Flame Dragon Kingdom, on the highway from Dingjing to Jincheng.

Yan Hu drove while Jiang Chen leaned back in his seat for a nap.

Ding ling!

A message notification sounded.

Jiang Chen opened his eyes and checked his phone.

"In a few days, there'll be a big feast, exact time not yet known. I'm allergic to seafood, can't eat it. This feast includes crocodile meat, at least four dishes. Be careful not to be eaten by the crocodile. I'm feeling a bit unwell, need to go to the hospital. The nurse will take care of me, don't worry! No need to call me to join!"

After reading the message, Jiang Chen slightly furrowed his brows and murmured softly, "In a few days, there'll be a major operation. Crocodile... is it Venerable Peak or late Venerable? He's been excluded, but still related to me? Do those people suspect that he's still in contact with me? They even have someone watching him; I can't even contact him now!"

At this, Jiang Chen slowly nodded, "It seems our move to acquire the medical company truly aroused the suspicion of the Gene Organization. We need to hurry."

Putting away his phone, Jiang Chen thought for a moment and then made a call.

"Hello, Young Jiang." The call connected quickly, carrying an elderly man's grave voice, "Tell me, what bad news is it this time?"

"Haha!" Jiang Chen was amused by the elder, then playfully said, "Elder Qing, do I call you only with bad news?"

"Of course, you haven't brought any good news in our recent calls!" The voice from the receiver had an irritated tone.

Jiang Chen gave a helpless smile, then his expression turned serious, he said in a grave tone, "Elder Qing, you guessed it! It indeed is bad news. In the Gene Organization's next move, there'll be at least four individuals either at Venerable Peak or late Venerable. Worse, my people couldn't learn the specifics this time. He's been suspected and excluded from this operation, and someone's got their eyes on him too!"

"Four Venerable Peaks?!" Elder Qing's voice echoed shocked from the receiver.

Jiang Chen's expression grew heavier, "The deadliest part is, we don't have an exact time or place. We suspect it might be at the Medicine Valley's Elixir Competition or the Martial Arts Contest, but it could also be something else. Do you know if the Flame Dragon Council has any major events coming up?"

"Major events?" There was silence from the receiver for a moment before a puzzled voice came, "Recently, the Flame Dragon only has the Medicine Valley and Martial Arts Contest as major events."

"Then we'll have to enhance our security during these two events," whispered Jiang Chen with a cautioning tone.

"Alright, I understand!" Elder Qing's voice turned exceedingly grave.

Hanging up, Jiang Chen shook his head resignedly, muttering under his breath, "Strength, it's still the lack of strength."

Pausing briefly, Jiang Chen looked up at Yan Hu, "Hu Zi, are the herbs for the Polyporus Breaking Mirror Elixir mostly gathered by the various factions?"

"Soon, the herbs gathered by the factions along the river have all assembled at the Tang Family, brought personally by Old Master Tang to Jincheng. The herbs gathered by Chi Xiao Sect and Unchanging Valley have been handed over to Uncle Jiang and are now in his house in Jincheng."

Yan Hu recounted meticulously, "The herbs gathered by foreign mercenary corps like Spirit You are already in his possession; he's currently with Old Master Tang and should arrive in Jincheng in these next two days."

"Good! Once this batch of elixirs arrives, we should at least have some capacity to protect ourselves!" Jiang Chen nodded slightly and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Young Master!" Yan Hu hesitated for a moment, glanced up at the rearview mirror, and tentatively said, "Young Master, why..."

"Do you want to ask why I didn't include you when calculating the distribution of the Polyporus Breaking Mirror Elixir?" Jiang Chen asked with a light smile.

Yan Hu nodded slightly, his expression somewhat guilty. "Young Master, is it because my capabilities are too poor and would waste too many elixirs?"

"Of course not!"

Jiang Chen patted Yan Hu's shoulder, chuckling as he said, "On the contrary, haven't you noticed? I've had Jing Yi and the others take elixirs to enhance their strength, but I haven't had my father, Elder Yao, you, Qiangqiang, Ling'er, or my mentor take them. Even when my mentor personally came to Dingjing, I didn't include him in the distribution?"

"Why is that?" Yan Hu was baffled.

"As I said, quite the opposite!" Jiang Chen explained patiently. "It's not that your capabilities are too poor, but that out of everyone I know, you few have the best natural abilities!"

"Perhaps in your eyes, the Venerable Realm is the endpoint, but I want to emphasize that the Venerable Realm may be the endpoint for Wu Ji and others, but definitely not for you few!"

"In Flame Dragon, I met the Dragon Saint, and from my investigation, he should be above the Venerable Realm."

"Also, when I obtained the Blood Demon Pill at the secret site of the Chixiao Sect, the elder defined the Blood Demon Pill as something that could increase someone's strength tenfold up to the early stages of the Royal Realm if they were below that. This means there is yet another realm called the Royal Realm!"

Jiang Chen paused, his expression serious, "From the descriptions by the Dragon Saint and of the Blood Demon Pill, it's clear there are realms above the Venerable Realm. Whether this realm is the Royal Realm remains uncertain, but at least it definitely exists!"

"The reason I had Wu Ji and the others take the elixirs after checking their capabilities is because their ultimate achievement could very likely be limited to the Venerable Realm, whereas your capabilities far exceed theirs."

"That's why I didn't let you take the elixirs! I've always kept you by my side and not had you rotate out with An Long as I was worried you might feel pressured to catch up with An Long and the others and take elixirs!"

"Although the Polyporus Barrier Breaking Elixir is said to have no side effects, the improvement from taking elixirs is definitely not the same as the enhancement gained from personal cultivation. Their capabilities only go so far so for them taking elixirs is fine. But you few have the potential to go much further; therefore, I can't let anything even slightly affect your capabilities as my expectation for you is higher than for An Long and the others!"

"Actually, An Long and the others have realized this long ago. Otherwise, why do you think they haven't asked to switch places with you, to stay close to me after this incident?" Jiang Chen said with a faint smile.

Yan Hu was stunned, a warm feeling suddenly sweeping through him as he recalled what Xuan Long and An Long had said to him after their great battle when they were about to leave.

"Hu Zi, you have been with the Young Master the longest, and probably, you will be the one among us who can continue to stay by the Young Master's side the longest. Take good care of the Young Master, and take good care of yourself, too, because no one but you will likely be able to keep pace with the Young Master! I really envy you!"

When Yan Hu had first heard these words, he thought they meant he was always by Jiang Chen's side while they were constantly battling outside, which made him feel somewhat uneasy.

After hearing what Jiang Chen had to say, he finally understood.

What Xuan Long and the others had said was not only about the past and the present but also about the future. In the future, the only one who might be able to keep up with Jiang Chen and continue to protect him was probably only himself!

At this moment, Yan Hu suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders grow heavier, bearing not only his own duties but also the expectations of Xuan Long and the others.

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