Chapter 242 - 154: The Cruelest Opportunity in History, Hard to Convince the Masses?

Chapter 242: Chapter 154: The Cruelest Opportunity in History, Hard to Convince the Masses?

For a moment, even he fell into deep thought, becoming somewhat hesitant.

As powerful as he was right now, he didn’t dare say he could absolutely walk out of the Secret Realm alive. What made him think he would be one of those two survivors?

After all, this would be a battle at the absolute pinnacle. Every Cultivator who could enter was an eternal prodigy.

The atmosphere inside the entire Holy Hall gradually grew oppressive.

After Master Beardless and the other two finished speaking, they fell silent, waiting for Jiang Hao’s answer.

Even within the thousand sects, not every peerless prodigy would choose to enter. Some would decisively give up and continue lying low amidst the struggles for dominance, biding their time.

However, Jiang Hao, who had survived countless battles and pursuits, understood one thing very clearly.

In this era where the strong were revered and prodigies ran rampant, what they fought for was the initiative.

"Fall behind a single step, and you fall behind every step. Fall behind every step, and you lag for a lifetime."

If you didn’t advance, your enemies would. If you didn’t fight for opportunities, your enemies would.

Currently, Jiang Hao was surrounded by enemies. It was only a matter of time before the Ten Great Daoist Lineages found him, and no one would give him a chance to catch his breath.

"Perhaps this is my fate as a Cultivator," he sighed helplessly in his heart. It seemed as though he had a choice, yet at the same time, there was no alternative.

Some things could be given up, but for others, as long as there was still a chance, giving up might lead to an entirely different destiny.

He had reached where he was today precisely because he firmly grasped every opportunity that came his way. Only then was he able to slay Qilins, kill prodigies, execute Sword Nine, destroy the Celestial Sword, and sweep through countless Saint Sons and Saintesses.

For over ten years, Jiang Hao hadn’t dared to slack off even the slightest bit. Countless people who wanted his life hung like blades over his head, ready to strike down at any moment.

Meanwhile, countless rival prodigies were madly chasing him from behind. If he slowed down by even a single step, he would become a fallen soul under someone else’s blade.

At this moment, Jiang Hao’s heart was conflicted and complex.

However, as time passed, his gradually steadying Dao Heart also grew firmer bit by bit.

If countless peerless prodigies could take that step, why couldn’t he?

"We Cultivators inherently defy the heavens, finding life in the face of death. As humans, we should fear nothing, even if we have to face death directly.

"If born in the dirt, and one fails to break through the soil, then one might as well be buried deep within it."

Following Jiang Hao’s murmurs, Master Beardless and the other two slowly raised their eyes, a trace of approval flashing in their aged gazes.

At a certain point, Jiang Hao suddenly lifted his head and gave the three a deep bow.

"Thank you, Senior Brothers, for giving me this opportunity. I am willing to go and try the Thousand Sects Secret Mirror."

"Excellent!" Master Beardless slapped his thigh the moment the youth finished speaking, subconsciously crying out in approval.

"Junior Brother Qin, there are still three months until the Thousand Sects Secret Mirror opens. For these three months, you should focus on cultivating well within the Beardless Sect. Feel free to take any sect resources you need."

Master Beardless paused, an intriguing expression suddenly appearing on his face as if he had just remembered something.

"Oh, right, Junior Brother Qin, there is one more thing I forgot to tell you.

"Now that you hold the esteemed position of Eldest Senior Brother of the Beardless Sect, you still need to win everyone over. As far as I know, the disciples below are already voicing their complaints. It seems some are figuring out how to make you voluntarily resign from the position.

"You should find a chance to establish your dominance, or it’ll be hard to convince the masses.

"The regular disciples are fine, but Yun Shang and her group of ten, along with the Elders of the Beardless Sect, probably won’t be so easy to ignore."

"That’s right, Junior Brother Qin. Showing off your prowess a little bit in public sometimes isn’t a bad thing. Don’t make things too difficult for the Sect Leader Senior Brother," Master Wugou and Master Wuchen chimed in cooperatively after Master Beardless finished.

Hearing this, Jiang Hao slightly raised his brow, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping past the three old foxes.

The matter of establishing dominance might be true, but these three probably also wanted to see with their own eyes exactly what heights he had reached, and how much of a gap there was between him and Mu Yunshang’s group.

"Now that my status is different, I should establish some authority, lest these brats below keep squabbling all day," Jiang Hao murmured. He picked up the teacup beside him and gently blew away the tea leaves, but didn’t take a sip.

Watching this scene and hearing the youth’s words and tone, Master Beardless and the other two felt that something was off.

They couldn’t help but wonder if this guy really treated the disciples and Elders of the Beardless Sect as mere brats.

Jiang Hao’s expression remained calm. Since they wanted to see if they had invested correctly, he would satisfy the three of them.

Sometimes, if you didn’t let your partners see your true strength, you might miss out on a lot of things.

As for how to establish his dominance, naturally, he would pick the highest one to step on. As for who that would be, it depended on who lost their patience first.

With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Hao cast another glance at the three before withdrawing his gaze.

"You were the ones who asked me to establish my dominance. When the time comes and it’s too terrifying, dealing a blow to the Dao Hearts of those ten, you can’t push all the blame onto me alone," he thought.

Jiang Hao was still quite confident in his current strength. After all, a Power of Transcendence that broke the eternal limits was no joke.

Meeting Jiang Hao’s gaze, Master Beardless and the other two felt a slight tremor in their hearts, sensing that something was undeniably peculiar about the look in his eyes.