Jiang Chen's words were incredibly inflammatory, igniting the atmosphere of the venue in an instant.
A cultivation technique that surpassed the treasure manuals of first-rate sects — if word of this spread, it would absolutely trigger a blood-soaked frenzy of killing.
The lucky rogue cultivator who owned it was currently experiencing a complete blank in his mind. He never would have imagined that a jade slip he'd stumbled upon by chance — something he'd assumed was worthless — could hold such staggering value?
The revelation nearly made the lucky man faint. His face flushed bright red in an instant. His inexplicable reaction immediately drew the attention of the rogue cultivators around him.
A rogue cultivator standing next to him couldn't help but ask: "Old Tan, what's wrong with you?"
Many people recognized this rogue cultivator. They knew his name was Tan Zhi — a rogue cultivator who had risen to prominence in recent years, though he wasn't particularly famous in the rogue cultivator world. His cultivation was only at the peak of the Celestial Sage realm, half a step into the Emperor realm — fairly powerful among rogue cultivators, to be sure. But paired with a treasure like this jade slip, his half-step Emperor realm cultivation suddenly seemed laughably insignificant.
"Old Tan, look at how excited you are. That jade slip — it wouldn't happen to be yours, would it?"
"N-no, it's not mine," Tan Zhi stammered hurriedly, denying it with a flushed face.
"Haha, don't bother denying it. The way you're acting — you've clearly got something to hide!"
"Tan Zhi, you sly dog, keeping your composure all this time. To think you had this kind of treasure hidden away!" The surrounding rogue cultivators began stirring up a commotion.
Everyone who recognized Tan Zhi started clamoring, as though hoping the world wouldn't be chaotic enough.
Jiang Chen, however, hadn't noticed this small-scale disturbance. He continued: "I mentioned earlier that the Seven-Star Cloud Assembly Talisman, if traded, could help a cultivator push into the Emperor realm. But the person who possesses this jade slip — if they utilize it properly — can absolutely become a founding patriarch of their own sect. The fortune they would gain would extend far beyond their own personal fate. Congratulations to the owner."
The clamor around Tan Zhi only grew louder.
"Tan Zhi, just admit it — is it yours?"
"If it weren't yours, you wouldn't be reacting like that. Hahaha, Tan Zhi, you've been exposed!"
"Tan Zhi, let's make a deal. Sell me that jade slip — we can negotiate the price."
The disturbance spread outward from near to far, drawing the attention of more and more rogue cultivators who turned to look in Tan Zhi's direction.
Clearly, now that the owner of the jade slip had been exposed, everyone wanted to catch a glimpse of this lucky person — to see who on earth possessed such a treasure.
Tan Zhi stood frozen in place, practically drowning in the spit and chatter of the countless rogue cultivators around him. His mind couldn't keep up.
"Gentlemen, please stop pressuring me like this. That jade slip has nothing to do with me. Are you trying to get me killed?" Tan Zhi desperately tried to defend himself.
"Heh, fine, say it's not yours. Then dare you swear an oath? If you dare swear, we'll believe you. If you don't dare, then it's yours."
"Come on, Tan Zhi, what's mine is yours. Now that you've struck it rich, don't forget about us old friends!"
"Exactly right. Tan Zhi — finders keepers, we all deserve a share."
The commotion continued to spread and eventually reached the stage. Jiang Chen's brow furrowed. He activated his Dragon's Roar: "Silence!"
The Dragon's Roar Divine Ability erupted forth, immediately sending the rogue cultivators' blood and qi into turmoil. They stared up at Jiang Chen on the stage, their faces filled with shock and terror.
"What is all this racket about?" Jiang Chen let out a cold snort. "My Glazed Royal City has organized this Dragon Tiger Summit out of kindness, and you all had the courtesy to attend. Yet here you are causing a disturbance — are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?"
"We wouldn't dare. We wouldn't dare!"
"Young Lord Zhen, please calm your anger. We only discovered who we believe might be the owner of that jade slip, and we got excited."
"Yes, Young Lord Zhen, please forgive us. We certainly didn't mean to cause offense."
These rogue cultivator powerhouses, seeing Young Lord Zhen fly into a rage, worried about being thrown out. Each one became exceedingly cautious, not daring to act recklessly.
"How impudent! The identity of the jade slip's owner is something we would obviously keep secret — how could it have been exposed? Stop spreading baseless rumors!" Jiang Chen was displeased.
"We're not suggesting that you, Young Lord Zhen, exposed it. He... he exposed himself."
Every gaze turned toward Tan Zhi.
By now, Tan Zhi had recovered his composure. He cupped his fists toward Young Lord Zhen: "Young Lord Zhen sees clearly — these people are slandering my good name, forcing this upon me against my will."
Jiang Chen nodded: "All of you, stop making wild guesses. This is a matter of life and death — you cannot make baseless assumptions."
"It's not a baseless assumption — we have solid grounds. He won't dare swear an oath, and just now when Young Lord Zhen said this jade slip was more powerful than the treasure manuals of first-rate sects, he was visibly shaken."
"He exposed himself — that has nothing to do with us."
These fellows were all making excuses, but they'd pushed Tan Zhi out into the open.
Tan Zhi's expression was extremely ugly. Looking at the countless eyes piercing into him, he knew that he was now in the position of yellow mud in his trousers — even if it wasn't shit, it sure looked like it.