The Sword God of the Universe
Chapter 723: The First Provocation

Chapter 723: Chapter 723: The First Provocation

Members of the Seven Great Families clearly didn’t wish to openly attend the Splendid Dojo’s alchemy conference. At least, the Dao Emperor Realm Practitioners of these families wouldn’t register openly. The pride of the family didn’t allow them to lower their haughty heads.

And there were undoubtedly many others whose thoughts aligned closely with those of the Seven Great Families.

As a result, only thirty-three Dao Emperor Realm Practitioners were publicly participating in the alchemy conference, but the actual number was most certainly far greater than that.

The enormous plaza of the Splendid Dojo was divided into two main sections, an inner circle and an outer circle.

The inner circle was where Pill Masters could listen to Hall Master Jing Yan discuss and lecture on alchemy at close range. Meanwhile, the outer circle was where the multitude of Martial Artists watched the alchemy discussions.

Amidst the noisy discussions, a dozen or so figures slowly descended.

Leading them was none other than Hall Master Jing Yan of the Holy Hall, dressed in a long green robe. By Jing Yan’s side were Hu Donghe and the other nine Hall Masters of the Holy Hall.

All these Hall Masters from the Holy Hall had arrived to show their support for Jing Yan. Each of them owed Jing Yan a favor, and naturally, they would be embarrassed not to come. Moreover, they had no doubts about Jing Yan’s prowess in the Alchemy Dao. Even if they didn’t owe Jing Yan any favors, they would have come to curry favor with him regardless. Furthermore, Jing Yan held the same status as they did—he was a Hall Master of the Holy Hall, and it was only proper for them to support one of their own.

Yan Chao, the ancestor of the Yan Family, was also in attendance, following behind Jing Yan and the others.

Compared to the status of Jing Yan and others, the ancestor of the Yan Family seemed rather diminished. Nonetheless, as a Dao Emperor Realm Practitioner, he too was a prominent figure on the Heavenly Origin Continent, and there were many Martial Artists who recognized him. Although the Yan Family did not compare to the Seven Great Families, it was still one of the top-tier families.

"All the Hall Masters of the Holy Hall have actually come to the dojo?"

"Jing Yan’s face really carries weight!"

"Don’t forget, Jing Yan is also one of the Hall Masters of the Holy Hall, one of the Ten Hall Masters. Although he hasn’t been in his position for long, he officially ranks the same as the other Hall Masters."

"..."

The appearance of Jing Yan and others not only failed to diminish the discussions but, on the contrary, intensified them immensely.

Seeing all the Hall Masters of the Holy Hall appear, many attending Martial Artists were somewhat excited. The Hall Masters were all formidable figures who shook the Continent, and typically, each was hard to encounter. Yet now, they were all present at once.

"Eh? Isn’t that Donghe Great Pill King, Hu Donghe? He actually came too, rumors say that he’s close to Jing Yan, it seems to be true," someone recognized Hu Donghe by Jing Yan’s side.

In fact, many Martial Artists present recognized Hu Donghe. Those who came to attend the alchemy conference were among the strongest on the entire Continent.

"Could Jing Yan be the illegitimate son of Hu Donghe?"

"It’s really hard to say, perhaps this alchemy conference is being held with the support of Hu Donghe."

That’s how rumors began to spread.

Jing Yan’s meteoric rise had stirred envy and jealousy in others. Thus, among these Martial Artists, there weren’t a few who harbored malicious speculation from the beginning.

"Jing Yan, you see that person over there?" Hu Donghe whispered to Jing Yan by his side. His hand made a very subtle motion towards a particular spot.

"White robe?" Jing Yan’s eyebrows rose slightly.

"That’s right!" Hu Donghe nodded so faintly it was imperceptible, "Ghost Hand Gui Yang, he really didn’t die, he’s still alive."

"Big brother, in terms of alchemy, is your ability stronger or is Ghost Hand Gui Yang’s a bit stronger?" Jing Yan asked out of curiosity.

