Looking over at Taiyuan Tower, they had several Pill Kings among them. The most skilled was a high-grade Pill King. Two others were mid-grade — a sixth-grade Pill King and a fifth-grade Pill King.
There were also several low-grade Pill Kings who looked more like assistants.
When low-grade Pill Kings could only serve as assistants, it really showed just how lavish Taiyuan Tower's true capabilities were.
Over at Taiyuan Pavilion, the contrast was immediately rather pathetic. There wasn't a single pill master dressed as a proper Pill King!
This stark contrast made the predictions about the outcome tilt overwhelmingly to one side.
And considering the Wei clan's weakness in the pill world over recent years, along with the Wangting Great Clan's manic expansion, you didn't even need a detailed comparison — even a three-year-old could tell which way the scales would tip.
Some of the more level-headed spectators quietly shook their heads, thinking that Third Young Master Ji had been far too rash this time. The ever-elegant Third Young Master Ji had finally fallen into the Wangting Great Clan's trap.
"Who would have thought that after holding the number-one clan seat in Liuli Royal City for two hundred years, the Panlong Great Clan would finally have to surrender that throne..."
"What a pity. The Panlong Clan Master was a hero in his twilight years. It really does make one sigh."
"Even though the Panlong Great Clan is the top clan, they've always been strong without being tyrannical. If the Wangting Great Clan really takes that top seat, I'm afraid the situation in Liuli Royal City will only get worse!"
Many spectators were silently weighing the situation in their minds.
The truth was, quite a few people didn't want to see a violent upheaval in Liuli Royal City's order. After all, such transitions of power always came with slaughter, conquest, struggle, and bloodshed...
The Panlong Great Clan, as the number-one clan, had kept Liuli Royal City in excellent order for generations, and in the Upper Eight Domains, no faction dared to provoke them.
Two hundred years of stability in Liuli Royal City owed much to the Panlong Great Clan's illustrious contributions.
If the Wangting Great Clan took over, many felt uncertain. After all, judging by their style, the Wangting Great Clan was undoubtedly more greedy, more profit-driven, and even more tyrannical.
So while many guests appeared to choose Taiyuan Tower, their hearts weren't necessarily loyal to the Wangting Great Clan.
Their earlier decision to enter Taiyuan Tower was simply the instinctive choice between the Wangting Great Clan and the Wei clan — nothing more than self-preservation.
As for their true feelings, at least half the people present didn't want to see the Panlong Great Clan replaced by the Wangting Great Clan.
The nine judges huddled together and before long came up with a contest plan.
"Third Young Master Ji, Young Master Wang — we have a plan." A white-haired, distinguished-looking ninth-grade Pill King walked over and addressed them.
"
Pill King Yu said: "Since today is the grand opening of both shops, there are naturally new pills to showcase. For the first round, we'll compete on pills. Each side presents three types of pills, and the nine of us judges will evaluate them together. The side with more votes wins the pill round."
This proposal was something everyone had anticipated. Since these were pill shops, if you weren't competing on pills, what else would you compete on? This round was essential.
"If there's a first round, there must be a second. I wonder — what would the second round be about?" Wang Teng asked with a faint smile.
Pill King Yu replied: "A pill shop's appeal goes beyond just pills — talent matters just as much. So for the second round, we believe it should be a contest between Pill Kings. A strong roster of talent is a symbol of a pill shop's strength, and I'm sure no one would deny that."
Every pill shop had powerful practitioners stationed there. Larger shops naturally had Pill Kings. Even lesser shops would at least hire one or two pill masters to maintain appearances.
Talent was the hard strength of a pill shop, and no one could deny it.
If a pill shop had a genius Pill King, its popularity was guaranteed to soar. In fact, a genius Pill King could be even more attractive than a top-quality pill.
Pills were made by people. No matter how difficult to refine, it took at most three to five years of dedicated work.
But training a Pill King? Thirty to fifty years was considered short. Many who reached high-grade Pill King had spent three to five hundred years — not an exaggeration.
A Pill King contest?
Hearing this part of the plan, everyone could barely suppress their smiles. Especially from Taiyuan Tower's side, where all sorts of cold sarcasm and mockery came pouring out.
"Pill Kings? Does the Wei clan's Taiyuan Pavilion even have Pill Kings?"
"This is too much to ask of Taiyuan Pavilion, isn't it? Ha ha, a Pill King battle? They'd need to have Pill Kings in the first place!"
"Oh come now, maybe they've already sent someone to the Panlong Great Clan to ask for a Pill King to hold the fort."
"Would the Panlong Great Clan's Pill Kings have anything to do with the Wei clan?"
Yet the Wei clan's side was surprisingly calm. The panic and tension that Taiyuan Tower had hoped to see showed not the slightest trace on the faces of the Wei father and son.
Instead, it was Third Young Master Ji who spoke up calmly: "Pill King Yu, allow me one word. Their Taiyuan Tower has a whole crowd of Pill Kings — does every single one of them have a Taiyuan Tower identity token? If they don't, couldn't that be considered cheating on Taiyuan Tower's behalf? And if cheating is permitted, couldn't I, Ji, also invite Pill Kings from my Panlong Great Clan to lend their support?"
This question was perfectly reasonable.
Pill King Yu nodded and looked toward Wang Teng: "Young Master Wang — can these Pill Kings all represent Taiyuan Tower?"
Wang Teng said calmly: "For this round — are we designating specific people, or sending them at random?"
Pill King Yu glanced toward the Wei clan's side, clearly deferring to their input.