Shi Xuan secretly swore to himself: "Once this affair is settled, I must find a way to eliminate this brat. Otherwise, this hatred will never be quelled."
Shi Xuan was truly furious.
In truth, he also recognized that everything this young man was doing to him was the very same playbook he himself had used in his youth to challenge the old-guard alchemy titans.
Except that his own methods had been far more extreme—and at times, even more despicable.
This young man, on the other hand, couldn't exactly be called extreme or despicable. Yet the effect was remarkably potent. It all seemed harmless enough, but every word, every gesture from this youth was a calculated tactic, drawing from the very same arsenal Shi Xuan had once employed.
If he had to put it in a single word, Shi Xuan could only call it vicious.
The thought even flickered through Shi Xuan's mind: could this be karma? Karmic retribution, arriving swift and certain?
Back then, he had used far more underhanded methods to challenge countless alchemy titans. Now that he himself had become one, he was being goaded by an even younger genius?
A dark thought flashed through Shi Xuan's heart: "No. Absolutely not. A man of my stature—how could I tolerate some clown's provocation? Once this is over, I will stop at nothing to take this brat out!"
Provoking others was Shi Xuan's hobby, his means of climbing to the top.
But others provoking him? That was absolutely unacceptable. In his eyes, this was the gravest offense—one that could not be tolerated under any circumstances.
"This formation diagram of mine—even the top ten alchemy masters on Myriad Abyss Island would be hard-pressed to make heads or tails of it in a short time. Within the allotted period, this brat probably won't even find a single thread to pull on, let alone spot any flaws."
Shi Xuan was supremely confident in his formation diagram.
So for this second round, he had already placed himself in an invincible position. Now he simply needed to consider whether he could answer his opponent's second question.
But just as Shi Xuan was preening with smug satisfaction, Jiang Chen across from him let out a soft chuckle, clucking his tongue in mock admiration. "And here I thought this was some impossibly difficult alchemy formation diagram. This is the level we're dealing with? Isn't this just a doodle from someone who just started learning alchemy formations? How much value can a diagram like this possibly hold? How much technical substance is there even? Shi Xuan, you didn't grab the wrong one, did you?"
A sweetness surged in Shi Xuan's throat—he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Grabbed the wrong one?
This was the very alchemy formation diagram he had poured his pride into. Though sketched on the spot and rough in appearance, it captured the very essence of this particular alchemy formation—deeply complex and profoundly abstruse.
He had been brimming with pride even as he drew it.
And yet, in this brat's mouth, it had become a doodle? A doodle from a beginner just learning alchemy formations? Could there possibly be a more humiliating insult than this?
Shi Xuan was truly seeing red now. If not for considerations of the occasion, he would have charged forward and driven his fist straight into the other's nose.
But reason won out over his impulse.
If he actually did that, his lifelong reputation would be utterly destroyed.
Shi Xuan struggled to suppress his fury, took a deep breath, and said coldly: "Kid, you're hopeless when it comes to running your mouth. But don't just sit there blowing hot air. You say this is a mere doodle, you say the formation diagram is simple and devoid of technical merit — so go ahead and outline the erroneous lines. Don't tell me you can't even spot the problems in such a simple diagram."
Shi Xuan wasn't buying any of Jiang Chen's act.
He remained firmly convinced that this kid was putting on an elaborate show.
Jiang Chen stretched lazily, taking his time before speaking in a leisurely drawl: "This kind of crude, crude, and frankly abysmal formation diagram is indeed a failed work — an utter failure from the ground up. Asking me to point out what's wrong with it is genuinely a tall order. In my eyes, there are problems everywhere. But since this is a wager, I suppose I'll grudgingly correct it."
"Forget it — I won't bother correcting it. I'll just draw the correct formation diagram right over the original. Everyone here has sharp eyes; you can compare them yourself."
This kind of formation diagram might seem fairly profound to Shi Xuan, but in Jiang Chen's eyes, it was truly bottom-of-the-barrel stuff.
It seemed the
The truly Heavenly-realm alchemical formations — with their complex structures, intricate models, and deeply sophisticated line engravings — were enough to make a person's mind crumble.
By comparison, Shi Xuan's alchemical formation diagram was child's play.
In his previous life, when Jiang Chen had been mentoring disciples, he wouldn't have deigned to use such a low-grade diagram as a teaching example.
So Jiang Chen practically closed his eyes, his brush dancing across the surface with serpentine fluidity, the speed so tremendous it was barely distinguishable from scribbling.
Before long, Jiang Chen had sketched out the entire formation diagram.
"There — done. Go ahead and compare. Every flaw in your diagram has been marked on the new one. Don't even think about pulling any tricks."
Jiang Chen smiled, then called out to Yan Qingsang: "Brother Yan, come — take the diagram over and let everyone have a good look."
With no judge present, the alchemy heavyweights in attendance would naturally need to administer justice themselves.
Of course, in the world of alchemy, the most basic sense of fairness still existed. No one could brazenly distort the facts in a public setting.
This was the bottom line of the alchemy world.