Chapter 604 - 600: Deceitful Pill Discussion

"Who did you say has no manners?"

Hong Yu's eyes flashed with a dangerous light.

Hong Yu had never met his biological parents. Since childhood, he and his younger sister, Yun Mengyao, had depended on each other for survival.

How similar was the situation of Zhao Hu and Zhao Feng'Er to his own?

In Hong Yu's eyes, Zhao Feng'Er was like a younger version of his sister, Yun Mengyao. And Yun Mengyao happened to be Hong Yu's Reversed Scale. The young man's insults toward Zhao Feng'Er reminded Hong Yu of his childhood, when someone from the Hong Family had also insulted Yun Mengyao for having no manners.

Back then, Hong Yu had no power to speak of. He had fought recklessly, suffering grievous injuries just to bite off one of his opponent's ears.

Seeing a similar scene now, his rage naturally flared.

The youth was stunned. Hong Yu's gaze made him feel a primal threat to his life. But then he remembered his master was an honored guest of the Xishang Tribe, and his own status was not to be trifled with.

'He wouldn't dare do anything to me.'

He immediately snorted. "I said she has no manners. What are you going to do about it?"

SWOOSH!

Hong Yu's figure suddenly vanished.

A palm appeared out of thin air and, with a BOOM, landed squarely on the youth's face.

The youth screamed and was sent flying backward.

Hong Yu hadn't held back at all with that slap. He shattered all the teeth in the youth's mouth, sending blood everywhere. The youth slammed heavily into a large pillar. Hong Yu glanced coldly at him. "Keep your mouth clean from now on!"

"WAAAH, WAAAH…"

The youth wailed in agony.

"Junior Brother…"

The other youth rushed over. His face paled as he examined his companion. "Master, Junior Brother's mouth is ruined! I'm afraid he'll never be able to speak again."

"Good, good, good!"

The Stone Pill King repeated the word "good" several times, then glared coldly at Hong Yu, his eyes burning with rage. "What an arrogant brat! How dare you injure someone in front of Madam Xishang? Today, I shall teach you a lesson in place of your parents!"

"Who the hell do you think you are? You think you're worthy of standing in for my parents?" Hong Yu sneered, his eyes narrowing.

His parents and family were his Reversed Scale.

How could he allow someone else to replace them so casually?

"Hmph, I am a distinguished Sixth Grade Advanced Spiritual Craftsman, one of the four great Pill Kings of the Nanshan Collection," the Stone Pill King said with an arrogant expression.

Pill King?

Hong Yu was taken aback.

Among Spiritual Craftsmen, some focused on the Alchemy Dao, some on the Artifact Dao, and some cultivated both.

A Spiritual Craftsman above the Third Grade was referred to as a Grandmaster Level Spiritual Craftsman, or an Alchemy Grandmaster, an Artifact Dao Grandmaster, or a Spiritual Craft Grandmaster!

As for the title of "King," only those who had surpassed the Seventh Grade were qualified to bear it.

This Stone Pill King was merely a Sixth Grade Advanced, yet he dared to call himself a King?

Hong Yu scoffed. "How ridiculous. A mere Sixth Grade Advanced dares to call himself a Pill King? Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock?"

"You…"

The Stone Pill King's expression darkened.

Although Xishang Ling, who stood to the side, also disliked the Stone Pill King's overbearing nature, he remembered that the Xishang Tribe's Alchemy Dao still relied on this man. He quickly tried to smooth things over. "Boss, in the True Dragon Battlefield, aside from the few Spiritual Craftsmen at the Seventh Grade or higher in the core region, the strongest are the Sixth Grade Advanced Spiritual Craftsmen. Therefore, experts like him are granted the title of 'King.' The Stone Pill King is the leader in the Alchemy Dao of the Nanshan Collection, so…" 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

"Hmph, I don't care about how things are in the True Dragon Battlefield. I only know that without reaching the Seventh Grade Level, one is not qualified to be called a Pill King!" Hong Yu said flatly.

"Well…"

Xishang Ling was at a loss for words.

He couldn't help but look at the Stone Pill King and force a smile. "Stone Pill King, my boss is a bit stubborn. Please…"

Before Xishang Ling could finish, the Stone Pill King raised a hand to stop him. The flesh on his face twitched, his grim eyes fixed on Hong Yu.

