When it came to alchemy, Jiang Chen had never disappointed anyone.
Though this was merely a small demonstration of his skills, the technical difficulty of this particular challenge was extremely high. Experts could appreciate the technique; laymen could only enjoy the spectacle.
When Jiang Chen had been selecting his materials, everyone had considered his choices mediocre — simply because none of them could yet see what was truly going on.
But once Jiang Chen's fire-control techniques appeared, any true expert could read the underlying logic.
And what followed left even the experts scratching their heads.
Jiang Chen's method diverged completely from any conventional approach. The way he introduced materials followed no discernible pattern — at first glance, it looked as though he were simply tossing ingredients in at random.
Watching Jiang Chen's seemingly haphazard technique, even Pill King Yu was momentarily puzzled.
What kind of pill was he actually refining?
Even Pill King Yu couldn't quite make sense of it. The method looked utterly chaotic, with no visible system whatsoever.
Normally, when refining pills, there were strict protocols for when each material was introduced and how the temperature was managed. The timing had to be precise, and the control of flame temperature had to be exact.
A technique as casual as this would give any stern, rigid Pill King an extremely poor first impression.
This wasn't the attitude of a serious alchemist. This was practically child's play.
However, after watching for a while, Pill King Yu began to catch a faint pattern buried within Jiang Chen's seemingly disordered technique.
Though the material introductions looked chaotic, there was actually a system behind them — it wasn't truly a matter of grabbing handfuls and throwing them in.
There was an order.
The average person simply couldn't discern it.
"This Pill King Zhen has an unusual method, but there's still a pattern to it. Each time, he introduces Earth-attribute Spiritual Medicine first, then Wood-attribute, then Fire-attribute… cycling through three times, nine materials total… Hmm? This alchemical technique is quite unusual. Using only three attribute types — wouldn't that be monotonous? How could such a monotonous attribute combination possibly fuse properly?"
Pill King Yu understood only partially. Though he hadn't missed a single detail, he was still viewing the process through a fog, unable to grasp the full picture.
"Pill King Yu, this Pill King Zhen from the Taiyuan Pavilion — what kind of pill is he refining?" One of the other judges leaned over and whispered.
The remaining judges all wore expressions of intense curiosity. Clearly, Jiang Chen's bizarre technique had left even these seasoned judges unable to penetrate the mystery.
Pill King Yu scratched his head full of white hair and said with a bitter smile, "I can't make it out either. His technique, his material selection — it's all too subversive. If this truly isn't child's play, then I'm reminded of a nearly extinct school of alchemy…"
"The Ghost Pill Style?" One of the Pill Kings suddenly spoke up.
At the words "Ghost Pill Style," several judges' expressions shifted slightly. The Ghost Pill Style?
That was a school of alchemy that bordered on legend. It had been passed down since ancient times, but Pill Kings who could truly be called masters of the Ghost Pill Style were once-in-a-thousand-years rarities.
Some works attributed to the Ghost Pill Style appeared on the open market, but most were merely outwardly similar without capturing its true essence. They bore the name but lacked the spirit.
The Ghost Pill Style had many followers, but alchemists truly worthy of the tradition were pitifully few.
Many alchemists merely borrowed certain Ghost Pill Style techniques or picked up a few superficial tricks. They couldn't be considered genuine practitioners.
Yet even so, as a mysterious school within the world of alchemy, the Ghost Pill Style still enjoyed an extraordinarily high reputation.
Naturally, some traditional alchemy schools looked down upon it, dismissing the Ghost Pill Style as a heterodox path that could never become mainstream.
Such dismissal was understandable.
On the Divine Abyss Continent, over the past thousand years, virtually no true Ghost Pill Style masters had emerged. There had been barely a handful of Pill Kings who could genuinely claim the title, to say nothing of a Ghost Pill Style Alchemy Emperor.
As a result, the Ghost Pill Style had always been a subject of controversy on the Divine Abyss Continent.
Those who revered it did so with passionate devotion; those who despised it dismissed it as worthless.
Of course, most alchemy powerhouses maintained a more balanced stance. They would incorporate certain Ghost Pill Style concepts into their thinking, but they wouldn't blindly worship the tradition — nor would they denigrate it as completely without merit.
Now, seeing Jiang Chen's uncanny technique, and after Pill King Yu's reminder, realization dawned across the group.
If this wasn't the Ghost Pill Style, what other alchemical method in the world could be so utterly bizarre?
"It's said that the Ghost Pill Style excels at turning the ordinary into the extraordinary — using low-grade Spiritual Medicine to refine high-grade pills. I wonder whether this Pill King Zhen can achieve such a miracle?" Two of the nine judges were fervent fans of the Ghost Pill Style. The one who spoke now was an eighth-grade Pill King.
"Hmph. Over the years, how many young alchemists have claimed to practice the Ghost Pill Style, yet how many have actually stood out? So-called Ghost Pill Style is nothing more than a heterodox path in the end." For every fervent devotee, there was naturally an obstinate detractor.
"Heh heh, Pill King Zhao, your thinking is behind the times. The Ghost Pill Style either produces no one of note — or when it does, the result is someone who shakes the world." The Ghost Pill Style fan from before immediately shot back, displeased at the dismissal.
"Shakes the world?" Pill King Zhao sneered. "Then let's wait and see what tricks he can pull. The Ghost Pill Style, heh heh…"