Chapter 2284: All for Nothing

In the past, he had given Donglin Yanxue a puresoul, which allowed her cultivation to increase drastically within two years. As a result, she became the Chosen Saint. The entire purpose behind his actions was to gain a position as one of the nine retainers so that he could access the Tower of Radiance.

However, in the end, as the day of the competition approached, he learnt from Bai Yu that Donglin Yanxue’s nine retainers had already been decided. Donglin Yanxue had broken her side of the promise, leaving Jian Chen utterly furious.

He could not keep up his disguise on the Desolate Plane for long. He would be exposed once the blood tests came for him. Although the blood tests were not as strict in the Radiant Saint Hall compared to the outside world, he knew that all the disciples of the Radiant Saint Hall would eventually be forced to take the blood tests.

As a result, he was truly running out of time. If he could not enter the Tower of Radiance as one of Donglin Yanxue’s nine retainers, he might lose the chance to enter the Tower of Radiance forever.

“Donglin Yanxue has been making extremely rapid progress among the five candidates. I heard teacher say that Donglin Yanxue went from an early four-colored soulcore to the peak of the four-colored soulcore in two or three years. She’s only a step away from the five-colored soulcore. Although the four other candidates have been making great progress as well, none of them have reached the peak of the four-colored soulcore.”

“As a result, Donglin Yanxue has gone from being the weakest to the strongest out of the five candidates. Moreover, I heard from master that her grasp and control over Radiant Saint Force has skyrocketed over the past two years. She has become even more skilled. There’s at least a seventy percent chance that she’ll become the Chosen Saint,” Bai Yu looked at Jian Chen and said with hidden meaning. She knew about Donglin Yanxue spending half a month in Jian Chen’s dwelling.

Jian Chen listened to Bai Yu talk about Donglin Yanxue’s transformation over the past two years. Finally, he could not hold himself back anymore. He reminded Bai Yu to look after Han Xin before immediately leaving the Soaring Clouds Peak. He condensed a pair of Radiant Wings and shot towards the Myriad Flowers Peak with lightning speed.

There was less than a week until the competition between the candidates began. As a result, Jian Chen was able to hear all the Radiant Saint Masters discuss the matter everywhere thanks to his superior senses.

Donglin Yanxue’s rapid cultivation advancement was no secret. The news had already spread far and wide, so Jian Chen heard many discussions about her.

All sorts of versions to this story appeared. However, a small portion of people believed that Donglin Yanxue’s improvement over the past two years was directly related to Chang Yang of the Soaring Clouds Peak.

“No way. Chang Yang only has a one-colored soulcore, and it’s said that he’s a one star genius. How can he assist a nine star genius with a four-colored soulcore like Donglin Yanxue?” Naturally, more people snorted in response.

…

These discussions either came from small groups of Radiant Saint Masters conversing quietly as they travelled through the air or from the nearby mountains. Jian Chen missed none of it with his superior senses.

Jian Chen remained silently along the way. With his speed at the one-colored soulcore, he finally arrived on the Myriad Flowers Peak a few hours later. Right after Jian Chen set foot on the mountain, he spread out his senses and enveloped the entire place.

The lord of the Myriad Flowers Peak was also an expert equivalent to a mid Godking. Hence, Jian Chen did not dare to use the senses of his soul, just in case the peak lord could sense it. However, it was impossible for her to discover his normal senses.

However, Jian Chen’s face sank very soon. Donglin Yanxue was not on the Myriad Flowers Peak.

“Hmm? Isn’t that Chang Yang of the Soaring Clouds Peak?”

“It really is him. I heard that senior Donglin Yanxue journeyed quite the distance to go to the Soaring Clouds Peak to look for him. She even stayed in his dwelling for half a month…”

“So he’s Chang Yang. His appearance isn’t impressive at all. His cultivation is nothing special, and it’s said that he has no background. I really don’t know why this person caught senior Yanxue’s eyes…”

“Shh, don’t blabber. How can he catch senior Yanxue’s eyes. It’s said that senior Yanxue only went to find him last time to exchange their experiences on cultivation…”

…

The majority of the disciples on the Myriad Flowers Peak were female. Presently, there were a few male disciples from other peaks among them. Immediately, many of the women discovered Jian Chen’s arrival. They all cast curious gazes over as they discussed softly in the distance.

Jian Chen did not stick around. He turned around and left the Myriad Flowers Peak, returning to the Soaring Clouds Peak.

Since Donglin Yanxue was not on the Myriad Flowers Peak, she would definitely be in the sacred hall. However, Jian Chen could set foot in there with his current status.

