Pill duels had long been one of the most popular forms of wagering contests in the martial dao world. In the martial dao world, a pill duel ranked second only to a direct martial confrontation.
Starting with a pill duel and ending with a martial clash — this structure only heightened everyone's anticipation.
Of course, at a gathering of this caliber, setting questions for a pill duel of this level was actually extremely difficult. The Nian Great Emperor served as the arbiter of the wager, but his own expertise was not nearly high enough to devise suitable challenges for this caliber of alchemy.
He therefore required both sides to negotiate the terms of the wager themselves. The format had to be one that both parties could accept.
Reaching a mutually acceptable format was no easy task.
After rounds upon rounds of haggling, the two sides finally arrived at an agreement.
Three rounds of wagering, each in a different domain.
The first domain was, naturally, alchemy — the most direct and original form of a pill duel.
The second domain was pill analysis. In this round, each side would present a pill for the other to identify. In other words, both parties would analyze the pill provided by their opponent and attempt to determine its raw ingredients. The side that correctly identified more ingredients would be the winner. As for what pill to present, that was entirely up to each party — any pill would do, so long as it stumped the opponent. Of course, no cheating was permitted with the pills themselves. If cheating were discovered, the offending party would be declared the loser.
The third domain was the inverse of the second. Each side would prepare a batch of raw materials — some correct, some incorrect — and the opponent would need to select the right combination of ingredients from the batch to refine a pill. If both sides succeeded, the winner would be determined by who finished first.
Three pairs of opponents, three domains of competition. Which pair would face which domain was determined entirely by lot — everything was randomized.
On Jiang Chen's side, the Peerless Great Emperor laughed. "Alchemy has never been my forte. I'll sit this one out rather than make a mess of things for everyone."
Jiang Chen nodded. "For this alchemy round, I'll be fighting alongside Huang'er and the Bright Monarch Cloud." He knew that among the four Bright Monarchs, the Bright Monarch Cloud was the most accomplished in alchemy. His skill might not match the Peerless Great Emperor's, but Jiang Chen understood that if the other side truly sent someone from Danhuo City, neither the Bright Monarch Cloud nor the Peerless Great Emperor would stand much of a chance. To preserve the Peerless Great Emperor's dignity, Jiang Chen felt it was better to send the Bright Monarch Cloud.
Over on the Asura Arena, there was no surprise whatsoever. The Asura Great Emperor paired with those two attendants of unknown origin — all of it exactly as Jiang Chen had anticipated.
"Huang'er, in my round, I will definitely defeat the Asura Great Emperor. The Bright Monarch Cloud probably won't have good odds. If you can manage a draw in your round, that would be the best outcome," Jiang Chen transmitted via spiritual sense, trying to ease her pressure.
Huang'er smiled faintly. "Let's draw lots first."
The results of the draw placed the Bright Monarch Cloud in the first domain — alchemy!
Jiang Chen drew the third domain: selecting materials and refining a pill.
Huang'er drew the second domain: analyzing a pill and identifying its ingredients.
To Jiang Chen, none of these three domains posed any concern. He was fully confident he could defeat the Asura Great Emperor in any of them.
In the realm of alchemy, Jiang Chen harbored absolute certainty — no matter who he faced, he was certain of victory.
"Very well, the lots have been drawn. The first round: the Bright Monarch Cloud of the Peacock Sacred Mountain versus King Strategist Pill of the Asura Arena," the Nian Great Emperor announced.
The Bright Monarch Cloud's opponent in this first round was a fellow with a large black mole beneath his ear — one of those two attendants of unknown origin.
This mole-faced pill king went by the name King Strategist Pill, though whether it was his true name or an alias, nobody knew.
But Jiang Chen took one look at the man's bearing and understood that his attainments in alchemy were undoubtedly extraordinary. In all likelihood, his level of pill dao surpassed even that of King Luo Feng and King Bu.
The alchemy portion of the wager was relatively straightforward. No tricks or gimmicks. It came down purely to craft, skill, and mastery.
As for which pill to refine, that too was determined by lot. The Nian Great Emperor had prepared over a dozen types of pills, from which one would be selected.
It was evident that the Bright Monarch Cloud's composure was holding well. There was no visible strain on his face.
"Young Master, can the Bright Monarch Cloud win this one?" The Bright Monarch Zhensui beside Jiang Chen couldn't help but ask in a low voice, uncertainty coloring his tone.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "This is only the first round. The outcome isn't critical. Testing the opponent's depth is valuable in itself."
These were words of comfort. In truth, with three rounds determining the overall victor, the result of any single round was immensely important.
However, he didn't want his people growing overly anxious. Morale had only just been bolstered — he couldn't afford to let it crumble so easily.
Still, this round played out exactly as Jiang Chen had predicted. Those pill kings of unknown origin possessed truly exceptional skill in alchemy.
At first Jiang Chen hadn't noticed it, but by the midpoint, the mole-faced King Strategist Pill was demonstrating a level on par with at least a ninth-tier pill king, performing better and better as the round progressed.
The Bright Monarch Cloud had likewise performed to the best of his ability — perhaps even slightly beyond it. But the gap in foundational depth was still plainly visible.
In the end, King Strategist Pill finished a full quarter of an hour ahead of the Bright Monarch Cloud.
Moreover, the quality of his pill clearly surpassed the Bright Monarch Cloud's product.
With that, the outcome of the first round was unmistakably decided.
After verification by the Nian Great Emperor and all other observers, the first round was declared a victory for King Strategist Pill!