Sovereign of the Three Realms

With nine judges personally supervising the match, cheating was naturally impossible.

“Please prepare your ingredients swiftly, both of you. Time is limited, so don’t dilly dally,” Pill King Yu commanded.

Jiang Chen had no need to make any preparations. He was the one who’d refined his pills, so of course he had plenty of ingredients in stock. After all, he had chosen the Tiger Eruption Pill, Half-step Immortal Elixir Pill and the Heptarune True Dragon Pill after careful consideration. He was going to use them as Taiyuan Tower’s key products. If Taiyuan Lodge hadn’t muddied the waters, Jiang Chen was absolutely confident that these pills could help them break into Veluriyam Capital’s pill market and earn Taiyuan Tower a seat in Farmer God Market. He never thought that the Majestic Clan would strike out of nowhere and disrupt his plans. If they hadn’t crossed his bottom line, he wouldn’t have retaliated against them.

“At this point, the Majestic Clan can only be my sworn enemy. I must win today’s bet and defeat Taiyuan Lodge!” Jiang Chen knew very well that Taiyuan Tower could only open for business smoothly if he won this bet. As for making an enemy out of the Majestic Clan, now was not the time to consider such things. House Wei was never going to coexist peacefully with the Majestic Clan in the first place.

If the Majestic Clan failed to open their business on the opposite side of the street, if their momentum was thwarted today, then it would be very difficult even for the clan to regain their vigor after the blow to their reputation. Jiang Chen shed all of his hesitation as his thoughts came to a close.

He had refined all three pills using the Deviant Pill Faction’s methods. His selection of ingredients was just as unique. No one had it in them to be surprised anymore at this sight, not after witnessing Jiang Chen’s Triphase Pill earlier. And unlike Jiang Chen, Pill King Rong was obviously still feeling apprehensive. After all, he couldn’t refine the Longevity Pill. If he couldn’t refine the Longevity Pill, then his chances to win this round were minimal at best. He knew this very well. Noting the pill king’s mentality, Wang Teng couldn’t help but send him another message, “Don’t be distracted, Pill King Rong. Even if you can’t win this round, there are still two rounds left to turn things around! You will be the Majestic Clan’s sinner if you simply give up like this!”

Pill King Rong shuddered all over and felt cold sweat bead out of every pore on his body. He immediately reined in his thoughts and concentrated fully on refining his pills.

That being said, Pill King Rong really had no chance of victory. Jiang Chen was giving free rein to his skills as he reached a state of flow. Fire control, cauldron heating, pill refinement…

The entire process was as smooth as a stream of water, every movement pared down to flawlessness. His practiced movements and his astounding skills were truly an eye opener to everyone present. He was stunningly brilliant!

Everyone knew that followers of the Deviant Pill Faction were supposedly very skillful, but not many had ever seen a representative of the Deviant Pill Faction with their own eyes. But today, Jiang Chen proved to the world that this school of thought was absolutely deserving of its reputation. There was absolutely a reason behind the Deviant Pill Faction’s popularity. It wasn’t the heretical pill faction many people criticized them to be!

There were almost no one paying attention to Pill King Rong’s work at the moment, regardless of whether or not they were a fan of the Deviant Pill Faction. Almost all attention was focused on Jiang Chen. For diehard fans, Jiang Chen’s work was naturally a wonderful and pleasant feast for the eyes. For those maintaining a neutral stance, they were sighing with admiration at the Deviant Pill Faction representative’s skill and handiwork. It absolutely deserved to be called a work of the gods, a sight they wouldn’t ever forget. Naysayers were at a loss for words after seeing Jiang Chen’s skill. They hoped to find some flaws that they could use to attack the Deviant Pill Faction, but were left floundering.

The pill dao was a sea made up of hundreds of large streams. There were plenty of factions pursuing the art of pill dao, but today, those assembled finally learned the reason why there were so many adoring fans of this school of thought. The onlookers were incredibly excited by Jiang Chen’s skill, and the Deviant Pill Faction fanatics only wished that they could worship him as a god. These people had always been diehard fans of the Deviant Pill Faction, and they had always diligently researched this subject. But while it was easy to claim that one was a member of the Deviant Pill Faction, it was very difficult to actually possess the appropriate skill.

Although there were many so-called Deviant Pill Faction creations and pill masters on the market, they were mostly false advertising. While they hung the Deviant Pill Faction’s shop sign over their store, they knew little to nothing of its methods. There was almost no true master of the Deviant Pill Faction around. For the past several hundred years, there had been many who’d passed themselves off as a member of the Deviant Pill Faction. However, there hadn’t been a single representative who could truly win the trust and worship of the people! But today, Jiang Chen had stepped into this void. The fans of the Deviant Pill Faction vaguely sensed that a person who could represent them had finally appeared!

Time slowly passed by.

In reality, the process of a pill battle was pretty dull. Most people looked forward to the end results more than the process. But now, everyone was enjoying the interim to the fullest as well. They only wished that time could pass slower so that they could fully observe and enjoy the refining process of the Deviant Pill Faction.

Indeed, Jiang Chen’s skill had won many a heart. It was true these three pills weren’t outstanding in terms of rank, nor could they be considered top class. However, the Deviant Pill Faction’s methods and skills were there for everyone to see. Just based on this point alone, everyone could determine that Pill King Zhen of House Wei absolutely deserved the title of a master of his craft, even if he wasn’t a top class pill king yet.

