Chapter 423 Five major families assess Danchen

The next morning, just as the sky was getting light, a thin mist like a veil covered the city of Saint-Dan.

Inside the Ye family's courtyard in Shengdan City, Ye Chong and Ye Xinlan had been waiting there early.

Following a slight "creaky" sound, the wooden door slowly opened, and Xiao Ling and others slowly walked out from the inner courtyard.

At this time, Ye Chong and Xin Lan couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when they saw Xiao Ling and the others appear. A touch of joy flashed quietly across their eyes. However, in this joy, there was also a hint of worry.

Today is the day for the internal assessment of the five major families. This assessment will determine the future fate of the Ye family. Whether the Ye family will soar to the sky or fall into the abyss depends entirely on Xiao Ling's thoughts.

As if he had noticed what the two were thinking, Xiao Ling raised his eyebrows slightly, raised a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, and said casually,

"Why? Elder Ye Zhong and Junior Sister Xin Lan think I am unqualified? Don't worry, I, Xiao Ling, will do my best to fulfill my promise. Moreover, if I really lose to the younger generation of the five major families, I, Xiao Ling, can't afford to lose face."

Hearing this, Ye Zhong and Xin Lan glanced at each other inadvertently, and the slight worries in their hearts also dissipated.

Ye Zhong took a deep breath, calmed down his mood, looked at Xiao Ling with burning eyes, bowed slightly, and said, "In that case, I'll leave everything to Master Xiao Ling."

"Okay, let's go for the assessment without further ado. I haven't been to Shengdan City for a long time. After the assessment is over, I have to take a good look around."

Xiao Ling chuckled and waved his hand. This so-called internal assessment was not difficult at all for him now.

Ye Dian nodded, then he turned around and strode towards the assessment area for the five major families with Ye Xinlan.

To be honest, this matter was not a big deal, and Xiao Ling did not plan to let Zi Yan and the other two girls follow him.

Imagine letting them sit there and watch themselves fighting with a group of young people. It would be too boring.

Zi Yan and the other two girls also thought that instead of wasting time there, it would be better to go to Shengdan City for a stroll. Who knows, they might find some rare and good things there.

Afterwards, Xiao Ling briefly explained a few words to Zi Yan and the others, said goodbye with a smile, then quickened his pace and followed closely behind Ye Zhong.

……

Since the Ye family has been in a state of gradual decline in recent years, the Ye family courtyard where Xiao Ling and others live is not located in the core area of ​​Shengdan City.

As a result, it is a long distance to reach the area inside Danta where the assessment of the five major families is held.

With the style of Xiao Ling and others, they naturally attracted a lot of attention along the way and met many pedestrians.

Among these pedestrians, since Xiao Ling's face was quite recognizable, naturally many people recognized Xiao Ling's identity as the famous master of alchemy.

They either cast admiring glances at him or whispered about Xiao Ling's legendary deeds.

There are also some people who think they are gifted and, after seeing Xiao Ling, want to become his disciples. Some of them even look a few years older than Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling was naturally speechless about this and naturally ignored everyone.

Although there were many people in Shengdan City who recognized Xiao Ling's identity, the news of Xiao Ling's appearance in Shengdan City naturally spread quickly within Shengdan City.

However, no one could guess what Xiao Ling's purpose was. They simply thought that Xiao Ling came to Shengdan City to participate in this alchemy meeting.

However, with the superb level of alchemy skills that Xiao Ling had demonstrated, it naturally quickly became a topic of discussion among people, and he became one of the strong contenders for the championship of this alchemy competition.

……

The assessment location for the five major families is located in a special hall in the inner area of ​​​​Shengdan City.

This hall is the exclusive place for assessments throughout the ages and was established by Danta. This shows how much importance Danta attaches to the assessment of these five major families.

This kind of assessment is not held in secret, but is semi-public in nature.

Some forces with ulterior motives will arrive here in time when the assessment begins.

Because the locations of the five major families are always being kept in mind by countless people!

Many forces are well aware of the current situation. Everyone knows that this is a shortcut to the top of Danta. Once they climb onto the towering tree of Danta, their forces will soar to the sky. It is no exaggeration to say that they can reach the sky in one step.

Now, the position of the Ye family in the five major families is shaky. If the Ye family fails again in this assessment, they will lose their respected status as one of the five major families.

Everyone in the Ye family is fully aware of the crucial significance of this assessment, and each of them is filled with tension and worry.

Other families are also paying close attention to the Ye family's every move. Some families are secretly looking forward to the decline of the Ye family, while others are wary of the possible rise of the Ye family.

Once a position in one of the five major families becomes vacant, those forces that have been eyeing this vacancy for a long time will inevitably rush in like sharks smelling blood.

That is why when Xiao Ling and the others arrived in front of this vast and magnificent hall, they saw a sea of ​​heads. Only under the strict guard of the guards was there a passage leading to the hall.

"Master Xiao Ling, this is the assessment area. Please follow me." Ye Zhong's expression was quite complicated. His hands hidden in his sleeves clenched and unclenched repeatedly.

