The forefathers and heavyweights of the other three sects all received the news at the same time.
When they understood the circumstances of this matter, the heavyweights all itched to take action. This was a perfect opportunity to take the Purple Sun Sect down a peg!
The Purple Sun Sect had been quite domineering during this selection and they had self styled themselves as the leader of the four great sects. This had already been enough to greatly irritate the other three sects.
This time, Master Shuiyue had apparently even manipulated the matches. With the forefathersâ understanding of Master Shuiyue, that was completely possible.
Therefore, they all ran for the earth quadrant at first light.
The situation would be hard to salvage once public anger was aroused.
The four forefathers had personally made an appearance, investigating the situation and considering the testimony from the other examiners as well as the candidates.
Apart from Sunchaser, the other three forefathers all agreed that Master Shuiyue had manipulated the matches.
âFour matches in a row without pause. Which one of you can give me a reason that proves this wasnât manipulation?â Forefather Ninelion of the Myriad Spirit Sect was the first to cry out.
Forefather Icemist of the Flowing Wind Sect also shook her head. âThe traces of manipulation are too obvious. Daoist Sunchaser, your Purple Sun Sect truly was out of line in this matter.â
âDaoist Sunchaser, give us the best way to proceed.â Forefather Thousandleaf said faintly.
Sunchaser had a look of dejection on his face. He too was sorely disappointed in Master Shuiyue at the moment. Everyone was seeking to topple this wall now. If she wasnât swapped out, the three old monsters wouldnât be able to pacify the crowds either.
Judging from the candidatesâ posturing, it was very likely that they would boycott the matches if Master Shuiyue wasnât removed!
Sunchaser snorted. Although he was domineering, he was completely in the wrong here. What else could he do?
âYou three sects have long since coveted this position anyways. What do you say we can do? Will you three be able to amiably select a replacement if my sect vacates the position?â
âAnd why canât we?â Ninelion smiled. âI recommend that the other three sects nominate a person each to jointly manage the earth quadrant.â
âThat makes sense, I agree.â Icemist nodded.
Thousandleaf chuckled. âI have no opinions otherwise.â
As long as Master Shuiyue was removed and the Purple Sun Sect vacated this position, there was no big deal if the three sects held joint control over this position.
Sunchaser was dejected beyond belief, but he could only accept things silently. He snorted lightly and he flicked his glance to Jiang Chen. âYoung man, it seems like your shadow can be found in any matter that happens.â
Jiang Chen only smiled faintly when faced with the dignity of forefather Sunchaser. âThe tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease. Forefather, can you truly place the blame for what those of your sect did onto my head?â
âHahaha, well said.â Forefather Ninelion walked over, laughing heartily. âLittle fellow, Iâve heard of your recent exploits. I only want to say, damn good showing! A true genius should be like you, refusing to be cowed or to submit, unshaken by all outside powers and walking your own path.â
âOld monster Ninelion, watch the timing of your words!â Sunchaser said coldly.
âHeh heh, I speak when I want to. Can you control me? Control your own sect first and stop giving reasons for others to laugh at you.â Ninelion chuckled meaningfully and he looked jeeringly at Master Shuiyue.
Master Shuiyue was almost too ashamed to show her face. Her gaze shot viciously at Jiang Chen, hating the architect of her current circumstances.
âThis secular swine has broken two of my disciples in a row, and he has now damaged my standing and reputation, making me lose face in front of the forefathers!â
Master Shuiyue had never been of a kind sort, and her hatred for Jiang Chen now was something that wouldnât be washed clean by the waters of three rivers and five streams.
âYoung man, the suggestion I gave you last time is still in effect. A martial dao genius must choose his path well. Placing one foot right leads one down a golden avenue. Placing one foot wrong may be the first down into a bottomless abyss.â
Sunchaser laughed coldly and brandished his sleeves, âWe leave!â
A group of Purple Sun Sect executives followed behind him. Master Shuiyue stared at Jiang Chen like a viper for the longest time before bringing up the rear.
Jiang Chen knew that heâd fully offended this woman.
âYoung man, ignore that old crazy Sunchaser. Their Purple Sun Sect has long been used to acting as they would. Now that theyâve lost face this time, they had to find some words to scare you with.â Ninelion chuckled. âRemember one thing, whether itâs secular cultivators or sect disciples, we are all cultivators of the sixteen kingdom alliance at the end of the day. There are no sectarian biases in the selection, just the greater picture of the sixteen kingdom alliance.â
âOld monster Ninelion, I rarely agree with your words, but I have to this time.â Thousandleaf laughed and also walked over. âYoung man, you didnât do anything wrong in this matter. As long as your path is correct, donât veer from it due to any threats. Youâll understand when you reach our level how important oneâs way is.â
âDo well. We see the hope of the secular cultivators in you.â Icemist also encouraged him.
It was apparent to see from how the three forefathers were reassuring him together how much hope they had for the secular champion.
Even though his identity had yet to be revealed, even until now, his illustrious battle results were enough to awe everyone.
