Ordinary Qi cultivators, if they economize, can make four or five hundred spirit stones last for several years.
But Joe Di, Garrett, and the Rootling—three people—used up more than half of them in just five days.
Joe Di had once reached the fifth level of Qi training; in five days, his cultivation returned to the fifth level. Garrett was even more remarkable—when Joe Di reached the fifth level, Garrett had already advanced to the second. The slowest to cultivate was the Rootling.
The Rootling was never adept at absorbing spirit stones. Now, even with spirit stones, its cultivation speed couldn't compare to Joe Di and Garrett. This was despite Joe Di and Garrett sweeping up large swathes of spiritual energy when they cultivated—otherwise, the Rootling would be even slower.
Bang! The defensive restriction outside Joe Di's door was struck, jolting him awake. He immediately stood up.
Joe Di's sudden movement startled Garrett and the Rootling, causing them to stop cultivating as well.
"Joe, what's going on?" Garrett asked. He was a cultivation fanatic—unless something unexpected happened, he'd keep training until he ran out of spiritual energy or got hungry.
"Someone is directly attacking our defensive restriction," Joe Di said, frowning.
"What?" Garrett exclaimed in disbelief. After three days of classes, he understood the basics of cultivation.
The greatest hatred between cultivators is when someone disrupts your secluded cultivation. Such enmity is almost as grave as killing one's parents—without a reason, it's a fight to the death.
Boom! This time, a direct attack slammed into Joe Di's protective array.
Crack! The array split open, and two people appeared at Joe Di's doorway. Joe saw clearly that the second attack landed right at the core of his array—this attacker was clearly skilled in formation arts.
"I'm cultivating in seclusion here and have no grievances with you two. What is the meaning of this?" Joe Di gripped Ouyang Tao's longsword in his hand.
Garrett was only at the second level of Qi training and hadn't learned any techniques yet—Joe Di didn't expect him to help.
"My name is Shawn Qi, from Qi Trading House in Swampsea Town. As for why I broke your protective array, I thought you knew the reason. I knocked several times, but you never responded." Shawn Qi had already investigated Joe Di before attacking his array.
The two newcomers were outsiders—one was only at the fourth level of Qi training, and the other seemed not to have cultivated at all. Now it seemed Joe Di was only at the fifth level, and the other was still at the second, his realm unstable.
"Oh, a tree spirit..." Before Joe Di could speak, Shawn Qi spotted the Sprout behind him, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
An ancient tree spirit in human form—even if it's already bonded to a master—is a priceless treasure.
"Ha! I knew it was you who stole it. I wondered where the tree spirit Qi Trading House just acquired from Swampsea Woods had gone. Turns out you two ants snuck it away!" Shawn Qi laughed, unable to hide his delight.
A staff member of the Loose Cultivator Alliance saw the crowd gathering and quickly shouted, "Everyone, these two guests disrupted others by setting up a spirit-gathering array while cultivating at Rest Pavilion. I tried to remind them, but they were brazen enough to steal Qi Trading House's tree spirit. Young Master Qi tracked them here, knocked on the door several times with no response, and only then broke the restriction. Sure enough, the tree spirit is inside."
Joe Di realized that when he set up his protective array, he had blocked out Resthaven Inn's restrictions. So when someone knocked outside, he couldn't hear it.
Still, no matter the reason, breaking his protective array was an act of deadly enmity.
"You'd better come with me to Qi Trading House and clear things up, or don't blame me for taking action now." As Shawn Qi spoke, his aura surged. Sprout was unfazed, having seen such scenes before, but Garrett was forced to take several steps back under the pressure.
"Your family runs a trading house?" Joe Di suddenly asked an unrelated question.
Shawn Qi laughed heartily. "That's right—my family runs a trading house..."
As he laughed, Shawn Qi opened his hand, and an axe appeared, its blade emanating a murderous aura that made one's skin crawl.
What Shawn Qi was most proud of was that, unlike other Qi family disciples who cultivated in comfort at home, his strength was forged through battles in Swampsea Woods. Even though he had bodyguards when he entered, whenever there was no danger, he fought alone.
To deal with Joe Di, a mid-level Qi cultivator, he didn't even need the axe—the only reason he brought it out was to intimidate.
