Chapter 770: Losing to Oneself
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Li Tian update:2022-07-26 14:37
“The pill, the Heptarune True Dragon Pill, is excellent in quality, and a wonderful pill for the tribulations that come from breakthroughs……” Pill King Yu took the forefront on behalf of the judges to explain why the Heptarune True Dragon Pill had won Taiyuan Tower the first round.
The fact that Taiyuan Tower had scored first blood took many onlookers aback. A murmur began to circulate quietly among the crowd. It was obvious that no one had thought that Taiyuan Tower would actually possess skill. This Heptarune True Dragon Pill did indeed seem quite good, and the fact that it scored first blood seemed to be deserved.
However, this was only the first round of the first stage of the match. One had to win at least two out of three rounds in order to win the first stage. House Wei had won the first round, but could they win a second time? For a moment, the onlookers who thought that this was going to be a one-sided battle grew a little more hopeful. They were hoping that House Wei could surprise them even more and make this bet more entertaining.
Both sides presented their second pills amidst such expectations. This time, Jiang Chen presented the Tiger Eruption Pill. He wasn’t very sure that this pill would win because he hadn’t expected to fight a pill battle during the grand opening and thus, hadn’t prepared a particularly powerful pill to stun the crowd. This Tiger Eruption Pill was a result of his own improvisations of a pill from a rather neglected branch of knowledge in the field. Although it wasn’t bad, there was no telling if it could beat the Majestic Clan’s selection. As expected, his opponent had come prepared. Their second pill was obviously an entire level higher than the Tiger Eruption Pill.
The Majestic Clan had actually produced the True Emperor Pill! The True Emperor Pill was a quasi-emperor rank pill that could increase one’s chances of reaching the emperor realm by ten to twenty percent. Although listed as a true saint rank pill, the market viewed it as an emperor rank pill and priced it accordingly. The True Emperor Pill beat the Tiger Eruption Pill immediately after it appeared.
“The True Emperor Pill is a pill any peak sage realm cultivator must have. It is incredibly sophisticated and difficult to refine. Although Taiyuan Tower’s Tiger Eruption Pill is also a worthy pill in its own right and an interesting improvisation, it cannot close the level gap. Taiyuan Lodge wins this round,” Pill King Yu announced the result of the second round.
Jiang Chen wasn’t that angry to lose to the True Emperor Pill. He could refine this pill himself if he wanted to. After all, Taiyuan Tower had just taken its first steps. He hadn’t planned to kick things into high gear immediately. However, this consideration caused him to suffer quite the disadvantage.
The first stage of the match was now a 1-1 draw. The onlookers were actually disappointed to see Taiyuan Lodge winning the second round. They’d been hoping to see Taiyuan Lodge lose the first stage. House Wei’s pill master was almost fated to lose against the Majestic Clan’s pill king in the second stage. This outcome was almost a sure certainty. Now that Taiyuan Lodge had taken back a round, momentum was obviously back on Taiyuan Lodge’s side. They were disappointed to see the Majestic Clan reassert control once more. This was because everyone knew that the Majestic Clan had prepared a trump card. Everyone in Veluriyam Capital had heard the rumors.
House Wei was also feeling a slight bit of anxiety. It was obvious that they were slightly worried about how the situation was progressing. Although they had managed to score a draw after the first two rounds, Taiyuan Tower almost had no chance of victory if Taiyuan Lodge were to produce the Longevity Pill. The situation could change if Jiang Chen produced a Longevity Pill himself, but it was highly unlikely for him to do so.
Jiang Chen himself had thought of this possibility. He was also hesitating whether he should reveal his Longevity Pill. In the end though, he decided against the impulse. As everyone expected, the Majestic Clan produced the Longevity Pill amidst much cheering. The moment the Longevity Pill showed up, every pill king present was conquered. This was a truly unique pill, in fact, the only pill to cause a ripple of shock in the pill industry for the past few hundred years or so. It wasn’t that there were no other pills that increased one’s lifespan in the market, but their effects were all average and forgettable.
The Longevity Pill’s appearance had immediately filled up this void. Although it only worked for sage realm cultivators, that was impressive enough already. Jiang Chen knew that the third round was looking bad for him the second he saw his opponent produce the Longevity Pill. He had sent in the Half-step Immortal Elixir Pill, and would have likely won if his opponent had offered any other pill. However, no matter how impressive the Half-step Immortal Elixir Pill was, it was simply not as shocking as the Longevity Pill.
