As Xiao Yan rose from his seat, four other figures also slowly stood up from the seats of the other four major families. In an instant, all eyes in the hall converged on the five of them. The individuals sent by the Cao family, as expected, were Cao Xiu and Dan Xuan, exactly as Ye Zhong had anticipated. As for the Bai family, it was their most outstanding young member, the man named Bai Ying. The Qiu family’s representative was a somewhat short man. Although Xiao Yan did not recognize him, the fact that the Qiu family had chosen to send him suggested he was no ordinary individual.
Elder Sheng’s gaze slowly swept over the five, pausing on Xiao Yan. He and the Ye family had some past associations, but as the Ye family fell into decline over the years and rarely visited Holy Pill City, their relationship had considerably weakened. However, Elder Sheng did have some sympathy for their current situation and had once spoken good words for them, which allowed the Ye family to maintain a slim thread of hope.
“Those representing their families in the examination, enter the arena…”
Hearing Elder Sheng’s indifferent words, Xiao Yan and the others slowly walked down under the watchful eyes of the entire hall. They then cautiously positioned themselves at some distance from each other, standing in the square.
“Dan family’s Dan Xuan, greetings to Elder Sheng.” Dan Xuan stood straight, cupped his fists, and respectfully addressed Elder Sheng.
“Cao family’s Cao Xiu…”
“Bai family’s Bai Ying…”
“Qiu family’s Qiu Ji…”
After Dan Xuan, Cao Xiu and the others also performed their salutations. Elder Sheng, being one of the eight elders of the Pill Tower, held a status far above that of ordinary elders. Even the five major families had to show due respect to him.
“Ye family’s representative, Xiao Yan, greetings to Elder Sheng…”
Although such formalities might be meaningless, they were necessary. Xiao Yan, not being a rookie, naturally would not overlook them out of arrogance or pretense.
The moment Xiao Yan’s voice fell, many curious gazes in the hall turned towards him. However, the people present were well-informed and vaguely knew of Xiao Yan’s connection with the Ye family, so they didn’t find it overly strange. After all, the examination rules did not restrict the five major families from seeking external help.
“Haha, Xiao Yan, huh… that name has been quite loud recently.” Elder Sheng stroked his beard and smiled. He was referring to the recent tumultuous events in the Ice River Valley, and the earth-shattering battle in Ye City, which had become a significant topic in the Pill Region.
“Just a small skirmish, how could it catch Elder Sheng’s attention…” Xiao Yan smiled and replied.
“How is it a small skirmish? You even dared to attack my Bai family, clearly disregarding us. Although the Ice River Valley couldn’t do anything to you, you should know that this is Holy Pill City, not some insignificant Ye City!” As soon as Xiao Yan spoke, Bai Ying, who was standing nearby, sneered.
In response to Bai Ying’s mocking, Xiao Yan merely smiled and did not argue. He crossed his fingers and placed them in front of him, as if he had not heard the provocation.
Seeing this, Bai Ying sneered coldly. He had long heard that Xiao Yan was also a middle-grade Seventh Rank Alchemist, but this alone was not a reason for him to be cautious. There were distinctions within the middle-grade Seventh Rank, and he had reached this level a year ago, while Xiao Yan had only recently obtained his middle-grade Seventh Rank badge.
Elder Sheng did not intervene in the tense atmosphere between the two. Such occurrences were common and not particularly unusual, as long as they did not disrupt the examination.
“Since there are no issues, let’s begin the examination…” Elder Sheng slowly stepped back. Behind him was an object covered by a black cloth. He reached out and removed the cloth, revealing a stone monument about ten feet tall. More accurately, it resembled a crystal-clear tablet.
“Our examination consists of three parts, and the first part is Soul Measuring.”
“As everyone knows, the soul is the most crucial foundation for an alchemist. Only a sufficiently powerful soul can possess sufficient soul perception and manipulation.”
Elder Sheng pointed to the center of the monument, where there was a smooth, round mirror plate. “You each will input your soul force into it, and the plate will display your soul value. This value is what the Pill Tower calls ‘Soul Value’.”
“A soul value of 400 or more is considered passing. The highest record in the soul value test among the five major families in recent years is Cao Ying, who achieved a soul value of 976, which remains unbroken to this day…”
As Elder Sheng spoke, he turned his gaze to the Cao family’s seat. There, Cao Ying, dressed in a black dress, rested her chin on her hand, playing with a round jade bead, completely unperturbed by the surrounding gazes.
