Swampsea Town was as bustling as ever. The incident two years ago, when the Qi Trading House was robbed, had gradually faded from memory. If not for the wanted posters for Joe Di and Garrett still hanging outside the town, few would even remember it happened.
"Big Brother, that is..." Garrett started to speak but quickly stopped himself. Even with their masks, they were still wanted by the Qi Trading House.
Joe Di didn’t pay it much mind. If the Qi Trading House didn’t put out a bounty for him, he’d actually be impressed. Seeing the wanted notice as soon as he arrived, he felt the Qi Trading House was just so-so.
If the Qi Trading House were truly formidable, they wouldn’t need to rely on others to catch him.
"Friend, do you know where Joe Di is from, and why the reward is so high?" Joe Di casually asked a passing Qi Refinement cultivator.
The cultivator glanced at Joe Di, unable to discern his cultivation, and cupped his fists politely. "I heard Joe Di and Garrett are both from Starstream School. Back then, those two were bold enough to kill Shawn Qi of the Qi Trading House. Unexpectedly, Shawn Qi was the direct grandson of Simon Qi, one of the top ten Soul Ancestors in the Qi Trading House. Elder Simon personally went to Starstream School, intending to wipe them out..."
"Starstream School was destroyed?" Joe Di was shocked. He still felt a connection to Starstream School—Elder Yu had recognized his potential and brought him there. Because he obtained the Starstream Technique, he now had the power he possessed.
One thing was certain: as long as he survived and his cultivation grew, his achievements would only rise higher.
The Qi Refinement cultivator shook his head. "They almost destroyed it, but then a Soul Ancestor elder suddenly appeared at Starstream School. Elder Simon only managed to kill four Golden Core cultivators, including Eugene Yu, who recruited Joe Di, and crippled the sect master Timothy Xiang’s arm before leaving. But Elder Simon swore to wipe out Starstream School one day."
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over Joe Di’s head. Until now, he hadn’t considered that the Qi Trading House could hold such a grudge.
"This doesn’t seem to have much to do with Starstream School. If a disciple from a sect gets into trouble, can the whole sect be blamed?" Joe Di had never experienced such unreasonable vengeance and found it hard to believe.
The Qi Refinement cultivator chuckled, "That’s nothing. The Qi Trading House even razed Garrett’s hometown, Rongyi Village, to the ground."
A surge of killing intent welled up in Joe Di’s heart. It seemed he had imagined this world to be far kinder than it was. If he didn’t uproot the Qi Trading House in his lifetime, he would never find peace.
The first time he felt such anger was when he heard the Di Family had been destroyed by King Hubert Wu. Now, hearing about Starstream School and Garrett’s hometown, the killing intent within him surged like a raging tide.
After saying his piece, the Qi Refinement cultivator didn’t pay them any more attention and walked into Swampsea Town.
Garrett was trembling all over, his eyes brimming with tears. He had grown up in Rongyi Village, and though many villagers looked down on him, at least they never treated him with malice. He was able to grow up and leave the village to study at a sect only because of the hardships his mother endured.
Before meeting Joe Di, his mother was the only person in the world who truly cared for him.
Joe Di pulled Garrett aside. "Let’s not go into Swampsea Town for now."
He suppressed the killing intent in his heart. If the Qi Trading House thought Joe Di was easy to deal with, they were blind.
"Joe..." Garrett struggled to hold back his tears, completely lost about what to do next.
Joe Di looked at Swampsea Town and said coldly, "Tonight, we’ll start with the Qi Trading House in Swampsea Town. Every Qi Trading House will become our source of cultivation resources from now on. Remember, a man may cry out of anger, but he must never do nothing after shedding tears."
With his current strength, he could rob the Qi Trading House if he wanted. If Starstream School had already been destroyed, he wouldn’t even bother wearing a mask. But since it survived, he and Garrett couldn’t let anyone recognize them as disciples of Starstream School. Even if their identities were guessed, they couldn’t be confirmed.
Joe Di also knew that even if the Qi Trading House didn’t recognize them, or if they never provoked it again, the Qi Trading House had the strength to destroy Starstream School when it wished. From what he’d seen, he understood exactly what kind of existence the Qi Trading House was.
...
As night fell, Swampsea Town gradually quieted down. Even though there was some semblance of order, most cultivators stayed in inns or their cave dwellings to cultivate after dark, rarely venturing out. No one cared what happened here at night.
