The overwhelming joy and excitement on Ye Zhong and Xin Lan’s faces gradually subsided after a while. After experiencing the events of this period, no one in the Ye family dared to doubt Xiao Yan any longer. “Mr. Xiao Yan, in fact, entering the Elder’s Seat of Dan Tower is not particularly difficult. Of course, this is relative. At least, with the current status of my Ye family, we cannot meet such conditions.” Ye Zhong rubbed his hands and sighed, “Within the Domain of Alchemists, there are five great families. These five great families have been passed down for a long time. The Patriarchs who founded these five great families back then were all core members of the Dan Tower. According to the terms, as long as the future generations of these five great families can meet certain conditions, they can all occupy a seat in the Dan Tower’s Elder’s Seat.”
“The five great families each have extremely powerful forces within the Domain of Alchemists. With the backing of the Dan Tower’s massive reputation, they basically strut around fearlessly. Even a force like the Ice River Valley has to be very polite when they meet them… Of course, my Ye family doesn’t belong to such a rank now…”
At this point, Ye Zhong’s face turned somber.
“Every certain period, the Dan Tower will evaluate the five great families. Only those who pass the evaluation can continue to keep their seats in the Elder’s Seat,” Ye Zhong’s eyes glanced at Xin Lan, and he sighed. The descendants of the Ye family seemed to be getting weaker and weaker, with their alchemy talents gradually being worn out. They even paled in comparison to some outsider alchemists. Among the younger generation of this session, Xin Lan’s talent was considered quite good, but she had only reached the level of a Level 5 Alchemist…
Seeing Ye Zhong’s gaze, a flush of shame filled Xin Lan’s pretty face.
“Each time during the evaluation, the five great families must send one member from the younger generation to be tested by the Dan Tower. If the test is passed, the seat will be retained, but if it is not, then it becomes dangerous…”
Ye Zhong smiled bitterly, “My Ye family has already failed twice. If we fail again this time, not only will we completely lose the qualification to enter the Dan Tower’s Elder’s Seat, but we will also be expelled from the five great families.”
“The five great families are a shortcut to entering the upper echelons of the Dan Tower. Therefore, countless eyes are fixed here. Once my Ye family is squeezed out, those who are waiting in the wings will immediately rush in.”
“Are the evaluation conditions very strict?” Xiao Yan asked softly.
Ye Zhong nodded and sighed, “The minimum requirement for participating in such an evaluation is that the alchemist needs to be at least a Level 6. And to pass, one needs to reach the level of a Level 7 Alchemist, which might be possible…”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan nodded slightly and said slowly, “Level 7… that’s not too difficult.”
“I’ve been cultivating for so many years, and I’ve only reached this level. Mr. Xiao Yan’s extraordinary talent makes it naturally effortless for him. But among the younger generation of my Ye family, who can reach such a level?”
Ye Zhong smiled bitterly and said, “And the worst part is that because my Ye family failed twice before, this evaluation must place in the top three to be considered passing…”
“Top three?” Xiao Yan was stunned.
“Alas, the other four great families are becoming more and more powerful, and their younger generations have seen a constant stream of geniuses. Although they may not send their best in the evaluation, it will still be very hard for us to get into the top three, even if we had a young Level 7 Alchemist in our Ye family.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan couldn’t help but shake his head at the decline of the Ye family. The others didn’t even need to send their best and still managed to pass the assessment. Yet, the Ye family could not even achieve the basic pass. As part of the same five great families, the situation of the Ye family was truly rather pitiful.
Seeing Xiao Yan’s reaction, Ye Zhong seemed to know what he was thinking. His old face turned red. The once prominent family had declined to such a state under his leadership, thoroughly losing all its former glory.
“Leave this evaluation matter to me, but can outsiders assist in this kind of evaluation?” Seeing Ye Zhong’s wretched appearance, Xiao Yan did not want to further crush his fragile heart and mused.
“No…” Ye Zhong shook his head and hurriedly added, “But there is a work-around, though it would require some sacrifice from Mr. Xiao Yan.”
Xiao Yan blinked and frowned, “What do you mean?”
After glancing at Xin Lan, Ye Zhong hesitated slightly before saying, “When recommending to the Dan Tower, we might say Mr. Xiao Yan is our future son-in-law…”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan’s face changed and he sternly said, “Isn’t this a bit too much? I’m a man, so it’s fine, but how will the woman face others after this?”
“Mr. Xiao Yan, don’t be in a hurry, this is just a formality and won’t make you responsible for anything!” Ye Zhong sighed and said, “The Ye family is at a critical juncture. Every member of the Ye family is preparing for the final gamble, and there are some sacrifices we must bear!”
