The Eternal Saint Ancestor was shaken to his core. He had assumed Jiang Chen would never share his Divine Spark. Yet he never expected that Jiang Chen had already distributed it in private.
He hadn't given it to the Great Holy Lord, nor to any of the great Holy Lords — he had given it to Ziche Min.
Ziche Min was considered a heavyweight within the Eternal Sacred Land, but in terms of status he was clearly not on par with the three great Holy Lords. Yet it was precisely he whom Jiang Chen had chosen to bestow the Divine Spark upon.
What did this tell him? It told him that Jiang Chen understood perfectly well — Ziche Min was the person he trusted most.
The Eternal Saint Ancestor wasn't jealous, nor could he harbor resentment. He simply felt a twinge of regret — regret that his attitude toward Jiang Chen back then hadn't been sincere enough, hadn't been devoted enough.
He had admired Jiang Chen at the time, but that admiration had been, to some degree, tinged with mutual self-interest. Now it was clear: without genuine care, without making Jiang Chen feel that the Eternal Sacred Land was a home, they had truly made a miscalculation.
The more he thought about it, the more the Eternal Saint Ancestor felt a pang of loss.
After a moment he drew a deep breath and looked at Ziche Min with earnest eyes. "Elder Ziche, perhaps in a year or two I shall have to call you Brother Ziche. I've seen everything you've done for the Eternal Sacred Land. I must admit — you are one of the very few in our Sacred Land who truly puts his heart into his work. You were the one who brought Jiang Chen to us, and that contribution alone is immeasurable. It is a pity that the Sacred Land never made the most of it."
But Ziche Min replied, "The Sacred Land has done reasonably well, hasn't it? In the battle against Elder Heguang Du, wasn't Jiang Chen's contribution immeasurable? He also won us the position of Alliance Leader. That should have exceeded the Sacred Land's expectations of him."
The Eternal Saint Ancestor sighed. "That is clearly not what I meant. What I meant is that our Sacred Land ultimately never managed to make Jiang Chen feel at home. What he does now is out of a sense of moral obligation, not because of any deep emotional bond. Think of how Jiang Chen cares for Danqian Palace, for the Glazed Royal City — that is the feeling of protecting one's home, protecting one's family."
Ziche Min fell silent, though inwardly he harbored some complaints. When he had first brought Jiang Chen to the Eternal Sacred Land, everyone had criticized him for it.
When Jiang Chen first arrived, he had received none of the treatment befitting a top genius. There were all manner of entry tests, provocations, resources that weren't fully opened to him, and there were even frequent instances of haggling over provisions. Later, when Jiang Chen wished to compete with Xiahou Zong for Yan Qinghuang, the Sacred Land hadn't even taken a clear stance that it would fully support him. Only after Jiang Chen proved himself outstanding did the Sacred Land make a belated effort to formally back him.
How could anyone treated this way ever come to feel a sense of belonging to the Sacred Land? That was clearly unrealistic.
But Ziche Min did not voice these thoughts.
There was little point in bringing them up now. What was done was done. With Jiang Chen's current strength, he could face the Ten Great Sacred Lands head-on without the slightest difficulty.
Let alone depend on the Eternal Sacred Land's goodwill.
That he still did what he could out of moral principle was already a testament to his character. To hope that Jiang Chen would treat them like family — how could that ever be expected?
The Eternal Saint Ancestor at least had the self-awareness to acknowledge this. "Whatever mistakes were made, they were the fault of the Extraterritorial Battlefield. Had I not been tied down there, perhaps I would have had more time to observe this young man, more time to pay attention to him. Perhaps I could have won his heart more fully. But as things stand, this outcome is not entirely bad."
"Yes. Compared to the other Sacred Lands, we are already quite fortunate," Ziche Min said with a faint smile.
"Mm. That you earned Jiang Chen's favor is itself a blessing. Cultivate well — I hope the Sacred Land will soon produce another Divine Path cultivator!"
This, at least, was sincere.
"I thank the Ancestor for his auspicious words. Your subordinate will give it his all," Ziche Min pledged.
…
Jiang Chen handled a few matters within the Eternal Sacred Land, and also summoned Shi Xuan from the Hundred Sacred Grounds, lifting the Pill Servant seal on him.