Chapter 390

Seeing Xin Lan kneel on the ground, weeping uncontrollably, Xiao Yan could only shrug and give Xiao Yu a sidelong glance.

Xiao Yu slowly walked up to Xin Lan, helped her up, and said, "Xin Lan, don't panic—speak slowly, tell us what happened."

Ya Fei, by contrast, remained coldly detached; she didn't know Xin Lan well, only heard she was a promising Alchemist, worth courting if the chance arose.

Xiao Yan sat on the chair without immediately agreeing to anything. Even though Xin Lan was an Alchemist of Xiao Hall, they were not kin or close. Every day, people lined up from Jia Nan Academy to Xiao City begging him for help—he couldn't assist them all.

Over the years as a Mentor, Xiao Yu had matured greatly; she pulled out a handkerchief, gentle as an affectionate elder sister, and softly wiped Xin Lan's tears.

Xiao Yan asked, "Xin Lan, first tell me what happened—what's your family?"

Xin Lan realized she had been overly rude and emotional, but seeing Xiao Yan, so young, possess such Alchemy talent that could save her family, she couldn't help but be overjoyed.

Soon, after calming herself, Xin Lan said, "Senior Student Xiao Yan, my family hails from Zhong Zhou."

!?

Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed—he never expected this. A disciple from a Zhong Zhou family had come to study at Jia Nan Academy?!

"My real name is Ye Xin Lan. My family is the Ye Family of Dan Domain, Zhong Zhou," Xin Lan said slowly.

Upon hearing "Ye Family of Dan Domain," Ya Fei's expression changed sharply: "The Ye Family—one of the Five Great Families of Dan Domain?!"

"Five Great Families of Dan Domain?" Xiao Yan frowned. Hadn't Qiu Ping of the Qiu Family also been one of those Five Great Families? So Xin Lan's family was on par with the Qiu Family?!

At this, Xin Lan gave a bitter smile and murmured, "Perhaps not long now—the Ye Family will lose the protection of the Dan Tower, cease to be one of the Five Great Families, and even be forced to leave Dan Domain."

Xiao Yan and the others weren't surprised—if the Ye Family were thriving and powerful, Xin Lan wouldn't have come begging for help.

So it was almost certain the Ye Family ranked last among the Five Great Families, perhaps already on the brink of collapse.

"So what do you want me to do?" Xiao Yan sipped his clear tea slowly and asked.

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, Xin Lan seized them like a lifeline, snapping her head up, her eyes flickering with hope: "I hope Senior Student Xiao Yan will help my family regain its seat on the Dan Tower's Elder Council!"

"Elder Council? The Dan Tower's Elder Council?" Xiao Yan frowned. Could he even help with this?

Xin Lan nodded. Her ecstatic joy and excitement lasted a while before gradually subsiding. Xiao Yan's Alchemy was beyond doubt—he was already a Seventh-Rank Alchemist at such a young age, capable of refining even that strange Pill. Any one of these feats alone could save her Ye Family.

"Senior Student Xiao Yan, actually, securing a seat on the Dan Tower's Elder Council isn't especially difficult—but for the current Ye Family, it's an impossible condition," Xin Lan sighed. "I believe Senior Student Xiao Yan has heard: in Dan Domain, there are Five Great Families. These five were established long ago, their founding Clan Leaders all core members of the Dan Tower. According to the rules, as long as any of the Five Great Families meet certain conditions, they earn a seat on the Elder Council."

"The Five Great Families all wield immense power in Dan Domain, protected by the Dan Tower's colossal reputation—they can practically walk with impunity. Even the leaders of powerful Factions like Ice River Valley, Sound Valley, and Burning Flame Valley treat them with great respect. Of course, now… our Ye Family may no longer receive such treatment." At this, Xin Lan's face darkened again.

"Every so often, the Dan Tower conducts evaluations of the Five Great Families. Only those who pass may retain their Elder Council seat."

"How is the evaluation conducted?" Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed slightly as he asked.

"The Dan Tower places great emphasis on cultivating the Young Generation, so naturally, the evaluation targets them—more precisely, those under thirty." As she spoke, Xin Lan's face flushed with shame.

Xiao Yan frowned: "Don't tell me the most talented member of your Ye Family's Young Generation is you?"

At Xiao Yan's question, Xin Lan's cheeks burned with embarrassment, but she still nodded.

