Since it was Poison Consort Shi Qinglu who had taken Wu You, it’d be risky for Jiang Chen to bring Gan Ning with him. He didn’t fear the poison genius, but he couldn’t guarantee that he’d be able to protect Gan Ning at the same time.

He first left Gan Ning somewhere safe.

Given Gan Ning’s strength, even hiding in the most obscure location wouldn’t guarantee his safety. Many teams on the island had found each other. There were too many eyes watching, making it easy to find Gan Ning.

Jiang Chen found a hiding place for Gan Ning and set up a defense formation, which would be enough to protect him.

Only the most stubborn of people would pick such a difficult target. This was a timed competition. Most contestants wouldn’t waste their time on breaking the formation.

It wasn’t worth a couple of days to get a nebulous amount of orbs. Every participant was shrewd enough to do the math.

“Gan Ning, it’ll take even seventh level empyrean cultivators a couple of days to break through the formation. You should be safe enough in here. Of course, you can walk around if you get bored. Once there’s a threat you can’t deal with, hop back in the formation to protect yourself.”

Gan Ning was grateful. He knew that he and Wu You were more trouble than they were worth. Jiang Chen was better off without them.

“I feel guilty for continuously dragging you down, senior brother Jiang Chen.”

“We’re from the same faction. It’s only right for us to support each other.” Jiang Chen smiled. “Alright, wait here patiently. I’ll bring Wu You back with me.”

Gan Ning looked at him with genuine concern. “Senior brother, you must be careful if you run into Shi Qinglu. She hasn’t been defeated yet by any youths in Myriad Abyss. Countless people have lost to her. I worry that she’s with Lu Mingye, making them even more difficult to deal with.”

“Haha, I’m not afraid of even Shi Xuan. Why would I be intimidated by his junior?” Jiang Chen smiled easily. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back in at most a day.”

Watching Jiang Chen walk away, Gan Ning knew there was nothing else he could say to change his senior brother’s mind. The only thing he could do was to silently wish Jiang Chen luck.

Jiang Chen was the only thing keeping him in the competition. If his senior brother was defeated, Gan Ning wouldn’t be able to sustain himself for fifteen days unless he stayed hidden forevermore in the formation.

He already had about ten orbs, which gave him an average score and would put him among the top half of the contestants.

He knew there would be plenty who didn’t end up with a single orb at all. Some of them might have even been crippled as soon as they set foot on the island.

The orbs would be concentrated in the hands of the selected few.

Having settled Gan Ning in, Jiang Chen made his way to Wu You with a lighter heart.

Through the Goldbiter Rats’ incredible sleuthing abilities, he soon zeroed in on a specific area. As the rats had observed, there were many poison formations scattered around.

Once activated, the formations would cover the entire area, poisoning anyone who set foot in it.

Jiang Chen made a round along the fringe of the formations. His observation gave him a basic understanding of the cultivator who had set them up. He had to admit the deployer’s skill. It was his first time meeting someone who’d shown this much mastery in poison.

He’d encountered a few poison experts in the human domain, but none were good enough to catch his eye. There had once been an Order of Wind and Cloud, established by representatives from House Xiahou. Among them were a few poison experts, but they were also nothing in Jiang Chen’s eyes.

This poisoner, on the other hand, piqued his curiosity.

“The ten sacred lands do have a solid foundation.” One of Jiang Chen’s positive traits was that he never underestimated his foe.

Even when he believed his enemy wouldn’t pose a threat, he’d first study his enemy and formulate a plan before making a move. That was a habit that set him apart in his two lives.

He knew how many remarkable talents there were in the world. Carelessness could be his downfall.

Jiang Chen noticed a few cultivators standing guard around the parameters.

“The one who set up the poison formations must have high status. Otherwise they wouldn’t be able to mobilize so many people. Is it really that Shi Qinglu?”

That was Jiang Chen’s speculation. According to Gan Ning, the most talented poison expert in the Flora Sacred Land was Shi Qinglu. She was their foremost young genius and one half of the Flora twin treasures, along with Lu Mingye.

What surprised Jiang Chen was the fact that Qin You was standing guard on the outer circle.

“This guy again, but it seems he’s merely one of the lackeys this time, which means the one who has given him the order must rank higher than he does. The Flora Sacred Land is already a leading sacred land. It must be either Lu Mingye or Shi Qinglu.”

Qin You’s presence further cemented Jiang Chen’s speculation.

......

On the other side of the woods, Qin You and the white-haired cultivator stood close together. A few more people came to them from all directions.

“So? Did you find the guy?” The look in Qin You’s eyes was piercing.

The others shook their heads.

“Senior brother Qin, are you sure that the one who attacked us was Jiang Chen?” asked the white-haired cultivator doubtfully.

Qin You wasn’t actually sure, which was what made the whole experience even more humiliating. He’d been defeated miserably without knowing who his opponent was. He couldn’t have suffered a worse failure.

But his prime suspect was indeed Jiang Chen.

Scowling, Qin You declared in a deep voice, “We’ll know if it’s him after we catch him.”

The white-haired cultivator pursed his lips, swallowing his words nervously.

Qin You threw him a look. “Do you have something to say?”

“I’m just wondering... Since Jiang Chen could subdue us in an instant, he’s more powerful than we expected. If we target him again... perhaps...”

“Scared?” Qin You looked at him coolly.

“I...” The white-haired cultivator hesitated to respond. He was scared, but it’d be too cowardly of him to say so.

“Lady Poison Consort and senior brother Lu are in charge this time,” Qin You said through gritted teeth. “That kid better stay far away, or he’s going to suffer!”