In terms of actual strength, Chu Xinghan was no match for Senior Brother Zeng. In terms of talent, Chu Xinghan fell short of Long Juxue.
But when it came to shrewdness and the depth of mental cultivation, neither of those two could necessarily surpass Chu Xinghan. He even saw things more clearly than Grandmaster Shui Yue.
Senior Brother Zeng Shi and Junior Sister Long Juxue were fated to be unable to coexist.
The Master had handled this matter poorly.
But Chu Xinghan was a clever man. He naturally wouldn't go offering any suggestions to Grandmaster Shui Yue. He understood her well — offering advice would only bring suffering upon himself.
For all the Master knew, she might think he was jealous of the two of them and was deliberately stirring up trouble.
So the wisest course of action was for Chu Xinghan to stay out of it entirely — not participate, not speak up, and keep himself removed from the whole affair.
Jiang Chen? Chu Xinghan had no interest either. Unlike Zeng Shi, while he respected Grandmaster Shui Yue, he wasn't at the point where he'd lay down his life for her.
Since both Long Juxue and Zeng Shi were so eager, there was no reason for Chu Xinghan to get involved. His strength was inferior to either of theirs anyway, so let them do whatever they wanted.
Chu Xinghan knew perfectly well that Long Juxue was absolutely not a fellow disciple worth befriending. He had rescued her from the Eastern Kingdom, yet she surely harbored not the slightest gratitude in her heart.
She might even resent him, for all he knew. After all, he'd had a clear opportunity to kill Jiang Chen back then but had refrained from delivering the final blow, instead proposing to bring Jiang Chen back to the sect for the Master to decide his fate.
At the time, Chu Xinghan had admired Jiang Chen and didn't want to kill a talented young man needlessly because of Long Juxue's personal vendetta.
But looking back now, that decision of his might have already earned him Long Juxue's private grudge. Besides, that battle had left Long Juxue in a wretched state — one could even say she'd been humiliated.
Three people had witnessed her embarrassment. Chu Xinghan was one of them. The other two were Yu Jie and Xu Zhen. Both of them were now dead.
Someone as proud as Long Juxue would never want anyone to remember her moments of disgrace. So it was entirely possible that not only did Long Juxue feel no gratitude for his saving her life — she might even wish he were dead.
Human hearts were unpredictable.
Based on Chu Xinghan's observations, Long Juxue was precisely that kind of cold and unfeeling person by nature. She would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.
Anyone who stood in her way was nothing more than an obstacle to be removed.
So Chu Xinghan knew full well that the wisest choice for him was to avoid getting tangled up in these affairs.
The bond between master and disciple was important, of course, but Grandmaster Shui Yue's care for Chu Xinghan had not yet reached the point where he owed her his life in return.
Chu Xinghan carried a set of scales in his heart. He knew exactly what place he held in his Master's mind.
When Zeng Shi heard Chu Xinghan's words, he chuckled. "So you're saying this Jiang Chen has people backing him. But no matter who stands behind him, in the face of Junior Sister's Innate Constitution, it's all meaningless. Junior Sister, the third round of assessments is about to begin, so I'll head back first. If anything comes up, we can stay in touch."
Long Juxue's brow furrowed slightly. She had summoned these two to hear what plans they might have — or, rather, to ask for their strategic counsel.
Chu Xinghan rose to his feet immediately and said with a smile, "If Senior Brother puts it that way, then this Junior Brother will take his leave as well. Don't worry about it, Junior Sister. Even if that Jiang Chen had three heads and six arms, he's destined to be nothing more than a stepping stone on your path to prominence."
Flattering words cost nothing, so there was no harm in saying a few more.
Long Juxue felt a knot of frustration inside, though her expression remained placid as she watched her two senior brothers walk out of her courtyard until their figures vanished.
"Hmph. Looks like none of them are willing to submit to me. Zeng Shi — I know you don't accept me. You think I've stolen the treatment that should have gone to you as the senior brother. If you have any self-awareness, you'll submit to me willingly. And if you lack that awareness and need me to use other means to bring you to heel, don't blame me for disregarding our bond as fellow disciples."
Long Juxue had never been anyone's idea of a kind-hearted saint. Though Zeng Shi hadn't said a single harsh word just now, she could read between the lines. He had been making his point deliberately — all that talk about fated rivals and hidden backers.
The implications were unmistakable.
...
The Earth Spirit Zone. This was Jiang Chen's last day here.
The assessment results for this round in the Earth Spirit Zone had already been published. Jiang Chen had claimed the championship of the zone with an unchallengeable lead.
But neither Liu Wencai nor Little Fatty Lu had managed to break into the top ten, earning no qualification to advance to the Heavenly Spirit Zone.
Liu Wencai was quite satisfied, though. Before coming to the Earth Spirit Zone, he had constantly worried about being demoted — sent back to the Mystic Spirit Zone with his pride in tatters.
Yet over the course of his deepening friendship with Jiang Chen, his combat strength had surged dramatically over three months. Out of five hundred Earth Spirit Zone martial artists, his ranking had climbed all the way into the top hundred.
And Little Fatty Lu had improved by over a hundred spots compared to the previous round, rising from around three-hundredth place to roughly two-hundredth.
The progress of both had been remarkable.
"Ahhh, life brings people together and tears them apart so quickly. Brother Panshi, I really don't want to part ways with you like this." A hint of melancholy flickered in Liu Wencai's eyes before he laughed self-deprecating. "But Brother Panshi is off to the Heavenly Spirit Zone — your future is boundless. I should be happy for you."
"Come, let me raise a cup to Brother Panshi. I hope that once you reach the Heavenly Spirit Zone, you'll charge forward like an unstoppable force. Make it into the list of sixty-four and earn the right to compete for the final top sixteen."
In this knockout round, sixty-four individuals would ultimately be selected from the Heavenly Spirit Zone to enter the finals, where they would compete for the sixteen spots in the final bracket.