He was no fool.
Over the years, Chi Xuntian had risen from a mere commoner, climbing step by step on his reputation for being "steady" and "mindful of the bigger picture," all the way to Condensed Jade Walker.
Qing Chen himself had maneuvered across battlefields everywhere, stirring up the world until the smoke of war rose on every side and not even chickens or dogs knew peace;
Chi Xuntian, meanwhile, had sat securely in the rear, recruiting rogue cultivators far and wide, reassuring the islanders, and maintaining frequent, covert dealings with the hall masters of the Various Halls and the island lords.
Qing Chen sneered inwardly. Did he really think Qing Chen had noticed nothing?
He had been on guard.
What put him even more on alert was Xuanji True Lord's attitude toward the two of them.
For Chi Xuntian, rewards flowed without end like running water;
For the territories Qing Chen had fought so hard to conquer, there was only the indifferent reply, "Noted."
Had he not cleverly asked for them by leveraging his military achievements and the right timing, he probably would never even have seen those Nascent Soul insights.
The successor Xuanji True Lord favored for the highest seat was probably not him.
Even opening up ten thousand miles of territory and amassing illustrious military achievements could hardly win that discerning eye's approval.
Taking the three souls seven apertures spirit embryo fruit from that old fellow back then was the right move, Qing Chen thought to himself.
As he saw it, no matter how much territory he conquered, in Xuanji True Lord's eyes, he was ultimately nothing more than a sharp but untamable blade.
But so what?
He held the Pojun Battle Halberd and possessed the Vajra Mound, and he had Xue Qingxia, Su Zixuan, and a