Chapter 1041: Emperor Peerless
Of course, Jiang Chen wasn’t a person who took advantage of
a situation for personal gain. But he looked like one to Temple of Cleansing
Fire though. First, he was an unfamiliar face. A stranger naturally evoked a
sense of untrustworthiness. Second, he looked like a very young man. He just didn’t
look like someone who could win all the way to become an arena lord.
Considering his age, he would have to be a descendant of a great emperor
faction at minimum to compete for the seat of arena lord. It was almost
impossible for an average young genius to become one.
If he used his influence, then he might have a shot at
fighting for the seat of assistant arena lord. Therefore, to the people of
Temple of Cleansing Fire, Jiang Chen hadn’t come here to compete seriously. He
was here to achieve a personal goal.
Jiang Chen didn’t bother to explain himself. The truth spoke
louder than words. He slapped a hundred million spirit stones worth of deposit
on the table. Right now, money was more persuasive than anything he could say.
Even if he wasn’t here to compete seriously, he still had the money to do
whatever he wanted. Plus, he was a man who could pay a hundred million spirit
stones to participate in a competition. Would someone as rich as him really
care about losing ten million saint spirit stones even if he did lose? He
obviously wouldn’t.
It wasn’t like there were no youngsters In Pillfire City who
could produce a hundred million at all. There had to be a small group of people
like this somewhere. However, these people might not have acted as brazenly as
he did.
The administrator gave Jiang Chen a complicated look.
Although he still didn’t trust Jiang Chen, the latter could pay the deposit. He
had no reason to bar him from the competition. Left with no choice, the
administrator could only process Jiang Chen’s registration per standard
regulation. He over the receipt and participation token. He also gave Jiang
Chen a reminder.
“Please show up six days later to participate in the arena
lord selection. Remember, you won’t be admitted if you miss the deadline. We
will also claim 10% of your deposit as if you’ve lost the competition.”
Although the administrator didn’t trust Jiang Chen, he didn’t allow his
feelings to interfere with his job. He did his job and had given his advice. No
one could say that he didn’t act professionally.
Jiang Chen himself knew that the administrator didn’t trust
him. He didn’t mind it and made to leave with a smile after putting away the
receipt and participation token. He didn’t take more than a few steps before a
ridiculing sneer rang behind his back.
“People sure are crazy these days, to think that a kid still
wet behind his ears would partake in the Bounty Arena. Is it just me, or has
the world changed recently?”
“Hehe, he’s young. Maybe he doesn’t know what he’s about to
face.”
“Ai, can you two stop talking for a bit? He has the money,
and he can do whatever he wants with it.” There was no doubt that young Jiang
Chen’s registration made a lot of people unhappy. After all, most registrants
were elderly. The rest were all middle-aged men or women. At the very least,
they didn’t look young.
On the other hand, Jiang Chen looked around his twenties at
most. There was no doubt that his presence in the Bounty Arena’s registration
area was a glaring beacon to others. Of course, there were some powerful
experts who had sent their disciples or servants to register on their behalf.
That was why many thought that this young man was simply registering on behalf
of his master or his family. There was no need to attack someone like this.
Of course, these reactions went in one ear and out the other
for Jiang Chen. The world would never run out of sarcastic people, so there was
no point in remembering their words. Otherwise, the living would die from sheer
anger. Maybe I should dress older the next time I participate in an event like
this? He thought wryly. Just as he was about to walk out of Temple of Cleansing
Fire, he suddenly heard a commotion outside.
Someone cried out. “Oh heavens, am I seeing right? Is… is
that Emperor Peerless?”
“Who’s Emperor Peerless?”
“Oh heavens, just how ignorant are you? How can you not know
about Emperor Peerless?!”
“Tsk tsk. Emperor Peerless is the famous king of wandering
cultivators of the northern region. He is also one of the few wandering
cultivators who’s a great emperor without a faction of his own.”
“Emperor Peerless, he… he can’t be planning to participate
in the Bounty Arena, is he?”
“He’s probably just passing by. Emperor Peerless is a
venerable senior who made his name more than two thousand years ago. There’s no
way he would find a Bounty Arena worth participating in, would he?”
“Nonsense! Great emperors do show up in the Bounty Arenas
sometimes, okay?”
“But doesn’t that happen very rarely? Only a few great
emperors have participated in this Bounty Arena for the past couple thousand
years.”
“In any case, I feel that Emperor Peerless may be here to
participate in the Bounty Arena.”
“If he really is here to participate in the Bounty Arena,
then this place will become very lively. A person’s reputation precedes the
person themselves. I am certain that countless people will participate in the
Bounty Arena just because Emperor Peerless is present.”
For a time, all kinds of opinions were exchanged.
The discussion reached Jiang Chen the moment he stepped
through the door. He couldn’t help but look at the direction everyone was
looking at. He barely caught the glimpse of a white-haired, desolate-looking
back before it vanished from his sight.
A great emperor? It wasn’t like he had never seen one of
those before. In fact, he had interacted with quite a few of them. Still, this
Bounty Arena would become very interesting if a great emperor really did decide
to participate in the arena lord selection. That being said, the logical side
of him was nagging up a storm.
This was just a competition that was held once every ten
years. There shouldn’t be any reason for a great emperor to participate at all,
right? Forget it, I shouldn’t be concerned about someone else’s participation.
I am here to fight for my own reasons. Jiang Chen shook his head and let out an
inward quiet sigh. Still, he hoped from the bottom of his heart that a great
emperor would compete. It would no doubt raise the quality of this Bounty Arena
by quite a bit. A great emperor was sure to attract a lot of participants. That
meant that numerous high value bounty would appear as well. That would be an
opportunity to make some money and build his reputation.
He couldn’t stop wondering about Emperor Peerless during his
way back to his accommodation. “Yanyu, have you heard of someone called Emperor
Peerless?”
Lin Yanyu was a bit startled. “I also heard of him today,
master. If I’m not mistaken, he’s participating in the arena lord competition.
I even heard that he was invited by Temple of Cleansing Fire as the highlight
of the Bounty Arena. He was directly granted a slot in the arena lord
competition, so he didn’t need to participate in the selection. Moreover, I
heard that he will be an important judge during the arena lord selection.”
Jiang Chen was caught off guard. He hadn’t heard as many
rumors as Yanyu did. In fact, most of the rumors he heard was small talk and
conjectures when he went to register. Lin Yanyu’s information was actually more
complete than his. He asked ponderingly, “So, is Emperor Peerless really
participating in the Bounty Arena?”
“Mm, that’s most likely the case. Moreover, he will be
participating in the exams to select the rest of the arena lords as an
important judge of this competition.”
“As I thought, a great emperor enjoys many advantages. I
know that an arena lord is qualified to choose assistants, but he has the right
to choose even fellow arena lords. He has great power in this competition.”
Jiang Chen sighed. He didn’t feel that it was unfair through. Emperor Peerless
cultivating to the level of great emperor despite being a wandering cultivator
was proof that he was an extraordinary person. It was only natural that a
person like this had the right to skip the elimination round and be directly
granted an arena lord slot.
In fact, a great emperor didn’t have to lower himself to
participate in a small competition that happened once every ten years like this
one. Emperor Peerless had willingly stepped down from his proverbial throne to participate
in the Bounty Arena.
“Master, I’ve heard that Emperor Peerless owes the Temple of
Cleansing Fire a favor. Perhaps he’s here today to repay the favor.” Lin Yanyu
wasn’t quite sure of the accuracy of this, so his tone sounded just as
uncertain.
“How much do you know about this Emperor Peerless, Yanyu? I
heard that he hadn’t built a great emperor faction of his own?” Jiang Chen was
very curious. Normally, even a wandering great emperor would seek to build
their own faction. No great emperor would want to stay anonymous forever. The
stronger they were, the more they hoped that their talents would be inherited
and continued. Therefore, the choice of building their own faction, recruiting
their own disciples and passing on their legacy wasn’t even a choice for most
great emperors. Generally speaking, there were very, very few great emperors
who chose not to build their own faction.
Of course, this outcome wasn’t exactly uncommon in a place
as big as Divine Abyss Continent. Some were born with a passive personality,
and some never got the right opportunity to do so. There were also some people
who had their own children and didn’t need to build a faction and recruit
disciples to pass down their martial dao legacy. It could be any one of these
reasons or more.
“Master, Emperor Peerless is pretty famous in the northern
region of the human domain. In fact, a lot of big sects are quite wary of him.
I heard that the reason he didn’t build a faction is because he lost to another
great emperor during an emotional bet. The loser of the bet swore to never
build a or sect.”
“Is that so?” Jiang Chen was shocked.
The construction of a great emperor faction was a matter of
great importance. There was an enormous chasm of difference between a great
emperor with a faction and a great emperor without one. A faction meant a
multitude of supporters. Naturally, they wielded great power as a result.
Indirectly, they also possessed many resources because they had plenty of
supporters and many territories. The gap between a great emperor with a faction
and without was quite huge.
“Master, Emperor Peerless may not have a faction of his own,
but there aren’t many people who dares provoke him. After all, he has nothing
to lose. I heard that not even the great emperors of first rank sects dare
provoke Emperor Peerless without good reason.” Lin Yanyu sighed. “There is no
doubt that Emperor Peerless is a winner in life considering the heights he
achieved despite being a wandering cultivator. However, there seems to be another
version of the reason he chose not to build a faction.”
“What is it?” Jiang Chen’s interest was suddenly piqued. A
great emperor who was also a wandering cultivator was a lot more attractive to
him than those within his own faction. Jiang Chen subconsciously labeled
someone like Emperor Peerless as target for recruitment.
Chapter 1042: Enhancing the Level of the Bounty Arena
Lin Yanyu’s information web ran incredibly deep. Jiang Chen
couldn’t help but be a little curious when he heard that there was another
variation to the rumors.
“The other version is something that many dare not share in
public. Apparently, Emperor Peerless bet against another famous great emperor
because of a girl. They were both in love with the same girl, but the girl
loved Emperor Peerless. This troubled the famous great emperor greatly. He had
a better background and was a tinge stronger than Emperor Peerless, but yet, he
was unable to earn the girl’s fancy. Thus, he challenged Emperor to a battle.
The winner of the battle would earn the right to be wed to the girl.
Unfortunately, the girl’s love for Emperor Peerless was simply too deep, and
refused to accept anyone but him, regardless of the outcome of the battle. She
even publicly announced that she would only love Emperor Peerless, and Emperor
Peerless alone. This angered the other famous great emperor greatly. They
proceeded with their battle, but the betting terms had changed. The loser was
to never set up his own great emperor faction.”
Jiang Chen responded with a long silence after Lin Yanyu was
finished. It was a beautiful tale of undying love and conflict between two
unparalleled geniuses. That love had triumphed over desire for power was also
deeply romantic. There was no way to verify the rumors, but Emperor Peerless
was definitely worthy of his admiration and respect if it was true.
Not every man could forsake their dreams of conquering the
world for the sake of love, especially after breaking through to great emperor
realm where one could summon storms and winds at the motion of a hand. Having
one’s own faction was incredibly important at this realm.
Regardless of the truth, the Bounty Arena would gain an
enormous amount of legitimacy if this legendary great emperor joined the event.
He was more than happy to see this come true.
