In truth, after Jiang Chen left, he still felt lingering fear in his heart.
The seemingly peaceful exchange just now had actually been one step away from open combat. Both sides had been probing the other's fighting strength.
If he hadn't brought the Vermilion Bird divine beast along this time, with only himself, Long Xiaoxuan, and the Taisui White Tiger, today's situation would have been extremely disadvantageous.
"It seems that truly many powerhouses have emerged from the Infinite Prison. You can run into one just like that." Jiang Chen sighed inwardly with emotion.
After obtaining this batch of five-colored crystal stones, Jiang Chen was greatly excited.
In terms of value, these crystal stones were worth even more than the batch of Ling Shi from the Huichun Island Region. However, those Ling Shi held a different purpose for Jiang Chen, and because of that formation, they seemed especially important to him.
In reality, the value of these crystal stones—particularly their cultivation value—was even greater than that batch of Ling Shi.
This experience had been a close call, but ultimately without real danger.
Upon returning to the Eternal Sacred Land, Jiang Chen took a portion of the crystal stones and distributed them among the three great true spirits.
The three great true spirits were all greatly invigorated. With these crystal stones, they wouldn't need to worry about cultivation resources for decades to come.
Jiang Chen had originally intended to visit God Sovereign Jia Ye to inquire about that divine path cultivator's background, but considering the time pressure, he decided not to waste any.
"Chen Shao, the Holy Ancestor learned that you've returned to the Sacred Land. He plans to come back tonight and wants to see you. Prepare yourself." This was the message Zi Che Min had brought.
Jiang Chen was startled to hear the Holy Ancestor would be returning. Could it really be as Zi Che Min had said—that he would be taking Jiang Chen into the extraterritorial battlefield ahead of schedule?
Honestly, Jiang Chen wasn't ready to go just yet. After all, the human domain still had a whole mess of matters that hadn't been resolved at all.
"Oh right, Chen Shao, have you gathered enough Ling Shi?" Zi Che Min suddenly asked.
"Not yet. Is Elder Zi Che offering to help gather some?" Jiang Chen asked with a half-joke.
Zi Che Min laughed heartily. "If it were Ling Shi for personal cultivation, this old man could certainly produce some. But the amount of Ling Shi you need is simply far too large. The pitiful sum I could contribute wouldn't even be worth mentioning."
This was the plain truth. Zi Che Min could produce some Ling Shi, but compared to what was needed, the amount he could offer was truly of no help.
Seeing Jiang Chen's brow furrowed tight, apparently worrying over the Ling Shi matter, Zi Che Min tried to persuade him: "Chen Shao, the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms will hold a Genius Grand Tournament this year. It's a longstanding tradition. Because of the rebellion, the tournament was postponed for several years. After the devastation of the rebellion, at first no one was particularly interested in holding the Genius Grand Tournament. But then insightful individuals pointed out that precisely because of this calamity, the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms need to discover young geniuses all the more—the new waves must push the old forward. So, this Genius Grand Tournament..."
"You're not going to ask me to participate in the Genius Grand Tournament, are you?" Jiang Chen really wasn't that bored. The last time he'd joined the Genius Sword Discussion, it had been out of necessity—he'd been targeting the Xiahou family.
But this tournament, jointly organized by the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms, looked to him like nothing more than a tedious spectacle of the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms showing off against each other.
So Jiang Chen wasn't particularly interested.
His current status and stature made it hard to define him as merely a young genius anymore. Having him compete against a bunch of young talents in some grand tournament was frankly absurd.
"Participating in the Genius Grand Tournament may be a bit beneath you now, but it's an opportunity to make contact with the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms. It's also a chance to build your reputation. And even more so, a chance to make friends. The Ten Great Divine Kingdoms count many prosperous lands among them... I believe the Ling Shi you need can definitely be gathered."