A moment later, Saintess Sitong let out a soft sigh. "Fellow Daoist Jiang Chen speaks the truth. No one can become a saint in a single step, and everyone has their own selfish desires. A person without any selfishness at all would be the most hypocritical of all. However, under the larger circumstances — with the fate of the Divine Abyss Continent and every person hanging in the balance — every selfish desire becomes interconnected. Only when more people step forward and make their individual contributions can the Divine Abyss Continent be saved."
"Is even Saintess Sitong this pessimistic?" Jiang Chen asked with a smile.
"I once went to the extraterritorial battlefield." Sitong's voice grew somber. "Only those who have been there truly understand how difficult it has been for the Divine Abyss Continent to hold on until now."
Jiang Chen hadn't expected that Saintess Sitong had already visited the extraterritorial battlefield — a place he himself had never set foot in.
In that moment, he found himself feeling a measure of genuine respect for her.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang Chen, if you get the chance, go see the extraterritorial battlefield for yourself. At your level of cultivation, this Genius Grand Tournament no longer suits you." To his surprise, Sitong didn't pose her next question.
She waved her hand. "Bring Young Master Sui Chen out and let him go."
A moment later, Young Master Sui Chen emerged looking rather disheveled. Seeing Jiang Chen and the others standing there, his expression grew even more awkward.
Truth be told, in his current state — hair a mess, face smudged — he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.
Young Master Wei Yong stepped forward and called out, "Senior Brother Sui Chen."
Young Master Sui Chen shoved Wei Yong hard and snapped, "Mind your own business."
With that, he strode out without looking back.
The whole scene left everyone dumbfounded. Even Wu You and Gan Ning felt their faces burning, embarrassed on his behalf.
After all, Sui Chen was the top-ranked of the Five Young Masters. Acting so disgracefully reflected poorly on the entire Eternal Sacred Land.
If not for Senior Brother Jiang Chen holding things together, they would have been too ashamed to show their faces.
Saintess Yaoguang was clearly the type who couldn't hide her feelings — a flicker of contempt crossed the corner of her eyes. It was obvious that Sui Chen had gravely disappointed her as well.
Young Master Wei Yong felt awkward too, but he was, after all, part of Sui Chen's group. After a moment's hesitation, he approached Jiang Chen with a bitter expression and cupped his fists. "Many thanks to Senior Brother Jiang Chen for resolving the situation."
Jiang Chen waved his hand dismissively but said nothing.
After they had all left, Saintess Sitong sighed. "Fellow Daoist Jiang Chen, did you know? Every major sacred land is extremely envious of your Eternal Sacred Land right now."
"Oh?"
"Think about it — if you had joined some other sacred land instead of the Eternal Sacred Land, what would the Eternal Sacred Land have to show for itself?" Sitong smiled.
Among the Ten Great Sacred Lands, the Eternal Sacred Land didn't stand out in any particular area.
But because of Jiang Chen's appearance, the buzz kept growing and the reputation kept spreading. Now everyone considered the Eternal Sacred Land to be among the very top tier of the Ten Great Sacred Lands.
At the very least, it was a sacred land that no one wished to offend.
And none of this was because the Eternal Sacred Land was particularly powerful — it was because of Jiang Chen.
The Heaven-Replenishing Pill, the Heaven-Supporting Pill — everyone could see the tremendous opportunity these pills represented. To put it bluntly, if these pills could be mass-produced, the boost to a sacred land's overall strength would be unmistakable.
In light of that, who would want to offend the Eternal Sacred Land?
Sitong's words, then, came from a place of genuine feeling. Just imagine — if it were their Rising Sun Sacred Land that had gained Jiang Chen...