nChapter 358: Master Shuiyue is Relieved of Her Duties

nThe forefathers and heavyweights of the other three sects all received the news at the same time.

nWhen they understood the circumstances of this matter, the heavyweights all itched to take action. This was a perfect opportunity to take the Purple Sun Sect down a peg!

nThe Purple Sun Sect had been quite domineering during this selection and they had self styled themselves as the leader of the four great sects. This had already been enough to greatly irritate the other three sects.

nThis time, Master Shuiyue had apparently even manipulated the matches. With the forefathers’ understanding of Master Shuiyue, that was completely possible.

nTherefore, they all ran for the earth quadrant at first light.

nThe situation would be hard to salvage once public anger was aroused.

nThe four forefathers had personally made an appearance, investigating the situation and considering the testimony from the other examiners as well as the candidates.

nApart from Sunchaser, the other three forefathers all agreed that Master Shuiyue had manipulated the matches.

n“Four matches in a row without pause. Which one of you can give me a reason that proves this wasn’t manipulation?” Forefather Ninelion of the Myriad Spirit Sect was the first to cry out.

nForefather Icemist of the Flowing Wind Sect also shook her head. “The traces of manipulation are too obvious. Daoist Sunchaser, your Purple Sun Sect truly was out of line in this matter.”

n“Daoist Sunchaser, give us the best way to proceed.” Forefather Thousandleaf said faintly.

nSunchaser had a look of dejection on his face. He too was sorely disappointed in Master Shuiyue at the moment. Everyone was seeking to topple this wall now. If she wasn’t swapped out, the three old monsters wouldn’t be able to pacify the crowds either.

nJudging from the candidates’ posturing, it was very likely that they would boycott the matches if Master Shuiyue wasn’t removed!

nSunchaser snorted. Although he was domineering, he was completely in the wrong here. What else could he do?

n“You three sects have long since coveted this position anyways. What do you say we can do? Will you three be able to amiably select a replacement if my sect vacates the position?”

n“And why can’t we?” Ninelion smiled. “I recommend that the other three sects nominate a person each to jointly manage the earth quadrant.”

n“That makes sense, I agree.” Icemist nodded.

nThousandleaf chuckled. “I have no opinions otherwise.”

nAs long as Master Shuiyue was removed and the Purple Sun Sect vacated this position, there was no big deal if the three sects held joint control over this position.

nSunchaser was dejected beyond belief, but he could only accept things silently. He snorted lightly and he flicked his glance to Jiang Chen. “Young man, it seems like your shadow can be found in any matter that happens.”

nJiang Chen only smiled faintly when faced with the dignity of forefather Sunchaser. “The tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease. Forefather, can you truly place the blame for what those of your sect did onto my head?”

n“Hahaha, well said.” Forefather Ninelion walked over, laughing heartily. “Little fellow, I’ve heard of your recent exploits. I only want to say, damn good showing! A true genius should be like you, refusing to be cowed or to submit, unshaken by all outside powers and walking your own path.”

n“Old monster Ninelion, watch the timing of your words!” Sunchaser said coldly.

n“Heh heh, I speak when I want to. Can you control me? Control your own sect first and stop giving reasons for others to laugh at you.” Ninelion chuckled meaningfully and he looked jeeringly at Master Shuiyue.

nMaster Shuiyue was almost too ashamed to show her face. Her gaze shot viciously at Jiang Chen, hating the architect of her current circumstances.

n“This secular swine has broken two of my disciples in a row, and he has now damaged my standing and reputation, making me lose face in front of the forefathers!”

nMaster Shuiyue had never been of a kind sort, and her hatred for Jiang Chen now was something that wouldn’t be washed clean by the waters of three rivers and five streams.

n“Young man, the suggestion I gave you last time is still in effect. A martial dao genius must choose his path well. Placing one foot right leads one down a golden avenue. Placing one foot wrong may be the first down into a bottomless abyss.”

nSunchaser laughed coldly and brandished his sleeves, “We leave!”

nA group of Purple Sun Sect executives followed behind him. Master Shuiyue stared at Jiang Chen like a viper for the longest time before bringing up the rear.

nJiang Chen knew that he’d fully offended this woman.

n“Young man, ignore that old crazy Sunchaser. Their Purple Sun Sect has long been used to acting as they would. Now that they’ve lost face this time, they had to find some words to scare you with.” Ninelion chuckled. “Remember one thing, whether it’s secular cultivators or sect disciples, we are all cultivators of the sixteen kingdom alliance at the end of the day. There are no sectarian biases in the selection, just the greater picture of the sixteen kingdom alliance.”

n“Old monster Ninelion, I rarely agree with your words, but I have to this time.” Thousandleaf laughed and also walked over. “Young man, you didn’t do anything wrong in this matter. As long as your path is correct, don’t veer from it due to any threats. You’ll understand when you reach our level how important one’s way is.”

n“Do well. We see the hope of the secular cultivators in you.” Icemist also encouraged him.

nIt was apparent to see from how the three forefathers were reassuring him together how much hope they had for the secular champion.

nEven though his identity had yet to be revealed, even until now, his illustrious battle results were enough to awe everyone.

