Gan Ning had a bellyful of questions he wanted to blurt out. For example, was the golden rat that had saved him a spirit creature under Jiang Chenâs command?
In addition, the senior brother had dealt swiftly with Hu Lei like an adult punishing a child. The power gap between them was substantial. What amazing heights had the senior brother reached with his cultivation?
Jiang Chen hadnât even ascended to empyrean when Gan Ning had sparred with him back in the Eternal Sacred Land. It hadnât been that many years. This rate of progress was simply unbelievable!
Jiang Chen had defeated the arrogant Xiahou Zong in the sword competition, but it hadnât been an easy fight. He hadnât always had the upper hand.
This time though, Jiang Chen hadnât even broken a sweat when facing Hu Lei. Heâd toyed with the Polylore genius like a cat would a mouse. Anyone with eyes could identify the large gap between the two contestants, even if Hu Lei didnât care to admit it.
Nevertheless, Gan Ning was clever enough to know there were questions he shouldnât ask.
Jiang Chen brought Gan Ning to a relatively remote area.
âWeâll stay put here for the night. Tomorrow, weâll meet up with Wu You.â
âYou have word from senior brother Wu You?â Gan Ning asked curiously.
âNot yet,â muttered Jiang Chen, almost to himself. âBut I should soon?â
Gan Ning could now almost guarantee that the golden rat was under Jiang Chenâs command. It was probably how his senior brother had found him so quickly.
Jiang Chen laid down on a thick tree branch with his eyes closed, radiating leisureness. Gan Ning had difficulty quieting his mind. He kept standing up to look around.
In the end, he stayed on his feet, intending to keep watch.
Jiang Chen opened his eyes when he heard the noise that Gan Ning was making.
âArenât you going to get some rest? Weâll be here for half a month. Thereâs no need for you to stay alert twenty-four hours a day. Conserve your energy.â
âIâm not powerful enough to be of help,â Gan Ning admitted guiltily. âAt least I can stay on guard for you.â
Jiang Chen waved a dismissive hand. âThereâs no need. Rest well. No one will come near us. Even if they do, Iâll know beforehand. You donât have to worry too much.
âBy the way, did you get any orbs?â he added.
Gan Ning nodded dejectedly. âI got lucky and found one.â
âThatâs good. Weâve only been here for a day.â Jiang Chen hadnât expected Gan Ning to have found any.
âHow many do you have, senior brother?â
Jiang Chen smiled. âSix.â
âWhat? Six??â Gan Ning was surprised. âYou took two from Hu Lei, which means youâve collected four in only a day?â
That was indeed the case, but Jiang Chen wasnât satisfied yet with his findings.
He felt that after half a month, the orbs wouldnât be evenly distributed, but concentrated in a few individualsâ possession.
The most powerful cultivators would have a disproportionately large number of orbs, while the weaker ones were left with none.
After all, competitions were cruel. The rules prohibited murder and looting, but anything else was allowed. Most of the orbs would be monopolized by a few cultivators, and they would be the fiercest of contestants.
There were six hundred orbs in total. If the orbs did end up falling into the hands of a few, itâd be next to impossible to win the first place as a team with only dozens of orbs.
This was the highest ranking competition for the ten sacred lands. Too many remarkable geniuses were gathered here.
The night was uneventful, which Gan Ning found hard to believe. Night time was perfect for evils to strike. He hadnât expected it to be so peaceful. If he hadnât met up with Jiang Chen, he wouldnât have had near such a pleasant time.
âSenior brother Jiang Chen, whatâs the plan for today?â Gan Ning now had the utmost respect for Jiang Chen. He sounded unusually deferential.
âFollow me.â Jiang Chen didnât explain. âIf you find any orbs, theyâre yours. Iâm not going to take them from you.â
âWhat?â Gan Ning hurriedly explained, âYou should get priority over the orbs, senior brother. I donât care about my ranking. As long as our total score is among the top three, weâll get the extra points, which is good enough for me.â
Jiang Chen grinned. âDonât be so polite with me. I can get orbs myself. I donât need to take anything from you.â
It dawned on Gan Ning that Jiang Chen was being completely honest. He was overwhelmed by a myriad of emotions.
Heâd always been the rebellious sort, but he couldnât not respect Jiang Chen.
It was the Eternal Sacred Landâs great fortune to have a leading figure like Jiang Chen. Back when the sacred landâs youths were led by the Five Great Gentlemen, not even Sui Chen had been able to garner the othersâ submission. Therefore, the Five Great Gentlemen had never been a united team.
Now that Jiang Chen had become the âbossâ of the youths, heâd do not only a decent job, but a great job given his character and approach.
Over time, Gan Ning realized with great surprise that Jiang Chen could always find orbs hidden in the most obscure of places. Since the morning, theyâd already found two orbs from hidden corners.
As promised, Jiang Chen let Gan Ning have the orbs, which rather embarrassed the latter.
However, it was clear that his senior brother didnât intend to take them.
When noon came, Gan Ning was in noticeable high spirits. Out of the blue, Jiang Chen said, âLetâs change directions. Trouble await us up north.â
Gan Ning was flabbergasted. How did Jiang Chen knew there were troubles ahead on such an undeveloped island? Could he predict the future? Or was he sensitive enough to detect the enemies?
Jiang Chen didnât explain, and Gan Ning didnât need him to. He believed Jiang Chen must have based his decision on solid reasoning.
He followed Jiang Chen to the west.
......
âDamn it, does he have the nose of a hound? How can he be so sensitive? Did he know weâve set up an ambush for him?â
Not far to the north, a few cultivators looked into the distance with venomous eyes. Theyâd set up a trap for their prey, but their prey had taken a turn right before setting foot into it!