Chapter 425 The assessment begins

Just as the people from the Cao family took their seats, the ground in the hall suddenly began to shake slowly.

The seats of the five families were like movable floors, slowly moving back. In the blink of an eye, a very spacious square appeared in the center of the hall.

Just as the square appeared, an energetic, slightly round-faced, white-haired old man walked out slowly with steady steps, and finally stopped steadily in the center of the square.

The old man's eyes slowly swept across the audience, a smile gradually appeared on his face, and he spoke,
"Now that the five major families have gathered here, I will not waste any more words. This year's assessment will still be presided over by me. I think everyone has no objection, right?"

"Hehe, Elder Sheng, with your status and position in Danta, who would dare to question you?" In this hall, facing this white-haired old man, only Cao Ying responded with a giggle.

It’s just that this person’s identity is really too high for many people present.

"This man's name is Sheng Yao, and he is one of the eight elders of Danta. He has a say in Danta that cannot be underestimated. In fact, he is also a real high-level figure in Danta."

Ye Zhong introduced Xiao Ling in a low voice.

Xiao Ling nodded with a smile. The soul power of this elder Sheng Yao was not weak. Even if he was not an eighth-grade alchemist, he must be a seventh-grade peak alchemist.

However, this elder always gave Xiao Ling a strange feeling, as if he had seen him somewhere before. No matter how he looked at him, he looked very similar to the Luo family master in Tianya City. No, he was exactly the same.

"You little girl, don't flatter me. This old man can't bear your praise..." Sheng Yao smiled helplessly, then slowly looked around the audience, a smile appeared on his face, and he said loudly: "It's almost time, the examinees from the five major families, please enter."

As soon as the words fell, the whispers in the field suddenly became quiet. The whole scene seemed to have been mute, and it was silent.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the entrance of the square, waiting for the examinees from the five major families to appear.

The air was filled with tension and anticipation, as if an invisible pressure was looming over the entire hall.

Xiao Ling's expression was still as calm as water, without any ripples. He slowly stood up, waved his sleeves lightly, and then, with his hands behind his back, he walked towards the center of the square with steady steps.

As soon as I stood up, I heard Ye Xinlan's encouraging voice.

"Senior Xiao Ling, the Ye family is relying on you."

Xiao Ling did not stop, but waved slightly behind him. This action was considered a response to Ye Xinlan.

His attitude was extremely casual. This so-called assessment was nothing more than a trivial matter for him now. He didn't need to take it too seriously.

At the same time when Xiao Ling stood up, one person from each of the other four families also stood up. However, the selection of contestants was somewhat beyond Xiao Ling's expectations.

On the seat of the Cao family, the originally strong Cao Xiu stood up, but then, Cao Ying's narrow and long phoenix eyes flickered slightly, and then he stood up and pushed Cao Xiu back.

She looked in the direction of Xiao Ling, a hint of interest appeared on the corner of her mouth, and then she walked towards the center of the square.

At the Dan family seat, the originally elegant and gentle Dan Xuan slowly stood up.

However, after seeing Cao Ying take the initiative to come on stage, the seemingly weak Dan Chen hesitated for a moment, and finally stood up and said to Dan Xuan,
“Brother, leave it to me. Cao Ying is in trouble, and the Dan family cannot fall behind.”

Then, Danxuan's handsome face instantly flashed with a doting look, and then he took the initiative to sit back and let Danchen play. Since his sister said so, then he, as a brother, naturally had to listen to her.

Bai Ying slowly stood up from the Bai family seat. His cold face looked quite ugly at this moment, and he kept looking at his opponent.

Xiao Ling, who represented the Ye family, was an eighth-grade master of alchemy; Cao Ying of the Cao family was also an eighth-grade master of alchemy; and Dan Chen of the Dan family was also an eighth-grade master of alchemy.

Seeing these three people coming on stage, Bai Ying's heart suddenly tightened, thinking to himself, I am just a seventh-grade alchemist, I could have competed for the top three in the past, but how can I compete this time? I was really born at the wrong time, and I actually encountered such a difficult task...

But fortunately, there is still Qiu Ji from the Qiu family, who is not as strong as himself.

Thinking of this, Bai Ying breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there was someone from the Qiu family to fill in at the bottom, so it wouldn't be too embarrassing for him to be at the bottom.

Poor Qilin of the Bai family, he will be the second to last. Who made the Ye family not to follow the moral code and directly invited Xiao Ling, an eighth-grade alchemist, to take action? Cao Ying and Dan Chen were also killed at the same time.

At the Qiu family seat, Qiu Ji, who was wearing a red robe and a pair of black-framed glasses, stood up. His face was very dark, like the bottom of a pot.

Look at this lineup... The Ye family, the king of the bottom in the past, has also invited a big boss this time to directly crush them with hard power. It's really a fight between gods, and mortals suffer.

He also understood his own strength. Although he was considered a young and outstanding person, he was no match for Bai Ying of the Bai family, let alone the other three big guys.

No matter who among these people finally wins first place, unless a miracle happens, the Qiu family will definitely be the last this time.

