Zi Che and Gu Yunjin exchanged a glance, each seeing the shock in the other's eyes. It was clear to both of them that this Shao Yuan was dead serious.
The matter of Elder Zi Mu had always been a great humiliation for the Eternal Sacred Land. Both Zi Che and Gu Yunjin had been old enough to witness the disgrace of Elder Zi Mu being angered to death.
Naturally, in their hearts, they had always hoped that some genius would step forward and turn the tables on their enemy — reclaiming that lost honor for Elder Zi Mu and the Eternal Sacred Land, washing away the shame once and for all.
Yet before Jiang Chen's appearance, no one in the Eternal Sacred Land — from top to bottom — had ever dared to entertain such a thought. They all knew full well that given the alchemical foundation of the Eternal Divine Kingdom, there was virtually no chance of a genius of this caliber emerging who could accomplish such a daunting task.
As a result, the mission known as "Flame of Vengeance" had gone unclaimed for decades.
This was precisely why, when Jiang Chen had demonstrated his extraordinary alchemical talent during the alchemy exchange at the Xiahou family, Zi Che had been immediately and deeply impressed.
He had not hesitated to humble himself, leveraging his status as a senior elder of the Eternal Sacred Land to befriend the young man. When his first invitation was declined, he invited him again. In the end, his sincerity won the young man over.
And this young man had repaid his trust and patronage with concrete action.
In the alchemy competition against the Jade Pool Sect's Water Moon Heart-Gazing Pill, he had achieved a complete victory, leaving all the alchemy authorities of the Jade Pool Sect — including Immortal Ming Dou — utterly speechless and thoroughly convinced.
All of this had solidified Zi Che's belief, cementing his conviction that this young man was a truly rare alchemical genius.
Afterward, Jiang Chen's outstanding performance in the Sacred Land's trials — consecutively breaking through the Nine-Winding Cloud Cavern — had been an added and delightful surprise.
But for Zi Che, what he valued most was the young man's alchemical talent. He had once worried — with such remarkable martial cultivation talent, would the young man still be willing to dedicate himself to the Dao of Alchemy?
It was only now, with Jiang Chen proposing this mission, that Zi Che truly began to give it serious thought.
Suddenly, a flame of hope kindled in his heart. If the Eternal Sacred Land had to find one young genius capable of completing this mission, then that person could only be Shao Yuan.
"Shao Yuan, it seems your mind is made up?"
"Elder Zi Che, don't you have faith in me?" Jiang Chen asked with a smile.
"It's not that I lack faith. But before you challenge that man, it's necessary to understand the situation first. Very well — you've already accepted the mission, and it cannot be undone. However, you have one year. I think that should be enough time to prepare."
For Gu Yunjin, the Merit Hall had already done everything it could.
As for what came next, there was little more he could do. He could only offer his support in spirit.
Not long after Jiang Chen and Zi Che left the Merit Hall, word began to spread. The newcomer Shao Yuan had accepted a Sovereign-level mission.
And not just any Sovereign-level mission — the Flame of Vengeance, a mission no one had ever dared to touch.
When the news broke, the entire Sacred Land erupted. Whether it was the old monsters or the mid-generation disciples, everyone was tremendously excited.
The younger generation, upon hearing the news, was comparatively more composed. They hadn't lived through the Elder Zi Mu incident, so they didn't feel it as deeply.
Though some of the younger talents had heard about Elder Zi Mu from their elders, hearing it secondhand and experiencing it firsthand were two entirely different things.
Still, the relatively lukewarm response from the younger generation didn't stop the matter from continuing to stir up waves throughout the Eternal Sacred Land. Many people who hadn't previously concerned themselves with outside affairs began to inquire — just who was this newly arrived Sacred Land genius, Shao Yuan?
The Eternal Sacred Land was vast. From the upper echelons to the middle ranks to the ordinary disciples, it numbered at least in the millions. Most people within the Sacred Land didn't know one another.
Aside from the three Great Holy Sovereigns, the elders of the Elder Hall, and a handful of exceptionally outstanding talents, everyone else might not necessarily know each other.
In fact, many people were usually too busy with their own affairs to concern themselves much with other matters of the Sacred Land.
But the Flame of Vengeance was a mission that virtually everyone in the entire Sacred Land knew about.
When word got out that the mission had been activated, everyone's first thought was naturally to wonder — who on earth was this person who had taken it on?
The name "Shao Yuan" spread like wildfire across the Sacred Land.
Everyone began asking around, trying to learn the background of this prodigy.
Jiang Chen, for his part, kept an exceptionally low profile after accepting the mission. In Zi Che's residence, he began studying his opponent.
Though he didn't attach too much importance to the adage of "knowing yourself and your enemy," he understood that challenging someone — and getting them to agree without hesitation — was no easy feat.
"Shao Yuan, this fellow — when he angered Elder Zi Mu to death over sixty years ago, he was only in his thirties. Now, he's probably just reached a hundred. At a hundred years old, in the world of alchemy, that still counts as young. But today, he is already one of the supreme Grandmasters of the Hundred God Kingdom. In the alchemical world of the Hundred God Kingdom, he is unquestionably one of the three hottest names. In fact, across all Ten Great God Kingdoms, he can rank in the top ten — even the top six. Many people believe that before he reaches five hundred, he could become the number one alchemist among the Ten Great God Kingdoms."
When Zi Che spoke of this man, his tone was laced with a complicated mix of emotions.