Sovereign of the Three Realms

With Pill King Lu Feng and Pill King Bu there to assist him, Jiang Chen’s burden became much lighter. He imparted some of the contents of his lesson to them so that they could take over some of the lectures. They were both first-rate pill kings in Veluriyam Capital. As such, it was only natural for them to have a high comprehension level. They were able to completely understand the lecture material with just a few pointers from him. However, Jiang Chen didn’t dare give them too many lessons to teach. People wanted to listen to him, after all, and not somebody else. After he was done distributing lectures to Pill King Lu Feng and Pill King Bu, somebody outside suddenly announced that the champion from the Pill Pagoda battles was asking for an audience.

Lin Yanyu? Jiang Chen slapped his forehead. He’d forgotten all about the matter. If there was anyone in the entire Veluriyam Capital who could subdue this supercilious young man called Lin Yanyu, it would be no other than Jiang Chen. This was because he had two identities, and Lin Yanyu was deferential towards both. One of his identities was Lin Yanyu’s savior. If Jiang Chen hadn’t rescued him at the entrance to the desolate wildlands, the Six Wolves of Sparrow Mountain would have caused Lin Yanyu to suffer a great loss. The second identity was that of Pill King Zhen. Lin Yanyu greatly admired Pill King Zhen. However, It wasn’t because he blindly worshipped him, but rather, because Pill King Zhen had defeated the overweening Pill King Ji Lang. Coincidentally, Pill King Ji Lang was also Lin Yanyu’s mortal enemy. 

Pill King Bu wasn’t unfamiliar with Lin Yanyu. As such, he was a little surprised to see this young pill dao talent act as obedient as a lamb in front of Jiang Chen. Before the pill king came under Jiang Chen’s tutelage, he’d acted as the representative for Emperor Shura. He’d even twice represented Emperor Shura in recruiting Lin Yanyu. Thus, Pill King Bu understood what Lin Yanyu’s personality was like. This young man might seem obedient, but he was actually like an iron fist encased in a velvet glove. An ordinary person would not be able to change his mind easily.

Pill King Bu had tried to recruit Lin Yanyu many times on the behalf of Emperor Shura. The wandering cultivator had always appeared outwardly polite and respectful, but he’d never once made any substantial promises, nor did he ever make it clear that he’d join Emperor Shura’s side. This genius wandering cultivator might seem unimposing on the surface, but he was surprisingly opinionated. Meeting under such circumstances was awkward indeed.

Lin Yanyu was a little surprised when he saw Pill King Bu, but he didn’t say anything about it. He only gave Jiang Chen a very humble and respectful bow. “Senior Zhen, Junior Lin Yanyu pays his respects.”

Jiang Chen smiled wryly. “Since when did I suddenly become your senior?”

“Pill Master Zhen is number one in pill dao in Veluriyam Capital. Therefore, being respectful towards your seniors is only a matter of course.” Lin Yanyu said with a serious look on his face. Pill King Lu Feng and Pill King Bu were quite pleased to hear those words. They were both willingly under Jiang Chen’s tutelage. But if Lin Yanyu had suddenly spoken to Pill King Zhen as though they were peers, they would have a little difficulty holding onto their dignity.  How were they supposed to hold their heads high in the future if this young junior was of a higher seniority than them? Fortunately, Lin Yanyu was extremely tactful and chose not to address Jiang Chen as Brother Huang like he’d done in the past. Otherwise, those two old men might really lose all of their face.

Jiang Chen also noticed this issue and said nothing about it. Instead, he spoke with some amusement and looked at Lin Yanyu. “Why have you not entered the Pill Pagoda?”

Lin Yanyu quickly replied, “Everyone has applied to postpone their entrance to the Pill Pagoda by half a month. They all wish to listen to senior’s lectures.”

Pill King Lu Feng snorted. “These young brats are surprisingly sly.” 

Jiang Chen wasn’t too surprised. He then asked, “What are your plan from now on?”

