Dan Xiaoxiao and Qiu Qiutang were neck and neck, separated by just one Soul Pearl.
As Elder Han finished speaking, the remaining few individuals reported their scores in order. Bai Gujing had 73 Soul Pearls, and Cao Dahua also had 73, both quite good.
The rest of the participants, however, had less than ideal scores.
Gao Qiqiang had 60 Soul Pearls, and Li Hongwei had 59.
Their scores, also separated by just one Soul Pearl, allowed Li Hongwei to seize the opportunity to mock Gao Qiqiang:
"Oh, some people, they have all that Soul Power but don't know how to use it. Well, I guess that makes sense, being medicine sellers, they're quite rich and don't care about these things at all."
Seeing him smack his lips like that, Gao Qiqiang's mouth twitched. He tightened his sleeves, choosing not to argue, but inwardly he vowed fiercely:
"When we fight later, I'll kill you, you brute."
Their discord merely added a bit of amusement to the otherwise dull assessment.
The people in the arena weren't really focused on them, but rather on the pale-faced young man with sweat beading on his forehead.
Even without looking, Ye Xingchen knew that almost everyone in the arena had their eyes on him. He felt a bit suffocated.
He had never faced such immense pressure before.
But he knew that having enjoyed the family's resources, he had to contribute to the family.
After a long while, he took a deep breath before softly stating his score:
"I caught 40 Soul Pearls, just enough to pass."
As Ye Xingchen's words fell, a wave of sighs swept through the crowd.
They were quite disappointed, but not because Ye Xingchen's score was bad. On the contrary, it was because his score was too good.
Forty Soul Pearls, not too many, not too few, just enough to scrape by the passing line. This made them feel that the shortcut to the upper echelons of the Pill Tower had moved further away, which was quite frustrating.
"Looking at him, it'll be hard for him to get a good score in the next assessment."
"Shut up. You said the same thing just now."
"Heh, looking at him like this, it's hard to say if he can even continue participating."
"Such a large Ye Clan, decaying to this extent in just a few decades. Could it be that they committed some unforgivable sin that angered the Deities?"
"Perhaps. Who knows?"
The person leading the Ye Clan's team also had a grim expression. Hearing the discussions among the people in the arena, she too felt considerable pressure. After a long silence, she spoke slowly, with a hint of mockery:
"Instead of hoping for my Ye Clan to fail, perhaps you should hope for a brilliant junior to emerge within your own clans and cultivate them into an Alchemy Grandmaster. That seems more realistic than vying for this seat."
Hearing the Ye Family Old Woman's words, the Five Great Clans had little reaction.
She was right. Even if Ye Xingchen couldn't pass the assessment, reaching the Seventh-Grade Alchemist level at his age meant he could at least protect the Ye Clan for another century.
Moreover, the Ye Clan's accumulation over generations meant their foundation was stronger than any other family present.
Even if they failed, the Ye Clan still had far more confidence than the families sitting there.
With the accumulation of resources, the Ye Clan had a chance to rise again.
Zhao Li wasn't very interested in these people's reactions, but seeing this situation, he couldn't help but think of the struggles among the Eight Ancient Clans.
If the rise and fall of families vying for just one Elder seat in the Pill Tower was like this, he wondered what the situation was like during the Xiao Family's decline a thousand years ago.
When Zhao Li used to read novels, he had a question: a Dou Sheng could protect a clan for at least a thousand years, and with Xiao Xuan's talent and ability, Zhao Li didn't believe he lacked methods to cultivate ordinary geniuses. Zhao Li truly couldn't understand why he would stake everything on one gamble.
"If Xiao Xuan had taken things slowly, even without a Divine Grade Bloodline, there would probably be quite a few Dou Venerates and Dou Shengs, right? Does the Dou Di Bloodline really have such miraculous power? Perhaps, I'll have a chance to visit the Heavenly Tomb in the future and see."