There was no need for a comparison at all. The judges’ opinions were unanimous. Although they were very impressed by the Half-step Immortal Elixir Pill, they had all cast their votes for the Longevity Pill. Pill King Yu announced, “I never thought that Taiyuan Lodge would produce the Longevity Pill. I believe all of you have heard of this pill by now. It is most definitely a revolutionary pill. Although Taiyuan Tower’s Half-step Immortal Elixir Pill was also excellent and made with astounding skill, it is ultimately a shade paler compared to the Longevity Pill. Therefore, Taiyuan Lodge wins this round!”
The color on the Wei father and son’s faces immediately drained when they heard this. Meanwhile, a cheer broke out from Wang Teng’s corner. House Tong was especially pleased as they laughed raucously. Even Wang Teng couldn’t hide the smile on his face. However, young master Ji San exclaimed, “Wait!”
The judges looked surprised for a second, then Pill King Yu asked indifferently, “Are you questioning my judgment, young master Ji San?”
Young master Ji San hastily replied, “I have no questions regarding your judgment, but I do have a question regarding the Majestic Clan’s pill. As we all know, Wang Teng spent 120 million saint spirit stones to win the bid of three Longevity Pills during the Joined Ridges auction. The rules of this stage of the match is that the sect must be able to mass produce and sell the pills they show.”
Pill King Yu thought that young master Ji San’s words had a lot of sense to them, and so he turned towards Wang Teng. “Young master Wang, young master Ji San’s question is reasonable. How do you answer?”
If the Majestic Clan had gone against the rules, then they would be declared the loser instead. If that happens, then House Wei’s Taiyuan Tower would turn the tables and win the first stage of the match with a 2-1 victory instead. Wang Teng smiled faintly and clapped his hands, “Bring over a batch of Longevity Pills and show them to Pill King Yu.”
Someone came over immediately and displayed twenty Longevity Pills at once! Now even young master Ji San was a little tongue tied. Pill King Yu nodded slightly and acknowledged Wang Teng’s proof. He was going to declare Taiyuan Lodge the winner of the first stage. But before he could answer, Jiang Chen suddenly asked, “I would like to ask just one more question: did Taiyuan Lodge really refine these Longevity Pills themselves?”
Jiang Chen didn’t believe that Taiyuan Lodge could refine the Longevity Pills. These Longevity Pills had most likely been refined by the Eternal Celestial Capital before they were entrusted to the Majestic Clan to be sold in Veluriyam Capital.
Wang Teng sneered, “I don’t think we need to prove this to you, do we? Are you saying that we need to report our store’s sources to you?”
Pill King Yu also nodded, “The rules only says that the pill must be an item that can be mass produced and sold. The number Taiyuan Tower produces is enough to prove them abiding by this rule.”
Wang Teng smiled and said, “The rules do say that the pill must be capable of being mass produced, but it never said that we must be the one to do it. We have our channels and our connections. They represent our abilities too!”
Although this logic was a little shameless, it was still acceptable. Pill King Yu ignored Jiang Chen and declared, “Taiyuan Tower is the victor of the first stage!” Seeing Pill King Yu making his declaration, Jiang Chen didn’t say anything else even though he was frustrated. The reason he’d even spoken up was because he was a little put off by the Majestic Clan beating him with his own pill. It wasn’t that he couldn’t take a defeat with grace.
Although he’d lost the first stage, this battle was far from over. His first loss was also a suitable reminder to himself that he should treat the next two stages seriously and not underestimate the enemy. His loss couldn’t be chalked up to a lack of skill. The Majestic Clan had used his own goods to beat him. He could even say that he had beaten himself, not the Majestic Clan. After all, hadn’t the Majestic Clan won the first stage using the Longevity Pill? And who was the real master of the Longevity Pill? Although Jiang Chen knew that the Majestic Clan had won this stage in a rather dishonorable manner, arguing further would only leave a bad impression on the judges.
“The first stage of the battle has concluded. The second stage will be a battle between pill kings. Just like before, the stage will be conducted in three rounds. The contestant who wins two rounds wins the second stage.”
The entire pill battle had three stages; the side who won the majority would be declared victor. The same went with the three small rounds in each stage.
