Chapter 425 The Assessment Begins

The Cao family members had just taken their seats when suddenly, the ground in the hall began to shake slowly.

The seats where the Wufang family was seated slowly moved back like pieces of movable floor. In the blink of an eye, an extremely spacious square appeared in the center of the hall.

At the moment when the square appeared, an energetic old man with white hair and a slightly round face slowly walked out 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 said,

"Now that the five major families have gathered here, I won't talk nonsense anymore. This time's assessment will still be presided over by me. You should have no objections, right?"

"Hehe, Elder Sheng, with your status in Danta, who dares to question you?" In this hall, facing the white-haired old man, only Cao Ying responded with a smile.

Just because of this person's status, for many people sitting here, it is really too high.

"This person's name is Sheng Yao, and he is one of the eight elders of the Dan Pagoda. He has a voice that cannot be underestimated in the Dan Pagoda. Speaking of which, he can also be regarded as a real senior figure in the Dan Pagoda."

Ye Zhong introduced in a low voice next to Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling nodded with a smile. Elder Sheng Yao's soul power is not weak. Even if he is 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 before somewhere. No matter how you look at it, he looks very similar to the head of the Luo family in Tianya City. No, he is exactly the same.

"You little girl, you don't need to flatter me, the old man can't bear your praise..." Sheng Yao smiled helplessly, then slowly looked around the audience, with a smile on his face, and said loudly: "Time It’s almost time, all the assessors from the five major families are invited to enter.”

As soon as the words fell, all the whispering voices in the field fell silent at this moment. The whole scene seemed to have been pressed on the mute button, and it was silent.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the entrance to the square, looking forward to the appearance of the evaluators from the five major families.

The air was filled with tension and expectation, as if there was an invisible pressure hanging over the entire hall.

Xiao Ling's expression remained as calm as water, without any disturbance. He stood up slowly, waved his sleeves and robe gently, then clasped his hands behind his back and walked toward the center of the square with steady steps.

Just as he stood up, he heard Ye Xinlan's encouraging voice.

"Senior Xiao Ling, the Ye family depends on you."

Xiao Ling did not stop and waved her hand slightly behind her. This action was regarded as a response to Ye Xinlan.

His posture is extremely casual. For him now, this so-called assessment is just a casual matter, and there is no need to pay too much attention to it.

At the same moment that 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 immediately, Cao Ying's narrow phoenix eyes flickered slightly, and then she stood up and pushed Cao Xiu back.

She looked in the direction of Xiao Ling, the corners of her mouth curved with interest, and then she walked towards the center of the square.

On the Dan family's seat, Dan Xuan, who was originally elegant and gentle, slowly stood up.

However, after seeing Cao Ying taking the initiative, 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 very troublesome. The Dan family cannot fall behind others."

Then, a hint of doting flashed across Danxuan's handsome face, and then he sat back on his own initiative, choosing to let Dan Chen play. Since his sister said so, he, as the elder brother, naturally had to listen to her.

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

Xiao Ling, who represented the Ye family, was an eighth-level medicine refining master; Cao Ying from the Cao family was also an eighth-level medicine refining master; and Dan Chen from the Dan family was also an eighth-level medicine refining master.

Seeing these three people on stage, Bai Ying's heart tightened suddenly, thinking to himself, he was just a seventh-grade alchemist. In the past, he could still compete for the top three, but how could he compete this time? It's really the wrong time to encounter such a hard job...

But fortunately, there is another Qiu Ji from the Qiu family, whose hard power is not as good as his own.

Thinking of this, Bai Ying breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there was a member of the Qiu family at the bottom, so he wouldn't be too ugly at the bottom.

Poor Qilin'er of the Bai family, now he's going to be second to last. Who told the Ye family to ignore martial ethics and directly invite Xiao Ling, an eighth-level alchemist, to take action? Cao Ying and Dan Chen also left the field at the same time.

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

Take a look at what kind of lineup this is... It's the Wang Ye family that used to be the bottom, but this time they also invited a big boss to crush them directly with force. It's really a fight between gods and mortals.

He also has an understanding of his own strength. Although he is considered a young leader, he can't compare to the Bai Ying of the Bai family, let alone the other three bosses.

No matter who among these people ends up in first place, unless a miracle occurs, the Qiu family will definitely be in last place this time.

At this time, Qiu Ji's face was full of helplessness and frustration. He looked at the powerful opponents around him, and his heart was full of powerlessness.

The people around looked at Qiu Ji's appearance, some gloated over his misfortune, and some felt sympathy for him.

The participating representatives of the five major families walked slowly onto the competition square. However, none of them came close to each other, and did not say anything.

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

"Hehe, Cao Ying of the Cao family, meet Elder Sheng!" Cao Ying smiled charmingly, and that smile was really enchanting. Her voice was melodious and pleasant, like a yellow warbler out of the valley, which made people feel good.

"Dan Chen of the Dan family, meet Elder Sheng!" After Cao Ying, Dan Chen also said respectfully. She lowered her head slightly, and her shy appearance was even more lovable.

"Okay, okay!" Elder Sheng stroked his beard, and a bright smile appeared 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 be difficult to have such an opportunity in the future.

At this time, Elder Sheng's eyes were full of relief 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...

