Within the room, an eerie silence fell after Xiao Yan’s earlier statement. All eyes turned to him, filled with astonishment. After a moment, this astonishment dissipated, gradually turning into mocking laughter…
“Hehe, Ye Chong, when did your Ye family learn such attention-seeking tricks? This is the testing point of the Dan Tower, not your family’s,” the gray-clad old woman sneered, recovering from her shock first.
Her sneer was met with agreement from the three young Bai family members, who turned their mocking gazes towards Xiao Yan. They clearly doubted that this upstart, who had never been to the Dan Tower, could possibly be qualified to test for a seventh-grade mid-level alchemist badge.
The three Qiu family members, though not as openly scornful, also looked doubtful as they observed Xiao Yan closely, thinking that he was merely trying to bluster through.
“Joking around will get you nowhere. Are you certain you want to test for a seventh-grade mid-level badge?” the white-haired elder asked, his face showing surprise and doubt.
As he spoke, he glanced at Ye Chong beside Xiao Yan, but only saw a slight smile on Ye’s face, which made him even more suspicious. Could it be that this young man really had such qualifications? A seventh-grade mid-level alchemist at such a young age would indeed be quite a feat!
“Indeed,” Xiao Yan nodded in response to the elder, then bowed politely, “I apologize for the trouble, Elder Han. What are the procedures for testing for a seventh-grade mid-level alchemist?”
Seeing Xiao Yan still insisting, the white-haired elder grew even more serious. In such a situation, if the former wasn’t a fool, he wouldn’t have come here to humiliate himself. But even so, it was still hard for the elder to believe…
“Since you insist, then let it be. I hope you’re not joking. Also, call me Enforcer Han, the title ‘elder’ is not appropriate for me yet…” Han Li said, nodding slowly.
“Che…” Xiao Yan smiled and nodded, while a mocking laugh came from the side. He glanced over to see the cold and beautiful woman from the Bai family, with a smirk on her lips, clearly disdainful of Xiao Yan’s audacity.
Under normal circumstances, her examination level was the highest, and she would naturally be the brightest star in this special examination room. But now, Xiao Yan’s antics had interrupted this attention, which displeased her greatly. She also believed that the claim of testing for a seventh-grade mid-level badge was just a ploy to draw attention, and it was inconceivable for someone from the already declining Ye family to surpass even the Bai family.
Xiao Yan paid no mind to her disdain. The experiences he had gone through were far beyond what a woman pampered by her family and the admiration of many could imagine. Her immature hostility barely affected him.
“Since the decision has been made, let’s start… ” Han Li waved his hand, pointing to the four doors behind him. On top of each door, there were ancient characters: “Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, Yellow…”
“Those testing for a sixth-grade mid-level badge, enter the Mysterious level room; those testing for a high-level badge, enter the Earth level room…”
After speaking, he turned his gaze to Xiao Yan, “You, wait until they finish, and I’ll personally take you into the Heavenly level room for your test.”
Xiao Yan nodded slightly.
“The rest, go to your respective rooms…” Han Li said, nodding as he saw no objections from the others.
On hearing this, the five young men and women from the Bai and Qiu families, excluding Xiao Yan, entered the corresponding rooms. The cold and beautiful woman in white, like a proud swan, went alone into the Earth level room, while the remaining four entered the Mysterious level room.
As the five entered their rooms, the place gradually quieted down. Xiao Yan stood casually, glancing around before closing his eyes to rest.
The Bai family’s old woman glanced sideways at Xiao Yan, her voice sharp with boredom, “Ye Chong, the young people of your Ye family are getting more and more arrogant these days, no wonder there’s nothing commendable coming from your clan.”
Ye Chong sneered, “Barking dogs, I choose not to argue with you. With your lowly seventh-grade low-level status, you’re not worth my attention. When our Ye family was powerful, you’d forgotten your servile ways, haven’t you?”
Ye Chong’s sudden fierce retort made the old woman’s face turn pale, her eyes narrowing as she stared at him, her voice shrill, “Fine, I’ll remember your words. When your Ye family is expelled from the five great families, you’ll regret what you’ve said today!”