Pretending to be frightened by Shawn Qi's axe, Joe Di quickly raised a hand to stop him. "Don't start anything here. We'll go with you to your trading house—might as well broaden our horizons."
Shawn Qi nodded in satisfaction. "Good, you know your place."
Joe Di chuckled. "If that's the case, what are we waiting for? Lead the way."
Shawn Qi was surprised by Joe Di's words and sized him up again, confirming he was only at the fifth level of Qi training and posed no threat. With a snort, Shawn Qi turned and walked away.
The cultivator who came with Shawn Qi kept his eyes on Joe Di and Garrett. Only after Joe Di and Garrett, with Sprout, followed Shawn Qi did he take up the rear.
The crowd murmured—all knew that once Joe Di left, he'd likely disappear. The cultivators who frequented Swampsea Town shook their heads; to them, Joe Di was courting death.
Qi Trading House really did hold sway in Swampsea Town, but as long as you didn't provoke them or expose your treasures, they wouldn't come after you for no reason.
...
As soon as Joe Di, Garrett, and Sprout entered Qi Trading House, Joe Di's eyes lit up.
Joe Di didn't care about the sign outside, but the treasures inside Qi Trading House were a treasure trove to him.
Pills, cultivation techniques, magical artifacts, materials, spiritual herbs...
Joe Di swept the second floor with his divine sense and found even better items there. He also noticed there were no experts present—not even a single Foundation Establishment cultivator. The strongest was Shawn Qi, who seemed to be at the peak of Qi training. If it were before he learned the Starstream Technique, Joe Di might have doubted his chances against Shawn Qi. Now, though, he had a hunch—Shawn Qi was no match for him.
"Let's talk on the third floor," Shawn Qi said, turning to Joe Di with a surprisingly gentle tone.
"I need to speak with your Foundation Establishment manager or a senior Foundation Establishment cultivator," Joe Di said seriously.
He knew that Foundation Establishment and Qi training were worlds apart. Even with the Starstream Technique compressing his true essence and forming a starry sky within him, if he encountered a Foundation Establishment expert, his cultivation would likely fall short.
Shawn Qi burst out laughing again. "Not just Foundation Establishment—even if you want to speak to a Golden Core cultivator, I have those here..."
Joe Di's heart sank, but before he could say anything, Shawn Qi continued, "Just wait a moment here and two Foundation Establishment cultivators will come to speak with you."
Hearing that no Foundation Establishment cultivators were present, Joe Di felt an inexplicable sense of relief. He was certain there were no Golden Core cultivators here—if there were, his divine sense would have detected them long ago.
"Hurry up," Shawn Qi urged when Joe Di didn't move.
Suddenly, Joe Di called out loudly, "All guests, leave Qi Trading House immediately! Young Master Qi said this place is about to be sealed off—anyone who doesn't leave at once will be killed without mercy..."
As Joe Di spoke, he swung his longsword. At that moment, he missed his cleaver—if he had it, his strength would be a level higher.
The cultivators inside the trading house heard 'killed without mercy' and, seeing Joe Di with Shawn Qi, didn't dare linger—they rushed out of Qi Trading House in no time. Some, spotting Joe Di attacking Shawn Qi at the door, sped up even more.
Who in Swampsea Town didn't know about Qi Trading House?
"Are you looking to die?" Shawn Qi finally realized Joe Di dared to drive people out of Qi Trading House.
Before he could make a move, he felt a threat of death.
Shawn Qi, after all, was at the peak of Qi training. In a flash, he knew Joe Di was ambushing him. Driven mad by this ant—just a fifth-level Qi cultivator—daring to attack him in Qi Trading House.
Before Shawn Qi could summon his giant axe, Joe Di's sword aura transformed into a terrifying blade domain and crashed down. Joe Di unleashed his Fourth Blade—Bleakwind Blade.
"Pfft!" Even though Shawn Qi reacted quickly, two sword beams turned into blade aura and pierced his waist, sending two bursts of blood mist exploding out.
Joe Di was secretly shocked—this guy was fast. Even with a surprise attack, he hadn't finished him off.
"If I don't grind your bones to dust, I'm not a Qi family disciple." Shawn Qi had summoned his giant axe and, ignoring his wounds, stared at Joe Di and spoke each word with venom.
(That's all for today's update—good night, friends!)