This place left him with extremely deep memories. In the past, he always left in disgrace, leaving behind endless shame.

But this time it’s different. With Xiao Ling as their backer, the Ye family will be able to stay here openly this time, and even regain the glory they once lost.

The sudden appearance of Xiao Ling and his group naturally attracted the attention of the people around them. Everyone first looked at the Ye family emblem on Ye Zhong's chest, and then a burst of mocking voices came over.

"Tsk tsk, look, the Ye family is here again. If the Ye family fails again this time, they will be kicked out of the ranks of the five major families."

“Hehe, the Ye family was so glorious in the past, but now it has fallen to this state. Without the status of one of the five major families, it will completely become mediocre in the future…”

……

"No... who is this?!"

However, there were some sharp-eyed people who noticed Xiao Ling behind the Ye family team, the talented eighth-grade alchemy master who had become famous in recent years.

Although many people have never seen Xiao Ling in person, they have seen Xiao Ling's portrait. No matter what their mentality is, how could they not recognize the eighth-grade alchemy master?

"Hiss! How could this person appear in the Ye family? Could it be that... the person from the Ye family who will take part in the assessment this time will be this person?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible! How could the now impoverished Ye family possibly ask this gentleman to help?"

“Tsk tsk, if this lord really takes action, it seems that the Ye family’s place in the top five families will be preserved this time.”

"That's true, but I wonder how much the Ye family spent to get this gentleman to take action. I'm sure they must have emptied their pockets, tsk tsk."

"This is cheating, blatant cheating. Master Xiao Ling is not even from the Ye family, so how could he possibly participate in the assessment of the five major families on behalf of the Ye family? He is definitely here to visit..."

"..."

Hearing these voices, Ye Zhong was both angry and amused. These people had been hoping that the Ye family would fall from grace so that they could take over.

Now that Xiao Ling has appeared, as long as Xiao Ling takes action, their ulterior motives and covetous eyes will all be shattered and will not be realized.

Xiao Ling's eyes did not stir up any ripples, and he calmly accepted the gazes of all kinds of people around him. When he agreed to Ye Zhong's action, he had already anticipated this situation. After all, Xiao Ling was a genuine eighth-grade alchemy master, there was no doubt about that.

And his appearance here means that Xiao Ling is definitely inseparable from the current Ye family.

After this news was revealed, all parties naturally had to re-evaluate their attitudes towards the Ye family.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Xiao Ling and his party had already arrived outside the hall. The guards all showed respect in their eyes. The object of their respect was not Ye Zhong, the leader, but Xiao Ling who was in the group.

In the Dan Tower where alchemists gather, only a few elders can reach the level of an eighth-grade alchemist. In Shengdan City, where alchemy is respected, Xiao Ling can naturally gain the courtesy and respect of most people.

As Danta guards, they understood more deeply how rare and noble an eighth-grade alchemy master was.

So, they immediately made way for him and shouted towards the hall: "Ye family, here..."

Ye Chong let out a light breath. When he came to take the test in the past, the guards had a completely different attitude.

Although they did not deliberately make things difficult for him, the contempt and disdain on their faces and in their eyes had deeply hurt Ye Zhong's heart.

This time, because the Ye family team had the addition of Xiao Ling, an eighth-grade alchemy master, everything changed. It was a look of respect from the heart.

However, Ye Zhong knew clearly in his heart that this was not a sign of respect for the Ye family, but a sign of heartfelt respect for Xiao Ling, the eighth-grade alchemy master.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of suffocation in his heart, and secretly vowed that he would make the Ye family shine with new vitality in the future, return to the top, and make the Ye family truly respected by others from the bottom of their hearts.

Under the close gazes of many people, Ye Zhong held his head high and walked firmly towards the depths of the hall with Xiao Ling and the others, his figure gradually disappearing from everyone's sight.

Behind them, apart from some people who came to watch the fun whispering, there were only pairs of eyes full of regret, anger and decadence. In those eyes, there was reluctance and loss, as if the beautiful fantasy was shattered in an instant.

These people all came from families that had ideas about the position of the five major families. They were ambitious and had always been eager to take advantage of the opportunity to rise after the defeat of the Ye family and replace the Ye family as one of the new five major families of Danta.

They planned carefully and looked forward to the failure of the Ye family. However, in this assessment of the five major families, the Ye family had not had any outstanding contestants. This made them feel as if they had already seen the moment when their family replaced the Ye family and became one of the five major families of Danta and was honored.

However, at this moment, no matter whether they admitted it or not, their thoughts were helplessly shattered after Xiao Ling appeared here with the Ye family.

They stared blankly in the direction where the Ye family members left, the loss in their hearts spreading like a tide, and they reluctantly accepted this cruel reality.

……

After entering the hall, soft light poured down from the hanging lamps on the roof. Immediately, Xiao Ling could feel gazes conveying various meanings towards him.

He raised his eyes slightly and glanced around the hall, and found that the people sitting in these seats all had strong auras, and they were obviously from some relatively powerful sects or families.