In fact, just before this, the Stone Pill King had been in the back hall with Madam Xishang, discussing the procurement of a batch of Spirit Medicine.

He claimed it was to research the poison afflicting the Xishang King, but in reality, the Stone Pill King didn't have the ability to cure the strange poison at all. He only wanted the Spirit Medicine to line his own pockets.

If Madam Xishang agreed to the purchase, the Stone Pill King could skim enough off the top to triple his personal wealth.

Madam Xishang had been quite hesitant.

After all, the value of the Pills the Stone Pill King had listed was astronomical, requiring almost a fifth of the Xishang Tribe's financial and material resources. But he was the only Pill King the Xishang Tribe had, their sole hope for curing the strange poison, so they could only bite the bullet and agree.

Just as Madam Xishang was about to nod and sign the documents, Xishang Ling had shown up, saying he had found a prodigy of a Spiritual Craftsman.

Xishang Ling had even praised Hong Yu to the high heavens, making him sound almost like a Supreme God, implicitly overshadowing the Stone Pill King.

This led Madam Xishang to temporarily shelve the matter of procuring the Spirit Medicine.

How could the Stone Pill King tolerate seeing the meat that was already at his lips fly away? How could he not hate Hong Yu?

That's why on the way over, he had instructed his two disciples to make things difficult for Hong Yu later, to taunt and ridicule him at every opportunity.

He just hadn't expected Hong Yu to be so aggressive.

He started a fight right away.

And now, he had no choice but to step in himself.

The Stone Pill King scanned Hong Yu haughtily, his expression condescending. He said flatly, "I hear from Young Master Ling that you're also a Spiritual Craftsman? And it seems you're quite disdainful of my title as a Pill King. Well then, today, I, this Pill King, challenge you in the name of a Pill King. I will make you understand that the glory of a Pill King cannot be profaned. And I'll make a certain charlatan show his true colors!"

"Hmph, I'd like to see for myself what skills this so-called Pill King has!"

Hong Yu accepted the challenge, neither servile nor overbearing.

This wasn't a decision made in the heat of the moment.

Hong Yu had naturally given it careful thought. He could see that the Stone Pill King held a high position in the Xishang Tribe and controlled their Alchemy Dao.

If he wanted to use the Xishang Tribe to contend for the Cyan Lotus Earth Heart Fruit, he had to reveal sufficient trump cards and abilities. Otherwise, it would be difficult to gain the tribe's respect.

Accepting the so-called Stone Pill King's challenge was undoubtedly the fastest way to do so.

"Mother, this…"

Xishang Ling looked on with a pained expression, turning to Madam Xishang for help.

Madam Xishang, however, smiled gently. "It's fine. Since the Stone Pill King and Young Friend Beichen are interested in a competition, let them have their fun!"

Hearing this, Xishang Ling immediately fell silent.

He would occasionally glance at Hong Yu, his eyes filled with apparent guilt.

Hong Yu smiled and shook his head.

He took a long, hard look at Madam Xishang. Just as he planned to use the Stone Pill King to display his talents, Madam Xishang likely wanted to use this opportunity to see his skills for herself.

Hong Yu could even see an unfathomable look in Madam Xishang's eyes.

'Don't be fooled by how agreeable Madam Xishang seems right now, or how polite she is to me,' he thought to himself.

'If I fail to meet her standards in the competition against the Stone Pill King, this seemingly gentle and kind woman will probably change her attitude in an instant.'

'At best, she'll expel me from the Xishang Tribe.'

'At worst, she might even move against me to appease and secure the Stone Pill King.'

'To become the matriarch of a major tribe, this Madam Xishang is no simple woman!'

Hong Yu sighed inwardly.

The Stone Pill King, however, was incredibly pleased with himself, confident that victory in this Alchemy Duel was already in his grasp.

He clasped his hands behind his back, puffed out his chest, and looked at Hong Yu arrogantly. "You are the junior. I'll let you choose the terms of the competition!"

"You're the distinguished Elder 'Pill King.' You should be the one to decide!"

Hong Yu deliberately stressed the words "Pill King."

