Seeing the Divine Opening Pill, and hearing what it could do, all were amazed beyond words. They were now desperate for Yuan Zhi to show them what it was capable of.
Xiao Chen looked around at the crowd, but mainly focused on the VIP's. In that moment, as Yuan Zhi was preparing to hand the pill to his attendant, Xiao Chen stood and walked out to the stage, stopping just beneath it.
Seeing him, all those that had yet to recognize him, did. Once again, shocked silence was all there was.
"Isn't that... Obsidian?"
"You mean the Owner of the Obsidian Treasury?! They were here the whole time!?"
"Unbelievable! The actual owner?! Holy shit!"
Xiao Chen looked up on the stage, his eyes locked in a fierce staring contest with Yuan Zhi, who was looking at him both curiously and arrogantly. Suddenly, Xiao Chen turned and addressed the crowd, his voice masked in mystery.
"I am sorry to interrupt, my fellow guests, but I am afraid that I must."
Pointing at Yuan Zhi, who was cluelessly amused, Xiao Chen shouted, "Yuan Zhi is a fraud who has stolen yet another pill formula! This Divine Opening Pill is a scam!"
The words hung over the gathering. For several moments, nobody spoke.
Then the murmuring began.
"Stole the formula?"
"Is he actually accusing Yuan Zhi of stealing?"
Yuan Zhi's attendant froze with the pill still resting in Yuan Zhi's hand. Yuan Zhi himself merely stared at Xiao Chen, then he laughed. It was not a particularly amused laugh.
He laughed as though he had just heard something so ridiculous that he didn't know how else to respond. "Obsidian," Yuan Zhi said, folding his arms. "You truly have a talent for making an entrance."
Xiao Chen remained perfectly still. "I am not here to make an entrance, Yuan Zhi."
"No?" Yuan Zhi smiled. "Then what are you doing?"
"I am informing everyone here that the Divine Opening Pill is not your creation."
The laughter immediately died, and Yuan Zhi's smile disappeared. The Herb Sage opened his cloudy eyes slightly, confusion abundant in them,. Even Ao Yueyan looked toward Xiao Chen with renewed interest.
Xiao Chen continued, "You claim this pill is the result of years of research. You claim to have perfected its formula." His masked face tilted slightly.
"I claim you stole it."
Yuan Zhi's eyes narrowed. "Bold!"
"Bold, yes. But provable."
That single word caused another wave of whispers.
Xiao Chen turned slightly, addressing the gathered alchemists. "Many of you have known Yuan Zhi for years. You have watched him unveil miraculous formulas and create medicines thought impossible."
He paused.
"And because of that reputation, you blindly believe."
Nobody immediately disagreed. It was true that Yuan Zhi had earned his reputation. That was precisely what made the accusation so dangerous.
"But reputation is not proof." Xiao Chen looked back toward the stage. "Nor is his self-engineered demonstration."
Yuan Zhi's eyebrow rose. "What exactly are you suggesting?"
"If your attendant consumes that pill and successfully reaches the Spirit Spring Realm, you will have demonstrated that the pill works the way you described, yes." Xiao Chen's voice remained calm.
"But you will not have demonstrated that you created it."
Yuan Zhi stared at him.
Xiao Chen continued, "There is no way to determine whether your attendant already knows what the pill will do. There is no way to determine whether they have prepared themselves beforehand. There is no way to rule out foul play."
The attendant's expression immediately soured as they grew defensive. "I would never—"
Xiao Chen raised one hand. "I am not accusing you personally. I am simply saying that the demonstration proves nothing regarding the pill's origins."
Yuan Zhi snorted. "Then what exactly do you propose?"
Xiao Chen turned toward the audience. "I have someone with me. The unrivalled genius disciple of the true grandmaster that created this pill. A grandmaster that, sadly, is no longer with us."
Jin Huang, who had been sitting comfortably in his chair, sipping water, paused.
He slowly lowered his bamboo cup, pointing at himself incredulously. "Me?"
Xiao Chen pointed toward him. "Yes. Jin Huang."
Every head turned. Even Jin Huang looked around. "Why is everyone looking at me?"
Meng Lan covered her face.
Xiao Chen explained, "This young man possesses immense talent in alchemy. As the only disciple of the Pill Grandmaster, he was also present when many of those pill formulas were created. As a result..."
His eyes gleamed behind the mask.
"...he is intimately familiar with the Divine Opening Pill- even more so than its supposed creator, Yuan Zhi!"
Jin Huang blinked; Yuan Zhi laughed again.