Gradually, the meaning in these eyes became more and more hesitant. Some people even raised their hands to rub their eyes, as if they couldn't believe what they saw. What did they see?
A young man appeared in the Ye family's team. His face looked familiar to them. Even if they had never seen him in person, they had seen him in various paintings.

The number one alchemist among the younger generation, Xiao Ling!

This was the judgment made by all parties after they learned about the information Xiao Ling had exposed. Even among the outstanding juniors of Danta, no one could surpass him.

Even Cao Ying, the notorious witch of the Cao family, and Dan Chen of the Dan family, the youngest record holder for the eighth-grade alchemist in Danta who broke the record previously set by Xiao Ling, still have a considerable gap compared to Xiao Ling today.

After looking around, Ye Zhong retracted his gaze and introduced to Xiao Ling with a smile: "These are the people who came to watch the battle. Master Xiao Ling, don't worry about them. The seats of the five major families, Dan, Cao, Qiu, Bai, and Ye, are at the front. Let's go there now."

Xiao Ling looked in the direction Ye Zhong pointed, and sure enough, there were five seats at the front. At this time, three seats were already occupied, and two were vacant.

"Okay, let's go ahead." Xiao Ling said calmly.

Ye Zhong nodded slightly, and led everyone steadily towards the front seats. Along the way, countless eyes followed closely, they were like the focus of the stage, attracting everyone's attention.

Ye Zhong had mixed emotions, both excited and expectant, knowing full well that this assessment was related to the fate of the Ye family, and Xiao Ling's arrival was like a reassurance.

Xiao Ling looked calm, as if everything was under control, and he ignored the curious, admiring, or jealous looks from around him.

Under the gaze of everyone, they successfully arrived at the Ye family seat.

Ye Zhong let out a sigh of relief and slowly sat down, his eyes were inexplicable. Xiao Ling and Ye Xinlan also found a seat and sat down, quietly waiting for the test to begin.

After taking his seat, Ye Zhong raised his eyes slightly, and his gaze slowly swept across the three seats one by one.

Then, he turned his head and lowered his voice to introduce Xiao Ling in a low voice.
"Master Xiao Ling, look, the handsome man in blue from the Dan family is called Dan Xuan. He should be the one from the Dan family who will be taking the test this time."

"This person's talent is so high that among the younger generations of the five major families, he is only second to the Cao family demon girl and Dan Chen. However, compared with a peerless demon like Master Xiao Ling, he is naturally far inferior."

Hearing Ye Zhong's final compliment, Xiao Ling simply nodded indifferently. Having heard it so many times over the years, he had long been immune to it. He then looked at the tall man in blue, who had a gentle look between his brows and looked quite elegant.

Although it was the first time he met Dan Xuan, Xiao Ling had some understanding of him. He was considered a young talent. However, in Xiao Ling's opinion, it was just that.

Because Yao Chen's first nominal master, Dan Huchen, was from the Dan family, Yao Chen always took care of the Dan family when he traveled around the continent.

This time when Xiao Ling came to participate in the Alchemy Conference, Yao Chen also told Xiao Ling about this matter in advance. For example, in the first two rounds of assessments in the Alchemy Conference, he could take care of the contestants from the Dan family a little. Not to say that he could help them complete the assessments, but he also wouldn't let them die in vain.

Xiao Ling naturally nodded in agreement. It was just a simple thing to do after all. Therefore, Xiao Ling also did some research and understanding about the situation of the Dan family in his spare time.

Perhaps noticing Xiao Ling's gaze, Dan Xuan also turned his head.

After making eye contact with Xiao Ling, he lowered his head slightly, and the slight arrogance in his eyes that he showed in front of outsiders quietly disappeared, replaced by respect from the bottom of his heart.

Xiao Ling just nodded his head indifferently and didn't pay much attention to it. In Xiao Ling's opinion, although Dan Xuan had good talent, he was not worthy of his attention.

Instead, it was the weak girl next to Danxuan who directly attracted Xiao Ling's attention.

The girl also glanced at Xiao Ling, and then quickly looked away as if she had been electrocuted.

She has a very shy temperament and gives people a feeling of being weak, making people want to bully her a little.

However, her soul power cannot be faked and has reached another level, that is, the soul level of the spiritual realm.

The corners of Xiao Ling's mouth rose slightly, and he recognized the identity of this girl at a glance.

As expected, she is Dan Chen, the peerless genius of the Dan family who recently broke Xiao Ling's record as the youngest eighth-grade alchemist.

"At such a young age, he already has such spiritual power. He is a good candidate for practicing as a talisman master. It would be great if he could come to my side."

Xiao Ling thought silently in his heart, and unknowingly had other ideas.

However, he did not continue to look at her and soon looked away.

It's appreciative if you glance at them, but if you keep staring at them, it seems a bit impolite and can easily make others feel disgusted.

Dan Chen was able to break through the soul realm at her current age and become an eighth-grade alchemist, not because of her outstanding talent alone, but because of her special physique, which has the effect of absorbing soul power.

(End of this chapter)