Indeed, Jiang Chen's words stirred a whirlwind of emotions in everyone's hearts. Some felt envy, some jealousy, and some couldn't help but harbor darker thoughts.
Comparison is the death of joy.
Judging by Pill King Zhen's age, he couldn't have been over a hundred years old. Yet he'd been blessed with such incredible fortune — earning the favor of a great alchemy master.
A great alchemy master capable of transmitting a hundred thousand pill recipes at once was no ordinary Pill King.
A Ninth-Rank Pill King? He probably wouldn't even qualify as an apprentice!
Yet the Wei father and son felt themselves wrapped in bliss. They knew Jiang Chen was extraordinary, but they'd never imagined that he'd encountered such fortune in his youth.
Jiang Chen had told them before that he'd received instruction in alchemy from a mysterious master during his childhood.
The Wei father and son had taken this completely at face value. Without a mysterious master's guidance, Jiang Chen — a mere nobody from the Myriad Phenomena Region — couldn't possibly possess such heaven-defying alchemy skills.
Now, they truly understood just how remarkable that childhood encounter had been.
Pill King Yu let out a soft sigh, then glanced at the Wei father and son. "Patriarch Wei, even I can't help but offer my congratulations once more."
Young Master Ji San smiled. "The Wei family has truly struck gold this time."
Pill King Lü Feng was so excited he kept gulping down wine — clearly, he was more thrilled than anyone.
"Pill King Zhen's teacher must be a peerless grandmaster of the Ghost Pill style," Pill King Lü Feng remarked between drinks.
Everyone nodded in agreement, finding this assessment perfectly reasonable.
During the feast, Jiang Chen shared several more alchemy anecdotes, drawing repeated sighs of admiration from the assembled Pill Kings.
The banquet lasted well over an hour before it gradually wound down.
As the Pill Kings departed, each one left Jiang Chen with contact information, repeatedly urging him that whenever he had time, he must come visit.
Jiang Chen politely agreed to each request, seeing them all out one by one.
The other guests, seeing the Pill Kings leave in succession, naturally didn't dare linger too long and followed suit with their farewells.
As for the pills, those released on the first day had long since sold out.
Many guests wanted to purchase some of Taiyuan Pavilion's pills after the banquet, only to find everything completely out of stock.
Everyone knew these were Ghost Pill style creations and wanted to buy them for study. Moreover, they'd all watched Jiang Chen refine them in person.
Each of them harbored some wishful thinking — hoping that through a single observation, they might crack the refining method.
If they could figure it out, the technique would become their own, and their fortune would be made.
Of course, Jiang Chen was somewhat aware of these thoughts. But he knew perfectly well that even those Pill Kings wouldn't be able to steal his methods.
If the Ghost Pill style's techniques were so easily pilfered, it wouldn't be called the Ghost Pill style.
Besides, Jiang Chen had incorporated certain obfuscating steps into his refining process — as if it would be that easy to steal.
After the guests gradually dispersed, Jiang Chen stepped outside, only to find several hundred people still lingering at the entrance to Taiyuan Pavilion, none of them willing to leave.
The moment they spotted Jiang Chen, the crowd erupted into frenzied shouts.
"Pill King Zhen, are you going to start your lecture?"
"Yes, Pill King Zhen — there are fewer people now! Why not give us a lecture today?"
"Pill King Zhen, is Taiyuan Pavilion hiring?"
"Pill King Zhen, I want to take you as my master — please accept my devotion!"
"I want to become your disciple too! Pill King Zhen, I'm young and talented — please, you have to consider me..."
These were obviously the most die-hard devotees of the Ghost Pill style. They'd all stayed behind with roughly the same thought — they wanted to become his apprentice.
The Wei father and son were rendered speechless.
They were happy, yet felt a twinge of bitterness.
For so many years, the Wei family had been completely overlooked in the world of alchemy — practically forgotten. And now, in a single day, they'd turned their fortunes around.
All these people, gathered at the entrance to Taiyuan Pavilion, refusing to disperse.
And all of this was thanks to Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen saw the fervent expressions on their faces and smiled. "Everyone, it's getting late, and Taiyuan Pavilion still has much to attend to. A lecture today simply isn't possible. Come back tomorrow at the hour of the dragon."
"We won't leave! Even if we have to wait until tomorrow, we'll stay right here!"
"Right — we want Pill King Zhen to see our sincerity. Forget waiting one night; even if I had to wait three years, I absolutely wouldn't leave!"
"That's right — I've made up my mind. No matter what, I'm getting into Taiyuan Pavilion. Even as a lowly apprentice would be fine — as long as I can see Pill King Zhen every day, I'll be content."
These people were at least civilized enough not to force Jiang Chen to start lecturing on the spot — otherwise, he would have been in quite a bind.
After all, they were there to listen and to show their support for Taiyuan Pavilion.