The Stone Pill King's face darkened. He snorted. "Hmph, if I set the terms, you'll just make excuses when you lose." He looked at Madam Xishang and continued, "Madam, for the sake of fairness in this Danbi, it would be best if you set the content of the competition!"

"Oh? Stone Pill King, you trust me that much?" Madam Xishang asked.

Although she was asking the Stone Pill King, her gaze was fixed on Hong Yu.

Clearly, Madam Xishang still favored the Stone Pill King.

A triumphant look appeared on the Stone Pill King's face as he said nonchalantly, "Of course I trust you, Madam!"

Hong Yu also smiled. "I'll leave it to you, Madam!"

"Since you both trust me, I suppose I have no choice but to oblige!"

Madam Xishang smiled faintly, took a Scroll from her Storage Ring, and said, "My husband acquired this Scroll from a secret location long ago. It is said to have been left behind by a deceased Pill King. It contains a concept known as the Deceitful Pill Discussion. If you two don't mind, shall we use this Deceitful Pill Discussion as the basis for today's comparison?"

"Deceitful Pill Discussion?"

Both Hong Yu and the Stone Pill King were slightly surprised.

There were many schools of thought in the Alchemy Dao. Some followed established rules, while others were skilled in unorthodox methods. There were even some whose Alchemy techniques were incredibly bizarre.

The Deceitful Pill Discussion was one such school.

However… this school focused too much on theory, which led to numerous difficulties in practical application, making it hard to implement.

As a result, it had long since been discarded.

Unless one was an exceptionally well-read Spiritual Craftsman, or a Spiritual Craftsman with extremely high attainments in the Alchemy Dao, very few people knew about the Deceitful Pill Discussion.

A trace of hidden joy appeared on the Stone Pill King's face. As it happened, he had done some research on the "Deceitful Pill Discussion."

He couldn't help but laugh to himself. 'The Madam is the Madam, after all. She still values me more, even setting a topic that favors me. Hmph, even the other three great Pill Kings might not know about the Deceitful Pill Discussion. How could a young upstart like him possibly have encountered it?'

"I naturally have no objection, but I wonder about this little fellow…" The Stone Pill King looked at Hong Yu provocatively.

Hong Yu smiled slightly. "Then let's use that as the content for the competition!"

"Good. In that case, please listen carefully, both of you…"

Madam Xishang smiled faintly, unrolling the Scroll. Then she asked, "Regarding the Refining of the Seven Emperors Spirit God Pill, please explain all the methods for refining this Pill!"

"Little fellow, you can go first!"

The Stone Pill King's eyes lit up. He put on a superior air and said nonchalantly.

Hong Yu chuckled. "You are the Elder Pill King, vastly experienced and knowledgeable. You should go first!"

"Haha, I bet you don't even know what the Seven Emperors Spirit God Pill is!" the other youth sneered.

Although the Stone Pill King said nothing, he clearly felt the same way.

Hong Yu didn't argue, just shrugged his shoulders.

"Hmph!"

The Stone Pill King gave a cold smile and straightened his robes. "Since you, the junior, can't come up with anything, I will answer first!"

Then, the Stone Pill King began to speak with great confidence, listing a full seven different methods for refining the Seven Emperors Spirit God Pill.

The Seven Emperors Spirit God Pill was a Sixth Grade High-level Pill, and its refining was extremely difficult. For an ordinary Spiritual Craftsman, knowing even one method of refining it was already quite impressive.

For the Stone Pill King to be able to list seven methods as if counting his family treasures, such ability and knowledge were indeed worthy of his title as one of the four great Pill Kings of the Nanshan Collection.

"The seven methods above are all the refining methods for the Seven Emperors Spirit God Pill. They are all-encompassing, without a single flaw!" the Stone Pill King declared proudly.

Everyone couldn't help but look at Hong Yu.

The youth sneered again. "Don't tell me you're just going to repeat the methods my master just mentioned?"

"Heh, the Stone Pill King is indeed vastly experienced, and his knowledge is certainly admirable. However…"

Hong Yu's tone suddenly shifted as he began to speak slowly, causing the triumphant smile on the Stone Pill King's face to instantly freeze…

"You still missed one!"