After Jiang Chen left, he naturally had no interest in getting involved in the internal squabbles of the Hundred Sacred Grounds. His objective had already been achieved.
Wu You had been rescued, and he had even managed to obtain a large haul of Trial Orbs from Poison Consort Shi Qinglu.
With that, the Trial Orbs in Jiang Chen's possession now numbered several dozen, approaching nearly a hundred.
The total number of Trial Orbs in the entire trial was six hundred. At this moment, Jiang Chen already held eighty or ninety of them — and only three or four days of the half-month period had elapsed.
If he continued acquiring Trial Orbs at this rate, Jiang Chen alone could end up with several hundred by the end.
Of course, Trial Orbs would naturally be plentiful at the start, but as the trial progressed and they became scattered across more and more individuals, the supply would inevitably dwindle.
Jiang Chen was well aware of this.
Before long, Jiang Chen and Wu You arrived at the location where Gan Ning had been settled.
Gan Ning, at this point, had been keeping things uneventful and had not run into any serious trouble. He had faithfully followed Jiang Chen's instructions, staying within the surrounding area.
Whenever he encountered an opponent he couldn't handle, he would retreat into the protective formation zone.
Thanks to this approach, he had been as steady as a mountain — and had even managed to find another Trial Orb on his own.
With the three of them reunited, Wu You's feelings were utterly complicated. Gan Ning, however, consoled him: "Brother Wu, falling into the hands of Poison Consort Shi Qinglu is nothing to be ashamed of. There's no need to dwell on it."
Jiang Chen asked with a smile: "How many Trial Orbs did Poison Consort Shi Qinglu take from you?"
Wu You smiled bitterly. "It's embarrassing. In two or three days of searching, I only managed to find a single Trial Orb."
Jiang Chen was generous enough, handing five Trial Orbs to Wu You. "Take them. Use them to pad out your count for now. When you find more Trial Orbs later, you and Gan Ning keep them first."
Wu You was stunned. The fact that Jiang Chen had rescued him from captivity was already more than enough to be grateful for — he had never imagined he would also receive Trial Orbs from Jiang Chen's own hand.
His first instinct was to refuse.
Gan Ning laughed: "Brother Wu, Senior Brother Jiang Chen is simply being generous. You should just accept it. We're all on the same team as Senior Brother Jiang Chen, so our Trial Orb counts will be pooled together in the end anyway — it all comes out to the same total. And judging by Senior Brother Jiang Chen's momentum, we might just ride his coattails to a team first place in this trial!"
Hearing this, Wu You's face lit up with joy.
Despite having suffered quite a bit recently, in trials like these, when your strength fell short of your opponent's, taking some lumps was perfectly normal.
With the three of them gathered together — and especially with a powerhouse like Jiang Chen at their side — Wu You and Gan Ning both felt an immense sense of security.
The constant anxiety and fear they had been feeling before simply evaporated.
Wu You's and Gan Ning's strength might not have been particularly formidable, but they weren't exactly weak either. At times, as trusted lieutenants, they could still prove useful.
At the very least, when it came to running errands and scouring the area for Trial Orbs, Jiang Chen didn't need to do everything himself.
Of course, any Trial Orbs they found, Jiang Chen would absolutely not snatch away from them. His mind simply wasn't focused on that.
The bulk of his Trial Orbs came from other people's hands.
With half a month still remaining, there would surely be no shortage of short-sighted individuals eager to deliver themselves to his doorstep.
True enough, as Jiang Chen had anticipated, over the next three or four days he encountered other squads almost every single day — sometimes even multiple squads banded together.