Under these circumstances, Yan Zhenhuai's surprise could easily be imagined. To put it plainly, Yan Qingsang's actions had truly caught him completely off guard.
At the same time, Yan Zhenhuai felt a twinge of anxiety in his heart, hoping that Yan Qingsang wouldn't do anything reckless — otherwise, in a setting like this, the embarrassment would be catastrophic.
In an instant, the gaze of nearly everyone present converged on Yan Qingsang. Even the most elite geniuses were staring at him with bewilderment.
Was this unreliable fellow from the Yan family out of his mind? The first question was obviously extremely difficult — it was meant to serve as a show of force, a test to put everyone in their place. And yet Yan Qingsang had actually dared to raise his hand and volunteer an answer? Ignorance truly was bliss.
Expressions around the room grew rich and varied. Some watched with cold smirks, perfectly happy to enjoy the spectacle. Others furrowed their brows slightly, sizing up whether Yan Qingsang genuinely knew the answer or had simply panicked and rushed to respond in a moment of desperation.
A few simply closed their eyes, choosing to pay no attention whatsoever.
Under the weight of everyone's stares, Yan Qingsang rose to his feet without the slightest hint of nervousness.
He cleared his throat with deliberate exaggeration and smiled. "Autumn is the season that governs slaughter. The Spiritual Medicines that can be combined with the Bone-Condensing Solar Essence aren't numerous, but they certainly exist. For example, the Slaying Spirit Grass, for example, the Heartbloom Begonia. Hmm… that's right — and the Autumn Reed Grass. There are a few others as well, but relatively speaking, these three are the easiest to combine with it. I wonder what Senior Ziche thinks of this answer?"
Yan Qingsang had one great quality — he was thick-skinned. Under circumstances like these, he was still able to grin broadly, completely indifferent to the stares from everyone around him.
This was something Jiang Chen genuinely appreciated. It was perhaps Yan Qingsang's strongest trait — the fellow simply had an unshakable nerve.
Back at the Nuyu Tower, he had openly contradicted Xiahou Xi right in front of that large crowd, completely unmoved by the man's overwhelming presence.
And now, under the scrutiny of every eye in the room, he had once again ignored it all. He had stood up with absolute composure, answered without a shred of stage fright, and even casually asked Lord Ziche for his opinion. This was not something an ordinary young person could pull off.
Many young people were terrified of powerful elders — and even if they weren't, they would at least show the utmost deference.
Yan Qingsang's performance left everyone a little stunned.
Even Yan Zhenhuai studied Yan Qingsang with surprise, and in that moment, the person before him suddenly felt unfamiliar.
Was this still the same Yan Qingsang from the family?
As the foremost talent of the younger generation, Yan Zhenhuai knew full well the Yan family's standing in alchemy. Among the great powers of the Eternal God Kingdom, the Yan family's alchemical foundation was, frankly, middling at best. And Yan Qingsang had never displayed any particular talent in the Dao of Alchemy.
Yet now, he had been the first to raise his hand, volunteering an answer to the very first question — and he had done so with apparent confidence. Could it really be that he hadn't just guessed?
For some reason, Yan Zhenhuai suddenly had the feeling that Yan Qingsang's answer was not something invented out of thin air.
The rest of the Yan family, meanwhile, regarded Yan Qingsang with a mixture of belief and doubt. Their feelings among themselves were varied.
Some were considering the Yan family's collective interests and sincerely hoped Yan Qingsang wasn't fooling around — that he had answered correctly. Others, however, were eager to watch him make a fool of himself. The bigger the embarrassment, the better.
The latter sentiment was naturally led by Yan Jinnan. His relationship with Yan Qingsang had always been poor, and now, seeing Yan Qingsang casually throw down fifty million to participate in the alchemy exchange, jealousy burned within him. Such a sum was something he could never have managed himself.
What made it worse was that part of that money had come from his own loss — the wager he had lost at the Ancient Jade Assembly.
This made Yan Jinnan hate Yan Qingsang to the bone, and he would have given anything to watch him humiliate himself. They were both young members of the Yan family. If Yan Jinnan couldn't do it, what gave Yan Qingsang the right?
As for the other factions, their thoughts were considerably less complicated. What they truly wanted to know was whether Yan Qingsang's answer was actually correct.
All eyes shifted to Lord Ziche.
It was clear that no one in the room particularly wanted to see a member of the Yan family take the lead. If any other faction had been the first to answer correctly, everyone could have accepted it.
But the Yan family — they had been dismissed and ignored from the very start. They had only been invited to fill out the numbers, to serve as easy targets, to contribute a hundred million Heavenly Spirit Stones.
As for the winner? Not a single person had the Yan family in their calculations.
So no one was happy to see Yan Qingsang volunteer first. The Xiahou family was no exception. Although they weren't participating in the competition themselves, as the organizers, they looked down on the Yan family just as much as everyone else.
Ziche Min had suddenly become the focus of every gaze in the room.
He had been sitting peacefully with half-closed eyes, looking as though he had drifted into meditation. But in that instant, his eyes snapped open, shooting a piercing beam of light toward Yan Qingsang.
Clearly, Yan Qingsang's answer had stirred something in him.
"Master, this Yan Qingsang — he's just spouting nonsense, isn't he?" Xiahou Ying, standing beside him, asked softly.
Ziche Min let out a light sigh. "His answer is entirely correct. The Autumn Reed Grass in particular — I never expected him to know about that one. Truly remarkable, truly remarkable!"
The moment these words left his lips, everyone was dumbstruck. So it was true — the Yan family, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse, had actually stumbled into the correct answer to the first question? They had claimed the first ten points?