Judging from these circumstances, it was a foregone conclusion that he would enter the sky quadrant.
Although the three forefathers hadnât openly recruited him, their ardent gazes were thoroughly betraying their thoughts.
âMany thanks to the three forefathersâ pointers. I will absolutely try my best to stay true to my way.â
The challenges were still taking place, and since Master Shuiyue had been censured, the three forefathers couldnât stay too long and affect the exams.
They chose three new keepers and issued careful reminders, emphasizing that the replacements needed to be impartial and they could not allow personal feelings to be mixed in with the matches.
Master Shuiyue had been unable to set aside her personal feelings and she had seen her standing and reputation destroyed instead.
The matches of the earth quadrant resumed normal operations.
Jiang Chen had killed Hai Tian in his match. He could still continue his challenges according to the rules.
His rhythm had been destroyed and Jiang Chen didnât want to continue his challenges. He chose to give up his opportunity.
He then left the arena and returned to his residence.
A lot of things had happened today, and he needed some time to organize his thoughts.
Since heâd been challenged three times already, there was no way he would be challenged again today. Therefore, his departure from the arena wasnât against the rules.
Jiang Chen sat down in meditation when he returned to his room, slowly calming his emotions.
Although the events of today looked like an accident, they had actually been inevitable. Jiang Chen knew that his conflict with the Shuiyue faction would be heightened sooner or later.
After the happenings earlier, they would likely be heightened sooner now.
âThat woman is truly crazy and she canât keep her emotions in check. She thought that sheâd tire me out with four matches in a row. Hmph, what a lovely plan huh! It was a good thing that I had multiple aces and I had barely used any energy in the previous three matches in the ring of ice. However, it had been indeed a bit more tiring in the ring of spirit devouring.â
With Jiang Chenâs level of cultivation knowledge, no one on a similar level to him could measure up to him.
Hai Tian actually counted as someone whoâd caused some trouble for him.
âThere are almost none who can truly threaten me in the earth quadrant. It looks like I need to set my sights ahead of time to the sky quadrant.â
When it came to this quadrant, the only thing that was a challenge to Jiang Chen wasnât his opponents, but the five rings.
âWhen it comes to do it, Hai Tian was fancying himself clever. He had the protection of that treasure and he wasnât afraid of the backlash of that ring. If heâd attacked me with all his strength, I wouldâve been burdened by it. Although my defense wouldâve been able to barely hold out against the backlash, my movements wouldâve absolutely been affected. It wouldâve been a close thing had I faced off against Hai Tian. I may not have been able to win then, if I didnât bring out the Lotus. That fellow had most likely studied my style in the previous matches and so, he wanted to be on the defense first, allowing me to attack and exhaust my spirit power. He would then counterattack when my reserves were drained.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
To be honest, Jiang Chen had been quite lucky in this match.
It had been his opponent being too unfamiliar with the situation and using the wrong tactic.
If Jiang Chen hadnât had the tail feathers of the Raven King, he most likely wouldâve had to use his final trump card of the Bewitching Lotus of Fire and Ice.
Otherwise, he really wouldnât have been confident that heâd win.
âIt looks like I have the first selection to thank. If it hadnât been for those marvelous occurrence in the Valley of Destruction, I wouldâve been forced to reveal the Lotus if Iâd wanted to win today.â
He didnât want to expose the Lotus that early.
That was his final trump card that he was saving until the end. He didnât want to use it at all before facing his final opponent.
Jiang Chenâs days passed much easier without Master Shuiyueâs oppression. However, he also adjusted his strategy and stopped his challenges everyday after attaining two victories in a row.
With these five rings in the earth quadrant, it wasnât that easy to be a madman sweeping the stages in successive victories.
Jiang Chen didnât want to do this at this point either.
What he felt gratified by was that Liu Wencaiâs battle strength had indeed increased greatly after a few practice sparring matches between the two. His win rate wasnât low either.
Liu Wencai was incredibly grateful. When heâd arrived at the earth quadrant, he knew that his level and number of 498 meant that his level was second from the bottom.
No matter how he looked at things, he was a hot contender for being demoted. It was very likely that he would be sent back to the mystic quadrant after three months.
He wasnât willing to accept this and he wanted to change his fate.
And now, while his scores werenât enough for his ranking to be far ahead, he had far outstripped the awkwardness of being in the bottom ten.
âBrother Boulder, perhaps Iâll never be able to catch up to you, but Iâll keep working hard according to how youâve taught me. Even if I canât catch up to you, I still must work hard and follow you, ensuring that I can see your back at all times, so that I am not completely left behind in the dust.â
Liu Wencai made the following oath in his heart.
Little fatty Lu had also seemed to be affected by Liu Wencai. He put away his usual joking and lackadaisical manner and he practiced more diligently than usual.
It rather seemed like he wanted to compete with Liu Wencai!
Jiang Chen naturally saw the changes in the two and he was happy for them from the bottom of his heart. He also felt slightly proud of them.
To be able to affect others with his own actions and accelerate his friendsâ development; he was quite happy to see this.