Chapter 839: Jiang Chen's Stratagem

In truth, when Jiang Chen had come here, he had already calculated everything in advance. The Ten Thousand Years Pill was an incredibly miraculous medicinal pill, but the formula he had originally presented was merely an ordinary one.

In reality, there were a total of seven or eight different formulas and methods for preparing the Ten Thousand Years Pill. Back during the alchemy competition at Illusory Wave Mountain, Jiang Chen had simply used those available materials to piece together one of those formulas.

In truth, there was far more than just that one formula for the Ten Thousand Years Pill.

Moreover, many of the ingredients could be substituted. These were things that Jiang Chen had never even mentioned to his fellow disciples at the Dangian Palace.

After all, the Ten Thousand Years Pill was already difficult enough for them to digest. If he shared too much more, given the Dangian Palace's level, they likely wouldn't be able to handle it.

As a matter of fact, the Dangian Palace truly could not handle it. After Jiang Chen gave them the formula for the Ten Thousand Years Pill, during the two years he was trapped in the forbidden grounds of the Danxiao Ancient Sect, the Dangian Palace still hadn't managed to successfully refine even a single pill.

Not even Elder Yun Nie, whose alchemy skills were the strongest in the sect, could successfully refine one.

Within the Dangian Palace, apart from Jiang Chen himself, only Mu Gaoqi had the potential to refine the Ten Thousand Years Pill. Unfortunately, before Mu Gaoqi had the chance to grow, the sect had already been shattered.

Alchemist King Ji Lang's heart stirred slightly. His deep gaze, carrying an air of scrutiny, fixed on Jiang Chen, clearly trying to discern what hidden meaning lay within this proposal.

Jiang Chen wore a faint smile, yet it conveyed a sense of unfathomable depth.

No matter how intently Alchemist King Ji Lang probed with his eyes, he found nothing.

Jiang Chen suddenly laughed: "Your Excellency has been silent for quite some time — could it be that your mind is already in disarray?"

Since you won't speak, I'll force you to. If you don't accept the challenge, it means you're afraid. It had to be said, this psychological tactic wasn't particularly sophisticated, but it was effective.

Alchemist King Ji Lang replied coolly: "In the path of alchemy, nothing is more convincing than the quality of the pill. With a single Ten Thousand Years Pill, whoever produces the higher quality one is the authentic master. Don't you think all these other matters are nothing but pointless distractions from the true way?"

The moment these words left his mouth, the people from Pill Fire City all nodded in agreement, voicing their approval.

Jiang Chen lightly slapped his forehead, putting on a slightly exaggerated smile: "I had previously heard that Your Excellency was the most talented alchemist in all of Pill Fire City, second only to His Majesty the Alchemy Emperor. After hearing what you just said, I feel those rumors were greatly exaggerated."

This was a deliberate attempt to provoke Ji Lang. Ji Lang naturally saw through it and smiled faintly: "Don't you find it tedious to keep resorting to such a crude form of goading?"

Jiang Chen scoffed, then replied with a cold laugh: "Goading? Honestly, you're giving yourself too much credit. With your level of alchemy knowledge, you're really not worth the effort of goading. You might think I'm just spouting empty words, so let me explain just how absurd your statement was."

As he spoke, Jiang Chen clasped his fists and cupped them toward all directions in greeting: "Everyone should know that quality is only one part of a pill. Whether a pill can endure through the ages isn't determined solely by its grade. First, we must consider whether the cost is worthwhile. Then we must consider whether the materials are easy to gather. We must also consider whether it conflicts with other pills. And above all, we must consider the pill's efficacy... Alchemy quality is merely one component of a pill."

"Take the Ten Thousand Years Pill as an example. If you and I were to compete in refining one here, the quality of the finished pill would be influenced by many objective factors. For instance, the grade of the pill furnace, or the grade of the alchemy fire. Your Excellency keeps insisting on competing with me in refining — I don't object to that. However, I have a proposal, and I hope the esteemed judges will evaluate whether it is reasonable."

"Let's hear it."

Upon hearing Jiang Chen's speech, the judges secretly felt a grudging respect, realizing that this young Alchemist King from the Liuli Royal City was clearly not here merely to go through the motions.

Look at the bearing of this young man — he had clearly come prepared. As for Alchemist King Ji Lang, though he maintained his composure, he had been dodging the Liuli Royal City's proposed challenge.

While that didn't necessarily mean he was afraid, at least in terms of psychological momentum, everyone felt that before the contest had even begun, Pill Fire City had already lost a slight edge.

After receiving the judges' approval, Jiang Chen smiled calmly: "Since we're competing in refining the Ten Thousand Years Pill, for the sake of fairness, I propose that both parties use the most ordinary pill furnace and the most ordinary alchemy fire. Only by suppressing all objective factors can we truly test one's technical skill. Otherwise, bringing out a heaven-defying furnace and relying on a heaven-defying alchemy fire within one's body — that isn't technique; that's the advantage of equipment. Even if you win, it wouldn't be an honorable victory. And if you lose, I doubt you'd accept it gracefully. As all of you are leading figures in the world of alchemy, I'm sure you can understand this humble proposal of mine."

The moment Jiang Chen made this proposal, the judges began whispering among themselves, all in deep agreement. No matter how little faith they had in Alchemist Zhen from the Liuli Royal City, they found his words perfectly logical.

When it came to disputes over pill formula ownership, what truly mattered was technical skill. Whoever possessed greater technique naturally had a higher claim to being the true owner of the Ten Thousand Years Pill.

A counterfeit could never match the original in terms of technical expertise.

Moreover, these leading figures in alchemy all possessed an extremely high level of understanding. Jiang Chen's words carried a sense of returning to simplicity and truth, which resonated deeply with them.

When one's cultivation in alchemy reached their level, one could often distill the complex into the simple — great skill appearing clumsy. Sometimes, one truly didn't need heaven-defying equipment; instead, one relied purely on technical skill to refine pills.

After all, for an Alchemist King, top-tier equipment was certainly nice. But during the process of alchemy, enjoying the pleasure of pure technical mastery was also indispensable.

"His Majesty the Alchemy Emperor, this Alchemist Zhen's proposal is entirely reasonable. Your Majesty is also a titan of alchemy — what does your side think?"

"Indeed, to determine the ownership of the Ten Thousand Years Pill, it must be evaluated from a technical standpoint. Relying on equipment does carry the suspicion of cheating."

"Relying on equipment is inherently a lesser approach. I support using ordinary pill furnaces and ordinary alchemy fire. In simplicity, one finds the truth."

For the moment, the majority of the judges expressed support for Jiang Chen's proposal.

It had to be said, this sudden move by Jiang Chen had completely thrown the Alchemy Emperor's plans into disarray.

Over in Pill Fire City, ever since Alchemist King Ji Lang had obtained the formula from the Indestructible Heavenly Capital and studied it for so long, his proficiency in refining the Ten Thousand Years Pill had risen considerably.