Even Yan Qingsang had put up fifty million. As for the remaining fifty million — Yan Zhenhuai was hardly unable to produce it. At this thought, a flash of resolve appeared in Yan Zhenhuai's eyes.
"Very well, Qingsang. I underestimated you before. I'll cover the other fifty million!" Yan Zhenhuai glanced at the other few members, clearly giving them one last chance to buy in.
Now, even if it meant losing money, Yan Zhenhuai still hoped that the Yan clan's younger generation would take the initiative, show a bit more enthusiasm.
But to Yan Zhenhuai's disappointment, Yan Jinnan was rolling his eyes at the ceiling, Xinmei looked utterly dazed as though she still hadn't recovered her wits, one of the other two was staring intently at a cup on the table, and the last had simply closed his eyes as if entering a meditative trance.
Every single one of them was playing dumb, which left Yan Zhenhuai thoroughly exasperated.
He had once thought little of Yan Qingsang, but now it seemed that among the Yan clan's young generation, Qingsang was actually one of the more dependable ones.
At the very least, in Qingsang's eyes, there was still a sense of the family's big picture, still a sense of the clan's honor and shame.
With the two of them having settled the matter, one hundred million Spirit Stones were produced.
"Haha, Brother Zhenhuai! I thought your Yan clan wasn't going to participate. Not bad, not bad. The Yan clan truly proves that a starved camel is still bigger than a horse — your foundation is still there."
"Brother Zhenhuai, well done."
Once the one hundred million Spirit Stones had been handed over, the attitudes of those present shifted. Yan Zhenhuai, however, remained expressionless. He understood perfectly well that these people simply wanted to win money, and that he, Yan Zhenhuai, was nothing more than a moneybags in their eyes. Hence their slightly more courteous tones.
Once this alchemy competition was over, things would go right back to how they always were.
Yan Zhenhuai felt quite wry about it all. Several of the people calling him "Brother Zhenhuai" were actually younger than he was, and their cultivation was weaker too.
It was simply because of the Yan clan's decline that these factions and their younger members felt they could look down upon the Yan clan. The way they addressed him had changed accordingly, twisted beyond recognition.
Yan Zhenhuai could sense the warmth and coldness of human relationships, but he didn't dwell on it too much.
With the Yan clan's one hundred million Spirit Stones contributed, the nine great factions now had a total of nine hundred million Spirit Stones.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen! After deliberation, the distribution of this prize pool will reward only the top three. First place receives six hundred million Spirit Stones; second place receives two hundred million; third place receives one hundred million."
"Does anyone object?"
Since this was a wager on the outcome, it was naturally impossible for everyone to walk away a winner. It was inevitably a game where the majority lost and the minority profited.
Rewarding only the top three — this rule wasn't exactly excessive.
"No objections. Let it be settled then!"
As for Yan Zhenhuai, once the money had been handed over, no one even bothered to ask his opinion. Clearly, whatever decision was made, everyone assumed the Yan clan would simply acquiesce. And acquiesce was all they could do.
Just as the wager was being finalized and preparations were being made to submit it, Yan Qingsang suddenly stood up and declared, "Wait."
Every gaze swiveled toward Yan Qingsang. Even Xiahou Ying on the elevated platform showed a flicker of surprise.
A member of the Yan clan dared to speak up? And it wasn't even Yan Zhenhuai?
Every pair of eyes carried a peculiar sort of amusement. Clearly, everyone was startled by Yan Qingsang's presumptuous display.
"Did you have something to say?" someone asked coldly.
"I certainly do. Since this is a wager, there must be a commitment to honor the outcome. What if someone refuses to pay up afterward? With two senior figures present and so many distinguished experts from the Eternal Sacred Land, I believe that since we're setting up a wager, we cannot be careless about it. There must be a clear agreement that no one may renege."
This was actually something none of them had carefully considered. Everyone had simply assumed that in a situation like this, people would honor their bets.
But once Yan Qingsang raised the point, they had to admit it warranted an agreement.
After some discussion, each party swore an oath, pledging to honor the wager. In truth, none of them actually believed the Yan clan had any chance of winning.
So even though Yan Qingsang had made this fuss as a reminder, they simply shrugged it off.
As for Yan Jinnan and the others, they stared at Yan Qingsang as though looking at an idiot, clearly of the opinion that his brain had been squeezed by a door.
They had grown up alongside Yan Qingsang. While they couldn't claim any real fraternal bond, they knew each other well enough.
They didn't believe for a second that Yan Qingsang possessed any alchemy talent that could earn him a respectable ranking in this kind of competition.
If anything, they considered his alchemy skills to be solidly at the very bottom among all these young geniuses.
As a result, Yan Jinnan and the rest were watching with a certain degree of schadenfreude, fully expecting to see Yan Qingsang make a fool of himself.
"Very good. It seems everyone is quite interested in this alchemy competition."
"Each faction, take note — I'm now giving you a quarter of an hour to decide your buzzer-answer participants. Remember, there is a limit on participants; you can't just send whoever you please. Each faction is allowed two members with buzzer-answering privileges. Discuss and decide among yourselves. Otherwise, too many people will cause chaos."
"Of course, if the designated buzzer-answerer fails to respond correctly, other members of the faction may answer and still earn the corresponding points."
"Very well. Begin your discussions now. Remember, anyone not on the designated list who attempts to buzz in will have their response invalidated and will not be granted answering rights."
On the Yan clan's side, the entire one hundred million Spirit Stones had been contributed by Yan Qingsang and Yan Zhenhuai. So there was naturally no suspense regarding their two participants — it would be the two of them.
No one else from the clan would cause trouble either, unless they wanted to make a mortal enemy of Yan Zhenhuai.