Chapter 538: Confrontation with the Ye Family, the Purpose of the Divine Stone Instance

Jiang Chen's words were calm as water, but the murderous intent they contained was as biting as a winter cold wind.

The entire guest area instantly fell into death‑like silence, and everyone's gaze focused on Jiang Chen.

They knew well that Jiang Chen said so because Ye Chen Shi's proposal had crossed his bottom line.

Lin Zhenzi's granddaughter's emotional entanglement with Jiang Chen had long ceased to be a secret.

Ye Chen Shi's proposal was undoubtedly a challenge to Jiang Chen's bottom line, and also a provocation of Li Xueru's and Hong Jishi's authority.

"Divine General Jiang, what does this mean!" Ye Chen Shi squinted and said.

Facing Ye Chen Shi's doubt, Jiang Chen did not flinch at all; he whispered, "Just the literal meaning. Or, to be more direct, where is your great‑grandson? Let him step forward, and I will end his life with my own hands."

This time his words were even more direct, even more decisive, filled with unquestionable resolve and murderous intent.

"Divine General Jiang, aren't you being overly overbearing?" Ye Chen Shi's face grew grim, a cold sneer at the corner of his mouth, "Young man, this is very dangerous."

Behind him, Wang Lin, Wei Cang and Xia Shize also stared at Jiang Chen with ill‑will, and the atmosphere instantly grew tense.

Nevertheless, Jiang Chen was unfazed; he knew he had the support of Hong Jishi and Li Xueru's faction behind him, and even alone he possessed enough confidence and strength to cope.

Jiang Chen ignored Ye Chen Shi's provocation and turned to Li Xueru, requesting, "Master, could you please investigate who his great‑grandson is?"

Li Xueru gave a slight smile, a glint of brilliance in his eyes, "No problem, this trivial matter won't defeat me. No matter how deep he hides, I can find him."

Hearing this, Ye Chen Shi's complexion instantly turned sour. He had only intended to test Jiang Chen's bottom line, but did not expect Jiang Chen to take it so seriously, especially with Li Xueru and Hong Jishi's backing.

Ye Chen Shi began to regret his rashness; he hadn't foreseen Jiang Chen would hold such a grudge. He indeed had a great‑grandson of extraordinary talent, but compared with a genius like Jiang Chen, he paled in comparison.

If Jiang Chen truly bore a grudge against his great‑grandson, it would be a disaster. A flash of murderous intent crossed Ye Chen Shi's eyes, but he quickly concealed it.

However, Jiang Chen keenly sensed that flicker of murderous intent and sneered inwardly. He had long been accustomed to various enemies' provocations and assassinations; to him, these were commonplace.

At that moment, a strong Energy Fluctuation surged, and the Divine Stone Instance emerged from the hidden space, fully taking shape.

Everyone was drawn toward the sudden change, and the standoff between Ye Chen Shi and Jiang Chen temporarily concluded.

Seeing this, Ye Chen Shi hurriedly forced a dry laugh, trying to ease the mood, "Haha, I was only joking, Divine General Jiang, please don't mind."

Jiang Chen gave him a cold glance, saying nothing. Ye Chen Shi was unbothered, continued to act as if nothing had happened, and began to admire the performances of the young heroes in the Divine Stone Instance.

Li Xueru approached Jiang Chen, gently urging, "Don't worry too much; let this end here."

Jiang Chen nodded slightly, "I understand."

He was, of course, aware that his clash with Ye Chen Shi could not truly evolve into an all‑out war. Each side represented massive forces, and if a real conflict erupted, it would be a disaster for the entire Shenlong Empire.

The reason Jiang Chen acted so hard‑line was merely to give Ye Chen Shi a clear warning, making him understand that he was no pliable soft‑ripe persimmon.

Now, Ye Chen Shi had offered a concession; though his complexion was poor, the atmosphere finally eased. Jiang Chen also realized there was no need to take things to the extreme.

With the standoff ending, the Divine Stone Conference officially opened.

On the massive Projection array, scenes gradually unfolded. For each of the one hundred professionals entering the Instance, their images appeared in turn on these screens. Every moment and every choice they experienced in the Instance was reflected in real time.

The scores on the screens changed continuously with their performance; the higher the score, the more outstanding their showing in the Instance.

The first batch of professionals had already been teleported into the Instance, beginning their challenge journey.

At that moment, the military Divine-level Strongman responsible for summoning the Instance stood before it, beginning to brief the crowd.

"For each stage you clear, you will receive a 10‑point reward," he announced in a resonant voice.