At this moment, Qiu Ji's face was full of helplessness and frustration. He looked at the powerful opponents around him, and felt powerless.

People around looked at Qiu Ji's appearance. Some were gloating over his misfortune, while others felt sympathy for him.

The representatives of the five major families walked slowly onto the competition square. However, none of them came close to each other, nor did they say anything.

Even Cao Ying just nodded to Xiao Ling and Dan Chen, and Xiao Ling did not make any big response.

"Hehe, I'm Cao Ying from the Cao family, nice to meet Elder Sheng!" Cao Ying smiled charmingly, and that smile was truly enchanting and moving. Her voice was melodious and pleasant, like a yellow oriole singing out of a valley, making people feel good about it.

"Dan Chen from the Dan family greets Elder Sheng!" Dan Chen also said respectfully after Cao Ying. She lowered her head slightly, and her shy look made her even more lovable.

"Okay, okay!" Elder Sheng stroked his beard, a bright smile on his old face.

He thought to himself, what virtue and ability did he have to make two eighth-grade alchemy masters treat him so politely. This was a rare experience, and it would probably be difficult to have such an opportunity again in the future.

At this moment, Elder Sheng's eyes were filled with satisfaction and emotion. Looking at the two young eighth-grade alchemy masters in front of him, he was full of expectations for their future and the future of Danta...

"I am Bai Ying from the Bai family, honored to meet Elder Sheng." Bai Ying, with a stern expression, bowed respectfully when facing the powerful elder of Danta.

"Qiu Ji from the Qiu family, nice to meet Elder Sheng." Even though he knew there was a high chance that he would be at the bottom, Qiu Ji, who felt helpless, still bowed respectfully and said.

"Ye family representative, Xiao Ling."

Xiao Ling's tone was more casual. Anyway, he was not very familiar with this Elder Sheng, and he was not his senior. His alchemy skills and cultivation were far inferior to his, so there was no need to be too respectful. Just be a little polite.

Of course, Sheng Yao did not think that Xiao Ling's behavior was inappropriate. Instead, he nodded politely and returned the greeting with a smile. As the powerful elder of Danta, he naturally knew some information about Xiao Ling.

It was normal for such a genius to be casual, but it was unexpected that he didn't have the arrogance of a genius. Moreover, Sheng Yao had some friendship with the Ye family. However, after the decline of the Ye family, he came to Shengdan City, and the two sides interacted less and their friendship faded.

Although the Ye family failed two rounds of assessments, they were not kicked out of the top five families. Sheng Yao really made a lot of efforts and said a lot of good things. Such actions show that he has deep feelings for the Ye family.

Elder Sheng glanced at Xiao Ling, Cao Ying, and Dan Chen, stroked his beard and chuckled, knowing that today's assessment was going to be lively.

Elder Sheng's eyes slowly swept over the crowd, first landing on Xiao Ling. Xiao Ling stood tall and straight, with a calm expression. He once refined an eighth-grade elixir that attracted four-color pill thunder in full view of the crowd, and now he is recognized as an eighth-grade alchemist by the world. His calm and confident aura seemed to freeze the air around him.

Then, Elder Sheng's eyes turned to Cao Ying. Cao Ying was born into a top alchemy family and had been trained in the orthodox alchemy techniques of Danta since she was a child. Her graceful figure and smart eyes revealed an innate nobility and pride. She was undoubtedly one of the hot candidates to win the championship of this alchemy competition.

Then, Elder Sheng looked at Dan Chen. Dan Chen also came from a top alchemy family. Under the influence of Danta for a long time, her temperament was gentle and restrained. She stood there quietly. Although she looked delicate and gentle, no one would easily underestimate her.

Now, these three people all left the stage early for various reasons, and they wanted to compete with the other two. Although they did not directly open the furnace to refine medicine, from some of the methods they used, we can still see some of the strength of the three people.

It is conceivable that the scene at that time will be eye-opening.

Regardless of what was happening on the stage, the audience was already excited. Everyone stared at the stage with eyes wide open, looking forward to the upcoming fight between dragons and tigers.

Many people also learned that the five major families' assessment was being held here, and that three eighth-grade alchemists would compete here, so they rushed here. They just wanted to witness the demeanor of these rare alchemy masters.

"Haha, then let's begin our assessment today." After Elder Sheng finished speaking, there was a faint smile on his face, but a seriousness in his eyes.

Then, he moved his feet lightly and his body slowly retreated like a light feather.

The movement seemed casual, yet it was smooth like flowing water. In the blink of an eye, he retreated to the side of an object that was tightly covered by a black cloth.

Elder Sheng raised his hand and waved it gently, and the black cloth fell down like a dark cloud blown away by the wind, revealing the object hidden behind it. It turned out to be a stone tablet that was more than ten feet high!
However, it seems not to be extremely accurate to call it a stone tablet, because this stone tablet is extremely transparent. Under the sunlight, it refracts brilliant light. It looks like a huge crystal, emitting a mysterious soul fluctuation.

"Our assessment is divided into three parts, and the first one is soul testing."

