"This…?" Ziche Min and the Grand Elder exchanged a glance, both completely dazed. The number was so staggering that their minds could barely process it.
Six hundred Trial Orbs in total, and their squad alone had two hundred and eighty-six? Nearly half of all the orbs had fallen into their hands?
"Grand Elder, Elder Ziche — before we came out, we verified the count carefully. It really is this number." Wu You stepped forward and volunteered the information.
Both the Grand Elder and Ziche Min knew that Wu You was a fairly steady and dependable person. Under normal circumstances, he absolutely would not tell a lie.
"How did you get so many?" Ziche Min still found it inconceivable. With all his wisdom, no matter how he turned it over in his mind, he couldn't fathom how one could collect over two hundred Trial Orbs. How would one even go about finding them?
"We didn't steal or rob anyone. But if we're talking about credit, Gan Ning and I were mostly just running errands — and honestly, we probably got in Senior Brother Jiang Chen's way more than we helped. The vast majority of the credit belongs to Senior Brother Jiang Chen. We were at best his legs, and sometimes we were even a drag on him."
Wu You was quite straightforward and spoke in earnest.
"Didn't steal or rob?" Ziche Min didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "If you didn't steal or rob, how could you have gotten so many? Besides, the rules never said stealing or robbing was forbidden. As long as you don't kill anyone, any method of taking Trial Orbs is permitted."
Wu You sighed. "Speaking of that, we truly have to admire Senior Brother Jiang Chen. He never takes the initiative to snatch from others. He only takes down those who come looking for trouble on their own and claim their Trial Orbs. Several groups from the Hundred Saints Ground and the Duo-wen Sacred Land were all taught a lesson by Senior Brother Jiang Chen…"
Gan Ning wasn't about to be outdone either. His eyes lit up as he chimed in enthusiastically: "Speaking of which, Senior Brother Jiang Chen really stole the show this time. That Poison Concubine, Shi Qinglu — she's got such a fearsome reputation, but in front of Senior Brother Jiang Chen, she looked like she'd only just learned how to use poison. She couldn't do a thing to him. And Lu Mingye — no matter how arrogant he acted just now, he only dared to peek from a distance. He didn't dare come anywhere near Senior Brother Jiang Chen. He'd already been scared out of his wits by him…"
Gan Ning had quite the gift of gab, so Jiang Chen simply let him have his fill.
After hearing Gan Ning's account, both the Grand Elder and Ziche Min were thoroughly delighted. They were extremely satisfied with how Jiang Chen had handled things.
For instance, when dealing with people from the Hundred Saints Ground and the Duo-wen Sacred Land, Jiang Chen had largely shown no fear of offending them and had taken a forceful approach. But with sacred lands that might be brought to their side, he had done his best to avoid damaging relations, prioritizing harmony.
"Good, excellent," Ziche Min praised. "Grand Elder, Jiang Chen has rendered such an enormous service to our sacred land — there should be absolutely no suspense about him claiming the top spot in this trial."
Six hundred Trial Orbs, and he had personally accounted for nearly half of them. Under these circumstances, if he didn't take first place, that would truly be bizarre.
Meanwhile, the senior figures from the Ten Great Sacred Lands had begun gathering together, preparing to start tallying the results.
It was obvious that Lu Mingye was extremely excited, a look of smug satisfaction gleaming in his eyes. He appeared as though he had already clinched the victory.
Gan Ning watched from a distance and muttered dismissively, "That Lu Mingye probably picked up a few Trial Oribs in the last few days and now thinks he's the hot stuff, convinced he's got first place in the bag. Let's see if he can still smile once he finds out about our squad's results."
"Heh, he'd need to have collected every last remaining Trial Orb to have any right to place himself above us," Wu You said flatly, not buying it for a second.
Lu Mingye had some ability, and perhaps he really had gone all out in the final days. But at the very most, he could only bully those weaker than himself.
There were certainly geniuses whom even Lu Mingye wouldn't dare provoke, and those geniuses surely had no shortage of Trial Orbs either.
"Alright, all squad members, please be ready. Come forward in order to hand in your Trial Orbs. Remember — these Trial Orbs determine not only your competition results, but also your standing. Please make sure you have your Trial Orbs in hand. Any cheating or falsification will not be tolerated."
Jiang Chen's squad joined the line, waiting their turn among the queue.