“But Long Chen, he…!” Ye Qian was extremely aggrieved.

“What buts? A man’s word must be kept. Are you going to go back on the terms of the bet?” demanded the division head.

Ye Qian was astounded. Ever since he had taken the division head as his master, he had always treated him even better than a son. But now he was suddenly acting like this. Hence, Ye Qian clenched his teeth furiously. “Fine. I admit defeat. But I don’t have that many points on me right now. I’ll have to trouble senior to help me out with a loan so I can repay it later.”

Twenty million points. That was a frightening amount. Who would carry that many points on them?

Even the first legion’s yearly income including the rewards that the divine families gave them was only fifteen million points. Twenty million points was enough to turn anyone’s eyes red.

When a crystal card landed in Long Chen’s hand, all the experts present felt sour. Twenty million points had landed in his hands just like that? That kind of swindling was intolerable.

…

“This Long Chen really is sinister. Against someone who only knows how to refine pills and has no experience with the rest of the world like Ye Qian, Long Chen can easily play him to death.” Elder Long and the Deputy Elder were watching the scene. Elder Long couldn’t help feeling that it was funny.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a sinister scheme, aboveboard play, or something that cannot be seen. As long as it’s a victory, it’s a good move.” The Deputy Elder smiled.

“But the curious thing is why the senior Pill Doyen is personally bearing witness to this. Is he really just going to watch as his disciple is scammed?” wondered Elder Long.

“It’s not curious. The Pill Doyen is one of the few people that I admire. He is infatuated with the Pill Dao, using it to peer into the Heavenly Daos. His dedication is admirable. Long Chen’s little tricks cannot possibly escape him,” said the Deputy Elder.

“Then why didn’t he give a warning?”

“Why would he? Speaking is an instinct, while not speaking is wisdom. Do you think that it’s a coincidence that Ye Qian ran into Long Chen? No, someone set it up. Everything is within the Pill Doyen’s control. Watch closely. Your character is a bit similar to the Pill Doyen’s. Try to learn from him, and you might find your chance to make a breakthrough,” said the Deputy Elder.

“Many thanks for the pointer.” Elder Long hastily bowed before falling silent and continuing to watch.

…

Long Chen smiled widely upon receiving the crystal card. His eyes were like slits from how wide his smile was. He cupped his fists. “Many thanks for your patronage, boss. I wish you a long life of fortune. Well, I’m busy, so I’ll take my leave.”

Long Chen swaggered away. That appearance of his really made people want to beat him to death. But the people of the divine families couldn’t find a reason to do so. They could only endure, suffering so much that it seemed like they were about to injure themselves.

Suddenly, flames exploded out of Ye Qian as he lost control of his Pill Flame. “Long Chen, you coward, do you dare to have an honorable competition with me?!”

“Did we not just do that? Through that extremely narrow battle, we managed to end up drawing, with neither being above or beneath the other.” Long Chen cocked his head back at him.

“That was no competition! Are twenty million points enough to satisfy you? If you beat me, you can have all my one hundred million points!”

“I’m not a greedy person. Twenty million points is enough for me. If I need more money, I’ll definitely come find you, don’t you worry. After all, such a good boss is hard to find.” Long Chen turned his back around.

Seeing him walking away just like this, Ye Qian suddenly took out a colorful orb.

“Heavenly Flame Orb?!”

The division head’s expression instantly changed. He was about to say something when the Pill Doyen waved his hand, indicating for him to stay silent.

Flame energy filled the air. It was thrumming, as if it was bowing to the orb.

Even Long Chen was shocked. There was a kind of flame fluctuation coming from that orb, one capable of suppressing all flames in this world.

Within his body, Huo Long instantly woke up, expressing that it had to have that.

“What is that?” asked Long Chen.