"Bai Ying of the Bai family, meet Elder Sheng." Bai Ying, with a cold expression, bowed respectfully when facing this powerful elder of Danta.

"Qiu Ji of the Qiu family, meet Elder Sheng." Even though Qiu Ji knew that there was a high probability that he would be at the bottom, he felt helpless and bowed respectfully.

"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 predecessor. His alchemy skills and cultivation were far inferior to his own, 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 smiled in return. As the powerful elder of Danta, he naturally knew some news about Xiao Ling.

It was normal for such a peerless genius to be casual. It was unexpected that he did not have the arrogance of thinking he was 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 had less contact, and their friendship faded a lot.

The Ye family failed two rounds of assessments, but was still not kicked out of the ranks of the five major families. Sheng Yao really made a lot of efforts and said a lot of good things. Such actions show that he has a deep affection for the Ye family.

Elder Sheng swept his eyes, looked at Xiao Ling, then looked at Cao Ying, and then looked at Dan Chen, stroked his beard and chuckled, knowing that today's assessment was very lively.

Elder Sheng's eyes slowly swept over the crowd, first falling 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 public. Now he is recognized as an eighth-grade alchemist. His calm and confident aura seemed to freeze the air around him.

Then, Elder Sheng's eyes moved to Cao Ying. Cao Ying was born in a top alchemy family and was trained in the orthodox alchemy of Danta since childhood. Her graceful figure and smart eyes revealed an innate nobility and arrogance. She is undoubtedly one of the hot candidates to win the championship of this alchemy meeting.

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 is gentle and restrained. She stood there quietly. Although she looked delicate and soft, 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 start refining medicine, some of the strength of the three people can still be seen from some of the means they used.

It can be imagined that the scene at that time will definitely be eye-opening.

Regardless of the situation on the stage, the audience was already excited at this time. Everyone stared at the stage with eyes wide open, looking forward to the upcoming dragon and tiger fight.

Many people also learned that the five major family assessments were being held here, and there would be three eighth-grade alchemists competing here, and they all rushed here. They just wanted to witness the demeanor of these rare alchemy masters.

"Haha, then let's start today's assessment." Elder Sheng said, with a faint smile on his face, but a solemnity in his eyes.

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

The action seemed casual, but it was smooth like flowing water. In the blink of an eye, he retreated to the side of an object 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 was actually a stone tablet that was about ten feet high!

However, it seems not very accurate to say that it is a stone tablet, because this stone tablet is extremely transparent. Under the reflection of the sun, it reflects a dazzling light. It looks like a huge crystal, emitting a mysterious soul fluctuation.

"Our assessment is divided into three items, and the first item is soul testing."

Elder Sheng talked about business, and the smile on his face instantly withdrew, replaced by a serious look. His eyes slowly swept over the five contestants including Xiao Ling at the scene, and said in a steady voice:

"As we all know, the soul is the most important foundation for alchemists. Only a strong enough soul can have enough soul perception and soul control."

Elder Sheng raised his hand and pointed to 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 plate. "You each input your soul power into the stone tablet, and on this mirror plate, your soul value will be tested. This value, Danta calls it the soul value."

"As long as the soul value reaches more than 400, it is a pass. And the highest record holder of the soul value test during the assessment of the five major families in recent years is Cao Ying. The soul value she tested that year reached 976, which has not been broken so far." Elder Sheng's words were loud and clear, and his tone was full of emotion for past achievements.

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

Seeing that the eyes around were gathered, 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 she glanced at Xiao Ling, who stood with his hands behind his back, with a calm and casual expression.

She smiled and said, "Ying'er, I was just a mortal soul at the beginning. Today, Master Xiao Ling, an eighth-grade alchemy master, is here, and this record must have been broken. But this new record will 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 test will be carried out next anyway, and who can create a new record will know after a try, and there is no need to argue more at this moment.

The atmosphere on the scene became tense with the seemingly casual but mysterious interaction between Cao Ying and Xiao Ling.

The test had not really started yet, but the smell of gunpowder had already risen strongly. A silent smoke of gunpowder 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: "Since everyone has understood the rules, who will take the test first now?"

After the words fell, the square instantly fell into silence. After a moment, Qiu Ji of the Qiu family took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and very consciously took the initiative to step forward.

He walked steadily to Elder Sheng, saluted Elder Sheng respectfully, and then walked straight to the tall and transparent stone tablet like crystal.

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

Then, he frowned and shouted. In an instant, a powerful soul force burst out of 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, and they were still jumping and changing, which attracted people's eyes and could not be moved away for a moment.

After a full ten seconds, the series of numbers seemed to have finally exhausted their strength and slowly fixed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

He thought to himself that it was important for people to know themselves. He no longer hesitated and took the initiative to replace Qiu Ji and walked 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 power stronger than Qiu Ji burst out, rushing towards the stone tablet with a majestic momentum.

I saw that in the smooth mirror plate in the center of the stone tablet, the blood-red numbers appeared again, and the numbers kept jumping and flashing. After a long wait of more than ten seconds.

"796!" As soon as the number came out, Elder Sheng smiled and nodded, obviously approving of Bai Ying's result.

"Bai Ying 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 stepped aside.

Fortunately, the initial expectation of not wanting to be at the bottom was achieved, at least it did not lose the face of the Bai family. Thinking of this, his expression was slightly relieved.