the intent of the Bleakwind Blade seeped in, making the eighth-level Golden Core cultivator shiver. He sensed that Joe Di’s blade wouldn’t rest until it killed him. Luckily, Joe Di didn’t press the attack.
Even though Joe Di’s blade didn’t follow the aura, the relentless blade intent had already begun to erode him.
“Everyone, attack together! We’ll split his treasures!” The eighth-level Golden Core cultivator no longer saw Joe Di as a mere first-level ant; his spear, partially eroded by the Bleakwind Blade, was now used without reservation.
The other four Golden Core cultivators were slow to act—not because they hadn’t realized the threat, but because no one wanted to reveal their trump cards in front of others just to deal with a supposed first-level Golden Core ant.
But Joe Di showed no mercy. Though his Bleakwind Blade first targeted the eighth-level Golden Core cultivator, he knew exactly what he needed to do.
After unleashing the Bleakwind Blade, Joe Di ignored the eighth-level Golden Core cultivator’s spear strike. He summoned his long blade again, sending the Fifth Riftblade slashing toward the seventh-level Golden Core, while simultaneously punching at the other cultivators.
With two late-stage Golden Core cultivators present, Joe Di knew he had to take one out first—he chose the seventh-level Golden Core.
The other Golden Core cultivators were a bit late to act. After the eighth-level Golden Core spoke, the rest summoned their magical treasures and attacked Joe Di.
This time, Joe Di’s Peak Gathering wasn’t aimed at just one person—it split into three fist mountains. But his Riftblade was directed fully at the seventh-level Golden Core.
The seventh-level Golden Core hadn’t gone all-out at first; he figured he’d get a Soulcore Fruit no matter what. When Joe Di targeted him, he was furious. He unleashed his cymbals with full force, their shrill, space-rending sound aiming to tear Joe Di apart.
Boom! The Riftblade wave collided with the cymbals, filling the air with surging true essence. The cymbals’ momentum slowed. The seventh-level Golden Core was shaken—his full-force attack had only blocked Joe Di’s slash, and the backlash of true essence churned his dantian.
This cultivator was definitely not just a first-level Golden Core!
As the seventh-level Golden Core realized Joe Di wasn’t a mere first-level, the remaining force of the Riftblade slammed into him.
He hadn’t blocked it completely? The seventh-level Golden Core was even more stunned. Though Joe Di’s Riftblade was no longer lethal after the cymbals’ block, his full-power strike hadn’t stopped the blade wave—Joe Di was not just stronger than a first-level, but even stronger than him.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Almost simultaneously, Joe Di’s three fist winds from Peak Gathering collided with the attacks of the other three Golden Core cultivators. Joe Di spat out a mouthful of blood, and with a splat, a streak of blood gushed from his waist.
Even though Joe Di’s Bleakwind Blade had first attacked the eighth-level Golden Core, that cultivator still managed to block it and, with a spear, carved a deep bloody groove into Joe Di’s waist.
Joe Di twisted his body at the last moment—otherwise, that spear would have torn his waist open completely.