Chapter 432

"This prenatal spirit dust is truly a wonderful thing," Xiao Yan clenched his fist, feeling the enhancement of his Soul Force.

But Xiao Yan didn't know that this tiny amount of prenatal spirit dust, even in ancient times, was enough for ten or more people—it was extremely expensive, and its true purpose was as a Secret Treasure to help Spiritual Force Realm: Commoner Full Completion Alchemists break through into the Spirit Realm.

Xiao Yan alone had used the amount meant for ten or more people; luckily he possessed a Spirit Realm Soul, otherwise his Soul would have been shattered from overabsorption.

With a creak, Xiao Yan pushed open the door and stepped out—he knew today he was to assist the Ye Family's examination.

Though the Ye Family had declined, their pill alchemy ability remained indispensable to the Yan Alliance; right now, the entire Yan Alliance had only him and Yue Er as Alchemists, and many low-grade Elixirs truly required large-scale production.

With a boom, the moment Xiao Yan opened the door, Ye Zhong's Soul trembled violently, and he instinctively bowed his head and hunched his back!

"Elder Ye, you honor me too much," Xiao Yan waved his hand, indicating he was unused to such deference.

Only then did Ye Zhong snap back to awareness, smiling as he said, "Master Xiao Yan, today is the day of the examination."

"Hmm, lead the way," Xiao Yan waved his hand dismissively; the examination was merely a formality—now that his Soul Force had reached Spirit Realm mid-stage, even if the Dan and Cao Families sent their strongest Young Generation, he had full confidence he could defeat them.

When Xiao Yan followed Ye Zhong to the vast, magnificent examination hall, he found it already packed with a sea of dark heads.

The five major families represented the Dan Tower's control over the five major Cities of the Dan Domain, naturally drawing countless spectators.

Looking at the hall, Ye Zhong's heart stirred with excitement; in the past, he had come here filled with anxiety and unease, but now he finally understood what it meant to ride on another's prestige.

Ye Zhong walked ahead, guiding Xiao Yan; passersby who saw them arrived burst into murmurs.

"Hey, look, the Ye Family has arrived."

"That man in front is Ye Zhong—so the man behind him is the legendary Xiao Yan?"

"Wow, he really looks so young."

"I heard Xiao Yan isn't just skilled in pill alchemy—he's also top-tier in combat, and still unmarried."

Under countless gazes, Ye Zhong and Xiao Yan reached the hall's entrance; the guards there glanced at Ye Zhong's Ye Family Class Badge, then at Xiao Yan's impassive face behind him—their eyes shifted from casual to solemn.

They all bowed respectfully to Ye Zhong and Xiao Yan.

They looked down on the Ye Family, but not Xiao Yan—an Eight Grade Alchemist was that powerful; at this age, an Eight Grade Alchemist would surely become a Pill Giant in the future.

The Pill Tower Three Giants had all reached the Eight Grade realm by age thirty!

"The Cao Family has arrived!"

With a creaking sound, as the gatekeeper shouted, the heavy doors slowly swung open.

Entering the hall, soft light poured down; as it touched his body, Xiao Yan sensed dozens of gazes—each carrying different meanings—locking onto him.

His eyes lifted slightly, sweeping across the hall; seated around the perimeter were many figures, and most astonishingly, most of their auras were formidable—clearly from powerful Factions or families.

Especially the old man closest to the Dan, Cao, Bai, and Qiu family seats—he glared at Xiao Yan with clenched teeth, as if wanting to devour him.

Without asking Ye Zhong, Xiao Yan knew this was the so-called Xiang Family Head.

Had Xiao Yan not appeared, the Xiang Family would have become the new fifth major family.

Just one decision by Xiao Yan had rewritten the future.

Ye Zhong led Xiao Yan toward the Ye Family's seating; Xiao Yan also glanced at the Dan, Cao, Bai, and Qiu family seats.

The Qiu Family was the weakest; seeing Xiao Yan arrive, their Family Head gave a slight nod. The Bai Family, having past grievances with the Ye Family, glared at Xiao Yan with a dark expression.

What surprised Xiao Yan most was that on the Dan Family's seat, the young girl with the Special Physique from before now stared at him with bright, delighted eyes.

