These words stirred something deep within Jiang Chen. When he looked at Lord Fang again, he saw that the man's gaze was clear and devoid of any hint of scheming or deceit. On the contrary, there was a quality of selfless impartiality about him.
Had he misunderstood Lord Fang's intentions?
Lord Fang let out a soft sigh. "For a mortal disciple to possess talent like yours is truly rare. However, you have no backing whatsoever within any sect, and your rise has been far too meteoric—which isn't necessarily a good thing. As the saying goes, what is too rigid is easily broken. Pulling your momentum back a little might not be such a bad thing."
Seeing that this young man wasn't simply hot-tempered and stubborn, Lord Fang took the time to explain patiently. He genuinely meant well—he truly wanted to nurture this mortal prodigy so that he could grow up smoothly, rather than attracting waves of suppression during his ascent.
Based on Lord Fang's understanding of sect disciples, if this mortal prodigy drew too much attention, it would inevitably make the sect geniuses feel threatened.
And those sect geniuses would stop at nothing to crush him.
Though Lord Fang himself was a man of the sect, he didn't want to see that happen.
Jiang Chen fell silent, then bowed deeply. "Lord Fang's kind intentions were lost on me—I let my small-mindedness misjudge a great man's generosity. Forgive my offense, and please overlook it."
Lord Fang smiled, unperturbed. "Good. For a young man to have such grace is rare indeed. Remember—a true man knows when to bend and when to stand tall. I've heard about the grudge between you and the disciples of the Purple Sun Sect. I can assure you that I will not show favor to either side. Whatever grievances you have, settle them on the fighting stage. The examiners will absolutely not intervene."
"You already know about all that?" Jiang Chen was surprised—he thought Guo Ren's schemes had gone completely undetected.
Lord Fang said calmly, "I don't know every detail, but I'm clear on the general picture. Rest assured—if you can truly settle your score on the fighting stage, no one will be able to cause you trouble over it."
These past few days, Jiang Chen really had let hatred cloud his judgment.
Hearing Lord Fang's words, his mind finally cooled down.
Indeed—a gentleman's revenge is never too late, even if it takes ten years.
He had three months. There was plenty of time, plenty of opportunities. Why rush things?
After taking his leave of Lord Fang and returning to his quarters, Jiang Chen calmed down completely.
Ever since the incident that night, Consort Dan had been deliberately maintaining a certain distance from Jiang Chen. Once they returned to the courtyard, each retired to their own room—neither visited the other.
It wasn't that Consort Dan was putting on an act. She simply knew that after what had happened, going to Jiang Chen's room would only distract him.
She didn't want to be that selfish, and she certainly didn't want Jiang Chen to think poorly of her—as though she were some fickle, loose woman.
……
Over these past few days, the disciples of the Purple Sun Sect who had been involved in the plot against Jiang Chen were having a miserable time of it. For days on end, Cheng Lan and the others hadn't dared set foot back in their courtyard—they didn't even have the courage to go near it.
He feared that if he went back to live there, he might end up dead without even knowing what hit him.
So these days, Cheng Lan and the others—who shared a courtyard with Jiang Chen—were forced to stay with others as guests. Though they were thoroughly unwelcome, they had no choice.
Even if you gave them the courage of the heavens, they still wouldn't dare go back.
Let alone Cheng Lan and the others—even Guo Ren was feeling quite on edge. He was constantly worried that he might be the one Jiang Chen drew.
It wasn't that Guo Ren was a coward. It was just that after thinking it over again and again, he still felt that this mortal cultivator was simply impossible to see through. He truly couldn't understand—how had the effects of the Immortal's Laugh been neutralized?
It was precisely because this mortal cultivator was shrouded in strangeness at every turn.
And so Guo Ren felt deeply uncertain. Moreover, to be fair, the guy had racked up forty-five consecutive victories using a single move from the Azure Nether Seal of Life and Death.
Even with all his confidence, Guo Ren knew there was a gap between them.
By now, it would be naive to assume that this was the only move the guy knew from beginning to end. How was that even possible?
No matter how lacking one's martial techniques were, it was impossible to know only that one move.
The days of living on edge stretched on for four or five consecutive days, and rather than easing, Guo Ren's agitation only grew worse.
He knew that if this problem wasn't resolved, it would haunt him forever and become a Heart Demon.
The more he feared encountering the guy in the arena, the more this worry accumulated day by day, and the more likely it was to crystallize into a Heart Demon.
Because of this, Guo Ren truly lost his appetite for food and tea.
"I can't keep going like this. Once the Heart Demon takes shape, I'll definitely collapse." Guo Ren understood clearly that if he continued like this, even without running into that mortal monster in the arena, his mind would break on its own.
A Heart Demon was something invisible and intangible, yet terrifyingly real.
Once a single thought took root, there was no way to stop the Heart Demon from forming.
To sever a Heart Demon, one had to eliminate its very source.
"This mortal monster—either I kill him, or I bring him over to my side. I must cut through the tangle quickly and deal with it as soon as possible." Guo Ren understood perfectly well that the source of his Heart Demon was none other than this mortal monster.