Emperor Shura and Emperor Vastsea had no choice but to present their congratulatory speeches to Jiang Chen as well. They congratulated him with a smile even though it was the last thing they wanted to do. After all, one was expected to show poise and respect at all times when one reached the level of a great emperor. Cordiality had to be maintained even if there was some conflict behind the scenes. Things were finally settled after they had given their felicitations.

Emperor Peafowl smiled at Jiang Chen. “Big events like this don’t happen too often. Go give a speech or two so that people can familiarize themselves with you.” 

Jiang Chen didn’t decline. He made his way onto the stage and waved his hands in all directions. “Ever since the first day I’ve stepped foot in this capital, I’ve had an intense feeling that this was no ordinary place. That day was also the very day which all of you were grieving over the loss of young lord Fan. I could immediately tell that the citizens here are all of one heart and possess faith just by the amount of sadness and grief in the air. That was the exact moment when I decided that this place was worthy of a longer stay.”

Jiang Chen speech was immediately interrupted by the crowd’s deafening applause. His voice was drowned out by the crowd. The eyes of some of the older cultivators were red. They busied themselves wiping tears off their cheeks. It was evident that Jiang Chen’s speech had touched them. It was true. Veluriyam Capital was full of believers. Every single one of them was proud to call this place home. They were family. Everyone worked hard for the betterment of this place.

Jiang Chen calmly waited for the applause to die down before he continued. “I’ve only received great hospitality and support ever since I’ve opened Taiyuan Tower. There have been some obstacles along the way, but all of you have been impartial and took the side of justice, instead of discriminating an outsider like me. Such traits are incredibly rare. That was the precise moment that I fell in love with this place. I am proud to be of Veluriyam Capital.”

“After that, I was fortunately able to overthrow Pillfire City’s scheme and defend the pride of our capital. To be honest, I only did what I thought was right as a pill master. However, what I received in exchange was an incredible amount of love and respect from all of you. To this day, I still stand by my view that I’ve received too much for what I’ve given. What have I done to deserve such undying support in the Martial Pagoda battles?” His voice began to tremble at this point.  What followed next was endless applause. Emperor Peafowl had to raise his hands to temporarily quiet the crowd.

“I could feel the amount of support and care just by looking at your expressions and your actions. I will not speak empty words now that I am crowned heir of Sacred Peafowl Mountain. All I wish to say is this. As long as I am alive, I promise to never bend at a task and spare no effort for the sake of Sacred Peafowl Mountain and Veluriyam Capital. I will never betray the trust and support I’ve received from everyone!” Jiang Chen bowed deeply after he was done with the speech. The crowd applauded yet again. There had been three segments to his speech and he’d received three rounds of applause, each one longer than the previous one.

“Young lord Zhen, don’t be modest! You’ve already done plenty for the capital!”

“Yeah! You’ve defeated Pill King Ji Lang and Pillfire City! This reason alone is enough for us to cheer for you!”

“Not only that, but the Longevity Pill is also a very important contribution to the capital. It is a ray of hope for sage realm cultivators, and also greatly increases the appeal of our Capital!”

“That is true. Taiyuan Tower has released many new pills and broken much ground. Their contribution to the pill market here shouldn’t be ignored.”

“Mm. And what about the numerous lectures? He has also taught us a lot about the demon race. Isn’t that a great contribution as well?”

“Yeah! Young lord Zhen, you definitely deserve our hospitality!”

“Young lord Zhen! We support you!”

“We will forever be your supporters!” They were shouting their lungs out, as though worried that Jiang Chen might not hear them. Emperor Peafowl was pleased by what he saw. He been silently helping Jiang Chen build his reputation so that the crowd would support the pill king when he was announced as heir. His plan was an evident success. Jiang Chen’s contributions had truly added up over the years. The citizens of Veluriyam Capital greatly revered their heroes and also respected people with much contributions to the place. A high position within the capital didn’t guarantee respect from the citizens. It was the bigger the contribution, the greater the respect they would receive. This was also the most important factor in Emperor Peafowl’s strategy. 

It was supposed to be Emperor Peafowl’s speech, but Jiang Chen occupied the limelight instead as he’d just been made heir.  Nobody thought that it was inappropriate except for Emperor Shura and Emperor Vastsea’s factions. However, they didn’t want to dampen the crowd’s spirits with their opinions. They would surely become public enemy number one if they chose to criticize the pill king now.

“Alright. It’s time that we move on and show recognition to all the winners…” Emperor Peafowl finally decided to bring the crowd back onto topic. The crowd had yet to regain their senses after the announcement.They weren’t done expressing their joy yet. Show recognition to other geniuses? The other geniuses were of little importance to them. The pill king was the only worthy existence in their minds. 

