"Benefactor, are you going to Riverfront Tower?" As soon as Yvette Tan left, Keith Fei immediately asked.
"Is the Riverfront Club inside Riverfront Tower? Then I do need to go." Joe Di replied instinctively, then remembered Keith Fei and Sherry Shi were probably here to thank him, and added, "You two should leave quickly. This isn't a place for you to stay long."
Keith Fei had a gunshot wound, and after Joe Di saved him, he was immediately blocked by people. Clearly, Keith Fei had provoked someone powerful, and Joe Di really didn't want to get involved.
Keith Fei understood what Joe Di meant. He said again, "I'm sorry, benefactor. I don't know if I've brought you trouble, but the people after us are extremely dangerous. If they find out you saved me, they definitely won't let you go."
Joe Di sighed inwardly, thinking to himself that he was already in trouble.
Seeing Joe Di remain silent, Keith Fei spoke again, "If it's not necessary, I suggest you don't go to Riverfront Tower, benefactor."
This wasn’t a martial arts manual—it was surprisingly similar to his own Whirling Fire Technique (漩火诀). [Translator’s note: The Whirling Fire Technique is a unique cultivation method practiced by Joe Di, distinct from conventional martial arts.] Could this be a Daoist cultivation method, or perhaps a manual for immortal cultivation?
Joe Di immediately tried following the small circulation (小周天) pathway shown in the first diagram. [Translator’s note: 'Small circulation' refers to a basic internal energy circuit in Daoist cultivation, running through specific meridians and acupoints.] As soon as his qi reached the Baihui (百会) point—a vital acupoint at the crown of the head—he felt a cool sensation and a clear energy permeated through.
Sherry Shi spoke up from the side, "Keith is telling the truth. Riverfront Tower is where the Peace Arena is located. If people find out you saved Keith, it really will be dangerous."
Joe Di grew serious. After his family was wiped out, he was no longer as careless as before. Now, he preferred to verify everything thoroughly.
Keith Fei continued, "The Grandwalk Codex has always been passed down in my family. But one day, my son let slip its existence while drinking, and Zane Bi found out. Zane Bi is the owner of Riverfront Tower, as well as the infamous underground Peace Arena."
"Peace Arena?" Joe Di asked, puzzled.
Keith Fei nodded. "That's right, the Peace Arena. It's the largest underground boxing ring in the country, built beneath Riverfront Tower. Zane Bi, who runs the Riverfront Group, is in charge. The tower appears to have offices, gyms, and elite clubs, but its real purpose is to conceal the Peace Arena below."
"That name is rather odd," Joe Di remarked. He wasn't surprised by the existence of such underground arenas—there were similar ones in Jiguo. The only difference was that most in Jiguo were out in the open; only a few operated in the shadows.
Keith Fei explained, "The Peace Arena got its name because once two people enter, only one leaves alive. For the loser, it's essentially a mortuary—hence the name 'Peace Arena.'"
"So it's normal for people to die in these matches?" Joe Di was shocked, then recalled how he'd killed He Shan that morning. If he hadn’t, He Shan would have killed him instead. In that case, deaths in the Peace Arena were hardly surprising—it was just that such things happened in secret.
Keith Fei replied, "Exactly. When disputes can't be settled, they're resolved in secret at the Peace Arena. The arena also hosts regular boxing matches, making it the most profitable part of Riverfront Tower. Ever since Celestia opened, martial arts have flourished. Zane Bi learned about the Grandwalk Codex and set a trap for my son Simon Fei, luring him to Las Vegas to gamble. He ended up with massive debts and was illegally detained there."
"Did Zane Bi want you to trade the Grandwalk Codex for your son?" Joe Di asked.
Keith Fei shook his head. "The Grandwalk Codex is a family heirloom—I would never trade it, no matter the reason. But I promised his mother I’d raise him to adulthood. Faced with this crisis, I had no choice but to accept Zane Bi’s alternative: fight one of his chosen fighters in the Peace Arena. If I lost, I’d hand over the Codex; if I won, my son would be freed and the debts forgiven."
"Did you win?" Joe Di sensed that Keith Fei was no ordinary man—his skills must be formidable. If he wagered the Grandwalk Codex, he must have been confident in victory.
Keith Fei gave a bitter smile. "What does winning matter? I defeated their fighter, but the referee claimed I broke the rules."
"How did you break the rules?"
"The rule of the Peace Arena is that only one person leaves alive. I beat my opponent, but I didn’t kill him—so they said I broke the rules. I knew things were bad and tried to leave immediately, but I was shot twice. If Sherry Shi hadn’t rescued me in time and brought me to you for surgery, I wouldn’t be alive today." Keith Fei finished, bowing again to Joe Di.
"Are you still planning to save your son?"
Keith Fei shook his head, remaining silent for several minutes before finally saying, "I raised him, and now I’ve risked my life to save him. I still have things I must do for the Fei family."
Sherry Shi could see Joe Di's confusion and explained, "Simon isn’t actually Keith’s biological son, so the Grandwalk Codex can’t be passed on to him. Simon resents this, and I suspect he may have revealed the Codex’s existence on purpose..."
"Sherry, Simon must have let it slip by accident," Keith Fei interrupted.
Sherry Shi changed the subject, "Keith risked his life in the Peace Arena. The fact that he survived is nothing short of a miracle."
Joe Di understood the implication: whatever debts Keith Fei owed Simon’s mother, he had now repaid in full.
Joe Di didn’t ask for further details. He patted Keith Fei on the shoulder and said, "The underground arena at Riverfront Tower will never see daylight, and since no one has come after me yet, I should be safe. As for you two, you should stay here for now. If it’s convenient, you can leave tonight. But I have a request—may I borrow the Grandwalk Codex for a while?"
Keith Fei picked up the book and handed it to Joe Di. "Brother Joe, you saved my life. If this weren’t a family heirloom, I’d give it to you outright. Please, take it and read it as long as you need. You can return it to me someday, or to my descendants."
Joe Di understood what Keith Fei meant: although the book was only lent to him, it was as good as his own. Family tradition required it to be lent, not given or gifted. If Keith Fei ever had descendants, Joe Di would need to return the book to them.
Accepting the book with excitement, Joe Di said, "Brother Keith, I only need to borrow it for one night."
The book wasn’t thick, and Joe Di was confident he could memorize it thoroughly in a single night.
Keith Fei waved his hand. "Brother Joe, I know the techniques in this book are extraordinary. But in all these years, no one in my family has ever been able to cultivate from it. So whenever you wish to return it is fine."
Joe Di thought to himself, 'But this method is easy to cultivate—I sensed it right away.' He quickly realized that immortal cultivation couldn’t be so simple. The reason he could sense it so easily must be related to the gray stone in his chest.