The Sword God of the Universe
Chapter 725: On the Elixir

Chapter 725: Chapter 725: On the Elixir

Jing Yan’s voice was not loud but had a powerful penetration power.

Despite the noise and chaos, everyone, whether on the inner or outer circles, could clearly hear Jing Yan speak.

Lesser Martial Artists might not be particularly aware of this, but those at the Dao King Realm or even the Dao Emperor Realm understood immediately that Jing Yan’s achievements in Martial Arts were incredibly high.

It was rumored that Jing Yan alone had slaughtered the Gai Family’s Supreme Elder, Gu Mo, and it was very likely to be true. Jing Yan might have that ability.

This Jing Yan truly was extraordinary. Becoming the Holy Hall Master at such a young age was not without reason!

"Li Tai, if you think I’m not capable of presiding over the Pill Debate Conference, then why did you bother attending this one?" Jing Yan asked softly.

As Jing Yan’s voice faded, everyone’s eyes turned towards Li Tai.

Indeed, if you disdain the Splendid Dojo and the Pill Debate Conference hosted by Jing Yan, why bother registering to participate? Did you come here just to hurl insults at Jing Yan?

"Hmph!" Li Tai grunted coldly.

"I joined the Pill Debate Conference for my reasons!" Li Tai shot a glance at Jing Yan.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" He turned his gaze to the many Pill Masters in the inner circle, "I’ve said before that I am here to expose Jing Yan’s ugly façade. I don’t want to see you blinded by his lies. I can now say for sure that Jing Yan has no real skills in Alchemy Dao. I advise you to leave early, to avoid wasting your time here."

Li Tai clearly had his excuses prepared; his words sounded righteous, as if he truly had the best interests of the other Pill Masters in mind.

"Well then! Let me ask you again, on what basis do you claim that I have no skills in Alchemy Dao?" Jing Yan narrowed his eyes. "Is it because I am young? If that’s the case, then it’s truly regrettable. You don’t understand my abilities in Alchemy Dao, and based on my age alone, you adamantly claim I’m incompetent. Can I assume that you are deliberately slandering me?"

Jing Yan’s tone became much harsher, and a subtle hint of murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

Li Tai suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

He hadn’t thought in advance about how he would respond to this question.

His attendance at the Splendid Dojo’s Pill Debate Conference was arranged by his family, with the goal to create trouble for Jing Yan. The Li Family had secretly reached an agreement with the Gai Family to disrupt the Pill Debate Conference.

As for Jing Yan’s abilities in Alchemy, Li Tai wasn’t really sure. However, he didn’t have much regard for Jing Yan. Jing Yan was too young, and Li Tai couldn’t believe that Jing Yan’s mastery in Alchemy Dao could rival his own, being close to becoming a Great Alchemist King.

The recent rumors about Jing Yan, Li Tai believed, were all deliberate hype, possibly with Hu Donghe’s involvement. With Hu Donghe’s support, Jing Yan could indeed deceive many people who weren’t in the know.

Li Tai responded quickly, albeit a bit hesitantly at first for a lack of prepared answers.

But he soon regained his composure, laughing, "Jing Yan, do you think I came here without doing my research on you?"

"How naïve!"

"If I didn’t have sufficient evidence, would I say you are incompetent in Alchemy Dao? Am I, Li Tai, someone who judges merely based on age?"

"You want to say I have no proof, right? Fine, let’s compare right here! Isn’t this the Pill Debate Conference? Let’s debate Alchemy Dao! Aren’t you calling yourself a Great Alchemist King? A Great Alchemist King must be stronger than me, so you shouldn’t refuse to debate Alchemy with me, right?" Li Tai said, shifting his tone.

This was also something he had planned in advance!

By challenging Jing Yan publically at the Pill Debate Conference, if Jing Yan lost to him, he would be utterly disgraced, and this Pill Debate Conference would become a joke.

To ensure their plan’s success, the Li Family had also prepared a contingency.

The skinny Pill Master and the Red Dress Pill Master were both Li Tai’s aids. These two were also Level 8 Pill Masters, and they had high achievements in Alchemy Dao theory. In terms of Alchemy skills, these two were far inferior to Li Tai, but in Alchemy Dao theory, they were even better than him.

Li Tai looked at Jing Yan triumphantly.

"Alright!"

"Our conference is fundamentally about debating Alchemy Dao. Since Alchemist Li Tai, you want to debate Alchemy Dao with me, naturally I have no reason to refuse," Jing Yan said with a laugh, without any hesitation.

Li Tai was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.

He had thought that if Jing Yan refused to compete, he could use that opportunity to further disparage him. And if Jing Yan agreed, he could use the debate to show that Jing Yan was incompetent in Alchemy Dao.

However, he had not expected Jing Yan to agree so readily. In his view, Jing Yan should have been nervous and hesitant.

"Alchemist Li Tai, why don’t you suggest how we should compare our Alchemy Dao skills! You are the guest, so you can set the rules and regulations," Jing Yan continued with a smile as Li Tai was momentarily lost for words.

The many Martial Artists and Pill Masters present were also slightly astounded.

It seemed that Jing Yan was truly generous.

Jing Yan was allowing Li Tai to set the rules for their Alchemy Dao debate, clearly providing a huge advantage to Li Tai.

Was Jing Yan truly fearless, or did he have enough confidence, believing that he far surpassed Li Tai in Alchemy Dao?

The audience began to get excited, especially the many Martial Artists watching the event, who were not Pill Masters themselves; they were here just for the entertainment. And now, the spectacle was turning out to be much more exciting than a noisy Alchemy Dao lecture.

"Jing Yan, since you’ve put it that way, I’ll take you up on your offer!"

"This is how we’ll do it. We’ll have three rounds of competition! For the first round, we’ll compare Identifying Pills. Each of us will present a pill, and the other must name it. If both are right or both are wrong, it’s a draw. If one is right, that person wins the first round!" Li Tai said with a smirk.

The rules for this first round clearly put Jing Yan at a disadvantage.

Why?

Because Jing Yan was just over thirty years old. How could he possibly have seen as many pills as a centuries-old Level 8 Pill Master? Moreover, Li Tai was a member of the Alchemy Dao Family, the Li Family. He had seen almost every pill known on the Continent; there were very few pills that Li Tai couldn’t recognize.

As Li Tai explained the rules for the first round, many in the crowd made slight hissing sounds and shook their heads at Li Tai’s character, seeing through Li Tai’s cunning. This was using his own strengths to exploit Jing Yan’s weaknesses.

Could Jing Yan agree to this?

Everyone looked at Jing Yan, as the rules, despite seeming rather underhanded, appeared relatively fair on the surface.

"Okay, we’ll do as Alchemist Li Tai suggests. So, what are the rules for the second round?" Jing Yan nodded and smiled, looking at Li Tai.

"After the first round, we’ll discuss the rules for the second round!" Li Tai’s eyes flickered with a keen light.