"Now *that* was exhilarating! Master, truly exhilarating!" Alchemy King Lu Feng was in exceptionally high spirits. For the past several days, while disguised as Jiang Chen, he had been going around smashing up rival alchemy shops — and the sheer delight of it all was indescribable.
For ten straight days, he had systematically torn through every pill shop belonging to the warlords and even the ninth-rank noble families under the Asura Emperor's banner. Then, without a backward glance, he would simply stroll away.
Settled matters, brushed off his robes, vanished — merit and fame alike hidden from the world.
This was the absolute pinnacle of showing off.
Alchemy King Lu Feng didn't find any of this the least bit vulgar. Quite the opposite — he considered it a kind of perfect enjoyment.
Not only did he relish the thrill of demolishing rival shops, but he equally enjoyed being at his master's side, absorbing his master's seemingly heaven-defying knowledge of the alchemy arts.
At first, Alchemy King Lu Feng had assumed his master was merely a representative of the Eccentric Pill School — a genius of that particular path, nothing more.
But these ten days of serving as his apprentice had made Alchemy King Lu Feng painfully aware of just how wrong his earlier understanding had been!
This master of his was a true heaven-blessed prodigy. The Eccentric Pill School was but a tiny fraction of his knowledge.
Every day, watching him duel rival Alchemy Kings and tear their shops apart — it was as effortless as breathing, as though blessed by the heavens themselves. The alchemy-dueling knowledge, the alchemy-dueling techniques — everything left Alchemy King Lu Feng in complete and utter awe.
At the beginning, Alchemy King Lu Feng had actually been somewhat nervous. After all, many of those pill shops had powerful Alchemy Kings presiding over them. But once he found his footing, he realized just how ridiculous his earlier worries had been.
Those weren't alchemy duels — they were merciless one-sided slaughters!
After ten days, his worship of this master had reached absolutely unimaginable heights.
"Old Lu, listening to how excited you are, I'm starting to regret not coming along," Third Young Master Ji said with a frown. He had wanted very much to join in on the shop-smashing, but his identity truly wasn't suitable for it.
If his cover were blown, the political fallout would be far too sensitive and would inevitably trigger all manner of trouble.
So Third Young Master Ji had forcibly restrained that impulse and hadn't gone with them. Now, hearing Alchemy King Lu Feng's exaggerated tone, he couldn't help but feel he had missed out on something extraordinary.
Jiang Chen merely smiled faintly. "Old Lu, don't make such a big deal out of it. Back when my Grandmaster taught me the alchemy arts for ten years, he always walked unconventional paths. Taught me all sorts of tricks for picking fights and finding faults with other people's work. You know what he told me?"
"What did he say?" Alchemy King Lu Feng asked, eyes lighting up with keen interest. Though he had never met this Grandmaster, he was filled with boundless curiosity and admiration for the old man.
"He said that by teaching me these skills, I could go around nitpicking other alchemists' work whenever I was bored, making them too afraid to cross me. He called it a method of self-preservation."
Alchemy King Lu Feng blinked. "That counts as self-preservation?"
"Of course. If people are terrified you'll find fault with their work, aren't they forced to butter you up?" Jiang Chen laughed.
Alchemy King Lu Feng burst out laughing. "Exactly, exactly! What kind of shameless old rogue is this Grandmaster? Even his methods for teaching disciples are this bizarre!"
Jiang Chen nodded. "Mm. Next time I see him, I'll be sure to pass your words along."
Alchemy King Lu Feng's expression changed drastically. He hastily waved his hands. "Don't! Master, I didn't say anything — you can't set me up like that! I'm terrified he'd fly into a rage on the spot and kick me out of the sect."
Third Young Master Ji laughed. "Brother, the way you describe this teacher of yours, even I'm quite tempted. A person like that is truly someone worth admiring and looking up to."
Jiang Chen smiled and nodded.
"Oh, by the way, Brother Ji — how have things been lately?" Jiang Chen asked.
"Now it's the Asura Emperor's side that's panicking. The Seven Great Emperors have all been in communication. They're looking for some kind of resolution."
Third Young Master Ji continued, "At the very least, the Wei father and son are absolutely safe this time. But the Wang father and son may not escape unscathed."
"Mm. With the Wang father and son — if you strike, you have to strike all the way."
"Exactly. If you hit a snake and don't kill it, it strikes back. This time, the Wang father and son will definitely fall. However, whether we can completely bring down the Wang Court Great Clan — that's far from certain. Even if the Wang father and son go down, the Asura Emperor's side will absolutely prop someone else up in their place." Third Young Master Ji said.
"But for your Panlong Great Clan, this is quite the unexpected windfall!"
Third Young Master Ji smiled. "Indeed it is."
If the Wang Court clan lord and his son fell, even if the Wang Court Great Clan replaced them with others, the clan would inevitably suffer massive losses. The threat it posed to the Panlong Great Clan would naturally be greatly reduced.
…
Just as delighted as Third Young Master Ji was the Panlong clan lord. This unexpected turn of events had given him a wonderful sense of fortune reversing — of light breaking through after darkness.
The Wang Court Great Clan, which had been eyeing them like a tiger, had come crashing down. Moreover, the chances of the Wang Court Great Clan recovering this time were slim.
At the very least, the Wang Court clan lord and his son had absolutely no hope left.
Since the Peacock Guard had already acted, their iron-clad "evidence" would be more than sufficient — even under negotiation among the Seven Great Emperors — to utterly destroy the Wang father and son.