Young people were naturally daring and unconventional. Wu You and Gan Ning took it much better than Ziju Min. They werenât particularly interested in what history had to say, choosing instead to trust their own gut.
âElder Ziju, historical records are meant to be broken. Hasnât senior brother Jiang Chen done that countless times? Heâs accomplished the impossible every single time.â Wu You mentioned Jiang Chenâs name with immense confidence.
âExactly. Records are meant to be broken. No matter how scary the tenth island is, itâs just a trial in the end. The senior brother has passed the eighth and ninth without problems, so the tenth should be a piece of cake too. I have a feeling that heâll come out of the trial completely successful!â
The two youthsâ assurance was infectious. Ziju Min couldnât help but begin to agree. Yes, if young people could trust each other so implicitly, why couldnât he? Wasnât he a venerated elder?
âFirst Prime, Wu You and Gan Ning make good points. Doing the impossible has become Jiang Chenâs signature. He has infinite potential to do whatever he sets his mind to!â
The look in the first primeâs eyes became conflicted. Her tone was filled with regret and self-blame. âIt might be different this time. I was careless...â
The other sacred landsâ executives saw Eternalâs first prime grimace. They realized that the topic was likely a painful one for her.
Some fell silent, but others added insult to injury. âI hear that the tenth island is as good as hell on earth. Thereâs only death to be found there. I wonder if thatâs true? After all, no oneâs even been to that island in the last ten thousand years. Perhaps this genius will serve as the touchstone to this rumor?â
âIf the rumors are true, it would be a great shame. No matter which faction the genius is from, Myriad Abyss Island aches at their loss.â
âIndeed. To lose a genius capable of passing through the ninth trial is a real tragedy.â
The first prime felt her anxiety intensify. She wouldnât be able to answer to the venerated forefather if Jiang Chen died here. She didnât know how angry heâd be once he arrived.
Two more geniuses were eliminated from the trials at this time. They had failed at the eighth island.
The hours wasted away as more and more made their respective exits. Only four remained now.
Two were from the Flora Sacred Land. Lu Mingye, and Shi Qinglu. One was Sunriseâs Holy Girl Si Tong. Of course, the last was Eternalâs Jiang Chen.
These were generally considered the strongest of their generation. Jiang Chen was easily the most popular. The prevailing opinion began to turn to him being the one whoâd entered the tenth island.
The air became increasingly tense. The sacred lands whose geniuses were eliminated were a little upset, but also thankful. At least their geniuses had come back alive!
Two hours later, one more was ejected. It was Lu Mingye this time!
Tired, harried, and with frustration plain on his face, Lu Mingyeâs first action was to ask the judges whether he was the last to exit.
When he heard that three more yet remained, he felt a heavy blow upon his chest. He was furious that he had been forced out due to a lapse in focus.
The truth was much worse than heâd hoped. Three geniuses had proven to be superior to him!
Their names only brought further shadows to his face. As he expected, it was the opponents he was most wary of. However, Shi Qinglu and Si Tong had done far worse in the first round than him.
If these two were eliminated by the eighth trial as well, their final scores for this segment wouldnât be too far apart. Their rewards might be different, but he would be in the overall lead still.
But that Jiang Chen...
Lu Mingye gnashed his teeth at the thought of the Eternal genius. How could that kid still be inside? What gave him the right to walk all over Lu Mingye??
He absolutely couldnât stand it. Jealousy consumed his soul like a viper.
However, he quickly heard that one of the geniuses had entered the tenth restricted island. At first, his head spun in a daze, but the circulating rumor that no other genius in history had come out alive relieved him.
Lu Mingye almost wanted to throw his head back and crow. Heaven was smiling upon him!
He knew better than anyone that the only genius capable of reaching the tenth island had to be Jiang Chen.
It couldnât be Si Tong or Shi Qinglu, because their strengths were comparable to his.
The difference between Jiang Chen and himself was large enough to despair over. He was immensely grateful that such a dreadful truth existed in the first place.
Schadenfreude filled his heart. âGood, good! I hope he never comes back out. He deserves to die for being so far above everyone else. He doesnât know when to keep a low profile. Heaven itself is against him! Iâd like to see him struggle now!â
Lu Mingye hadnât actually lost at Jiang Chenâs hands, but deep down, he hated the Eternal genius far more than Shi Qinglu did.
Shi Qinglu respected Jiang Chen to a certain degree after her loss.
Though Lu Mingye hadnât fought with Jiang Chen, he had been scared into hiding from the other. This was a perpetual black mark upon his record.
The only way he could ignore it would be if Jiang Chen died here.
After six hours passed, Si Tong and Shi Qinglu re-emerged as well. They were unable to pass through the Scouring Astral Wind, and thus eliminated.
Now, everything was clear. Jiang Chen was the only one who remained within.
It was just as everyone had guessed earlier. He really was the genius at the forefront! His incredible genius was the envy of all. Perhaps heaven envied him as well?
The first prime was ghastly pale. She was a little panicked now.
âSince no one has come out from the tenth island in history, this round is over, right?â someone spoke up.
âYes, itâs over. Letâs tally the results. Sigh!â
The first prime immediately found an outlet for her anger. âWho said itâs over? Nothing is over before the time limit is up!â