It was as if someone had pressed a pause button on reality itself. People who were in the middle of shouting suddenly stopped.

Those preparing another argument found the words caught in their throats. Everyone turned toward him. Lin Feng’s voice possessed an inexplicable charm. It was deep yet gentle.

Powerful yet soothing. Every word seemed to carry a natural authority that made people want to listen. Combined with his peerless appearance, the effect was devastating.

Many women stared at him with flushed cheeks. One beautiful female cultivator clasped her hands together.

"Heavens... even his voice sounds handsome."

"I wish he would read cultivation manuals to me every night," another woman said dreamily.

A third woman sighed.

"I don’t even care what he’s saying anymore. I just want him to keep talking."

Even many of the men could not deny the strange charisma surrounding him. Lin Feng paid no attention to any of it. His gaze remained fixed on Pill Master Li Mingzhe.

"...then why don’t you eat one of your own pills in front of everyone here?"

The entire marketplace became even quieter. Numerous eyes instantly turned toward Pill Master Li. The pill master’s smile froze for the briefest moment.

The change was so small that almost nobody noticed. Almost nobody except Lin Feng. A trace of panic flashed through the pill master’s eyes before disappearing.

Then he suddenly burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha!" The booming laugh echoed throughout the marketplace.

"Is that all?" He shook his head repeatedly as though he had just heard the funniest joke in the world.

"You accuse me of poisoning my customers and then ask me to eat my own pills?" He slapped his thigh dramatically.

"What better way is there to prove my innocence?"

Many supporters immediately cheered.

"Exactly!"

"Let him eat one!"

"That will prove everything!"

Pill Master Li turned toward the crowd and spread his arms.

"Everyone here has witnessed this!"

He pointed at Lin Feng.

"This young man has slandered me without evidence. Today I shall personally prove that my pills are completely safe!"

Thunderous applause erupted. A confident smile appeared on the pill master’s face. Inwardly, however, his thoughts were entirely different.

Ten years.

That was roughly how much lifespan he would lose. A painful price. But still acceptable. After all, he had already earned enormous wealth from these pills.

Losing ten years today was far better than losing his reputation forever. Besides, longevity treasures existed.

As long as he survived this incident, he could easily spend some spirit stones to recover the lost lifespan. Compared to preserving his business empire, ten years was a trivial sacrifice.

Thinking this, he became even more confident. Without hesitation, he reached into the display stand and selected one of the pills. The crowd watched intently.

Some people even held their breath. Pill Master Li raised the pill high into the air.

"Observe carefully!"

Then he tossed it into his mouth.

Gulp.

The pill disappeared down his throat. Everyone waited.

One breath.

Two breaths.

Five breaths.

Ten breaths.

Nothing happened. The pill master laughed loudly.

"Hahaha!" He stomped his foot.

"There! Are you all satisfied now?"

Many people immediately nodded.

"See? He’s completely fine!"

"I knew it!"

"Pill Master Li was telling the truth!"

"Looks like this accusation was false after all."

Some even began looking toward Lin Feng suspiciously. He looked at him like a big troublemaker who just wasted all of their time. The atmosphere slowly got even more heated.

The pill master could feel victory approaching. A smug expression appeared on his face. He turned toward Lin Feng.

"Well?"

Before he could say anything further, he noticed something. Lin Feng was smiling. It was not a large smile. Nor was it a mocking smile. It was simply a calm, knowing smile.

Yet the instant Pill Master Li saw it, his heart nearly stopped. An indescribable sense of danger exploded inside him. Cold sweat appeared across his forehead.

Every hair on his body stood upright. His instincts screamed at him. Run. Run immediately. Unfortunately, it was already too late.

"Hak!"

A horrible sound escaped his throat. His eyes widened. He grabbed his stomach. A terrifying burning sensation erupted within him.

It felt as though thousands of molten needles were stabbing every organ in his body simultaneously.

"What...!"

The pain intensified. His meridians felt as though they were being torn apart. His blood began boiling. His spiritual energy became chaotic. The confident smile vanished from his face.

Replaced by pure terror. The crowd immediately noticed something was wrong.

"Pill Master Li?"

"What’s happening?"

"Why does he look like that?"

The pill master stumbled backward. His legs shook violently.

"H-help..." Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. Then more blood followed. His complexion rapidly turned pale. The burning spread throughout his entire body.

Every cell screamed in agony. His organs began shutting down one after another. For the first time in years, true fear entered his heart. He looked toward Lin Feng.

At that moment he finally understood. The young man must have done something with the pills in his stall.

"You..."

Pill Master Li pointed a trembling finger at him. Fear filled his eyes.

"What did you do...?"

Lin Feng merely looked at him.

"I did nothing."

The simple answer terrified the pill master even more. Because deep down, he knew it was a lie but he also did not know how Lin Feng switched the pills. Realization filled his eyes.

Then regret. Then despair. A moment later, all signs of life vanished.

Thud!

His body crashed heavily onto the ground. Dead. The marketplace became silent. Thousands of people stared at the corpse. First old man Zhao then now Pill Master Li Mingzhe.

Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Even breathing seemed too loud.

Just moments ago, Pill Master Li Mingzhe had been laughing, boasting, and declaring his innocence. Now he lay motionless on the cold stone street.

Dead before the eyes of everyone. The silence lasted for several long moments. Then a horrified scream finally broke it.

"He... he’s dead!" Instantly, chaos erupted throughout the marketplace.