Ye Qian sneered, “It seems that you don’t recognize this. It is a priceless treasure from another world. It is called the Heavenly Flame Orb and is a divine item from an ever higher plane. The strongest flames of the Martial Heaven Continent are the Earth Flames. The Inverse Dao Water Spirit Flame that you possess is ranked number one amongst the Earth Flames. But Earth Flames are not Pill Flames. They are violent and not easy to control. Only sub-rate alchemists would use them. True alchemy masters have their own inheritances for their Pill Flames. My Heaven Gathering Blood Flame and the Pill Fairy’s White Void Flame are such inherited flames. They are created through the efforts of countless generations. These inherited flames are not inferior to your Earth Flame when it comes to alchemy or battle. Most importantly, they are one with our bloodlines, allowing us to use them easily-”

“Stop nattering and get to the point. My understanding of alchemy is far greater than yours. What is that thing?” interrupted Long Chen. This fellow actually wanted to start using his learning to win back his lost dignity.

“This Heavenly Flame Orb contains the essence of a Heavenly Flame that lies above the Earth Flames. It is said to have flowed down all the way from the immortal era. Although the energy inside it cannot be directly absorbed, just allowing your Pill Flame to rest inside of it will purify it, and over a long time, it will increase its power and maybe even mutate it. This is a truly priceless treasure. The divine families only possess three of them, while this is one of them. So? Do you want to gamble?” demanded Ye Qian.

“That’s a good treasure. If you really want to give it to me, I don’t feel good declining. But I want to know, will you cry if you lose?” asked Long Chen.

“What a joke. As long as you win, this Heavenly Flame Orb will be yours. It’s just up to you to see if you have that ability,” sneered Ye Qian.

Shen Chengfeng and Wan Qing stood there with the eighth legion. Shen Chengfeng shook his head. “This Ye Qian has gone crazy. He wants to beat Long Chen no matter the price. However, both of them seem so confident. I wonder who is actually better.”

Ye Qian was the number one genius of the Divine Pill Division, but he never appeared outside. There were signs that he was surpassing his master. Among the so-called geniuses in the same generation, none were fit to even carry his shoes. That had resulted in his arrogance.

As for Long Chen, he was not a pure alchemist. For such a person to challenge the divine families’ number one alchemist should be a joke, but the more he was in contact with Long Chen, the less he saw through him. That confidence of his made it seem like there was nothing in this world that he couldn’t do.

Wan Qing didn’t say anything. She was still worried for Long Chen, because she was profoundly aware of just how frightening Ye Qian was.

Everyone’s focus was on Long Chen. They were all anticipating him accepting this battle. In their eyes, as long as he accepted, he would definitely lose miserably. That would win back the lost dignity of the divine families.

“Fine, since you want to lose so badly, I’ll accept this Heavenly Flame Orb. I’ll treat it as a tuition fee,” said Long Chen.

When Long Chen walked back onto the platform, the divine families’ disciples cheered. They all knew that Ye Qian was about to win.

“Hold it!” shouted Ye Qian.

“What? You want to just directly accept defeat? That would be best. I’m pretty busy, so you can just give it to me now.” Long Chen extended a hand.

“Are… are you a fucking idiot?!” Ye Qian almost coughed up blood. He roared, “I’ve taken out the Heavenly Flame Orb, so you have to increase the stake as well.”

“What do you want?” asked Long Chen lightly.

“A poor ghost like you doesn’t have anything good. I’m only doing this to show the uncivilized people of the Martial Heaven Continent what true alchemy arts are,” sneered Ye Qian.

Long Chen shook his head. “What big words. Are you not afraid of choking yourself when you have to swallow them? Pill Valley possesses the inheritance of true gods and their alchemy arts. Although I am their enemy, I admit that they are the true masters of alchemy. As for you, what right do you have to call them uncivilized? I really don’t know how your master taught you. The Pill Dao requires one to control their temper. Alchemists must associate with fire, but they cannot allow that fire to affect their character. To refine pills is to refine the heart. When the heart is not present, any pills refined will lack spirit. For me to compete with you is practically bullying you. If it weren’t for that Heavenly Flame Orb, I wouldn’t bother. But I will give you one last chance. If you regret it now, you can take it back. Otherwise, once you lose, don’t blame me for bullying a child.”

“I don’t need to think about it! If I lose, you get the Heavenly Flame Orb. If you lose, other than returning the previous twenty million points, you also have to use your tongue to clean up every brick here! Do you dare?!” roared Ye Qian.

“What child’s play. Fine, I agree. What will we be competing with?” Long Chen shook his head disdainfully. He hadn’t been planning on beating Ye Qian too badly, but he had just changed his mind.