There were six more days until the selection. Jiang Chen
didn’t remain idle during this period of time. He went out to explore the city
and followed the hustle and bustle. Within a few days, he’d visited every
single place with activity. His understanding of the city had improved by leaps
and bounds. At first, he only had a rough understanding of the city, mostly
came from collected data. By immersing himself in the city, he’d gained a much
deeper understanding.
Pillfire City wasn’t on par with Veluriyam Capital and had a
dominating advantage in terms of pill dao because of a fluke. The city’s
foundation in pill dao was indeed much higher than Veluriyam Capital. More
importantly, the city’s influence in the pill world was simply uncanny.
Jiang Chen spent his time wandering the streets and noticed
many powerful experts and pill dao geniuses from various regions. They had come
to the city on a pilgrimage to further their knowledge. Veluriyam Capital
hosted visitors from all corners of the world, but they were absolutely still
no match for amount of locals. This meant that Pillfire City had an extremely
big influence to its surrounding regions. There was no fault with the claim
that they were the core of the northern Upper Eight Regions. One could
certainly say that they were the brightest and most eye catching jewel in the
north.
Jiang Chen could never refute this. The Bounty Arena alone
held great influence. The coming event was merely at a scale that was held once
every decade, and yet its lure was incredible. Powerful experts from all walks
of life flooded into the city from the surrounding regions. There was so much
activity that it seemed as though the event was only held at every turn of the
century.
The bustle was nothing compared to the Veluriyam Pagoda
gathering, but the gathering was something held every sixty years and was the
most sought after event in the capital. The Bounty Arena however, was just a
common event, sometimes even held every season.
Jiang Chen was deeply impressed by what he’d seen during the
past few days. Veluriyam Capital excels in certain areas, but its influence is
simply no match for Pillfire City. No wonder people often compare the jewel of
the north with the jewel of the south and say that Pillfire City is more
splendid. At the end of the day, influence is still incredibly important,
particularly to attract talent and formidable experts.
He was incredibly motivated after noticing the discrepancy.
Since he’d realized Veluriyam Capital’s flaw, he would have to work on
resolving it. As the young lord of Sacred Peafowl Mountain, it was his
responsibility to shoulder this responsibility. He wasn’t someone content with
mediocrity. Sacred Peafowl Mountain and Veluriyam Capital wasn’t going to
remain the same on his watch. He would strive for change now that he was in
power.
As long as I remain the young lord of Sacred Peafowl
Mountain and ruler of Veluriyam Capital, I will make sure that the Capital
exceeds Pillfire City and become the most stunning jewel in the Upper Eight
Regions. Even though the two were currently equals, Jiang Chen understood that
the latter was already beginning to move ahead of the former. The difference in
heritage was one reason why, but Emperor Peafowl’s dedication to the demon race
issue was also another deciding factor.
Veluriyam Capital would likely be ahead in the race if the
emperor wasn’t distracted by the demon race issue and focused his efforts on
catching up to Pillfire City. It was still one of the most powerful existences
in the Upper Eight Regions that no first ranked sect would ever dare offend.
But for the past few millenniums, Veluriyam Capital had been in a state of
stagnation. This meant that the Capital was content with their position in the
Upper Eight Regions, and there was no outward attempt to expand.
In the meantime, Pillfire City had been focusing their
efforts in their expansion. They weren’t just expanding their land, but also
their influence. Pillfire City had not been as influential as Veluriyam Capital
in the past. However, they’d gained much ground after a few millenniums worth
of effort. Their influence was no longer limited to just their surrounding
region. Even the mid regions had begun to rely on them more and more. They were
unknowingly drawn in by Pillfire City, though the influence was imperceptible.
Pillfire City is a lot more powerful that I thought. It
seems life in Veluriyam City has been too peaceful for its own good. The great
emperors of Veluriyam Capital weren’t frogs in a well, but Jiang Chen had
probably surpassed them in knowledge about the state of affairs in the Upper
Eight Regions after his short excursion around the city. Maybe the emperors
believed that the traditions and heritage of Veluriyam Capital was already
enough to solidify their position in the human domain, or maybe they believed
that Pillfire City was simply too far away to influence their territory.
Regardless of the reason, Jiang Chen believed that the
citizens of Veluriyam Capital were too optimistic. Emperor Peafowl likely
hadn’t considered this issue either. Pillfire City’s influence was definitely
going to spread to the borders of Veluriyam Capital one day. They would be
surrounded by the enemy on all sides by the time they realized this fact.
It’s time for Veluriyam Capital to rise up. Let me make the
first step by retrieving Mu Gaoqi from them! Jiang Chen wasn’t going to allow
anyone to trample on him. Due to greed, Pillfire City would never allow
themselves to coexist with Veluriyam Capital, even if they were miles apart
from each other. They wanted to become the single largest faction and the
singular brightest jewel in the Upper Eight Regions. Nobody else was allowed to
compete for their glory. They were destined to become the one and only of the
human domain.
Lin Yanyu didn’t remain idle either. He brought in new
information every single day.
“Master! I’ve just received news that other than Emperor
Peerless, two or three more eminent figures will be be joining the selection
test. Because of these great figures, the coming Bounty Arena has become a once
in five hundred years event!”
“Oh? Who are those eminent figures?” Jiang Chen was curious.
“I’ve heard that a very accomplished pill king will also be
joining. He’s one of the top thirty-six pill kings in the city’s millennium
pill king hall of fame at half step pill emperor realm.”
“A quasi pill emperor?”
“Yes. A peerless talisman master and formation master will
also be joining. Come to think of it, it’s quite a frightening list.”
Jiang Chen didn’t waver even the slightest when he heard Lin
Yanyu’s news. “If that’s the case, the legitimacy of the coming Bounty Arena
will increase by many folds. It’s a good thing.” He chuckled. He felt no fear
for any of those so-called eminent figures. He’d have no problems competing
with them in the coming arena lord selection. If it were a martial dao exchange,
there would be some discrepancy between strengths due to age differences. But
since it was a bounty mission, there would be nothing holding him back.
Lin Yanyu was excited by how confident his master was.
“Master, the more legitimate the event, the more famous you’ll be when you
become an arena lord. It’ll surely be of great help when you attend the Star
Harvesters’ auction.”
He had the utmost faith in Jiang Chen. The thought that his
master would fail to become an arena lord never even crossed his mind. Six days
went by in a blink of an eye. On the day of the selection, Jiang Chen brought
his receipt and participant medallion to the Temple of Cleansing Fire.
Chapter 1043: The Three Greats
The Temple of Cleansing Fire began to take the Bounty Arena
more and more seriously as time went on. It was evident from the kind of people
they sent as ushers: they were of a much higher caliber than the last time the
Arena was hosted. After verifying Jiang Chen’s participation medallion to be
without error, the ushers politely let him inside.
Moreover, there was an administrator-level guide ready for
him. If there was any suspicion in the man’s mind with regard to Jiang Chen’s
youth, he did not show it. Instead, the covert young lord was treated with a
warm smile every step of the way, his attendant maintaining a perfect
professionalism. Even if Jiang Chen wanted to find fault, there was very little
he could complain about.
It’s unsurprising that the Temple of Cleansing Fire is one
of the most powerful factions here in Pillfire City. They’re not like the rest,
that’s for sure. Invisibly, Jiang Chen’s opinion of the faction rose a fair
bit. In the selection area, he noted that the number of participants wasn’t as
high as he’d imagined.
He had originally thought that anywhere between eight
hundred to a thousand participants would come. But in actuality, a cursory scan
revealed that only one to two hundred were present. It only took another moment
for him to come to terms with that fact. People with insufficient confidence in
becoming arena lord wouldn’t just throw money away like this. After all, a
tenth of the security would be deducted as the sign-up fee upon failure.
Though the sum was affordable enough for most, there was no
reason to enter without a reasonable chance of success. There were still other
posts available. The main arena aside, they could still compete for being an
assistant. Although that was decided by the arena lord, there was no need for
the assistants to offer up a security or go through a selection. In some
respects, vying for the position of assistant was more attractive than arena
lord. Of course, the arena lord received the lion’s share of the bounties; but
the assistants didn’t have to risk any of their own money, either.
The sight of Jiang Chen making his way into the waiting area
came as a shock to those already present. The youthfulness of the new fellow
competitor was obviously surprising. He had no desire to draw attention to
himself. He sat down at an unassuming place. Once seated, he scanned his
surroundings to discover that yes, he really was the youngest among everyone
here.
His eyes drew back from a distant gaze when he suddenly ne
noticed that someone close to him was sizing him up. Turning his head, Jiang
Chen found a half-smiling face right in his own. It belonged to a
shifty-looking man on his left. Jiang Chen couldn’t help but crack a smile at
the sight of him. How quaint. There’s someone else here just like me. It was
plain as day that the other man had disguised his appearance.
Jiang Chen’s keen eyes were enough to immediately recognize
that the other person’s appearance was a clear façade. Beneath his outward
appearance was a youth, roughly the same age. In other words, Jiang Chen wasn’t
the only youngster here. This discovery piqued some of his interest in the
other person.
The ‘man’ seemed to be as keen as he. Detecting the hidden
meaning in Jiang Chen’s smile, he immediately perceived that his own jig was
up. Chuckling, he struck up a conversation. “You’re certainly very blunt and
forthright, pal. I put some thought into it, then turned myself into a little
old man. You, on the other hand, have disguised yourself as someone of the same
age. Aren’t you worried that the other old coots around here will gossip about
you?”
The fact that the young man had begun talking to Jiang Chen
on his own initiative was remarkable. He was even making faces in the process.
Jiang Chen wasn’t against talking to such an amusing guy.
“There’s no rule that the Bounty Arena won’t accept young men as candidates,
no?” He smiled faintly.
The other man cackled. “I guess not, but you might not be
picked by those wealthy bounty-setters even if you do become one, just because
you’re too young.”
That worry wasn’t entirely baseless. However, Jiang Chen saw
little reason to be concerned. In the end, he thought, it always came down to a
comparison of raw strength. The Bounty Arena took place over the better part of
a month, not a few hours. One’s ability had plenty of opportunity to stand the
test of time.
Seeing Jiang Chen’s impassivity and composure made the other
man’s eyes twist and turn in their sockets rapidly with extreme curiosity.
Suddenly, the man grinned. “Right, let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Lin Zhirong.
What should I call you, friend? Which Pillfire City house or family do you belong
to?”
“Shao Yuan.” Jiang Chen said only two simple words.
“Your name is Shao Yuan?” The man who called himself Lin
Zhirong asked.
Jiang Chen nodded. He hadn’t just made the name up
wholesale. Because his father in his previous life had been the Taiyuan Divine
Emperor, most called him by the name of ‘Crown Prince Shaoyuan’. ‘Shao Yuan’
was an obvious homophonous split of that. It also made a perfectly appropriate
alias. That was how Jiang Chen had been able to say those two words in a fit of
inspiration.
“Shao Yuan. A good name.” Lin Zhirong slapped his thigh, a
hint of flattery embedded in the gesture. “Judging by your composure, you must
be the heir of some emperor’s faction here in Pillfire, hmm?”
Jiang Chen couldn’t bother mustering a response. He shook
his head casually, presenting the same unreadable smile and stayed completely
silent.
Lin Zhirong seemed to be a particularly chatty person. He
kept talking despite Jiang Chen’s lack of a response. “Brother Shao Yuan, we’re
both youngsters here, so we should be on the same team. Let’s fend off those
old codgers together, shall we? You really should be careful. I bet they’ll
collude together and put you down.”
