Rule Three: On Celestia VII, if a guest is threatened in their own room, they may retaliate in any way they see fit. Whether a threat has occurred is determined solely by the account of the room’s occupant.
The meaning is clear: Joe Di’s killing of Frank Qi and Jackson Qian was within the bounds of the rules. That’s precisely why he had them come to his room voluntarily.
Jackson Qian glanced at the rule, then smiled faintly. "Indeed, heroes emerge from youth. In all my years, this is the first time I've heard such bold words from a young man. You have three breaths to decide: find a way to return the money, or, no matter who you are, you’ll die on this ship for nothing. You should know, the dead cannot speak to defend themselves."
"And break one of your own arms. Pay ten billion Alliance Credits to the Celestial Casino as compensation for its losses." Frank Qi added coldly.
On Celestia VII, the Celestial Casino’s daily earnings have ranged from hundreds of millions to over a billion in recent days. But after Joe Di’s incident, once word spreads, the casino’s reputation will be ruined. There’s no question it will spread—so many witnessed the game that keeping it secret is impossible.
After something like this, only the most addicted gamblers would ever come back. Ordinary people would never return.
As for demanding compensation from Joe Di, it’s because, regardless of his background, forcing him to hand over his winnings has already forged a grudge. Since that’s the case, why hold back? They might as well demand compensation and even try to break his arm.
The demand for Joe Di to break his arm is just a pretense—the real intention is to kill him. Returning the money is simply an excuse to justify murdering him.
Joe Di laughed coldly and pointed to the vast sea outside. "Will you jump out yourselves, or do I need to throw you out?"
"You’ve got guts!" Jackson Qian snorted, his hand flicking as a streak of white light shot straight at Joe Di.
In that instant, Joe Di’s spiritual power locked onto the trajectory of the white light. It wasn’t aimed to kill—it was targeting his ear.
Joe Di reached out, his movement faster than lightning, and caught the white light in his hand.
It was an extremely slender throwing knife—its blade covered in irregular rippling patterns, likely designed to alter its force mid-flight. As Joe Di gripped the Whirlwind Dagger, he immediately sensed its shifting power. This level of control was impossible without considerable skill, proving that this man was far stronger than Jia Buyao. He was certain Jia Buyao could never pull off such a feat.
If he hadn’t caught the throwing knife, it would have sliced off one of his ears, spun three hundred and sixty degrees in midair, and then come back from the other side to take his second ear.
It seemed this man intended to cut off both his ears first, then force him to surrender all his money.
"Look—" Jackson Qian had only spoken a single word before his voice abruptly cut off.
His plan was simple: after his knife took Joe Di’s ears, he would twirl the returning Whirlwind Dagger and say, 'Look, because you didn’t listen, my knife slipped.' He hoped the rest of the conversation would go smoothly, and that Joe Di wouldn’t force him to make another 'mistake' with the blade.
But after just one word, he clearly saw Joe Di holding the Whirlwind Dagger between two fingers.
How was this possible?
This Whirlwind Dagger had been designed by a world-class mechanics expert, and wielding it required immense skill. Only someone at the early Earth Rank could control it—and that was him.
In other words, no one should be able to catch his Whirlwind Dagger—not because of its sheer force, but because its power is constantly shifting. Whenever someone tries to grab it, the dagger instantly changes direction, spinning unpredictably and slicing through the hand that dares to grasp it.
But now, the impossible had become reality: this young man had actually caught his dagger.
Jackson Qian had roamed the martial world for decades, yet he had never seen anyone as formidable as Joe Di.
"You actually caught my Whirlwind Dagger?" Jackson Qian finally snapped out of his shock, unable to believe his own eyes.
"So you mean I’m not allowed to touch your dagger? I’m supposed to let it slice off my ears, then kneel and hand over my bank card?" Joe Di sneered.
"No—"
Jackson Qian had barely uttered a word when Joe Di hurled the Whirlwind Dagger. The blade shot straight through Jackson Qian’s knee, sending a spray of blood.
Joe Di regretted not knowing Jackson Qian’s technique. If he did, he would have used the Whirlwind Dagger to cut off both of Jackson Qian’s ears and then slice through his knee.
Jackson Qian’s move was certainly eye-catching.
"Thud!" Jackson Qian collapsed to his knees, terror gripping his heart.
With his skills, Jackson Qian should have easily dodged Joe Di’s strike. But he was so stunned by Joe Di catching the Whirlwind Dagger—a feat no one had managed in nearly twenty years—that he hesitated. In his mind, the dagger could be avoided, blocked, but never caught.
It was as if his faith had been shattered. For a moment, he even wondered if his throw had been up to standard.
"Please, stop..." Jackson Qian pleaded.
Frank Qi, panicking, tried to retreat. Joe Di fixed him with a cold glance. "If you sever your left arm and jump into the sea, I won’t chase you down."
To Joe Di’s surprise, Frank Qi immediately pulled a foot-long short dagger from his clothes and, without hesitation, chopped off his own arm. Once the severed limb fell to the floor, he tossed away the dagger, pressed several points on his shoulder, swallowed a few pills from his pocket, then called out a quick thanks, dashed from Joe Di’s room, and leapt into the sea.
Frank Qi was half Jackson Qian’s age, but he’d killed far more people. His sixth sense told him Joe Di meant to kill him. Before, he hadn’t cared, but after seeing Joe Di subdue Jackson Qian so easily, he knew Joe Di was truly capable of murder.
Joe Di’s words had given him a slim chance at survival. If he couldn’t seize it, he wouldn’t have lived this long.
"This guy’s got guts," Joe Di remarked in surprise, then kicked Frank Qi’s severed arm out the door and into the sea.
He had truly intended to kill Frank Qi; any hesitation would have meant death for Frank Qi, followed by Jackson Qian. He hadn’t expected his casual words to prompt Frank Qi to sever his arm and leap into the sea, offering a possible path to survival.
"I’ll jump too..." Jackson Qian called out quickly.
He could have fought Joe Di, but his courage had already failed him. He no longer dared to face Joe Di in battle.
Joe Di had no intention of letting Jackson Qian go. This man had come to kill him and planned to torment him first. Sparing him was out of the question.
Joe Di kicked Jackson Qian out the door, then stepped forward and flicked his toe at the short dagger Frank Qi had dropped.
The short dagger seemed almost alive, flying into the back of Jackson Qian’s head and following him into the sea.