Sovereign of the Three Realms - Chapter 1970

Chapter 1970: 1970

Feminine wiles weren’t likely to work on Jiang Chen . Moreover, the holy girls and young ladies among the sixteen gold hairpins had their own reputations to uphold . Aside from the naturally lascivious ones, they generally couldn’t stoop so low as to approach him themselves .   

Two or three tried to use their natural and supernatural charms to get closer to Jiang Chen, but he dealt with them distantly . Nothing they did worked remotely well on him . They tried very hard, but couldn’t find an opening .

Jiang Chen kept his agreement with the sacred land in mind . He remained affable throughout the opening segment . No one was turned away .  

He greeted everyone with warmth and civility . This garnered him a certain amount of goodwill, since no peer of his was more renowned than he .

Jiang Chen’s martial dao talent was a mystery to the world at large . Some said he was only initial empyrean realm, while others claimed he was mid .

Because he was reserved rather than commanding, his cultivation remained largely a secret .

However, the ten sacred lands never lacked for top geniuses .

Several of the best didn’t recognize Jiang Chen’s strength . According to their sources, Jiang Chen had helped the Eternal and Martial Sacred Lands through various strategies and his helper, a sacred beast .

Because he couldn’t employ the latter in combat during the competition, they believed that they would be more than a match for him .

Common sense dictated that since Jiang Chen had only risen to prominence in recent years, his strength was limited . Given how he had traded blows with Xiahou Zong a while back, he was probably only mid empyrean . What could two more years of progress give him? Fifth, maybe sixth level?

Quite a few made this kind of assumption .

Yes, the rumors about him were intimidating, but most chose to believe that the gossip had been spread in order to exaggerate his exploits in the eyes of the world . The grand competition of geniuses would serve to test his true mettle against his fellows .

Though the various factions had largely arrived, the competition was in no hurry to begin .

In the first few days, their leaders gathered together to figure out a set of rules for the event . They wanted to reach a consensus as best as possible .

The younger geniuses took this time to connect with and test each other . Some formed groups and cliques .

The ten sacred lands were the driving forces behind the rest, flags that showed which way the wind blew . Considering Jiang Chen had assisted the Martial Sacred Land in the past, its young people favored him .

Aside from Martial, Abyssal Divine Nation was on good terms with Eternal as well .  These three sacred lands formed a bloc, of which there were a total of four blocs .

After gathering some information, Jiang Chen understood the gist of the undercurrents . Some of the sacred lands didn’t have high hopes of winning in the competition, but others were set upon the crown .

Those in the latter category were hostile toward him . Their young geniuses occasionally chatted with him, but only in order to assess what kind of person he was .

The second and third-rate factions had come largely to partake in the festivities and make themselves better known to their superiors . Catching the eye of the sacred lands was in itself a success .

Accordingly, a segment before the actual competition was the selection of geniuses from the weaker factions . If they were particularly excellent, they had the chance of being chosen by the sacred lands and becoming their disciples .

This was a show of sincerity from the latter . The ten sacred lands wanted to take the first steps toward publicizing the offworld battlefields .

Jiang Chen knew that they hadn’t done so before out of worries that it would cause rampant chaos .

However, not doing so had already led to rather disastrous consequences, and the sacred lands felt quite strained in any case . It was necessary to find new recruits and a wider field of participants to bolster their numbers .

For the second and third-rate factions, this was an opportunity . If even one of their geniuses was chosen, they might very well rise to the top too . Thus, each genius from every faction was diligent and involved .

Though Jiang Chen didn’t have much work to do, Ziju Min drafted him to strategize .

“Young master Chen, I think highly of your keen eye . The Eternal Sacred Land would like to obtain every genius available to us, even if that means choosing a few in error . Your very presence could help attract other promising talents toward us . ”

Jiang Chen wasn’t going to oppose the sacred land’s plans . He was happy to see it take in new blood . “Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to help . ”

The first prime and Ziju Min were both very pleased with his attitude .

“That’s right, Jiang Chen . When the competition begins, the forefathers from all the sacred lands will be in attendance . The prizes are particularly abundant here, as is the renown from the final ranking . In fact, it may very well influence your position in Myriad Abyss in the days to come . Be sure to do your best . Don’t hold anything back . ” Ziju Min uttered some additional advice in a low voice .

Jiang Chen knew that the rules had likely been decided on . “I’m here already, so I might as well give it my all . ”

“Alright . I’m counting on you . ” The elder was gratified to hear it .

There were several hundred second and third-rate factions in attendance at the competition . Even Rejuvenation and Tritalent had participants present .

The factions that Jiang Chen had recent run-ins with, like Heavenlight and Bluesmoke, were here as well .

The people from Bluesmoke seemed to know that he had been responsible for slaughtering a large contingent of Blue Eagle Guards . They looked at him with muted hostility and a complicated swirl of other emotions .