Jiang Chen nodded lightly, but remained quiet.
At this time, the sound of footsteps echoed out from the
interior. Several of the Temple’s senior executives briskly walked in, a
bearded, middle-aged man with a cold expression in their midst.
Lin Zhirong’s eyes lit up. “Emperor Peerless! It really is him.
Are the rumors true?”
Jiang Chen easily recognized the bearded man’s identity as
well. When he’d walked outside the Temple of Cleansing Fire’s doors after
signing up, he had seen the emperor’s silhouette. Thus, he was able to deduce
the emperor’s identity from figure alone.
The others were wearing extremely similar uniforms. Their
identity as the Temple’s executives wasn’t worth guessing.
The sight of Emperor Peerless lifted Lin Zhirong’s spirits.
His eyes glittered with eagerness, and he looked ready to pounce on his star at
any time. It almost made Jiang Chen feel that the other young had come solely
to chase after his hero. Lin Zhirong was unfazed by Jiang Chen’s stunned
expression. He gave an embarrassed smile, though he didn’t seem particularly
ashamed. “Brother Shao Yuan, Emperor Peerless is my idol.”
“I see.” Jiang Chen knew that worship of any idol was hard
to understand for those who did not. He had his own stalwart set of followers
in Veluriyam Capital. They were filled with admiration and respect for him, a
group of faithful believers. He understood what this type of people could be
like. Each person had their own idol in their hearts. Like the him in his
previous life, for example. He had been filled with admiration for his father
the Celestial Emperor, and he’d thought that he had the greatest father in the
whole world. This kind of admiration was unreduced even with the passage of
time.
“I find Emperor Peerless’s courage absolutely amazing, and
His Majesty’s attitude even more. Alas, I do not have the same bravery as he in
front of a loved girl.” As he said this, his eyes were dark and his tone sad.
He hit himself forcefully upon the head. It was a gesture of significant
self-blame.
Jiang Chen was fairly resistant to Lin Zhirong’s sudden
gestures. Still, the other young man’s saddened expression affected him
somewhat. The humorously unfettered youth was also surprisingly sentimental. He
could tell from the crystal-clear look in Lin Zhirong’s eyes.
Jiang Chen didn’t have All-Seeing Eyes, but he had his own
way of scoping people out. Lin Zhirong was a little lightheaded
personality-wise, but the look in his eyes tipped Jiang Chen off. Lin was a
deeply emotional man. Jiang Chen didn’t know what he’d been through, but one
thing was for sure. Lin Zhirong had not been as resolute as Emperor Peerless.
He had surely made a compromise of some kind instead of taking a courageous
step forward. That was the source of his regret and self-blame. However, Jiang
Chen had no interest in asking about a man’s private affairs.
At this time, a man dressed in the robes of an assistant
temple master waved both hands to silence his audience below.
“I’m pleased to announce that this Bounty Arena has been
elevated to a tricentennial status. Because of this, we’re planning to add
three new arena lord seats. We’ve pre-selected their occupants already: Emperor
Peerless; rank thirty-six in the Hall of Thousand Legends, Pill King Blue
Phoenix; and formation master Wang Xuetong.
“Why have these three masters come for the seats? It
showcases how the level of this Bounty Arena is far above what was first
expected. The rest of you will compete for the remaining nine.”
Everyone cheered at these words. It was good news for the
candidates as well. The presence of the three senior experts lent the Bounty
Arena an aura of increased legitimacy. Though they occupied three arena lord
spots, these had been added specifically for them. The original number of
available positions was unchanged. It was public opinion and expectation that
the seniors would have taken three out of the nine available seats, and rightly
so. The fact that all nine remained increased the candidates’ chances. It
wasn’t much, but anything helped.
Chapter 1044: Jiang Chen's Ambition
Jiang Chen wasn’t particularly moved by this news because
the number of seats didn’t really matter to him. His objective hadn’t changed
since the start. Even if there was only one arena lord seat left, he would do
everything in his power to take it. Since there were nine seats available, he
felt even more confident.
From the crowd’s reactions, the assistant temple master knew
that this announcement was as popular as expected. He immediately continued his
encouragement. “I hope that you will show your true skills and do everything in
your power to win this competition. I guarantee you that the scale of this
term’s Bounty Arena won’t disappoint you all. Of course, the nine arena lords
who will be joining us in this Bounty Arena later will be very powerful,
because they must first obtain our judges’ unanimous approval.”
So it seemed that Emperor Peerless, Pill King Blue Phoenix
and Formation Master Wang Xuetong would also be the judges of the arena lord
tryouts. The contestants couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. Some people
were even worried that the judges had already picked out their arena lords.
Would they put down talented and competitive candidates during the tryouts
because they felt threatened?
The assistant temple master smiled as if he’d read their
thoughts. “Don’t worry, the three judges are honorable seniors. They were
invited to attend the Bounty Arena because they are formally acknowledged to be
people of outstanding moral qualities. I have no doubt that they can represent
the objectivity of Temple of Cleansing Fire. Therefore, you don’t need to worry
about this at all.”
Lin Zhirong nodded repeatedly while jabbering in an excited
tone, “There’s no way someone as amazing as Emperor Peerless would ever commit
foul play! Hmph, it is their luck to be able to stand on the same arena as
Emperor Peerless, and they dare worry about him oppressing them through
scrupulous means? How foolish!
“What do you think, Brother Shao Yuan?” Lin Zhirong suddenly
looked at Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen smiled calmly. “We can expect honor from our
seniors. Therefore, we shouldn’t judge them with our shallow rules.”
“Hahaha, you are absolutely right. It is true that I don’t
know anything about Pill King Blue Phoenix or formation master Wang Xuetong,
but I am certain that Emperor Peerless would never lower himself to such
pathetic actions.” By ‘pathetic actions’, he meant the act of suppressing
strong opponents or opponents with potential on purpose.
To be honest, Jiang Chen himself didn’t think that they
would go so far. The Temple of Cleansing Fire wasn’t a bunch of idiots. If
something like this did happen, it would never escape their attention.
Moreover, the Temple had their own selection criteria. The only reason they
were giving the trio such special privileges was because of the trio’s high
status. Therefore, the trio would only be complicating their own lives if they
did something unfair, and that was assuming that their pride would even allow
such a thing to happen at all. On this, Jiang Chen didn’t doubt their integrity
in the slightest.
“Alright, I will now announce the selection rules.
“First, the nine arenas are split into three zones. There is
a martial dao zone, a pill dao zone and a general zone. I don’t think I need to
explain what martial dao and pill dao zones are, do I? The general zone covers
a variety of subjects such as medicine and divination, runes and formations,
mechanisms and special arts, beast taming and so on. Each zone has three seats
to be won. Therefore, you all must choose the zone you wish to participate
first before the competition can officially begin.”
To be honest, Jiang Chen could beat any one of this zones.
In fact, he was tempted to participate in two zones at once. He wasn’t sure if
the rules would allow this though. While he was hesitating, a raspy voice
suddenly cut through the air. “Temple Master Gao, this old man is somewhat
knowledgeable in both martial and pill dao. May I ask if I can challenge both
arenas?”
Apparently Jiang Chen wasn’t the only one with that thought.
Not only did the old man voice Jiang Chen’s thoughts, a lot of people echoed
his sentiment as well. There was a surprisingly large amount of people who
wanted to try.
The assistant temple master smiled slightly. “Theoretically,
a participant may challenge all three zones at once. However, are you sure you
have the energy to challenge all of them? And are you sure that you can perform
outstandingly in every zone? If you bite off more than you can chew, you may
fail to overcome even a single zone and lose everything.”
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. There were many
who understand this proverb, but the one thing the martial dao world didn’t
lack was ambitious and hungry people.
“Assistant Temple Master Gao, if the rules allow it, then my
choice is of no one’s concern. If I so happen to fail to every zone I
participate in, then I will simply be reaping what I’ve sown.” The owner of the
raspy voice was extremely stubborn.
Assistant Temple Master Gao smiled calmly. “It is allowed.
However, if you failed to triumph in any zones, your deposit will be deducted
by the same amount of zones you participated in. For example, if you
participated in three zones and failed all of them, you will lose thirty
million saint spirit stones in total.”
“I understand. As long as I’m allowed to participate in
multiple zones at once, I don’t care about losing a bit of money.” It seemed
that the owner of the raspy voice wasn’t going to change his mind no matter
what.
The owner of the raspy voice had perfectly voiced Jiang
Chen’s own thoughts. That being said, he was aware that his martial dao
strength was limited by his age. If he were to participate in the martial dao
zone, he would definitely stand out like a stork amongst chickens.
I cannot just pass by the pill dao zone and general zone
though. Still, my success will definitely cause a commotion. Regardless, he had
already made up his mind. He was certain of his victory in both zones. It wasn’t
blind confidence at all. The memories of his past life were more than capable
of sustaining his ambition. A commotion was exactly what he wanted. If he
failed to stir up a commotion, then he could not possibly garner enough
reputation to suppress his competitors at Star Harvesters’ auction later.
Alright. All those who wish to participate in the martial
dao zone arena lord tryouts, please come over here,” Assistant Temple Master
Gao said.
Half of the participants moved over to the place he pointed
to immediately. It appeared that martial dao was also the most popular even in
Pillfire City. Although Pillfire City was famed for being the strongest in pill
dao, it was still a world of martial dao.
“All those who wish to participate in the pill dao zone,
please come over here.” Another group of people got up to their feet. There
were now only twenty to thirty people left in their seats.
Nearly two hundred people had signed up, but in the end only
roughly thirty were participating in the general zone. There was no doubt that
martial dao and pill dao were much, much popular than others.
Lin Zhirong didn’t move from his seat, but he exclaimed in
surprise when he saw Jiang Chen move. “Brother Shao Yan, are you participating
in the pill dao tryouts? We are in Pillfire City, you know. The competition
will be fierce. You may as well join the general zone tryouts and try your
luck.”
“I will participate in the general zone too.” Jiang Chen
smiled. He followed the pill dao group of participants down the right corridor.
For a moment, Lin Zhirong didn’t understand what he meant.
“What did he mean when he say he’s going to participate in the general zone?”
Then the realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. He slapped his thigh
and exclaimed. “Is he planning to challenge both zones He… Is he trying to defy
all expectations?”
Lin Zhirong was utterly shocked. At first, he’d thought that
this young man had merely come to spectate and gain some experience, just like
he was. He never thought that the other was actually here to participate! Lin
Zhirong himself was a man of great background and consummate skill. However, he
dared not say that he could absolutely win a spot as arena lord.
After all, no mediocre cultivators dared participate in a
tryout like this. Even if there was, their numbers were few. It was a one in
twenty chance to succeed given the number of participants to seats. It was
plainly impossible for a cultivator without talent or skill to come out
victorious at all.
Lin Zhirong muttered to himself, “They all say that I’m
wastrel, but this boy is an even bigger wastrel than I am. That’s twenty
million saint spirit stones he just flushed down the drain!”
He still thought that Shao Yuan was treating this as a
party. To a wastrel, spending twenty million saint spirit stones for a valuable
life experience was nothing big. Also, freedom of choice was one of the
benefits of being rich.
More than seventy people were participating in pill dao. It
would be difficult to select just three arena lords from them all. All
participants had found their respective spots inside the pill battle room by
now.
