Seeing that Jiang Chen showed no reaction, Princess Gouyu did not press him too hard. She knew he was the type who responded better to persuasion than to coercion.
She had learned that lesson herself the hard way when dealing with him before.
“Jiang Chen, you completed the first-rank mission in rather quick time—only about twenty days. At the moment, only two of Marquis Longteng’s disciples have finished their first missions, and that was just a couple of days ago.”
In other words, Jiang Chen was the third person in this batch to submit their first completed mission.
“Heh heh, getting a head start doesn’t mean you’ve won. Let them have their moment; it’s of no consequence. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave.”
Jiang Chen was indifferent to the order of completion. Had he not spent several days in seclusion at home, breaking through to the Eight-Meridian True Qi Realm and consolidating his martial foundation, he could have reported back three days earlier.
These rankings had little impact on the bigger picture, after all.
The final standings would be decided through martial competition.
Gouyu saw Jiang Chen’s utterly nonchalant expression but said nothing. She understood clearly that beneath his apparent indifference lay a mind more calculated and perceptive than anyone else’s.
Seeing Jiang Chen's retreating back, Princess Gouyu didn't know where the courage came from: "Jiang Chen, our previous agreement still stands!"
Jiang Chen's steps paused slightly, and he couldn't help but laugh in amusement, thinking to himself: "This girl is stubborn enough! If little Ruo'er found out afterward that her idiot aunt had already promised her to him, Jiang Chen, without even consulting her — I wonder whether that little girl would laugh or cry?"
The second task, compared to the first, was considerably more complex, but it seemed rather more interesting as well.
First-rank task: recruit eight personal guards.
Task requirements: each guard must possess a cultivation of at least six meridians of true qi, and show potential for further growth.
Age requirements: no minimum age, but the maximum shall not exceed twenty years old.
Identity requirements: all guards must be martial artists of the Eastern Kingdom and shall not have ties to any foreign nation.
Task standards: upon completion of the task period, all recruits will undergo inspection and must pass a final combat assessment.
This task actually struck Jiang Chen as quite novel.
At least, it wasn't something that could be accomplished through brute force alone. Due to the unique nature of this task, the task-taker was not restricted from revealing their identity publicly.
In other words, for the other tasks, one could not publicly reveal their identity, nor make use of family connections and networks.
But this task had its own unique nature — it was an open-ended mission that specifically required the task-taker to publicly reveal their identity and leverage their connections and networks. Otherwise, given the pride of martial cultivators, who would be willing to serve as personal guards or attendants for some nameless nobody?
"Chen'er, this task is no simple matter. Of course, if you aim to compete for a first-rank marquis title, having capable personal guards is an absolute must."
Every marquis needed a contingent of loyal retainers willing to lay down their lives for him.
These loyal retainers would essentially form the core of a marquis's inner circle going forward, and from that core, his influence would continue to expand outward.
As for the age requirement — no older than twenty — that was only natural. A cultivator who had reached the six-meridian true qi realm past the age of twenty would have very limited potential remaining.
The identity and background requirements were even easier to understand. The identity screening was simply meant to ensure that no foreign spies could infiltrate the ranks around the marquis.
This task was far more than just recruiting eight personal guards.
When the task period came to an end, all eight personal guards would have to undergo strength evaluations and pass a series of necessary trials. If they failed to pass those trials, the entire task would be considered a failure.
"Chen'er, our Jiang family has operated within the Marquis Jianghan's territory for several hundred years and still commands considerable prestige there. Your father also has quite a few friendships with local factions in the region. They are all very supportive of me. And though your mother passed away early, her maiden family still has several promising young men of talent. If you return to the Jianghan fief, your father can help you arrange four or five of the positions."
Indeed, as Jiang Feng had said, his control over the Jianghan fief was still quite robust. The Jiang family had ruled the region for centuries and had long since forged it into a cohesive whole.
Normally, Jiang Feng's authority was immense. Whenever conflicts arose among local factions, they would invariably seek the Marquis Jianghan's judgment to resolve them.
Jiang Feng was an upright man, principled and selfless. His rulings were often so fair that they left people genuinely convinced and satisfied.
Therefore, despite Jiang Feng being heavily suppressed by the Marquis of Longteng in the Royal Capital, within the Jianghan fief, he was absolutely a local leader beloved by all. His prestige was exceptionally high.
If the next Marquis Jianghan were to recruit personal guards, there would undoubtedly be countless people in the region eager to respond. After all, getting close to the Marquis Jianghan meant forging ties with the preeminent power, effectively stepping into the core of the Eastern Kingdom. This was an entirely different matter from being a local magnate.
The power wielded by a national lord was immense. Far beyond what any local magnate could even imagine.
The allotted completion time for each task was one month.
Jiang Chen had saved ten days on his first task. This meant for the second task, he effectively had forty days. The time appeared ample, but perhaps it was not so straightforward after all.