Heaven-Surpassing Divine Emperor

So what if he was a Fifth-Grade Alchemist?

’I can casually refine Sixth-grade Spirit Pills right now.’

’How dare he say I’m not even qualified to carry his shoes?’

Jiang Chen shook his head slightly, a playful smile on his face, but he didn’t say anything.

His current Spiritual Realm was so high it was comparable to the top few on the Celestial Venerable List. ’Why would a king stoop to arguing with a commoner?’

However...

In the eyes of that Fifth-Grade Alchemist, Jiang Chen’s silence was a sign of cowardice and being flustered. A deeply mocking expression on his face, he said without reservation, ”Did you all see that? I spoke to him so rudely just now, yet he didn’t dare to utter a single word in protest. What do you think that means?”

The crowd chimed in, ”He’s clearly flustered!”

”He must have realized you’re a Fifth-Grade High-Level Alchemist and is too afraid to offend you!”

”As expected of the most talented alchemical genius in the history of the Fengyang Ancient Country, Master Xuu Tianyu, you are truly extraordinary! Even the renowned Jiang Chen wouldn’t dare act presumptuously in your presence!”

The crowd showered him with flattery.

The smile on Xuu Tianyu’s face grew even more brilliant, and his gaze toward Jiang Chen became filled with even more disdain and contempt.

......

「Time passed quickly, and it was soon noon.」

Wei Lihuang, Gai Shi, and the others arrived and sat down beside Jiang Chen.

The moment Gai Shi sat down, he grinned and said, ”Jiang Chen, I know your Alchemy Technique is pretty impressive too. Interested in going down there to stretch your legs a bit? The rewards for this Alchemy Conference are fantastic!”

Wei Lihuang added, ”The top ten contestants in this Alchemy Conference will all earn a spot at the Celestial Secret Banquet. Furthermore, the Spirit Pills refined by the top three can be entered into the auction at the banquet. Whatever the final auction price, our Celestial Secret Pavilion will reward the alchemist with an additional five times that amount!”

Jiang Chen was taken aback, secretly marveling at the sheer extravagance of the Celestial Secret Pavilion.

’Five times!’

’A single Fifth-grade low-level Spirit Pill typically sells for tens of billions of Lower-Grade Spirit Crystals. The price doubles for a Fifth-Grade Middle Level pill, and doubles again for a Fifth Grade High Level one!’

’A Fifth-grade Advanced Pill would fetch at least several hundred billion Lower-Grade Spirit Crystals.’

’And the Celestial Secret Pavilion is offering a five-fold reward on top of that? That means a prize of several hundred billion Lower-Grade Spirit Crystals!’

’That’s what you call deep pockets!’

However...

Jiang Chen shook his head and smiled. ”I’ll pass. No need for me to go up and make a fool of myself.”

’If I were to compete, I’d take first place without a doubt, and that would just be bullying them!’

Jiang Chen felt such an act was beneath him.

Seeing that Jiang Chen was genuinely not interested, Wei Lihuang and Gai Shi didn’t press the matter.

Gai Shi pointed to an old man with white hair and a white beard on Arena Thirteen below, a proud look on his face. ”That is my Luotian Dynasty’s chief alchemist, Master Gu Dan. He became a Fifth-Grade High-Level Alchemist more than a decade ago. He’s one of the favorites to win this Alchemy Conference!”

Gai Shi continued his introductions for Jiang Chen. ”The one on Arena Seven is from the Dragon Emperor Ancient Country. Rumor has it he received the inheritance of the Ancient Pill Sect. His Alchemy Technique is absolutely first-class, making him another favorite to win. See that youth in the beast skins on Arena Nine? He’s from the Southern Border and very mysterious. A year ago, he started challenging Human King Realm Powerhouses all over, and now he’s already broken into the top fifty on the Earth Venerable List. He’s incredibly strong. They say he uses the Witchcraft and Gu Technique of the Southern Border in his alchemy, making his methods profound and unpredictable...”

Through Gai Shi’s introductions, Jiang Chen gained a decent understanding of these top contenders.

The Alchemy Conference hosted by the Celestial Secret Pavilion in Celestial Capital City offered such generous rewards that it had attracted top alchemists from all corners of the land.