“Haha, since we all know the rules, let’s begin. Who will go first?” Elder Sheng withdrew his gaze and smiled at the five of them.
When Elder Sheng spoke, the five of them fell into silence. After a moment, Qiu Ji from the Qiu family stepped forward. Placing his palm lightly on the stone monument, he closed his eyes, and a surge of soul energy poured in.
“Drip, drip, drip.” As the soul energy entered the monument, the smooth mirror plate at its center emitted a series of dripping sounds. A blood-red number began to rise rapidly, finally stabilizing at 707 after about ten seconds.
After the number stabilized, Qiu Ji removed his hand, glanced at the number on the plate, and let out a sigh of relief. It was already a decent number, higher than that of many ordinary middle-grade Seventh Rank alchemists.
Xiao Yan, watching, was contemplative. He could sense that Qiu Ji possessed strong soul energy, yet his final value was only 707. He could also faintly sense the terrifying power of Cao Ying, who had surpassed this number years ago. What level had she reached now?
With Qiu Ji finished, he stepped back, content with a number far exceeding the pass mark. Next, Bai Ying stepped up, sneering at Xiao Yan before placing his palm on the stone. Taking a deep breath, he unleashed his soul energy!
“Drip, drip, drip!” As Bai Ying’s soul energy poured out, the blood-red number on the plate soared, reaching 700 in seconds and finally stopping at 785.
The number on the monument drew murmurs of surprise. The Bai family members at their seats looked particularly smug. The woman in white whom Xiao Yan had seen during the tower’s assessment watched Bai Ying with admiration.
Elder Sheng nodded slowly, noting that the score was indeed excellent. Bai Ying truly lived up to his reputation as the strongest of the Bai family’s younger generation.
Waving his hand to hush the crowd, Elder Sheng turned to Xiao Yan, Dan Xuan, and Cao Xiu. “It’s your turn…”
They exchanged glances. Cao Xiu smiled and said, “Since both of you prefer to go last, I will go first.”
Stepping forward, he placed his hand on the stone monument. His eyes widened, and a powerful surge of soul energy burst forth.
“Drip, drip, drip!” With Cao Xiu’s surge of soul energy, the blood-red number on the plate spiked, swiftly breaking 800 and finally settling at 846.
The number on the plate drew further exclamations. For a middle-grade Seventh Rank, it was commendable.
“Your turns now…” Cao Xiu stepped back, addressing Dan Xuan and Xiao Yan.
Dan Xuan nodded, smiled at Xiao Yan, and stepped forward. His presence drew the crowd’s attention, even Cao Ying’s. Dan Xuan, the famed genius of the Dan family, was destined to become the clan’s leader with his strength and character.
Under the gazes, Dan Xuan stopped before the monument, his hand lightly touching it, his face showing no tension. Closing his eyes, a vast amount of soul energy surged out, causing the air around him to distort slightly. Elder Sheng watched, surprised.
The soul energy surged into the stone, and the plate’s number began to rise rapidly. Breaking 700, 800, and finally, amidst the audience’s gasps, it stabilized at 903.
The crowd remained silent, amazed by Dan Xuan’s score. Indeed, he was a worthy successor to the Dan family.
Elder Sheng nodded, impressed. Dan Xuan was close to becoming a high-grade Seventh Rank alchemist, and, being young, might even reach the rank of a true master.
Cao Ying’s eyes widened in surprise before a smile appeared. Dan Xuan was indeed formidable, though not quite enough compared to her.
The crowd’s exclamations gradually died down, and all eyes now focused on the last figure—Xiao Yan. This was the Ye family’s final chance. If Xiao Yan’s score did not exceed Bai Ying’s and secure a top-three position, the Ye family’s fate would be sealed.
Ye Zhong and the others watched Xiao Yan with great tension. If he couldn’t place in the top three in the first test, the subsequent tests would be pointless. Cao Ying also observed Xiao Yan with interest, curious to see if he could save the Ye family or was just putting on a facade.
Under the scrutinizing gazes of the entire hall, Xiao Yan took a deep breath, his expression calm as he approached the stone monument and placed his hand upon it.
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