"Look, is that kid scared stiff?"

"He’s just a substitute, yet he dares cause trouble in our Alchemy Master Guild. Who gave him the nerve? Crush him. I don’t want to see his face again."

It was fair to say that many people were even more displeased with Jiang Chen simply because he was a substitute.

Moreover, he was so young and had already climbed to the position of Senior Steward in one fell swoop.

Everyone present had struggled for decades to get where they were, so they felt it was incredibly unfair.

Yang Tian’s attack was definitely what many of them had been hoping for.

Therefore, no one stepped in to stop him.

Even Master Qin simply watched as Jiang Chen and Yang Tian were about to clash, making no move to intervene.

It seemed he wanted to see the master who stood behind Jiang Chen.

Of course, he was also annoyed that Jiang Chen had slighted him before.

But he was the one who had brought Jiang Chen here. Out of respect for Jiang Chen’s master, he was unwilling to drive him away.

’I wonder if this boy can hold on?’

Master Qin watched in silence.

Meanwhile, Yang Tian, confident in his profound Cultivation, was certain he could overwhelm Jiang Chen.

When he saw Jiang Chen remain seated and motionless even after he had made his move, he was even more contemptuous.

He sneered again and again.

"What an ignorant fool. Today, I’ll crush you."

"Die!"

The distance between them was already short, and Yang Tian’s attack was sudden. In what seemed like an instant, he appeared right in front of Jiang Chen.

However, just as he appeared before Jiang Chen...

"Wait, I have something to say!"

Jiang Chen spoke up suddenly.

This made Yang Tian falter, and his attack actually stopped.

He glared coldly at Jiang Chen and said indifferently, "Do you have any last words?"

Jiang Chen looked at Yang Tian. His Broken Soul acted very quickly.

He had noticed that his opponent had already inhaled it a moment ago.

He might have noticed something was wrong, but by the time he did, it would be too late.

He looked at Yang Tian and asked, "Are you feeling a bit of discomfort in your soul?"

Yang Tian froze. That was right. He had just felt a sudden abnormality in his soul.

It made him extremely uncomfortable, as if his mind had been pricked by a needle.

Right now, his mind was buzzing, and it felt as if countless sharp needles were piercing his very soul.

This was Broken Soul, the terrifying Soul-Breaking Poison that specifically targeted the soul.

And the soul was a Martial Cultivator’s most fragile point.

"Yes, how did you know?"

As the stabbing pain in his soul intensified, Yang Tian was horrified.

He discovered that as his soul was being pierced, his Cultivation was thrown into chaos, making it impossible to mobilize his Cultivation Power.

Even if Jiang Chen hadn’t shouted, the palm strike he was about to land would have lost most of its force.

At this moment, he stared at Jiang Chen in shock.

At first, he had thought it was just some minor issue.

But now, a sense of dread washed over him.

The piercing pain in his soul was unbearable, but he desperately held on. With each passing moment, the agony grew worse.

"It’s good that you’re uncomfortable."

Jiang Chen, however, remained seated calmly. As a powerful Alchemist, both saving lives with Alchemy and killing with Elixirs were skills he had mastered long ago.

He suddenly barked, "Kneel."

THUD!

For some reason, Jiang Chen’s voice was thunderous.

The others didn’t feel anything special, but Yang Tian, afflicted by the Soul-Breaking Poison, instantly lost control of his body and fell to his knees before Jiang Chen with a thud.

The entire room was thrown into an uproar.

Seeing Yang Tian suddenly on his knees before Jiang Chen, everyone present was utterly stunned.

One by one, they stared at Jiang Chen and Yang Tian in disbelief.

Some were so shocked they shot to their feet.

"What’s wrong with Steward Yang?"

"What happened?"

"Steward Yang, say something!"

From the Senior Stewards to the Elders and the Vice President, not a single one of them could remain calm.

They stared in horror at Yang Tian, who just moments ago had been overwhelmingly powerful, but was now kneeling before Jiang Chen, his face contorted in pain.

SWISH!

In that same instant, Master Qin also leaped to his feet.

His eyes were wide, filled with utter shock.

Yang Tian had confronted Jiang Chen, and everyone had expected Jiang Chen to be killed in a single blow. Instead, Jiang Chen was sitting peacefully in his chair while Yang Tian was on his knees.

Everyone present was a figure of profound Cultivation.

The lowest among them had reached the Martial Master Level.

Only Jiang Chen’s Cultivation was below that of a Martial Artist.

And now, everyone else was standing, while only Jiang Chen remained seated.

Directly facing the kneeling Yang Tian.

At this moment, facing everyone’s questions, Yang Tian couldn’t make a sound.

His soul was in a state of utter chaos.

It felt as if heavenly lightning was bombarding his soul, causing it to shatter. His face was pale from the agony.

Then, his expression twisted further, and he could no longer bear it.

"Ahhhh..."

Yang Tian let out a heart-wrenching scream.

He clutched his head with both hands, roaring in pain.

"Ah, spare me..."

"Jiang Chen, no... Steward Jiang... Lord Jiang..."

Yang Tian was already incoherent.

No matter how foolish he was, he now understood what had happened.

He had been tricked by Jiang Chen.

And he hadn’t noticed a thing beforehand.

His soul had only been damaged during the confrontation with Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen remained seated, as everyone’s gaze shifted between him and Yang Tian.

"Bastard, what did you do to Steward Yang?"

"Jiang Chen, you’ve gone too far! Are you trying to wantonly kill an innocent man in our Alchemy Master Guild?"

As for Xiao Gu, his face was deathly pale.

Seeing Yang Tian’s miserable state, he seemed to recall his own previous encounter with Jiang Chen.

He, too, had been in a wretched state back then.

The thought made him shudder and hastily take a few steps back, terrified of getting anywhere near Jiang Chen.

He found this Jiang Chen to be unnervingly terrifying.

His methods were endless and unpredictable.

’What kind of monster is this? To be so calm and composed in front of so many of us.’

He had even forgotten about avenging his apprentice, Bai Shu.

Jiang Chen ignored Yang Tian and rose to his feet.

With his hands behind his back, he scanned the crowd, his gaze including Master Qin.

He knew that no one had intervened earlier because they had all wanted to see him killed.

Every single one of them was a detestable hypocrite.

As the former President of the Alchemy Master Guild, Jiang Chen felt a pang of disappointment.

The Alchemy Master Guild of today was no longer what it used to be.

As Jiang Chen’s gaze swept over them, they all grew nervous.

What was it that allowed Jiang Chen, with such low Cultivation, to be so composed?

They couldn’t understand it, but Jiang Chen was undeniably full of bizarre power.

After surveying the crowd, Jiang Chen’s gaze lingered on Master Qin, giving him a deep, meaningful look.

Then he asked faintly, "Did you all want me to die?"

No one spoke.

There was only the sound of heavy breathing and the sight of Yang Tian, who was like a madman, tearing at his own hair.

Jiang Chen had perfect control over his Soul-Breaking Poison.

If he had wanted Yang Tian dead, he would have been dead long ago.

He just wanted to make an example of him to intimidate the others.

"Unfortunately for you, I’m not so easy to kill."

A thousand years ago, not even that bizarre Pill Furnace could blow him to smithereens. Now, it would naturally be a bit difficult for others to kill him.