An unbelievable scene had just unfolded before their very eyes.
The ninth trial — someone had actually passed it.
Every one of the high-ranking officials had risen to their feet, their eyes filled with shock. Clearly, they had been deeply shaken.
"Who is it? What kind of genius is this?" The same thought flashed through every mind. Without question, whoever it was had earned the envy of every person present.
This level of talent far exceeded all of their estimates. Even among these powerhouses sitting here, which of them had possessed such monstrous talent at that age?
Not a single one!
In other words, this young man who had cleared the ninth trial had, in terms of pure talent, outstripped every one of them present.
"Fellow Daoist Qi, allow me to offer my congratulations in advance. For the Eternal Sacred Land to have obtained such a genius — its future is truly bright. It's enough to make anyone envious!"
Someone called out to the Eternal Sacred Land's Great Sovereign with a genial smile.
The Great Sovereign, however, was uncharacteristically modest and hurried to explain, "We still don't know whose genius this is. It may not necessarily be someone from our Eternal Sacred Land."
"Heh heh, I believe it must be Young Master Jiang Chen. We more or less know the background and abilities of the other geniuses — we have a rough estimate of what they're capable of."
"That's true. Even the very top geniuses from each sacred land — everyone can guess their limits and have a general sense of their level. But Jiang Chen rose too quickly. People still lack a deep understanding of his true strength."
"Fellow Daoist Qi, truly, congratulations are in order. Such an outstanding young man is a rare find indeed. But I've heard he wasn't cultivated by your Eternal Sacred Land — he came from the Human Domain. I do wonder whether he'll feel any sense of belonging toward our Myriad Abyss Island?"
The Great Sovereign didn't take these compliments too seriously. Pleasantries exchanged for the sake of appearances — take them at face value, and you'd lose.
Moreover, who knew what intentions lurked behind these courteous words. Perhaps the person smiling and congratulating you to your face was inwardly consumed with jealousy, wishing nothing more than for the Eternal Sacred Land to suffer misfortune immediately. So the Great Sovereign didn't let his head float into the clouds.
Instead, he smiled faintly and said, "Which is precisely why I say you're all overthinking this. There are still nearly a dozen geniuses who could break through the ninth trial. Any one of them could be the one. Jiang Chen is simply one among them. Of course, everyone now knows Jiang Chen's background. From what I know of him, he is a man born to shoulder responsibility. His destiny will never be confined to the Human Domain alone. The Human Domain is far too small a stage — it cannot contain a god of his caliber. Given time, he will represent not just the Human Domain, not just Myriad Abyss Island, but the entire Divine Abyss Continent and the whole plane!"
These words from the Great Sovereign were grandly phrased but delivered with conviction — a warning to those who might try to sow discord.
Of course, not everyone believed that the one who had entered the tenth trial was necessarily Jiang Chen. Some held different views.
"At the end of the day, Jiang Chen is just someone from the Human Domain with limited potential. In my opinion, with so many geniuses on Myriad Abyss Island, anyone could unlock their potential and unleash even greater combat power. Isn't this kind of grand competition precisely the opportunity for geniuses to break past their limits and emerge like butterflies from a cocoon?"
"That's a fair point. I believe Lu Mingye of the Hundred Sacred Lands and the Poison Fairy Shi Qinglu are both excellent prospects with tremendous potential."
"Ha ha, arguing about it now is pointless. The answer should be revealed soon enough. Why don't we just wait and see? Regardless, for Myriad Abyss Island to produce a super-genius is, all in all, a good thing."
"Mm. The alliance of our ten great sacred lands is imperative, and this super-genius will surely win a great deal of support for whichever sacred land he belongs to."
"Well said. A genius of this caliber is destined to become a leader in the future."