However, pressure was what created motivation.
Jiang Chen felt he still needed to try his best. Regardless of whether he could push into the third level of the Celestial Domain, he should give it his all.
In a place like the Myriad Abyss Island, sometimes no trick was as convincing as one's own strength.
"When I broke through to the Celestial Domain, both my physical body and my spiritual consciousness far surpassed cultivators at the same level. So if I were to force a breakthrough, my body and consciousness could fully support it. What I lack most right now is the resources for consecutive breakthroughs."
Every step forward into the Celestial Domain required an inexhaustible supply of resources. Jiang Chen actually had some on hand.
But those resources were far from enough to achieve consecutive breakthroughs.
Back on the Blue Smoke Island, he had obtained many Blue Smoke Ancient Jade pieces—these inheritance jades whose value he had yet to fully explore.
If he sold all of them, the resources gained would certainly be enough to charge straight into the mid-stage of the Celestial Domain.
But right now, distant water couldn't quench a present thirst.
The Eternal Sacred Land had rewarded him handsomely for his outstanding performance, but those rewards weren't the most direct cultivation resources either.
What Jiang Chen needed most were cultivation resources—Celestial Domain-grade Ling Shi, Celestial Domain-grade Spiritual Medicine, the kind that could directly extract spiritual power.
Such things could dramatically accelerate his cultivation.
Perhaps others couldn't use such a brute-force method of speeding up, but given Jiang Chen's physical and spiritual strength, this approach was the most suitable one.
"If I had the right resources—enough resources—it might not be entirely hopeless to break through to the third level of the Celestial Domain before the Genius Sword Debate. Once I reach the third level, with the help of the Heaven Cauldron Pill, I can press on and charge straight into the fourth level!"
Jiang Chen's goal was the fourth level of the Celestial Domain.
He felt that even at the second or third level, he should be able to contend with Xiahou Zong. But Xiahou Zong carried an enormous reputation—said to be the number one genius of the entire Eternal Divine Kingdom, and rumored to be a reincarnated deity.
That forced Jiang Chen to regard him a level higher than usual.
As he was lost in thought, Jiang Chen suddenly sensed something. He turned and looked behind him.
A ripple appeared in the void, and from within it, a ferocious beast covered in mottled patterns burst forth—it was Little White.
Little White had undergone another dramatic transformation. On its forehead, a faintly visible mark had appeared, looking extremely ancient.
This mark was none other than the Taisui Sigil of the Taisui White Tiger clan. When the Taisui Sigil manifested on a Taisui White Tiger's forehead, it meant the tiger's inherited memories had fully awakened, and it could now summon the Taisui Sigil.
This also meant the Taisui White Tiger had broken through to the Celestial Domain realm.
"Little White, you actually broke through?" Jiang Chen was overjoyed.
"Huff huff!" Little White was equally ecstatic, throwing a paw onto Jiang Chen's shoulder. "Chen Shao, I broke through! I did it! From now on, I'm a Celestial Domain spirit beast too—hahaha!"
Little White's enthusiasm was sky-high, looking positively thrilled.
"Great, that's wonderful. Little White, I truly didn't misjudge you." Seeing Little White's breakthrough, Jiang Chen was equally delighted.
The bloodlines of the Four Great Divine Beasts—he now possessed three of them: the Dragon Clan, the Taisui White Tiger Clan, and the Vermilion Bird Clan. Only the Xuanwu Clan remained to complete the set.
Once all four bloodlines were gathered, it would be an earth-shattering fortune.
Jiang Chen's heart surged with excitement. If he could obtain the Xuanwu bloodline, these four Divine Beast bloodlines could be refined, reshaped, and used to derive the Myriad Heavens—granting supreme opportunity.
The Four Great Divine Beasts' bloodlines, whether used in combination formations, bloodline fusions, or the derivation of the Myriad Heavens, would all represent opportunities that transcended the entire Divine Abyss Continent.
"Come on, Chen Shao! Let's go back in and take another look—see if there's a chance to claim that powerful earth vein for ourselves!"
With the awakening of the Taisui White Tiger's inherited memories, the wild nature buried deep in the Taisui White Tiger's bloodline had erupted as well. Little White's eyes gleamed as he spoke of that earth vein.
Jiang Chen felt a stir in his heart too.
He had only caught a distant glimpse of that earth vein before. But even from that brief glance, he could tell it was no ordinary vein.
If he could claim it, the fortune would be staggering.
Jiang Chen even speculated that the entire Yan Family's current wealth and foundations couldn't compare to a single complete earth vein.
Unfortunately, this kind of earth vein was something ordinary people simply couldn't mine.
Only a deity would possess the divine power necessary to extract such an earth vein in its entirety. And even that was merely a possibility—not guaranteed to succeed.
So if Jiang Chen said he wasn't tempted, he'd be lying.