“Sigh, House Wei’s foundations are ultimately too shallow. They’ll probably lose horribly.”
“I know right? I doubt they can even survive this second stage.”
“Sigh, have you guys ever heard of this pill king from House Wei? He seems pretty young.”
“I actually suspect he’s a Wang family spy. Why else would he have bet his own store? Oh poor House Wei, they’ve actually gone and made the same mistake twice.”
“Wei Tianxiao’s cultivation is strong, but as a house lord he seems a little naive.”
“The Pill King Rong that the Majestic Clan just sent out seems to be a sixth rank pill king. He’s only one step away from becoming an upper rank pill king. But I heard that this pill king from House Wei is a second rank pill king?”
“A second rank pill king versus a sixth rank pill king…… where on earth does House Wei get their confidence from? Have they given up already?” The crowd buzzed with the rising and falling voices of hushed murmuring.
Both sides of this conflict looked nervous, but they were surprisingly silent. Pill King Rong walked over and cupped his fist towards the nine judges, “Please forgive me for my performance today, seniors.” He then turned to glance at Jiang Chen with a bit of a nasty smile. “Tell me your name, brat. I don’t bully nameless people.”
Jiang Chen smiled indifferently and answered, “The master and the servant are just the same, eh? If you want to fight, then fight already. Save the drivel for the mirror.”
Surprisingly, Pill King Rong didn’t grow angry, cackling oddly instead. “No wonder the young master told me to teach you better manners. You are as arrogant as you appear.”
“A dressed up animal dares to talk about teaching manners? What a joke,” Jiang Chen’s words were aimed at Pill King Rong, but his eyes had swept briefly and indifferently across Wang Teng’s face.
He cupped his fist towards the nine pill kings and said, “Please start the competition, venerable pill kings.” Jiang Chen had a stomach of anger to vent after losing the first round.
Chapter 771: The Ingenious Decan Pill Enigma [1. In Chinese, this name is derived from puzzles often found in Chinese weiqi/Japanese Go. The stones are set on a weiqi board in a predetermined pattern, and it’s up to the player to determine the proper moves to finish it. Decans are 36 groups of stars used in Ancient Egypt astronomy as well as the East Asian zodiac. In the zodiac, the groups of stars form clusters known as the 36 Calendar Animals. There are four main clusters, with each cluster made up of nine deity animals. The four clusters represent the cardinal directions, and each cluster is further divided into triads of animals.]
Although Pill King Yu wasn’t sure where House Wei’s guest pill king come from, privately speaking, he admired Jiang Chen more of the two competitors. This was because of the three pills Jiang Chen had brought out. Despite their average rank, they had all been incredibly pure, with a level of quality that couldn’t be found at the hands of an average pill master. Moreover, all three pills had a unique personal style that Pill King Yu thought he’d encountered in the past. He just wasn’t able to put his finger on it. Be it the Tiger Eruption Pill, the Half-step Immortal Elixir Pill or the Heptarune True Dragon Pill, they all possessed the marks of a confident master’s hand. These pills were quite extraordinary. If he wasn’t a judge who was ensuring the match’s fairness, Pill King Yu would’ve admitted that he liked Taiyuan Tower’s pills more.
The reason Taiyuan Lodge had been able to win was because its pills was of a higher rank. To put it bluntly, they were just bullying the weak. They were using emperor rank pills to compete against true saint rank or even saint rank pills. Although they’d won the stage, their victory rang slightly hollow. Moreover, everyone knew where the Longevity Pill came from. Even Pill King Yu himself didn’t believe that Taiyuan Lodge had the capability to refine the Longevity Pill. It was likely the force who’d obtained the Longevity Pill’s pill recipe who had refined it. They had probably only entrusted the Majestic Clan with selling them.
Of course, the rules said nothing about the store refining their pills with their own hands. A consigned batch of products was still within the rules. Although Pill King Yu admired Taiyuan Tower’s pills more, he couldn’t go against his conscience and claim that the Longevity Pill wasn’t comparable to the Half-step Immortal Elixir Pill. Even if he did, the rest of the judges wouldn’t do the same.
