"What? Cheng Jiang, is what he said true? I demonstrated the skill to you out of kindness, and you secretly picked up my Frost Threaded Hands?"
"Dammit, no wonder I wasn't able to find you for a long time after the banquet started. Confess, when did you sneak into my study?"
"Cheng Jiang, we are fellow apothecaries. If you wish to learn my forging technique, you could have asked me sincerely for it and I might have taught it to you. Yet you chose to entice my apprentice with benefits to obtain my Hundred Intertwining Method. Aren't you being too underhanded!"
A pill forging technique was similar to a fighter's battle techniques. Most of them were exclusive to a certain clan or sect and mustn't be taught to outsiders lightly.
This Cheng Jiang actually secretly learned the forging techniques of other apothecaries without their permission, even resorting to stealing to obtain them. Upon hearing Zhang Xuan's words, the entire room burst into outrage.
Everyone here was a member of the Apothecary Guild and they often exchanged knowledge on the art of pill forging. If he was truly interested in learning their pill forging method, he could indicate his interest, conduct a ceremony to acknowledge the other party as his mentor, and learn their skills. Then their relationship could be annulled and they would still be friends!
However, secretly learning in this manner was akin to a fighter stealing the battle techniques of other experts. It was a huge taboo that one should never commit.
"Everyone, don't listen to his nonsense…"
Sensing the heated atmosphere, anger and fear flashed across Cheng Jiang's face as he hurriedly tried to absolve himself from the accusations.
"I'm spouting nonsense?"
Zhang Xuan walked forward. The corners of his lips crept upwards. "Just now, to forge Juxi Pill, Apothecary Cheng took a total of 23 medicinal herbs. I shouldn't be mistaken on this aspect!"
"You're right!"
All certified apothecaries were aware of the medicinal herbs required to forge Juxi Pill. This wasn't a secret, thus there was no need to deny it.
"When you mixed White Lotus Grass, Wisteria Root, and Golden River Flower together, your pinky was angled backward whereas the tip was bent forward, as though picking a flower. If I'm not wrong, this method is referenced from Apothecary Bai Ming's 【Illusory Silk Hands】!"
"Afterwards, when you extracted the Green Sun Essence, your five fingers opened wide with which you gently stroked the herb, as though extracting frigid air from ice, not daring to exert too much strength. This should be referenced from Apothecary Lin Mu's 【Frost Threaded Hands】!"
"Then, when you added Purple Osmund Grass and White Mane Flower in, to prevent the properties of the two from clashing with one another, you specially circled them twice around the cauldron before throwing them in. Through doing so, not only would the medicinal properties of both be better utilized, they would only lose their violent nature. As such, their properties would not clash with one another. Apothecary Jin Chen's 【Golden Spring Fleeting Cloud Dexterity】 seems identical to this move of yours!"
"After that, when the pill was forged, in order to prevent it from coming into contact with the searing cauldron, you used zhenqi to produce a unique air net with your hands. Even though your movements are inconspicuous, if someone watches closely, they are still recognizable. Apothecary Du Man, isn't that similar to your 【Hundred Intertwining Method】?"
Zhang Xuan didn't allow the other party to refute his words at all, dumping it all out en masse. At this point, he paused for a moment as he smiled brightly. "If… Apothecary Cheng thinks what that I just said is nonsense and that I made it all up, the Record Crystal has been recording the entire procedure and we can look through it anytime. Everyone can bear testimony to whether the words I've been saying are nonsense!"
"You…"
Cheng Jiang face paled and his entire body trembled uncontrollably.
He knew that what the other party said was completely true!
Apothecaries had their own schools and inheritances. In order to improve swiftly, he went around stealing other people's techniques. He thought that he had done it very secretly… How did this fellow know?
Furthermore, down to the very details?
In an instant, he felt like he was standing nude before everyone else. A deep feeling of fear rose from the depths of his heart.