“This selection is quite simple, everyone. There is a scroll
in front of you. It contains various questions about pill dao. These are
questions that we have spent more tens of thousands of years to refine. There
are a total of thirty questions inside the scroll that are split into ten
difficulty grades. Your task is to answer every question inside this scroll.
Every question gives a certain amount of points. When you are finished, your
total points will be summed up and calculated. The top three participants of
this selection will become the three arena lords of the pill dao zone.
“If you happen to score the same amount of points as another
opponent, then whoever comes forward first will become the victor.”
This general rule was applied to all pill dao exams in the
entire Divine Abyss Continent. If two participants scored the same amount of
points, then completion time would be used to determine the victor.
“Remember, you must write down your number on the scroll.
When everyone is done with their task, we will seal away the number on the
scroll. This way, the judges will not be able to see your number during the
review process. Therefore, you don’t have to worry about foul play.
“One more thing. The questions presented before you have all
been bounty missions in the past. Therefore, they are a test of your pill dao
foundation as well as reflects your ability to accomplish these missions
perfectly. Hehe, I believe that some of you want to overcome multiple zones at
once. Let’s see if you can still maintain that naive dream after you read the
questions inside.”
Chapter 1045: A Jiang Chen Looked Down By All
A barrier isolated all the seats. Their communication was
cut off from the outside world to prevent cheating. The anxious ones
immediately opened their scrolls, and cold sweat started pouring down foreheads
when they canned the questions. The questions ranged from level one to ten,
each level significantly harder than the one before. It seemed to be an easy
flight of stairs at the beginning, but the difficulty ramped up by several
multitudes with each taken step. The ninth and tenth level was so difficult
that it was like ascending the heavens.
It was an unknown whether they’d finish just these questions
on time, much less than try for another zone. And where would they even find
the energy and strength to do such a thing?
The contestants were secretly groaning with agony, except
for Jiang Chen. He’d never faced any obstacles in pill dao, whether in the
Regal Pill Palace, Veluriyam Capital, or Pillfire City. The contents of the
selection were of little problem to him. He didn’t even bother with the lower
level questions and immediately set his sights upon the tenth level questions.
These questions were meant for ninth level pill kings or a half-step pill
emperors. There were two questions that even went beyond that difficulty. Even
a legendary pill emperor would have a hard time answering these questions. However,
they were no trouble for Jiang Chen at all.
Jiang Chen answered them at a leisurely pace as he was given
three full days to finish the test, more than enough time. All questions
answered within this period of time were acknowledged, but the final ranking
still depended on the score. He read through the question slowly. Each question
was separated into ten levels, with three questions for each level. The
questions ranged from easy to difficult, to convoluted, and baffling. There was
a clear discrepancy between each level.
Jiang Chen went through the questions like a hot knife
through butter. His brush moved as quickly as the wind. It only took him four
hours to finish the first six levels. These questions were of no difficulty for
high level pill kings. Everyone answered the questions at roughly the same pace
as these questions were no obstacle when one reached seventh level pill king.
The difficulty increased exponentially starting from here on out.
Nevertheless, these were only elementary questions in Jiang
Chen’s previous life. They were so basic that it was one of the first things
children learned. He finished those in the blink of an eye. The bar was raised
again for the eighth level questions, but to Jiang Chen, it only seemed that
they’d gone to a five-year-old level. He finished them at one go and made quick
work of the ninth level questions as well.
It was at this point that he realized that his speed was too
quick. Most of the others were still stuck with seventh level questions. There
were only two that had just begun answering the eighth level questions. A day
hadn’t even passed at this point. He couldn’t glance around to see the precise
questions the others were on.
Since I’m trying to raise a big commotion, there is no need
for me to hide my true abilities right now. I might as well pull out all stops
and go for flashy showiness since I’m taking part in the selection. This is no
time to be overly cautious. Jiang Chen realized that he was on the path of no
return. Why bother hiding his true abilities when he was going to have to
reveal them sooner or later in the Bounty Arena? If anything, now was the best
time to show off!
No longer hesitant, he immediately tackled the remaining
tenth level questions. They were a lot more convoluted than the questions
before. They still weren’t difficult, but it took some time to get the answers
down in writing. He was done answering the next morning and double checked
twice to ensure everything was correct. He wrote down his participant number
and imprinted his medallion onto the seal. Nobody could secretly substitute his
scroll with another now that his personal marks were on it.
The judges expressed their surprise when Jiang Chen handed
in his scroll. Those from the Temple of Cleansing Fire and Pill King Blue
Phoenix looked at him strangely. It almost as though they were looking at an
unforeseen monster.
“You’re… handing in your scroll?” Pill King Blue Phoenix
asked after staring blankly at Jiang Chen for a second.
Jiang Chen nodded innocently. “Mm.”
“You’re handing it in early?” The pill king was still in
slight disbelief.
“Yes. I wish to try out for the general category as well. Hopefully
there is still enough time.” Jiang Chen couldn’t be bothered to have an idle
chat with the pill king.
Rendered speechless, Pill King Blue Phoenix exchanged
glances with the Temple of Cleansing Fire judges and noticed the same exact
expressions on their face. They were all thinking the same thing. Young folks
nowadays are too reckless. Is it really worth it to flaunt your wealth in such
a manner? Since you’re already participating in the selection, the least you
can do is fully utilize the three given days to finish up the questions on the
scroll. It would benefit you greatly if you ponder upon the questions
seriously. What’s with handing it in early?
They obviously thought that he was a frivolous dandy that
was merely fooling around. Even then, he was still being much too insincere.
Jiang Chen couldn’t care less about their thoughts. Everything was fine as long
as nobody stole his scroll.
“Honored judges, may I take my leave now?” Jiang Chen wanted
to confirm.
Pill King Blue Phoenix was utterly speechless. He waved his
hands as though waving off a fly. “You may leave,” he answered coldly.
He was a very strict and austere person. He viewed Jiang
Chen’s actions as an insult to pill dao. How could he possibly show the young
man a friendly face after such a bad first impression?
The judges of the Temple of Cleansing Fire acted a little
more appropriately and nodded in response. “You may leave. It’s not an issue if
you hand in the scroll early. If two are found to have equal score, the final
ranking will be based on who finished first”
They were obviously just following protocol. The words they
used were quite sincere, but Jiang Chen could tell that they didn’t think much
of him. It didn’t matter. He would’ve reacted the same if he was in their
shoes. He smiled at them and nodded before striding towards the exit.
Pill King Blue Phoenix flew into rage when Jiang Chen
finally left. “Young people nowadays are ridiculous! I wonder what family he’s
from! How can he treat such a prestigious event as a game?”
The Temple of Cleansing Fire judges understood that the pill
king was a very proper person. He had a very traditional mindset and was very
devout to pill dao. It was only natural that he would have high expectations
for the younger generation. He was angry because he believed that the person
who handed in the scroll early wasn’t taking the test seriously.
“Please calm down, Pill King Blue Phoenix. There’s always
one or two frivolous ones among the younger generation.”
“That’s true. However, the young lad seemed very polite and
respectful. I don’t think he’s one of those rascals. Maybe he really did finish
the questions?” Someone suggested quietly. Truth be told, nine out of ten
youths in Pillfire City were incredibly arrogant and full of themselves.
Someone as respectful as Jiang Chen was a rare sight in this city. He didn’t
fit the frivolous dandy stereotype at all. Another shot down the thought as
quickly as it’d arisen.
“That’s impossible. Even if he started before everyone else,
there’s no way he could finish it in such a short time. Finishing the questions
in three days is already a respectable feat. Finishing it in one day?
Impossible!”
Pill King Blue Phoenix smiled coldly without saying a word.
He’d rather save his breath than answer that question. He was certain that the
questions couldn’t be finished in one day, unless the young lad had cheated and
knew the answers beforehand. But without the Temple’s help, there was no way he
could know the answers beforehand. It was why he remained certain that the boy
was desecrating pill dao.
Jiang Chen couldn’t be bothered with what Pill King Blue
Phoenix thought of him. He left the pill dao area and immediately sped towards
the general zone selection.
The three zones had started at exactly the same time. This
meant that a little over one day had already gone by for the general zone.
There was only one and a half day remaining for the selection. He had one less
day than the other contestants.
“What? You want to cross zones and join the general zone
selection as well?” The judges were flabbergasted when they heard Jiang Chen’s
request.
The formation master, Wang Xuetong could resist asking.
“Young man, which zone did you participate in before this? Did you give up and
handed in the scroll early?”
Jiang Chen didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. Why did
everyone immediately assume that he’d given up? Was everyone blind to true
talent? He couldn’t be bothered to explain. The judges couldn’t stop him as it
was allowed in the rules.
“Master Wang, this is my participant medallion, please take a
look.” He didn’t want to waste his breath. Every minute and every second was
worth fighting for as he was already behind by one day.
Chapter 1046: The Only Cross-Zone Challenger
Though Wang Xuetong marveled at this sight, he and the other
judges didn’t hold Jiang Chen up. The young man was permitted inside. The
formation master offered further praise after Jiang Chen entered. “Just now, a
lot of people were clamoring about challenging several zones in succession. I
thought that they were naïve and reckless. I didn’t imagine that someone would
actually do it!”
“Haha, perhaps it’s a scion of some noble house who’s having
some fun. It’s only been a little more than a day. Neither martial dao nor pill
dao are easy subjects to master.”
“Yes. I’m not sure anyone can complete both sets of
questions with even three days. My guess is that he’s given up already because
he finds it too difficult. He might be trying his luck elsewhere.” The judges’
opinions of Jiang Chen were surprisingly uniform.
One of them led Jiang Chen to his seat. The youth was given
a set of questions on a scroll very quickly. The scroll was very similar to
that of the pill dao scroll. There were thirty questions in all, sorted by the
same kind of ranking system. Because the set of questions was
cross-disciplinary in nature, their required answers were much more esoteric.
However, this was no problem for him.
In his previous life, he’d managed the Tianlang Library. His
scholarship was unrivaled. No subject was foreign to him. Though his expertise
in them wasn’t nearly the same as his expertise in pill dao, it was still
incomparable knowledge on the Divine Abyss Continent.
Though the questions contained much variety and tested
minute details, this suited Jiang Chen’s tastes perfectly. Any of the
candidates here might have a staggering amount of expertise in a single
discipline: some were experts at refining talismans, some were lords at setting
formations, and still more were adepts at math and machinistry, medicine and
astrology, beast-taming, weapon-smithing… the list went on.
One had to have at least a passing knowledge of many or all
of these to do anything cross-disciplinary. It was commonly said that truly
difficult things should be left up to professionals. However, Jiang Chen was
different from the common man. He had professional talent in every field,
capable of doing anything on a whim by himself. Despite this, he wasn’t as
adroit with other disciplines the same way he was with pill dao.
Some questions warranted extended consideration to answer.
Still, a day or so of time was more than enough for him to show his prowess. At
the tail end of the third day, he finally completed the entire set of
questions. Penning his identification number as a concluding act, he impressed
it with the seal on his participant token. This marked the end of the general
zone selection.
Jiang Chen rolled up his scroll with confidence. He didn’t
make a show of submitting it early this time. His time was about up anyway, so
there was no point doing so. He firmly believed that while the rest of the
candidates might be lords of certain disciplines, they did not nearly have the
same breadth as he. Therefore, the test was essentially in the bag. As for the
discipline of pill dao, Jiang Chen did not believe it possible for him to lose
to anyone there.
