Not only were Wang Teng's people stunned, but even the onlookers who had gathered to watch the spectacle were left speechless. To see Pill King Rong produce such high-quality pills within a single hour — it seemed a foregone conclusion that the Taiyuan Pavilion had already lost.
Even the Wei father and son wore grave expressions as they stared at Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen, however, remained perfectly composed. He rose calmly, sorted through the Three Lives Pills he had refined, selected the finest one, and presented it with full courtesy.
"Lord Pill King, this pill is called the Three Lives Pill. It follows a triple cycle of generation — earth generates wood, wood generates fire, fire generates earth — a small triple-circulation cycle. Using Saint Grade spiritual medicine materials, it achieves quality approaching the Earth Grade. Please evaluate!"
Jiang Chen wasn't afraid the judges couldn't recognize quality. He simply wasn't sure whether they would even know the Three Lives Pill.
This brief introduction would at least let them understand what made this pill special — its core principle.
Sure enough, the moment he finished speaking, Pill King Yu and the others' expressions shifted dramatically.
The onlookers were even more astonished.
Even Wang Teng felt a jolt in his heart. Instinctively, he assumed Jiang Chen was bluffing. Using Saint Grade spiritual medicine to aim for Earth Grade pill quality?
That was the most outrageous boast he'd ever heard!
Above Saint Grade was True Saint Grade, and above True Saint Grade was Earth Grade!
To use Saint Grade materials and try to leap two entire grades to refine an Earth Grade pill? That was absolute nonsense. Even liars prepared their stories better than this!
But Wang Teng was, after all, a young lord of a great clan. Though he didn't believe it, he couldn't openly challenge the claim.
The Tong father and son, however, had no such reservations. They had come precisely to serve as pawns for the Royal Court Grand Clan. This was their moment to play the contrarian role, and they certainly wouldn't back down.
Tong Xianwei, the head of the Tong family, let out a cold laugh. "Kid, you've got some nerve boasting like that. Even a top-tier Pill King wouldn't dare claim they could use Saint Grade materials to refine Earth Grade pills! Do you think the judges are three-year-olds who'll fall for your bluster?"
Tong Kun chimed in loudly, "Who knows where this nobody crawled out from, daring to cause trouble in the Liu Li Royal City's alchemy world. Does he really think there's no one in our Liu Li Royal City's alchemy community?"
This father-and-son duo traded lines, throwing themselves into the fray for the Royal Court Grand Clan without holding anything back.
But Jiang Chen couldn't be bothered to bicker with them. A faint smile never left his face as he ignored the pair entirely.
Wearing that same calm, neither-humble-nor-arrogant smile, he waited for the nine judges to render their verdict.
As long as the judges weren't blind or deliberately biased, his Three Lives Pill would absolutely crush their Jade Marrow Pill.
If the opponent had produced a Jade Marrow Golden Pill, there might have been something to compare. But since it was merely a Jade Marrow Pill, Jiang Chen didn't even consider them to be in the same category.
Pill King Yu had been somewhat surprised by Jiang Chen's claim, but when his gaze settled on the Three Lives Pill, a strange light immediately flashed in his eyes.
He couldn't help but pick up the pill, cradle it in his palm, and examine it with intense focus.
The grade and quality of a pill — in the eyes of a Pill King, it was apparent at a single glance.
Especially for high-tier Pill Kings like them. Their eyes were more precise than any sophisticated instrument. Any pill, after just a brief inspection, could be assessed with remarkable accuracy.
Even if the first glance didn't reveal everything, a careful examination would yield an assessment with negligible margin of error.
Good was good, bad was bad.
When it came to pills, there was absolutely no room for forgery.
The more Pill King Yu examined it, the more his admiration grew. "Did you just say this pill is called the Three Lives Pill? A triple cycle of generation?"
"That's correct," Jiang Chen said with a smile.
"Good — truly remarkable!" Pill King Yu slapped the table in amazement. "This is nothing short of divine craftsmanship — it truly takes one's breath away. This Three Lives Pill, the brilliance of its materials, the ingenuity of its technique, the height of its quality — even this old man must bow in admiration. May I ask your name, young friend?"
Jiang Chen replied, "This junior's name is Zhen Shi."
Zhen Shi? The name clearly rang no bells for the nine judges. They exchanged bewildered glances.
Pill King Yu, however, knew that prying too deeply would be impolite. He suppressed his curiosity and praised, "Young friend Zhen, this old man is over a thousand years old, so calling you 'young friend' shouldn't be presumptuous. This Three Lives Pill of yours is something I have never seen before in all my life. Tell me — was your refining technique derived from the Eccentric Pill School?"
The other judges also fixed their eager eyes on Jiang Chen, dying to know the answer.
Jiang Chen saw no reason to hide it. He nodded. "That's right — it is an Eccentric Pill School technique. The Eccentric Pill School pursues the creation of high-quality pills from low-cost materials. What we seek is simply to be different."
"To be different — what a wonderful phrase!" Pill King Yu clapped his hands and laughed, then turned to the other judges. "What do my fellow daoists think of this pill?"
That earlier fanatical supporter of the Eccentric Pill School immediately spoke up. "This is absolutely at the quasi-Earth Grade level! In my opinion, even an Emperor Realm cultivator taking this pill would find it effective. Its grade is actually half a tier above the Jade Marrow Golden Pill!"
"Indeed, the Jade Marrow Golden Pill seems inferior when compared to this, let alone the Jade Marrow Pill." Another Eccentric Pill School enthusiast nodded in agreement.
Pill King Zhao, who had been the Eccentric Pill School's vocal opponent, faced with the undeniable quality of the Three Lives Pill — though he desperately wanted to object, he simply couldn't find grounds for it.