Neither
But this time, he felt a deep sense of crisis — the kind where one's position could be snatched away at any moment.
With a complicated look, Li Jiancheng glanced at Jiang Chen, and deep down he had to admit that this Young Master Zhen truly deserved his fullest attention.
In many respects, this Young Master Zhen even surpassed him, Li Jiancheng, in raw talent.
These thoughts left Li Jiancheng deeply displeased, feeling as though his territory had been encroached upon and his position challenged.
Like a fierce beast desperate to defend its territory, Li Jiancheng's heart was filled with wariness.
Watching Zhou Yan and Jiang Chen chatting and laughing together, he suddenly felt an even greater sense of crisis. He had noticed the signs — Zhou Yan seemed to be showing hints of yielding to Young Master Zhen.
This was, of course, not what Li Jiancheng wanted to see. He had hoped to watch Zhou Yan and Young Master Zhen at each other's throats, hoped to see Peacock Sacred Mountain tearing itself apart — ideally, a full-blown internal feud.
Only then could he, Li Jiancheng, rest easy.
But if the two great geniuses of Peacock Sacred Mountain reached a compromise — or worse, if one defected to the other's side — then for him, a Young Master under Great
"No. I absolutely cannot let them enter a honeymoon period. If those two stop fighting each other, they'll turn their combined efforts against me."
Li Jiancheng saw the situation with perfect clarity — he understood exactly what kind of predicament he was facing.
However, he was in no rush to make a move. Acting now would never achieve the result he wanted. He had to be patient, had to wait for the right opportunity to present itself.
Two days later, Shui Rutian finally completed his comprehension.
As the Young Master of Great Emperor Nian's lineage, Shui Rutian was no slouch in terms of comprehension and talent. However, as the true inheritor of Great Emperor Nian's lineage, he was not particularly skilled in the Dao of the Sword, so his comprehension of the sword path was somewhat disadvantaged.
Even so, he was still faster than
Ye Piaoling had succeeded just two hours before the one-month deadline — cutting it so close he had practically scraped through at the last moment.
That allowed him to barely pass.
With that, only Third Young Master Ji remained under the sixth Glazed Stele. Since he and Jiang Chen had arrived more than ten days later than the others, he still had plenty of time.
Seeing that only one person now remained beneath the sixth Glazed Stele, Ye Piaoling's lips twitched, a hint of mockery surfacing. "That Third Ji really doesn't know his own limits. As nothing more than the scion of a great clan, he actually wants to challenge the sixth Glazed Stele? I suppose that's what you call throwing the broken pot since it's already cracked."
Zhou Yan frowned. "Ye Piaoling, you're barely keeping yourself afloat — a clay idol crossing a river — and you still have the leisure to criticize others?"
Ye Piaoling smiled faintly. "At least I successfully comprehended the sixth Glazed Stele. I hear that even the Great Emperor Peacock only managed to comprehend up to the seventh Glazed Stele back in his day. In other words..."
"No need for 'in other words' — just say what you mean." Zhou Yan's voice was cold. "Are you perhaps suggesting that you, Ye, are already comparable to His Majesty the Great Emperor Peacock in his youth?"
As the direct true disciple of the Great Emperor Peacock, Zhou Yan naturally knew why the Great Emperor Peacock had stopped at the seventh Glazed Stele.
Simply put, it wasn't that the Great Emperor Peacock lacked the talent — it was that His Majesty had been young and failed to master his emotions, falling for a provocation.
The Great Emperor Peacock had never spoken of this to the other Great Emperors. But as a true disciple, Zhou Yan knew some of the stories.
Back in the Great Emperor Peacock's generation, there had been many geniuses. In his youth, the Great Emperor Peacock had been rather headstrong. In a moment of rash anger for the sake of a woman, he fell for a provocation. After comprehending the sixth Glazed Stele, instead of resting, he pushed straight on to challenge the seventh. Because neither his spiritual sense nor his train of thought was fully prepared, haste made waste, and he ultimately stumbled at the seventh Glazed Stele, falling just short.
Although the Great Emperor Peacock had never explicitly told Zhou Yan about this, he had once warned his disciples that within the Glazed King Tower, one must never lose one's reason or be blinded by emotion.
Zhou Yan was sharp and had pieced it together from various hints. When one thought about it, even a figure as magnificent as the Great Emperor Peacock must have had his share of reckless moments in his youth.
Given the Great Emperor Peacock's own talent, challenging the eighth Glazed Stele would have posed no problem whatsoever.
It was even said that the Great Emperor Peacock's talent in his youth qualified him to attempt the ninth Glazed Stele. Unfortunately, all of that had become nothing but drifting clouds.
Although the Great Emperor Peacock later learned from his humiliation, turned shame into courage, and ultimately became a great ruler who commanded the Glazed King City for three thousand years, this one episode had always remained a regret in his heart.
What he regretted was not falling for the provocation, but rather his missed opportunity with the Glazed King Tower — that he had not seized the chance better, had not been able to forge a deeper connection with the Glazed King Tower.
The Great Emperor Peacock knew full well that the Glazed King Tower was extraordinarily mystical, harboring infinite possibilities.
That was precisely why he had been so insistent this time — insisting that Jiang Chen participate in the Martial Tower Contest, insisting on appointing Jiang Chen as Young Master, insisting that Jiang Chen enter the Glazed King Tower.
What was it all for? To make up for his regret from all those years ago.
Zhou Yan was the Great Emperor Peacock's true disciple and had always revered his master as a god. As such, he found Ye Piaoling's words deeply offensive.
But Ye Piaoling let out an odd laugh. "Zhou Yan, since ancient times the new waves have always pushed the old aside. Just because the Great Emperor Peacock was great doesn't mean those who come after aren't allowed to surpass him. Have you never heard that every age produces its own talents, each commanding the spotlight for a few thousand years?"
At these words, Jiang Chen couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter. He glanced at Ye Piaoling. "Now that's quite the proclamation — every age produces its own talents."