Liu Wencai had always been a cautious and meticulous person, which set him apart from the brash Tang Hong.
When Jiang Chen called him over alone, Liu Wencai couldn't help feeling a knot of anxiety in his chest. He kept turning things over in his mind—had he done something wrong? Had he let Senior Brother Jiang Chen down?
Back in the Immortal Spirit Mountain, Liu Wencai had received Jiang Chen's care and guidance, and he had always regarded Jiang Chen as the most revered elder brother of his life, full of admiration for him.
In truth, in Liu Wencai's heart, even the Nine Lion Ancestor of the Myriad Spirit Sect didn't hold a candle to Jiang Chen.
Seeing Liu Wencai looking so uneasy, Jiang Chen realized his expression might have been too stern.
It wasn't that he was deliberately putting on a grave face—it was just that he'd kept a straight look while calling Liu Wencai to the back so the others wouldn't overthink things.
"Senior Brother… I… did I do something wrong?" Liu Wencai kept wiping his palms on his robes.
Jiang Chen let out a bitter laugh. "What could you have done wrong?"
Liu Wencai flushed red. "We've been eating and staying here without contributing anything. We're like… like parasites."
Jiang Chen chuckled when he heard this. He'd forgotten that Liu Wencai wasn't Tang Hong—this kid was painfully sensitive by nature, the sort who could twist any small matter into something enormous in his own mind.
"Look at the Grand Origin Pavilion—it's quite spacious, isn't it? Surely it can afford to feed two idlers." Jiang Chen smiled, waving it off. "Don't worry. I didn't call you over because I want to put you to work. You have only one task here."
"One task?" Liu Wencai's eyes lit up. It finally felt like Senior Brother Jiang Chen was going to give him a real assignment—an intoxicating sense of being valued. No more freeloading, no more worrying about whether he was pulling his weight.
"Your task is simple: cultivate. Push your potential to its limits. Wencai, do you remember what I told you back in the Immortal Spirit Mountain? I said you possess limitless potential inside you, like an untapped treasure trove. Back then, I didn't have the means to unlock it. But now we're in the Glazed King City—with my abilities and standing, I can provide a relatively stable environment and create these conditions for you. I don't know how long I can offer this convenience, so you need to train hard and treasure every moment."
Jiang Chen spoke with a solemn expression, clearly not joking.
Liu Wencai froze. "Cultivate? Senior Brother, is that really a task? I'm taking up resources here and doing nothing—I'm afraid people will talk."
Jiang Chen replied evenly, "This is my territory. If I don't have a problem with it, who dares to gossip? Don't worry about what others say. The Grand Origin Pavilion's principle is that everyone should be put to their best use. You have no talent for alchemy, and you can't handle diplomacy or internal affairs. Your greatest asset is your cultivation potential. What I need you to do is develop that potential."
Jiang Chen wasn't really looking to borrow Liu Wencai's strength—he simply felt that since they were brothers, it was only natural to want him to grow stronger.
The future of the Divine Abyss Continent held who knew what upheavals. In times of chaos, the greater one's strength, the better one's chance of survival.
Liu Wencai possessed this rare talent. To use someone like him for anything else would be a waste—a crime against heaven itself.
Liu Wencai's nose stung, and his eyes reddened on the spot.
He was a sensitive man, and words of genuine warmth and concern were something almost no one had ever offered him. Even the Nine Lion Ancestor, when he had elevated and nurtured Liu Wencai, had done so purely because he recognized that the boy had potential.
Only Senior Brother Jiang Chen—from the very beginning to the very end—had truly cared about him, and thought about what was best for him.
"Senior Brother, I… I'm just afraid I'll let you down." Liu Wencai's throat tightened, his voice trembling with barely held-back tears.
Jiang Chen sighed softly. "Wencai, your temperament is delicate, but sometimes you really do worry too much. You should know—I'm not the kind of person who keeps score. We are brothers, and you've always called me elder brother. If I don't look out for you, who will?"
Liu Wencai's eyes were rimmed red. He could only nod over and over, his lips quivering slightly, clearly overcome with emotion.
Jiang Chen gently patted him on the shoulder. "The most important thing isn't that you don't disappoint me—it's that you don't disappoint the talent heaven has granted you, and don't disappoint the body your parents gave you."
When Jiang Chen said this, Liu Wencai's eyes suddenly blazed with light.
It was clear that having grown up without parents, Liu Wencai carried a deep and powerful longing for them. Hearing Jiang Chen's words of comfort, he nodded vigorously.
"Senior Brother, I understand. I will cultivate with everything I have. In the future, I'll make a name for myself and share your burdens." For Liu Wencai, these words were already an extraordinary display of bold resolve.
Jiang Chen looked at him with appreciation—this was the confident Liu Wencai he wanted to see.
He reached into his storage ring and produced a small bottle. "Wencai, this bottle contains something immensely important to you. I hope you'll make the most of it."
"Senior Brother, what is this?" Liu Wencai asked, bewildered.
"Dragon's blood," Jiang Chen said calmly. "I once gave Dragon's Blood to Elder Ye of the Treasure Tree Sect, and Tang Hong has some too. But Dragon's Blood will be of the greatest benefit to you, specifically. I sense that the potential dormant inside your body, when stimulated by the Dragon's Blood, could undergo a wild and explosive awakening."
"Dragon's blood?" Liu Wencai's entire body shuddered. He suddenly recalled the True Dragon avatar Jiang Chen had summoned on the arena stage. "Senior Brother, you actually have this much Dragon's Blood?"
Jiang Chen smiled faintly but said nothing. In his mind, though, he thought: If I told you I have a whole living True Dragon, you'd probably faint on the spot.
He handed over two Dragon Crystals as well, and added a reminder, "These are Dragon Crystals—no less potent than the Dragon's Blood. I hope that given time, you'll become a great emperor who rises to prominence across the Myriad Domain."