Not that he was expecting to lose here either, of course. At
least one of the three spots belonged to him for sure. It was a confidence born
out of scholasticism. A confidence given to him by the memories from his
previous life.
Time was up. Everyone had to submit their scrolls. Lin
Zhirong stretched languidly, then felt his eyeballs bulge at the sight of
something incredible. He rubbed his eyes with vehemence and tried to calm
himself, then looked into the distance. Good heavens, he wasn’t hallucinating!
“Brother Shao Yuan?” It was difficult to believe what his
eyes were telling him. Lin Zhirong suspected for an instant that he was having
vision problems. Reality told him, though, that it wasn’t the case. The one he
saw was Jiang Chen, plain as day.
Seeing Lin Zhirong’s ghastly expression as the disguised
youth lunged towards him, Jiang Chen returned a kind smile. “How did you do?”
Lin Zhirong was in no mood to reply. He glanced over his
fellow youth like he was looking at a monster. In particular, he stared at
Jiang Chen’s neck; was there a second head growing from there?
“Brother Shao Yuan, so you really did come to the general zone
after all! Don’t tell me you gave up the test in the pill dao zone?” Lin
Zhirong sighed. “You’re a lot more good-for-nothing than I could ever be. I
always thought I was the wasteful and frivolous one, but you’ve beat me, all
right… haha, I definitely feel a sense of defeat here!”
“Who told you I was gave up on pill dao?” Jiang Chen was
speechless.
“Er, hmm. If you didn’t give up, how did you get here? I
didn’t even notice you come in.” During the testing process, all the candidates
were enclosed in a formation. They had no communication with the outside world.
Thus, no one else had noted Jiang Chen’s entry.
“Couldn’t I have finished the pill dao test?” Veluriyam’s
young lord shot back. It was one thing for a couple of people to have that kind
of reaction. The fact that absolutely everyone did, even his newfound friend,
Jiang Chen found to be a little depressing.
Lin Zhirong stared at Jiang Chen the same way one would at
an abomination. He tried to keep a straight, unsmiling face, punching at Jiang
Chen’s shoulder playfully. “Don’t mess around, man. You’re telling me you
finished the pill dao test? It’s not the same thing as taking a nap or eating a
meal, you know! How could it have been that simple?”
He didn’t believe it. Jiang Chen was about the same age as
him. A genius with this much life experience did not have enough of a
foundation to accomplish something so absurd, no matter how talented he was.
That went against common sense itself!
“Alright, look, Brother Shao Yuan. If you were crushed by
the pill dao test, that’s okay. It’s all in the past! It’s better to live in
the present and be merry. Hey, why not let me treat you to a drink?”
The color on Jiang Chen’s face was getting worse and worse.
Lin Zhirong tried to console his new friend, his words and expression both as
soothing as could be.
Jiang Chen had no words left. The world was a strange place.
He had told anyone who asked the truth, and only the truth. Yet, no one had
taken him seriously.
“All of the participating candidates, please refrain from
leaving the Temple of Cleansing Fire. You may rest for a few moments outside,
but do not go too far. In four hours, we will reveal the results, and the
selected ones’ identification numbers will be posted in the most prominent
place here.”
Ignoring Lin Zhirong’s mutterings, Jiang Chen strode
straight out of the Temple. He had been extremely busy for the entire three
days past. He needed a break for sure. Outside the complex, he noticed that the
adjacent square was filled with tens of thousands of people. People darted to
and fro, and the atmosphere was tangibly aflame.
Clearly, everyone here knew that this was the day the nine
arena lords would be announced for the Bounty Arena. They were waiting for the
new lords to make their first public appearance and for a first look. Those who
were interested in becoming assistants were especially keen in attending today.
Scanning the crowd, Jiang Chen found Lin Yanyu hidden
within. Their eyes met for the briefest of moments, then simultaneously looked
away. There was no greeting exchanged, and indeed no need for it. Seeing how
relaxed his master was allowed Lin Yanyu to relax himself. It seems that master
is doing very well. Obtaining an arena lord’s spot should be no problem for
him.
He was as excited as anyone else present. He had awaited
here for three days solely for the moment of the big reveal.
Within the Temple of Cleansing Fire, all of the scrolls from
the three areas had been gathered.
“Weren’t a lot of people planning on doing multiple sets of
questions? How come there’s no sight of them, hmm?” one of the judges from the
martial dao zone said.
“Now that you mention it, there was one person like that.”
Wang Xuetong replied with a wry smile. “We at the general zone received him,
actually.”
“Oh? Did he go there from the pill dao zone? There was no
one from the martial dao zone that left early,” the first judge said.
Pill King Blue Phoenix, of the pill dao zone, harrumphed
coldly. “That flighty youngster only came for the attention. He made a lot of
noise, but I doubt he has anything to show for it. How can you call that
challenging multiple subjects? In my opinion, he was challenging his own
ability to make multiple messes of things.”
Everyone laughed at that. Pill King Blue Phoenix’s
temperament was widely known, and he was not blamed for it.
Emperor Peerless, of the martial dao zone, was the only one
to become serious at the pill king’s words. “Pill King Blue Phoenix, was there
really someone who came out from the pill dao zone that wanted to challenge
another subject? Who was it, may I ask?”
“You’ll hardly know a good-for-nothing like him, emperor. I
hesitate to defile my lips by mentioning him.” The pill king was evidently
incensed.
The emperor chuckled. “It is natural for young people to do
ridiculous things in their youthful audacity. If all of them followed rules and
sense all the time, there would be no fun left in the world. I took a look
before, and only two youths signed up this time, is that right? Do you mean the
young man that looks his age, or the one that doesn’t?”
Emperor Peerless had a keen eye characteristic of many
masterful seniors. A single sweep was enough for him to roughly discern what
each candidate was like. The emperor had known that both Jiang Chen and Lin
Zhirong were youngsters as soon as he set eyes on them. Lin Zhirong’s disguise
into a middle-aged lecher hadn’t escaped the emperor’s eyes.
Pill King Blue Phoenix shook his head in silence. The formation
master, on the other hand, chuckled. “The kid that disguised himself as a
middle-aged man has been in the general zone all this time. Our pill king is
talking about the other youth.”
“Interesting, interesting.” Emperor Peerless inclined his
head slightly, the corners of his mouth slightly curving. He made no further
comments, instead waving his hand. “Let’s keep at it with the marking,
everyone.”
The emperor’s appearance under these circumstances lent him
a degree of legitimacy and face, even to the personnel of the Temple. Thus, no
one thought it inappropriate for him to utter such a command. Accordingly, the
rest of the judges began to mark the scrolls once more. A short while after, a
bewildered shout was heard from the general zone.
Master Wang Xuetong was its source. All eyes focused on the
formation master as if by prior agreement. They were curious about what could
have evoked such a noise from him.
Wang Xuetong’s expression was as odd as could be. “How is
this possible?! How?!” He cried out. It was as if he’d just seen the most
improbable thing in the world.
“What’s not possible, Master Wang? What do you see?”
“Yes, is there a problem with the scroll? Or has a marvelous
answer appeared?”
Wang Xuetong’s facial muscles shivered a little. He couldn’t
resist slamming his palm against the desk. “A genius, a true genius… all thirty
questions, flawlessly complete. This is the general zone test!”
There was an immediate uproar at his words.
Chapter 1047: Stunned
If it was the martial dao or the pill dao zone, then the
possibility that someone might be able to answer all of the questions wasn’t
entirely out of the question. But the general zone? Formation master Wang
Xuetong couldn’t possibly be joking, could he? Everyone knew that the questions
of the general zone comprised of all kinds of smaller studies and trades. The
questions in there were so random that even the most learned person couldn’t
possibly master all of them. Therefore, anyone who could answer all twenty
questions in the general zone was already an absolute all-rounder genius. But…
wasn’t that… impossible?
“Stop joking around, Master Wang.”
“Yeah, you’re not trying to tease us because we’re too
quiet, are you Master Wang?”
Wang Xuetong smiled wryly. “I wish, but… this is the truth.
Emperor Peerless, come take a look and confirm as well?”
Emperor Peerless landed next to Wang Xuetong with a shift of
his body and took the scroll. His eyes moved rapidly as he reviewed it. It took
only a moment before some measure of seriousness entered his eyes. When he was
finished, the seriousness had turned into admiration.
“It’s true, it really is true!” Emperor Peerless had
travelled across the world and gained much knowledge and experience in the
process. He’d seen all sorts of geniuses in his time. However, this was the
first time he encountered something so bizarre.
And then, something even stranger happened. A new
exclamation resounded from the pill dao zone. It was even louder than Wang
Xuetong’s.
What now? Why were the judges at the pill dao zone flustered
as well? Did someone score full marks there too?
“We have a perfect scroll too! Hahaha, this is brilliant!
Pill King Blue Phoenix, come over here and take a look. This scroll is
flawless!” The judge jumped out of his seat impatiently before passing the
scroll to Pill King Blue Phoenix. It seemed like he’d discovered a new
continent from the shock and joy on his face.
Pill King Blue Phoenix was a level-headed one, so he
accepted the scroll calmly. However, it didn’t take long before his eyebrows
rose, he lost his cool and sprang up from his seat. “Genius, an absolute
genius. Quick, find out who this person is! They are an absolute genius! The
organization of these answers and the depth of knowledge this participant
displays is so impressive that it is literally perfection incarnate!”
Those beside him couldn’t help but shoot him a reminder. “We
haven’t finished reviewing the rest of the scrolls yet, so we can’t unseal the
numbers and check who he is.”
But Pill King Blue Phoenix was already shaking with
excitement. “Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and review the rest of the
scrolls. I have no doubt that this one stands at the top of the rankings. In
fact, I dare say that the participant who answered this is a top rate genius
and the indisputable leader of the pill dao zone. An arena lord seat for the
pill dao zone is theirs already!”
Wang Xuetong echoed his sentiment as well. “You’re right, a
scroll like this deserves nothing but the top. I never thought that we’d
accidentally discover such an amazing genius in this year’s Bounty Arena!”
He couldn’t help but look at Assistant Temple Master Gao of
the Temple of Cleansing Fire. The assistant temple master smiled wryly. “You’re
not thinking that the Temple of Cleansing Fire is helping a participant to
cheat, are you? If that’s the case then allow me to say, there are absolutely
no tricks going on in the selection. I swear this on the fortunes of the Temple
of Cleansing Fire.”
To be frank, the idea had crossed both Pill King Blue
Phoenix and Wang Xuetong’s minds. For that instant, they did wonder if the Temple
had given out answer keys beforehand in order to promote a certain participant.
How could such incredible answer scrolls be explained, otherwise? Anyone who
could answer seventy to eighty percent of the questions correctly was amazing
enough, but a perfect score? That didn’t seem possible at all.
Even the two themselves dare not say that they could answer
all of the questions perfectly.
But the supposedly impossible had happened regardless.
Moreover, the Temple of Cleansing Fire had sworn on their sect’s fortunes that
they hadn’t helped anyone unscrupulously. So not only were the owners of these
two scrolls true geniuses, but more than one genius had appeared.
Everyone had high hopes for the results of the martial dao
zone because of these perfect scores. Sadly, no such results appeared. The
unexpected ‘stimulation’ still prompted the judges to review the scrolls a lot
faster than normal. Everyone wanted to finish quickly and reveal who the two
heaven-defying geniuses were.
