Ninth In the World

The auction participators who were about to join in the bidding gnashed their teeth in anger. How could he increase the bid to 100 billion? Did he think that he could print money anytime he wanted?

Despite their displeasure, no one came forward, for not everybody was able to take out 100 billion without substantial consideration.

In the end, the Foundation Establishment Elixir Formula was obtained by Di Jiu. Once he got the formula, he stood up without hesitation.

What would he gain by staying, when he had no money left?

He just opened up his Spiritual Sea and acquired some mental strength. He also had seven pieces of Spirit Stones, so he had to make the best use of his time and cultivate to the fourth level of Qi. It would be best if he obtained a flying Dharma sword to play with. If he had such a Dharma artifact, he would no longer need to take a plane on his daily travels, even if he was unable to head directly to the Fairy Planet. Di Jiu carried a large amount of prohibited items on him, so although he could board a ship like Fairy No. 7, once he got on a plane, it would be extremely likely that these items would be discovered.

Almost at the same time that Di Jiu walked out of his room and stepped onto the escalator, the door to a private theater box on the third floor opened and a cloaked man walked out.

He had run out of money when he had purchased the ring, so the only reason he had waited until now to leave was because he had been watching someone.

The only person worth watching in the entire auction house had been Di Jiu.

Di Jiu was not afraid of being watched. He had already cultivated to the third level of Qi, acquired mental strength and studied the Di Clan’s saber techniques, so even if the white-haired man approached him, he would have the ability to withstand his attack.

Di Jiu sensed that someone was watching him as soon as he stepped out of the auction house. He immediately stopped in his tracks and looked back at the auction house in an effort to take a look at the person watching him.

A long time passed, yet no one came out. Di Jiu eventually turned around and left. It seemed like the person watching him dared not meet him face-to-face.

The cloaked man stood at a corner outside the auction house and watched as Di Jiu’s figure became smaller and smaller. He did not follow him.

This was the first time he felt like he was in danger after so many years of cultivating. Perhaps he was not afraid of Di Jiu, but he still did not wish to take such a risk at this point.

All he had to do was watch someone, and he was able to recognize them when they met again.

Now that he had acquired a storage ring, the most important thing to do was search for a place where he could open the ring and check out the treasures inside it. He would have time to look for Di Jiu after finding some treasures that might improve his cultivation and strength. In any case, the items Di Jiu had obtained were not just meant for a one-time use. So long as Di Jiu was still alive, he was certain that he could find him and snatch his items.

…

When Di Jiu reached the Fairy No.1 Square, he felt the gaze watching him disappear. He did not go back to check, for he did not care whether that person had been watching him in particular.

At least 10 humongous passenger liners were stopped at the outer circle of Fairy No.1. On the other side of the Fairy No. 1 Square were 10 helicopters.

“Sir, are you planning on leaving now, or are you going to stay at a hostel and wait for the auction to end first?” Just as Di Jiu was contemplating how he would leave, a young man in a blue service uniform walked over quickly and bowed before him.

“How could I leave now?” Although Di Jiu did not want to stay there, if leaving was more dangerous than staying, then he would wait a few more days.

“If you want to leave, a helicopter will take you to the Ren Ocean Island. From there, you will take a plane to leave this oceanic region,” the young man said hurriedly.

He obviously seemed to think that he should elaborate, so he added, “All auction house guests who are departing can use this service free of charge.”

“Alright. If that’s the case, then I wish to leave now,” Di Jiu said without hesitation.

He was in desperate need of a quiet location where he could cultivate.

“Please follow me, sir,” the young man said with a bow.

…

An eye-catching structure stood at the center of the Fairy Square. Outside this structure hung the words “Earth Union” written in five different national languages.

Despite how complicated the situation with the factions on the Fairy Planet was, the Earth Union undoubtedly remained the organization that controlled all these powers.

The main branch of the Earth Union was located at an office tower on the Fairy Planet.

It consisted of only 18 floors. On Earth, residential buildings usually included more than 18 floors. However, building an 18-floor tower on the Fairy Planet was no easy feat.

The speed of quantum space planes might be fast, but transporting construction materials to the Fairy Planet was not easy.

The only place where activities could take place was the huge area of the Fairy Square. Outside this area lay immediate danger.

Hence, in order to build a tower there, all materials, including reinforced concrete, had to be transported from Earth. It was very impressive that the Earth Union had been able to construct such a tower, as well as a row of laser walls that surrounded the Fairy Square, in only a few years.

In a meeting room at the top floor of the Earth Union’s main branch, a man with golden hair and a full beard was pressing his palms against the table top as he spoke in a loud, agitated voice.

