Jiang Chen was absolutely certain that the sects they belonged to, the friends they knew, and everything they had been familiar with—all of it had long since vanished.
They were like abandoned children stripped of everything in heaven and earth, with no place to call home, no purpose, nothing they could lean on.
In such a state, even if they were Divine Path cultivators, they would be devoured by that terrible loneliness. They wouldn't be able to bear it.
And when they could no longer bear it, they would think of Jiang Chen—and of the fact that there was still a home here for them. They would come back without a moment's hesitation.
Seeing the skepticism on Xia Tianze's face, Jiang Chen smiled. "Brother Xia, how about I let you out for a while too? You can see for yourself—what do you think?"
Xia Tianze was half-convinced, half-doubtful. "Is that really possible?"
Jiang Chen shrugged. "Why wouldn't it be? I've already brought the Glazed Palace fully under my control. I have a clear understanding of all matters, and I've sorted through every thread. You could say the Glazed Palace is simply waiting for new recruits and expansion."
Xia Tianze's face lit up with delight. "It's really gone that smoothly?"
Jiang Chen knew that when it came to the Glazed Palace's legacy, there were deeper layers that even Xia Tianze probably didn't fully understand. After all, Xia Tianze had only been the Glazed Grand Sovereign's attendant—not his true deputy in the real sense. So the Grand Sovereign had never confided the core secrets to him.
Xia Tianze was merely the Glazed Grand Sovereign's follower, his helper—not someone the Grand Sovereign deemed a suitable inheritor of his legacy.
Of course, Xia Tianze harbored no such ambition either. His devotion to the Glazed Grand Sovereign was one of genuine, almost blind reverence, without any desire to seize the inheritance for himself.
"Rest assured, everything is under control. Brother Xia, if you're interested, you're free to go out and take a look around. With your ancient-era perspective, you could scout out a few more prodigies for the Glazed Palace—how about it?"
Xia Tianze chuckled, clearly quite tempted.
No one in all the world could truly be content with solitude forever. The endless passage of ages had worn away at Xia Tianze's resolve, leaving him gripped by despair from time to time.
If he hadn't clung so firmly to the Glazed Grand Sovereign's judgment—to the belief that an inheritor would eventually arrive—there were moments when he would have wondered whether anyone from later generations could ever truly reach the Six Inheritance Palaces.
Fortunately, Jiang Chen had appeared.
"Brother Xia, better to act than just talk. Go ahead. I'm the new master of the Glazed Palace, and I'm giving you time off. Oh—I have a number of Divine Path cultivators, as well as a batch of young prospects. If you have the time, take a look at them and see which ones show real promise. If any catch your eye, you could offer them some guidance—how does that sound?"
Xia Tianze was the guardian of the Sixth Palace among the Six Inheritance Palaces, and the strongest of them all. His cultivation should be at the mid-stage of the Divine Path—far more powerful than any Divine Path cultivator Jiang Chen had encountered so far. Even An Jiaye would likely be no match for Xia Tianze.
After all, Xia Tianze was an ancient-era cultivator. The sheer imposing aura unique to those ancient powerhouses was enough to make An Jiaye keep his distance.
Xia Tianze let out a strange laugh, clearly somewhat dismissive in his heart.
Obviously, he figured that since the spirit veins of the human domain had been sealed, how many promising talents could the current human domain possibly produce?
Still, since Jiang Chen had put it that way, Xia Tianze didn't want to refuse outright. He smiled. "Fine, old Xia will go take a look. There might even be a pleasant surprise or two."
Jiang Chen said earnestly, "With your ancient-era eye for talent, pleasant surprises may be hard to come by. But if these prospects are given time and opportunity—if the spirit veins are restored and their cultivation environment returns to what it once was—they might not fall far short of the prodigies of the ancient era."