The seventh cavern. Jiang Chen's resolve had never been sharper.
He knew that the geniuses of the Eternal Sacred Land, when attempting the Nine-Turn Cloud Caverns, had an upper limit. The best record ever achieved was clearing the eighth cavern, only to fall at the ninth.
Jiang Chen's goal, however, was to break through all nine caverns in a single sweep and claim every one.
"What a kid, what a kid." Yan Qingsang had nothing left but admiration and astonishment. It suddenly dawned on him why Jiang Chen was so confident.
Under normal circumstances, anyone who heard the name Xiahou Zong would tremble with fear. But with Jiang Chen, there was absolutely none of that tension or unease.
Yan Qingsang had always believed that Xiahou Zong was a once-in-a-generation prodigy, someone from the younger cohort who could never be surpassed or defeated.
Yet it seemed Jiang Chen didn't buy into that at all.
All this while, Yan Qingsang had thought Jiang Chen was overestimating himself, too arrogant for his own good. How could someone like Xiahou Zong be casually surpassed?
But now, Yan Qingsang finally understood — Jiang Chen truly had the right to be confident.
The seventh cavern.
Jiang Chen didn't hesitate. He strode in without a second thought.
The seventh cavern was a sea of volcanic fire. Everywhere he looked, flames raged in every direction, as though the heavens had been punctured and the Supreme Lord Laozi's alchemy furnace had been knocked over, spilling an endless wave of searing heat across the world.
The roaring flames surged tens of zhang, even hundreds of zhang, into the air.
The moment he drew close, the heat was so intense it could choke the breath from a man's lungs.
"The Blazing Fire Cloud Cavern?" Jiang Chen was still contemplating when he had already summoned the Ice Fire Demon Lotus. For this kind of environment, nothing could be more suitable.
"Heh heh, the seventh cavern — a living hell of fire. Inside the Blazing Fire Cloud Cavern, there's a real risk of death. This kid's overreaching. I reckon he's going to pay a heavy price this time."
"What a shame, if a talent like this falls in the Blazing Fire Cloud Cavern, that would be a terrible waste."
"Don't be so pessimistic. Anyone who breezed through the first six caverns — who's to say they can't get through the seventh?"
"Tsk, tsk. If he breaks through the seventh cavern, then the Eternal Sacred Land will have hit the jackpot of a lifetime. An alchemy genius and a martial arts genius rolled into one. A perfect combination — in the entire Eternal Sacred Land, how many people like that have ever existed?"
"Is this Shao Yuan really going to surprise everyone?"
The number of elders from the Elder Hall who had come to watch was growing steadily.
And Ziche Min, at this moment, had grown even calmer. This young man's performance was so monstrous that it had straightened Ziche Min's own spine.
After all, it was Ziche Min who had brought Shao Yuan here. If Shao Yuan performed brilliantly, it would indirectly prove that Ziche Min's recommendation had been warranted.
On that level, Ziche Min had every reason to feel proud.
But pride wasn't what he was feeling right now. All he wanted was for this Shao Yuan to keep pushing forward and break through the Blazing Fire Cloud Cavern.
If he succeeded, Shao Yuan would achieve the second-best result in recorded history. After all, in the past several thousand years, those who had cleared the seventh cavern across the entire Eternal Sacred Land could be counted on one hand — and every single one of them had gone on to become a pillar of the Sacred Land.
"Shao Yuan, stay strong!" Ziche Min silently cheered in his heart. He knew that if this Shao Yuan could break through the seventh cavern, the Three Great Sovereigns wouldn't be able to sit still.
He suspected that Shao Yuan's name and his monstrous exploits had already reached the ears of the Three Great Sovereigns.
If Shao Yuan broke through the seventh cavern, the Three Great Sovereigns would definitely appear. Ziche Min was absolutely certain of that.
And further still — if he could break through the eighth cavern, then it wouldn't be the Three Great Sovereigns who were startled into action. The Supreme Sacred Ancestor himself might very well make an appearance.
Of course, that was merely a hypothetical. The last time someone had cleared the eighth cavern, it had indeed earned them an audience with the Supreme Sacred Ancestor.
Under these circumstances, Ziche Min's expectations for Jiang Chen had soared to extraordinary heights. Those elders who were on friendly terms with Ziche Min also hoped that this young man could create a miracle.
At that moment, of course, Jiang Chen had no idea how much commotion was stirring outside.
His focus was entirely on the Blazing Fire Cloud Cavern.
He had to admit — the trial of this Blazing Fire Cloud Cavern was ferocious. Even with the protection of the Ice Fire Demon Lotus, it pushed Jiang Chen to his limits.
However, whenever the raging flames surged close enough to scorch his body, Jiang Chen kept noticing something peculiar: the fire seemed to possess a will of its own, and rather than consuming him without mercy, it would inexplicably veer away at the last moment.
It was as though something about Jiang Chen commanded the flames' respect, causing them to part and give way whenever they reached his vicinity.
Jiang Chen found it puzzling.
He slowly became aware of this phenomenon. At first, he had assumed it was the effect of the spiritual sense seal. But that didn't seem to be the case.
The spiritual sense seal had always been a defense against spiritual attacks. It didn't seem to offer any protection against this kind of physical assault.
Then what was the cause?
Jiang Chen racked his mind but couldn't figure it out.
He was certain there had to be some hidden mechanism at play.
Then, in a flash of inspiration, Jiang Chen thought of the Vermilion Bird Divine Avian.
"Of course — it must be!" He suddenly recalled that the Vermilion Bird had once given him a token feather.
If Jiang Chen ever needed its help, he had only to refine the feather. No matter how far away the Vermilion Bird was, it would sense the call and rush to his side to lend its aid.
The Vermilion Bird was a divine avian of antiquity. The token feather contained the creature's essence blood, which was innately and supremely attuned to the element of fire.