At this moment, Wei Tianxiao felt a faint sense of disappointment stirring in his heart. Looking at the materials selected, he had no confidence at all.
He knew perfectly well that pitting a Second-Rank Pill King against a Sixth-Rank Pill King was inherently unfair.
He also knew there was no turning back. Even if they lost, the Wei family had to lose with dignity. Even if they lost this grand wager, at least they could demonstrate their sincerity to the Panlong great clan!
Meanwhile, Young Master Ji's attention was nowhere near the competition itself. His mind was entirely consumed by shock.
Ever since Jiang Chen had exposed the Zhenlong Tiangang Pill Formation, Young Master Ji's thoughts had wandered far away. He recalled the Pine Crane Pill that Jiang Chen had once described to him.
He had been somewhat skeptical at the time — wondering if the Pine Crane Pill was merely an exaggeration.
But now, seeing the Zhenlong Tiangang Pill Formation with his own eyes, Young Master Ji deeply realized that this Pill King Zhen of the Wei family had an extraordinary background.
Though he didn't know the man's exact identity, he must have received guidance from a truly great teacher.
And this teacher was certainly far superior to even top-tier Pill Kings like Pill Master Yu. In other words, Pill King Zhen's master was very likely a legendary Grand Alchemy Emperor!
Even a Grand Alchemy Emperor might not necessarily have mastered the Zhenlong Tiangang Pill Formation!
A pill master powerful enough to command such a formation — how could his knowledge possibly be lacking?
When such a powerful figure said the Pine Crane Pill existed in this world, could it really be empty talk?
If Young Master Ji had only been sixty to seventy percent convinced before, he was now one hundred percent certain.
"This Pill King Zhen is no ordinary person. I, Ji the Third, have made countless friends throughout my life — but they were all fair-weather drinking buddies, useless when it truly mattered. Ironically, this Pill King I stumbled into befriending is the one with such tremendous potential. No matter how this wager turns out, I absolutely must cultivate a strong relationship with him. If I can someday ask his master to refine a Pine Crane Pill, it could truly bring the Panlong great clan back from the brink..."
The mere thought of that tantalizing possibility set Young Master Ji's heart racing with excitement. As for the wager itself, he could hardly care less now.
What did temporary gains and losses matter?
All of Young Master Ji's energy was now focused on the Pine Crane Pill.
He already had the Golden Crown Cloud Crane — all he needed was the pine cone of the Thousand Illusion Hidden Cloud Pine. Young Master Ji firmly believed that Heaven never closed all paths. Within the Way of Heaven, there was always some hidden trail that led to a glimmer of hope.
Unlike Young Master Ji, whose mind had wandered far afield, the Royal Court's great clan side was brimming with confidence. At Wang Teng's side, the highest-ranking Seventh-Rank Pill King was reporting something to him.
"Young Lord, the materials chosen by Pill King Rong are a full tier above those from Taiyuan Pavilion. With Pill King Rong's Sixth-Rank abilities, winning this round should be virtually guaranteed. The only question is whether he can successfully refine the pill within one hour."
This Seventh-Rank Pill King had a sharp eye — just like the nine judges, he had recognized the brilliance of Pill King Rong's material selection.
Wang Teng had also noticed the advantage and nodded with a smile, his face beaming with confidence, feeling that everything was well within his grasp!
In the first phase of the pill duel, Taiyuan Tower had already claimed victory.
In the second phase's first round, their opponent had won by a stroke of luck. But if they won the second round, the phase would be tied. And as long as they took the third round of the second phase, Taiyuan Tower would claim overall victory in the entire wager!
The Wei family's shop would change hands, becoming property of the Royal Court's great clan.
Just thinking about it made Wang Teng's heart sing with joy.
Crushing the Wei family, slapping the Panlong great clan in the face, AND getting the Wei family's shop on Shennong Street Market — this was truly killing three birds with one stone!
If Wang Teng had harbored any slight reservations before the wager began, wondering if the Wei family's offer to bet their shop was suspiciously unusual, he was now thoroughly convinced it had all been an act — the Wei family trying to bluff him into backing down and crush Taiyuan Tower's morale.
"Hmph, such cheap tricks — did you really think they'd frighten the Royal Court's great clan? You Wei family people think far too highly of yourselves!"
Wang Teng felt nothing but contempt, certain the Wei family was simply acting out of desperation. Otherwise, with even a shred of rational thinking, they would never have staked their only shop on Shennong Street Market.
A mere Ninth-Rank family, daring to wager against the Royal Court's great clan? Wasn't that just asking for death?
Wang Teng was delighted. Victory was within arm's reach, practically handed to him on a platter, and that heady sense of accomplishment filled him like standing atop a mountain surveying the world below.
In his smugness, he couldn't help glancing over at Young Master Ji.
He wanted to see what expression the young man was wearing. But to Wang Teng's surprise, Young Master Ji's face held a peculiar look — he seemed utterly lost in a trance, completely oblivious to the wager!
"Could Ji the Third have already given up in despair?" Wang Teng studied Young Master Ji's vacant expression and found himself unable to read it.
He then looked at the Wei family father and son — especially Wei Tianxiao, whose face was bitter and practically turning green. This sight filled Wang Teng with immense satisfaction.
"Wei Tianxiao, you brought this on yourself! The Royal Court's great clan gave your Wei family a chance, but instead of showing proper loyalty, you defied us! You simply don't know when to quit!"
Wang Teng's triumphant mood spread to the Tong family father and son, and to all the subordinates around him. On the Taiyuan Tower side, it was clear — they were certain they had this wager won.
Even the onlookers, after seeing Jiang Chen's material choices, sighed inwardly. They had been hoping that something miraculous might happen at Taiyuan Pavilion — that it might pull off an upset in the second phase's Pill King duel and create a legendary underdog victory!