Reaching the pinnacle from Doupo

Chapter 585 The Five Great Families' Assessment (Transitional Chapter, Minimal Main Character Content, Subscribe with Caution)

The assessment site for the five major families was located in a grand hall within the inner region of Saint Dan City.

This assessment was not held in secret, but rather in a semi-public manner, with some qualified forces also coming to observe.

When the Ye family arrived at the magnificent examination hall, it was already packed with a sea of ​​people. Every now and then, waves of people who seemed to be of considerable importance would pass through the tight security at the entrance of the hall and enter the hall.

Gazing at the massive examination hall, Ye Chong clenched his fist tightly within his sleeve—this hall held too many shameful memories for him!
But all the shame of the Ye family will be completely washed away today.

Turning his head to look at the girl in blue beside him, Ye Zhong couldn't help but recall the scene from a few days ago. He slowly loosened his clenched fist, and a surge of heroic spirit welled up from his heart.

"Grandpa?" Sensing the old man's agitated emotions, a hint of doubt flashed in Xinlan's eyes.

"It's nothing... Let's go inside!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ye Zhong took a step forward and headed towards the entrance of the main hall, followed closely by Xin Lan.

Ye Zhong and his group, who suddenly emerged from the crowd, naturally attracted the attention of the surrounding people very quickly. Immediately, many eyes turned to them, and after seeing that it was Ye Zhong and his group, whispers broke out outside the hall.

"Look, it's the Ye family!"

"Hehe, if they fail again this time, they'll fall out of the top five families. Without the protection of the Pill Tower, it seems... it won't be a big deal..."

"Tsk, to be able to climb onto the high branch of Medicine Lord when they were in decline, the Ye family is truly an extremely lucky family!"

"That girl in blue, isn't that Ye Xinlan, the disciple of the Medicine Master?"

"She is indeed as beautiful as rumored, not much less so than the enchantress of the Cao family. I just wonder how good her alchemy talent is?"

"He's the disciple of the Medicine Lord, so he can't be too bad, right?!"

"Heh, as far as I know, before becoming a disciple, she was just an average genius, but after becoming a disciple, she suddenly rose to prominence and now she seems to be a seventh-grade alchemist... Damn it, why didn't such a good thing as becoming a disciple of the Medicine Lord fall into my lap?!"

"Who says otherwise? If I could become that person's disciple, even just a nominal one, I would do anything..."

"Speaking of which, do you think Ye Xinlan and Yaojun might have that kind of relationship?"

"What?! Such a good thing?!"

Under the watchful eyes of many, Ye Zhong and his group arrived smoothly at the entrance of the main hall.

The leader of the guards at the gate, upon seeing the Ye family's arrival, no longer displayed the indifference and mockery of the past, but instead greeted them respectfully.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the head of the guards loudly announced to the people inside the hall.

"The Ye family has arrived!"

Immediately afterwards, he bowed and stepped aside, cupping his hands in a salute, "Elder Ye Zhong, Miss Xin Lan... please!"

Without a trace of pride, Ye Zhong humbly returned the greeting, led the Ye family into the main hall, and disappeared under the gaze of countless eyes.

Ye Zhong was very self-aware, understanding that he and his family had reached their current position entirely because of the Lord's grace... In Saint Pill City, there were countless families that wanted to replace or were capable of replacing his Ye family, so he must not make the mistake of being complacent.

For this reason, Ye Zhong has spent a lot of time and effort in recent years reorganizing the Ye family, making the family develop in a direction that aligns with Lin Yuan's wishes and style of doing things.

Even the first rule of the Ye family has been changed to 'Absolute obedience to Lord Medicine'.

Thanks to Ye Zhong's efforts, the Ye family has grown rapidly in strength and influence, but its family values ​​have become increasingly low-key, humble, and pragmatic.

Lin Yuan, of course, noticed this as well and did not hesitate to praise him for it.

Upon entering the main hall, soft lighting spills down, illuminating the body.

Xinlan also keenly noticed that many eyes filled with various meanings were being cast over her from inside the hall. She raised her eyes slightly and scanned the hall. At this moment, there were many people sitting on the seats around the hall.

The girl paid little attention to the gazes coming from all directions. She calmly walked to the Ye family's seat, sat down, and closed her eyes to comprehend the secret technique in her mind.

"Brother Lin's disciple? An eight-star Dou Zong, not bad!"

In a corner of the main hall, an ordinary-looking young man leaned against a stone pillar, looked at Xinlan for a moment, and then nodded slightly.

Beside him, the burly young man who had been leaning against the railing withdrew his gaze, nodded in agreement, and chuckled, "To have such cultivation at just over twenty years old, this girl is indeed quite remarkable. Among ordinary people, she should be considered top-tier."

"Besides, with Brother Lin as her backing, the heights she can reach in the future may not be inferior to yours or mine... Gu Zhen, what do you say?"

"That's right!" Gu Zhen nodded and tossed a bag of fine wine over.

