By now, even more onlookers had gathered to watch the spectacle.
The Holy Lord of Duowen Divine Kingdom was actually starting to regret his slip of the tongue. He had spoken out of turn, merely seeking the satisfaction of gaining the upper hand in the exchange.
He hadn't expected that a single sentence would offend the people from the
"Fine, Zhao misspoke. Young friend, this Heaven-Soaring Pill — surely you could spare five or ten for my Duowen Divine Kingdom, no matter what?"
At the very least, they had no idea how to speak properly.
He replied coolly, "The Heaven-Soaring Pill is extremely rare in production. I have no plans to put it on the market at this time."
Jiang Chen's utterly indifferent tone was something the Holy Lord of Duowen had never anticipated. Being criticized by Holy Lord Ningyan was one thing — he could accept that.
But being refused by Jiang Chen with such an attitude made him feel his face burning with humiliation.
His expression darkened. "Fellow Daoist Qi, the young ones of your Eternal Sacred Land certainly have quite the personality."
The Grand Holy Lord said mildly, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, young people — especially young geniuses — all have their own personalities. Why don't you instead consider that your words were an insult to a Dao of Pills genius? This Heaven-Soaring Pill is a technique developed exclusively by Jiang Chen. If you spoke to any other Celestial-tier Grandmaster of Pills that way, they would have turned on you right then and there. Believe it or not?"
That was the plain truth.
In the world of alchemy, many Grandmaster-level old monsters had extremely eccentric temperaments. If you said even one thing that didn't sit well with them, they could turn against you on the spot.
Celestial-tier Grandmasters of Pills — especially the top among them — all had their share of temperament. It wasn't that they were born short-tempered; it was that others had fanned it into being.
Celestial Grandmasters of Pills were already an exceedingly rare breed. If they happened to possess exclusive expertise in a particular area, they were fêted all the more. Over time, temper naturally followed.
Everyone in the martial world understood an unspoken rule: never casually offend a top-tier master of alchemy.
Such people could not afford to be offended, and absolutely must not be made to hold a grudge. Once they took against you, there were countless ways to make your life miserable.
After all, the number of people who needed the help of alchemy masters was simply too great.
Seeing the Duowen Sacred Land getting shut down, the representatives of the other Sacred Lands nearby chimed in with smiles:
"Fellow Daoist Qi, we too have heard of the Heaven-Soaring Pill for a long time. We don't ask for much — only for the chance to purchase it. The appearance of such a pill is a blessing for Myriad Abyss Island."
"Indeed. The Eternal Sacred Land's development of such a miraculous pill is a tremendous service to Myriad Abyss Island — a boundless merit. Fellow Daoist Qi, please do give us an opportunity to buy."
"Young friend Jiang Chen is so young, yet already blessed with such mastery in the Dao of Pills. He is destined to become a leading figure of Myriad Abyss Island one day, and his heart must surely be generous. I believe he would never hoard this pill for himself."
Some were flattering the Eternal Sacred Land, while others went straight to flattering Jiang Chen.
The Grand Holy Lord was delighted to see this scene and said with a smile, "Well, now that the pill has been refined, it should naturally be shared. However, every pill requires materials and carries the painstaking effort of its creator. The price, therefore, must be commensurate with its value."
"Naturally, naturally — there's no such thing as a free meal in this world! Whatever the cost in Ling Shi, as long as it's reasonable, we're all willing to pay."