Twenty percent?
The Asura Great Emperor's heart burned with fury upon hearing this. Was this how you treated a beggar?
"Brother Danji, if the Pine Crane Pill is genuine, a fifty-fifty split is the absolute minimum. Moreover, the Glazed Glass Royal City must be fully involved in its development alongside the Pill Fire City—no junior partner, no senior partner."
On the matter of profits, the Asura Great Emperor refused to yield a single inch. In his view, a fifty-fifty split already gave the Pill Fire City an enormous advantage.
The Danji Great Emperor was harboring his own irritation. He simply wasn't in a position to let it show at this moment.
He deliberated for a moment, then surprisingly agreed: "Very well. Fifty-fifty, as you say. But you absolutely must find a way to obtain the Pine Crane Pill."
Obtaining the Pine Crane Pill's formula would be no easy feat. The Asura Great Emperor couldn't even get his hands on the Myriad Year Pill's formula, let alone this miraculous Pine Crane Pill.
However, now was not the time to show weakness.
"Asura, remember—when it comes to the pill contest, you will follow my instructions and do exactly as I say. Try to ascertain whether the Pine Crane Pill is real or fake, then find a way to get your hands on it," the Danji Great Emperor ordered.
"Rest assured. As long as your methods are viable, I will follow your arrangements to the letter. But Brother, don't forget—this Lords' Assembly is about seizing control of the Glazed Glass Royal City. If I can't claim that, everything else is empty talk!"
The Asura Great Emperor would never lose sight of the fact that the purpose of this Lords' Assembly was a struggle for power, not the pilfering of some Pine Crane Pill.
The Pine Crane Pill might belong to Peacock Sacred Mountain, but ultimately it was still a treasure of the Glazed Glass Royal City. So long as Peacock Sacred Mountain stood, the formula could be obtained sooner or later.
But if the Asura Great Emperor failed to seize control, his Asura Court would forever remain a subordinate to Peacock Sacred Mountain—and what would the Pine Crane Pill have to do with him then?
"Friend Asura, the rest of us have discussed the matter. We've settled on five disciplines: martial arts, alchemy, formations, talismans, and beast taming. Do you have any objections?"
"The beast taming discipline—what exactly would that involve?" the Asura Great Emperor asked with a frown.
"This reflects the consensus among the majority. The proposal is four rounds of martial arts, two rounds of alchemy, and one round each of formations, talismans, and beast taming—nine rounds in total to decide the victor. Both sides must each send four participants. You and Young Master Zhen are required participants. The remaining two slots are for one attendant and one direct disciple."
"One attendant and one direct disciple?" The Asura Great Emperor contemplated for a moment. His direct disciple Li Jiancheng was absolutely top-tier in every regard. Compared to Young Master Zhen, there might be a slight gap, but compared to Young Master Zhen's direct disciple? That was a guaranteed win. Besides—did Young Master Zhen even have a direct disciple?
As for attendants, the Asura Great Emperor commanded the Sun, Moon, and Star sovereigns—more than a match for Peacock Sacred Mountain's four great sovereigns.
"I have no objections regarding the personnel," the Asura Great Emperor declared. "However, aren't two rounds of alchemy a bit too few?"
The moment those words left his lips, the crowd erupted in astonishment. Two rounds of alchemy—too few?
Hadn't the Asura Great Emperor been worried about falling behind Young Master Zhen in alchemy? Since when had the wind shifted so dramatically?
Even the Canghai Great Emperor and the Zhankong Great Emperor were visibly taken aback.
Nian Daodi stared at the Asura Great Emperor with undisguised surprise, clearly unable to make sense of this one-hundred-and-eighty-degree reversal in attitude.
"Friend Asura, four rounds of martial arts and two rounds of alchemy—that doesn't seem particularly few, does it?"
"Too few, too few. There should be at least three. And personally, I'd suggest we remove the beast taming discipline altogether?" The Asura Great Emperor truly had no confidence in beast taming.
"Asura, don't cancel beast taming. Have them add one round of alchemy and one round of talismans!" the Danji Great Emperor transmitted via divine sense.
Receiving the Danji Great Emperor's instruction, the Asura Great Emperor spoke again: "How about we add one round of alchemy and one round of talismans? Nine rounds becomes eleven. What does everyone think?"
"Talismans?" Nian Daodi hesitated, glancing toward Jiang Chen. Jiang Chen merely offered a faint smile. "The Asura Great Emperor makes a clever calculation. Are talismans your specialty, Lord Asura? If we're adding rounds, let's add them across the board—talismans, formations, and beast taming each gain one additional round. Four rounds of martial arts, three of alchemy, and two each of talismans, formations, and beast taming. Thirteen rounds total."
Either everything gets an extra round, or nothing does.
That was Jiang Chen's position, and it clearly resonated far better with the assembled lords. From below, numerous lords cried out: "We support Young Master Zhen's proposal!"
"Indeed! A Lords' Assembly like this comes along only once—let the people enjoy a few more rounds of spectacular sparring!"
"Thirteen rounds it is! The more rounds, the more we can see of their true depth!"
Voices rose from every corner. The lords, after all, craved more spectacle. Nine rounds simply wasn't enough to satisfy them.
Thirteen—now that would be entertaining!
Every gaze converged upon the Asura Great Emperor. The crowd was waiting for his final answer.
The Asura Great Emperor found himself thrust onto the hot seat. His mind raced with calculations.
"Four rounds of martial arts—I can secure at least two. The other two, if the Sun, Moon, and Star sovereigns face off against their four great sovereigns, can at minimum end in draws. If two rounds draw, thirteen becomes eleven. And if I only need six out of eleven, victory is virtually assured. I win two in martial arts. In alchemy, if it's three rounds, everyone aside from Young Master Zhen is unremarkable—I can win at least two of three. Add in at least one round in talismans, possibly both. That way, even if I lose every round in formations and beast taming, I've still locked up six wins."
The Asura Great Emperor ran the numbers in his head at breakneck speed. The odds were overwhelmingly in his favor. A cursory count showed five or six victories practically guaranteed.