Given Lin Yuan's generous nature, he would give away all sorts of high-grade pills to friends he had only met a few times, so how could he be stingy with his own disciples?

In terms of closeness, the master-disciple relationship in the Dou Qi Continent is in no way inferior to that of blood ties.

If Gu Zhen cannot break through to the Half-Saint level, it is almost foreseeable that he will be surpassed by this little girl—the disciple of a future Ninth-Rank Alchemist.

"Tsk, what a boring reaction." Shi Yi shook his head, took the wine flask, and gulped down a mouthful. He said, "Speaking of which, you've improved quite a bit in the past few years! Although you're still not as good as Gu Qingyang and Gu Yao, you've caught up with Gu Xing and Gu Hua..."

"You flatter me, I can't compare to you!" Gu Zhen waved his hand modestly and said, "Your cultivation is almost as good as Brother Qingyang's... It's truly enviable."

For an ancient race, the more geniuses the better, but for an individual, the fewer geniuses of the same generation the better.

Few geniuses among peers mean more resources can be allocated.

Among the ancient races, the resource gap between the strong and weak races mainly lies in the resources available at the Saint-level.

Resources used to cultivate Dou Zong and Dou Zun level descendants are not significantly different between the Spirit Clan, whose bloodline is about to be exhausted, and the seemingly most powerful Ancient Clan. In fact, the talented descendants of the declining bloodline often receive more resources.

After all, even if these resources are not used, they will have to be paid out as "protection fees" in the future, so it is better to use them to cultivate future geniuses.

If you're lucky, doing this might even create a few powerful figures.

Just like Xiao Xuan back then, he was born when the power of the Xiao clan's bloodline was declining. He received the full support of the Xiao clan's resources and eventually grew into a peak powerhouse.

Shi Yi possesses an eighth-grade bloodline from the Shi clan, yet he enjoys more than twice the resources of Gu Hua and Gu Xing, who also possess eighth-grade bloodlines. As for Gu Zhen… a seventh-grade bloodline, if he hadn't established a connection with Lin Yuan, the resources he could receive would be far less.

Shaking his head, Gu Zhen composed himself and asked with interest, "Speaking of which, did you come to Saint Pill City specifically to watch the competition?"

"Watching the game is only one of the purposes!"

Shi Yi shook his head and frankly told him, "My other purpose is to invite Brother Lin to visit our clan. What about you?"

"I'm pretty much the same." Gu Zhen shrugged and chuckled. "On one hand, I'm watching the competition, and on the other hand, I was asked by my elders to deliver a letter to Brother Lin. I visited his Saint Pill Residence twice, but unfortunately, he wasn't there; it seems he's in seclusion."

"I thought that since his disciple was taking the exam here today, I might be able to see him here... but I didn't run into him. Instead, I ran into you."

At this point, Gu Zhenxin also felt a bit emotional.

This trading channel between Lin Yuan and his lineage was indeed not something that their lineage could monopolize; other branches also wanted to get involved.

The messenger sent by Gu Zhen was a two-star Dou Sheng from within the clan.

"The Cao family has arrived!"

"The Dan family has arrived!" Just as the two were talking, a loud shout suddenly came from outside the main hall and then echoed throughout the hall.

Of the five great families of Danta, the remaining two families have finally arrived.

As this shout rang out, everyone in the hall turned their heads to look at the entrance, their eyes filled with anticipation... The Cao and Dan families each have a genius whose name is renowned throughout the Dan Domain. Will we be able to see one today?!
In a corner high up in the main hall, a man with a gourd pattern on his forehead slowly opened his eyes, looking arrogantly toward the gate.

The next moment, he withdrew his gaze, let out a cold snort, and continued to close his eyes to rest.

"Squeak-"

With a piercing sound, the tightly closed door slowly opened.

Immediately afterwards, the two groups entered the main hall one after the other. One group went to the Dan family's seats, and the other group went to the Cao family's seats.

The leader of the Cao family's group was a burly man with thick eyebrows and a solemn expression, giving off a stern feeling; the leader of the Dan family's group was a tall man in blue with a handsome appearance and a gentle and refined demeanor.

These two were none other than Cao Xiu of the Cao family and Dan Xuan of the Dan family—renowned alchemy geniuses in the Pill Tower and even the Pill Domain.

However, upon seeing the two, the people in the hall were somewhat disappointed.

Dan Chen from the Dan family and Cao Ying from the Cao family—neither of these two talented women from the Pill Tower are present today?!
The emotions of the participants did not affect the assessment process.

After the Dan and Cao families took their seats, the floor of the main hall suddenly trembled, and the seats of the five families moved back like a movable floor, and in the blink of an eye, an extremely spacious square appeared in the center of the main hall.

"Now that the five major families have all arrived, the assessment shall begin... Assessors, please enter the arena!"

An elderly man with white hair slowly walked out, then stopped in the center of the square. After his gaze swept around the area, he smiled slightly and said.

As soon as the words were spoken, the hall fell silent.