Xiao Yan’s brows furrowed tightly. After a short while, he said, “By doing this, can I replace your Ye family and participate in the so-called evaluation?”
Ye Zhong nodded and earnestly said, “As long as we pass this evaluation, the Ye family will be able to retain its seat, and will finally have enough development time. Moreover, once the evaluation is passed, Mr. Xiao Yan will have nothing to do with the Ye family!”
Looking at Ye Zhong’s pleading old face, Xiao Yan helplessly sighed. It seemed the old man really was at the end of his rope. If Xiao Yan left now, the Ye family would surely collapse and become a mere ordinary family. Without the Dan Tower’s protection, their former enemies would be unrestrained, which would bring the true end to the Ye family…
“Big Brother Xiao Yan, please help the Ye family this time. As long as the Ye family is safe, Xin Lan is willing to be your ox or horse!” While Xiao Yan was pondering, Xin Lan next to him suddenly knelt down, her voice laced with anguish.
With Xin Lan’s sudden kneeling, Xiao Yan felt his headache grow. He waved his sleeve and gently lifted her up with a soft force. But the moment the stubborn girl was pushed upright, she tried to kneel down again. The nearby Little Healer Immortal saw this and couldn’t help but shake her head, reaching out her jade hand to steady her.
“Big Brother Xiao Yan’s nature isn’t something you don’t know. If he agrees, he won’t let go halfway. Your repeated kneeling will only annoy him.” Seeing Xin Lan’s teary beautiful eyes, Little Healer Immortal could only say softly.
Xiao Yan sighed and turned his gaze to the pleading Ye Zhong, saying solemnly, “Fine, I’ll agree, but I must tell you first—don’t try any tricks to keep me in your Ye family with the label of a son-in-law. If you try to pull a fast one on me, don’t blame me for not showing mercy!”
“Mr. Xiao Yan, you can rest assured, Ye Zhong is not such a shameless person!” Seeing Xiao Yan agree, Ye Zhong immediately became overjoyed. The feeling of being rescued from the brink of destruction made his old heart beat rapidly.
The nearby Little Healer Immortal also breathed a sigh of relief. But as she turned her eyes, she suddenly noticed Xin Lan’s face turning unnatural. She paused and said, “You don’t mean the bride…is you, right?”
Hearing this, Xiao Yan stiffened, and then he turned in surprise, looking at the blushing Xin Lan. Feeling a bit awkward, he said with a bitter smile, “Isn’t this old guy too despicable?”
On Xin Lan’s face, a forced smile appeared. She whispered, “Big Brother Xiao Yan, don’t worry. Grandfather also said it’s just a formality. Big Brother Xiao Yan will surely become a top figure on the Dou Qi Continent in the future. Xin Lan is not an ignorant girl…”
As she finished speaking, the blue-clad girl’s eyes clearly reddened. The Little Healer Immortal couldn’t help but glare at Xiao Yan. What he said was too hurtful.
Xiao Yan also felt a bit embarrassed. If not for Xin Lan telling him about the Three Thousand Yan Flame, he’d still be wandering around aimlessly. Since he arrived in the Domain of Alchemists, she had followed him and helped a lot without a single complaint. This was enough to make Xiao Yan regard her as a friend. Otherwise, who cared about her miserable Ye family?
“Ah, let’s leave this to Elder Ye Zhong. I’ll do my best to cooperate…” Xiao Yan said with a bitter smile, turning his head to glare fiercely at Ye Zhong.
Ye Zhong chuckled dryly and didn’t dare to provoke Xiao Yan. “This evaluation will start in two months. So, we need to head to Holy Dan City two months from now. During this time, Mr. Xiao Yan, if you need any herbs, just tell me, and everything will be prepared for you by the Ye family.”
“Two months? That soon?” Hearing this, Xiao Yan was shocked. Wasn’t this too rushed?
Ye Zhong nodded with a bitter smile. If it weren’t for the tight schedule, he wouldn’t have humbled himself to ask a junior for help, even though this junior’s alchemy skills were not inferior to his own.
“Ah, two months it is…” Seeing this, Xiao Yan could only nod his head. Indeed, he was quite curious about the Dan Tower; after all, it was almost the holy land for all alchemists on the continent.
Seeing Xiao Yan had no objections, Ye Zhong heaved a sigh of relief. After chatting with Xiao Yan about the matters of the Dan Gathering, he left with Xin Lan, who was still wiping her eyes, exiting the courtyard.
Standing outside the stone pavilion, Xiao Yan gazed at Ye Zhong’s distant back, his dark eyes flickering with some anticipation.
Holy Dan City, the legendary holy land for alchemists, wondered what kind of grand scene he would witness?
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