“This junior wishes to follow senior around and listen to senior’s teachings.” Lin Yanyu said sincerely. 

A pill dao senior that could defeat Pill King Ji Lang, was worthy of Lin Yanyu’s respect and sincerity. However, Pill King Lu Feng’s brow twitched. “Brat. You’re seeking tutelage under our master too?!”

Pill King Bu stared at Lin Yanyu with an antagonizing look.

“Both of you, stop bullying him. Yanyu is a young man whom I place high hopes on.” Jiang Chen laughed in an easy-going manner.  

Lin Yanyu was moved when he heard those words. He quickly dropped to his knees and kowtowed. “Senior, I beseech you, please take this disciple into your tutelage. This disciple will definitely serve master well and put his heart and soul into learning.” 

Jiang Chen had already planned on doing so in the first place. Otherwise, he would never have summoned Lin Yanyu to Veluriyam Capital. However, accepting a disciple was not child’s play. “You won’t regret this?” Jiang Chen asked with a deep growl. 

“Your disciple will never regret this!” Lin Yanyu replied with no hesitation. He was no fool. Pill King Zhen’s mastery over pill dao was extremely obvious. Even the legendary, undefeated Pill King Ji Lang had been defeated by this man! How many people in the Divine Abyss Continent could possibly be more powerful than him?

Although Lin Yanyu had inherited his family’s profound knowledge, it was all outdated. No matter how deep his family’s foundations were, he’d only inherited a portion of that knowledge. Moreover, even if he’d inherited all of his family’s heritage, it still wouldn’t be enough for him to seek revenge on Pillfire City. If he wanted the slightest glimmer of hope for revenge, or to return the Lin family to its previous glory, he had to seek the tutelage from this god-like senior of pill dao. He would beg to be accepted and learn from such a person. For the past two days, Lin Yanyu kept repeating this question in his mind and eventually came to such a conclusion.

Jiang Chen suddenly started laughing and looked at Pill King Bu and Pill King Lu Feng. “I intend to accept him as my disciple. What do the both of you think of this?”

Since Jiang Chen had already made his decision, the two pill kings naturally could not object. Moreover, there was no reason for them to object. With their master’s status in pill dao, it was only natural for him to widely accept disciples. 

Pill King Lu Feng grumbled, “In any case, I will be the eldest senior brother.”

Pill King Bu laughed wryly. Even though he didn’t place much importance in status or titles, he wasn’t willing to be a junior to somebody much younger than him.

Lin Yanyu was elated when he saw that neither of these old men had objected. “Yanyu pays his respects to both senior brothers!” He quickly yelled. This meant that he acknowledged the status of his two senior brothers.

Delighted, Pill King Lu Feng immediately broke into a beaming smile. His attitude also took a complete turn. “Good lad. Good lad! You have a keen eye! Mmm! Now that you’ve joined us, you will be put in charge of attending to master in most of the dirty and tiring work since you’re still a young man!”

Pill King Lu Feng immediately put on the airs of the eldest senior brother. Even though this old man might seem to have the personality of an old imp, he was actually quite clever.

“Of course. My two senior brothers are both well-respected individuals and have already made a name for themselves as Mt. Tai and the Big Dipper in pill dao. It is only natural for this junior to be responsible for those tasks.”

Pill King Bu let out a quiet sigh. To think that this kid would so willingly enter master’s tutelage, even though the Emperor Shura was unable to recruit him! This enormous contrast in attitude caused the pill king’s heart to be filled with a wide range of emotions. It seemed like Emperor Shura’s ability to attract the younger generation had been slowly surpassed by the young Pill King Zhen. Pill King Bu had just come under Jiang Chen’s tutelage, and thus hadn’t solidified his position here. He naturally wouldn’t flaunt his seniority. He patted Lin Yanyu on his shoulder to show his support but wouldn’t say anything more.

“Yanyu, both your senior brothers are helping me with the lecture. You should also join them to help me give some lectures instead of just being in the audience.”