Two hours later, the judges had reviewed every scroll. The
results had also been ranked and were ready to be announced. The top three
participants of the martial dao zone shared almost the exact same results.
As expected, the perfect scroll was first place in the pill
dao zone. Although the second and third place participant’s scores were far
behind the champion’s, they were also far ahead of the fourth place participant.
Just the same, the perfect scroll in the general zone was even further ahead of
second and third place. The gap was so enormous that they were nearly
incomparable. This difference was the greatest out of all the zones.
After the rankings were made, the seals on the participant
numbers were broken. Everyone wanted to know who were the two geniuses, so they
matched the number to the name immediately.
Stunned amazement descended once more. The numbers on the
two scrolls were exactly the same! This meant that the two scrolls… came from
the same person.
The group felt that they had seen a ghost. How could this
be? Inspiration flashed across someone’s mind. He cried out, “Only those who
challenged both zones can have two scrolls!”
His words broke them out of their confusion.
“Yeah, that’s the only explanation why the same number has
appeared on two different scrolls!”
“Tsk tsk, unbelievable, truly unbelievable. They both came
from the same person? How… how is this possible?”
“Am I dreaming? Did this candidate seriously finish two
exams in three days and take the first place in both zones? Are… are they
trying to defy logic or something?”
“Just who is this person?” Everyone’s gaze suddenly turned a
little odd. When they looked at Pill King Blue Phoenix once more, they noticed
that a look of deep embarrassment had colored his expression.
Who was it?
It was the ‘good-for-nothing’ Pill King Blue Phoenix
criticized heavily earlier. It was the fellow that the pill king couldn’t be
bothered to speak of. But he was wrong. This was no fop out to cause trouble.
This was a true genius who’d challenged two zones at once and taken first
place. Pill King Blue Phoenix was completely stunned by this turn of events. He
muttered, “Blind, I was blind, I was so blind. I can’t believe I had mistaken a
genius like him as a dandy. I am so ashamed. These eyes of mine have truly
gotten old!”
He was a little close minded and fiery tempered, but he
wasn’t completely without his merits. One of them was that he always admitted
his mistakes. He never tried to disguise his faults, and he always strove to
fix them. When he learned of his mistake, he openly admitted his faults without
trying to explain or defend himself at all.
Everyone was impressed by his bearing. They were worried
that the pill king would be biased towards that young man in order to save
face. That was why no one had expressed much surprise or wear their heart on
their sleeves. The group cheered after he openly admitted his mistake. Pill
King Blue Phoenix’s actions meant that they didn’t need to worry about his
feelings, and that they were free to be happy about this unprecedented genius.
Wang Xuetong was a great formation master, but right now he
had tossed all the airs of a master to the back of his mind. He paced in
excited circles, “I can’t wait any longer. This is a genius you cannot miss. It
seems that participating in this time's Bounty Arena was a wise decision!”
Pill King Blue Phoenix nodded repeatedly. He had completely
forgotten how terribly he treated that young man earlier.
Emperor Peerless was the only person who maintained his
bearing of a great emperor. He chuckled. “It is unfortunate that this boy
didn’t participate in the martial dao zone. Still, the fact that he took two
arena lord seats by himself is proof of his amazing talents. I must say that
Pillfire City’s foundation is truly enviable.”
Even Emperor Peerless had voiced his approval enviously. It
delighted the Temple of Cleansing Fire even further. This was undoubtedly great
news as the accidental discovery of such an amazing genius was a momentous
achievement.
Assistant Temple Master Gao grinned from ear to ear. “I need
to report this news to the temple master.”
He was just an assistant temple master, but also in charge
of all matters, big and small, in the Temple. There was indeed a temple master,
but he hadn’t dabbled in worldly affairs since several hundred years ago.
“Assistant Temple Master Gao, I think we should announce the
rankings first.” Pill King Blue Phoenix suggested.
Wang Xuetong also nodded. “Yes, the winners of the selection
are the crowd’s biggest concern right now. I don’t think we should make them
wait.”
The assistant temple master turned to look at Emperor
Peerless. The emperor also nodded. “Let’s post the ranking first.”
His words carried more weight than the other two experts.
Thus reassured, the assistant temple master agreed. “In that case, let us
announce the ranking first.”
The assistant temple master led at the front of the group.
The experts needed to be present as well. They needed to let the people know
that the selection was completely fair, and that no tricks whatsoever were
involved.
The entrance to the Temple of Cleansing Fire was quite jam
packed. Crowds had nearly filled the public square in front of the entrance as well.
A great mass of people filled any empty space from the temple courtyard to
Skyfire Avenue. Feverish sentiment filled the air.
The assistant temple master appeared first, followed by the
three experts. The hub bub outside the Temple instantly instantly subsided at
this. The rankings in the assistant temple master’s hands seemed to have a
magical power of instantly silencing everyone. They all stared passionately at
the precious pieces of paper.
Assistant Temple Master Gao met gazes with his own steady
one before announcing, “The wait has been long. The listing of arena lords has
been decided. We have three ranking lists here, each one representing a single
zone. All participants will be able to check their rankings. There are a total
of nine seats, and a total of eight had the fortune to be chosen as arena
lords. There is a special mark at the topmost of the ranking. You’ll know it
when you see it.”
He made a sweeping motion and the three lists flew into the
air to plaster themselves on the walls of the Temple of Cleansing Fire.
Chapter 1048: I Come From Myriad Abyss Island
There were nine arena lord seats, yet only eight people were
selected? Many immediately caught on that something was up. There was something
else at play here. The quicker ones immediately realized that someone had
earned two arena lord seats. It wasn’t unprecedented for one person to earn two
arena lord seats, but it was a once in a century occurrence. However, there was
only numbers and not a single name on the ranking list. Other than the
officials, nobody knew for sure who these numbers represented.
Assistant Temple Master Gao smiled. “Alright, those with
their number on the list, please step forward and let everyone see you.”
Many who joined the Bounty Arena tryouts were from
incredible backgrounds. Those who’d triumphed stepped out from the crowd and
walked on stage after hearing the announcement. Basking in the attention of a
crowd of millions was a very enjoyable feeling. They didn’t hesitate at all.
However, Jiang Chen wasn’t fully engrossed in the moment of glory. He was more
concerned about the Bounty Arena. Many gazes set upon him when he stepped out.
Pill King Blue Phoenix’s gaze was practically glued to him.
Wang Xuetong also seemed incredibly moved. He stared at Jiang Chen as though he
was staring at his first love.
Jiang Chen had gotten used to the limelight. After all, he
was an incredibly prominent figure and idol in Veluriyam Capital. He stepped on
the stage and greeted their complicated gazes with a faint smile. It was his
way of showing courtesy.
Assistant Temple Master Gao could immediately tell that the
young man before him was the genius who had earned two arena lord seats. He
very much admired geniuses like like the young man.
“Congratulations, young man.” He greeted Jiang Chen warmly.
The other arena lords were a little surprised by how cordial
the assistant temple master was being. Some even felt quite bitter over the
actions. They were all arena lords of equal stature. Why was the assistant
temple master being friendly to only the young man? However, something even
more surprising soon followed.
Emperor Peerless walked up to Jiang Chen without hiding his
admiration. "Such a multi-talented genius that is neither servile nor
overbearing. What a rare temperament. Very rare indeed!”
Who was Emperor Peerless? He’d seen more geniuses than there
was stars in the sky. Some like to put on mysterious airs, others faked
politeness, while yet others trembled in their boots. Those as collected as the
young man before him could be counted on a single hand. Moreover, this young
man wasn’t faking anything. His aura emanated from his body naturally.
The other arena lords became even more depressed after
Emperor Peerless approached the young man. Why was everyone putting so much
attention to him? Was it because of his age?
No ordinary person could ever stand out among millions and
obtain a seat as a arena lord. They had their own pride and dignity. They felt
a little upset when Emperor Peerless and the assistant temple master sing the
young man’s praises. They were treated quite well, but nowhere close to as good
as the young man.
What happened next shocked them even further. Pill King Blue
Phoenix approached the young man and actually bowed to him!
“Young man, I apologize for my attitude from before. This
old man must’ve been blind for failing to recognize such a great talent!” His
expression was very sincere.
Jiang Chen had realized that the pill king harbored some
misunderstandings, but he never thought that the latter would suddenly apologize
in the open. “Pill King Blue Phoenix, you speak too strongly. This young junior
didn’t explain things clearly as I was rushing to the general zone. It is I
that should apologize,” he quickly responded.
The senior executives of the Temple of Cleansing Fire nodded
approvingly at Jiang Chen. A young man of his temperament was truly a rare
breed. The common youth would likely be over the moon right now if they’d
gotten an arena lord seat by luck. They would never maintain their calm.
Jiang Chen however, didn’t seem the least bit excited.
Everything almost seemed like a matter of course. He didn’t blindly accept the
pill king’s apology or mock him like most youths would in this situation.
Instead, he had resolved the situation in a way that was most acceptable to the
pill king. One couldn’t help but praise the young man for his excellent
conduct.
The assistant temple master noticed the odd expressions on
the other arena lord’s faces. He immediately laughed and introduced Jiang Chen.
“I forgot to mention, this is a young man who stepped across two zones and
earned himself two arena lord seats. By the way, how can we address you?”
“This junior is named Shao Yuan.”
“Shao Yuan?” The assistant temple master furrowed his brows
a little. “I’m sorry for any offense, but may I ask where you’re from? I don’t
seem to remember that we have such an incredible youth in Pillfire City?”
Jiang Chen had prepared an appropriate response as he’d
anticipated this scenario. He didn’t speak in vague terms after the assistant
temple master had raised his question. Instead, he responded with a faint
smile. “This junior is not from Pillfire City. I’m from Myriad Abyss Island.”
“What?” The assistant temple master was incredibly shaken by
the response. A myriad of expressions flitted across his face. The senior
executives of the temple were also taken by surprise. They stared at Jiang
Chen, mouth wide agape, as though a monster was before them.
Emperor Peerless was also incredibly surprised. “Myriad
Abyss Island?”
Pill King Blue Phoenix and Master Wang Xuetong wasn’t immune
to the shock either. They fixed their gaze on Jiang Chen to try and figure out
what game the youth was trying to play.
“You’re from Myriad Abyss Island?” The assistant temple
master couldn’t resist asking.
Jiang Chen nodded without giving any explanations. If he
explained himself too much, it might seem like he was trying to cover up a lie.
The factions in the Upper Eight Regions weren’t familiar with Myriad Abyss
Island anyway. It was just a myth to them. He was free to conjure any story he
wished. With his background, he’d have no problem impersonating someone from
the heavenly planes, let alone Myriad Abyss Island.
The assistant temple master was at a loss for words. He
immediately turned towards Emperor Peerless to see what the all-knowing emperor
thought of this situation. The emperor let out a big sigh. “The Myriad Abyss
Island is from the story of legends. I heard that there’s place called Eternal
Divine Kingdom where countless great emperor realm experts reside. Is the
legend really true?”
The assistant temple master suddenly realized that this was
no place to discuss such things. He immediately guided them inside with a
gesture. “Let us talk inside.”
Emperor Peerless nodded. This was definitely not a topic to
be spoken about in the open. Fortunately, the crowd had made too much of a
commotion to hear their conversation.
