Chapter 374: Chapter 374: The New Champion

At this moment, Guo Zhen really wanted to cry.

He had successfully refined the pills, and their fragrant aroma was indeed potent. However, using his unique Pupil Skill, Guo Zhen could see the situation inside the Pill Furnace.

There were eight Dew Pills, one less than Fang Lin’s, and the quality of the pills also varied significantly.

He had lost!

Even though the Pill Furnace was still covered and the pill quality had not been appraised by the Pill Alliance steward, Guo Zhen knew he had lost.

He slumped onto the stage, appearing as if he’d lost his soul, his eyes vacant as he stared at Fang Lin.

Guo Zhen’s dramatic collapse attracted the attention of many. Seeing his state, they could guess what had happened.

“Haha, it seems the Poison Pill Master has realized his loss.”

“Humph! Serves him right!”

“Good that he lost!”

No one felt sympathy for Guo Zhen; in fact, many felt jubilant.

After all, Guo Zhen was a Poison Pill Master. From the start, no one supported him. Even if he defeated Fang Lin, no one would cheer for him.

The Pill Alliance steward glanced at Guo Zhen and urged, “Now that the pills are done, open the Pill Furnace immediately.”

But Guo Zhen seemed to not hear him. His eyes were focused solely on Fang Lin.

He felt such resentment. If it wasn’t for Fang Lin, how could he have lost? And such a disastrous loss at that. He guessed that he would never return to Black Cauldron City in his lifetime.

At that moment, Guo Zhen wanted to kill Fang Lin. This kind of murderous intention grew in him like Bone Maggots, almost impossible to get rid of.

There was an intense killing intent in Guo Zhen’s eyes. As a Poison Pill Master, he had many underhanded and covert methods to kill people undetected. He was certain he could poison Fang Lin without him realizing.

But if he did that, he feared he wouldn’t be able to escape from Black Cauldron City. The Pill Alliance would not forgive him, and he would face severe punishment.

Struck by this —his remaining bit of sanity— Guo Zhen realized he couldn’t carry out his plan.

At that moment, a feeble Guo Zhen rose to his feet and numbly opened the Pill Furnace.

White smoke rose, and the scent of the pills was thick. But all of it seemed laughable to him. Even Guo Zhen himself wanted to laugh.

Before Guo Zhen could call out, three Pill Alliance stewards stepped forward, their faces filled with caution as they carefully examined the contents of the Pill Furnace.

They couldn’t help it. After all, Guo Zhen was a Poison Pill Master. Despite knowing it was unlikely, they were still on guard.

The three people spotted the eight Dew Pills in the Five Mountain Cauldron, then took them out and began to closely appraise them.

Guo Zhen’s face was devoid of all emotion, as if he was already detached from the outcome of the contest.

Fang Lin looked at him and smilingly suggested, “I advise you to turn over a new leaf. Being a Poison Pill Master is a path of no return.”

Guo Zhen’s face twitched. He was tempted to slap Fang Lin.

“Ah, young people don’t understand. Straying off the path doesn’t matter, as long as you amend your mistakes in time. Don’t wait until it’s too late to turn back—until there’s no way out.” Fang Lin stepped forward, speaking earnestly.

“Shut up!” Guo Zhen snapped.

Fang Lin ignored him and continued, “Look, wherever you Poison Pill Masters go, you’re treated like vermin that everyone wants to exterminate. Is that fun? Do you want to live like this for the rest of your life? Even if you become a more powerful Poison Pill Master, who would respect you? Aside from Poison Pill Masters, who else considers you important? Look at the people around here. Is anyone looking at your favorably?”

Guo Zhen’s face twisted with rage as he glared venomously at Fang Lin. He was barely able to control his anger, and he wanted to grab Fang Lin and beat him up.

Upon reflection, though, he thought Fang Lin might have a point. Since he had chosen to become a Poison Pill Master, he had indeed become unpopular.

Even in Meng Kingdom, while his peers feared him, their respect seemed founded solely upon that fear. He felt ostracized.

Wherever he went, it seemed as though people saw him differently. His recent experiences in Black Cauldron City were especially hard to forget—he indeed felt like a pariah.

Had he really chosen the wrong path?

Guo Zhen was somewhat confused. Hadn’t the Poison Pill Masters already gained the recognition of the Pill Alliance? Why were Poison Pill Masters still not accepted by the world?

He naturally couldn’t understand that the longstanding disdain and rejection of Poison Pill Masters by traditional Pill Refiners wouldn’t just disappear because of the recognition from the Pill Alliance.

Unless thousands of years passed, perhaps then the prejudice would start to change.

“Young man, take care of yourself. The sea of poison is boundless, but there’s always a chance to turn back,” Fang Lin gently patted Guo Zhen’s shoulder, speaking with grave and concerned sincerity.

When he finished speaking, Fang Lin wiped his hand on his robe, looking quite disgusted by Guo Zhen.

At this point, the three Pill Alliance stewards had also finished their assessment.

“Guo Zhen, eight Dew Pills—five of medium quality, three of high quality,” announced the Pill Alliance steward to the crowd, simultaneously glancing at Guo Zhen.

Guo Zhen forced a smile. Though he knew long ago he had lost, hearing it declared out loud made it much harder to accept.

The bitter taste of failure was truly unpleasant.

Roars of cheer rose from below the stage. Fang Lin, an upright and steadfast Pill Refiner, had defeated Poison Pill Master Guo Zhen, naturally earning the approval and support of the crowd.

“Fang Lin successfully completes the challenge and becomes the new stage champion. He can accept up to five rounds of challenges,” the Pill Alliance steward continued.

His words were also a clear message to Guo Zhen: You have failed. You are no longer the champion. Now, hurry off the stage.

Guo Zhen packed up his Five Mountain Cauldron and retreated disgraced, returning to the corner with his fellow countrymen from Meng Kingdom.

However, everyone looked at him coldly. Not one person offered him comforting words, and some Pill Refiners from Meng Kingdom even appeared to be reveling in his misfortune.

The old woman Gu smacked the table so hard it broke. As her disciple, Guo Zhen had initially given her high hopes. Unfortunately, he was deposed from the champion’s position before even settling into it by Fang Lin. In other words, he was kicked out before he had made himself comfortable.

At that moment, Old Woman Gu harbored an intense killing intent. She not only wanted to kill Fang Lin but also poison and kill every person in Black Cauldron City.

And the thing was, Old Woman Gu was entirely capable of such an act.

“Poison Pill Masters really can’t hold their own. They’re out almost as soon as they step in,” the elder named Yan continued to add fuel to the fire.

Old Woman Gu remained silent. Saying anything at this point would be futile. Defeat is defeat—nothing can change that. One can only swallow the bitter pill.

With that, the stage situation underwent a major change.

Out of the three champions, two were from Qian Country. This made Qian Country seem like the biggest winner of the Pill Refiner Conference.

Although the event hadn’t ended, and the Pill Refiners from the three countries still had the opportunity to challenge the champions, it seemed unlikely that any of them could destabilize the current champions’ status as things stood.

“I challenge Fang Lin!” At this moment, a voice rang out from Qian Country, surprising everyone.