The seven judges before him had all produced pill recipes that were thoroughly unremarkable. While you couldn't say they were completely without merit, they certainly weren't anything to get excited about.
The participating alchemy talents had harbored hopes of gaining some fortune—perhaps learning new pill recipes. Instead, they found that while new recipes did exist, their quality was mediocre at best.
Now only Alchemist Zhen remained. Though everyone still held some expectations, their enthusiasm had dimmed considerably. Some could barely muster any spirit at all.
Jiang Chen could see the dejection among the crowd. If he were a participant who had built up expectations only to discover that these top-tier Pill Kings were all so stingy, he'd be dejected too.
"Everyone, you've all been busy for over a month and must be quite exhausted. However, this time you need to stay sharp. The pill recipe I'll be teaching—if you don't devote yourselves wholeheartedly, a single day may not be enough to learn it. This pill is of the highest caliber, one that even Emperor realm experts can use!"
These words hit the participants like a shot of adrenaline. Their eyes lit up one after another as they turned to gaze at Jiang Chen, anticipation burning in their eyes.
"A pill that even Emperor realm experts can use? Wouldn't that make it an Earth Grade pill?"
"Tsk, tsk—an Earth Grade pill! That's absolutely top-tier!"
"As expected of Alchemist Zhen, Radiant City's very own idol. Grand gestures indeed—the moment he acts, it's breathtaking."
"Haha, I knew it! Alchemist Zhen is our idol and would never give us the brush-off. Those pills from before were practically putting me to sleep."
It was clear the participants had their complaints about the pills presented by the earlier judges.
While technically within the rules, they were undeniably petty. If not for the competition, they wouldn't have had any interest in learning them at all.
But the moment Alchemist Zhen stepped up, he immediately displayed a completely different caliber of generosity and ambition—truly worthy of being Radiant City's new-generation idol!
In an instant, excited chatter erupted below, cheers thundering through the hall.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. At this point, whether he overshadowed the other judges or not didn't concern him. Honestly, he had his own reservations about how stingy those judges had been.
Each of them was supposed to be an elder of the alchemy world, respected and accomplished. Supporting the next generation should have been a given. Especially for a grand event held once every sixty years—you absolutely couldn't let young people leave empty-handed.
If even now they couldn't give the young generation something worthwhile, it was no wonder Radiant City's alchemy had never surpassed Pill Fire City—it wasn't even a third as good.
That was the root of the problem.
It was precisely with this in mind that Jiang Chen had chosen to present the Hundred Revolution Marrow Refining Pill—a recipe truly worthy of being called an Earth Grade pill.
Compared to this pill, the seven recipes from the previous judges were garbage. There was simply no comparison.
Jiang Chen looked down at the participants' eager, expectant faces and felt a twinge of emotion.
He pressed both hands downward slightly, signaling for quiet.
Jiang Chen had clearly underestimated his own influence. A simple gesture of pressing his hands down proved more effective than any words. Every participant fell silent simultaneously, the hall instantly devoid of a single extraneous sound.
Jiang Chen was briefly taken aback, then chuckled: "I know you all have high expectations. To avoid disappointing you, the pill recipe I'm presenting this time truly deserves to be called an Earth Grade pill. This pill is called the Hundred Revolution Marrow Refining Pill. For body-refining martial artists who temper their physical forms, it possesses heaven-defying effects of fortifying bones and sinews, refining bone marrow. Not only can it strengthen the physical body, but it can also purge hidden injuries caused by body refinement. It also has the effect of reinforcing meridians. This pill offers multiple benefits with no side effects whatsoever—one of the most supreme body-refinement pills in existence."
Jiang Chen introduced the Hundred Revolution Marrow Refining Pill at a measured pace.
"The Hundred Revolution Marrow Refining Pill?" Alchemist Yi blurted out in shock.
"What about it? Brother Yi, have you heard of this pill?" the other judges asked curiously.
Alchemist Yi's expression was complex as he looked at Jiang Chen with undisguised admiration, nodding slowly: "I once came across this pill in an ancient text, but its recipe was never recorded in Radiant City. If this pill were to be disseminated, it would fill a significant gap in our city's knowledge."
At this point, Alchemist Yi suddenly stood and addressed Jiang Chen: "Alchemist Zhen, forgive the interruption—may I interject something?"
Seeing Alchemist Yi speak up suddenly, Jiang Chen knew he must have something important to say. He smiled and gestured: "Please, Alchemist Yi."
Alchemist Yi's sharp gaze swept across all the participants as he declared in a loud voice: "Everyone, Alchemist Zhen is about to share this generous gift with you, and I envy your good fortune. However, I must play the villain here today. You all must swear a Heaven-and-Earth Oath that you will never pass this pill recipe to anyone outside Radiant City. Even if the recipe is to be handed down, it must only be to those loyal to our city. Under no circumstances may those outside our city learn this recipe."
The moment Alchemist Yi said this, everyone understood his intentions.
The other judges nodded in agreement. Though they competed among themselves, when it came to dealing with the outside world, they stood united. No one wanted Radiant City's treasures stolen by other powers—especially Pill Fire City. A good pill recipe falling into their hands would be like a sheep walking into a tiger's maw!
Radiant City already held no advantage over Pill Fire City. If such a valuable recipe leaked out, the loss would be even more unacceptable.
Thus, Alchemist Yi's action was meant to prevent such consequences.
His request was supported by all the other judges. Even Jiang Chen felt it was necessary. He had no intention of giving away his recipes for nothing.
Just like with the Ten Thousand Year Pill before—he'd shared it, only for it to cause a cascade of trouble. It had nearly fallen into the hands of those bastards from Pill Fire City.
This time, he would certainly learn from that lesson. Though this recipe couldn't compare to the Ten Thousand Year Pill, Jiang Chen was still unwilling to let Pill Fire City pilfer it.