The people from the other sects exchanged silent, speechless glances. They hadn't expected that a mere Fifth-Rank Yuan Realm disciple from the Dan Qian Palace would have such a temper. He'd actually told the renowned Elder Chen Shizhen of the Holy Sword Palace to go eat shit!
Chen Shizhen was, after all, one of the top three elders in the Holy Sword Palace, and a figure of considerable standing across the entire Myriad Phenomenon Domain.
For a young junior to tell him to eat shit, everyone couldn't help but admire Jiang Chen's courage.
Chen Shizhen's face turned iron-blue. Suddenly, he burst into loud laughter, his eyes brimming with cold killing intent. "Good, very good! In all my several hundred years of life, this is the first time I've encountered such an arrogant and presumptuous young junior! Elder Yun Nie, your Dan Qian Palace truly does have excellent upbringing."
Elder Yun Nie was not to be outdone: "Elder Chen, does your Holy Sword Palace only get to suppress Jiang Chen time and again, but he isn't allowed to show even a shred of resistance? We are all Fourth-Rank Sects of equal standing. Even if my Dan Qian Palace were not a Fourth-Rank Sect, it would not be under your Holy Sword Palace's jurisdiction. What right does your Holy Sword Palace have to force my disciple to do things he doesn't want to do, time and time again?"
"Last time it was a bloodline test. This time it's inspecting his storage ring. Will the next demand be for his life, and he's supposed to obediently offer his head?"
Elder Yun Nie was clearly furious. He was the highest-ranking person from the Dan Qian Palace on this trip to Illusory Wave Mountain, and his words carried the most weight.
He knew very well that if he didn't stand up for Jiang Chen now, the reputation of the Dan Qian Palace would be destroyed.
Perhaps, forced by the overwhelming situation, Jiang Chen might eventually have to accept the inspection.
But, in front of the Holy Sword Palace, the Dan Qian Palace could not show weakness in spirit, no matter what.
Elder Chen rolled his eyes, utterly unreasonable, and sneered: "All I know is that the will of the many cannot be defied. Even Wang Han, the Holy Realm genius, is willing to let everyone inspect his storage ring. I don't understand—a mere Fifth-Rank Yuan Realm cultivator has an even bigger temper?"
"So what if he's a Holy Realm genius? Does a Holy Realm genius's face happen to be bigger?" Elder Yun Nie scoffed. "Besides, Jiang Chen isn't even twenty yet. How can you know that in a few years, he won't break through to the Holy Realm? Let me ask you, what rank of Yuan Realm was Wang Han at Jiang Chen's age?"
At Jiang Chen's age, coming from a small place, to have cultivated to the Fifth-Rank Yuan Realm was already practically a miracle.
Elder Tan Lang from the Three Star Sect waved his hand. "Elder Yun Nie, I think there's no need for you two to keep bickering. Inspecting a storage ring isn't exactly a major matter. If it's a misunderstanding, just clear it up."
"Heh heh, Elder Tan Lang, aren't you talking without worrying about the consequences? Just clear up the misunderstanding? Are my Dan Qian Palace disciples supposed to be pushed around at will? After the inspection, does a single 'misunderstanding' wash everything away? Do you realize what kind of impact constantly harassing a young junior like this can have on his Dao heart?"
Elder Yun Nie argued on principle. He might not be able to stop the momentum, but he absolutely would not let others inspect his disciple's storage ring easily.
"Then what do you want to do?" Elder Tan Lang frowned.
Elder Yun Nie glanced at Jiang Chen, clearly wanting to know his bottom line.
Jiang Chen's tone was indifferent. "This is already the second time the Holy Sword Palace has publicly targeted me. The ancients said, 'Do not bully a young man for being poor.' Looking at all of you, isn't that exactly what you're doing? I won't ask for much. Since the Holy Sword Palace keeps provoking me, even if my cultivation is low, I will absolutely not submit. Fine, you can inspect my ring. But if it's proven that Wang Han slandered me, let him eat shit and apologize in front of everyone."
Hearing this, Wang Han's eyes shot out cold light. His hand moved to his sword hilt, ready to explode.
Jiang Chen sneered. "What? Your mouth can spew shit when you open it, so why can't you eat it? Wang Han, a real man's word is his bond. If you dare to spew shit, you'd better be prepared to eat it. If you don't want to, anyone from your Holy Sword Palace can volunteer to eat it on his behalf."
Although the crowd didn't know the truth, Jiang Chen's courage and bearing made many secretly admire him.
Putting themselves in Jiang Chen's shoes, they could indeed see reasons for his anger.
Last time, they'd claimed his bloodline was problematic and forced him to undergo a bloodline test.
Now they wanted to inspect his storage ring.
They were all young geniuses. Who wouldn't have a bit of fire?
Jiang Chen's words resonated with quite a few of the younger cultivators.
"Kid, I see not only are you guilty, you're also courting death. Don't tell me you think your Dan Qian Palace can stand against the entire Myriad Phenomenon Domain?" Wang Han's tone was cold and sinister.
"Ridiculous! Why would I need to stand against the entire Myriad Phenomenon Domain? I just have one question for you, Wang Han. Since you've accused me, dare to make a bet with me. If you find thousands of stalks of Holy Infant Grass, I will absolutely take them out and share them equally, no complaints. If you don't find any, then it means you had malicious intent and deliberately slandered me. Don't tell me your face is so big, Wang Han, that you can just slander and smear me at will?"
Jiang Chen declared sternly, sweeping his gaze around and cupping his fists. "You are all giants of the Myriad Phenomenon Domain. You should know that I, Jiang Chen, am not one to make trouble without cause. I have only one reasonable request now. If no Holy Infant Grass is found, then this Wang Han must eat shit to quell the hatred in my heart. If he dares not bear the consequences of slandering me but still insists on inspecting my storage ring, I, Jiang Chen, would rather die than comply!"
With this, Jiang Chen threw all the pressure back onto Wang Han.
If you accuse someone, you should be prepared to pay a price, right? You can't just open your mouth and slap a shit-pot on someone's head.
The elder from the Northern Abyss Sect also spoke up: "I don't know what everyone else thinks. But I find Jiang Chen's request extremely reasonable. The Holy Sword Palace and the Dan Qian Palace have always had friction. If you keep finding fault time and again, a young person will eventually feel aggrieved in his heart. I believe none of us want to use our power to bully others. If someone wants to stir up trouble, they should be prepared to bear the corresponding consequences, shouldn't they? Otherwise, you slander me, I slander you, and everything becomes a mess. Elder Xiang Qian, what do you think?"
This elder from the Northern Abyss Sect was also a slippery character. He was easing the Dan Qian Palace's predicament while simultaneously throwing the hot potato to the Great Saint Hall, forcing them to take a stand.
Although Elder Xiang Qian very much wanted to inspect Jiang Chen's storage ring, honestly speaking, he felt Jiang Chen's anger was reasonable.
After all, throughout this entire affair, Jiang Chen had been the passive victim.