The assistant temple master immediately announced. “Everyone
keep your calm. The eight arena lords have already been chosen. They will pick
their assistants in two hours. Everyone, please remain patient.”
Jiang Chen had disrupted the flow of the event with just a
single sentence. The assistant temple master had no choice but to postpone the
following events by two hours.
“Brother Shao, please enter.”
Jiang Chen smiled and responded with a gesture. “After you,
Assistant Temple Master Gao and seniors.”
Emperor Peerless laughed admiringly at Jiang Chen’s
excellent manners. He approached him and patted him in the shoulder. “Let’s go!
We shall enter together!”
He wasn’t hiding his admiration for Jiang Chen at all. The
other arena lords were incredibly envious. Some of these arena lords hadn’t
even heard about Myriad Abyss Island before. However, they could deduce that it
was an incredibly amazing place after hearing what Emperor Peerless had said.
Was the Myriad Abyss Island real? Did that brat really come from that legendary
place? Surely this was a scam!
Truth be told, everyone, including the Temple of Cleansing
Fire, was rather doubtful of Jiang Chen’s words. However, they would rather err
on the side of believing it was real than the other way round. The senior
executives, three seniors, and the eight arena lords convened within a secret
chamber within the Temple of Cleansing Fire.
The assistant temple master looked towards the other seven
arena lords and warned them with a sinister voice. “Dear honored guests,
whatever you hear today shall forever remain within this room. You shall never
leak anything to the outside world in any manner or form. Doing otherwise will
make you an enemy of the Temple.”
The seven arena lords immediately understood the weight of
the situation after seeing how serious the assistant temple master was being.
Someone immediately expressed their trustworthiness.
“I need you to swear upon your inner demons.” the assistant
temple master spoke firmly.
“This is no small matter. This old man shall be the first to
show my sincerity. I swear upon my inner demons that I shan’t tell anyone of
this matter except to my dao partner.” Emperor Peerless immediately swore his
vow.
The emperor was incredibly devoted to this dao partner. It
was only natural that he wouldn’t hide any secrets from her. Pill King Blue
Phoenix quickly followed. “I swear upon my inner demons that I shan’t tell
anyone of the matters spoken here today.”
There was no way Wang Xuetong could back away now that the
others had already made vows. He followed suit and swore to his inner demons.
The seven arena lords realized that it was no longer
avoidable after seeing the three great seniors swear their vows. There wasn’t
much reason for them to be hesitant. After all, they weren’t about to do
something that went against their conscience. They were only asked to keep a
secret. The people from the Temple of Cleansing Fire wasn’t exempted from the
vows either.
The assistant temple master turned towards Jiang Chen after
everyone had sworn upon their inner demons. “Brother Shao Yuan, you’ve already
seen everyone’s sincerity. Now, there’s only one question left. Are you really
from Myriad Abyss Island? Is there really such a place in the Divine Abyss
Continent?”
Jiang Chen was only using the Myriad Abyss Island’s name as
a deterrence. He never thought that they’d take it so seriously. However, he
was actually certain that the Myriad Abyss Island was real. Huang’er was the
living proof.
Chapter 1049: Attention from Emperor Peerless
The legend of Myriad Abyss Island was a weighty subject. The
seriousness of those present made Jiang Chen appreciate its impact all the
more.
Emperor Peerless stared at him with some difficulty. “Don’t
worry, young man. Tell us all that you know. If you’ve made everything up,
please make it plain to us. I will intervene on your behalf so that nothing bad
befalls you. But if you do speak the truth, then speak on.”
The emperor spoke with a very genuine tone. Jiang Chen had
no doubt of the old man’s candid character. A single look into his eyes told
Jiang Chen that.
“Emperor Peerless, Assistant Temple Master Gao. I’m sure men
of your stature know whether Myriad Abyss Island exists or not. However, let my
words be affirmation to your suspicions: it does indeed exist. It might as well
not, though, for most of the world trying to get there.”
There was no insincerity in Jiang Chen’s words.
Emperor Peerless gazed at Jiang Chen for another long while
before nodding. “As I thought,” he sighed, “There is somewhere like Myriad
Abyss Island within the Divine Abyss Continent. All is as it should be…
indeed.”
Pill King Blue Phoenix and Wang Xuetong exchanged looks,
anticipation unmistakable in their eyes.
“I didn’t think that the legends were true. Friend Shao,
stories say that those upon the island cannot leave it and enter the mortal
realms, but you…”
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. “At the end of the day, stories
are just that: stories. Not everything about them is accurate. Though the
Myriad Abyss Island has such an unspoken law, hardly everyone strictly upholds
it. In fact, many experts from the island have come to these worldly realms
over the past years. Not just the human domain, either, but that of the other races
as well. That the local factions didn’t detect their presence is hardly any
fault of theirs.”
“Mythical beings tend to keep themselves well-hidden. That’s
unsurprising.” Emperor Peerless let out another sigh. “The occasional
inexplicable events that occur in the human domain… they must have been the
hand of hidden masters. I hear that Sacred Peafowl Mountain has appointed a new
young lord lately, one with unfathomable knowledge. He apparently received
tutelage from an expert not of this world when he was young. Apparently the
expert is stronger than even great emperor! Who else could this expert be, if
not from Myriad Abyss Island?”
The mention of Veluriyam Capital turned the atmosphere
slightly sour. It was common knowledge that the city was Pillfire City’s number
one enemy. No resident of the latter could bear the former any goodwill.
However, Emperor Peerless wasn’t someone from that category. He had no horse in
the race. He’d only said what he did to make a point.
The particular turn of phrase, however, almost made Jiang
Chen’s heart jump out of his chest.
If not for the fact that the emperor’s expression did not
change one bit as he said it, Jiang Chen was almost suspicious enough to think
that the old man had found him out. But it seemed that he’d been too worried.
“Sacred Peafowl Mountain’s young lord Zhen has a lot of wind
in his sails over at Veluriyam,” Assistant Temple Master Gao said coolly.
“However, as long as the matter of the city’s heritage isn’t settled, there’ll
be plenty of internal strife for them to deal with sooner or later. So what if
young lord Zhen had some mythical master teach him while he was young? I don’t
think it’ll save him from being embroiled in all that trouble.”
The assistant temple master definitely had a grudge against
the young lord in question. There was definitely no love lost there.
Pill King Blue Phoenix and Wang Xuetong did not air their
thoughts on the subject. They maintained stoic and thoughtful expressions.
“I’m curious,” Emperor Peerless smiled faintly. “How strong
are Myriad Abyss Island’s cultivators, really? Can just a few years of tutelage
result in a genius that soars above all the Upper Eight Regions’ peers?”
All eyes fell on Jiang Chen. They wanted an answer from him.
Thankfully, the young lord had some information prepared from Huang’er in
advance. His reply was measured and unhurried. “The Myriad Abyss Island is very
large. The Eternal Divine Kingdom has no borders. Yes, it is called an island,
but it’s actually a continent several times larger than the human domain. Only
empyrean cultivators can be counted among the truly strong there. Supposedly,
the strongest surpass even that realm of cultivation.”
Empyrean? And a realm above that?
These words hammered against the assistant temple master’s
breast like a hefty fist. He was only ninth level emperor realm, and not its
peak, at that. There was little hope of him ever entering great emperor realm
for the rest of his days, much less acquire his own empyrean decree by
intuiting the truths of heaven and earth. Above empyrean realm? That was not
something he needed ever to think about.
Emperor Peerless believed Jiang Chen’s words implicitly. “As
a place of legend, Myriad Abyss Island is undoubtedly ten times superior to the
mortal realms. How did it come to be, my young friend?”
“The Island has always existed. In ancient times, Divine
Abyss Continent’s native cultivators fought with the demon race. In the
aftermath of that struggle, some of those cultivators left that land. They
passed through an endless sea before coming upon Myriad Abyss Island, their
newfound haven. There, they settled down and propagated. Ever since long ago,
the Island has neither seen the smoke of battle nor heard the drums of war. As
such, Myriad Abyss Island is the product of long-standing peace.” Jiang Chen
had come to these conclusions based on what he knew himself.
Had the Island really come about like this? He didn’t know,
but his explanation made as much sense as any other. He did refrain from
calling the ancient cultivators who’d first gone to the Island a bunch of
pacifistic cowards, however. There was no reason someone who originated from
there would disparage their ancestors.
To avoid an endless stream of questions, Jiang Chen decided
to add something. “I’ve said all I can about Myriad Abyss Island, everyone. The
rest must be left unsaid, I’m afraid.”
Those present were smart enough to understand. The young man
before them was disinclined to take questions.
“I have but a single question, if I may,” Emperor Peerless
smiled. “Can cultivators from the human domain get to Myriad Abyss Island?”
“In theory. There is great danger and risk in crossing the
endless sea. If you can obtain your very own empyrean decree, then there’s no
problem. Otherwise, the chance for a great emperor realm cultivator to forcibly
cross without dimensional coordinates is less than ten percent.”
Huang’er had told Jiang Chen all of this as well. Empyrean
cultivators aside, Myriad Abyss Island clearly did not want outsiders to get
in. They felt that the mortal realms had been polluted in the ancient battle
against the demon race. Accordingly, the bloodlines of said realms were no
longer pure. How could an island that touted themselves as a sacred land of
divines allow impurities into their midst? Despite that… empyrean cultivators
were another matter altogether.
Jiang Chen didn’t care for Myriad Abyss Island’s philosophy.
From his point of view, Myriad Abyss Island had initially been populated by a
bunch of deserters and wimps. Their descendants could be no better, nor could
the place where they lived and gathered.
Assistant Temple Master Gao had a bellyful of questions of
his own, but Jiang Chen’s stern attitude made him think twice. He was unlikely
to get answers to any of them even if he did press further. Suppressing his
curiosity, he said, “Young master Shao, we at the Temple of Cleansing Fire are
blessed with your presence. You are from Myriad Abyss Island, yet you’ve graced
us with your participation in the Bounty Arena. I fully expect you to give us
an extraordinary performance.”
He said he was from Myriad Abyss Island, right? We’ll see if
his bite is as potent as his bark. Both of Jiang Chen's test scrolls had been
superb, but a practical display better showed one's true mettle. To be honest,
the assistant temple master distrusted the young man’s origin claims still.
That aside, there was every indication that he wasn’t like any genius of the
human domain. The human domain had numerous geniuses, but none of his caliber.
Emperor Peerless roared with laughter. “Hard to imagine that
I’d get the opportunity to participate in the Bounty Arena with a Myriad Abyss
Island genius! This has been absolutely worth my while.”
Even without Jiang Chen saying he was from the Island, the
emperor’s attitude towards him had been one of carefree appreciation.
Praise did not cause Jiang Chen to lose himself. “I am
simply a youngster like any other,” he said humbly. “There is no need to give
me undue praise, Senior Peerless.”
“Haha, I don’t think it’s at all undue. No, no. How could
any praise be so for a genius from Myriad Abyss Island? Come on, let’s go pick
some assistants.”
The emperor’s authority here was sovereign. Truthfully,
Assistant Temple Master Gao lacked the face to request his presence. The reason
he had decided to come for the Bounty Arena was twofold. One was to return a
favor, but the other was yet unrevealed. There was no way that the assistant
temple master could oppose the older man.
The other arena lords were quite envious of the way their
younger peer was being treated, but what could they do? Complain?
