Pill King Ji Lang had spent so long setting the scene for himself for this one moment. Everyone, including Pill King Blue Phoenix, was staring at him. These veteran pill kings wanted to see how Pill King Ji Lang would treat the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree too. Truthfully, they were all on the same skill level as the pill king, but unlike them, Pill King Ji Lang was young and Emperor Pillzenith’s chosen successor. That was why he put on airs and acted arrogantly.
If he could treat the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree, they’d swallow their complaints and let his shortcomings slide by. But if he couldn’t treat the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree, then they would have words about his att.i.tude.
As time ticked on, Pill King Ji Lang’s expression grew more and more serious. He’d been full of confidence and certainty at first, but soon discovered that he was unable to diagnose the condition that plagued the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree despite scouring through a lifetime of knowledge. He slowly panicked.
He’d wasted a great amount of effort to promote himself as he’d thought this was his opportunity to enhance his reputation and win the heart of the pretty girl who’d caught his eye. If he really failed to treat the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree, then everything he did earlier would be nothing but a joke. He might turn into a laughingstock.
Sweat began to pour down Pill King Ji Lang’s back. He forced himself to inspect the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree again from the beginning, but the result was the same as before.
Two hours pa.s.sed. Three hours pa.s.sed. The three sectmasters of Moon G.o.d Sect had put great expectations on Pill King Ji Lang. As time went on, however, their expressions grew more and more severe as disappointment flashed through their faces.
Although they didn’t go so far as to label Pill King Ji Lang as a show-off with no true skill, their opinion of him had dipped severely. Everyone said that Pill King Ji Lang is an amazing pill king, but truthfully? This is all he can manage. He’s not so different from others.
The worst part of it all was the ridiculous self promotion he’d done earlier to prepare the ‘climax’ of the show. The start had been impressive, but the end was like constipation. Nothing had come out. The feeling of being raised into the air before being dropped to the ground was very, very depressing to say the least.
When four hours pa.s.sed, everyone’s patience had dried up completely. If Pill King Ji Lang wasn’t a representative of Pillfire City, the Moon G.o.d Sect members present would have already declared an end to this farce. After all, no one wanted to see Pill King Ji Lang humiliate himself any further.
Finally, the pill king let out a cough but maintained a self-important look on his face. He declared leisurely, “Dear sectmasters, I wasn’t able to discover the root cause of the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree’s sickness despite using everything I’ve learned. However, I did discover some suspicious clues. The problem though is that I cannot deduce anything from these clues in such a short time, so I’ll have to return to Pillfire City to look up a few references and confirm my thoughts. I am sure that I will come up with an answer to your problems one day.”
His words sounded mighty impressive, but anyone who mulled over his words carefully would discover that they were empty words that might as well have been left unsaid.
For starters, there was nothing concrete in his statements such as the use of words like “clues” and “suspicious”. His so-called deduction and looking up references could only be performed after he returned to Pillfire City. Even his promised “answer” had an indefinite deadline. “One day”? The day he found an answer might not come even after Moon G.o.d Precious Tree had lost all of its leaves.
Still, the sectmasters of Moon G.o.d Sect maintained a polite tone out of consideration for Pillfire City’s face. “In that case, we wish for you to bring us good news as soon as possible, Pill King Ji Lang.”
“Of course, of course. Ji Lang will do his absolute best to find out the root cause of the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree’s sickness.” Pill King Ji Lang expressed.
However, Pill King Blue Phoenix couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Pill King Ji Lang, please forgive my curiosity. What exactly are the suspicious clues you’ve found? Why don’t we exchange our knowledge and pool our wisdom since we’re all here? Brainstorming sessions can often generate unexpected ideas.”
Pill King Blue Phoenix’s attack was a bit harsh. This irritated Pill King Ji Lang because this question took away his chance to walk away without looking bad, and he wasn’t sure if Blue Phoenix had done it on purpose or not. What he’d said earlier was nothing more but a way to excuse himself from this embarra.s.sing scene without losing face. But Pill King Blue Phoenix had pulled the carpet out from underneath him.
“Hehe, this involves much technical knowledge that’ll take a long time to explain. If you have the time to, feel free to discuss with me in Pillfire City.” Now that was a little too shameless. Luckily for him, Pill King Blue Phoenix didn’t pursue the matter any further. He simply smiled and remained silence.
The senior sectmaster of Moon G.o.d Sect sighed. “To think that the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree would be so difficult to treat that all pill kings present are stumped by it! If that is so, then is there anyone in this world who is capable of treating it? Ai. If you have anyone on your minds, please don’t hesitate to recommend them, honorable pill kings.”
Her question was wasted on Pill King Ji Lang because he thought that no one in the world was better than himself. Therefore, he would never recommend another pill king for a job.
“I guess the only one left to invite is Emperor Pillzenith himself.” Pill King Ancient Moon mused. “However, the great emperor has been cultivating in seclusion for many years. I doubt it’ll be easy to request his presence.”
“Perhaps it’s all a matter of fate. Maybe we aren’t meant to treat the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree?” Pill King Void was apparently a fatalist.