Emperor Peafowl made another announcement after the ceremony. “The 36 finalists of the Pill Pagoda Battles shall enter the pill pagoda. You will enter your respective regions according to your rank. Three months, six months, one year, and 2 years. That’s the amount of time you’re respectively allowed in the pagoda according to your ranking.”

The lower the ranking, the less time one was given within the pagoda. The same rule was applied for the Genius Rankings, as well as the Ranking of Young Lords. Their identities were thoroughly looked into before they were allowed into the pagoda. The investigators were much more thorough with the young lords, especially since the integrity of the main pagoda was at stake. Jiang Chen had no issues whatsoever with the investigators as he was now the young lord of the capital.

The three pagodas would open three days days later. The geniuses were given that window of time to make proper preparations before entering the pagoda. The shortest anyone would be in one was three months. The ceremony could finally end after the proper arrangements were made. However, the crowd didn’t seem to want to leave. The gap between each Veluriyam Pagoda gathering was simply too big. They didn’t want it to end so quickly. Excitement still lingered in the air. Numerous cultivators swarmed towards Jiang Chen to greet him. He waved at them in appreciation of their support. He couldn’t afford to be too discourteous now that he was the heir of Sacred Peafowl Mountain. His status was no longer the same as before. He remained there for over four hours before finally returning to Taiyuan Tower. It would be difficult for him to frequent Taiyuan Tower from now on. He would have to oversee Sacred Peafowl Mountain now that he was heir. Also, he would need to familiarize himself with the people there.

He summoned the Wei father and son before he left. It was now incredibly difficult to speak to them as equals. It wasn’t his fault. The other two simply couldn’t do it. A young lord should always be respected as a young lord, even if Jiang Chen was easy-going by nature. They simply couldn’t act casual around him.

Jiang Chen knew that he couldn’t force this matter after seeing their expressions. “House Lord Wei, Sir Jie, I hope that Taiyuan Tower’s plans remains unchanged,” he said sincerely. 

Wei Tianxiao hesitated before he spoke. “Young lord, you are now the venerated heir of Sacred Peafowl Mountain. We are merely your subordinates. Taiyuan Tower has always been your own venture. Truth be told, House Wei hasn’t contributed much to the business at all. All we have ever done is provide a place of business for you…”

Wei Tianxiao felt ashamed of himself. He understood that it’d be best that he lowered himself in front of the young lord. It was the smartest move he could make right now. He’d spoken nothing but the truth. Moreover, Jiang Chen was the one who’d won the shop across from them after a bet with the Majestic Clan. He could easily have a change of heart and cut all ties with House Wei by moving his business to the opposite shop.

However, Jiang Chen didn’t do any of that. What did it mean? It meant that Pill King Zhen was a man of loyalty. However, this was not a good excuse for them to take advantage of him. Taking advantage of a young lord was the last thing they would ever do. Jiang Chen smiled. He’d instantly discerned what Wei Tianxiao was worried about. “Don’t overthink it. We will always be equal partners of Taiyuan Tower. The one across the street is mine. It’s a good time to give my subordinates a place of residence as well.”

Jiang Chen was no longer a loner. He was now responsible for the livelihood of many. The ten sage realm slave protectors, Pill King Lu Feng, Pill King Bu, Lin Yanyu, the disciples from Regal Pill Palace, and also some other followers. Even though Jiang Chen was going to bring some of them with him to Sacred Peafowl Mountain, he still needed an outpost in the secular world so that he could collect information, increase his web of influence, and make preparations for the reconstruction of Regal Pill Palace.

Wei Tianxiao nodded. “We will listen to your every word. Without you, House Wei would never be what it is today.”

“Young lord, my father has said nothing but the truth. The family elders are a lot more restrained now thanks to you. They no longer bare their fangs at us,” Wei Jie added.

Jiang Chen laughed. “That’s proof that both of you have finally gained some authority. Alright, I suppose everything is settled. You need not worry about the Taiyuan Tower matter. House Wei should keep on working hard and set your sights on becoming a great clan one day.” 

It wasn’t too difficult for House Wei to join the ranks of a great clan now that they have a powerful backer. However, the foundations of their clan was slightly lacking for now. The internal conflict from back then had caused great damage to the clan. House Wei would surely be on the decline if it wasn’t for Taiyuan Tower’s rapid growth. All members of the clan was well aware of that fact. The clan’s future was only going to become brighter as long as they followed the young lord’s footsteps.

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