When Elder Sheng talked about serious matters, the smile on his face instantly faded, replaced by a serious look. He slowly swept his eyes over Xiao Ling and the other five contestants at the scene, and said in a steady voice:
"As we all know, the soul is the most important foundation for an alchemist. Only a soul that is strong enough can have sufficient soul perception and soul control."

Elder Sheng raised his hand and pointed at the center of the stone tablet, where there was a round, smooth mirror plate.
Elder Sheng raised his hand and pointed to the center of the stone tablet, where there was a round, smooth mirror. "Each of you input your soul power into the stone tablet, and on this mirror, your soul value will be tested. This value is called the soul value by Danta."

“As long as the soul value reaches above 976, you will pass. And the holder of the highest record in the soul value tests during the assessments of the five major families in recent years is Cao Ying. Her soul value tested that year reached , which has not been broken to this day.” Elder Sheng’s words were loud and clear, and his tone was filled with emotion for past achievements.

At this point, Elder Sheng's eyes also fell on Cao Ying. Everyone's eyes also followed Elder Sheng's words and looked at the enchanting and beautiful woman.

Seeing that everyone's eyes were focused on her, Cao Ying laughed. The laughter was crisp and pleasant, echoing in the air like a silver bell. Her narrow and long phoenix eyes turned and glanced charmingly at Xiao Ling, who was standing with his hands behind his back, with a calm and casual expression.

She said with a smile: "Ying'er, I was just a mortal soul at the beginning. Today, Master Xiao Ling, an eighth-grade alchemy master, is here, so this record must have been broken. But will this new record be created by me and Sister Danchen, or by Master Xiao Ling?"

In response to Cao Ying's words, Xiao Ling just raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a casual smile, and then nodded lightly. His expression was still calm and peaceful, without showing any excitement or nervousness, and he didn't say anything more.

In his opinion, the next test will be conducted anyway, and we will know who can create a new record after one try. There is no need to argue about it at this moment.

The atmosphere at the scene became tense due to the seemingly casual yet mysterious interaction between Cao Ying and Xiao Ling.

The test clearly hadn't actually begun yet, but the strong smell of gunpowder had already risen up, and a silent smoke seemed to have substance, slowly spreading in the air, allowing everyone present to clearly feel the tense situation.

In this slightly stalemate atmosphere, Elder Sheng intervened at the right time. He looked around calmly and then slowly said, "Now that everyone understands the rules, who will take the test first?"

As soon as the words fell, the square fell into silence. A moment later, Qiu Ji from the Qiu family took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and stepped forward very consciously.

He walked up to Elder Sheng with steady steps, bowed respectfully to him, and then walked straight to the tall and transparent stone tablet like a crystal.

At this time, Qiu Ji looked solemn and did not say much. He just slowly raised his hand and gently placed it on the tall and transparent stone tablet like crystal.

Then, his brows suddenly frowned and he let out a deep shout. In an instant, an incomparably powerful soul force burst out from his body like a surging tide and swept towards the stone tablet with great momentum.

Suddenly, the smooth mirror plate in the center of the stone tablet reacted, and a series of blood-red numbers flashed immediately.

Those numbers seemed to have their own life, constantly jumping and changing, attracting people's attention and unable to look away for a moment.

After more than ten seconds, the series of numbers seemed to have finally exhausted all its energy and slowly settled down.

"739!" Elder Sheng looked at the number with approval in his eyes and nodded slightly.

This result was indeed quite good. After all, monsters like Xiao Ling and the other two were rare. To be able to reach such a high soul value was enough to prove that Qiu Ji's soul power should not be underestimated.

"Qiu Ji has passed, the next one to come forward." Elder Sheng announced loudly.

When Qiu Ji heard this, a slight smile suddenly appeared on his face. He was obviously quite satisfied with his results. He just hoped that the gap between him and others would not be too big.

Immediately, he took the initiative to step aside and stood there quietly, waiting for the next test results of everyone.

Bai Ying's cold gaze slowly swept over the remaining three people, Xiao Ling, Cao Ying, and Dan Chen. When he touched them, his originally stern face actually froze slightly.

He thought to himself that it is important for people to know themselves, so he stopped hesitating and took the initiative to replace Qiu Ji and walked forward to the tall and transparent stone tablet.

After standing still, he slowly raised his hand and pressed it steadily on the stone tablet. In an instant, a soul force that was even stronger than Qiu Ji's burst out, rushing towards the stone tablet with a majestic momentum.

I saw blood-red numbers appear again on the smooth mirror plate in the center of the stone tablet. The numbers kept jumping and flashing, and after another long wait of more than ten seconds.

"796!" As soon as this number came out, Elder Sheng's face suddenly showed a smile and nodded, and it was obvious that he approved of Bai Ying's achievement.

"White Eagle has passed, the next one to come forward," Elder Sheng announced loudly.

Bai Ying just lowered his head and remained silent after hearing this. He knew very well that the soul value of each of the next three people would be far higher than his. Thinking of this, he moved his feet slightly and quietly retreated to the side.

Fortunately, his initial expectation of not wanting to be at the bottom was achieved. At least it did not bring too much shame to the Bai family. Thinking of this, his expression eased a little.

(End of this chapter)