This Q&A session was something not only the rogue cultivators had been eagerly awaiting—even the sect giants in the guest area were sitting up in anticipation.
Although some of them were quite displeased with the way this Young Master Zhen had declared himself the foremost figure in alchemy, finding him young and arrogant, they couldn't find a suitable reason to refute him.
Setting everything else aside, the Pine Crane Pill and the Emperor Ascendant Pill alone were enough to cement this Young Master Zhen's position in the world of alchemy.
Moreover, this Young Master Zhen had thrown down a challenge—whoever disagreed was welcome to come and spar with him.
In the world of alchemy, countless powerhouses existed, whether still active or long reclusive. Almost none of them would ever dare make such a bold proclamation.
This kind of "who but me" bravado might sound thrilling and satisfying when spoken aloud. But the price of it was steep.
If someone truly took offense and showed up, and you were defeated in a sparring match, your reputation would be utterly destroyed.
It was only someone like Young Master Zhen—fearless as a newborn calf, who had achieved a small measure of success and already felt invincible—who could speak this way.
But then again, young people could afford to be arrogant. There was a benefit to youthful brashness: even if you were defeated, it didn't matter. Youth meant no true failure.
If they could really lure out some of those reclusive old monsters to teach him a lesson, this Young Master Zhen might even be thrilled about it!
This was what some of the guest sect giants were secretly thinking.
They had no idea that Jiang Chen had spoken these words only after careful deliberation.
The crowd of rogue cultivators present was enormous, but those who would actually get a chance to ask questions would be very few.
The first batch of ten slots had already been determined.
Rogue cultivators held nine of them, with one slot going to the sect giants in the guest area.
"Young Master Zhen, I have a question. I'd like to ask—among all the seniors in the current alchemy world of the Human Domain, who do you admire the most?"
This question had absolutely no technical substance; it was pure gossip.
The moment it was raised, the entire venue erupted in laughter. Clearly, everyone found this question quite endearing.
They even felt it might be more entertaining than one of those serious, proper questions.
Jiang Chen had originally intended to refuse to answer, but seeing everyone laughing so good-naturedly, he realized the rogue cultivators actually preferred gossip.
Since everyone wanted this opportunity to indulge in some gossip, he might as well oblige and go with the flow.
Jiang Chen smiled. "I haven't had much interaction with many seniors in the alchemy world. I've barely visited a handful of distinguished masters. As for who I admire most—there isn't anyone at the moment. However, there are two young geniuses I quite appreciate."
"Oh?"
The crowd perked up immediately. If they couldn't find out who he admired most, hearing about the young geniuses the Young Master Zhen appreciated would be interesting enough.
"Who are the two?"
"Yeah, Young Master Zhen, who are they?"
"The two of them—one is named Mu Gaoqi, the other Lin Yanyu. Both are currently in my Young Master's Manor. Gaoqi, Yanyu—let everyone get to know you."
Mu Gaoqi and Lin Yanyu hadn't expected Jiang Chen to call them out by name, but they had seen enough of the world to handle it and immediately stood up.
Mu Gaoqi and Lin Yanyu's current alchemy cultivation was at most mid-rank Pill King level. But for their age, that was already quite impressive.
"Young Master Zhen, aren't you just promoting your own people!" someone called out.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "You're not wrong—I am indeed introducing talents from my Peacock Sacred Mountain. As the saying goes, when recommending the worthy, one shouldn't shy away from one's own. This Mu Gaoqi possesses an Innate Wood Spirit Body of the highest grade. His potential in alchemy is boundless; his very being is an alchemy treasure trove. Given time, he will surely become a legendary Pill Emperor. Lin Yanyu's alchemy talent is slightly inferior to Mu Gaoqi's, but he has studied alchemy since childhood and possesses a level of comprehension that others simply don't have. In the future, he too will become a legend in the alchemy world. Remember my words—in a hundred years, two hundred years, two rising stars of alchemy will surely emerge in the Human Domain!"
Jiang Chen was entirely straightforward, pushing Mu Gaoqi and Lin Yanyu into the spotlight without the slightest hesitation or evasiveness.
"Young Master Zhen, among the younger generation, Dan Fire City has plenty of geniuses! Surely those geniuses aren't inferior to your two subordinates?"
Jiang Chen smiled calmly. "Does that count as a question slot?"
Obviously not, but the man pressed on. "I didn't get a question slot, but I'm not convinced. I refuse to believe that Dan Fire City, as the foremost force in alchemy, has young geniuses who can't compare to these two."
Jiang Chen chuckled. "That's simple. Because they are people of the Peacock Sacred Mountain—they study alchemy under me. Given time, they will surely surpass all those so-called geniuses of Dan Fire City. This is an exception; it doesn't count as one of your question slots."
The answer was domineering in the extreme.
Thunderous applause erupted throughout the venue.