Then, the five figures slowly rose from their respective seats, walked down, and stood in a corner of the square.

In an instant, all eyes were on the five people.

"Ye Xinlan of the Ye family greets Elder Sheng." Xinlan stepped forward, clasped her hands in a junior's greeting, and said respectfully.

"Dan Family Danxuan..."

"Cao Xiu of the Cao family..."

"Bai Family White Eagle..."

"Qiu family, Qiu Ji..."

After Xin Lan, Cao Xiu and the others also clasped their hands in a salute.

Elder Sheng is one of the eight elders of the Pill Tower, and his status is far beyond that of ordinary elders. Even the five major families treat him with respect.

Elder Sheng stroked his beard and said with a smile, "Hehe, Xinlan...you are very good, and you and the Ye family are very fortunate!"

What he was referring to was Xinlan's becoming Lin Yuan's disciple. In just a few years, the Medicine Lord's status in the Pill Tower had become terrifyingly high. He had also received inside information that the three giants would step down at the right time, after which the Medicine Lord would reign supreme.

Even if the three leaders were to be reinstated in the years to come, the other two would only be the Medicine Lord's deputies, required to obey the Medicine Lord's leadership and assist him in handling general affairs.

It is an immense blessing for Xinlan to become a disciple of Yaojun.

Elder Sheng has always been on good terms with the Ye family. Even after the Ye family fell into decline, he helped them several times. Naturally, he was happy to see the Ye family revive because of Yaojun.

Beside her, Xinlan naturally understood Elder Sheng's meaning and nodded emphatically, saying solemnly, "Meeting Master is the luckiest thing in Xinlan's life!" The girl's clear voice was filled with undisguised reverence.

Upon hearing her words, many people in the hall changed their expressions slightly, their eyes revealing glints of envy, amusement, or jealousy.

Which person or family here wouldn't want such a blessing?

"Ha ha--"

Elder Sheng laughed heartily, stopped chatting, and began to perform his duties.

He clapped his hands lightly, and the sound of mechanisms operating echoed in the hall. A hole appeared in the ground in the center of the square, and then a stone tablet slowly rose from the hole.

This is a transparent stone tablet that is over ten feet tall. It looks like crystal, with a round mirror plate embedded in its center.

"As usual, the assessment consists of three parts, the first of which is a soul test."

"Each of you will input your soul power into it, and this mirror will measure your soul value, which we in the Dan Tower call Soul Value."

"A soul value of 400 or above is considered passing."

"The highest record for soul value during the Five Great Families' assessment was set by Cao Ying over several years ago. Her soul value was 976, which remains unbroken to this day. I wonder if any of you can break that record in today's assessment?"

At this point, Elder Sheng smiled slightly, his gaze lingering on Xin Lan for a moment, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Hehe, now that you know the rules, let's begin the assessment. Which of you five wants to go first?"

After a moment, he withdrew his gaze and handed the choice to Xinlan and the other four.

As soon as Elder Sheng finished speaking, the five fell silent. After a moment, the man from the Qiu family named Qiu Ji stepped forward first. He then gently placed his palm on the stone tablet, closed his eyes slightly, and his soul power surged into his arm...

Ten seconds later, under the watchful eyes of many, the blood-red number on the smooth mirror plate surged up and settled at 751.

This value is at the level of a mid-level seventh-grade alchemist.

With someone taking the lead, the others did not hesitate and started taking the tests one after another, each recording quite impressive results.

Bai Ying of the Bai Family: Soul value 799, level 7 intermediate alchemist.

Cao Xiu of the Cao family: Soul value 886, level 7 intermediate alchemist.

Danjia Danxuan: Soul value 952, close to a 7th grade advanced alchemist, but unfortunately the chance of breaking Cao Ying's defenses is still a little short.

After the other four families finished their tests, everyone's attention turned to the girl in blue. At the same time, everyone's eyes became particularly amused... The disciple of the Medicine Lord, who had been waiting for so long, finally had her turn!
While the tests of the previous participants might have been eye-catching, what everyone present was most looking forward to was Xinlan's performance.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone present, Xinlan slowly took a breath, her face calm and composed, and stepped forward. Then, she gently placed her palm on the stone tablet.
“Master, I don’t know what the future holds, but this time… Xinlan will never tarnish your reputation.”

As her thoughts raced, the girl slowly closed her eyes, and in an instant, she became completely silent.

The entire hall gradually fell silent amidst the tension.

Half a minute later, Xinlan suddenly opened her eyes. An exceptionally powerful and vast soul pressure, like a lion awakening, broke through the cover and seal set up by Lin Yuan and swept out from the girl's delicate body in front of the stone tablet, causing the space to tremble.

Sensing this powerful surge of spiritual energy, the man with the gourd-shaped pattern on his forehead, a high-ranking member of the hall, suddenly opened his eyes…

"This soul power is... a spiritual realm?!"

Not far away, the young man in the black robe wrapped in a black cloak also suddenly sharpened his eyes.

　I don't want to write, I want to watch the military parade!!!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)