Chapter 1274: The Heavenly Dragon Sect's Request

Since Tan Zhi had chosen him, Jiang Chen naturally wouldn't play coy. In truth, even if he spoke honestly, no one would likely believe him.

He genuinely had little interest in that jade slip. It was only from a sense of fairness that he had ranked it as the top item among the superlative treasures.

But Tan Zhi insisted on casting his vote for him and him alone. If Jiang Chen put on airs and refused, it would come across as unnecessarily hurtful and breed resentment.

He nodded at once. "Tan Zhi, since you trust this Young Lord, I will tell you the exact value of this jade slip — nothing more, nothing less. If I speak falsely, may the heavens punish me."

Jiang Chen's forthrightness won the respect of the rogue cultivators present, and applause broke out across the venue.

Jiang Chen remained serene and unperturbed, neither pleased nor displeased. He pressed both hands down to quiet the crowd. "I would also like to offer a word of advice to the few rogue cultivator friends who exposed Tan Zhi just now. Kicking someone when they're down is never a good habit."

Those rogue cultivators flushed crimson, yet not a single word of rebuttal left their lips.

Jiang Chen cupped his fists. "Everyone, the first day of the treasure appraisal concludes here. Starting tomorrow, the next three days will be open trading. During those three days, I will personally be on hand and invite fellow daoists and seniors to participate as well. If any of you have items you can't quite appraise on your own, you may still come find me — Zhen — and I will render my judgment with the same impartiality."

"After the three days of trading, we move on to the auction. The auction will last only one day. If you have any fine items, you may consign them to Glazed Royal City for auction. At that time, Glazed Royal City will also be putting a Pine Crane Pill on the block, in gratitude for the great effort everyone has made to travel such distances."

"Once the auction is concluded, I will hold a three-day lecture on the Dao of Pills. After that, those who qualify will have the opportunity to seek martial guidance from the seniors of Myriad Abyss Island. However, the mysterious experts of Myriad Abyss Island have never been fond of showing themselves publicly. Therefore, only a limited number of people will be granted the right to ask questions. But anyone who does earn that right will receive a satisfactory answer."

Jiang Chen announced the schedule going forward.

This Dragon-Tiger Grand Gathering had been meticulously planned by Jiang Chen. Every segment interlocked with the next, each designed to captivate and keep everyone on the edge of their seats.

He was firmly convinced that after this Dragon-Tiger Grand Gathering, Glazed Royal City's appeal and reputation would soar, establishing it as one of the true core powers of the Upper Eight Territories.

While it couldn't be said that it would immediately overshadow Pill Fire City, its appeal would certainly rise by a considerable margin.

"After that comes the closing ceremony of the Dragon-Tiger Grand Gathering. At that time, I will unveil some of the blueprints for Glazed Royal City's Dao of Pills Academy. Any of you who still have items to auction or have privately appraised had better act quickly — auctions require preparation time, and if you're late, you won't be able to register."

Jiang Chen finished speaking and looked toward Grand Emperor Jingzhong and the others. "Everyone, is there anything you'd like to add?"

Grand Emperor Jingzhong chuckled. "Our mission is complete. Now we simply await the even more exciting segments to come. Young Lord Zhen, it seems you've poured a great deal of thought into this Dragon-Tiger Grand Gathering. These segments — other powers have run similar events before, but the way you've threaded them together, each building on the last, with such flair… the appeal is truly remarkable. Setting everything else aside, today's treasure appraisal alone opened this old man's eyes. Allow me the boldness to ask — how often do you plan to hold this Dragon-Tiger Grand Gathering?"

Han Qianzhan laughed. "Brother Hui, don't tell me you're already eagerly anticipating the next one?"

Grand Emperor Jingzhong replied with a straight face. "A gathering of this caliber is something I genuinely appreciate. Most importantly, Young Lord Zhen adheres to his principles and truly stands on the side of rogue cultivators, protecting their interests. He isn't like certain other powers that find every excuse under the sun to bleed rogue cultivators dry."

This was the honest truth from Grand Emperor Jingzhong.

In the martial world, rogue cultivators were almost always at a disadvantage. Whether at trade fairs, auctions, or any kind of merchant guild, rogue cultivators were invariably the weaker party. Even if you had something valuable, setting aside outright robbery, you could still expect to be lowballed and exploited.

That was precisely why Grand Emperor Jingzhong had made that remark.

This Dragon-Tiger Grand Gathering — Young Lord Zhen's measures had genuinely protected the interests of rogue cultivators. The treasure appraisal today was proof enough.

Although Grand Emperor Jingzhong understood that Young Lord Zhen's approach was partly about currying favor with rogue cultivators and building his reputation, the man had undeniably demonstrated real skill, strength, and a genuine respect for rogue cultivators.

Dealing with someone like that, you at least never had to worry about being shortchanged.

Looking back, Grand Emperor Jingzhong realized he had actually been the one benefiting all along. Especially with the Pine Crane Pill in hand — he had always felt that what he had given in exchange was worth less than a tenth of the pill's true value.

"This Young Lord Zhen is an honest man. Or rather, he simply has no interest in relying on exploiting rogue cultivators to bolster his own strength," Grand Emperor Jingzhong marveled inwardly.

The first day had ended so quickly. Every rogue cultivator felt a lingering sense of unwillingness to leave. What they had witnessed today had given them a deeper understanding of Young Lord Zhen's capabilities and a firsthand appreciation for his character.

While plenty of people suspected that Young Lord Zhen was merely building a reputation and buying loyalty, the other powers, when compared to him, didn't even bother with the pretense of buying loyalty — they openly bled rogue cultivators dry.

By that standard, even if Young Lord Zhen was playing to the crowd, he was at least being fair about it.

"Brother Mo, look after Tan Zhi for me, would you? Bring him back to the Young Lord's estate. I'm worried someone might still try to harm him."

Jiang Chen instructed Mo Wushuang.