The tinge of soberness in Shi Xuan’s expression complicated the mood of everyone who’d looked down on Jiang Chen earlier. They hadn't anticipated the young man from Eternal to take the lead as soon as the competition began.

Though Master Shi Xuan seemed relatively unaffected, things no longer looked as easy as they did moments prior. This meant that Shao Yuan’s provocation had been premeditated rather than impulsive.

Taking the scroll of answers in hand, Shi Xuan furrowed his brow as he perused it. Truthfully, his pill dao knowledge was insufficient to fully understand the Trinonary Sages’ Puzzle. Even if he’d been given the answer, he remained perplexed about a portion of the recipes.  

“The scroll doesn’t prove anything, kid. Who knows if you made it up? If you want to convince everyone, you need to present more evidence.”

“I knew you’d say that,” Jiang Chen chuckled. “Well then,...