Right now, there were over 1,300 arenas set up.

Each one was occupied by an alchemist of at least the Fourth Grade, making it a truly unprecedented alchemy spectacle.

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow and pointed to a handsome young alchemist on Arena Three who wore an arrogant, dismissive expression. ”Gai Shi, who’s that?”

”Him?”

Gai Shi faltered, a flicker of disgust crossing his face. ”That’s Duan Xu from the Fengyang Ancient Country. He’s twenty-eight and already a Fifth-Grade High-Level Alchemist, hailed as the greatest alchemist in the history of the Fengyang Ancient Country. I heard the Fire Emperor Ancestor of Fengyang has placed great hopes in him, once proclaiming that he would become the youngest Sixth-Grade Alchemist in the entire Eastern Continent!”

”Twenty-eight? The youngest Sixth-Grade Alchemist?”

Jiang Chen smiled slightly, noncommittally.

’I’m still a few months away from my twentieth birthday, and I can already refine Sixth-grade Spirit Pills.’

’Even if Duan Xu broke through right this second, he still wouldn’t be the youngest Sixth-Grade Alchemist in the Eastern Continent!’

Gai Shi asked doubtfully, ”Do you know him?”

”Never met him.”

Jiang Chen shrugged, then smiled. ”Looks like the Alchemy Conference is starting!”

At that moment...

Wei Lihuang announced the official start of the Alchemy Conference, and all one thousand-plus alchemists immediately began the refining process.

One after another, Medicine Cauldrons materialized on the arenas.

Pill Fire swirled.

The rules of the Alchemy Conference were quite simple: contestants just had to refine the highest-grade pill they were capable of. The final judgment would be based on the quality and completeness of the finished pill.

Every alchemist was pouring their full effort into refining their pill.

On the arenas below.

However, three individuals had yet to make a move.

These three were Master Gu Dan of the Luotian Dynasty, Duan Xu of the Fengyang Ancient Country, and the mysterious youth from the Southern Border.

All three looked perfectly composed.

It seemed they were all waiting for the others to make the first move.

After waiting for a full double-hour, Duan Xu finally lost his patience. He glanced at Gu Dan and the Beast Skinned Youth and declared arrogantly, ”Are you two trying to play mind games? Don’t waste your energy. With me, Duan Xu, here today, first place in this Alchemy Conference is guaranteed to be mine!”

Gu Dan glanced at him and shook his head. ”Junior, you are far too arrogant.”

Duan Xu shot him a disdainful look. ”Gu Dan, you’re an old man of a hundred-odd years, yet you’re still here competing with us youngsters. Aren’t you ashamed? I’ll lay my terms on the table right now. If the pill you refine today is better than mine, I will never practice alchemy again for the rest of my life. But if you lose, you, Gu Dan, will never be allowed to touch alchemy again either. Do you dare to take this bet?”

Gu Dan’s expression changed abruptly. His clear eyes now blazed with fury as he said in a low voice, ”Junior, when I became a Fifth-Grade Alchemist, you were still playing in the mud! How dare you look down on me like this?”

”Hmph, when you became a Fifth-Grade Alchemist, I was indeed still playing in the mud. But what about now?”

But Duan Xu just laughed mockingly. ”Gu Dan, don’t say I didn’t give you a way out. How about this: just admit that you’re inferior to me, get on your knees and give me three loud kowtows, and I, Duan Xu, won’t trouble you anymore. What do you say?”

”You bastard! You’ve gone too far!” Gu Dan was beside himself with rage. ”Fine! I’ll take that bet!”

”Excellent!”

Duan Xu let out a great laugh, then glanced over at the Beast Skinned Youth. ”Hey, kid, you interested in a bet too?”

The Beast Skinned Youth shot him a sideways glance and said flatly, ”Keep running your mouth, and see if I don’t slap you to death with a single palm.”

”You...”

Duan Xu’s expression froze. He spat viciously on the ground. ”Savage from the Southern Border. I won’t stoop to your level!”

Nearby, Gu Dan and the Beast Skinned Youth had already begun their refinement. Duan Xu took a deep breath, shot a glance up at Jiang Chen on the high platform—his eyes filled with deep disdain and provocation—then summoned his Pill Cauldron and began his alchemy...