Chapter 343: Chapter 343: Yun Country and Meng Kingdom
From a distance, figures were moving about. Zhuge Cang and his companions gazed intently towards the crowd approaching from afar, among whom stood a signboard bearing the character “Yun”.
Apparently, the first to arrive was the Pill Alliance from Yun Country.
The delegation from Yun Country was quite large this time. In addition to the ten Pill Refiners who would be participating in the conference, many young Pill Refiners were also there to observe. The faces of each were imbued with a defiant and confident color.
After all, Yun Country had triumphed over the other two countries in the last three Pill Refiners Conferences, exhibiting impressive performance. Yun Country has made rapid progress in the Alchemy Tao in recent years, often communicating and exchanging information with the Pill Alliance from the Middle Three Kingdoms. It even seemed to be on the verge of outpacing its rivals.
In the crowd from Yun Country, a young man stood out. Dressed in white, with a clean and handsome look, he bore an impassive expression while being surrounded by others, much like a moon surrounded by stars.
This man was Zhao Shenkong, hailed as the number one Alchemy Tao genius in Yun Country. He was born into the royal family of Yun Country, possessing extraordinary talent and a revered status in society. He was also blessed with the rare Hundred Refining Body.
“Greetings and welcome to our visitors from Yun Country,” Zhuge Cang, Chen Mu, and Lu Wuwei stepped forward and saluted the crowd from Yun Country.
The leader of Yun Country’s Pill Alliance was a bald elder with an imposing stature. Despite his age, he still exhibited an air of might, reminiscent more of a powerful martial artist than a Pill Refiner.
The bald elder chuckled, returning Zhuge Cang and the other’s greeting, “You three have not changed a bit. But it’s not surprising, given your privileged positions here, unlike me who has been working tirelessly in Yun Country.”
Zhuge Cang and the other two were speechless. What did he mean that they had been living a life of luxury here? Managing a city as big as Black Cauldron City took a lot of effort!
The bald elder seemed to be old acquaintances with Zhuge Cang and the other two, appearing very casual in his way of speaking.
“Come, let me introduce you to our number one Alchemy Tao genius in Yun Country—Zhao Shenkong.” The bald elder waved to Zhao Shenkong who stepped forward, bowing in salute to the three elders.
“My name is Zhao Shenkong, a junior from Yun Country. I hope to receive guidance from the three elders during the conference,” Zhao Shenkong spoke calmly, neither in a humble nor arrogant tone, without giving anyone a chance to pick holes in his manners.
Zhuge Cang and the others scrutinized Zhao Shenkong, nodding in approval. Although they hadn’t yet seen his Pill Refining skills, even just his demeanor alone gave off a hidden depth.
“Well, it’s not every day we get to bear witness to the talents of a Hundred Refining Body. The three of us are sure to learn a lot at this year’s conference,” Zhuge Cang laughed.
The bald elder appeared quite proud, considering that the genius of the Hundred Refining Body was found in their Yun Country’s Pill Alliance and had been personally trained by him. Although he had not formally taken Zhao Shenkong as his disciple, he had come to regard him as such.
Of course, the bald elder also understood that he wasn’t qualified to be Zhao Shenkong’s master. A talent such as Zhao Shenkong’s was destined to transcend the humble Lower Three Kingdoms.
Chen Mu and Lu Wuwei had been quietly observing the other nine people from Yun Country. Although not as eye-catching as Zhao Shenkong, each one was a leading young figure in Yun Country’s Alchemy Tao, none of them mediocre.
“The members from Qian and Meng Countries haven’t arrived yet?” The bald elder looked around and said, furrowing his brows.
Zhuge Cang chuckled, “Since Yun Country is the closest to here, it’s only natural that you arrived first.”
Just as he finished speaking, the delegates from Meng Kingdom arrived!
Compared to Yun Country, Meng Country also had quite a few representatives, each one adorned in black robes, presenting quite an imposing sight.
Upon the arrival of representatives from Meng Country, more than a few people from Yun Country displayed looks of disdain. Zhao Shenkong only gave them a glance before withdrawing his gaze.
“I apologize for our late arrival,” the leader from Meng Country, an old woman in a black robe, spoke with a hunched back. Her long, white hair hanging to her waist gave her visage a somewhat gloomy countenance.
“Haha, the delegation from Yun Country just arrived, too. You really didn’t keep us waiting,” Zhuge Cang greeted her with a jovial smile.
The difference in the reception given to the two delegations was noticeable. When Yun Country’s delegation arrived, Zhuge Cang, Chen Mu, and Lu Wuwei all stepped forward to greet them.
However, when the delegates from Meng Country arrived, only Zhuge Cang stepped forward to meet them, with Chen Mu and Lu Wuwei staying put.
The old woman in the black robe sneered and said, “People from Yun Country always arrive early, unlike us from Meng Country who have to traverse long, challenging paths.”
Her words bore some hidden meanings, which prompted the bald elder to snort softly, his expression filled with disdain.
Among the ten people who came from Meng Country, one person stood out the most.
This person was a youth, but he was considerably shorter than his peers, standing a full head shorter than the others. However, he had a distinctive silver-gray hair and a serious demeanor which made him stand out.
Compared to the other nine people from Meng Country, the short, silver-haired youth seemed rather gloomy and even his own countrymen seemed to keep a certain distance from him, seemingly wary of his presence.
Everyone had noticed this and understood that this attention-grabbing individual could only be the infamous Poison Pill Master.
The majority of the Pill Alliance still did not accept or recognize Poison Pill Masters. Ever since the advent of the Pill Refiner system, Poison Pill Masters have been considered the greatest enemy of Pill Refiners. This idea had persisted for countless years.
But now, Poison Pill Masters had openly joined the Pill Alliance and even become a part of its leadership. Most Pill Refiners found it extremely difficult to accept this.
There had been numerous incidents within the Pill Alliance where members attempted to expel the Poison Pill Masters, but their efforts were always suppressed by the higher-ups. Rumor had it that Poison Pill Masters were accepted into the Pill Alliance due to their close relationship with the West Pole Heaven King, one of the Four Heaven Kings of the Pill Alliance.
Now, Meng Country surprisingly had a Poison Pill Master participating in the Pill Refiners Conference, something that had never happened in previous conferences.
“Old Woman Gu, when did the Pill Alliance in Meng Country become so desperate? Just to make up the numbers, you even brought along a Poison Pill Master?” the bald elder derided.
Instantly, the face of the old woman surnamed Gu darkened, “Elder Yan, mind your words. Poison Pill Masters have already been acknowledged by the Pill Alliance. They are now a part of us, the Pill Refiners of the Alliance.”
The look of disdain on the bald elder’s face intensified. “I see that you, Old Woman Gu, have already been blinded by the Poison Pill Masters. There’s no hope for you!”
“Are you trying to start a fight?” The cold voice of the old woman flashed dangerously.
Seeing a tension-filled atmosphere, Zhuge Cang quickly intervened, “Elder Su and the others from Qian Country have not yet arrived. Let’s wait patiently for them and not ruin the harmony of the event.”
“Humph!” Both Elder Yan and Old Woman Gu restrained their temper. After all, it was necessary to give Zhuge Cang some face in the Black Cauldron City.
“The people from Qian Country’s Pill Alliance are here!” Half an hour later, the group from Qian Country finally appeared.
However, when everyone saw the people from Qian Country, their eyes widened in bewilderment, their expressions shifting to ones of surprise.