"That..." Hu Donghe was slightly embarrassed, "I’m afraid Ghost Hand Gui Yang might be somewhat stronger than me! Before he took charge of Pill Country, he was already a ninth-level Pill Master, and he held the position of Pill Spirit City Lord for a thousand years. Then, he disappeared for over three hundred years. How strong his alchemy abilities are now, I cannot say. However, before his disappearance, his prowess was probably even higher than mine currently is."

Hu Donghe was a magnanimous person and wouldn’t try to inflate his own abilities.

"Mm, I understand," Jing Yan nodded.

His gaze, fixed ahead.

Ghost Hand Gui Yang, as if sensing Jing Yan’s gaze, also directed his eyes toward Jing Yan. The two made eye contact, Gui Yang seemingly giving a slight chuckle and nodding to Jing Yan.

Jing Yan nodded back in response.

Over the past two days, Jing Yan had learned some things about Gui Yang from Hu Donghe. Before his disappearance, Gui Yang had been of decent character, having committed no evil deeds. Otherwise, Saint Master Shen Chong likely wouldn’t have tolerated him leading the Pill Country for a millennium.

"Esteemed ones, I’m off!" Jing Yan saluted the Hall Masters with clasped hands.

Everyone smiled and nodded in response.

In a flash, Jing Yan’s figure appeared on the high platform within the inner circle of the square.

His eyes swept around, from the several thousand Pill Masters in the inner circle to the more than a hundred thousand spectators and martial artists in the outer circle.

"I, Hall Master Jing Yan!"

"Of the Holy Palace Holy Hall, Ten Hall Masters!"

"The Splendid Dojo was established by me. Today, I will also preside over the first Alchemy Conference."

"Here, I want to thank everyone for their support, and for their presence."

Jing Yan’s voice echoed across the square. Within his voice was an invisible Divine Soul pressure, which instantly quelled the noisy bustle.

Some of the martial artists, whose powers were relatively weak, could feel their Divine Souls trembling and, deep down, a sense of awe for Jing Yan arose.

"Hall Master Jing Yan, I think you should cut out the nonsense. We are here to hear you talk about Alchemy Dao, so please get to the point!" a harsh voice emanated from the inner circle.

This voice, like a duck being strangled, was particularly shrill. All the martial artists in attendance could hear it clearly.

Jing Yan looked toward the speaker, a dark-skinned, rather thin man staring at Jing Yan with twinkling eyes.

"Hehe, what can a man in his thirties really know about Alchemy Dao? Mistaking a scallion for an elephant’s trunk? It’s a joke," a fat man standing next to the thin man scoffed.

"The two of you shouldn’t speak like that! After all, the conference hosted by Hall Master Jing Yan is about discussing alchemy. If you disagree with what Hall Master Jing Yan said, you can certainly point it out and then tell the correct principles of Alchemy Dao to everyone here," said a Pill Master dressed in red, standing beside them with a smile.

Jing Yan’s gaze hardened as he looked at the three men.

Clearly, these three were together, and given their ages, they likely had significant accomplishments in Alchemy Dao.

Of course, Jing Yan could also tell that these three were not truly here to listen to him talk about alchemy; they were likely colluding with the Gai Family.

"Hmph, what Alchemy Conference! I, Li Tai, am here today to expose the ugly face of those who crow like roosters and steal like dogs!" said the fat Pill Master Li Tai disdainfully.

"Li Tai?"

"Is that Alchemist Li Tai from the Alchemy Dao Family of the Li Family, one of their top Pill Masters?"

"Wow, Alchemist Li Tai actually came! Tsk tsk, it is said that Alchemist Li Tai is one of the Pill Masters on the Heavenly Origin Continent who is closest to becoming a Great Alchemist King!"

A wave of murmurs broke out from both the inner and outer circles. Clearly, this Li Tai had a very significant reputation!