What was a master ?

A master of the craft was the outstanding representative of a faction. If the faction he represented was acknowledged as a proper faction, then the representative themselves would be acknowledged as a master of the craft too. Back at the stage of battle, it seemed that happiness was always short-lived. The speed Jiang Chen used to refine the three pills was much faster than anyone expected.

In just fifteen minutes before the end of the time limit, Jiang Chen turned in three newly minted pills to the nine judges. Pill King Rong, on the other hand, was still just finishing up his second pill.

Once Pill King Yu and the rest of the judges had accepted the pills, confirmed their authenticity and identity, they showered Jiang Chen’s handiwork with praises. They looked at Pill King Rong again. The victor was obvious.

Although Wang Teng had predicted this outcome from the beginning, he still felt like someone had slammed a hammer into his chest. The expressions on his face flickered constantly. At this point, he had no choice but to admit that his Majestic Clan and Taiyuan Lodge had come off worse in this bet, even if he didn’t want to. This was because Taiyuan Tower had them at match point already. His opponent only needed to win one more round to be the final victor of the entire bet! If that happened, then all his plans would become a joke. The Taiyuan Lodge that he had invested his time and effort into would become his opponent’s property instead! Meanwhile, the Majestic Clan would also become Taiyuan Tower’s stepping stone and the butt of a colossal joke.

As the judge, Pill King Yu had no obligation to care for Wang Teng’s feelings. He announced loudly, “Taiyuan Tower is the winner of the first round of the third stage!”

It was a completely unbiased announcement, but it still felt like a sharp blade plunged straight into Wang Teng’s chest. He really wanted to kill someone.

Pill King Yu smiled a little and asked Jiang Chen tentatively with kind eyes, “Pill King Zhen, this old man has a sudden request to make.”

“Please speak, Pill King Yu,” Jiang Chen didn’t put on airs. There was no reason to show Pill King Yu an ugly face when he had been treating Jiang Chen with courtesy the entire time.

“These pills are truly a work of the gods. I am incredibly impressed by them. I wonder if I may have the fortune to take one of these pills back with me for observation and study?”

Jiang Chen smiled in response, “I wouldn’t dare to turn down the request of a senior.”

He had refined three cauldrons of pills just now, and every cauldron contained several pills each. He immediately took out nine pills and gave one of each to the judges. His generosity made the rest of the pill kings think much better of Jiang Chen too. Regardless of his intentions, none of these pills were cheap. The fact that he could gift nine of them just like this proved that this young pill master of House Wei was no ordinary person.

Jiang Chen’s actions didn’t make the onlookers think that he was bribing the judges either. After all, it was just a friendly interaction between pill kings. If this was bribery, it wouldn’t involve just one pill, and it definitely wouldn’t happen in public. But Wang Teng didn’t think so. He sneered with a dark expression, “Honored judges, I don’t think it’s too appropriate for him to offer you a pill in public, is it?”

Pill King Zhen seemed to have predicted Wang Teng’s response, so he tossed out a storage ring to Jiang Chen and smiled faintly. “Pill King Zhen, this is your payment for the nine pills. Let no one say that this is not a fair and proper transaction.”

Wang Teng’s face immediately took on a greenish hue. He felt resentful, feeling as though the entirety of Veluriyam Capital and Farmer God Market was joining forces against the Majestic Clan today. It had been an incredibly lousy day. These judges were all normally neutral parties, and they had never been hostile towards the Majestic Clan. So why were they all acting like they had a grudge to settle with the Majestic Clan today? He didn’t realize that these neutral judges had been angered by his words and actions again and again.

Young master Ji San smiled leisurely at Wang Teng’s loss of composure. “Wang Teng, you’re the guy who talks the most in every round. As a clan member, you seriously need to learn some grace from House Wei. See how calm they’ve been all along!”

The crowd laughed uproariously at this. It was true that the Wei father and son hadn’t spoken much at all during the battle. In comparison, Wang Teng had been hopping up and down and making a big deal out of every little thing that had come his way. He had something to say at every round of each stage. His pettiness truly made the Majestic Clan look boorish and ill mannered.

“Young clan lord, please compose yourself,” Pill King Han Zhu advised silently.

House Lord Tong Xianwei also sent a message, “Young clan lord, don’t fall for the enemy’s trap. They’re purposely trying to enrage us so we grow impatient and affect Pill King Rong’s performance. There are still two rounds left. If Pill King Rong performs at his usual standards, how could a sixth rank pill king possibly lose to a second rank pill king? This kid is just lucky because he has an advantage using the Deviant Pill Faction’s methods.”

Wang Teng was alarmed; he had never lost his cool like this before. It was a strenuous effort that finally bought him his calm. There was no turning back now that the gamble had progressed to this point.

The judges gathered together and mumbled amongst themselves for a very long time. Finally, they came up with an idea on how to proceed with the next round of the battle. Pill King Yu finally said, “After our discussion, we have decided that the nine of us shall each produce a type of pill, making for a total of nine pills, for the second round of the third stage. We shall give one of each type of pill to the participants, and your task is to analyze these pills and determine the pill ingredients within the allocated time. The participant who manages to analyze the most pills in the allocated time wins the round.”