Seeing the timid girl, Xiao Yan smiled and gave a light wave in return.

"Cousin Dan Chen, do you know that Xiao Yan?" asked Dan Xuan, the one with talent second only to Dan Chen.

Dan Chen nodded excitedly. "Cousin Dan Xuan, the man who came to me that time at the branch tower and didn't get hurt—that's him."

Hearing this, not just Dan Xuan but all others in the Dan Family turned astonished gazes toward Xiao Yan; they knew well how brutal Dan Chen's Special Physique was—even their Ancestor, an Eight Grade Alchemist, dared not take her lightly now.

Xiao Yan had remained unharmed!

"Xiao Yan must have received a powerful inheritance and learned some protective Soul Techniques," murmured an elder nearby. "Dan Xuan, interact more with Xiao Yan—remember, never offend him."

"Understood, Family Head."

Xiao Yan naturally knew none of this; after the two reached the Ye Family's seats, the examination had not yet begun—the reason was simple: the Cao Family had not arrived.

About five minutes later, a loud voice rang from outside: "The Cao Family has arrived!"

As the voice echoed, the hall erupted in commotion and murmurs; many seated Factions immediately rose, their faces plastered with smiles.

Not surprising—given the Cao Family's current status, they deserved such flattery.

Even the Bai and Qiu Family members wore tense, smiling expressions.

Hearing the loud call, Xiao Yan, who had been meditating with closed eyes, slowly opened them and turned his head toward the hall entrance.

The closed doors slowly opened; first to appear was a graceful figure, stepping lightly, emerging slowly beneath the sunlight.

When the graceful figure entered the hall and stepped into the light and view, the atmosphere inside froze for an instant.

Beautiful and enchanting.

The leading woman was tall and slender, her figure elegant, clad in a Dark Black Dress radiating cold arrogance; her long black hair loosely tied, her face slightly thin yet exquisitely refined, noble and dignified.

Standing at the hall entrance, her long, slightly languid eyes shimmered with seductive allure.

At her appearance, countless men in the hall were bewitched; sensing the admiration, the woman slowly curved her slender lips into a faint smile—and the instant that smile lifted, her thin, alluring face became instantly suffused with demonic charm.

"She truly deserves the name 'Demoness,'" Xiao Yan silently nodded.

Without Ye Zhong's introduction, Xiao Yan knew this woman in the Dark Black Dress was the legendary Cao Ying, his equal.

She passed the Dan Tower's examination at age twenty to become a Seven-Grade Alchemist; a year ago, rumors said she had crafted an Eight Grade Pill; now, she was barely twenty-three.

Purely in terms of pill alchemy talent, at age twenty-three, Xiao Yan was inferior to this Cao Ying!?

Of course, if Hun Xu Zi knew Xiao Yan thought this way, he'd probably slap him dead. Wouldn't that imply the old man was blind?

Cao Ying's lips curled slightly; her beautiful eyes swept lazily over everyone present, and all those she glanced at felt a surge of heat and deep wariness.

This woman's allure was undeniably intoxicating, but beneath that allure lay an even deeper, bone-deep wariness.

Like a beautifully colored venomous snake.

"I wonder what would happen if this Demoness met Cai Lin," Xiao Yan couldn't help a mischievous thought—but quickly dismissed it.

Cao Ying's gaze turned to Dan Chen; seeing Cao Ying look over, Dan Chen hid behind Dan Xuan like Jerry seeing Tom, soft and timid.

Cao Ying led the Cao family forward, under the watchful eyes of the crowd in the hall, toward their designated seats.

Her steps paused slightly; Cao Ying's beautiful eyes fixed on Xiao Yan, who looked listless, and she smiled sweetly: "You're Xiao Yan?"

"There's only one Xiao Yan here," Xiao Yan replied, shrugging.

"I've heard Master Xiao Yan is an Eight Grade Alchemist at such a young age. Hehe, you came all the way to Sheng Dan Cheng—not just to help the Ye family, are you? Do you intend to claim the championship of this Pill Gathering?" Cao Ying covered her mouth as she laughed softly, yet her eyes carried a hint of challenge.

