Third Young Master Ji's intuition was indeed remarkably sharp. The moment Jiang Chen crossed his mind, he was certain — this fortune had to have fallen into Jiang Chen's hands.
And that was precisely the case.
By the time Third Young Master Ji and the other geniuses returned one after another, Jiang Chen was already seated beside the Peacock Emperor.
At this moment, countless gazes filled with envy, jealousy, and resentment swirled around Jiang Chen like a relentless storm.
Clearly, for these great clan scions, they simply could not accept this scene — this young man who had appeared out of nowhere and snatched the Emperor's fortune right from under their noses.
"Alchemist King Zhen?"
"How did an alchemy genius end up claiming this fortune? Could it be that his martial talent surpasses even ours?"
"Who exactly is this Alchemist King Zhen? How have we never heard of him before?"
For a moment, no one could come to terms with it at all.
Not only were the scions of these great clans dissatisfied — even the clan lords themselves were unwilling to accept the outcome. They had all been counting on their own young talents to stand out and claim the fortune.
None of them had expected that, in the end, the one who obtained this opportunity would be a young man of unknown origin. And his identity made the situation all the more absurd.
He turned out to be an Alchemist King — a guest Alchemist King from a lowly ninth-grade clan, no less.
In terms of status, a mere guest Alchemist King of a ninth-grade clan shouldn't have even qualified to attend, let alone participate.
And yet, precisely this person — who had no business being there in the first place — was the one who came out on top in the end. For every great clan present, this was nothing short of a colossal mockery.
Aside from the Panlong Clan Lord, every other clan lord under the Great Peacock Emperor was instantly filled with ill will toward this Alchemist King Zhen who had appeared out of nowhere.
Clearly, none of the clan lords could accept this result with any measure of composure.
It was actually the Panlong Clan Lord — who had endured so many years of hardship — who viewed the matter with a more open mind than the rest.
The three young talents under the Panlong clan were each extraordinary in their own right. However, geniuses though they were, when it came to whether they truly possessed the qualifications to inherit the Great Peacock Emperor's legacy, the Panlong Clan Lord still felt they fell just slightly short.
It wasn't that they were unworthy — it was that none of them had demonstrated a decisive edge over their peers, that unmistakable, overwhelming superiority that would set them head and shoulders above everyone else.
If they were forced up to that level, with good luck, perhaps they could soar to new heights.
But if luck turned against them, they could very well end up dying even more miserably than Young Master Fan.
And for Jiang Chen to occupy this position, it was actually not a bad thing for the Panlong Clan Lord. Far from being displeased about it, the Clan Lord was in fact faintly excited.
His earlier courtesy toward Jiang Chen had simply been because he needed something from him.
That said, even though he needed Jiang Chen's help, he still harbored doubts about whether the boy truly had the ability to obtain the Pine Crane Pill.
Though Jiang Chen had described that eccentric individual with vivid detail, painting the picture of a reclusive master of extraordinary standing— —without having laid eyes on that venerable expert with his own two eyes, the Panlong Clan Lord still carried a measure of worry.
But now, watching Jiang Chen seize this Emperor-level fortune with such monstrous talent, the very last shred of the Clan Lord's concern had completely vanished.
A petty lord's son from some insignificant mortal kingdom in the Myriad Dominion — if he hadn't stumbled upon an earth-shattering opportunity in his youth, how could he possibly have reached this point?
A place like the Myriad Dominion, barren as a wasteland where even birds refused to relieve themselves, starved of resources and brimming with mediocrity — by no stretch of the imagination could it produce a genius like Jiang Chen.
So the only explanation for all of this was guidance from some hidden master.
And so, at this moment, the Panlong Clan Lord truly believed — believed with absolute certainty.
"Your Majesty, we clan lords are all terribly curious as to how this Pill King Zhen obtained Your Majesty's fortune. Might Your Majesty grant us the mercy of satisfying our curiosity?" The Lingzhi Clan Lord spoke first.
"To surpass the geniuses of every clan… this Pill King Zhen is truly surprising. An alchemy genius with such martial talent — it's genuinely intriguing."
"Your Majesty, what is this Pill King Zhen's background?"
The various clan lords, though none said it outright, all harbored some degree of hostility toward Jiang Chen.
Someone who had appeared out of nowhere, with no backing or foundation whatsoever — it was naturally difficult for such a person to earn everyone's trust all at once.
But Emperor Peacock merely smiled faintly. "Heroes need not be asked of their origins. However, since you're curious about how he managed it — that's simple."
With that, Emperor Peacock nodded toward Cloud Monarch.
Cloud Monarch opened his palm, and a Recording Crystal appeared in his hand.
This crystal, however, was a type of Ling Shi capable of recording images. Although the formation could not capture every single scene, it still managed to record some key areas.
At the very least, at each critical moment when Jiang Chen passed a stage, this recording Ling Shi held quite a few records. Still, this recording Ling Shi was not omnipotent after all, and the images it showed were rather blurry and indistinct.
However, everyone could see that he had similarly passed all three stages. It was just that his passage through the three stages was exceptionally effortless and relaxed.
In comparison, while the young masters from the other great clans all passed fairly successfully, their process of clearing each stage appeared quite arduous. Each and every one of them looked somewhat flustered and embarrassed to varying degrees.
Almost no one among them managed to pass as easily and nonchalantly as this Alchemist Zhen had.