The person at the center of it all, Jiang Chen, was the one everyone overlooked. But that was exactly what Jiang Chen wanted to see. He had no intention of becoming the focal point of the alchemy world.
Having entered the Eternal Sacred Land, Jiang Chen had no desire to be on everyone's mind day in and day out. Dealing with these people alone would give him a splitting head — where would he find the time to cultivate?
Since he had agreed to reveal the secret of the Silver Vein Herb, Zi Che Min naturally would not go back on his word. He smiled and said to Jiang Chen, "Young friend Shao Yuan, since everyone is so eager, if you have no objections, you could share with everyone the details of how the Silver Vein Herb can replace the Illusory Spirit Herb."
Jiang Chen smiled and said, "I'd rather explain it to Lord Zi Che, and then Lord Zi Che can share it with everyone. I'm young and not a gifted speaker — I'm afraid I wouldn't express myself clearly enough."
Jiang Chen deflected. He didn't want to become the center of attention.
He had no interest in this sort of limelight-seeking affair. Better to hand it over to Zi Che Min. Zi Che Min was a grandmaster of alchemy — having him make the announcement was what everyone expected and wanted.
Jiang Chen gave a concise but complete explanation of the core key points, especially the proper usage of the Silver Vein Herb.
Zi Che Min was a grandmaster of alchemy himself. Upon hearing it, he naturally understood everything at once. In that moment, he was filled with admiration and took his time digesting the information.
Once he had fully absorbed it, Zi Che Min held nothing back and began sharing with everyone present.
After all, once people learned that the Silver Vein Herb could replace the Illusory Spirit Herb, they would eventually figure it out on their own sooner or later. He might as well do them a favor now.
Besides, many factions could already refine the Water Moon Heart-Gazing Pill. Even without the Silver Vein Herb, using the Illusory Spirit Herb could achieve the same effect. So there was no exclusive secret to guard or scarce commodity to hoard.
After Zi Che Min's thorough explanation, everyone finally had their moment of enlightenment.
Some of the more impatient ones immediately began practicing on the spot.
In less than an hour, one after another, people started successfully producing pills. Though the quality of the pills wasn't particularly impressive, at least they were succeeding.
And those with superior skills saw their pill quality noticeably improve.
This discovery sent everyone's spirits soaring.
As for Jiang Chen, he was thoroughly bored and just wanted to leave this tedious gathering as soon as possible.
At that moment, Old Immortal Ming Dou also finished his refinement. The pill furnace opened, and twelve Water Moon Heart-Gazing Pills sprang out like little spirits.
Each one was adorable — crystal clear and translucent.
True to his reputation as one of the Yaochi Sect's top powerhouses, Old Immortal Ming Dou's personal effort yielded a markedly higher number of pills and a far greater count of superior-grade ones.
Seeing the actual results, Old Immortal Ming Dou was genuinely convinced. He sighed, "It seems that we old fossils really do need to change our way of thinking. The saying 'there is no unchanging truth in this world' is truly apt. We frogs at the bottom of a well have learned a lesson today. It's also a reminder for the future — we must not remain stuck in our old ways. We should encourage the young generation's ideas, and encourage them again and again!"
Old Immortal Ming Dou's words served as a graceful concession — a formal acknowledgment that the Yaochi Sect had been proven wrong, and proven so wholeheartedly.
"Yes, yes, Young Friend Shao Yuan, we were rather rude to you before."
These people knew which side their bread was buttered on, recognizing that this enormous favor had ultimately come from Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen remained composed and at ease, his smile as light and tranquil as ever, unmoved by either favor or disgrace.
This kind of bearing only made Zi Che Min admire him even more.
Zi Che Min felt that compared to this Shao Yuan, even the Yaochi Sect's Pang Wei looked rather inadequate. Pang Wei had gone through enormous psychological upheaval from start to finish, and every fluctuation had been displayed on his face without fail.
This kind of composure, this kind of self-restraint, made Zi Che Min feel even more certain that finding Shao Yuan had been like stumbling upon a priceless treasure.
They were both young men, but while Pang Wei was still caught up in petty rivalries, Shao Yuan had already grown to a level where even senior grandmasters of alchemy had to give him a thumbs up.
That was what a gap in ability looked like.
This exchange over the Water Moon Heart-Gazing Pill made the name "Shao Yuan" instantly famous throughout the entire Eternal Divine Kingdom. The major forces who had never heard of this young man were now all scrambling to learn about him.
At the same time, certain things about the Yan family were also being dug up — especially how the Yan family had pushed Shao Yuan aside and treated him coldly. These stories were being turned into jokes.
This left the entire Yan family feeling deeply embarrassed.
After all, Shao Yuan had initially been part of the Yan family. It was indeed members of the Yan family who had been unable to tolerate him, ultimately allowing this young genius to slip through their fingers.
The Yan family had possibly lost a genius capable of changing their very destiny.
And it was Zi Che Min who had reaped the harvest instead.
Over at the Xiahou family, the eldest young miss, Xiahou Ying, was also in an exceptionally foul mood, thoroughly dejected.
She had previously sent someone with a letter to Shao Yuan, inviting him to visit the Xiahou family. But she had received no reply whatsoever.
"That bastard!" Xiahou Ying seethed with anger, hurling an exquisite little bottle in her hand against the wall.
The crisp sound of shattering glass gave her some release. She bit down on her silvery teeth and hissed through gritted fury, "You little scoundrel — you dare ignore my invitation? Someday, I'll make you fall at my feet!"
Xiahou Ying was the kind of spoiled child from a great family — hot-tempered, willful and capricious, with just a touch of scheming cunning.
At the birthday banquet, she had actually been there to evaluate the young geniuses of various clans and factions. Many top-tier talents had been extremely polite to her.
Not for any other reason — simply because Xiahou Ying's brother was Xiahou Zong, and everyone had to give her face.