Shen Anyang gritted his teeth and produced three thousand high-grade Yuan Spirit Stones, placing them on the surface.
Upon seeing the three thousand high-grade Yuan Spirit Stones, Jiang Chen beamed like a landowner who had stumbled upon an endless treasure trove of gold and silver. "Excellent! Shen Sanhuo, anyone willing to play the part of the money-delivery boy is a honored guest of my cave abode. So, would you like to have a drink first, or shall we cut straight to the chase?"
The more nonchalant Jiang Chen's tone, the angrier Shen Anyang became.
He felt Jiang Chen was putting on an act.
Here was this outsider brat who had blundered his way into a Supreme Zone cave abode through sheer luck, yet in front of him, a veteran Supreme Zone genius, he was putting on such an arrogant air. It made Shen Anyang sick with displeasure.
He was convinced Jiang Chen was feigning ease, putting on airs.
Everything would make far more sense if their roles were reversed.
Since when did the junior disciple get to act superior in front of the senior? It had always been the other way around.
"Jiang Chen, I have no interest in drinking. Stop stalling. Today I've come to tear off your fraudulent mask. Who has the patience to drink with you? What kind of person do you even think you are? What gives you the right to demand I drink with you?"
Jiang Chen smiled lazily. "Here I am trying to be kind, and you throw it back in my face. Since you rushed all this way to hand over your money, I won't stoop to your level. Go ahead — name the terms of the wager."
Shen Anyang had his strategy ready. With a cold smirk, he said, "I want to wager on fire control, on pill recipes, and on pill refining!"
"Three events to decide the winner?"
"Correct! Three events to decide it!" Shen Sanhuo's tone was resolute, though inwardly he was secretly delighted. He had proposed these three precisely because they were his greatest strengths. He had fully expected Jiang Chen to haggle over the terms. He never imagined Jiang Chen would simply accept without objection.
In that case, how could Shen Sanhuo not be ecstatic?
Jiang Chen chuckled. "This isn't the pill dueling arena. How are we supposed to wager on fire control here?"
Normally, fire control wagers were held at the pill dueling arena, with specific contest formats. Here at Jiang Chen's dwelling, nothing of the sort was set up.
Shen Sanhuo waved his hand grandly. "Easy enough. We are both pill masters, so there are plenty of ways to compare fire control. How about this: I produce a cauldron, and we each use our divine abilities to preheat it. Whoever brings the cauldron to temperature first wins the first round."
Preheating the cauldron was a fundamental step in pill refining — heating the cauldron until it reached the proper state. Once the cauldron reached sufficient temperature, it would emit a resonant hum. That hum signaled a successful preheat.
"Shen Sanhuo, you're supposed to be a Supreme Zone genius — do you have no shame at all? Brother Chen is being generous not holding you to account, and you take that as license to push further? You set the contest rules, you bring your own cauldron, every stipulation is yours — dare you say you don't have some scheme up your sleeve?"
Shen Anyang did indeed have a private advantage. This cauldron was the one he always used for alchemy, one he was thoroughly familiar with. Preheating it was second nature to him.
Having his scheme exposed by Mu Gaoqi, Shen Anyang merely thickened his skin and shot back coldly, "Mu Gaoqi, are you the one hosting this challenge? What business is it of yours to run your mouth? If you've got the guts to set up a ring, I'll be happy to take you on instead."
Mu Gaoqi opened his mouth to retort, but Jiang Chen cut him off. "Gaoqi, step back."
Mu Gaoqi held Jiang Chen in the highest regard, so when told to step back, he obediently walked behind him. Still, his face was twisted with contempt — he made a fist and thrust his thumb downward in a mocking gesture toward Shen Anyang.
In this world, that gesture was a universal sign of ridicule, a declaration that the other party was utterly weak and beneath notice.
Shen Anyang's conscience was guilty, and though Mu Gaoqi's gesture infuriated him, he couldn't afford to make a scene at this moment.
"Shen Sanhuo, seeing as you've brought three thousand spirit stones, I'll let the rules stand as you've proposed. Bring out your cauldron," Jiang Chen said evenly.
When it came to the Dao of Alchemy, whether it was Shen Sanhuo, Shen Qinghong, or even the elders of the Herbal Hall coming in person, Jiang Chen regarded them all as nothing more than blades of grass.
Seeing Jiang Chen's lofty attitude, Shen Anyang felt both humiliated and secretly thrilled — his scheme seemed to be working.
He wasted no time producing a pill cauldron and setting it on a stone pedestal. Making a show of fairness, he said, "Jiang Chen, don't accuse me of cheating. Inspect the cauldron yourself."
Jiang Chen swept it with his Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil and saw the cauldron's details with perfect clarity. He recognized it as Shen Sanhuo's personal cauldron — the one he used regularly.
For any pill master, their personal cauldron was as familiar as their own hands.
Admittedly, Shen Sanhuo bringing his own cauldron to the contest was indeed a bit underhanded.
But since Jiang Chen had agreed, he clearly didn't care about this minor advantage.
"You go first, or shall I?" Jiang Chen smiled faintly.
Shen Sanhuo considered for a moment, then adopted a tone of great magnanimity. "The person who moves first is at a disadvantage. I won't take advantage of you — I'll go first."
Jiang Chen saw through his constant vigilance and knew exactly what he was thinking. He was simply worried that if Jiang Chen went first, he might tamper with the cauldron. So he insisted on going first, yet dressed it up in such noble-sounding language, as though being first were some great sacrifice.
"Well, since going first is such a disadvantage, I suppose I can bear that burden," Jiang Chen said with a grin.
Shen Anyang's expression shifted. "No, I'll go first," he said hastily.
Jiang Chen had only been poking at him — he had no real interest in going first. With a wave of his hand, he said, "Fine, you go first."
"Someone, keep time."
In this world, time could be measured by burning incense, by hourglasses, or by other methods.
Once the timing began, Shen Anyang immediately entered a state of concentration. He circulated the Three Fires within his body, and powerful fire-elemental energy danced between his palms like fire spirits swirling beneath the cauldron.