"Professionals who successfully clear the ninth stage will receive half a Talent Divine Stone as a reward," he continued.

"As for the legendary tenth stage, to date no one has managed to clear it," he sighed, seeming eager about the unknown tenth stage.

"But I believe among you this year, someone will break that record and successfully tackle the tenth stage," he said, his gaze steady.

Although each major clan possessed information about the Divine Stone Instance, hearing the military Divine-level Strongman's briefing still left everyone excited and hopeful.

Jiang Chen also watched the screens, observing the first stage's challenge. In front of every professional entering the Instance stood a towering High Mountain, about twenty‑to‑thirty meters tall, like a black cloud pressing down, giving a sense of insurmountability.

Then, a swarm of black specks shot out from the mountain, whistling toward the professionals.

These black specks raced like meteors, their speed adjusted according to each professional's level and class traits. Even at the same Level 50, Mage Class professionals specializing in ranged attacks encountered noticeably slower specks.

"Indeed fair," Jiang Chen remarked lightly, scanning the scene and quickly grasping the first stage's key test. This stage primarily examined a professional's reaction speed and predictive ability—how to find gaps among the dense black specks and dodge swiftly.

Although the specks appeared densely packed, careful observation revealed tiny gaps between them. As long as one wasn't overly sluggish, almost every professional could pass the stage with ease.

As expected, within just a few minutes everyone cleared the first stage smoothly. The scores on the screens updated in sync, each rising from 0 to 10.

Soon, the second stage opened. This test shifted from reaction speed to strength. In front of each professional appeared a Giant Stone; regardless of method, shattering the Giant Stone counted as passing.

As professionals' levels rose, the Giant Stones' size and hardness increased accordingly. Yet even so, for those selected for the Divine Stone Instance, this remained no problem.

Each of them was a top figure of their own clan and faction, naturally unwilling to lose face before the crowd. Thus, the second stage posed little difficulty for them.

"The first stage tested reaction, the second tested strength; so what will the third stage be?" Jiang Chen mused inwardly.

While he pondered, the crowd had already passed the second stage's test one by one, their faces bearing relaxed, confident smiles, clearly satisfied with their performance.

At that moment, the third stage officially began. A massive white tiger materialized out of thin air, glaring at the crowd. The tiger exuded a fierce wind attribute, clearly a wind‑attribute white tiger.

Each person's white tiger matched their own level, further demonstrating the Instance's fairness. With the tiger's appearance, an intense battle erupted.

The wind‑attribute white tigers were not only extremely fast but also possessed formidable strength. They gave each participant in the Instance considerable trouble. Yet, the professionals did not retreat; they displayed their prowess and techniques, engaging the tigers in fierce clashes.

Jiang Chen slightly frowned, already having an answer in mind: the first stage was reaction, i. e., speed;

"The second stage tested strength," Li Xueru said in a deep voice, his gaze fixed on the images displayed by the Projection array.

"The third stage jumps straight into real combat; the white tiger's speed and strength are both formidable, perfectly echoing the previous two tests," he continued.

"The first two stages were passive tests, but this stage becomes an active challenge," Li Xueru's eyes glittered with wisdom, "Once this stage begins, some will be eliminated."

Jiang Chen slightly frowned, a hint of confusion, "This white tiger looks strong, but at best it's only on par with a regular Elite Monster, still a few notches below the ordinary monsters in a Hell Difficulty Instance."

He looked at Li Xueru puzzled, "How could anyone fail against such a monster?"

Hong Jishi's voice came from beside them; he and Liu Qingqing walked over side by side, joining the discussion.

Hong Jishi whispered, "Jiang Chen, you may be overestimating most professionals' strength. Not everyone can wield combat power like yours."

He paused, then continued, "Most professionals, before they awaken themselves, actually have combat power no greater than the small monsters in a Hell Difficulty Instance. That's why the Human Race needs to fight in teams—because we are not strong."

"However, among a weak clan, we must still select those truly powerful individuals," Hong Jishi said, his gaze deep, "Isn't that contradictory?"

Jiang Chen fell into contemplation, chewing over Hong Jishi's words, "Selecting a strong individual from a not‑powerful tribe…" The sentence seems contradictory, yet it aligns perfectly with Antares's theory.

He nodded, finally understanding Hong Jishi's meaning, "Indeed, every tribe needs a truly top‑tier strong individual to lead and protect."

He looked up at the image appearing in the Projection formation, and his mind cleared, "And this Divine Stone Instance seems to be selecting those strong individuals for us."