"What? Do you still think I'm spouting nonsense?" Ignoring the other party whose face had paled to the extreme at this moment, Zhang Xuan stepped forward. "If you think there's any mistake in what I've said… is this forging technique that you 'self-created' through merging everyone's forging techniques called 【Convergence of Ten Thousand Tributaries】?"
"You're a demon…"
Apothecary Cheng Jiang staggered and fell to the floor.
The name he had come up with for this forging technique was indeed 【Convergence of Ten Thousand Tributaries】!
It was a name he had come up with a few days ago and he had yet to tell anyone about it. In fact, not even his apprentices knew of it, so why… does the other party know the name?
To be able to see through everything down to the very details such that him stealing the other people's forging technique was unable to escape his eyes…. Was this fellow a demon?
'How can this be…'
Apothecary Cheng Jiang was terrified.
"Convergence of Ten Thousand Tributaries—you utilized all of the different techniques to forge that river of yours. How arrogant! It sure is an incredible forging technique!"
"To steal our forging techniques, integrate them together as one and claim that you have created a new forging technique. Cheng Jiang, you sure are capable!"
"To think that I've regarded you as my brother and my best buddy, yet you chose to do this to me. Fine!"
"From now on, our relationship is severed!"
Upon seeing the expression on Cheng Jiang's face and recalling the movements he made while forging the pill recently, they would truly be fools if they were still unable to understand the situation.
The faces of the apothecaries here turned red in fury. Their wrathful eyes fixated on Cheng Jiang.
They weren't exceptionally skilled apothecaries and their forging techniques were not really secrets that must not be leaked to the outside. But… this fellow, if he had expressed his desire to learn their techniques, getting rejected wasn't really a big deal. However, his actions of learning their techniques behind their back was definitely something an apothecary should never do!
Not only that, he had even arrogantly bragged that he had created a new technique by himself. Created, your head! You simply took all of our techniques to form a hodgepodge. You call that creating a new technique?
If that's so, everyone would be creating new techniques every day!
Not to mention, naming it Convergence of Ten Thousand Tributaries…
How can anyone be that shameless!
At this point, they no longer viewed Cheng Jiang as their equal. Disgust was the only thing that could be seen on their faces.
"Please calm down!"
Upon seeing the indignation of the crowd, Zhang Xuan smiled. He interjected into their commotion and turned to look at Cheng Jiang, who was still in a state of disbelief. "Apothecary Cheng Jiang… is this considered my victory?"
"You—you…"
Seeing his smile, Apothecary Cheng Jiang shuddered. "You win…. I admit defeat!"
He has no choice but to admit defeat. The other party's ability to discern had already reached the level of demons. He feared that if he continued competing with him, more of his secrets would be revealed. As such, he could only hurriedly nod his head.
At this moment, he regretted his action of intentionally making things difficult for the other party. Even though the other party had pointed out the flaws in Meng Yan and Chen Xiao's pill forging, he had clearly spared their dignity. Yet he sent a slap directly at his face, exposing his darkest secret in public….
It was foreseeable that once news of these matters spread, he would lose his standing within Tianxuan Kingdom's Apothecary Guild. He would be shunned and viewed with contempt by all.
All credibility and reputation he had built up throughout the years would be completely destroyed and others would just think of him as a fraud and villain.
Upon his surrender, Zhang Xuan smiled.
Initially, he didn't have any serious conflict with any of them so he couldn't be bothered with the other party's personality flaws. Yet, this fellow tried to take advantage of the situation to force him into a corner!
'You want to humiliate me? Try it then!
'As a transcender with a golden ring, how can I allow myself to be humiliated by you like this?
'Since you decided to charge straight at me, don't blame me for not going easy on you. It just happens that I can use you to warn the others that I, Zhang Xuan… am not an easy target!'
"Apothecary Cheng has admitted defeat!"
Zhang Xuan surveyed the surroundings. "Anyone else?"
In that instant, the room fell utterly silent.