Jiang Chen had the necessary knowledge and skill. Moreover,
he was from Myriad Abyss Island. Either of these two factors meant that the
Temple had to give him more than sufficient respect. Not to mention how much
Emperor Peerless was applauding the youth…
Occupying the position of a single arena master allowed one
to select up to nine assistants. Because Jiang Chen had two, he could pick
eighteen. This made him doubly attractive to everyone outside. The instant he
left the premises, countless rushed up in an attempt to become his assistant
through flattery. Alas, Emperor Peerless’s protection of the young man was
reason enough for them to reconsider. They lacked the courage to put their
plans into action. The pressure of a great emperor cultivator was truly very
intimidating.
“Young man, you cannot afford to be too casual with your
choices for assistants. Some are skill-less charlatans who can only work to
your detriment. Don’t be afraid of angering people. If you need it, I’ll be
here to offer you an additional fear factor. Ignore anyone that you’re not
satisfied with, no matter what they say or do.” Emperor Peerless was being
excessively kind to Jiang Chen. He instructed and supported the young man in
every capacity, the assistant-picking process included.
Jiang Chen was quite appreciative of the old emperor’s
patronage. With the emperor backing him up, the swindlers and phonies were
loath to approach. It saved him a lot of trouble. The young lord of Veluriyam
had very peculiar standards for picking his assistants. His first was that they
had to be wandering cultivators. Those who were not were instantly out of the
equation.
This rule eliminated most from his pool of consideration.
Emperor Peerless found that a little odd. Because he was a
wandering cultivator as well, he wondered whether the young man was doing so
out of deference to him? But the young man’s actual behavior indicated no such
thing.
Chapter 1050: The Bounty Arena Begins
Jiang Chen truly wasn’t planning on currying favor with
Emperor Peerless. However, he was very interested in the emperor, just like the
latter was very interested in him. Jiang Chen didn’t rush to recruit his
assistants. He was a principled person, and he wished recruit his assistants to
his banner as well. That was why he set a very high bar of entry.
His first requirement was that all who wished to become his
assistant must be wandering cultivators. Wandering cultivators had no other
ties, so they would be easier to recruit than ones supported by various sects
and powers. Although most wandering cultivators preferred to be free and had
unrestrained personalities, Jiang Chen still preferred to interact with them
compared to the cultivators of big powers.
He wasn’t worried if some cultivators might fake their
abilities in attempt to get in. To begin with, those with true power and
influence would never disguise themselves as a wandering cultivator just to be
an assistant. They would think the act beneath them. This was just one example
of how much more complicated Jiang Chen’s assistant selection process was
compared to the other arena lords.
Jiang Chen preferred to recruit only the best of the best,
so he never lowered his bar even if it made the selection process difficult. He
would rather send most away than accept anyone who didn’t meet his
requirements. Although Emperor Peerless didn’t understand why Jiang Chen was
being so selective with his assistants, he didn’t go back on his promise to
protect the lad.
Lin Yanyu used the opportunity to meet up with Jiang Chen
and join him as a wandering cultivator. Lin Zhirong hadn’t made arena lord, but
for some reason he just wouldn’t stop pestering Jiang Chen to make him a
assistant. In the end, Jiang Chen gave him a slot on the basis of their brief
friendship.
Three days later, Jiang Chen had filled only twelve out of
the eighteen slots that were allocated to him. He decided to gift the remaining
six slots to Emperor Peerless as a favor since he wasn’t going to use them
anyway. “Senior Peerless, I don’t plan to use the six remaining slots I have.
If you have any suitable candidates in mind, please use them as you see fit.”
Emperor Peerless was a little astonished. A assistant slot
was in high demand. There were countless people who couldn’t get one even if
they wanted to. But this young man had just given him six of them! This
generosity alone was worth Emperor Peerless’ approval. He found it very hard to
dislike a young man like him. However, the emperor wasn’t a greedy person. He
smiled at Jiang Chen. “In that case, I shall find two more candidates for you.
As for the remaining four, why don’t you check with Pill King Blue Phoenix and
Formation Master Wang Xuetong to see if they have anyone in mind?”
Emperor Peerless knew that Jiang Chen was doing him a favor,
but he couldn’t possibly accept all six slots from him. He thought that Jiang
Chen should share some of them with Pill Master Blue Phoenix and Formation
Master Wang Xuetong. This way, he would be doing everyone a favor. Jiang Chen
knew that Emperor Peerless was thinking on his behalf, so he immediately
nodded. “Of course. You are much more attentive than I am, Senior Peerless.”
Pill King Blue Phoenix was a top thirty six quasi-pill
emperor within the Pillfire Hall of Fame. Naturally, his network was widespread.
Jiang Chen knew that Pill King Blue Phoenix had no problems fulfilling those
two slots, and he would be giving the pill king a favor too. The pill king was
naturally delighted and admired Jiang Chen even more.
Formation Master Wang Xuetong was of the same opinion. When
he heard that Jiang Chen wanted to gift him two assistant slots, he was very
pleased and honored by the gift. If two assistant slots was enough for Jiang
Chen to gain favor with Formation Master Wang Xuetong, whyever not?
With the aid of his three seniors, Jiang Chen finally filled
the eighteen assistant slots. The Temple of Cleansing Fire was more or less
done with their preparations as well when he was done. And so, the Bounty Arena
began.
Nine main arenas were aligned around the enormous public
square at the Temple of Cleansing Fire’s entrance in order of seniority.
Emperor Peerless was given the first main arena, followed by Pill King Blue
Phoenix and Formation Maser Wang Xuetong. Jiang Chen was given the fourth main
arena, second only to the three seniors, because he hailed from Myriad Abyss
Island.
The arenas for martial dao, pill dao and the general zone
were all different from each other. This made it very easy for those with
bounty missions to locate their intended zones. The Bounty Arena lasted for a
short fifteen days, therefore, it bustled with activity the moment it started.
Not everyone could just walk up to an arena lord and offer their mission
however. Every participant was required to draw lots first and see if they
obtained the right to post a bounty. If they didn’t, they could only wait for
the next chance.
The atmosphere livened up in no time. That Jiang Chen took
two arena lord seats for himself made him a center of attention of the Bounty
Arena. However, there were many people who didn’t seek him out because he was
too young. The three great seniors were most people’s first choice.
The first choice of the martial dao zone was of course
Emperor Peerless. The first choice of the pill dao zone was Pill King Blue
Phoenix. Finally, the first choice of the general zone was Formation Master
Wang Xuetong. This was only normal. After all, seniority and prestige was
important in all domains of study, and these three experts were representatives
of the highest authority in their respective domains.
Jiang Chen didn’t envy them. He wasn’t interested in small
bounties. He found the small bounties that kept landing in his arenas to be
utterly beneath his attention. So he allowed his assistants to resolve all of
the missions. This was especially true when it came to pill dao. In this
regard, Jiang Chen delegated practically all of his work to Lin Yanyu. As a
result, Lin Yanyu became the busiest assistant in both arenas. As for Lin
Zhirong, Jiang Chen secretly observed him for a moment and discovered that he
was surprisingly talented. His had a wide assortment of knowledge and was able
to provide some unique opinions no matter what kind of missions he was dealing
with.
Most of the people who attended the Bounty Arena were
focused on martial dao and pill dao. Although there were plenty of people who
visited the general zone, the number of visitors were lesser compared to the
other two. The busiest arena was Emperor Peerless’ arena.
Although Jiang Chen’s arena was slightly far away from the
emperor’s arena, he could still see that it was filled with people. It was
clear that a great emperor held unparalleled attractiveness.
Even Pill King Blue Phoenix and Formation Master Wang
Xuetong’s arenas weren’t nearly as busy as Emperor Peerless’. Jiang Chen
suspected that supplicants weren’t here to post bounties, but to form ties with
the emperor. However, Emperor Peerless was very patient. He didn’t lose his
temper because of this.
The emperor aside, Pill King Blue Phoenix was probably the
second busiest person of the Bounty Arena. However, the pill king seemed intent
on helping out Jiang Chen as he kept pushing people to Jiang Chen’s side
whenever he got a little too busy. He kept introducing people to Jiang Chen’s
main arena, telling them that Jiang Chen was a young man of extraordinary
talent who impressed even him. Thanks to Pill King Blue Phoenix’s
recommendation, people tentatively visited Jiang Chen’s arena in hopes of
getting their bounties resolved. That was how Jiang Chen’s arenas slowly grew
in numbers.
“Arena Lord, I’m not very confident that I can solve this
friend’s problem. Can you check this?” Lin Yanyu led a supplicant in front of
Jiang Chen.
Lin Yanyu knew that his master found the average bounties to
be beneath his attention. That was he did his best to solve all these questions
on his own. Even when he really couldn’t answer them, he would turn the
question to other pill dao assistants first. This time however, he couldn’t
find anyone who could solve this question confidently even though he had
checked with every pill dao assistant. This was why he’d finally turned to his
master.
Jiang Chen glanced at the bounty. The mission rank was high
enough. It was a rank seven bounty with a reward of two million saint spirit
stones. It was also the highest rank bounty he had received in both arenas thus
far. The mission was about the cultivation of spirit herbs. After a moment of
reading, he had a rough idea of how to resolve the mission.
“I can solve this bounty, but your reward isn’t high
enough.” The cultivation of a spirit herb involved a great deal of technical
knowledge. This was a rank seven bounty worth two million saint spirit stones,
but Jiang Chen thought that it should be a rank eight bounty at least. He
didn’t think that it was worth solving at the price he was offered.
“Arena Lord Shao, I’m only here because Pill King Blue
Phoenix says that you’re a genius, you know. That’s why I gave him face and
came here to boost your business.” The poster felt a little disgruntled when he
heard that Jiang Chen wanted to up the price of his bounty. His tone and
expression was very displeased too.
Jiang Chen smiled calmly. “Pill King Blue Phoenix sent you
to me because he trusted me. If you don’t believe that I’m a suitable
candidate, you may go to other main arenas and try your luck there. Perhaps one
of them is willing to accept a lower price.”
Annoyed, the man retorted angrily, “Then there is nothing
else to say. Even if the butcher is gone, that doesn’t mean I can’t find pork
meat elsewhere.”
Jiang Chen watched the angry man leave and didn’t urge him
to stay.
“Master, can you claim that bounty?” Lin Yanyu thought that
it was a pity to let the man go just like this.
Jiang Chen nodded. “His mission isn’t a simple one, but his
reward doesn’t match its difficulty. We are the arena lords of this arena, so
we don’t need to yield too much to these supplicants and lower our status as a
result.”
Such were his principles.
In his opinion, the bounty should’ve been a rank eight,
worth five million saint spirit stones at minimum. Does that guy really think
that he could get away with just two million saint spirit stones? Jiang Chen
didn’t feel that his skills came that cheaply. Moreover, he was sure that there
were very few people who could resolve that mission. Even if there was, their
price would not go lower than five million saint spirit stones.
Lin Yanyu had unwavering faith in his master. Although he
thought that it was a great shame to miss out on two million saint spirit
stones, he was sure his master had his own reasons for doing so. They didn’t
lack bounties anyway. There were plenty of people who were still queuing
outside and waiting to get in. They didn’t lack customers at all.
And how long had it been since the Bounty Arena began? In
less than four hours, their two arenas had welcomed at least thirty
supplicants. They had accumulated more than ten million saint spirit stones up
to this point. At this rate, he was sure their income for the next half a
month’s time could only be described as handsome...