"You?" He looked at Jin Huang, then back at Xiao Chen.
"You're telling me that he understands my pill better than I do?"
"Yes." Xiao Chen's voice became even more mysterious.
"He understands it because he was actually there when it was created. Unlike you, who merely stole the formula from his dead master!"
Silence.
Complete silence.
Jin Huang pointed at himself, asking, "I did?"
Xiao Chen gave him the slightest nod, and Jin Huang thought about it. Really thought about it.
Yuan Zhi's face twitched, then he burst out laughing. "Enough."
He wiped the corner of his eye. "Obsidian, I understand what you're doing."
"Oh?" Xiao Chen folded his arms behind his back.
"You've failed to convince me to sell you the formula." Yuan Zhi's smile became smug. "So now you're attempting to embarrass me publicly."
Several people exchanged glances. That explanation actually made sense. The Obsidian Treasury had been trying to obtain Yuan Zhi's pills for some time. Everyone knew it.
Perhaps this really was nothing more than a desperate final attempt to force his hand.
Yuan Zhi gestured toward Jin Huang, his eyes narrowing. "But fine. Let your so-called creator come forward."
Xiao Chen's eyes gleamed. "As you wish."
Jin Huang stood, then he looked down at his half-full cup.
"Can I bring this?"
"No," Xiao Chen flatly said.
"What a tragedy," Jin Huang sighed as he reluctantly walked onto the stage.
The enormous crowd stared at him.
Some were confused.
Others were amused.
A few looked downright skeptical.
One of the younger alchemists whispered to his companion.
"That's the guy?"
"Apparently."
"He doesn't even look like an alchemist."
"I don't think he even knows what an alchemist is."
Pill Master Zhao Kun and his disciples couldn't believe what they were hearing. They were repeatedly going over the version of Jin Huang they had come to know. There was barely any intrigue- any mystery- to him. Nothing that would hint at any of Xiao Chen's words being true.
Ximen Ming and Mo Kuang looked on expectantly; meanwhile, the group from the Eternal Forge Hall seemed to view the whole thing as entertainment. As for the two secretive women, they looked on but remained silent.
Jin Huang reached the center of the stage and Yuan Zhi looked him up and down.
"So this is the so-called genius who created my Divine Opening Pill?"
Jin Huang gave a fleeting glance to Xiao Chen before giving a dubious reply. "You bet I am, buster."
Yuan Zhi scoffed. "Of course."
Xiao Chen's voice came from below as he gestured to Yuan Zhi. "Before the demonstration, however, I believe we should establish one thing: His current cultivation."
Yuan Zhi nodded, "Agreed."
He lifted one hand, and an attendant immediately brought forward a translucent crystal. It was roughly the size of a human head, mounted within an ornate golden frame.
Yuan Zhi motioned toward Jin Huang. "Place your hand upon it."
Jin Huang did so, and the crystal remained completely dark. There was no glow, no tremor- not even the slightest reaction.
A few people frowned whereas Yuan Zhi smiled. "Interesting."
The crystal was raised for everyone to see as the attendant announced, "Not a trace of magical cultivation!"
A murmur swept through the audience.
"Impossible."
"He's completely ordinary?"
"Not even Body Tempering?"
"Then how can he be an alchemist?"
"But would someone like Obsidian lie about these things?"
Yuan Zhi looked toward Xiao Chen. "Are you satisfied?"
"Perfectly," Xiao Chen said as he gestured toward the pill. "Proceed."
Yuan Zhi smiled. "My Divine Opening Pill contains enough concentrated energy to forcefully open the channels of any ordinary mortal."
He turned toward the audience. "After consuming it, this young man will immediately enter the Spirit Spring Realm."
The crowd erupted. Even those who had already heard the claim reacted strongly.
Directly transforming an ordinary mortal into a cultivator, and an incredibly strong one, was already absurd.
Doing so instantaneously was something else entirely.
Jin Huang looked at the white pill, then at Yuan Zhi, then back at the pill. "Can I eat it now?"
Yuan Zhi laughed, "Go ahead."
Jin Huang stepped forward and casually took the pill from Yuan Zhi, holding it between two fingers.
He sniffed it, and his expression changed slightly. "Hm."
Yuan Zhi noticed and frowned, "You recognize it?"
Jin Huang sniffed again, a sly smile appearing on his face. "I recognize the smell, but you seem to have done something differently."
Yuan Zhi's smile faded as Jin Huang suddenly grinned. "I understand. You got your greasy hands on my master's notes, and used his guidance to complete the formula, didn't you?"