Xiao Yan sighed helplessly. Xin Lan's talent wasn't poor—she was roughly on par with Princess Yue Er, and even a few years younger than her.

But Xin Lan came from one of the Five Great Families of Dan Domain, raised since childhood with every possible advantage—the Ye Family's Alchemy lineage was surely rich.

Yet even so, she could barely refine Fourth-Rank Pills. Xiao Yan had heard during the Sect Grand Meeting that the Cao Family of Dan Domain produced a twenty-year-old monster who was already Seventh-Rank. Xin Lan, barely past twenty, was only Fourth-Rank—the gap was enormous.

No wonder her family's position was precarious—they weren't even in the same world as the other four families.

Xin Lan continued: "For each evaluation, each of the Five Great Families must send one member under thirty to be tested by the Dan Tower. If they pass, their seat is preserved. If they fail three times consecutively, they lose their Elder Council status and are stripped of their status as a Great Family."

Xin Lan smiled bitterly: "Our Ye Family has already failed twice. If we fail this time…"

Xiao Yan and the others exchanged glances—they all understood the direct consequence of losing family status. The Xiao Clan had once suffered the same fate: devoured by every hungry family watching.

At that point, the entire family would be annihilated—no one spared, chaos everywhere, even exterminated by enemies.

Xin Lan sighed: "The minimum qualification to participate in this evaluation is to be at least a Six-Grade Alchemist. But to pass, you must reach at least Seventh-Rank Alchemist."

Hearing this, Ya Fei and Xiao Yu both gasped slightly. A Six-Grade Alchemist under thirty? Even in the Northwest Region, that was a miracle—and that was merely the entry threshold! To pass, you needed Seventh-Rank!

Seventh-Rank under thirty? The difficulty was unimaginable. Aside from Xiao Yan, the anomaly, they'd never heard of anyone achieving such talent.

Yet for the Five Great Families, this was merely their baseline.

Are Alchemy lineages in Zhong Zhou really this insane?!

No wonder the Ye Family was helpless—seeing Xiao Yan was like spotting a miracle Elixir.

A Seventh-Rank Alchemist under thirty? Finding one outside Zhong Zhou was as impossible as finding gold on the ground.

"And the worst part: because the Ye Family failed twice already, this time we must place in the top three of the evaluation to be considered qualified," Xin Lan sighed.

Xiao Yan shrugged. Top three or first place—it made no difference to him.

"The other four families—Dan, Cao, Bai, Qiu—are all growing stronger, their Young Generation brimming with geniuses. Even if they don't send their absolute best for this evaluation, securing a top-three spot… even if I were already Seventh-Rank now, I doubt I could manage it."

Hearing this, Ya Fei couldn't help but shake her head at the Ye Family's decline.

Others didn't even need to send their top talents to pass easily—yet the Ye Family couldn't even meet the bare minimum. As one of the Five Great Families, wasn't this just too tragic?

Are you really one of the Five Great Families? You can't be this far behind!

"Xin Lan, I understand the predicament your Ye Family faces. But if I agree to help everyone who asks, I'll be buried in trouble," Xiao Yan glanced at Xin Lan. Alchemists' fees are high not just because Pills are precious.

More importantly, to avoid trouble.

Xiao Yu rolled her eyes at Xiao Yan, but she said nothing for Xin Lan. Though she'd spent considerable time with Xin Lan, she couldn't ask Xiao Yan to help based solely on emotion.

This wasn't just helping out—it wasn't merely one act of Spirit Refining. The complexity behind it was far greater than a single Pill.

Countless families were watching the Ye Family's seat. If Xiao Yan intervened, he'd be making enemies of the wolves and tigers circling Dan Tower's Elder Council, harming the interests of families desperate to replace the Ye Family. This would be extremely troublesome.

Consider this: the Ye Family has already failed twice, and has no young Seventh-Rank Alchemist—its fall is inevitable. Countless families have already secretly prepared everything.

If Xiao Yan suddenly appeared and blocked it, assassination would be the least of his problems.

Of course, Xiao Yan wasn't afraid of anyone causing him trouble.

Xin Lan naturally knew she couldn't persuade Xiao Yan with words alone. She suddenly stood, gripping her collar tightly, eyes brimming with tears: "If—if Senior Student Xiao Yan is willing to help, I—I… I'll do anything, even my…"

"Hey hey hey—stop, stop, stop! You're dreaming if you think you can take advantage of me," Xiao Yan cut her off. Though Xin Lan wasn't unattractive, never mind others—just Xiao Yixian alone made Xiao Yan have zero "interest" in her.