Yet, House Wei’s pill king was actually calling out to Taiyuan Lodge with absolute confidence and fearlessness. His fighting will surprised even Pill King Yu. Regardless of the final outcome, Pill King Yu had to admit to feeling some sympathy and admiration for House Wei. After all, House Wei had proven themselves to possess genuine talent and skill. The fact that a ninth rank aristocratic family could resist the Majestic Clan this far was an incredible feat already. With Pill King Yu’s intelligence, how could he not notice that the grudge between Taiyuan Lodge and Taiyuan Tower was a ploy by the Majestic Clan to suppress House Wei?
Taiyuan Tower had sent their invitation to him early on, whereas Taiyuan Lodge’s invitation had only reached him last night. It was obvious from this alone that Taiyuan Lodge was aiming for Taiyuan Tower. To put it bluntly, the Majestic Clan had affixed House Wei in its crosshairs from the beginning. Pill King Yu was a person of great virtue and prestige. Although he had seen much darkness in this world, he hadn’t lost sight of what was right and what was wrong as a pill king. Even though his sentiment wasn’t so strong that he would unequivocally support House Wei, emotionally speaking, he was absolutely leaning towards their side. He stared rather meaningfully at Jiang Chen before casting a second glance at Pill King Rong of the Majestic Clan. Pill King Yu cleared his throat and spoke again, “The second stage of the first set is an ancient enigma. I’d come across this once in an ancient scripture long ago. To be honest, even after several hundred years of research, I have yet to crack all its mysteries……” At this point, Pill King Yu waved his hands. “I have two scrolls here written with a set of materials each. To be specific, 36 types of spirit herbs. The contents of the scrolls are completely identical. Your task is to use these 36 materials to brainstorm as many pill recipes as you can. The more the better. Whoever comes up with the most pill recipes wins the round. You have one hour. Remember, these spirit materials can be used infinitely. If you’ve written it down in one pill recipe, you can use it again in another pill recipe.”
Once he was finished, Pill King Yu shook his sleeves slightly and delivered the scrolls into Jiang Chen and Pill King Rong’s hands. Pill King Rong looked excited. It so happened that the pill recipe composition was one of his strengths. The thing he loved to research the most in his life was none other than the assembly and disassembly of all kinds of pill recipes. Jiang Chen revealed nothing on his face. When he received the scroll, he looked through it and felt the shapes of all thirty six spirit herbs flashing past his mind. Jiang Chen smiled inwardly when he looked through roughly thirty spirit herbs. He immediately figured out the true identity of the ‘ancient enigma’ Pill King Yu spoke of.
It was indeed an ‘ancient enigma’, and a very old one at that. This was because Jiang Chen had seen this enigma once or twice during his era. It possessed a very nice sounding name, the ‘Ingenious Decan Pill Enigma’. It was called thus because this puzzle contained a total of thirty six spirit herbs, and they secretly corresponded to the thirty six calendar animals of the skies. It also just so happened that these thirty six spirit materials could produce a total of thirty six pill recipes, not one more and not one less.
It was impossible for the puzzle to contain even one more pill recipe. But if the answer lacked even one pill recipe, the enigma was imperfect. Countless pill dao seniors had spent who knew how much effort to put together the ultimate list for this ancient enigma. It was an exquisite pill riddle that countless geniuses wanted to crack. Those who couldn’t solve it wanted to complete it even at the cost of their life. As for those who knew the 36 solutions, they wanted to overturn the answer key and come up with a 37th pill formula with equal determination. Unfortunately, no one had ever been able to come up with a thirty seventh recipe, despite the relentless efforts of countless pill dao masters.
Jiang Chen never imagined that this Pill King Yu would know the Ingenious Decan Pill Enigma. However, it sounded like he hadn’t mastered this pill enigma yet. Had he only heard of its reputation or understood only part of it? Either way, it wasn’t Jiang Chen’s problem, so he picked up his brush and paper and began writing in a masterful manner. He remembered this Ingenious Decan Pill Enigma so well that he could write it down backwards. He filled out all thirty six pill recipes of the puzzle in less than fifteen minutes.
It wasn’t as if this pill enigma was some supremely confidential industry knowledge. To put it bluntly, it was just an interesting interlude of the pill industry. It was just like scholars who challenged customers with rhymed couplets, or chess players who studied all kinds of ancient chess puzzles.
