Pang Wei's attitude left Zi Che Min with a faint sense of displeasure. As an authority of the Eternal Sacred Ground, Zi Che Min was the one who had established the rules for this competition. As such, he naturally held the right to make on-the-spot rulings. Pang Wei, as a young genius, should have cooperated — instead, he was openly questioning his judgment.
Zi Che Min said calmly, "The Dao of Alchemy has no ceiling, and truth is never set in stone. If practice proves that the Phantom Spirit Grass is the superior choice, then your victory will be one won fairly and squarely. That aligns perfectly with the original intention of this Alchemy exchange. Ying'er, you are both the host and the central figure here — what do you think?"
Xiahou Ying held little affection for either family, but Pang Wei's arrogant attitude — especially his questioning of Zi Che Min's decision — rubbed her the wrong way.
Zi Che Min was her teacher, the initiator of this Alchemy exchange, and the one who had set the rules. And this Pang Wei couldn't even read the room?
"Master, you are the one who set the rules and hold the authority to make all decisions."
Xiahou Ying had never intended to speak on the Yan family's behalf, but in this moment, her words weren't for the Yan family's sake — they were meant to put Pang Wei in his place and remind him to show some restraint.
Seeing Xiahou Ying's stance and the firmness on Zi Che Min's expression, Pang Wei let out a soft sigh. He cupped his fists and said, "Lord Zi Che, this junior was out of line just now. Your words carry great merit — practice yields true understanding. I will use my own actions to strip bare this charlatan who merely seeks to attract attention!"
Pang Wei would never dare direct any real displeasure toward Zi Che Min. No — he was simply winding up to vent every last ounce of his fury onto Jiang Chen.
But in front of this crowd, what could he actually do?
Pang Wei's gaze locked onto Jiang Chen, a flash of killing intent blazing in his eyes. "Boy, you'd better not pull any tricks. If I find out at the end that you've been deliberately wasting everyone's time, you know what'll happen to you."
Jiang Chen let out a chuckle of disbelief. To be honest, threats this tedious — he had grown calluses on his ears from hearing them by now.
Jiang Chen said nothing, but over on the other side, Yan Zhen Huai had already started laughing coldly.
"Pang Wei, who exactly do you think you're scaring?"
Yan Zhen Huai was the foremost genius of the Yan family, and naturally he was going to defend the family's interests. Besides, Jiang Chen was currently fighting on the Yan family's behalf. It would have been unconscionable for Yan Zhen Huai not to step up at a time like this. What was more, he wasn't particularly afraid of Pang Wei in the first place.
The sudden standoff between these two geniuses instantly energized the atmosphere on the scene. Everyone watched the pair with great interest, clearly hoping they might come to blows.
Though in the current circumstances, an actual fight was out of the question. But once they left here? That was anyone's guess.
Pang Wei sneered, casting a contemptuous glance at Yan Zhen Huai. "Yan Zhen Huai, don't get cocky either. The whole lot of you Yan family types — come at me together if you want. I'll take you all on myself."
Yan Zhen Huai was about to retort when Jiang Chen placed a hand on his arm to hold him back, then smiled mildly. "Brother Zhen Huai, why lower yourself by trading barbs with someone this shallow? Let me first teach him a lesson in manners through the Dao of Alchemy."
Jiang Chen hadn't raised his voice or spoken harshly, yet those words left Pang Wei completely tongue-tied. His mouth hung open, desperate to fire back, but not a single sentence would come out.
He had been thoroughly choked by Jiang Chen's remarks.
Yan Qing Sang also burst out in a wide grin. Seeing Jiang Chen leave Pang Wei's face sputtering with rage in just a few words — now that was satisfying.
Pang Wei's cold gaze bore into Jiang Chen. In his eyes, this outsider of the Yan family was already a dead man walking.
But naturally, that look couldn't faze Jiang Chen in the slightest.
Jiang Chen shrugged. "I wouldn't talk if I were you, surnamed Pang. You might not even dare."
Zi Che Min spoke up at that moment, his tone unhurried. "Enough. Verbal jabs should remain moderate. All the materials have been prepared. What you hold is nearly identical in both cases — the only difference is the Phantom Spirit Grass versus the Silver Vein Grass. The cauldrons are of identical specification as well. You may verify them."
Everything was handed over to the two of them.
Jiang Chen swept a quick glance across the items and confirmed they were all in order. The cauldron above all else required careful inspection. If the cauldron had a problem, everything else was meaningless.
He fed a few tongues of flame into it and warmed it briefly, confirming the vessel was sound. Satisfied, he set the cauldron down and waited for Zi Che Min's signal.
Zi Che Min nodded. "Good. Begin. Remember, time is limited — each of you has one hour. A single furnace of the Water Moon Gazing Heart Pill takes roughly an hour to refine."
Upon receiving the order, Jiang Chen didn't hesitate. He set to work at once.
Heating the cauldron. Constructing the flame. Introducing the materials.
Alchemy was, for Jiang Chen, about as effortless as eating or sleeping. The Water Moon Gazing Heart Pill was not a particularly difficult pill to refine.
Jiang Chen employed no special techniques — every method he used was one of the standard, conventional approaches.
Yet even conventional techniques, in different hands, could produce vastly different results.
Though Jiang Chen's methods were ordinary, his execution was fluid and assured. Even with deliberate restraint, his skill was enough to capture Zi Che Min's full attention.
This young man called Shao Yuan — his fundamentals in the Dao of Alchemy were remarkably solid. This level of technique was absolutely beyond what an ordinary young cultivator could achieve. He must have devoted an extraordinary amount of effort to mastering the basics to reach this point.