Bright Emperor Yunzhong's mind was filled with all manner of questions, but one thing was certain—the Peacock Great Emperor's eye for judging people had never once been wrong.
This was something Bright Emperor Yunzhong had never once doubted.
Pill King Zhen?
Bright Emperor Yunzhong didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He himself greatly admired Pill King Zhen, but he had never imagined that His Majesty had already been secretly viewing Pill King Zhen as a successor candidate!
"Your Majesty, Pill King Zhen is merely an Earth Saint Realm cultivator at present, isn't he? With his current level of cultivation, it would take him at least a hundred years to reach the Emperor Realm, and several hundred more to reach your level. Now that you have comprehended the Heavenly Dao, how many more years can you possibly pave the way for him?"
The Peacock Great Emperor smiled gently. "Ten years? A hundred years? This Emperor cannot say for certain. However, I can make you a wager—the next time Pill King Zhen appears, he will definitely be at the Heaven Saint Realm. Moreover, he can absolutely reach the Emperor Realm within twenty years. As for reaching this Emperor's level... it may well happen within a century."
"What? Achieving the Great Emperor title within a hundred years?" Bright Emperor Yunzhong suddenly felt that his brain couldn't quite keep up.
Going from the Saint Realm to a Titled Great Emperor in a hundred years?
Had there ever been such an astounding record in the entire history of the Divine Abyss Continent?
Bright Emperor Yunzhong never doubted His Majesty's judgment, but at this moment, he couldn't help but wonder—was His Majesty being a bit too optimistic about Pill King Zhen?
The Peacock Great Emperor didn't seem to intend any further explanation, smiling faintly. "Yunzhong, there's no need to say more about this. Let us wait and see."
Bright Emperor Yunzhong could only nod, then casually added, "Your Majesty, among the top one hundred independent cultivators in the Battle of the Alchemy Tower, the one at the very top possesses extraordinary talent in the Dao of Alchemy. This young man's identity and background..."
"The Glazed King City has its own system for verifying identities and backgrounds. This Emperor will also keep an eye on this matter. We absolutely will not allow hostile forces to infiltrate our Glazed King City. You may rest assured about this."
Bright Emperor Yunzhong nodded but couldn't help pressing, "Your Majesty, should we try to recruit him? Our Peacock Sacred Mountain is now recognized as one of the foremost sanctuaries of alchemy under heaven."
The Peacock Great Emperor chuckled. "No matter how high this young man's talent in the Dao of Alchemy may be, could it surpass Pill King Zhen's?"
"He certainly can't compare to Pill King Zhen, but a genius of this caliber is still exceedingly rare. If our Peacock Sacred Mountain doesn't recruit him, no other force would be worthy of such a talent."
Bright Emperor Yunzhong was still dead set on maintaining the Peacock Sacred Mountain's absolute authority within the Glazed King City.
The Peacock Great Emperor merely smiled noncommittally. "Yunzhong, stay calm. If he truly possesses great wisdom, he will naturally make the wisest choice. If he is shortsighted and makes an unwise choice, then it only proves he has talent and nothing more."
These words were profoundly enigmatic, leaving Bright Emperor Yunzhong completely bewildered. However, he understood—the Peacock Great Emperor didn't want them to recruit the champion independent cultivator from the Battle of the Alchemy Tower.
Bright Emperor Yunzhong had no choice but to ask helplessly, "Your Majesty, Pill King Zhen has gone traveling abroad to train. When do you suppose he will return?"
"By this Emperor's calculations, he should return within the next month. However, nothing in this world is absolutely certain. The world outside has never been smooth sailing."
...
Jiang Chen and Huang'er departed from the Sword Field Central Domain and traveled unimpeded the entire way. Within a single day, they arrived at Wanyi City on the border of the Glazed King City.
Around the outskirts of Wanyi City, Jiang Chen still detected many forces deployed by the Indestructible Heavenly Capital.
However, Jiang Chen's disguise techniques were now exceedingly sophisticated—the forces of the Indestructible Heavenly Capital couldn't possibly detect any flaws.
And so, he and Huang'er passed through the encirclement and blockade of the Indestructible Heavenly Capital without incident and entered the territory of the Glazed King City.
The entire territory of the Glazed King City was now filled with a feverish atmosphere. No matter where you went, virtually everyone was talking about the Glazed King Tower Assembly.
Once inside the Glazed King City's borders, rumors of all kinds could be heard everywhere, each more fantastical than the last.
Of course, the rumor Jiang Chen heard most often was that the Peacock Great Emperor had grown old and weak, and would likely have to yield his throne to the Asura Great Emperor.
Jiang Chen naturally scoffed at such rumors.
Though the Peacock Great Emperor had lived for several thousand years, as a Titled Great Emperor who had comprehended the Heavenly Dao—with half a step already into the Heavenly Position, calling him a half-step Heavenly Position cultivator was no exaggeration at all.
How could a figure like that possibly grow old and weak?
Rather than saying these rumors were spread by common folk below, it would be more accurate to say that someone from above was deliberately releasing such information to stir up unrest.
Even without thinking, Jiang Chen knew this had to be connected to the Asura Great Emperor. Even if the Asura Great Emperor hadn't done it personally, it must have been spread by his rabid followers.
Such rumors were devastatingly potent and satisfied the public's appetite for gossip.
Of course, rumors were just rumors. People still harbored plenty of doubts about whether the Asura Great Emperor could lead the Glazed King City to glory the way the Peacock Great Emperor had.
Clearly, up to this point, the Asura Great Emperor hadn't demonstrated any convincing boldness or capability.
Listening to the various rumors, Jiang Chen finally stepped through the gates of the Glazed King City. He gazed up at the Glazed King Tower soaring into the clouds, radiating a dazzling, mesmerizing glow like seven-treasure glazed glass, its brilliance stretching ten thousand zhang in every direction.
Jiang Chen knew that this auspicious, multicolored radiance was something that only appeared after the Glazed King Tower had been opened.
Having arrived at the city gate, Jiang Chen no longer needed to maintain his disguise. He revealed his Pill King Zhen appearance, and the city guards grew excited the moment they spotted him from a distance.
"Pill King Zhen!"