Chapter 780: Victory Decided
On the other side, Pill King Rong was completely focused and unaware of the changes in the outside world. He was currently overflowing with confidence since he seemed to have reached past his limits in performance.
“With my current speed, I can absolutely analyze seven out of nine pills before this round is over. If I could finish the analysis of seven pills, then not even a high rank pill king can defeat me. Perhaps the greatest ninth rank pill king could beat me in this regard, but that second rank pill king of House Wei is just a poor fellow who relies on tricks to attain victory. His true colors will be revealed this round!” Pill King Rong was full of confidence. Unfortunately, he had no idea that the entire world was being shaken outside.
Fortunately for him, the round hadn’t ended yet so he hadn’t walked out of his own accord. According to the rules, no one was allowed to disturb him until the allotted time had passed or he walked out. Moreover, Jiang Chen’s answer couldn’t be inspected until the judges had accepted Pill King Rong’s answer too. That was why the final result wasn’t announced yet, even though the reactions outside had almost turned riotous.
That being said, everyone could basically confirm that House Wei’s pill king was going to be the dark horse of Veluriyam Capital. Especially after witnessing Jiang Chen’s composure under pressure and his performance at this pill battle.
An overnight celebrity! He was absolutely that after today’s battle!
“What do we do, young clan lord?” Tong Xianwei himself was feeling a little worried. It was looking more and more like they were going to lose this round. Tong Kun wasn’t a person who was afraid of trouble, but even he had shed his initial arrogance as his white and handsome face became shrouded in a dark haze. Wang Teng had never been in such a passive position in his life. He was completely disconcerted. He could never imagine that the bet he’d worked so hard to engineer so that he could attack Taiyuan Tower and House Wei would backfire on him. Not only did he fail to entrap his enemy, he’d fallen into his own trap instead! The remainder of the time limit had already become pointless. What was supposed to be a very close battle was completely meaningless.
This was even truer when everyone saw Pill King Rong fighting hard from their vantage point outside. From time to time he would beam with joy or clench his teeth in anger, looking like he had everything under control. The more Pill King Rong acted like this, the more laughable the people outside found the whole situation to be. Wang Teng and the others could only feel bleakness creeping up to them as they watched their pill king. Wang Teng very much wanted to push all the responsibility onto Pill King Rong, but could he really do that and accuse the pill king of underperforming? He obviously couldn’t. The result would have been the same even if Pill King Han Zhu, a seventh rank pill king, had been the one to attend the battle himself. In fact, even a eighth rank pill king might have been defeated had they been in the same situation.
Wang Teng’s mind was filled with bitterness. If this was any other occasion, he absolutely would’ve flipped out and even denied making the bet. He would’ve become hostile and used his authority to suppress any and all dissenting opinions. Unfortunately, he really didn’t have the ability to do so today.
Forget that House Wei was supported by the Coiling Dragon Clan for the moment, not even one of these nine judges were easy pickings. If he were to deny the existence of the bet, he would be accused of having contempt for authority and dishonoring the judges. He would definitely become a public target after that. Wang Teng might be domineering, but even he knew when not to deny all responsibilities. Funnily enough, it was the Tong father and son who looked restless.
Meanwhile, young master Ji San’s reaction were quicker than anyone’s. He had a feeling that Taiyuan Tower was going to win the moment he saw Jiang Chen turning in his answer scroll. Resolutely, he immediately summoned some of his trusted aides, mobilized his men and deployed them at the scene in secret. Now, Wang Teng wouldn’t be able to do anything even if he tried to go back on his words. In fact, Ji San was even looking forward to Wang Teng trying to deny! He wasn’t afraid in the slightest.
This entire incident would turn serious the moment Wang Teng decided to play stupid and abuse his power. As long as House Wei was in the right, and as long as they were supported by the Coiling Dragon Clan, the Majestic Clan would only lose even greater face if this matter escalated all the way to seven emperors.
Although the seven great emperors didn’t interfere with the worldly affairs of Veluriyam Capital, this didn’t mean that they ignored everything that happened within it. No one was allowed to publicly flout the law. Not even the Majestic Clan was an exception. The reason Veluriyam Capital was able to become a hegemon of the Upper Eight Regions was thanks to this set of rules. Although the great clans enjoyed many special privileges, it didn’t mean that they could ignore the rules however they wanted to. Wang Teng had obviously noticed young master Ji San’s arrangements too. For a short while, he was both anxious and furious.
And finally, the round reached its end. Pill King Rong walked happily out of the battle zone, looking incredibly spirited. His face was full of smiles, and his footsteps incredibly light. However, just when he looked at Wang Teng cheerfully and was about to take credit for his achievements, he suddenly discovered that Wang Teng’s face was not riddled with the acknowledgement and praise he had imagined. Instead, an expression more akin to a rumbling storm greeted him.
Pill King Rong’s heart skipped a beat as a premonition suddenly struck him. A cold breeze caressed his head and neck. When he looked at the judges’ seat, he noticed Jiang Chan already standing at the side, as if he had been waiting there for a quite a while. Pill King Rong’s heart sank. What’s going on? Why is that kid out already?