Even the Qi Trading House could be robbed—no one dared claim to be stronger than the Qi Trading House.
Just as the protective array of Swampsea Town was about to close, a white-haired man carrying a long spear walked into the town.
The two guards at the entrance weren’t surprised. Swampsea Town had countless wandering cultivators like this. Many didn’t have storage bags and carried their magical weapons on their backs.
The white-haired man was actually Joe Di in disguise. Two years ago, when he first came to Swampsea Town, there were no guards. It seemed after he destroyed the Qi Trading House, the town’s management had finally improved.
Even after being robbed by Joe Di years ago, the Qi Trading House’s business was still thriving.
Under the glow of a massive light array, the four characters of Qi Trading House stood out clearly and brilliantly. As night fell, the guests gradually departed.
Joe Di didn’t enter the Qi Trading House right away. Instead, he quietly set up a trapping-killing array and an explosive array around it. The Qi Trading House’s protective formation was a peak third-grade array, but in Joe Di’s eyes, it was nothing special.
Of course, for most people, the Qi Trading House didn’t need any protective array at all.
He sent a message to Garrett, then prepared an image crystal ball before entering the Qi Trading House. He should actually thank the Qi Trading House—if not for the cultivation jade slips they had, he wouldn’t have learned how to record with an image crystal ball.
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"The inn is closed for the night. If you need anything, come back tomorrow." The Qi Trading House attendant stepped forward to block Joe Di as he entered.
Seeing that all the guests had left, Joe Di swept his divine sense through the building. He detected at least one mid-stage Golden Core cultivator and two Foundation Establishment cultivators. The rest of the attendants were all Qi Refinement cultivators—just as he’d anticipated.
"I found a strange crystal in Swampsea Woods, with a faint, ancient aura I can barely sense. I’d like to have it appraised here." As Joe Di spoke, he produced a pink diamond. With a touch of spiritual sense, a wisp of energy from the gray stone in his sea of consciousness seeped into the diamond.
"No matter what you’ve brought, come back tomorrow..." The attendant replied impatiently.
"Wait!" A sudden voice rang out from upstairs, and a brown-robed man appeared before Joe Di. "Let me see what you’ve got."
This brown-robed man was Gao Zhenyong, the Golden Core guardian of the Qi Trading House, at the sixth level of Golden Core. The previous guardian, Fang Leng, had perished long ago for failing to protect Shawn Qi.
Though Gao Zhenyong’s tone remained calm, his heart was surging with excitement.
Gao Zhenyong was no fool. From the stone in Joe Di’s hand, he sensed an indescribable aura of the Dao of Heaven and Earth. Even letting his spiritual sense linger on it for a moment deepened his understanding of cultivation.
He was certain that if he obtained this stone, he could break through to the Soul Ancestor stage without even needing a Soul Condensation Pill.
This was definitely a supreme treasure of Heaven and Earth, likely a relic from the dawn of creation. He’d only ever read about such things in legends, but now one appeared before him—how could he not be excited?
Joe Di didn’t hand the diamond to Gao Zhenyong, but instead cupped his fists and said, "Manager, I found this in Swampsea Woods by chance. I wasn’t planning to sell it, but if you can offer the right price, I might be willing to part with it."
Gao Zhenyong raised his hand, shutting the shop and activating the protective array. Then he told the attendant, "Go inside, I’ll handle this transaction."
"Yes, sir." The attendant quickly bowed and withdrew.
The Qi Trading House’s backyard was quite large, and most of the attendants lived there.
"Let me see the item first, then I can make an offer." After the attendant left, Gao Zhenyong’s tone grew even calmer.
"A hundred thousand top-grade spirit stones. Pay up, and then you can see the item," Joe Di said without hesitation.
"I can’t gather that many spirit stones right now…"
Joe Di didn’t wait for Gao Zhenyong to finish speaking and turned to leave.
"Stop." Gao Zhenyong blocked Joe Di’s way.
"What? Planning to take it by force?" Joe Di put away the long spear on his back instead.
Gao Zhenyong sneered inwardly. Even if Joe Di put away his weapon as a show of goodwill, Gao Zhenyong was determined to get the item. Once he had it, he would leave Swampsea Town at once and try to break through to the Soul Ancestor stage.