Different materials to refine the Myriad Life Pill?
Even the people from Peacock Sacred Mountain hadn't expected Jiang Chen to suddenly make such a suggestion. After all, the pill formula Jiang Chen had previously provided to Peacock Sacred Mountain was a fixed recipe — it hadn't mentioned anything about any particular ingredient being substitutable.
A sacred pill like this, in everyone's opinion, should have every ingredient and every detail refined through countless iterations by masters of alchemy, making substitution utterly impossible.
For a moment, even the people from Peacock Sacred Mountain were somewhat suspicious — was Alchemist Zhen simply trying to bluff Pill Fire City?
Knowing his odds of winning weren't great, so he resorted to trickery?
Only Great Emperor Peacock maintained his faint smile. Though he was mildly surprised by Jiang Chen's proposal, he betrayed not a hint of it on his face.
On the contrary, he vaguely sensed that this Jiang Chen might truly have another card hidden up his sleeve.
On Pill Fire City's side, however, they were in a quandary. Great Emperor Danji had never anticipated that this Alchemist Zhen from Profound Gold City, despite his youth, would pull out so many tricks.
Alchemy King
He found no clue whatsoever on Jiang Chen's face — but on the faces of those from Peacock Sacred Mountain, he caught a flicker of doubt.
When Ji Lang spotted that hint of confusion among the Peacock Sacred Mountain contingent, his spirits rose. "This kid really is putting on an act. Look at those Peacock Sacred Mountain people — they clearly don't know anything about substitute ingredients either. This must be some trick he cooked up on the spot. Trying to bluff me?"
"Is this kind of grandstanding really amusing to you?" Ji Lang sneered. "The Myriad Life Pill has been refined through countless iterations — what ingredient substitution?"
Jiang Chen had been waiting for exactly those words from Alchemist Ji Lang. The corner of his mouth curled slightly upward. "There — the mask slips, doesn't it? The Myriad Life Pill has indeed been refined through countless iterations — that much is true. And precisely because of all that refinement, one can develop many different paths to the same destination. You say ingredients can't be substituted? If I can substitute ingredients, will Pill Fire City then admit to stealing our Peacock Sacred Mountain's pill formula?"
Every word out of Jiang Chen's mouth was interlocking, part of a chain trap.
The moment the opponent stepped into one link, the rest would follow in sequence. Breaking free was impossible — unless they surrendered outright.
Ji Lang found himself momentarily at a loss for words at the sheer confidence in Jiang Chen's tone.
Jiang Chen gave him no time to think. "Alchemy King Ji Lang, every word you speak reveals your amateurism. In truth, this contest didn't even need to be a gamble — I'm sure everyone here already knows in their hearts who the true originator of the Myriad Life Pill is. It's perfectly clear."
Ji Lang's brow furrowed. "All sharp talk and a one-sided declaration of victory?"
Jiang Chen smiled calmly. "You want to talk about sharp talk? If you can produce sharper words and defeat me in debate, I'll gladly admit you've won — what's wrong with that? My Peacock Sacred Mountain is the originator of the Myriad Life Pill, which is why I dare speak of ingredient substitution. You from Pill Fire City claim to be the originator — do you have the nerve to say the same? You don't dare, because your Myriad Life Pill formula only copied one version. But our Peacock Sacred Mountain formula has developed many approaches, where numerous ingredients can be substituted. In fact, every single ingredient can be replaced. An entirely different pill formula can be used to produce the same result. Can Pill Fire City do that?"
Cut after cut.
Jiang Chen's words sliced fiercer than any blade, leaving Alchemist Ji Lang feeling, for a moment, that he simply could not parry.
Great Emperor Danji suddenly let out a long laugh. "Brother Peacock — this alchemist you've sent, is he a pill master or just a smooth talker? I'm curious. Can a contest over a single pill really generate this much empty chatter?"
Great Emperor Peacock heard this without the slightest hurry. "Brother Danji, that sounds a bit petulant. The wager over the Myriad Life Pill is, at its core, about demonstrating things on a technical level. Everything Alchemist Zhen has said stays squarely within that central question of technique. I believe the alchemy luminaries we've invited here didn't come just to watch us refine a couple of pills and call it done. If this contest were so crude and simple, it would be an insult to an occasion of this magnitude and to everyone who made the journey."
The judges, upon hearing this, felt that Great Emperor Peacock's words made considerable sense.
If both sides simply refined two pills each, this contest would be dreadfully dull.
What everyone wanted to see was the technical substance.
The higher the technical content, the more spectacular — that was beyond dispute.
And so, the judges began to speak up.
"Your Imperial Majesties, we have no intention of favoring either side. But since this is a clash at the pinnacle, both parties should naturally display their full abilities and showcase their technical superiority. Only then can we, the judges, render a fair verdict. If it simply comes down to refining two pills, too many incidental and objective factors come into play. It would make it very difficult for us to judge impartially."
"I, for one, find Alchemist Zhen's reasoning sound. If one is truly the originator, having researched the formula for centuries, one should be able to demonstrate far more technical depth. Simply refining a single pill carries far too much randomness."
It was clear that these judges were all serious technical enthusiasts. Everyone wanted to see something more impressive, and so, in short order, more than half voiced their support for Jiang Chen's proposal.
The minority who had not yet spoken privately felt that Jiang Chen's proposal was the more reasonable one as well.
Jiang Chen pressed his advantage. "I'll be the first to present a Myriad Life Pill formula. I invite all esteemed judges to examine it. I guarantee that whatever formula Pill Fire City can produce will be identical to the one I present — because the version they stole is precisely this one. I'll go further: if they can produce a second, different formula, I'll concede defeat."
With that, Jiang Chen flicked his wrist. A scroll unfurled, and the Myriad Life Pill formula was instantly displayed before everyone's eyes.