Due to the overwhelming demands of the crowd, Jiang Chen had no choice but to take a seat on the judges' panel. Originally seven judges, and with one more added, that made eight.
However, in a competition of this nature, whether there were seven or eight judges wouldn't affect the outcome in any meaningful way. Adding Jiang Chen was simply what everyone wanted — it gave these alchemy prodigies the honor of showcasing their talents before Pill King Zhen.
The moment Jiang Chen took his seat, he faintly detected two or three pairs of rather unfriendly eyes drifting over him.
He paid them no mind, smiled serenely, and settled into the judges' row.
Beside him, the top Pill King representing Peacock Sacred Mountain was surnamed Yi, known to all as Pill King Yi. He offered Jiang Chen a friendly smile and simultaneously transmitted his voice: "Pill King Zhen, you really should have replaced me in this grand competition. Unfortunately, you hadn't returned yet, so this old man had to reluctantly fill the spot. But I know my own limitations. That doesn't mean the other judges are similarly convinced. Pill King Zhen, do be careful of them."
Jiang Chen received Pill King Yi's warning with a flicker of surprise, and then quickly understood. The human heart was full of treachery, and jealousy was perhaps the most primal of sins.
Though Jiang Chen had no intention of stealing the spotlight, some things simply had to be done. Having chosen to sit down, he feared neither jealousy nor hostility.
There were people who disliked you no matter what — they would always find a reason to target you. Jiang Chen had never cared about winning over such people. Simply ignoring them was enough.
If anyone was foolish enough to provoke him, Jiang Chen had plenty of methods to make them lose face spectacularly.
Jiang Chen had participated in many alchemy competitions before, but serving as a judge was a first in this lifetime. Sitting on the judges' panel, he felt a certain degree of unfamiliarity.
He skimmed through the rules and quickly formed a general understanding. After studying them a few more times, the regulations were fully committed to memory.
"We may begin," Jiang Chen nodded to the other judges.
Pill King Yi, as the representative of Peacock Sacred Mountain, naturally had the most authority to speak. Seeing Jiang Chen nod to him, he addressed the competitors: "Very well, all participants, please pay attention. The preliminary round of the Pill Tower Contest officially begins now. From this point forward, whether you are scions of great clans or rogue cultivators, you all stand on the same starting line. Among your two hundred, the top thirty-six will be selected to enter the Glazed Pill Tower. All of your contests will be decided under our impartial judgment — there will absolutely be no possibility of favoritism or fraud. If any among you harbors thoughts of cheating, I advise you to abandon that notion immediately. Once caught, you will be expelled from Glazed King City and permanently barred from entry!"
Pill King Yi wore a stern expression, his commanding gaze sweeping across every competitor before he spoke again: "One final reminder — if there are any among you with ulterior motives, seeking to spy on the secrets of the Glazed Pill Tower, I advise you to give up that idea as well. From ancient times to the present, Glazed King City has caught countless such spies. And their fate has always been one and the same — death!"
Alchemy competitions came in many forms, but the core principles never changed.
The preliminary round of this Pill Tower Contest was divided into three stages.
The first stage was the basic assessment. The second was the theoretical assessment. The third was pill refinement.
The basic assessment tested each competitor's fundamentals. For an alchemy prodigy, fundamentals were critically important. The scope of fundamentals was vast — it even encompassed the prodigy's innate talent, which counted as one of the items in the basic assessment.
In fact, it was the single most important item in the basic assessment.
After all, whether in alchemy or martial cultivation, talent was the first hurdle that could never be sidestepped.
Without talent, everything was empty talk.
Just like Jiang Chen in his previous life — born with the Extreme Yin Body, lacking any cultivation talent whatsoever. Even his father, the Celestial Emperor, who possessed the divine ability to reverse the sun and moon, could not overturn that fact.
Talent was the decisive first step.
Only with talent could one discuss the next steps.
Two hundred alchemy prodigies underwent the basic assessment one by one.
Although the assessment items were numerous, they were extremely well-organized. As a judge, Jiang Chen didn't need to do much preparatory work — he simply operated according to the established procedures.
The basic assessment had nothing unusual. Before long, the results were in.
Of the top thirty-six ranked competitors, a full thirty came from the great clan scions. Only six were from the ranks of rogue cultivators.
This contrast immediately revealed the overall advantage that the great clan scions held over the rogue cultivators.
However, what surprised many was that after the basic assessment, the person who topped the rankings was not a scion of any great clan, but a rogue cultivator.
Jiang Chen examined Lin Yanyu's scores across all the basic assessment items and couldn't help but marvel inwardly. In terms of fundamentals alone, Lin Yanyu's foundation was even more solid than Mu Gaoqi's.
Perhaps in any single area of talent, Lin Yanyu fell slightly short of Mu Gaoqi's Innate Supreme Wooden Spirit Body. But thanks to a family heritage steeped in alchemy, every aspect of Lin Yanyu's fundamentals surpassed Mu Gaoqi's in solidity.
If Mu Gaoqi had been in this lineup taking the assessment, she might have cracked the top five, but she certainly wouldn't have reached the summit.
It wasn't that Mu Gaoqi lacked ability — rather, her talent at the Dan Qian Palace had not yet been fully cultivated. Only the thinnest surface had been scratched.
If Mu Gaoqi spent thirty years honing her skills in Pill Fire City and then returned to compete in this ranking contest, Lin Yanyu might lose his edge entirely.
Given another hundred years, Lin Yanyu might even fall behind Mu Gaoqi.
But at this stage, Lin Yanyu was unquestionably the most outstanding.
Jiang Chen clicked his tongue in silent admiration. "Pill Fire City truly deserves its reputation as the foremost power in alchemy. Even an ordinary clan member possesses such astonishing talent. Fortunately, Pill Fire City has an abundance of talent and doesn't know how to cherish it. Otherwise, Glazed King City would have absolutely no hope of obtaining someone like Lin Yanyu."
From Lin Yanyu alone, the gap between Glazed King City and Pill Fire City in the field of alchemy was completely laid bare.