Hearing Cao Ying's words, Dan Chen's eyes widened in surprise as she turned to look at Xiao Yan; she had only just learned Xiao Yan was an Eight Grade Alchemist.

Not just Dan Chen—many prominent families in the hall leaned in to listen. Though everyone had guessed, Cao Ying was the first to openly ask Xiao Yan directly; all wanted to hear his answer.

"Does Miss Cao Ying only want second place in the Pill Gathering? If so, I won't compete with you—I prefer the championship."

Hearing Xiao Yan's blunt words, many present who planned to join the Pill Gathering felt their hearts sink; the Pill Gathering hadn't even begun, and already Xiao Yan and Cao Ying were locked in a fierce clash—tension thick in the air!

"Oh~~" Cao Ying murmured, then fell silent, sitting down with the Cao family, idly playing with a smooth jade bead in her long, snow-white jade hand, waiting for the test to begin.

Pill Alchemy isn't won by words—when the time comes, who wins or loses remains uncertain.

Not long after the Cao family took their seats, the floor of the hall suddenly began to tremble slowly; the five families' seating areas shifted backward like movable floor panels, and in an instant, a vast square appeared in the center of the hall.

As the square emerged, a sprightly white-haired elder stepped forward calmly, stopping at its center. His gaze swept slowly over the crowd, and he smiled: "Since all five families have arrived, I won't waste time. I'll preside over this year's test—no objections, I assume?"

"Hehe, Elder Sheng, with your status in Dan Tower, who would dare question you?" Cao Ying replied with a girlish laugh.

"This elder is named Sheng Yao, one of Dan Tower's Eight Elders, wielding considerable influence within Dan Tower—he's truly among its top leadership, and a genuine Eight Grade Alchemist," Ye Zhong whispered to Xiao Yan.

Xiao Yan nodded indifferently. From his perception, the elder was merely at the early stage of Eight Grade—capable of refining Eight Grade Pills that summoned Three-Colored Pill Lightning, nothing more.

"Girl Ying, don't flatter me—I'm just an old bone-and-flesh shell who can't take such praise," the white-haired elder chuckled, then paused his gaze on Xiao Yan: "Time's up. The five families' candidates, enter the square."

As the elder spoke, the murmurs in the hall fell silent.

Xiao Yan rose slowly and was the first to step into the square.

To Ye Zhong's surprise, neither the Dan family nor the Cao family sent Dan Chen or Cao Ying—instead, they sent Dan Xuan and a burly man beside Cao Ying, Cao Xiu.

The Bai family remained unchanged, sending their most talented prodigy, Bai Ying. But the Qiu family? They sent only a man at the early stage of Seven Grade—clearly not aiming for ranking, just hoping to pass.

"Master Xiao Yan, greetings. I'm Dan Xuan. After your test, would you have time for a simple meal? I'd like to welcome you to Sheng Dan Cheng," Dan Xuan smiled warmly.

"No, I still need to cultivate, preparing for the Pill Gathering."

I, Xiao Yan, will strive openly—and crush all of you!

Hearing Xiao Yan's words, other Alchemists planning to join the Pill Gathering paled: Kuang! A grind king!

Elder Sheng also sized up Xiao Yan, then said: "Since everyone's here, let's begin."

"First test: Soul Strength."

Elder Sheng pointed to the center of the stone tablet, where a smooth, circular mirror plate rested: "Each of you will channel your Soul Power into it. The plate will measure your Soul Value—the number Dan Tower calls 'Hun Value.'"

"A Hun Value above four hundred is passing. The highest recorded Hun Value in past five-family tests? Cao Ying—she achieved 976, a record still unbroken."

Here, Elder Sheng's gaze turned to the head of the Cao family, where Cao Ying, dressed in black robes, rested her chin on her jade hand, idly twirling a smooth jade bead—utterly unfazed by the surrounding stares.

"Hehe, since everyone knows the rules, let's begin in order of the five families' rankings," Elder Sheng said, smiling at Xiao Yan and the others.

Seeing the stone tablet, Xiao Yan couldn't help but recall the testing stone tablet of the Xiao Clan.