If Cai Lin found out he'd agreed, he'd be in for a family punishment when he returned!

Hearing Xiao Yan had no interest in her, Xin Lan felt both relief and a pang of disappointment. Countless suitors had pursued her at Jia Nan Academy—she'd always had some confidence in her figure and appearance.

"I don't know what Senior Student Xiao Yan needs—if the Ye Family has it, I can return and discuss it with the Grand Elder, and do my best to fulfill Senior Student Xiao Yan's request." Xin Lan's tense, eager gaze fixed unblinkingly on Xiao Yan.

She feared now that Xiao Yan would refuse to help her Ye Family—only Xiao Yan, this genius Alchemist not from Zhong Zhou's Dan Domain, could save them.

Only he had any chance of defeating the young generation of the Bai and Qiu Families and entering the top three!

Xiao Yan rubbed his chin, then suddenly turned to Ya Fei beside him. Today, Ya Fei remained as noble as ever, radiating a mesmerizing allure—her red lips fiery yet not vulgar, the slit in her gown revealing her pure white legs.

"Sister Ya Fei, I remember you said that the Yan Alliance's own Elixirs aren't enough to meet the growing needs of our disciples, and that you wanted to bring some Alchemists to Xiao City, right?" Xiao Yan asked suddenly.

"Little Brother Xiao Yan, are you suggesting the Ye Family join the Yan Alliance?" Ya Fei looked at Xiao Yan and asked.

"Joining isn't the point—if the Ye Family can supply some Elixirs, it might make the Yan Alliance stronger, even let us enter Zhong Zhou sooner," Xiao Yan stated his ambition outright.

He had promised his ancestor Xiao Xuan that he would restore the Xiao Clan to Zhong Zhou and make it glorious again. Naturally, to achieve this goal, the Yan Alliance was crucial.

Xin Lan froze—she hadn't expected Xiao Yan's demand to be this!

Xiao Yan looked at the dazed Xin Lan and said: "I can help your Ye Family pass the assessment and return to the Elder Council. But in exchange, I need your Ye Family to supply the Yan Alliance with a certain amount of Elixirs each year, and assist the Miter Consortium in establishing itself in the Dan Domain."

"But Senior Student Xiao Yan, the highest-ranked Alchemist in our Ye Family is only Seven-Grade," Xin Lan said—they could never produce very high-grade Elixirs.

"It doesn't matter. I don't need you to craft precious Elixirs—just provide Elixirs below Six-Grade. As for how many you must supply, Ya Fei will negotiate with you. Don't worry—out of respect for Xiao Yu, the Yan Alliance won't demand the moon." Xiao Yan slowly stood, walked to Xin Lan, and extended his hand: "Deal?"

Hearing that all she needed to do was supply low-grade Elixirs and help the Consortium open shops—in exchange for a seat on the Elder Council—was more than Xin Lan had ever dreamed possible. It was so simple!

Of course, the benefits to the Yan Alliance went far beyond merely acquiring Elixirs.

If Xiao Yan helped the Ye Family secure its position in the Dan Domain, it would mean the Yan Alliance had gained a foothold there. With the Ye Family as allies, the Miter Consortium could even open shops directly in the Dan Domain.

They were paving the Yan Alliance's path straight into the Dan Domain! This was absolutely a win-win!

Xin Lan mechanically extended her hand, then burst into ecstatic joy: "Thank you, Senior Student Xiao Yan!"

"By the way, when does your assessment begin?" Xiao Yan, having agreed, didn't hesitate—he asked directly.

"About a year from now—the Dan Tower's assessment will take place shortly before the Pill Gathering." Then Xin Lan suddenly remembered and gasped: "Senior Student Xiao Yan, you plan to enter the Pill Gathering?!"

"Of course I intend to. A year, right? Then I'll arrive in the Dan Domain a little early to find you." Xiao Yan released her hand.

"Hehe, thank you so much, Senior Student Xiao Yan! The Ye Family will never forget your great kindness!" After receiving Xiao Yan's confirmation, Xin Lan giggled playfully.

"No need for 'great kindness'—this is just a transaction."

(End of Chapter)