His forehead was actually wrapped in a white gauze, so he seemed to be injured quite seriously.

Most people in the meeting room were either experts or representatives of various countries.

“Mr. Ai Di, what you just said is ridiculous. It is common knowledge that time and space are unique components of the universe that cannot be altered by human willpower or special techniques…” an elderly man said in a solemn tone as he stood up.

The man was Lin Fu, Earth’s most famous philologist and multidisciplinary scientist.

Ai Di did not wait for Lin Fu to finish his sentence. He immediately slapped the table top, interrupting Lin Fu rudely. “Lin Fu, it was your misjudgement that caused those treasures to end up being auctioned off on Earth. According to my speculation, the three jade slips must contain a powerful Immortal Dao cultivation technique. As for that ring, it is most definitely a storage ring. Your ignorance is a result of your lack of knowledge on immortal Dao cultivation. Storage rings can store any number of items in a large space and still feel weightless on one’s finger.”

Lin Fu did not look happy. Although he did not mind people disrespecting him, no one could question his knowledge or research findings.

However, Ai Di outranked him. He was one of the 10 most powerful connate warriors, so he even outranked Ceng Donglu, the director of the Fairy Planet’s Institute of Martial Arts, who was second on the hierarchy.

“Mr. Ai Di, why are you so certain that it was a storage ring?” a slim middle-aged man asked. This man was Ceng Donglu, the director of the Fairy Planet’s Institute of Martial Arts. Although he ranked third among the 10 most powerful connate warriors, no one would think that he was less powerful than Ai Di. He only ranked third because he was not competitive, so he did not seek to excel and outdo others. His ranking was just a result of his huge contribution to Earth’s martial arts.

He had seen the ring and the three jade slips, yet his opinion differed from Sheng Fu’s. He believed that the three jade slips were a record of a form of elementary substance.

When he heard his question, Ai Di used a milder tone. “Director Ceng, I obtained the true dao cultivation technique back when I explored the Fairy Planet, so I have already reached the fourth stage of the Qi Refinement realm and developed my spirit force. The three jade slips and that storage ring can only be used by someone who possesses spirit force.”

The meeting room fell silent for a short period of time. No one doubted Ai Di’s words. However, although Ai Di was the first person on the Fairy Planet to cultivate till the fourth stage of Qi Refinement, the first person to reach the third stage of the Qi Refinement realm had been Luo Qu.

“Inform the auction house immediately. Don’t let the jade slips and the ring be auctioned off,” a plump man, who seemed to have suddenly thought of something, said extremely fast while he stood up.

He was Fan Wenxing, the Earth Union’s head secretary. Everyone, including Fan Wenxing, understood the importance of that ring.

If the spatial area of the ring was huge, then it would be the ultimate tool for the Earth Union’s development on the Fairy Planet.

…

The auction house searched for Di Jiu and the cloaked man everywhere, but they had unfortunately both left Fairy No.1.

Di Jiu was currently preparing large amounts of dry food. He had gone back to his aircraft on the Wang Chuan Mountain Range, as this was the most ideal place for him to cultivate.

Di Jiu had been holding onto a spirit stone and absorbing Spirit Qi in a frenzy to boost his Quintessential Essence and strength. During the first two days, he had remembered to take a few bites of the dry food, but later on, he forgot completely that he was hungry and just absorbed the Spirit Qi.

As the days went by, the spirit stones by Di Jiu’s side decreased in number and his aura became more powerful. Thanks to this cultivation aura, some insects dared not even approach him.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Unkempt and unclean, Di Jiu felt a ball of fire spread inside him. An undefined obstacle to his cultivation was turned to ashes by the fireball inside his body.

A comfortable sensation that felt like an icy shower in the midst of a summer day started spreading from the spot between his eyebrows. A powerful energy suddenly surged inside him. The evolution of his Qi Circulation was much smoother this time.

Meanwhile, Di Jiu felt his Purple Palace suddenly expand. His Spiritual Force also became easier to control, even though its range increased to several dozen meters.

Di Jiu’s Spiritual Force only stopped when it reached a distance of 100 meters.

Everything within 100 meters was within his grasp. Di Jiu was shocked, yet pleasantly surprised.

He had reached the fourth stage of the Qi Refinement realm. When he had been at the third stage, his Spiritual Force had only reached a few meters, yet now it extended up to 100 meters. The difference of this cultivation was surprisingly huge.

Fortunately, Di Jiu was no rookie when it came to cultivation, so he knew that early-stage and mid-stage Qi cultivation were very different. After sensing his increased True Qi and Spiritual Force for a while, he grabbed the last spirit stone and started to stabilize his cultivation level.