Hearing Ziche Min's words, the young men and women in the crowd grew restless. But a talent of Yan Zhenhuai's caliber remained far more composed.
Upon hearing the announcement, Yan Zhenhuai merely raised an eyebrow slightly, a flicker of curiosity crossing his face — and that was all.
The martial dao remained the mainstream, after all.
Across the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms, martial dao talents were still the most sought-after. Of course, many martial dao geniuses were also gifted in the pill dao. But those who had reached the pinnacle in both fields were virtually nonexistent.
That didn't mean the pill dao was unpopular in the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms. In truth, alchemists held very prestigious positions within them.
The reason was simple: there were far too many martial dao powerhouses in the Ten Great Divine Kingdoms, while peak-level alchemists represented a pitifully small fraction. With this severe imbalance, many warriors who had no hope of reaching the summit in the martial dao inevitably considered shifting their focus.
The problem was that the pill dao wasn't something you could simply waltz into whenever you pleased.
The pill dao placed even greater emphasis on lineage and tradition than the martial dao. Without a proper lineage, it was extremely difficult to master the pill dao through self-study alone. This was one key difference from the martial path.
Of course, the very top-tier geniuses — those born with innate talent — were a different matter entirely.
Ziche Min didn't deliver any lengthy lecture. After touching on a few casual topics related to the pill dao, he handed the floor back to the Xiahou family.
The Xiahou family's host stepped forward with a smile. "Ladies and gentlemen, Master Ziche has taken Miss Ying as his personal disciple and just dropped this bombshell news. Surely you're all feeling quite inspired? Seizing this opportunity, I'm sure many of you would love to perform well in front of Master Ziche? Today, our Xiahou family is going to give you that very chance. We've discussed the matter with Master Ziche and also consulted Miss Ying's opinion. We've decided that the next segment will be an alchemy exchange."
An alchemy exchange?
The young attendees below exchanged bewildered glances.
How exactly would an alchemy exchange work? These geniuses couldn't be completely ignorant of the pill dao, but claiming they specialized in it would be a stretch.
So while they were surprised by the announcement of an alchemy exchange, they weren't particularly panicked. They had come to the Xiahou family as guests, and however the Xiahou family wanted to play things, they would simply go along.
Some were even harboring a quiet sense of anticipation. After all, Ziche Min represented the Eternal Holy Land. If he took a liking to someone, it could absolutely change the course of that person's life.
A talent of Yan Zhenhuai's level might not be especially enthusiastic. But every family had its share of geniuses, and resource allocation was always a point of contention. Those who knew they had no prospect of a great future within their own clan couldn't help but harbor alternative ambitions.
Someone like Yan Jinnan, for instance — if such an opportunity arose, he would seize it without a moment's hesitation. After all, what the family could offer him had already reached its ceiling. The rest would depend on his own efforts, and Yan Jinnan knew he lacked the ability to rise any higher. In a setting like this, his mind was inevitably turning over possibilities.
"Brother Huai, the Yan family isn't exactly known for its expertise in the pill dao."
Yan Zhenhuai replied coldly. "If we're not experts, then we simply observe from the sidelines. Our purpose on this trip is to protect ourselves — nothing more. We just need to avoid making fools of ourselves."
However, Yan Zhenhuai's plan to lie low was clearly easier said than done.
As the saying goes, the tree may wish for stillness, but the wind refuses to stop.
"For this alchemy exchange, we've spent considerable time brainstorming and came up with something rather interesting. Simply gathering everyone together for a straightforward alchemy competition would be far too dull. This time, we've decided to adopt a buzzer-round format."
"There will be twenty alchemy questions in total. For each question, everyone will have the chance to buzz in. A correct answer earns you ten points. Of course, to prevent reckless guessing, a wrong answer after buzzing in will cost you twenty points. After all twenty questions, whoever has the most points will be crowned the champion of this alchemy exchange. This competition will not be judged on an individual basis — each faction will compete as a team. Whichever faction proves to have the deepest alchemy heritage and whose disciples possess the greatest pill dao talent will be revealed in due time!"
The format of this alchemy exchange was, admittedly, rather tacky. But competing as factions rather than individuals was actually a clever arrangement.
Someone suddenly called out, "This competition format does sound interesting! But if it's just a simple quiz, the fun seems a bit lacking. Why not spice things up with some stakes?"
"Exactly! Stakes would make it much more exciting. Without something on the line, it really does lose some of its thrill."
"Right, right — there absolutely has to be something to wager."
The geniuses from the major factions chimed in one after another.
The Yan family, on the other hand, remained conspicuously quiet. They knew their own standing. The Yan family's position was already mediocre at best, and their alchemy heritage was nothing special. In a setting like this, they truly lacked the nerve to speak up. So while the talk of wagers grew louder and more animated, not a single person from the Yan family responded.
Even the typically boisterous Yan Qingsang looked listless and disinterested. Clearly, he had zero enthusiasm for this alchemy exchange segment. He just wanted this birthday banquet to end as quickly as possible so he could leave this miserable place.
The Yan family's silence, however, didn't mean others would let them off the hook.
Before long, someone sauntered over to Yan Zhenhuai with a grin. "Brother Zhenhuai, your Yan family is being awfully low-key! Don't tell me you're not interested in putting up some stakes?"
"Heh heh, has the Yan family really lost even the courage to place a bet?"
These were classic goading tactics, and Yan Zhenhuai saw through them perfectly well. But under these circumstances, with every other faction fired up and the atmosphere running feverish, even though he had no desire to participate, he couldn't very well refuse outright.