Nobody had expected Jiang Chen to be so ruthless with Xiahou Ying.
No matter how skilled an actress Xiahou Ying might be, being publicly cornered like this by Jiang Chen left her with an almost overwhelming urge to drop the act entirely. But Xiahou Ying had, after all, undergone rigorous training. She suppressed the fury in her heart almost immediately. Her eyes reddened, tears rolled down her cheeks, and she broke into convulsive sobs.
This "pear blossom bathed in rain" display of weeping made Jing Yi—a protective escort by nature—gnash his teeth, wishing he could rush forward right then and settle things with Jiang Chen in a fight to the death.
Jiang Chen merely shrugged, completely ignoring the murderous glare Jing Yi shot his way.
In Jiang Chen's mind, he had already crossed Jing Yi and his ilk off his list entirely. A genius of the Sacred Land who couldn't even remain immune to a woman's few tears—such a person was destined for nothing of consequence.
Being ignored so thoroughly by Jiang Chen only fueled Jing Yi's rage. He caught up to Gan Ning, who was walking at the front, in two or three strides and leaned in to whisper, "Senior Brother Gan…"
Jiang Chen knew Jing Yi was off to tattle to Gan Ning, hoping to get him to thoroughly humiliate Jiang Chen on the arena platform and vent Xiahou Ying's frustration.
Gan Ning turned and glanced back at Jiang Chen with a meaningful look, a dark shadow flickering in his eyes.
Clearly, Gan Ning was equally displeased by Jiang Chen's rudeness. In his view, treating a woman like Xiahou Ying with such coarse disrespect was nothing short of savage barbarism.
As a Sacred Land genius, Gan Ning believed one should treat women with courtesy and grace—that was what true refinement looked like.
A person who didn't even understand the most basic notion of cherishing the fair sex, no matter what talent he might possess, was nothing but a brute—a boorish lout. Such a person was beneath Gan Ning's contempt.
Before long, they arrived at the battle arena.
The arena was built within the genius district, a place where many geniuses frequently sparred and exchanged martial techniques. On ordinary days, without any scheduled matchups, few people came here.
As a result, the arena area was remarkably quiet.
However, once a fight was announced, people would surely come flocking at the news.
Gan Ning strode to the edge of the platform, then with a flicker of movement, he descended onto it. He gazed down at Jiang Chen with an air of superiority from his elevated position.
"Shao Yuan, you are coarse and offensive, and you've offended your fellow disciples. I had no intention of stooping to your level, but your repeated insolence cannot be tolerated. I am here to represent all the geniuses of the Sacred Land and teach you how to behave."
If you want to fight, you had better claim the moral high ground first.
Gan Ning was a clever man. He knew that this Shao Yuan currently enjoyed the favor of the higher-ups. If he was going to teach him a lesson, he needed to find a sufficiently compelling reason.
Otherwise, word might reach the higher-ups that he was maliciously suppressing a newcomer, which would reflect poorly on him. Even if the leadership wouldn't intervene in such skirmishes, Gan Ning didn't want the three Holy Sovereigns to see him as the type who bullied newcomers.
So, if he was going to make his move, he would first deliver a grand speech and secure the moral advantage.
Jiang Chen chuckled coldly. "Gan Ning, I originally held a measure of respect for you. But now it seems that respect is entirely unnecessary."
"If you, as a Sacred Land genius, had a problem with me and simply came looking for trouble directly, I might have thought you were an honest, forthright person. We could have fought it out, and afterward shared a laugh to put the grudge behind us. But this face you're putting on? It makes me sick."
"Yes, you heard me correctly. Sick."
Jiang Chen had never been anyone's inferior when it came to sharp words.
Gan Ning's expression darkened further upon hearing this.
Jing Yi raised his voice. "Kid, you're looking down on everyone—are you trying to pick a fight with the entire Sacred Land's genius community? An outsider who doesn't even know the meaning of death."
Jing Yi slapped a massive label on him in one stroke.
Jiang Chen threw his head back and laughed. "You think you're qualified to represent all the Sacred Land's geniuses? Aren't you afraid the real geniuses would feel sick hearing you say that?"
Jing Yi erupted with fury. "What good are sharp words? If you've got the guts, get on the platform. Senior Brother Gan Ning will teach you how to behave from now on."
The other young men joined in the clamor. "Shao Yuan, you're the one who claims to have cleared the Nine-Turn Cloud Grotto. How come you don't even dare step onto the arena?"
"Exactly, exactly—what kind of skill is just flapping your lips?"
"If you've got the guts, get on the platform and show us the magnificence of someone who cleared the Nine-Turn Cloud Grotto."
These so-called geniuses, every last one of them eager to stir up trouble, were all shouting and directing provocative words at Jiang Chen.
There was no question about it—these fellows found Jiang Chen utterly intolerable. They all wanted to use this opportunity to thoroughly humiliate him.
Their thinking was all more or less the same. As geniuses of the Sacred Land, whether first-tier or second-tier, they shared a deep sense of exclusivity and xenophobia.
The arrival of an outside genius already rubbed them the wrong way. And this outsider was so clueless, so skilled at drawing attention to himself.
Clearing the Nine-Turn Cloud Grotto in succession—wasn't that a slap in the face to every Sacred Land genius?
Under these circumstances, this group was united with remarkable consistency in their thinking. They all wanted to use this opportunity to crush this outsider and make him understand just how deep the waters of the Sacred Land truly ran.
However, while these fellows had the desire, they didn't necessarily have the strength to back it up. Jing Yi included—he might have been shouting the loudest, but deep down, he didn't have much confidence.
After all, a genius who had cleared the Nine-Turn Cloud Grotto in succession was certainly no easy mark. Even if that person hadn't yet broken through to the Heavenly Position, Jing Yi wouldn't dare say he was absolutely certain of victory.