The Eternal River flowed on, day after day. Its waters pulsed with the rhythm of space-time itself, steady and measured, like the beating of some cosmic heart.
His state of mind, his perception — all grew ever more refined.
The five-colored crystals he absorbed daily — it was as though he were drinking in the morning light, drinking in the rain and dew, breathing in the riverside air, drawing in the fragrance of grass and trees, the scent of the earth...
Everything, all of heaven and earth, seemed to be generously channeling spiritual energy toward him, feeding him the nourishment his cultivation demanded.
And Jiang Chen's body was transforming in tandem, day after day.
The strength of his physical form, the level of his divine consciousness — both advanced to perfection through each subtle, intimate experience.
Cultivation at the Heavenly Realm was about drawing upon the power of heaven and earth. The faster one's progress, the more violent the advancement, and the more conspicuous the celestial anomalies it provoked.
Fortunately, the Eternal River was the most secluded of places. Like a secret realm unto itself, those outside knew nothing of the Eternal River's world. And those within the Eternal River had no inkling of what transpired beyond it.
There was still roughly a month before the Genius Sword Convention.
And Jiang Chen's cultivation was surging forward at breathtaking speed each day. Though his rate of improvement was already heaven-defying, Jiang Chen still did not consider it quite enough.
"The second level of the Heavenly Realm — I've hit a bottleneck. Once I break through, it'll be the third level. The Heaven Cauldron Pill can serve its purpose at a critical moment."
Honestly, if Jiang Chen took the Heaven Cauldron Pill right now, he could effortlessly shatter the second-level bottleneck and vault straight into the third level in one stroke.
But that was not Jiang Chen's goal.
His ambition was to advance from the third level of the Heavenly Realm all the way to the fourth.
That was where his true aspirations lay.
"There's still time. There's still hope." Jiang Chen sat quietly, absorbing the spiritual energy from the crystals, refining their potent attributes within him.
It had to be said — Jiang Chen's capacity for absorbing the crystals had reached a staggering, almost monstrous level. For any other genius, even one of the caliber of the Five Noble Scions, this amount of time would likely have been enough to refine only a handful of crystals. Yet Jiang Chen had already refined twenty five-colored crystals in this short period.
Such a pace of refinement could only be described as insane. For a cultivator with a weaker foundation, the sheer volume of energy would have caused their body to explode long ago.
But Jiang Chen still had strength to spare, still had room to absorb more.
This meant the second-level bottleneck of the Heavenly Realm was far from unbreakable. As long as Jiang Chen kept drawing in spiritual energy without cessation, like water dripping through stone, there would come a day when the barrier gave way.
That was the moment Jiang Chen was waiting for — the moment the stone wore through.
...
While Jiang Chen labored in his cultivation, the streets and alleys of the Eternal Divine Kingdom were already buzzing with talk of the upcoming Genius Sword Convention.
This convention might not feature the greatest number of geniuses in history, nor the most dazzling display of star power. But this particular Sword Convention had an intriguing story attached to it.
The protagonist of that story was, without question, Shao Yuan of the Sacred Ground — and
Originally, most people had felt this convention held no suspense. Xiahou Zong stood peerless above all, his position unassailable.
Behind him would likely come the top geniuses from the other great factions, including the likes of the
This ranking had long been settled in everyone's minds.
But ever since Shao Yuan had proposed to Yan Qinghuang at the Heaven Mending Banquet, the story had taken a far more interesting and tangled turn.
Gossip about Shao Yuan and Xiahou Zong — the latter flying into a rage over a woman — spread like wildfire.
People acknowledged that Xiahou Zong's genius was beyond challenge. Yet at the same time, many felt that perhaps this Shao Yuan actually had some small chance of overturning the established order.
Though the majority still did not favor Shao Yuan, they greatly admired his courage, his willingness to pursue what he desired with open defiance.
Quite a few were secretly rooting for him, hoping that Shao Yuan might pull off a miracle.
Jiang Chen probably had no idea that he had already amassed a devoted following in the Eternal Divine Kingdom. They saw him as a hero — the man who had defeated
Such a man, one who could bring glory to the divine kingdom on the world stage — that was a true man among men.
Xiahou Zong was undeniably a genius, but his fearsome reputation had been built entirely within the borders of the divine kingdom. Most of his prestige, too, had been earned by trampling his fellow martial artists of the Eternal Divine Kingdom.