nJudging from these circumstances, it was a foregone conclusion that he would enter the earth quadrant.

nAlthough the three forefathers hadn’t openly recruited him, their ardent gazes were thoroughly betraying their thoughts.

n“Many thanks to the three forefathers’ pointers. I will absolutely try my best to stay true to my way.”

nThe challenges were still taking place, and since Master Shuiyue had been censured, the three forefathers couldn’t stay too long and affect the exams.

nThey chose three new keepers and issued careful reminders, emphasizing that the replacements needed to be impartial and they could not allow personal feelings to be mixed in with the matches.

nMaster Shuiyue had been unable to set aside her personal feelings and she had seen her standing and reputation destroyed instead.

nThe matches of the earth quadrant resumed normal operations.

nJiang Chen had killed Hai Tian in his match. He could still continue his challenges according to the rules.

nHis rhythm had been destroyed and Jiang Chen didn’t want to continue his challenges. He chose to give up his opportunity.

nHe then left the arena and returned to his residence.

nA lot of things had happened today, and he needed some time to organize his thoughts.

nSince he’d been challenged three times already, there was no way he would be challenged again today. Therefore, his departure from the arena wasn’t against the rules.

nJiang Chen sat down in meditation when he returned to his room, slowly calming his emotions.

nAlthough the events of today looked like an accident, they had actually been inevitable. Jiang Chen knew that his conflict with the Shuiyue faction would be heightened sooner or later.

nAfter the happenings earlier, they would likely be heightened sooner now.

n“That woman is truly crazy and she can’t keep her emotions in check. She thought that she’d tire me out with four matches in a row. Hmph, what a lovely plan huh! It was a good thing that I had multiple aces and I had barely used any energy in the previous three matches in the ring of ice. However, it had been indeed a bit more tiring in the ring of spirit devouring.”

nWith Jiang Chen’s level of cultivation knowledge, no one on a similar level to him could measure up to him.

nHai Tian actually counted as someone who’d caused some trouble for him.

n“There are almost none who can truly threaten me in the earth quadrant. It looks like I need to set my sights ahead of time to the sky quadrant.”

nWhen it came to this quadrant, the only thing that was a challenge to Jiang Chen wasn’t his opponents, but the five rings.

n“When it comes to do it, Hai Tian was fancying himself clever. He had the protection of that treasure and he wasn’t afraid of the backlash of that ring. If he’d attacked me with all his strength, I would’ve been burdened by it. Although my defense would’ve been able to barely hold out against the backlash, my movements would’ve absolutely been affected. It would’ve been a close thing had I faced off against Hai Tian. I may not have been able to win then, if I didn’t bring out the Lotus. That fellow had most likely studied my style in the previous matches and so, he wanted to be on the defense first, allowing me to attack and exhaust my spirit power. He would then counterattack when my reserves were drained.”

nTo be honest, Jiang Chen had been quite lucky in this match.

nIt had been his opponent being too unfamiliar with the situation and using the wrong tactic.

nIf Jiang Chen hadn’t had the tail feathers of the Raven King, he most likely would’ve had to use his final trump card of the Bewitching Lotus of Fire and Ice.

nOtherwise, he really wouldn’t have been confident that he’d win.

n“It looks like I have the first selection to thank. If it hadn’t been for those marvelous occurrence in the Valley of Destruction, I would’ve been forced to reveal the Lotus if I’d wanted to win today.”

nHe didn’t want to expose the Lotus that early.

nThat was his final trump card that he was saving until the end. He didn’t want to use it at all before facing his final opponent.

nJiang Chen’s days passed much easier without Master Shuiyue’s oppression. However, he also adjusted his strategy and stopped his challenges everyday after attaining two victories in a row.

nWith these five rings in the earth quadrant, it wasn’t that easy to be a madman sweeping the stages in successive victories.

nJiang Chen didn’t want to do this at this point either.

nWhat he felt gratified by was that Liu Wencai’s battle strength had indeed increased greatly after a few practice sparring matches between the two. His win rate wasn’t low either.

nLiu Wencai was incredibly grateful. When he’d arrived at the earth quadrant, he knew that his level and number of 498 meant that his level was second from the bottom.

nNo matter how he looked at things, he was a hot contender for being demoted. It was very likely that he would be sent back to the mystic quadrant after three months.

nHe wasn’t willing to accept this and he wanted to change his fate.

nAnd now, while his scores weren’t enough for his ranking to be far ahead, he had far outstripped the awkwardness of being in the bottom ten.

n“Brother Boulder, perhaps I’ll never be able to catch up to you, but I’ll keep working hard according to how you’ve taught me. Even if I can’t catch up to you, I still must work hard and follow you, ensuring that I can see your back at all times, so that I am not completely left behind in the dust.”

nLiu Wencai made the following oath in his heart.

nLittle fatty Lu had also seemed to be affected by Liu Wencai. He put away his usual joking and lackadaisical manner and he practiced more diligently than usual.

nIt rather seemed like he wanted to compete with Liu Wencai!

nJiang Chen naturally saw the changes in the two and he was happy for them from the bottom of his heart. He also felt slightly proud of them.

nTo be able to affect others with his own actions and accelerate his friends’ development; he was quite happy to see this.

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