Then again, while training on this island, he was up against dozens of opponents. Being watched was hardly unusual, and it wasn't practical to track down the source of every single observation.
If he tried to do that, where would he find the time and energy to search for trial beads?
With that in mind, Jiang Chen refocused and moved at his own pace.
Before long, evening gradually settled in. The sky slowly dimmed. Night was already gathering its forces, preparing to reign over the land.
Jiang Chen furrowed his brows slightly as he gazed at the sun sinking toward the west.
Nightfall was of no real concern to him personally. He didn't believe that any genius among the Ten Great Holy Lands could genuinely threaten him.
What he worried about were Wu You and Gan Ning.
If he couldn't make contact with them before dark, the night would be exceedingly difficult to endure. Darkness was the perfect environment for committing crimes.
For a genius of Gan Ning's comparatively weaker cultivation, the night was especially treacherous. A single lapse in caution could leave him ambushed by someone.
Right now, Gan Ning was indeed following Jiang Chen's instructions to the letter. He had gathered large quantities of Sorrow Tree leaves, boiled them down into juice, and smeared it over his body.
He had been inside for over half a day now, and Gan Ning's range of movement had not exceeded ten li. Every time he shifted position, he did so with extreme caution.
Upon arriving at any new location, his first thought was always to conceal himself.
As it happened, his luck had been decent — he had stumbled upon a trial bead entirely by chance.
Now, watching night descend, Gan Ning's heart was pounding. He knew that with his level of cultivation, he was at a severe disadvantage in the dark.
Once the cloak of night fell, even remaining completely still and hidden did not guarantee safety.
Still, he understood that at this stage, he had to accept reality and stick to the plan they had agreed upon. On his own, there was absolutely no way he could survive the full half-month, let alone gather a meaningful number of trial beads. Each person needed to find ten to pass — that was the bare minimum.
But Gan Ning didn't dare think about that. He didn't believe he had the strength to compete against so many rivals and still come away with ten beads.
"Forget it — stop overthinking. I'll hunker down here and keep as low a profile as possible. I may fear others, but that doesn't mean they don't fear me too. On this island, nobody is truly safe. Not unless you're a top-tier genius like Senior Brother Jiang Chen," Gan Ning told himself by way of comfort.
He knew that among the Ten Great Holy Lands, there was still a handful of elite geniuses at the very peak. Gan Ning had actually been wondering — just how far had Senior Brother Jiang Chen's personal cultivation progressed?
As far as he knew, the Ten Great Holy Lands boasted several top-tier geniuses who were approaching the high stage of the Heaven Realm.
These individuals had long stood at the summit of Myriad Abyss Island's younger generation. Some of them were figures before whom even the former
Although Xiahou Zong had always boasted that he was the strongest of the younger generation on Myriad Abyss Island, the truth was that the Xiahou clan was merely a first-tier family. They lacked a real understanding of the Holy Lands' true foundations.
The Ten Great Holy Lands were a breeding ground for hidden dragons and crouching tigers. There was no way they would allow Xiahou Zong to claim the title of number one among the young generation — that was simply unrealistic.
Just as Gan Ning's thoughts were wandering, he suddenly sensed a faint, subtle fluctuation.
The next instant, an alarm blazed through his mind. He had a premonition that someone had locked onto him. Despite how well hidden he was, he had been discovered after all.
Perhaps the other party hadn't come specifically for him, but there was no doubt about it — he had been targeted, and trouble was heading his way.
The thought flashed through Gan Ning's mind in a heartbeat, and his body erupted into motion, darting toward the base of an ancient tree.