Pill King Blue Phoenix thought for a moment before he suddenly sighed softly. “If I must make a recommendation, there is one such person on my mind. However…”
“However?” the senior sectmaster asked with sudden interest. Unless she was mistaken, it sounded like the person the pill king wished to recommend was very impressive.
“No, it’s nothing. It’s just that he is the first person that came to my mind when it comes to solving this seemingly impossible conundrum.”
“Is that so? Are you referring to a certain pill emperor you know, brother?” Pill King Ancient Moon sounded curious as well.
Pill King Blue Phoenix shook his head. “No, he’s not a pill emperor, but I’m sure you’ve all heard of him before. Not long ago, Pillfire City held the Bounty Arena at a once-in-a-millennium level. I know one of the arena lords, and his skills impressed me to no end. He was able to solve a bounty that no one was able to solve for eight hundred years with ease…”
“Oh? Is that true?” The sect heads of Moon G.o.d Sect sat high up on the totem pole, so they seldom paid attention to secular matters.
Pill King Ancient Moon also remembered. “I’ve heard of this. He is an extremely young genius who goes by the surname Shao. Shao Yuan. Am I right?”
Pill King Blue Phoenix nodded. “Unfortunately, he has gone elsewhere already. I’ve not heard of him after the shocking display of skill at Pillfire City.”
Pill King Ji Lang couldn’t help but interrupt. “Don’t you think you value him a little too highly, Pill King Blue Phoenix? Shao Yan was able to stand out was because many powerful pill kings in Pillfire City didn’t partic.i.p.ate in the Bounty Arena. If they did, he wouldn’t have had the chance to show himself off.”
Naturally, Pill King Ji Lang was displeased to hear Pill King Blue Phoenix recommending an outsider to the Moon G.o.d Sect. Ji Lang was publicly hailed as the number one pill king in Pillfire City and second only to a pill emperor, so he thought of Pill King Blue Phoenix’s praise of an outsider as a slap to his face and an attempt to undermine his reputation. Pill King Blue Phoenix didn’t retort and smiled calmly instead. “I’m just bringing this up as requested. The Moon G.o.d Sect can decide if their own accord whether or not to accept my recommendation.”
Seeing that the pill kings of Pillfire City weren’t acting that amiable with each other, the senior sectmaster knew that it was time to cut the consultation short. She smiled. “Thank you very much for your help today, everyone. Please join us at the Moon G.o.d Palace and we can continue our discussions there.”
Pill King Blue Phoenix clasped his hands together. “I’m ashamed that I wasn’t able to find anything that could help, so please allow me to turn down this invitation, senior sectmaster.”
“We shall be taking our leave as well.” Pill King Ancient Moon and Pill King Void felt the same way. Moon G.o.d Sect had invited them over with great respect, but they weren’t able to help in the end. None of them were shameless enough to continue to impose on their hosts.
However, Pill King Ji Lang smiled. “Then I shall trouble Moon G.o.d Sect for a little longer.”
He had a thick skin and an ulterior motive for staying. He wanted to get closer to Xu Qingxuan. The pill king had been thoroughly bewitched today. There were a couple of other holy maidens who had attended the gathering, but for some reason he l.u.s.ted for Xu Qingxuan, the holy maiden who’d showed up the latest. What was even more striking was that Xu Qingxuan was the only one most disgusted by his actions.
Pill King Ji Lang actually spent another half day in Moon G.o.d Sect. However, he realized there wouldn’t be much of an opportunity for him as he didn’t see any chances to progress. And yet, he wasn’t disappointed. There hadn’t been a woman who’d managed to escape his clutches yet, and that wasn’t going to change even if the other party was a holy maiden of the Moon G.o.d Sect.
He made up his mind to visit the Moon G.o.d Sect and conquer Holy Maiden Qingxuan the moment he discovered the root cause of the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree’s sickness. Still, dreams and reality were two different things. He had to admit that a problem he couldn’t solve on-site was only going to become even more impossible after he returned to Pillfire City. As time dragged on and interest waned, he would only grow less eager to ponder this problem.
After sending Pill King Ji Lang off, the three sectmasters and the holy maidens gathered together, feeling downcast. It was obvious that the departure of Pillfire City’s pill kings had left their hopes in tatters once more. If even these top rate pill kings could do nothing to cure the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree, they really couldn’t think of anyone else who could deliver them from the encroaching despair.
The senior sectmaster sighed quietly. “Speak your mind, everyone. Does anyone have an idea to share? Does anyone have an amazing pill king in mind? It doesn’t matter who they are, we can no longer afford to be choosy. We must do everything we can to try cure the Moon G.o.d Precious Tree.”
The third sectmaster mused, “I feel that Pill King Ji Lang made a frivolous statement. I believe Pill King Blue Phoenix’s suggestion is worth consideration.”
“But he only gave us a name. Even he doesn’t know where this Pill King Shao Yuan has gone to. Our sincerity is useless when we can’t even find the man in the first place.”
Suddenly, Xu Qingxuan spoke up. “Wasn’t Pill King Ji Lang beaten by a genius from Veluriyam Capital. Maybe we should switch up our mindset and consider pill kings from other factions?”