However, Ziche Min could not be so hasty. He took both pills and examined them repeatedly, comparing and confirming their authenticity, before letting out a long sigh.
Pang Wei's failure was not merely a personal failure—it represented a complete collapse of the entire Myriad Abyss Island's understanding of the Water Moon Heart-Contemplating Pill.
Yet Ziche Min did not feel dejected. On the contrary, he felt invigorated.
Practice breeds true knowledge. That saying was absolutely right.
"Haha, I never expected that today's pill Dao exchange would yield such an unexpected harvest. Shao Yuan, you've truly taught this old man a lesson. Who would have thought that the Water Moon Heart-Contemplating Pill really does possess such miraculous properties? Who would have thought that the Phantom Spirit Grass we've been using all along was never the best choice? Shao Yuan, in this matter, your fortune is truly boundless and your merit immeasurable."
There was no need to say anything further now—silence spoke louder than words. Pang Wei had been so aggressive and domineering just moments ago, but now he was as wilted as an eggplant after a frost. All of his arrogance and bluster had completely evaporated.
Pang Wei had clearly been stunned into submission by this completely unexpected result. Everything had gone against his predictions, utterly overturning his understanding.
At that moment, Yan Zhenhuai suddenly clapped lightly and laughed. "Brother Shao Yuan, you were right after all. Verbal sparring is futile. It seems that only real action carries true persuasion. What a way to teach someone their place through pill Dao. This time, certain people will learn to behave much better."
And just as Yan Zhenhuai said, Pang Wei sat there stunned into silence, incapable of uttering a single word. Every additional sentence now would only mean another mistake, another handle to hand his opponents.
For a moment, Pang Wei wished desperately for a crack in the floor to swallow him whole.
Ziche Min spoke up. "It appears that the eighteenth question will need to be re-evaluated. However, Pang Wei's answer is not wrong. It is simply that the Yan family's answer is more excellent. Therefore, these ten points will be awarded to the Yan family. As for Pang Wei's answer, since it was not incorrect, no points will be deducted. Of course, no points will be added either."
Jiang Chen had no objection to this ruling. In truth, even if Ziche Min had awarded points to both sides, he still would not have cared.
There were two questions remaining, and he was entirely confident he could defeat his opponents.
When Pang Wei heard the verdict, his expression stiffened slightly. His mouth moved as if to speak, but in the end he could not bring himself to contest it further.
Over on the Yaochi Sect's side, the announcement was met with expressions that mixed frustration with defiance, though most of their hatred was directed at the Yan family.
The Yan family was not well-regarded at the moment, but when a victory was won through genuine skill and merit, the other powers could hardly complain.
Still, the Yan family's progress to this stage struck everyone as deeply strange. Since when had the Yan family's pill Dao expertise improved so rapidly?
And this stunning reversal left the Yan family's side buzzing with excitement. Yan Qingsang in particular was practically dancing with joy, nearly losing his mind with elation.
Jiang Chen returned to his seat, utterly composed.
He acted as if he had done something utterly trivial. Yan Qingsang, seeing Jiang Chen so nonchalant, felt a little sheepish by comparison.
With the updated scores, the Yan family had overtaken the Yaochi Sect, reaching sixty points.
The Yaochi Sect remained at fifty points, holding second place.
The scores of all the other powers had not budged at all, remaining exactly where they were.
With only two questions left, the competition had already entered a white-hot phase. The situation was now crystal clear—if the Yaochi Sect failed to score on the next question and the opportunity fell to the Yan family instead, then the championship race would be decided ahead of schedule.
As such, both the Yan family and the Yaochi Sect were on high alert. Everyone understood the significance of the nineteenth question.
Whoever claimed it would determine the trajectory of the entire battle.
If the Yan family took it, the championship would be locked in. If the Yaochi Sect claimed it instead, they would tie with the Yan family, leaving the twentieth question to decide the winner.
As for the other rankings, the competition for those positions had faded into near-total irrelevance.
All eyes were focused almost exclusively on these two powers.
Ziche Min was, without question, the center of the center of attention—because the next question would come from him, and it would dictate everything that followed.
"The nineteenth question pertains to knowledge of Spiritual Medicine. This question is an ancient proposition that this old man stumbled upon during my travels abroad many years ago. I have devoted myself to studying it ever since, and I have finally reached some understanding. Everyone, please listen carefully..."
The Spiritual Medicine proposition that Ziche Min described was one that Jiang Chen quietly nodded to himself upon hearing. It was indeed extraordinary.
The proposition was deeply profound.
Ziche Min did not reveal the entire question, presenting only a small portion of it. But even this small portion was extraordinarily complex for the younger generation of geniuses.
It concerned a five-element cycle involving Spiritual Medicine.
Specifically, it asked how five different types of Spiritual Medicine could be arranged to form a five-element cycle, allowing them to mutually enhance one another and grow at a pace that far exceeded the norm.
This was an ancient and famous problem—one that Jiang Chen had himself studied and researched in his previous life.
However, the level at which Jiang Chen had explored it went many times deeper than what was presented here.
And so, while the Yaochi Sect's side was still scratching their heads in bewilderment, Jiang Chen had already grasped the answer completely. He smiled faintly and signaled Yan Qingsang to buzz in.