The elder from the Qiu family frowned, though he somewhat looked down on the increasingly declining Ye family, he didn’t think it was right to kick a dog while it was down. After all, any family has its ups and downs, and no one can ensure a comeback.
“Enough, the Bai family, both young and old, lack manners!” Ye Chong’s face darkened, but before he could speak, Xiao Yan opened his eyes and gave the old woman a cold look, saying calmly.
“Brat, who do you think you are, daring to speak to me this way?” The old woman’s face turned icy. Though Ye Chong was stronger than her and she could tolerate his sneer, Xiao Yan, in her eyes, was merely a junior!
With that, the gray-clad old woman moved swiftly, her sharp nails extending like blades, slashing toward Xiao Yan’s throat without mercy!
Xiao Yan’s black eyes watched the old woman darting forward, his eyes narrowing as his hands slowly clenched, energy beginning to flow within him. He didn’t mind giving this noisy old hag a lasting lesson here…
“Hold it!” Just as Xiao Yan’s energy surged and he prepared to act, a figure suddenly appeared before him, shouting, “This is the Dan Tower, not the Bai family. Control yourself!”
Seeing Han Li standing between Xiao Yan and the old woman, the old woman’s face changed, and she stepped back, glaring at Xiao Yan with a cold sneer, “Little punk, don’t let me catch you alone, or I won’t hesitate to make your Ye family lose another descendant…”
Her cold gaze then turned to Ye Chong, who remained unmoving. Ye Chong’s face showed a strange smile, thinking that if this old woman knew Xiao Yan had heavily injured the Ice River Valley’s Sky Serpent, would she still dare to say such things?
Xiao Yan looked at the old woman indifferently, his hand slowly opening from its fist. Had Han Li not intervened, this annoying old hag would likely have no strength left to speak now.
Xiao Yan’s almost indifferent gaze caused the old woman to bristle, her eyes twitching. Though he didn’t say much, his every move exuded arrogance, which annoyed her greatly.
The elder from the Qiu family, observing Xiao Yan, shook his head, secretly sighing that the younger generation of the Ye family was indeed lacking. It was not a wise move to offend a powerful Bai family member in such a setting.
After Han Li’s intervention, the room became quieter, but the old woman’s gaze at Xiao Yan grew colder, sending chills down the spine…
Squeak… After a period of eerie silence, the door of the Mysterious level room finally opened, and four figures walked out. Except for one with a red face, the other three wore badges on their chests, with flames encircling the shape of a tower, six purple-gold stars shining brightly.
Upon closer inspection, the sixth star was slightly dimmer, indicating it was a mid-level badge. If it were a low-level, it would be even dimmer, but for a high-level, all stars would shine brilliantly.
“Sixth-grade mid-level testing complete, two from the Qiu family passed, one from the Bai family passed…” Han Li announced, looking at the four.
Hearing this, the elder from the Qiu family smiled, while the old woman scowled, glaring fiercely at the man who hadn’t passed.
Shortly after, the door of the Earth level room slowly opened, and the cold beauty in white walked out, pride in her steps, a badge with six extremely bright purple-gold stars shining on her chest.
Sixth-grade high-level!
“Sixth-grade high-level testing complete, the Bai family, passed.” At Han Li’s announcement, the cold beauty’s proud smile widened, basking in the admiring gazes, her vanity significantly satisfied.
She walked to the old woman, then fixed her gaze on Xiao Yan, curious to see how he would handle this self-inflicted embarrassment.
“Next, it’s the seventh-grade mid-level test. I will personally administer it. Follow me…” Han Li looked at the indifferent Xiao Yan, shook his head, and turned to the Heavenly level room. Without hesitation, Xiao Yan followed, and the two disappeared from the onlookers’ sight.
Although the testing was over, the old woman and the others didn’t leave, instead watching Ye Chong with sneering expressions, and the old woman cackled eerily, “Haha, I’ll stay and see if that brat still has the same sharp tongue when he fails. Ye Chong, it seems you’ll have to endure another humiliation today!”
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