Seeing so many enthusiastic greetings directed his way, the Great Sacred Lord felt his face glow with pride. He beamed, fielding the attention with practiced ease.
Jiang Chen naturally wouldn't steal the spotlight. In truth, he hadn't even wanted to attend this so-called Geniuses' Grand Assembly. His mindset, his perspective — they had long since moved beyond competing with the younger generation.
However, the Eternal Sacred Land had insisted he attend.
So while Jiang Chen had no desire to show off, the Great Sacred Lord clearly intended to make him the center of attention. The moment anyone showed even a hint of curiosity, he would enthusiastically introduce Jiang Chen.
Sometimes, even when no one had asked, the Great Sacred Lord would casually remark, "Ah, Jiang Chen — many of the top ten Sacred Lands' geniuses are here today. They're all supreme talents of the Myriad Abyss Island. You young ones should mingle and get along. In the future, the Myriad Abyss Island will be in your hands."
Jiang Chen smiled bitterly to himself but had no choice but to cooperate. After all, the Eternal Sacred Land had spent considerable resources to bring him here. Refusing to play along would be unreasonable.
The Geniuses' Grand Assembly was taken very seriously by all ten Sacred Lands. Every major talent had been dispatched, ready to make their mark in this competition.
Because of this, not everyone Jiang Chen encountered was cordial. Quite a few young geniuses were distinctly cold toward him.
Jiang Chen understood. With his reputation preced him, it was inevitable that many young talents would bristle. Youthful arrogance left no room for other prodigies — each one believed himself the most outstanding of all.
This was a perfectly normal phenomenon in any plane.
Jiang Chen didn't mind in the slightest. His principle in dealing with others was simple: treat me with respect, and I'll return it tenfold. Those who were polite to him naturally received the same courtesy in return.
The relationships among the ten Sacred Lands were generally amicable. While the younger geniuses seemed to have some competitive friction, the older generation wasn't particularly hostile toward one another.
The only Sacred Land with lukewarm relations to the Eternal Sacred Land was the Hundred Sacred Land. The old grudge between the Hundred God Kingdom and the Eternal God Kingdom had grown even more bitter thanks to that Shi Xuan affair.
The True Martial Sacred Land, on the other hand, had the closest relationship with the Eternal Sacred Land. Sacred Lord Ningyan of the True Martial Sacred Land had also attended this Geniuses' Grand Assembly, and her direct disciple, Holy Maiden Yuling, was naturally participating as well.
Upon seeing Jiang Chen, Sacred Lord Ningyan came over warmly and smiled. "Chen Shao, it hasn't been many years since we parted, and yet it seems you've improved quite a bit?"
Sacred Lord Ningyan had witnessed Jiang Chen's abilities firsthand and knew that this young man harbored tremendous potential. His participation in the Geniuses' Grand Assembly made him the frontrunner for the championship in her eyes.
For this reason, the True Martial Sacred Land had been extremely low-key this time around. Before setting out, they had even devised a clear strategy: if they encountered Jiang Chen during the Grand Assembly, they would cut their losses, concede gracefully, and take the loss without shame. They had calculated that Jiang Chen was perfectly capable of contending for the championship.
As for the alliance of the ten Sacred Lands, the True Martial Sacred Land had assessed themselves honestly — they didn't have the strength to claim the position of alliance leader.
Therefore, if the Eternal Sacred Land had aspirations for the leadership, the True Martial Sacred Land would lend their full support. After all, they had a good relationship with the Eternal Sacred Land, and having them as alliance leader would be far better news for the True Martial Sacred Land than letting some less friendly Sacred Land take the position.
Jiang Chen smiled. "You flatter me, Sacred Lord Ningyan. Your own vitality far exceeds what I remember. And Holy Maiden Yuling looks even more radiant than before."
Holy Maiden Yuling, hiding behind Sacred Lord Ningyan's back, blushed faintly at Jiang Chen's compliment. Nevertheless, she bowed her head slightly and said, "Senior Brother Jiang."
It was common for geniuses from allied Sacred Lands to address each other as senior and junior fellow disciples — perfectly normal convention.
Sacred Lord Ningyan smiled at Jiang Chen and asked, "So? Any thoughts about this Geniuses' Grand Assembly? I have very high expectations for you."
"The Sacred Lord honors me with her confidence," Jiang Chen replied, his tone courteous. "Having this opportunity to compete against the supreme talents of the Myriad Abyss Island is truly a rare chance."