Divine War Pill Emperor

"He is my opponent," Zuo Siming said, pointing at Jiang Chen.

The two Elders from the Artifact Refiner Guild were stunned.

Jiang Chen had been on the stage for some time, yet they had completely ignored him.

They sized Jiang Chen up.

They also knew Jiang Chen was the one certified as a One-Star Supreme Refiner.

Only then did the two of them begin to take Jiang Chen seriously.

"So you’re Jiang Chen. You should have said something sooner. We thought you were just part of the crowd."

Although the middle-aged Elder knew Jiang Chen was a One-Star Supreme Refiner, he held out no hope for him whatsoever.

After all, how could someone with no backing possibly compare to a genius from the Zuo Family?

In their minds, the outcome of this competition was decided from the start—Jiang Chen was guaranteed to lose.

Jiang Chen had been ignored, but his expression remained indifferent.

He could even hear the disdain in the voices of the two Elders from the Artifact Refiner Guild.

But what did it matter? Jiang Chen didn’t care for the opinions of others.

Zuo Siming then grinned smugly at Jiang Chen, his face triumphant.

Down in the crowd, nearly everyone was cheering his name, shouting words of encouragement, and singing his praises.

He was the undisputed center of attention.

He stood a few meters from Jiang Chen and chuckled. "Jiang Chen, I didn’t think you’d actually dare to come. I thought you wouldn’t show."

"Since you’re here, I have to admire your courage."

He held nothing but contempt for Jiang Chen.

After all, he was a genius from the Zuo Family. Neither their renowned Artifact Refining Technique nor their vast experience was something an ordinary person could hope to match.

He had every conceivable advantage.

It was only natural that he was arrogant.

"Enough with the nonsense," Jiang Chen said coolly. "Let’s just get started."

A flash of anger crossed Zuo Siming’s face. He hadn’t expected Jiang Chen to be so arrogant himself.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the fury in his heart.

He then said coldly, "Arrogant, just as I expected."

"But in a moment, I’m going to utterly humiliate you on this stage."

"Just watch how I use my Artifact Refining Technique to grind your face into the dirt."

Jiang Chen shrugged. "I hope you remember those words."

However, Zuo Siming wasn’t about to let Jiang Chen off so easily.

He suddenly said, "Jiang Chen, a simple competition would be pointless."

"So, let’s make a wager. Do you dare?"

As far as Zuo Siming was concerned, his victory was assured. Fueled by his anger, he planned to use this competition to eliminate Jiang Chen for good.

He had already hatched a plan.

Jiang Chen’s brows furrowed slightly. ’Zuo Siming is as treacherous as I thought,’ he mused. ’He’s definitely going to use this competition to try and scheme against me.’

But Jiang Chen was not afraid.

He answered calmly, "Fine. Name your stakes."

When they heard Zuo Siming and Jiang Chen were about to make a wager, everyone—from the two Artifact Refiner Guild Elders on the stage to the massive crowd below—erupted in an uproar.

Clearly, a wager like this piqued their interest.

Zuo Siming had already thought this through. He declared, "It’s simple. We’ll compete to see who can refine a Magical Treasure of a higher grade. That person will be the victor."

"And the stakes? The loser must commit suicide here, in front of everyone."

At those words, the crowd erupted once more.

The loser takes their own life—a wager where the stakes were literally life and death.

No one had expected Zuo Siming to propose such a stake.

This was a clear attempt on Jiang Chen’s life.

The two Elders exchanged a look of dismay.

Down in the crowd, Han Yinghua cursed in fury, "Zuo Siming, you’re shameless!"

"How dare you even suggest such a wager!"

Even Xiaotian started to worry for Jiang Chen.

He knew how incredibly hard Jiang Chen had worked to hone his Artifact Refining Technique.

And now, his opponent wanted to bet on their lives—a clear attempt to force Jiang Chen into a dead end.

He gritted his teeth in silent fury.

Zuo Siming ignored everyone else, his gaze fixed on Jiang Chen.

The members of the Zuo Family didn’t intervene, clearly confident that their own Zuo Siming was guaranteed to win.

"You don’t have a problem with that, do you?"

Zuo Siming asked, his eyes on Jiang Chen and his tone laced with mockery.

He looked as if victory was already in his grasp.

Jiang Chen pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "A bet on our lives? Excellent. I enjoy a bit of excitement."

"Let’s bet our lives, then."

He agreed.

The crowd erupted yet again.

Meanwhile, Han Yinghua cried out a warning, "Jiang Chen, don’t agree to it! You’re falling into his trap!"

But Jiang Chen did not respond to Han Yinghua.

Even Xiaotian sent a mental message to Jiang Chen.

"Master, you mustn’t! This puts you at a disadvantage!"

"I know what I’m doing," Jiang Chen replied calmly.

Zuo Siming decided to press his advantage. "To make sure no one backs out, let’s sign a life-and-death agreement."

"Otherwise, I’m afraid a certain someone might try to weasel their way out of it."

With that, he walked over to the two Elders from the Artifact Refiner Guild.

He produced two copies of an agreement from his Spatial Ring—everything had been prepared in advance, all of it aimed squarely at Jiang Chen.

’So Zuo Siming really is out to kill me,’ Jiang Chen thought, nodding to himself. ’He even had the agreements prepared ahead of time.’

He simply smiled.

Jiang Chen followed Zuo Siming to stand before the two Elders.

Zuo Siming then gestured to the two Elders, introducing them to Jiang Chen. "Oh, right, I forgot the introductions. This is Elder Qiu, and this is Elder Han. Neither of them are members of my Zuo Family."

"They will be perfectly fair judges, you can rest assured of that."

Jiang Chen paid him no mind. In fact, he hadn’t trusted anyone from the Artifact Refiner Guild from the start.

The Artifact Refiner Guild was currently controlled by three factions: the Zuo Family, the Han Family, and a neutral party. Therefore, Jiang Chen trusted none of them.

No matter who served as judge, the situation would be unfavorable for him.

As for Jiang Chen, he didn’t need to trust them. He only needed to believe in his own strength.

He nodded slightly.

Zuo Siming placed the life-and-death agreement on the table.

He swiftly signed his name on both copies and even added his handprint.

Then, he said to Jiang Chen, "Your turn, Jiang Chen."

"Come sign it."

Before Jiang Chen could sign, Elder Han—presumably a member of the Han Family—suddenly interjected with a warning. "Kid, you need to think this through. Once you sign this agreement, your life and death will be out of your hands."

"If you lose, you must kill yourself in front of everyone. Those are the terms of the agreement. No one can violate them."

"So, I urge you to proceed with caution."

It was unusual for Elder Han to offer such a warning.

He had noticed that Han Yinghua of his own Han Family seemed to hold Jiang Chen in high regard.

Jiang Chen paid no mind to Elder Han’s warning.

"If I dared to step onto this stage, I dare to sign a life-and-death agreement."

"Besides, who’s to say I’ll be the one to lose?"

Beside him, Elder Qiu sneered. "Young man, don’t be so full of yourself. If you do end up losing, you’ll just become a laughingstock."

"So, don’t be overconfident."

Elder Qiu clearly favored Zuo Siming and saw no hope for Jiang Chen whatsoever.

Without another word, Jiang Chen decisively signed the life-and-death agreement.

There were two copies of the agreement, one for each of them.

After stowing his copy of the agreement, Zuo Siming let out a loud laugh. "Jiang Chen, you chose this path yourself. Don’t you go blaming me for what happens next."