The Panlong Great Faction had ample evidence, so they naturally weren't worried about the petty accusations of the Murong Great Faction. Watching the Murong group leave with faces twisted in hatred, Third Young Master Ji's expression remained perfectly calm.
It wasn't until the group had vanished that Third Young Master Ji turned to Jiang Chen and said, "Brother, I almost arrived too late. The Murong Great Faction is a marriage ally of the Royal Court Great Faction — they've always been the Royal Court's most loyal partner. You'll need to be careful in the future. Murong Qiu is narrow-minded, and moreover, the man is a terrible womanizer."
At this, Third Young Master Ji glanced at Huang'er, signaling Jiang Chen by implication.
Third Young Master Ji had met Huang'er before and naturally knew she was wearing a mask at the moment.
Jiang Chen smiled easily and said, "Brother Ji, once again I owe you for coming to my rescue."
"Between you and me, why bother with that?" Third Young Master Ji waved his hand dismissively, then looked toward the formation array region. "Brother, those scoundrels — they didn't disturb your cultivation, did they?"
Jiang Chen chuckled. "It was nothing."
Third Young Master Ji nodded. "Still, I'm not at ease. I'll have Commander Mo guard within a hundred li. That way, he won't disturb your cultivation, but if anything happens, he can arrive on the spot. What do you think?"
Jiang Chen hadn't expected that even in such a remote place, people would still cause trouble.
He glanced at Commander Mo. "Commander Mo, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you again."
Commander Mo laughed heartily. "It's all part of old Mo's duty. Rest assured, Pill King Zhen — within a hundred li, old Mo won't let a single fly through."
A sixth-level Imperial Realm powerhouse — such a promise was no idle boast.
Third Young Master Ji then said, "Brother, Murong Qiu will certainly spin a sob story when he gets back. I need to return and handle things. We may not fear him, but we still need to make arrangements. We can't afford to sit back and defend — we need to strike proactively."
The Panlong Great Faction's style meant they could never be reactive. As the number one faction, establishing their authority required aggression, letting others know the Panlong Great Faction's sharp edge. Being reactive wasn't called an edge.
"Brother Ji, this Commander Zhang has shown tremendous loyalty. He's well worth promoting." Jiang Chen glanced at Commander Zhang and made his recommendation.
Third Young Master Ji had actually noticed Commander Zhang as well, and he smiled and nodded. "Fire tests true gold. Old Zhang, since Pill King Zhen himself praises you, it must be well-deserved. Once things are settled here, come see me at the Faction Master's manor."
Commander Zhang, straightforward as he was, understood this was an offer of recognition and promotion. He hastily bowed. "Your subordinate obeys."
He then cupped his fists toward Jiang Chen. "Thank you, Pill King Zhen, for your regard."
Jiang Chen smiled. He genuinely appreciated Commander Zhang. If all of the Panlong Great Faction's subordinates were like this man, then the faction would be as solid as iron — no matter how powerful the Royal Court Great Faction was, they could never displace the Panlong's position.
After this storm, nothing disrupted Jiang Chen's rhythm.
The formation arrays were intact, and Long Xiaoxuan's breakthrough hadn't been affected.
Three days later, Long Xiaoxuan successfully broke through. Fortunately, Jiang Chen had arranged the formation arrays in advance to conceal the wild surges of heaven and earth energy.
Even so, Commander Mo, stationed a hundred li away, could feel the violent tremors from this direction, and his heart was filled with astonishment.
But Commander Mo was clearly the dutiful sort.
He knew what his responsibilities were, and he knew what he could and couldn't do.
So despite his burning curiosity, he didn't run over to investigate.
He merely wondered to himself: "This Pill King Zhen — could it be that his talent isn't just exceptional in alchemy, but equally outstanding in martial cultivation as well? What realm has he actually broken through to, to produce such devastating energy?"
Commander Mo was full of questions. Based on his observations, he'd judged Pill King Zhen's martial strength to be at the Saint Realm level.
But even a breakthrough within the Saint Realm shouldn't have produced such overwhelming heavenly pressure.
When Jiang Chen saw this spectacle, he knew Long Xiaoxuan's breakthrough had gone smoothly.
He entered the formation array and immediately saw the post-breakthrough Long Xiaoxuan. The scales covering its entire body gleamed even more brilliantly now, draped in a mysterious halo.
On those scales, the ancient dragon clan's hidden patterns flickered in and out of visibility, exuding an aura both mystical and solemn.
Long Xiaoxuan's dharmic form had also grown noticeably larger.
"Brother Long, congratulations on your advancement!" Jiang Chen offered his sincere congratulations.
Long Xiaoxuan, refreshed and energized after the breakthrough, flickered his dharmic form. Several mysterious beams of light shot toward Jiang Chen.
"This is for you."
Jiang Chen caught them and took a closer look — they were several Dragon Crystals. These Dragon Crystals were completely different from the ones before, clearly of a much higher grade, radiating a captivating luster.
"You guarded me with great diligence during this breakthrough. These are the first Dragon Crystals I produced afterward — the most precious of all. Consider them your reward." Long Xiaoxuan was still the same Long Xiaoxuan — cold on the outside, warm within.
Jiang Chen smiled and didn't stand on ceremony. "I didn't do much, yet I receive such generous rewards."
These Dragon Crystals would absolutely make his cultivation journey twice as efficient.
A single Dragon Crystal was already incredibly rare, let alone this many.
Many dragon-bloodline creatures could produce Dragon Crystals. However, only those secreted by True Dragon bloodlines possessed such concentrated spiritual energy, making them priceless treasures.
With ordinary dragon bloodlines, the dragon blood was already sparse. Even if they could produce Dragon Crystals, the crystals would be mere imitations — essentially useless.