The four supreme elders clearly had no interest in explaining anything further. At their level, they could completely disregard the opinions and feelings of those below them.
All they needed to do was make decisions that served the bigger picture.
And all those below them could do was obey — obey absolutely.
Jiang Chen listened for a while longer, and seeing that nothing could be done to reverse the situation, he slipped away from the crowd without lingering. He flew back toward his courtyard at full speed.
Jiang Chen felt acutely that time was running short. There was not a single moment left to waste.
Reaching his gate, he gazed down leisurely toward the Earth Spirit Area below. He murmured with a soft sigh, "Liu Wencai, Fatty Lu — if you've got any fight in you, this round is your last chance. If you can't push into the Heavenly Spirit Area this time, there won't be another opportunity."
They were currently at the tail end of the third assessment period, with roughly twenty or thirty days left before it concluded.
Down in the Earth Spirit Area, if they couldn't crack the top ten in the assessments, they would have no way to enter the Heavenly Spirit Area for the fourth round.
And now, with this sudden upheaval, three years of assessments had been compressed into one. The fourth round would be the final round of assessments.
If Liu Wencai and the others couldn't break into the top ten during the third round and charge into the Heavenly Spirit Area, they would truly never get another chance.
Back in his courtyard, Jiang Chen composed himself and began calculating.
"Only three or four months remain before the final tournament. I'm sure the competitors in the Heavenly Spirit Area will enter a frantic period of cultivation starting today."
The unexpected news had placed enormous pressure on Jiang Chen.
"It looks like I'll need to adjust my plan again. On top of playing it steady, I'll have to take some risks." Several options began forming in his mind.
What Jiang Chen needed most urgently right now was to raise his cultivation level. And the most direct way to do that was to constantly absorb spiritual power — an endless stream of it — to temper his Spirit Sea and expand it.
What Jiang Chen lacked most was a source of spiritual power. That was precisely why he had been so determined to enter the Treasure Tree Sect.
The resources of the Treasure Tree Sect were the most abundant among the four great sects.
And what Jiang Chen needed most was resources.
"Compared to those top-tier geniuses, the cultivation resources I have on hand are pitifully few. Even though the training environment here in the Heavenly Spirit Area is exceptional, without quality resources, I still can't close the gap quickly. Looks like I'll have to use those two things…"
Jiang Chen reached into his Storage Ring and drew out two crystalline cores brimming with spiritual energy.
Both cores were entirely red, radiating a dazzling light like brilliant gemstones.
One was noticeably larger and clearly contained far more spiritual power. This was the crystalline core of the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Salamander.
The other was smaller and its glow was somewhat dimmer — it was the crystalline core of the Fire Crow King.
"These crystalline cores contain the refined essence of heaven and earth's spiritual power. In the martial world, most so-called spirit stones were originally the crystalline cores and bones of ancient Spirit Beasts that fell long ago, transformed over untold ages into spirit stones. But these cores still retain their spiritual power, their essence not yet dispersed — making them actually richer in spiritual energy than those ancient spirit stones."
Jiang Chen thought for a moment, then decided to use the Fire Crow King's crystalline core.
"The Fire Crow King was at the peak of the Spirit Realm, after all — its core will be easier to refine. As for the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Salamander's core, with my current cultivation, attempting to refine and absorb it within three or four months is practically impossible!"
Weighing his options, Jiang Chen resolved not to be greedy. He would refine the Fire Crow King's core first.
It was true that the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Salamander was a Saint-grade Spirit Beast, and its core's spiritual power far outstripped that of the Fire Crow King. But precisely because its power was so overwhelming, it was beyond what Jiang Chen could handle right now.
He stored the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Salamander's core safely away and tossed the Fire Crow King's core lightly in his hand.
"This one, then."
A sharp gleam flickered in Jiang Chen's eyes. He knew that even the Fire Crow King's crystalline core would not be easy to refine.
However, compared to the Scarlet-Scaled Fire Salamander's core, he at least had a reasonable chance of success.
He was not an ordinary martial artist, after all. If a common practitioner rashly attempted to refine a crystalline core from a peak Spirit Realm Spirit Beast, the overwhelming spiritual power would very likely invade their body and cause a devastating backlash.
But Jiang Chen had a multitude of methods to suppress such a backlash. This was the benefit of his memories from a previous life.
When it came to handling these details, he had far too many techniques to choose from.
"The Fire Crow King's crystalline core is rich in spiritual power. If I refine it completely, breaking through to the sixth level of the Spirit Realm will be no trouble at all. The question is whether I can push all the way to the Heavenly Spirit Realm within these three or four months."
Jiang Chen's goal was ambitious — wildly ambitious.
His target was to break directly through to the Heavenly Spirit Realm, reaching the seventh level of the Spirit Realm.
He knew full well that if he only reached the sixth level, his chances against Lei Gangyang would be fifty-fifty. And against Long Juxue — if she broke through to the Heavenly Spirit Realm in one decisive leap, his odds of winning would be no better than four in ten.
But if he could break through to the Heavenly Spirit Realm in one leap as well, everything would change.
In a battle between peers at the same level, Jiang Chen could absolutely crush his opponents.
Even if Long Juxue was a heaven-blessed genius who had drawn upon the collective fortune of the entire Purple Sun Sect, Jiang Chen was confident he could flatten her without any suspense.
After all, once their cultivation levels were equal, all of Long Juxue's advantages would be rendered utterly meaningless, while Jiang Chen's profound martial knowledge and techniques far surpassing those of the Sixteen Kingdoms Alliance would come into full play.
"Three or four months… seventh level of the Spirit Realm…" Jiang Chen's eyes burned with determination. "For this goal — I'll give it everything I've got!"