Thinking this, Zhao Li stopped paying attention to them and turned his gaze back to the arena.
At this time, the third assessment had already begun.
Elder Han said with a smile:
"Soul Power is the foundation of an Alchemist, and also their advantage. If used properly, the Alchemist's stronger Soul Power compared to ordinary experts is also a good means of attack. Even if their Dou Qi Cultivation Level isn't that strong, they won't be helpless when facing strong opponents."
Elder Han's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. They all nodded secretly in agreement, full of recognition.
But soon, they shook their heads and sighed.
Dou Qi cultivators had clear methods for improvement and powerful Dou Techniques, but there wasn't much way to increase Soul Power. It could only increase with age and strength. Moreover, the application of Soul Power was mostly self-taught, not systematic, making it difficult to form powerful and effective attack methods. Compared to Dou Qi, it was more than just a little inferior.
Elder Han saw the fluctuations in everyone's emotions and understood their helplessness.
He sighed inwardly. Even the Pill Tower, with countless years of accumulation, had only discovered a few Soul Cultivation Methods and Soul Techniques in the Ruins.
He scanned the crowd, withdrew his gaze, and stopped thinking about it, returning to the matter of the assessment:
"This third assessment is to demonstrate the offensive nature of the soul. This test has no pass or fail, only rankings. The method of assessment is also very simple: you few enter the circle and fight using only Soul Power. The first person to be eliminated is the last place, and so on. When only one person remains in the arena, they are the first place."
As expected, after a brief thought, Elder Han decided to change the assessment method.
Instead of attacking a Stone Tablet to set a standard as before, it would be a free-for-all, with only rankings recorded.
The current ancestor of the Ye Clan had a good relationship with him, so this arrangement could be considered helping the Ye Clan out.
As his words fell, the reactions of the people in the arena varied.
The Ye Clan members were happy, silently accepting Elder Han's favor.
The audience, however, was a bit disappointed. They understood that the Ye Clan's seat was secure; for the next fifty years, the Ye Clan had nothing to worry about.
Though disappointed, they quickly adjusted their mindset, even feeling a bit fortunate. They continued watching the assessment; Soul Power battles were rare.
The Ye Family Old Woman's earlier sarcasm had already made them realize that aside from the Li and Gao Families, they truly had no chance.
Meanwhile, the few people competing in the arena exchanged glances. Although they occasionally assessed Soul Attack power before, it was always by striking a Stone Tablet to measure the attack's strength. This was the first time they were engaging in actual combat.
But they said nothing, stepping into the circle, each standing in a corner, their expressions solemn, full of vigilance towards everyone else.
Elder Han saw that the atmosphere had become somewhat heavy for a moment, smiled, and said loudly:
"Remember, you can only use Soul Attacks. Now, begin!"
As his words fell, an invisible storm instantly erupted in the arena. Even the spectators felt a sense of suppression.
"As expected of the geniuses from each clan, they're no worse than the older generation."
"Ah, I used to be like them, improving quickly, but now I haven't made any progress for over ten years. Watching the younger generation surpass me one by one, who understands that feeling?"
"Me too! So sad, so disheartened."
Several people instantly released their Soul Power. Although they hadn't launched an attack, merely the confrontation made everyone's hearts tremble.
After a long time, Gao Qiqiang was the first to attack Li Hongwei. He had wanted to deal with this reckless brute for a long time.
Invisible Soul Power condensed into a Salted Fish Shape and smashed down towards Li Hongwei.
Li Hongwei felt a strong pressure and thought fiercely:
"You stinking medicine seller, I'll show you where a brute's recklessness comes from!"
Thinking this, he gritted his teeth, and his Soul Power condensed into a fist, meeting Gao Qiqiang's attack.
*Bang——*
The invisible attacks dispersed in the arena. Several people focused, gathering their Soul Power to withstand the aftershocks of the two's exchange.
"Young Master Li, aren't you very reckless? Come on, keep going, let me see."
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