Mad Fiend cocked his head as he gazed at Jiang Chen, attempting to figure out what the young man’s true intentions were.

Jiang Chen returned the look with a confident smile. If he had to use a real weapon, he could only resort to the True Spirit Post. For that however, he needed time to refine it, as well as an appropriate martial method.

Of course, he had no shortage of the latter. All kinds of texts and tomes on the matter filled his head, and it would be easy enough to find what he was looking for.

“Show me what you’ve got, kid.”

Jiang Chen produced the True Spirit Post, rolling it around in the palm of his hand dashingly. It grew to a length of eight feet within moments.

“Is... is that a brush?” Mad Fiend glanced at the young man oddly as he perused the strange design of the weapon.

The True Spirit Post was certainly not a run-of-the-mill sharp stick. It looked like it could be a polearm, but no blade was mounted on its ‘pointed’ end. Compared to a typical weapon of war, it looked more classic.

“This is the crowning treasure of the ancient Primosanct Sect, the True Spirit Post.” Jiang Chen waved his brush around a little.

“Senior,” he smiled, “give me twelve hours to refine this treasure and practice a martial method for it. We can duel with proper weapons afterwards. How about it?”

“Twelve hours? Are you sure??” It was Mad Fiend’s turn to be surprised.

What could he do with twelve hours?

A martial method took three to five months of work at least. More commonly, more than a year of study was required to access the fundamentals. To understand the essence of anything without years of study was nearly impossible, and twelve hours was simply ludicrous.

Mad Fiend harrumphed. “You aren’t looking for excuses for your defeat, are you, kid? You sure you can do anything in twelve hours?”

Mad Fiend found the very proposition comical. Had the young man gone mad himself? The time period was patently absurd.

Cultivation behind closed doors could take decades to centuries. Twelve hours was barely enough for a single session of meditation!

And yet, Jiang Chen’s faint smile remained.

“I ask only for twelve hours. I can’t be disturbed in that time, however.” His tone was entirely even.

The old man didn’t know how to react to this. He finally settled on huffing. “Fine, I’ll do you one better and give you 120 hours instead. There’s plenty of time. I don’t mind giving you a few extra days. You won’t be able to say I didn’t give you any leniency after I win then!”

Evidently, Mad Fiend didn’t want to take a single offered inch. This surprised Jiang Chen a little. From this, he could see that the eccentric protector was just as honorable as the three before him... despite his unpredictable temperament.

A little more examination showed that this made perfect sense though. The first master of the Veluriyam Pagoda had been the leader of ancient humanity in the demon-sealing war. He must’ve chosen protectors who were upright and dependable individuals, in some sense of those words.

Jiang Chen made up his mind. He wouldn’t refuse the proffered 120 hours. The Six Palaces of Heritage would still be here waiting after he was done.

Mad Fiend followed through on his promise, giving Jiang Chen a perfectly quiet place that was isolated from outside disturbance. “This is the place. Remember, 120 hours!”

Jiang Chen chuckled, then waved. “Don’t worry. I’ll show you what I’m made of.”

“Sure, sure. I’ll be waiting.” Mad Fiend didn’t take that declaration too seriously.

Though the old man appeared crazy, he was still conscientious of his mission. He knew he was here to pick through and test the geniuses that came to this place. If a legendary genius did arrive, he wouldn’t unduly target the young person. His volatility itself was the most serious kind of trial for the intrepid challenger.

The first master of the Veluriyam Pagoda had told him to be as strict as he could. Only the most appropriate to inherit the palaces were to be allowed through.

Still, the eccentric old man didn’t have much hope for Jiang Chen. Yes, the young man was talented, but also far too reckless.

A hundred and twenty hours?!

What could he do with that? Refine a weapon and learn a martial method for melee combat? How was possible, unless he knew exactly how to do these things in the first place?

But that didn’t seem likely.

“Hmph. I hope this kid doesn’t let me down too much when I see him next. I won’t let him pass this fourth trial if he turns out to be another disappointment,” Mad Fiend muttered to himself in complaint. He was here for the specific duty of eliminating those who didn’t fit the bill.

In his opinion, Jiang Chen certainly fell into that category.

The challenger’s character, rather than talent, was the sticking point here. The crazy old man believed Jiang Chen to be crazy and boastful for originally suggesting twelve hours.

The young man had no idea what the curious protector of this place was thinking. He really did need the time to refine his brush and learn a method that would allow him to go toe-to-toe with Mad Fiend.

As the crowning jewel of the ancient Primosanct Sect, the True Spirit Post was considerably difficult to refine. Thankfully, he had a bevy of experience with valuable treasures just like it. Thus, the first part was easy and systematic.

As always, he needed only to infuse the pen with a bit of his own lifeblood, then channel his consciousness into it. Not hard at all.

His particularly robust consciousness gave him a natural advantage in this area. It was almost trivial to wipe away the remnants of the pen’s previous owner. So it had been when Jiang Chen had refined the golden bell.

His success came after only a short while. Now, he could finally start understanding the pen’s unique qualities.

In four more hours, he largely familiarized himself with the weapon.

“This True Spirit Post really can be used as a long spear. I must choose a martial method that makes sense for that.”

That would take a little bit more thought.