Jiang Chen certainly didn't have any intention of currying favor with the Peerless Great Emperor, but he was genuinely interested in the man — just as the Peerless Great Emperor seemed equally interested in him.
As for recruiting Division Champions, Jiang Chen wasn't in any rush. He had his principles. He was selecting these Division Champions with the goal of gathering and scouting talent, so his standards were exceptionally high.
Precisely because he wanted to recruit talent, his first requirement was that candidates be rogue cultivators. Rogues had no attachments — compared to those who belonged to sects or factions, they were far easier to bring into the fold.
Although most rogue cultivators valued their freedom and had an unrestrained temperament, Jiang Chen would rather deal with that kind of person than get entangled with the major powers.
He wasn't worried about anyone bluffing their way in. Those who truly held wealth and influence had no interest in pretending to be rogues just to snag a Division Champion slot.
As a result, Jiang Chen's selection process was far more involved than anyone else's.
Still, Jiang Chen was a perfectionist and refused to lower his standards simply because the process was difficult. If a candidate didn't meet his criteria, he rejected them without exception — he would rather have fewer than compromise on quality.
Though the Peerless Great Emperor didn't understand why Jiang Chen was so strict, he had already promised to provide protection, and naturally he wasn't about to go back on his word.
Lin Yanyu, meanwhile, had obtained one of Jiang Chen's Division Champion slots under the guise of being a rogue cultivator, and had legitimately established contact with Jiang Chen through that arrangement.
That Lin Zhirong, who had failed to become a Grand Champion, had pestered Jiang Chen relentlessly for a Division Champion seat. Jiang Chen couldn't withstand the constant nagging, and in the end, for the sake of their previous friendship, he granted him one slot as well.
After three days, out of Jiang Chen's eighteen slots, he had selected only twelve.
For the remaining six, Jiang Chen simply passed them along as a goodwill gesture to the Peerless Great Emperor. "Senior Peerless, there are still six slots I don't plan to fill myself. If you have any suitable candidates in mind, you're welcome to assign them."
The Peerless Great Emperor was mildly surprised. A Division Champion seat was actually quite sought after — countless people had fought tooth and nail for just one.
And this young man was giving him six outright?
Setting everything else aside, that kind of magnanimity alone commanded the Peerless Great Emperor's genuine respect. It was hard not to like a young man like this.
The Peerless Great Emperor was gracious about it. He smiled and said, "In that case, this old man will arrange two of the slots for you. For the remaining four, why don't you see if the Green Phoenix Pill King and Grandmaster Wang Xuetong have any candidates?"
The Peerless Great Emperor knew Jiang Chen was trying to do people favors, and he certainly wasn't going to swallow all six slots himself. Out of consideration for Jiang Chen, he felt it would be better to let the Green Phoenix Pill King and Grandmaster Wang Xuetong also share in the goodwill — that way, the favor would be more far-reaching.
Jiang Chen saw that the Peerless Great Emperor was thinking on his behalf, and nodded. "That works. Senior Peerless is truly thoughtful."
As a prospective Pill Emperor who ranked among the top thirty-six in the Pill Fire City's Millennium Hall of Fame, the Green Phoenix Pill King had an extensive network in the city. With two slots to assign, he could easily arrange things and build some goodwill of his own — he was delighted, and his appreciation for Jiang Chen grew even further.
Grandmaster Wang Xuetong was no different. Upon hearing that he had two slots to assign, he was also quite pleased, feeling that it brought him face. Most importantly, two such slots let him do people favors — why wouldn't he be happy?
With the help of these three seniors, Jiang Chen finally assembled all eighteen Division Champions for his two Grand Arenas.
Once Jiang Chen had gathered all his Division Champions, the Purifying Flame Palace had also made most of its preparations, and the Bounty Arena officially commenced.
Nine Grand Arenas, arranged by seniority, were set up around the main plaza in front of the Purifying Flame Palace.
The Peerless Great Emperor held the foremost position, followed by the Green Phoenix Pill King, and then Grandmaster Wang Xuetong. Because of his background as a native of Ten Thousand Abyss Island, Jiang Chen was placed fourth — right behind the three senior figures.
The martial domain, the alchemy domain, and the comprehensive domain each had their own distinct arenas.
This way, those placing bounty tasks could immediately see which domain they needed to seek out.
The Bounty Arena would run for a total of fifteen days — not a long time, all things considered.
Because of that, the atmosphere was electric from the very start. Not everyone could simply walk up and place a bounty, however.
Each person who stepped forward had to draw lots — only those whose numbers were called could take the stage. Those who didn't draw could only wait for another chance.
The atmosphere quickly heated up.
Jiang Chen occupying two Grand Arena seats by himself made him a focal point of the Bounty Arena. However, because of his youth, many people weren't particularly confident in him. So when they got their chance to place a bounty, their first choice was still one of the three seniors.
In the martial domain, the Peerless Great Emperor was the natural first pick.
In the alchemy domain, the Green Phoenix Pill King took priority.
And in the comprehensive domain, Grandmaster Wang Xuetong was the most popular choice.
This was only natural — in any field, seniority and authority mattered. These three powerhouses each represented the highest authority at this Bounty Arena in their respective domains.