"It's Pharmacist Wang Kaitai! That boy's going to lose for sure. He's the direct disciple of Great Pharmacist Wang Qianhe, the youngest First-level Pharmacist on Medicine Peak! No matter how skilled that boy is, he's an Advanced Pharmacist Apprentice at best. How can he compare to Pharmacist Wang?"
Someone exclaimed.
Apparently, he had heard of Wang Kaitai.
"You said that boy is an Advanced Pharmacist Apprentice? Let me tell you, he's not a Pharmacist Apprentice at all. He's Yang Xiao! You know Yang Xiao, right? The same Yang Xiao who Master Wang declared couldn't become a Martial Artist six years ago. The only son of Sect Leader Yang of the Guest Hall!"
Not only had someone recognized Wang Kaitai and his background, but now, even Yang Xiao's history had been laid bare.
Those who originally held even a sliver of hope for Yang Xiao now lost all of it.
A good-for-nothing who couldn't even become a Martial Artist—what kind of skill could he possibly have?
After all, being a Pharmacist wasn't just about understanding pharmacology; strength was equally crucial. Without formidable power, it was impossible to extract the medicinal properties from Spirit Medicines.
Let alone refining them into proper Pills.
Thus, there was a saying in the Pharmacist Realm: A Martial Artist may not be a Pharmacist, but a Pharmacist is always a Martial Artist. By the same logic, an Innate Grand Martial Master may not be a Great Pharmacist, but a Great Pharmacist is definitely an Innate Grand Martial Master. The same held true for the Medicine Sect.
Without that level of strength, one could never become a Pharmacist of a corresponding level, no matter how well they had mastered the properties of medicines.
A Pharmacist Apprentice, for example, corresponded to the Martial Artist Tier.
If you weren't a Martial Artist, no Pharmacist would ever take you on as an apprentice. Without a mentor in the Pharmacist Realm, it was absolutely impossible to enter the field by relying on oneself.
The properties of medicinal ingredients could undergo subtle variations, with no absolute rules. Therefore, one could never become a Pharmacist just by reading books on the subject.
Yang Xiao was a good-for-nothing who couldn't even become a Martial Artist. Even if he had read a few books on pharmacology, there was no way he could have become a Pharmacist Apprentice. And now, he was about to have a Spirit Medicine duel with a certified First-level Pharmacist.
And this First-level Pharmacist was the direct disciple of the leader of Medicine Peak, no less. It was, quite frankly, a joke.
Who would believe a good-for-nothing could win?
"If you feel this is unfair, I can cancel the duel."
The Juhua Studio Steward also felt that a duel over medicine between a certified First-level Pharmacist and an ordinary person was too unfair, so he said to Yang Xiao.
As soon as he said this, Ye Chenghao shot him a glare, but the Steward completely ignored him.
This blatant disregard infuriated Ye Chenghao. He was about to explode, but Wang Kaitai grabbed him, shot him a meaningful look, and shook his head, convincing him to suppress his anger.
But with a quick glance, Ye Chenghao turned his sights on Yang Xiao and said mockingly, "If you don't have the guts, there's an easy way out. Just admit you've lost, hand over the Spirit Medicine you chose to me, and do as we agreed. Kneel, kowtow, admit you were wrong, and call me 'Grandpa' a hundred times! Then, I'll let you off the hook. How about it?"
"Oh, right! You slapped me earlier. For that, I'm going to slap you a hundred times. You dare hit me? I'll make you pay it back a hundredfold!"
Seeing Ye Chenghao's vicious expression, Yang Xiao smiled.
"You're the one who didn't dare face me on the Life and Death Platform, and now you're saying I'm the one who's scared? How ridiculous. He's just a measly First-level Pharmacist. The fact that he's hanging around with you proves he has no real talent. So come on. I'd like to see what skills this so-called direct disciple of Master Wang really has!"
With those words, Yang Xiao had offended not just Ye Chenghao, but Wang Kaitai as well.
'But even before I said anything to offend him, the guy had already sided with Ye Chenghao to make trouble for me and force this duel. So what if I offend him now?'
'Besides, he's just a First-level Pharmacist. Does he really think he's that special?'
'It's not like I haven't put even a Fourth-level Great Pharmacist in his place before!'
But just because Yang Xiao didn't care didn't mean others felt the same.
Everyone was stunned when they heard what he said.
"Is this boy insane? How dare he speak to Pharmacist Wang like that? Doesn't he know that Pharmacist Wang isn't just Master Wang's disciple, but also his only nephew?"
"He must be insane. And it's not just Pharmacist Wang. See the young man he was arguing with earlier? Do you know who that is? He's Ye Chenghao, the grandson of Lord Ye Zongling, the First Elder of the Law Enforcement Hall! To dare to offend even him... it looks like he really doesn't want to be in the Purple Sun Sect anymore."
"What a pity for his father. Because of his son's youthful hot-headedness, his own future will likely be difficult."
The crowd buzzed with all kinds of comments.
But Yang Xiao remained unconcerned.
Ye Chenghao, on the other hand, was very concerned.
Having Yang Xiao publicly expose his cowardice—not daring to face a 'good-for-nothing' on the Life and Death Platform—made Ye Chenghao feel deeply humiliated. It only fueled his desire for revenge.
He shot Yang Xiao a cold look and took out a small box. "Since you're so confident, I'll raise the stakes. An extra wager on top of our duel. Do you dare accept?"
"Why not?"
Yang Xiao's eyes lit up when he saw the box.
'It's here.'
'This is exactly what I was waiting for.'
Otherwise, Yang Xiao would have had no interest in causing such a big scene over a single, measly First-Grade Spirit Medicine.
Hearing this, Wang Kaitai also took a box out from his robes.
"Since you look down on me so much, you must be certain you'll win. In that case, you won't mind if I raise the stakes as well, will you?"
Clearly, Yang Xiao's words had gotten to him as well.
However, as a First-level Pharmacist, Wang Kaitai was far more calculating than the spoiled Ye Chenghao. He didn't resort to empty threats; on the surface, he maintained a composed and magnanimous demeanor.
But his actions told a different story, one of utter baseness. Not only had he stepped in to replace his friend against a 'good-for-nothing' who wasn't even a Pharmacist Apprentice, but he was now kicking the man while he was down.
A single glance revealed him to be a petty, narrow-minded person.
But the more they behaved this way, the happier Yang Xiao became.
'When people are lining up to give you free stuff, the polite thing to do is accept.'
To the onlookers, however, his behavior was nothing short of suicidal.
Some people couldn't even bear to watch.
It was too tragic.
'This kid is probably going to die a miserable death.'
"Since you're all so eager to give me gifts, why should I refuse?"
Yang Xiao smiled faintly.
His words, however, made everyone's expression darken.
'Is this guy genuinely confident, or just hopelessly stupid?'
A guy who wasn't even a Pharmacist Apprentice was daring enough to challenge a real Pharmacist in a Spirit Medicine duel—and not just any Pharmacist, but the direct disciple and nephew of Master Wang Qianhe, the head of Medicine Peak.
And he was even raising the stakes!
'The man must be an absolute moron.'
At this point, everyone was convinced that Yang Xiao had lost his mind.