“Are you done?” Pill King Yu was stunned when Jiang Chen suddenly stood up and turned in his paper. He never thought that Jiang Chen would finish in just fifteen minutes’ time. An entire hour had been allocated for the round, but House Wei’s pill king was turning in his answer already? Was this fellow just giving up? If that really was the case, then Pill King Yu would have to withdraw that bit about admiring Pill King Zhen earlier. Pill King Yu’s original impression of House Wei’s pill king was favorable, but if he was a weak minded person who gave up so easily, then he would not amount to much in the pill field. After accepting Jiang Chen’s scroll with a flash of disappointment, Pill King Yu responded indifferently, “Please be seated and wait. The allotted time isn’t up yet, and we cannot review your answer until then.”
That was the proper rule. Taiyuan Lodge’s Pill King Rong was still busy racking his brains on the other side. Every onlooker were stunned when they saw Pill King Rong so deep in thought and Taiyuan Tower’s pill king submitting his answer so early.
What’s going on? Pill King Rong, the sixth rank pill king well known for his research in pill recipes was looking harried, but the unknown Pill King Zhen of Taiyuan Tower had turned in his answer in less than fifteen minutes? This scene puzzled and surprised people to no end.
“I told you, didn’t I? This Pill King Zhen of Taiyuan Tower is definitely a spy sent to House Wei by the Majestic Clan. He’s a trap!”
“Hah, I’m actually starting to believe you a little. It does look like he’s fooled House Wei.”
“Sigh, can he at least not make it so obvious that he’s screwing over his victims? Turning in his answer in fifteen minutes is just……”
Jiang Chen’s actions had once again drawn the suspicion of onlookers at the scene. After all, his behavior were just too unusual. However, Jiang Chen returned to his own seat and looked completely unmoved by the comments tossed in his direction. His consciousness would occasionally flit over to the judges. In reality, he understood that he didn’t need to worry about foul play. It was impossible that the judges would change his scroll or aid Pill King Rong in cheating.
The calmer Jiang Chen became, the more anxious and paranoid Pill King Rong became. Onlookers could freely suspect Jiang Chen of being a spy, but Pill King Rong knew that this Pill King Zhen of Taiyuan Tower certainly wasn’t a member of the Majestic Clan. Since he wasn’t sent by the Majestic Clan to trap House Wei, there shouldn’t be any reason to give up just like that. But if he hadn’t given up, then why did he turn in his answer so early? It couldn’t be that he had come up with enough pill recipes to be assured of a complete victory? He refused to believe this. There was simply no way a nameless small fry could possess such skill!
For a moment or two, Pill King Rong wasn’t able to calm down at all. It was Wang Teng who picked up some clues to his mood and sent a message to Pill King Rong, “Don’t panic. That kid may be trying to disturb your mind so that you lose your concentration. Don’t fall for his trap and just perform at your usual level!”
Pill King Rong trembled slightly when Wang Teng’s reminder reached his ears. Taking a breath, he calmed down. He concentrated on the enigma once more and studied it seriously.
On the other side, Jiang Chen wasn’t looking at Pill King Rong at all. He wasn’t even looking towards the opposite side. Pill King Rong’s performance wasn’t concerning him in the slightest. No matter how well he performed, the prerequisite to even get a draw with Jiang Chen was to master the Ingenious Decan Pill Enigma. In other words, this match was going to be a draw at best.
But if his opponent had mastered the Ingenious Decan Pill Enigma beforehand, then he wouldn’t be scratching his head anxiously and furrowing his eyebrows in thought. He should’ve turned in his answer a long time ago just like Jiang Chen. That was why Jiang Chen’s mindset was as firm as a mountain. He’d known early on that this round was his already. Meanwhile, House Wei was unsure as to what Jiang Chen was planning. Thankfully, they had seen all sorts of miracles from Jiang Chen, so they didn’t try to interrupt him, even though they itched to do. However, they weren’t able to hide their anxiety from appearing on their face.
Finally, the hour passed. Although Pill King Rong was feeling a little reluctant, he turned in his paper obediently. He also shot a fierce glare at Jiang Chen in passing, as if it could increase his morale and aid him in beating his enemy. Jiang Chen smiled disdainfully and swept his glance right past Pill King Rong like he was watching an idiot preen.
Now that both scrolls had been turned in, Pill King Yu was anxious to look at Jiang Chen’s answer. He had been observing Jiang Chen since the beginning, and didn’t find any signs of the impatience he’d expected. So why had he turned in his answers so early?
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