Pill King Rong was utterly focused at this moment, completely oblivious to the turmoil outside. Inside, confidence surged through him like a rising tide — his performance so far had been absolutely flawless, carrying a momentum that seemed utterly unstoppable.
"Nine pills. At my current pace, completing seven is absolutely within reach. Once I finish decomposing seven pills, even a high-tier Pill King couldn't possibly beat me. Only those top-notch ninth-level Pill Kings might have an edge over me. That second-level Pill King from the Wei family? Nothing but a shortcut-taking hack with no real foundation. This time, I'll knock him right back to where he belongs!"
Pill King Rong brimmed with confidence, and his performance was indeed outstanding.
But little did he know, a tidal wave of shock was already crashing through the outside world.
Fortunately, the competition timer had not yet expired. Pill King Rong had not come out on his own, and according to the rules, no one was permitted to disturb him. Moreover, the judges could not review Jiang Chen's answer before receiving Pill King Rong's submission.
Thus, even though the outside world was in an uproar, the final outcome remained unrevealed.
Still, seeing Jiang Chen's calm and composed expression — combined with his earlier performance — everyone had more or less already confirmed that this Pill King from the Wei family was about to become the dark horse of the Liuli Royal City's alchemy world.
A legend forged in a single battle!
Those four words — he absolutely deserved them, without the slightest doubt!
"Young Patriarch, what do we do?" Tong Xianwei's heart was hammering at this point. Looking at how things stood, this wager was heading straight for a loss.
Tong Kun, who was never one to shy away from trouble, had lost all his earlier arrogance. A dark cloud now hung over his fair, handsome face.
Wang Teng had never found himself in such a passive position before, and his thoughts were tangled in a hopeless mess.
Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined that this wager — the one he had so meticulously crafted to crush the Taiyuan Pavilion and suppress the Wei family — would end up becoming his own trap.
He hadn't ensnared his enemy — he had ensnared himself!
The remaining time had turned into garbage time. What had once been a thrilling contest suddenly became meaningless.
From the outside, everyone could still see Pill King Rong working away with flushed excitement — his expressions shifting between beaming smiles and gritted teeth — looking for all the world as though he had the situation well in hand.
The more Pill King Rong carried on like this, the more amused the spectators outside became.
For Wang Teng and his lot, watching it all unfold only deepened the bitter ache in their hearts.
Wang Teng desperately wanted to pin the blame on Pill King Rong. But if he was being honest — could Pill King Rong's performance truly be called poor? Obviously not.
Even if they had swapped in Pill King Hanzhu, the seventh-level Pill King, the outcome would have been no different.
In fact, even an eighth-level Pill King would likely have met the same defeat.
Bitterness flooded Wang Teng's heart. On any other occasion, he would have exploded on the spot — perhaps even flatly refused to honor the bet, turning hostile and crushing his opponent with raw authority.
But today, he simply didn't have the grounds to throw his weight around.
Never mind that the Wei family had the Panlong Grand Clan backing them — what about the nine judges? Which of them was someone you could push around?
If he reneged, it would be direct contempt of the judges' authority — a slap in their faces. He would inevitably become the target of everyone's scorn.
Though Wang Teng was domineering, even he knew that welching at a time like this was far from the wisest move.
The Tong father and son, however, seemed to be stirring with restless impulse.
Young Master Ji had reacted faster than anyone. The moment he saw Jiang Chen hand in his scroll ahead of schedule, he sensed that the Taiyuan Pavilion was about to emerge victorious.
He wasted no time quietly mobilizing — summoning his trusted subordinates and redeploying forces to ensure the safety of the venue.
This way, even if Wang Teng tried to renege, they would be fully prepared to handle it.
Moreover, Young Master Ji wasn't afraid of Wang Teng welching at all. On the contrary — he was almost hoping for it!
If Wang Teng reneged and threw a tantrum, the matter would blow up entirely. So long as the Wei family held the moral high ground and the Panlong Grand Clan stood behind them, the dispute could be taken straight to the Seven Great Emperors — and the Imperial Grand Clan would only end up humiliating themselves on an even grander scale.
The Seven Great Emperors might not involve themselves in the mundane affairs of the Liuli Royal City, but that didn't mean they turned a blind eye to everything.
Openly breaking the rules was simply not permitted.
Not even for the Imperial Grand Clan.
The Liuli Royal City had risen to become a dominant power among the Upper Eight Domains precisely because of this system of rules.
Though the Grand Clans enjoyed certain privileges, those privileges did not give them the right to trample on the rules at will.
Wang Teng had clearly noticed Young Master Ji's preparations, and his heart burned with a volatile mix of fury and anxiety.
And at that moment, the competition timer finally ran out.
Pill King Rong strode out of the contest area in high spirits, his face radiating vitality, his steps light and brisk, joy written all over his features.
But when he turned to Wang Teng with a beaming face, expecting praise and recognition, he found none of the approval or anticipation he had imagined in Wang Teng's expression.
Instead, it was nothing but a grim, dark mask.
A jolt shot through Pill King Rong's heart. A sudden, ominous feeling crept over him, and his forehead went cold.
He glanced toward the judges' panel — and spotted Jiang Chen standing beside it, wearing the patient expression of someone who had been waiting for quite some time.
Pill King Rong's heart sank. What was going on? How had this kid already come out?
"Pill King Rong, you're the last one we're waiting for." Pill King Yu smiled faintly. "Go ahead and submit your scroll."