It was obvious that the Great Sovereign had been thoroughly provoked. Though everyone already knew that the person who had entered the tenth forbidden island was none other than
The trial time was far from over, and tallying the results now would be an outright insult to their
In truth, the person who suggested tallying the results was merely trying to get a rise out of the Great Sovereign.
Even though most people believed Jiang Chen would never make it out alive, the trial period hadn't ended yet, and the rules still had to be followed. What if they tallied the scores now and Jiang Chen actually emerged? How humiliating would that be?
So, the proper appearances still had to be maintained.
Of course, everyone believed it was impossible for Jiang Chen to return. The legends surrounding the tenth forbidden island were a curse — never once broken in all of recorded history.
Factions on good terms with the Eternal Sacred Land came one after another to offer comfort to the Great Sovereign. Sovereign Ningyan of the True Martial Sacred Land, with whom the Eternal Sacred Land had particularly close ties, went so far as to advise: "Fellow Daoist Qi, in my observation, young Jiang Chen is absolutely not the kind of person who lacks fortune and destiny. His countenance doesn't show any signs of an early death either, nor did I detect any omen of misfortune in his features. So while the legends are worth considering, they shouldn't be taken as absolute truth. A genius like Jiang Chen is surely one chosen by the Heavens — fundamentally different from ordinary prodigies. I believe young friend Jiang Chen will certainly turn ill fortune into good."
Jiang Chen had shown kindness to the True Martial Sacred Land, and Sovereign Ningyan herself greatly admired him. Had Jiang Chen not already been betrothed to Huang'er, she would very much have liked to match him with her own disciple, the Sacred Maiden Yulin.
The Great Sovereign managed a strained smile. "I thank you for your auspicious words, Fellow Daoist. I hope he can survive this trial. If he manages to get through this, nothing in the future will be able to stop him."
"Indeed. Since ancient times, all great geniuses have faced tribulations that ordinary people never encounter. It is precisely these tribulations that temper them, making them stronger with each trial until they ultimately reach the pinnacle."
...
Jiang Chen had no idea that the outside world was already buzzing with discussion, let alone that they had written him off as dead.
Right now, he stood on the tenth forbidden island, completely bewildered.
The jade slip contained no instructions for the tenth trial. It seemed that the tenth stage simply had no assigned task.
"Strange. Could the task of the tenth stage simply be to survive for the allotted time and make it out alive?" Jiang Chen was thoroughly puzzled.
In truth, the moment he had set foot on this tenth island, he felt that it was vastly different from the previous nine. The tenth forbidden island gave him absolutely no sense of danger. Instead, it was pervaded by an eerie, profound stillness.
The vegetation here was sparse — too sparse to conceal any threat or crisis whatsoever.
The island itself didn't even appear particularly large. Although a thin layer of sea mist blanketed its surface, that mist didn't seem to be harboring any danger either.
"What secret does this island hold?" Jiang Chen was deeply puzzled. Moreover, when he extended his divine sense in all directions, scanning ceaselessly, he couldn't detect a single trace of life force.
Other than the occasional chirp of an insect, there were no signs of any living creatures stirring.
"Could it be that this place simply isn't suited for life to flourish? Even the trees and grass are this sparse?" Jiang Chen still felt completely baffled.
After a more careful examination, he discovered that the soil here didn't seem particularly fertile. But surrounding the soil was clearly a powerful spiritual energy — it didn't look like barren land at all. So why was the vegetation so sparse?
Suspicions piled upon suspicions.
Jiang Chen stood in place, gazing at the island around him, looking at the gentle slope beneath his feet, and slowly began walking toward the crest.
The incline between the slope's base and its summit was minimal — almost no elevation change at all.