Several hours later, Jian Chen returned to the Soaring Clouds Peak. He did not go to the mountain peak. Instead, he sat on a black rock outside his dwelling quietly. He stared at the misty mountains in a daze.

“Do I really have to expose the fact that I’ve comprehended the Laws of the Hallowed already?” At this moment, Jian Chen felt conflicted. With Donglin Yanxue going back on her word, he was now stuck between a rock and a hard place. He had no idea how to proceed.

Was he supposed to give up on the chance to enter the Tower of Radiance and travel away from this place, away from the Desolate Plane? Alternatively, did he have to expose the secret of him comprehending the Laws of the Hallowed with a one-colored soulcore, becoming the only genius with such an achievement in the past a million years? He would immediately become the Chosen Saint if he chose the latter.

He was reluctant to leave. However, if he revealed his talent, he would immediately become the centre of attention; this would increase the chance of him getting exposed.

After all, once he became the Chosen Saint, the leader of the Radiant Saint Hall would definitely thoroughly investigate his past or even directly peer into his past and future.

Just as Jian Chen faced this dilemma, a figure surrounded by light arrived on the Soaring Clouds Peak.

Jian Chen’s eyes suddenly narrowed when this person arrived. He was surprised.

Even though the person was shrouded by light that obscured her appearance, Jian Chen could tell from a single glance that she was Donglin Yanxue.

“We’ll talk in your dwelling,” Donglin Yanxue said to Jian Chen secretly before directly flying into his dwelling.

A gleam of light flickered through Jian Chen’s eyes. He returned to his simple dwelling silently and immediately cast a formation at the entrance.

When Donglin Yanxue saw Jian Chen cast such an unimpressive formation, she frowned slightly. With a wave of her hand, she tossed out a formation disc and set up an even more powerful formation. Afterwards, she dispersed the light and revealed her face.

“I get noticed wherever I go now, so I had no choice but to do this,” Donglin Yanxue said to Jian Chen helplessly.

Jian Chen remained indifferent. He stared at Donglin Yanxue’s pretty face closely and said coldly, “You didn’t keep your word.”

Donglin Yanxue became apologetic and replied, “I know, but this matter has already left my control. I no longer have the power to choose the nine retainers. I’m extremely sorry about this.” Donglin Yanxue was ashamed.

Jian Chen frowned in response.

Donglin Yanxue sighed gently and continued, “The nine retainers are either very close to the elders of the Radiant Saint Hall or possess a certain background. In reality, it’s not just me. The four other candidates cannot choose their retainers either. It’s not because of some orders from the elders but because of the urgings of the clans behind these people.”

“The Tower of Radiance rarely opens, and it hides great fortuitous encounters. It’s a place that all Hallowed Saint Masters yearn for. As a result, every single retainer slot is extremely desirable. It’s simply impossible for us, the so-called candidates, to do anything.”

“Then what was my teacher and the lord of the Snowfall Peak’s fight about?” Jian Chen asked.

“The lord of the Soaring Clouds Peak’s Han family is a renowned clan. Even though his branch does not hold much status within the Han family, Han Xin’s seniors have offered quite a lot of benefits to some people in our Donglin clan. As such, he possessed the right to contend for a retainer slot. As for the lord of the Snowfall Peak, Zhou Yuan, the organisation behind him has always been at odds with the Han family. The organisation behind him has also offered some benefits to members of our Donglin clan, which led to members of our clan negotiating with the elders to organise a battle between Zhou Yuan and Yan Xin; this is to allow them to contend for the last spot,” said Donglin Yanxue.

Jian Chen’s face became extremely sunken after hearing Donglin Yanxue’s explanation. He had never thought that the nine retainers would be chosen secretly by the authoritative elders and those great organisations.

To make matters even more hilarious, he had done everything to raise Donglin Yanxue, but it all went to someone else in the end. It had all been for nothing.

“Actually, it’s not completely impossible. If I lose one of my nine retainers, I can personally assign a new one,” Donglin Yanxue looked at Jian Chen deeply.

“Didn’t you say that this matter is not for you to decide?” Jian Chen frowned.

“There are only six days before the competition between the candidates begin. There’s not enough time to choose someone new, so I can elect someone to fill the spot. Of course, I can’t guarantee success. However, this is the last method that remains,” said Donglin Yanxue.

“You might as well have told me nothing then. I won’t be seeing you out,” Jian Chen snorted coldly and made Donglin Yanxue leave.

Donglin Yanxue sighed gently. She glanced at Jian Chen with an ashamed look and left.

After Donglin Yanxue’s departure, Jian Chen’s gaze immediately became piercing. The light in them flickered as killing intent gathered.