“Pill King Rong, we were waiting on you,” Pill King Yu smiled. “Please submit your answer scroll.”
Pill King Rong’s feet suddenly felt as heavy as lead. His wonderful feelings suddenly plummeted like he had fallen off a cliff. He too noticed that the situation wasn’t quite right. But he refused to believe in the impossible. Why was young master Wang Teng looking so dejected even though he had performed so well this round? Does he think that I will definitely lose? Was it because that this kid turned in his answers early? So what? Just because he finished early doesn’t mean that he’s absolutely going to win.
Fueled by his thoughts, Pill King Rong said loudly, “Please look through my answers, honored pill kings. I am confident that I have performed very well this round.”
These words were directed more at Wang Teng than the judges. Pill King Yu smiled faintly and nodded as he accepted the scroll from Pill King Rong. Then, the judges gathered and began reviewing the answers. Although everyone thought that there were almost no doubt as to who would win the round, the final result wasn’t announced yet. Therefore, they all wanted to know why the pill king of House Wei had submitted his paper so early. Were all his answers correct? Was he really that confident in himself?
Just as before, Pill King Yu and the rest of the judges looked through Jiang Chen’s scroll first. There were nine types of pills in total, and every relevant analysis and every ingredient was written clearly on the paper.
When the judges looked through the answers, their eyes focused sharply in attention. Not long after, amazement appeared in Pill King Yu’s eyes, “Genius, what a genius! I never imagined that Veluriyam Capital would be sheltering such an amazing genius!”
Pill King Rong felt as if he’d been plunged into an icy cavern when he heard this unconscious praise. Of course he knew that there was no way it would be directed at him. His answers were good enough, but they absolutely didn’t deserve such praise from Pill King Yu. An answer that could win such praise from Pill King Yu must be an extraordinary level of performance! The rest of the judges were letting out admiring exclamations themselves.
“He really is a genius. He actually managed to analyze all nine pills! Even we may not have been able to do it in such a short period of time.” In all truth, this was slightly exaggerated, because everyone knew that there was no way they could achieve the same level of performance had they been in Jiang Chen’s position.
“Although it’s not perfect, he’s still managed to analyze all nine pills correctly.”
It wasn’t that Jiang Chen couldn’t produce a perfect answer. He simply hadn’t done so, because he didn’t want to shine too brightly. There were some pills that he had fully analyzed but written down only six of their ingredients—just enough to pass. If Jiang Chen hadn’t held back, he could’ve written down every single ingredient used to create these pills. However, he also understood that too far was just as bad as not enough. He didn’t want to shock people too much. This level of performance was enough for him to win out over that Pill King Rong.
Pill King Rong was dumbstruck. He was sure that he had analyzed seven pills correctly. He believed that his performance was enough to guarantee him a win in this round. But he never imagined that he would lose so utterly and completely. Correct analysis of all nine pills. There was no way a second rank pill king had this much skill. Even Pill King Yu, a veteran ninth rank pill king, might not necessarily be able to do the same!
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!” Tong Xianwei couldn’t hold himself back no longer. He understood that the situation wasn’t suitable for young clan lord Wang to deny making the bet. However, he didn’t need to consider such things. If he didn’t take the lead and try to change things now, then when would he ever have another chance? “Honored judges, I am not suspecting your integrity. But don’t you think that this kid’s performance is much too unbelievable? The successful analysis of all nine pills? If I may ask, how many of you are able to perform this kind of impossible task when only half the allocated time has passed?” At this point, Tong Xianwei couldn’t care less about his honor or pride as the house lord of a ninth rank aristocratic family. He only had one thought in mind, to disrupt the situation as much as he could. If he could cancel the bet in the process, then that would be for the best.
Pill King Yu’s face darkened, “Tong Xianwei, do remember that you are the house lord of an aristocratic family. Can you bother to think before you speak? By inviting us to become your judges, it means that you’ve acknowledged the nine of us. If you suspect us, then why had you even bothered to invite us to become judges? Is blaming the judge over the loss of a match the grace shown by an aristocratic family?”
Pill King Yu possessed a relatively high status in Veluriyam Capital, and he didn’t always have to submit to higher authority. The rest of the judges also scolded Tong Xianwei as well.
“Tong Xianwei, if you’re going to be a sore loser, then don’t even call for a bet in the first place.”
“Questioning our authority as judges, are you? Are you saying that we’re doing this all for nothing?”
“Ignore him. There’s no need for us to bother with a lackey, is there?”
Pill King Yu stopped the other pill kings from complaining further with a wave of his hand. He stared deeply and calmly at Wang Teng, “Young master Wang, a victor has now been decided. Taiyuan Tower has won the bet. What do you say?”
There was no need for them to waste their breath on Tong Xianwei. After all, the bet hinged on Wang Teng. Wang Teng was absolutely burning with fury, and he himself very much wanted to push the responsibility of his loss on the judges’ head. However, his reason warned him that this was absolutely not the right course of action. Doing so wouldn’t bring the Majestic Clan any benefits. In fact, it would only turn them into a bigger joke. But he really was reluctant to admit defeat just like this!
