Before long, Jiang Chen arrived at the Yan family's headquarters, led by Yan Qingsang.
At this moment, the great hall of the Yan family headquarters was nearly filled with every senior figure the Yan family had to offer. The Yan family patriarch, the Grand Elders of the Yan family, and over a hundred clan elders—all were present, save for a few who were occupied with important matters or still sequestered in closed-door cultivation.
The instant Jiang Chen stepped inside, he felt over a hundred sharp gazes and powerful auras converge upon him almost simultaneously.
Several of those forces reached terrifying levels of strength.
"Yan Qingsang pays respects to the Patriarch, to the Grand Elders, and to all the clan elders. This is the sworn brother I spoke of—Shao Yuan." Yan Qingsang stepped forward and bowed respectfully, introducing Jiang Chen as he did so.
Jiang Chen was not remiss either. He stepped forward and spoke in an equally respectful tone: "Wandering swordsman Shao Yuan pays respects to Patriarch Yan, to all the Grand Elders, and to all the honored clan elders."
These were boilerplate courtesies, which naturally posed no difficulty for Jiang Chen.
He kept his head down, well aware that every last one of those gazes was sizing him up. He chose not to make eye contact with any of them, lest they seize the opportunity to press him further.
He knew that among these hundred-odd people, there would inevitably be someone who wanted to probe him, or who harbored wariness or hostility toward him. So he simply refused to engage on any front.
It had to be said, this strategy was exceedingly wise.
After all, he was merely an Emperor-realm cultivator. Standing firm under the collective gaze of so many clan elders was already no small feat.
If he were foolish enough to meet their eyes, some of them might well extend their spiritual sense to probe him directly.
If that happened, the seal within his sea of consciousness might be detected by these people—and that could spell serious trouble.
Most importantly, among them was an old acquaintance: Elder Xi, the very man who had taken Huang'er away all those years ago.
This old fellow was one of the Yan family's clan elders, and his strength was nothing to scoff at. If Elder Xi sensed something familiar about his spiritual sense, he might start putting things together.
So Jiang Chen maintained his guard the entire time.
His caution did not, as it turned out, arouse Elder Xi's suspicion. It seemed Elder Xi's curiosity was not all that keen after all.
The Yan family patriarch studied Jiang Chen for a moment, then smiled: "Young man, even Elder He and Elder Quan speak highly of you, and for Yan Qingsang—someone who looks down his nose at just about everyone—to call you a brother, that shows you're genuinely capable. A wandering rogue cultivator who can remain composed in a setting like this—your mental fortitude is truly impressive. For a young man to possess such ability is quite remarkable."
This Yan family patriarch did not carry himself with any air of arrogance. His manner of speaking was warm and genial, like a kindly old uncle from down the lane.
But Jiang Chen was not blinded by such an outward appearance. A man who could lead an entire clan was never as simple as he appeared on the surface.
Jiang Chen had a gut feeling that this patriarch's true strength far surpassed what he remembered of Patriarch Kuzhu.
Patriarch Kuzhu had been at the sixth level of the Celestial realm, but this Yan patriarch's cultivation had likely already reached the pinnacle of the Greater Celestial realm—the ninth level.
Because from this patriarch, you could not even sense that sharp, outward-radiating aura. His martial will seemed perfectly refined and rounded, his brilliance turned entirely inward.
A person like this was either someone who had never cultivated at all, or someone whose power had reached perfection and returned to simplicity.
Aside from the patriarch, several of the Grand Elders were also Greater Celestial-realm powerhouses. It was clear that these individuals held the highest status among all present.
Even the clan elders were far below the patriarch and the Grand Elders in standing.
So the patriarch's praise actually carried considerable weight.
But Jiang Chen humbly replied: "This junior merely relied on his family's legacy to scrape together a modest reputation. Compared to the geniuses of the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms, I still have much room for improvement."
"Haha, excellent! A young man who isn't boastful or impetuous—that's a rare thing. Qingsang, you'd do well to learn from this brother of yours."
Yan Qingsang scratched his head and nodded: "Understood, Patriarch."
"Young brother, you share a bond of brotherhood with Qingsang and have come to join our Yan family. Our Yan family has never mistreated true talent. Here is what I'll arrange—from now on, you will cultivate alongside Qingsang. You will support each other. Whatever resources he receives from the Yan family, you shall receive as well. However, I have only one requirement: you must remain absolutely loyal to our Yan family! Do not betray the trust and investment we place in you."
"Thank you, Patriarch! Thank you, esteemed elders!" Jiang Chen put on a face of flattered surprise. In truth, he may not have cared all that much about the Yan family's resources, but the patriarch's words had secured his place here—and confirmed his standing.