Lin Yanyu was taken by surprise. “I… I will lecture too?”

Even though Lin Yanyu had inherited his family’s profound knowledge, his family had encountered huge misfortune when he was young, so he’d wandered from place to place ever since. Therefore, he was no different from any of the other wandering cultivators. With his family background, he wouldn’t get to the point of stage fright. But to lecture on a podium was an entirely different matter.

Jiang Chen patted Lin Yanyu on the shoulder. “No need to worry. I will explain and teach you everything you need to know for the lecture. This is training. If you wish to become a legendary figure in pill dao whom everyone respects, you will have to go through this.”

Legendary figure in pill dao? The three disciples were surprised to the point of speechlessness.

“It would be my own failure if you fail to become a legendary figure in this continent after you’ve been through my tutelage.” Jiang Chen said nonchalantly. He’d spoken those words in a very nondescript manner, yet nobody could conjure any doubts on their authenticity. This was because they could all clearly feel the confidence emanating from their master.

A legendary figure in pill dao, huh? Even old bones like Pill King Bu and Pill King Lu Feng could feel hot blood coursing through their veins, something that hadn’t happened in quite a long time.

The ten-day lecture that the entire Veluriyam Capital had been looking forward to was finally about to begin. Jiang Chen, along with his three disciples, began their lectures under the pill pagoda of the Veluriyam Pagoda. Back when Taiyuan Tower had first opened, Jiang Chen had given a lecture for three consecutive days  and had captured a lot of attention. However, everyone had only just begun to hear about Pill King Zhen’s reputation at that time.

This time, the situation was no longer the same. Back then, Jiang Chen had only defeated Pill King Rong, a sixth rank pill king. But now, Jiang Chen had defeated the insufferably arrogant Pill King Ji Lang, a legendary figure from Pillfire City. He was currently the strongest at pill dao in Veluriyam Capital. Thus, it went without saying that the popularity of his ten-day lecture exploded.

A crowd formed under the pill pagoda that extended as far as a few miles back. It was a sea of black in all directions. There wasn’t even the slightest space to be found. At a glance, there was at least one million people present. And these were just the lucky ones that came early enough to find a place. Nobody knew for sure how many were lingering outside after they’d failed to find a place for themselves. A lecture given by the number one in pill dao in Veluriyam Capital! For ten days in a row at that too! This was an event that might not even happen once every decade, or even once a century! Nobody was going to want to miss it.

One after the other, Jian Chen began to impart words of wisdom right from the beginning of the lecture. He brought up many classical parables of pill dao and integrated them into knowledge taken from a few pill dao schools. His lecture this time was immensely profound. He captured everyone’s full attention as soon as he began the lecture.

Jiang Chen had actually prepared for this lecture very meticulously. He understood that people were there to listen to his lecture on pill dao and not to listen to him ramble on about inconsequential things. Because of that, he discussed some earth-shattering information right off the bat, capturing everyone’s attention as if he had used a hook. Without a doubt, only a multi-talented pill dao genius of Jiang Chen’s caliber could do such a thing as easily as lifting a feather, condensing so much knowledge into a ten-day lecture.

The surrounding ten mile area was basked in complete silence for a time. After hearing the astounding information from the start, some of the pill experts in Veluriyam Capital that had only attended the lecture to watch a good show couldn’t bear to leave. Every single one of them listened as though they were intoxicated. They’d completely forgotten that they were originally there to simply watch the hustle and bustle.

However, the ones that were caught by surprise the most were not these experts, but the three disciples who sat right beside Jian Chen. They were already very impressed by the sheer amount of knowledge their master possessed. But after listening to the lecture, they came to realize that they were like frogs at the bottom of a well. Their master’s profound lecture was far beyond Veluriyam Capital’s level. One could say that it was far beyond what they thought was possible. This made them feel like they hadn’t just improved by one level, but by multiple levels in one go!