"How nostalgic," Xiao Yan smiled faintly, remembering his childhood days in Wutan City.

As for others' Hun Values, Xiao Yan didn't care at all.

"Xiao Yan, your turn," Elder Sheng called out.

"Me too?"

"Huh?" Elder Sheng blinked, then nodded: "By the rules, yes."

"Alright then."

Seeing Xiao Yan walk toward the stone tablet, Cao Ying's lazy gaze sharpened—now, every rumor would be proven true or false!

Xiao Yan slowly extended one finger, gently pressing it against the stone tablet. His lips curled slightly as he stopped restraining his Soul Power.

BOOM BOOM BOOM!! Suddenly, the entire hall shook violently, the ground heaved, and chunks of stone rained from the ceiling.

"Spirit Realm! It's truly a Spirit Realm Soul Power!"

"This is insane! How old is he?!"

Even with countless proofs that Xiao Yan was an Eight Grade Alchemist, no one wanted to believe it without seeing it—this was simply too absurd!

Now, they had no words left.

"Truly Eight Grade," Cao Ying stared fixedly at the back of the black-robed man. CRACK—the jade bead in her palm shattered. She knew: this man would be her greatest rival in the Pill Gathering.

"His Soul Power is so powerful," timid Dan Chen gazed at Xiao Yan with bright eyes; she sensed Xiao Yan's Soul Power was stronger than her own.

Xiao Yan slowly withdrew his finger. BOOM—the testing stone tablet, unable to bear the weight of his Soul, shattered instantly.

"Elder Sheng, could you bring a new one? I'll control my Soul Power this time. Otherwise, scoring zero would be embarrassing."

"No… no need. Everyone already knows who's first," Elder Sheng wasn't stupid—why do such foolish things?

Elder Sheng wrote on his record board: "Xiao Yan—Spirit Realm."

"The next test is called Soul Manipulation," Elder Sheng said, glancing once more at Xiao Yan before pulling a pitch-black iron bead from his storage ring.

"This is a Soul Steel bead, called a Soul-Testing Pearl. To the hand, it feels light—but to the Soul, it weighs a thousand jin."

"When Soul Manipulation begins, countless Soul-Testing Pearls will rain down from the ceiling. You must hold them up using only Soul Power—no Qi. The one who catches the most pearls wins this round, and so on for ranking."

"The record for this Soul Manipulation test? Forget it—let's begin."

Elder Sheng said no more. Cao Ying's test had been two years ago. Who in their right mind would send an Eight Grade Alchemist under thirty? This was chaos!

SWISH SWISH! Countless pitch-black iron beads rained from the sky like a storm!

As Dan Xuan and the others braced themselves, trying to catch as many black beads as possible, suddenly—the falling beads froze midair, as if paused.

There, Xiao Yan pointed one finger upward—and hundreds, thousands of black beads hung suspended in the air.

"Elder Sheng, is this acceptable?"

"You this—"

Even Dan Xuan, usually refined and amiable, was now irritated: What the hell is this?! The Spirit Realm and the Common Realm are like the difference between a human and a god—they're not even in the same world!

The five families never expected anyone from the Spirit Realm to join the test!

Many from the families cast their eyes toward Ye Zhong, thinking: If you're going to bring in outside help, don't make it this absurd!

By now, the final test was unnecessary—the Ye Family had already won. Xiao Yan was like an adult fighting a child in this five-family test; with a single wave of his hand, he sent others flying far beyond measure.

"The final trial is simple: all five of you enter this circle and clash using Soul Power. The last one standing in the circle wins." As Elder Sheng spoke, he saw the other four families had lost all will to fight—even unwilling to enter the circle.

It's pure self-inflicted suffering—this third round's ranking is entirely up to Xiao Yan's mood!

"Elder Sheng, the Cao Family wishes to replace our contestant mid-test. Is that permitted?"

Inside the grand hall, all eyes snapped toward Cao Ying—her Jade Hand resting on the table, her slender frame leaning slightly forward, revealing an alluring curve.

At this moment, Cao Ying's eyes burned with passion and Battle Intention as she stared at Xiao Yan.

(End of Chapter)