Jiang Chen sat in his seat, his expression unchanged. Still, he had the vague impression that when the Peacock Emperor spoke those words, he had also thrown an encouraging glance his way.
A flicker of doubt crossed Jiang Chen's mind. "What does His Majesty the Peacock mean by this? Does he want me to undergo the assessment together with these great clan heirs?"
Young Master Ji Three, seated beside Jiang Chen, nudged him and transmitted a voice message: "Brother, I think the Peacock Emperor was just looking at me. Did you notice?"
Jiang Chen was speechless. The guy was truly full of himself.
Still, Jiang Chen had no intention of bursting his bubble. Seeing Young Master Ji Three's face practically glowing with excitement, he didn't have the heart to shatter the man's fantasy.
After all, a man who had just been dumped didn't need a professional setback on top of it all. That would just be cruel.
"Gentlemen, His Majesty has spoken. This is a wonderful opportunity. Make sure you cherish it."
The various clan heads were overjoyed upon hearing this and turned to speak excitedly to their respective heirs.
Before long, every last one of the young men was practically buzzing with anticipation, eager to prove themselves.
The invited youths, Jiang Chen included, numbered a full eighteen. Each was the top prodigy of their respective great clan.
"His Majesty graces us with such generosity. Our clans are naturally eternally grateful." The Panlong clan head chuckled. "I have one modest request. This Pill King Zhen is also a heaven-blessed genius. Could His Majesty's assessment perhaps include him as well?"
The Peacock Emperor laughed heartily. "Since he is a guest invited by this emperor, he shall naturally be treated the same as everyone else."
Pill King?
The young prodigies from the other clans all turned to look at Jiang Chen. Clearly, many of them found this surprising — what was an alchemy prodigy doing getting involved in their affairs?
His Majesty's assessment would naturally focus on martial arts talent. An alchemy genius had no stage to shine on here. Stepping forward to participate was practically begging for humiliation, wasn't it?
Though none of them directed aggressive gazes, the unmistakable undercurrents of exclusion and suspicion were difficult to conceal.
Jiang Chen hadn't been particularly eager to participate, but being provoked by their looks ignited a spark of defiance in him.
He cupped his fists and said, "I thank His Majesty for this opportunity."
The meaning was clear — he had accepted.
The Peacock Emperor burst into laughter. Upon seeing Jiang Chen agree to participate, an inexplicable weight lifted from his heart. He had, it seemed, been harboring some worry after all.
If anyone had known that such a feeling could arise in the Peacock Emperor's breast, their jaws would have hit the floor.
When the other clan heirs saw that Jiang Chen was truly going to take part, some of them were immediately displeased. They resented the idea that a Pill King — a mere guest consultant from a ninth-ranked noble house — was receiving such an elevated honor.
After all, even the direct heirs of ninth-ranked houses weren't qualified to participate. And here was a guest alchemist from such a house, failing to recognize his own station? Even if His Majesty was generous enough to include him, surely he should have had the decency to bow out on his own?
Yet here he was, climbing up on a silver platter. The audacity.
Several of the more narrow-minded clan heirs were already scheming on how to put this Pill King Zhen in his place when the time came.
Perhaps a demonstration would teach him that martial arts geniuses' turf was not somewhere an alchemy prodigy should carelessly stick his nose into.
"Is everyone ready?" The Cloud Radiance Emperor called out in a resonant voice. "If so, all of you prodigies — step forward."
Every last one of the geniuses rushed forward, jostling to be the first. They gathered toward the Cloud Radiance Emperor's position.
Jiang Chen took his time, letting Young Master Ji Three drag and pull him into the crowd.
Once inside, Jiang Chen noticed several of the clan heirs wearing unconcealed smirks, their hostility toward him plain as day.
This kind of pointless antagonism was nothing Jiang Chen wasn't used to. He offered a casual smile and couldn't be bothered to engage.
His attitude, however, read as lofty contempt to the other side.
Miao Suo sneered: "Ji the Third, you really have been declining, haven't you? Getting chummy with a guest Pill King from some ninth-ranked house?"
The two had clashed before and naturally knew how to needle each other.
Young Master Ji Three returned a contemptuous smile: "Fatty Miao, do you really think you're in any position to lecture this young master?"
Miao Suo was about to retort when he noticed the Cloud Radiance Emperor staring straight at him. His burly frame stiffened, his face drained of color, and he didn't dare utter another word.
"Do you see this Peacock Lotus Pond?"
The Cloud Radiance Emperor gestured toward the vast, emerald expanse of the Peacock Lotus Pond stretching before them, its shimmering waters nearly endless to the eye.
"Each of you will receive a lotus leaf. Using that leaf, you must reach the far shore of the Peacock Lotus Pond. On the far shore stand a thousand peacock murals. Your task is to meditate upon those thousand peacock images. Within them lies an opportunity bestowed by His Majesty the Peacock Emperor. Whether or not you can obtain it depends on your own fortune. Of course, you should keep in mind that whether you can even reach the murals in the first place is a question in itself. Along the way, there will be at least three trials to overcome."
Three trials?
Only by passing all three trials could one reach the peacock murals. And only by meditating upon the murals did one have a chance to receive the Peacock Emperor's gift.
The difficulty was, without question, considerable.
Jiang Chen, however, remained perfectly composed, standing amid the crowd with his eyes half-closed, as though he had already slipped into meditation — oblivious to the various reactions swirling around him.