News of Jiang Chen's emergence from seclusion had not spread.
He still had many matters to arrange, so he had no intention of letting word of his seclusion's end get out for the time being.
Palace Master Danchi, Elder Yunnie, Mu Gaoqi, Ling Hui'er, Shen Sanhuo… along with a great many Danqian Palace members both young and old, had all gathered in a hall within the Young Lord's manor.
Jiang Chen sat at the head of the room, his gaze sweeping across the assembly. "Everyone — our sect was shattered, the Myriad Domain was nearly annihilated, yet we survived and have gathered here today. I want to ask one question: is the blood still hot in your hearts? Do you still long for the landscapes of our homeland?"
Jiang Chen's words sent a ripple of emotion through the crowd.
"Brother Chen, you…" Mu Gaoqi was overjoyed, nearly rising from his seat. "Brother Chen, are you saying you intend to reclaim the Myriad Domain?"
Jiang Chen nodded calmly. "Veluriyam Capital is the heart of the Upper Eight Regions. With all of you here, my only worry is that you've grown so content that you've forgotten where you came from. So today, I've called everyone together to see whether your resolve to restore our homeland and rebuild our sect remains firm."
Palace Master Danchi shot to his feet. "No matter how fine this place is, it is not our homeland. Having survived catastrophe, my heart burns with one desire alone — to rebuild Danqian Palace. Jiang Chen, you are now the Young Lord of Veluriyam Capital, a golden carp transformed into a dragon. That you haven't forgotten your old resolve — Danchi greatly admires that. As the Palace Master of Danqian Palace, I formally request of you: lend us your strength. Lead us to reclaim our homeland and restore Danqian Palace!"
Elder Yunnie was equally moved. "This place is truly fine, but I would rather die at Danqian Palace than live anywhere else. Young Lord Zhen — no, perhaps I should call you Young Lord Jiang. Ah, I'm torn — what should I call you?"
"Just call me Jiang Chen," Jiang Chen said with a gentle smile. "The old friends of Danqian Palace are like family to me. Call me whatever you like — it all makes me happy."
Elder Yunnie continued, "We cannot ask you to return to Danqian Palace with us the way we have. We can't expect you to abandon the vast enterprise you've built here and go back with us. That wouldn't be realistic, and it's impossible. Veluriyam Capital's affairs are ten times, a hundred times more important than our little Danqian Palace. Besides, without Veluriyam Capital's backing, even our dreams of rebuilding would be nothing but fantasy."
"Exactly," Ling Hui'er chimed in, equally excited. "Back when Danqian Palace had patrons, none of them proved reliable when it mattered. Now that Senior Brother Jiang Chen has become the Young Lord of Veluriyam Capital, this is the greatest fortune our sect has ever known. We should seize this chance to rebuild. With Senior Brother Jiang Chen's support, what is Danqian Palace? Not just a fourth-rank sect — that's for certain!"
"That's right," someone added. "Are kings and generals born to their stations? Who says the first-rank sects will always be the same few? The throne turns, and this year it's our turn. With Senior Brother Jiang Chen's abilities, he can surely help our Danqian Palace rise to the first rank."
Ling Hui'er's words were particularly impassioned.
Palace Master Danchi, however, had not lost his head. He waved his hand for quiet. "Everyone, settle down. Don't put too much pressure on Senior Brother Jiang Chen."
Jiang Chen chuckled. "What pressure is there? Junior Sister Ling Hui'er isn't wrong. None of the first-rank sects in the world were born that way. Our Danqian Palace — see, the character 'Qian' in our name means heaven. Most first-rank sects carry a reference to heaven in their names, to distinguish themselves from the rest. Our Danqian Palace already has that omen built right into its name."
He was being deliberately playful.
The observation was so novel that everyone burst into laughter.
Elder Yunnie laughed as well. "Young Lord Zhen — no, perhaps I should call you Young Lord Jiang. Ah, I really can't decide which is better."
"I said, just call me Jiang Chen," Jiang Chen replied with a calm smile. "The old acquaintances of Danqian Palace are like family to me. Call me whatever you like — it all makes me happy."
Palace Master Danchi nodded. "In my life, Danchi, I had grand ambitions but modest talent. I always wanted to bring Danqian Palace into the third rank. Those ambitions went unfulfilled — I nearly perished, and our sect was destroyed. If I hadn't had the foresight, all those years ago, to bring you from Treasure Tree Sect to Danqian Palace, then when that catastrophe struck, our sect would have been reduced to ashes along with every other sect in the Myriad Domain. There would be no gathering here today, no discussion of rebuilding."
These were words from the heart. Elder Yunnie, Mu Gaoqi, and the others all nodded in agreement.
Without Jiang Chen, none of them would be here — let alone be discussing the rebuilding of Danqian Palace.
Perhaps other sects had also had survivors who escaped with their lives, people who secretly clung to memories of their homeland and dreamed of restoring their sects and their territories.
But against such powerful enemies, with the shallow foundations of the Myriad Domain sects, that was an impossibility. Not only were they no match for the Eternal SkyMountain — even the Redding Middle Region was an insurmountable mountain before them.
Yet Danqian Palace not only possessed the means to rebuild — it harbored ambitions that reached even higher.
All of this was because they had one Jiang Chen.
A Jiang Chen like no other.
Jiang Chen smiled. "Palace Master Danchi once showed me extraordinary kindness. Mu Gaoqi is my brother. Elder Yunnie is an elder dear to me. My time at Danqian Palace, though brief, was some of the happiest I've known. When Junior Sister Hui'er spoke of first-rank sects earlier, you all took it as a joke — didn't you?"
The crowd smiled and nodded. Naturally they had taken it as a joke. Danqian Palace's meager foundations — restoring it to fourth-rank status would already be a remarkable achievement. With Veluriyam Capital's support, even aspiring to third rank would be a stretch.