Another half hour passed, yet the guests still stood packed around the exhibition stage, every one of them reluctant to leave, clearly wanting more.
"Incredible. It really is true — the danger isn't in not knowing quality goods; it's when you put them side by side. This Divine Show Creation Pill completely crushes the Dragon Tiger Blood Transformation Pill in every aspect — medicinal power, spiritual energy, even appearance."
"Living up to its reputation. The Alchemist Hall is the kingdom's foremost spiritual medicine powerhouse. They didn't earn that title for nothing."
"I thought the Pill King Court was going to take the Alchemist Hall down a peg this time. They built up all this fanfare, and in the end the Alchemist Hall still had the upper hand. Looks like instead of slapping the Alchemist Hall's face, the Pill King Court slapped its own."
"The craftsmanship is divine — truly divine. I've made up my mind. From now on, I'm going with the Divine Show Creation Pill. Honestly, after seeing this pill, I feel like every other healing medicine out there is pure garbage."
"Hall Master Qiao, when can we start buying the Divine Show Creation Pill?"
A high-ranking member of the Pill King Court stalked away from the Alchemist Hall's exhibition area with a dark face, returning to his own side.
"Grand Master, something's wrong!"
"What happened? Is that Divine Show Creation Pill really that good?" Grand Master Wang's breathing quickened.
"Grand Master, that pill might actually be even better than what Qiao Baishi described. Grand Master, the Alchemist Hall played us!"
"What?" Grand Master Wang felt as if his chest had been struck by a heavy blow. His face went deathly pale in an instant.
Master Zi, who had been sitting motionless the entire time, suddenly opened those eerie eyes of his, shooting out a cold, bluish light.
"What did you say? The Alchemist Hall's pill is better than my Dragon Tiger Blood Transformation Pill?" Master Zi flatly refused to believe it. In a mundane kingdom like the Eastern Kingdom, how could such a pill possibly exist?
But the iron-clad facts had already made the situation abundantly clear.
In that instant, every single guest and merchant the Pill King Court had invited — without exception — surged over to the Alchemist Hall's side.
They were all ready to place orders with the Alchemist Hall, and they were scrambling over one another to do it.
Meanwhile, at the Pill King Court, aside from a handful of die-hard loyalists, the scene was utterly deserted — you could've swept the doorway.
"How can this be?" Grand Master Wang could barely accept what was unfolding before his eyes.
He had schemed for so long and prepared for so long just for this day. He had been waiting for this glorious moment to arrive.
Today, the historic day had finally come. He had believed that the Pill King Court's days of playing second fiddle to the Alchemist Hall would become history starting today.
Starting today, the Pill King Court would surge forward triumphantly, driving back the Alchemist Hall at every turn!
But cruel reality had delivered him a vicious slap, knocking him down from the very peak he had just scaled.
The Alchemist Hall, using the very method they were most proud of, had slammed the Pill King Court across the face!
Dragon Tiger Blood Transformation Pill?
Dominating the healing medicine market?
The dream was beautiful, but reality was brutally thin!
A single "Divine Show Creation Pill" from the Alchemist Hall effortlessly dismantled every scheme they had put in place. One casual move was all it took to defuse the offensive they had spent so long brewing.
This wasn't even a contest between equals — it was walking in to get humiliated.
Grand Master Wang finally understood why Qiao Baishi had seemed so completely at ease. It turned out the man had been ready with a devastating counter-strike all along, simply waiting for the Pill King Court to walk right into it.
A failure. An utter, complete failure.
"Grand Master, we can't lose heart. The healing medicine market was always their territory anyway. So what if they have the advantage right now? We still have the Origin-Returning Qi-Gathering Pill and the Crane Heart Pill. In those two areas, we're still ahead of the Alchemist Hall!"
"That's right. Let them have their moment of glory this time. The Pill King Court has its own advantages!"
The Pill King Court's high-ranking members began consoling themselves.
But their self-comfort didn't last long. Without warning, Qiao Baishi stepped up onto the high exhibition stage once more, pressing both hands downward. "Everyone, regarding the Divine Show Creation Pill — we will not be accepting pre-orders today. If you're interested, starting tomorrow you may come to our Alchemist Hall to submit a pre-order request. And while I'm at it, I have more good news to share."
More good news?
The frenzied crowd of guests calmed down slightly. The "Divine Show Creation Pill" the Alchemist Hall had just unveiled was far too stunning. So naturally they wanted to see what other surprises the Alchemist Hall still had in store.
Qiao Baishi smiled. "This time, the Alchemist Hall is preparing to launch several pills we've been developing over the years, all at once. In addition to the Divine Show Creation Pill, we'll be releasing two more. One is the Blue Sea Pill, for restoring origin and gathering qi. The other is the One Buddha Powder, for clearing the mind and dispelling heat."
The origin-qi restoration domain. The mind-clearing, heat-dispelling domain.
The crowd was full of sharp minds, and they immediately grasped the implications. The pills the Alchemist Hall was launching were extremely targeted — they were aimed squarely at the Pill King Court.
Those two domains were precisely the areas where the Pill King Court had always been strongest.
Could it be that this time, the Alchemist Hall intended to muscle into those two domains as well? Was this the rhythm of a campaign to completely crush the Pill King Court?
The Pill King Court's executives turned pale at the news. After the devastating blow dealt by the Divine Show Creation Pill, their confidence was already shattered, and now Qiao Baishi's announcement hit them with an overwhelming sense of the wolf at the door.
Grand Master Wang felt a chill creep up the back of his skull. Cold sweat poured down as an inescapable sense of foreboding welled up inside him.