Yuan Zhi's eyes narrowed; Xiao Chen said nothing.
Jin Huang placed the pill into his mouth. At that moment, numerous guests leaned forward.
The Pill Fairy didn't know what to expect, the Herb Sage had never even suspected that Yuan Zhi could ever be accused of being fraudulent, Ximen Ming and Mo Kuang seemed a bit amused and the group from the Eternal Forge Hall seemed to no longer have any idea what was going on.
The two women were seemingly confused as well.
The entire gathering appeared to be holding its breath.
Jin Huang swallowed, and when nothing happened he began to flex and smirk and laugh arrogantly before making a big show of it all.
"You see, fellow alchemists, the Divine Opening Pill uses a very specific technique that turns the user into a magnet for mana. Not only so, but it enforces the mana flow so strictly, that it is akin to strenuous cultivation over a very long period of time."
"My Master designed the Divine Opening Pill's prototype with this in mind, but he was a bit hasty and had to tweak some of the formula. However, without knowing everything he did, Yuan Zhi could never have prevented the pill's biggest flaw from lingering."
The more Jin Huang spoke, the more shocked everyone watching became.
A second passed, then another, before Jin Huang laughed. "If you know exactly how the pill works, you can exploit this flaw, and prevent it from carrying out its function."
Yuan Zhi stared. "Wait."
He stepped forward. "No... just give it a moment."
Jin Huang chuckled again, "There is no need. The pill will not work, because I have stopped it from working."
He patted his stomach, and Yuan Zhi's expression became increasingly confused. "Where is the mana?"
Jin Huang folded his arms and shook his head in feigned disappointment. "Tsk, tsk. I told you, buster, I know this pill inside and out. Far better than you do. You didn't create this formula, and you didn't even perfect it!"
Yuan Zhi's face darkened, and he looked toward the measuring crystal as he became desperate. "Measure him again!"
An attendant hurried over, and Jin Huang laughingly placed his hand against the crystal.
There was still nothing. The crystal remained dark, indicating that Jin Huang had no magical energy cultivation whatsoever.
The crowd erupted.
"What?!"
"It didn't work?!"
"Impossible!"
Yuan Zhi stared at the crystal, then at Jin Huang, before his gaze finally landed on Xiao Chen.
"Obsidian! What did you do?!"
Xiao Chen calmly answered. "All I did... was reveal the truth."
Yuan Zhi's eyes hardened.
"You see, ladies and gentlemen, I was not trying to purchase Yuan Zhi's formulas, or his pills. I was merely pretending in order to get a closer look at his 'work,' and successfully identify it as the Pill Grandmaster's stolen work!"
The crowd began whispering again.
"Could Yuan Zhi have lied?"
"There's no way, right?"
"He invented the Mana Restoration Pill."
"And the Spring Nurturing Pill."
"Exactly. Both were considered impossible before he produced them."
"But then how do you explain this?"
Nobody had an answer.
Yuan Zhi looked toward the Herb Sage. The old man's cloudy eyes were fixed upon Jin Huang. For once, there was no warmth in them, only curiosity.
Ao Yueyan also stared at Jin Huang. Her expression was calm, but her fingers had tightened slightly around the edge of her sleeve.
Jin Huang, meanwhile, looked around at everyone.
Suddenly, the Herb Sage raised an aged hand and silenced the masses.
"This is truly a stunning upset. Being someone that has worked closely with Yuan Zhi, I cannot merely accept this as fact. However, having known Lord Obsidian for many years, I also cannot disregard his claims."
Xiao Chen and Jin Huang looked on as the Herb Sage took a breath. Yuan Zhi appeared both desperate and hopeful. Ao Yueyan seemed to already be able to guess where this was going, and she lowered her head as a smile crept onto her face.
The Herb Sage continued, "If it's alright with everyone, I would like to speed up today's proceedings, and let the Junior Alchemist Tournament begin. If our young friend on stage is truly an alchemy prodigy, then he should be able to prove himself as a disciple of this Pill Grandmaster."
Hearing this, Jin Huang continued wearing his cocky smile, but on the inside he was absolutely horrified. Xiao Chen, as well, seemed unbothered, but he was sweating like crazy behind his mask.
Yuan Zhi laughed triumphantly, "As expected of the Herb Sage. You remain calm, and have made a perfect suggestion. Surely the young genius, Jin Huang, will accept."
Jin Huang laughed, "Of course. I'd enjoy nothing more than putting you all to shame with my alchemical prowess."
The Herb Sage laughed, "Good, good! Then, without further ado, let the Junior Alchemist Tournament... begin!"