Inside the ring, everyone was wary of each other. Li Hongwei and Gao Qiqiang, having long-standing animosity, were the first to clash.
After one exchange, Gao Qiqiang's vision blurred. He shook his head, but seeing Li Hongwei stumble, he taunted,
"How did Young Master Li get beaten up like this by a stinking medicine peddler like me?"
From this exchange, Li Hongwei already knew he was no match for Gao Qiqiang, but he didn't want to admit defeat just yet. He shouted,
"Ye Xingchen, do you want to be the first one out? Hurry up and attack! Let's take Gao Qiqiang down together."
Ye Xingchen knew the moment everyone unleashed their Soul Power that he wasn't a match for any of them. He was likely to be the first one eliminated.
Hearing Li Hongwei's words, his heart stirred. Cooperating with Li Hongwei, he launched an attack on Gao Qiqiang.
However, Li Hongwei's words made Qiu Qiutang's eyes light up. Instantly, her gaze towards Dan Xiaoxiao turned unfriendly.
Dan Xiaoxiao felt that among everyone present, only Qiu Qiutang posed a threat to her, so she focused all her attention on her. Seeing her unfriendly gaze, her heart stirred, and she launched the first attack.
As if by prior agreement, Cao Dahua and Bai Gujing also attacked Dan Xiaoxiao.
They knew that only by eliminating Dan Xiaoxiao first and then working together to take down Qiu Qiutang would they have a chance to compete for first place.
As for Ye Xingchen, Li Hongwei, and Gao Qiqiang, they didn't pay them any mind.
Seeing the three of them attack her together, Dan Xiaoxiao was a little anxious. She immediately closed her eyes and focused, forming a series of complicated hand seals. Her Soul Power continuously gathered, eventually solidifying into a giant palm that swatted down at the three.
Facing the attacks of three peers, Dan Xiaoxiao let out a delicate shout,
"Hmph, do you think teaming up makes you a match for me? *Soul Hand Seal!*"
Since the establishment of the Pill Tower, the Dan Clan has been among the Five Great Clans, an unshakable number one. Naturally, they possessed some hidden strengths that others didn't.
Even Zhao Li observed Dan Xiaoxiao's move closely.
In his powerful Soul Power perception, as Dan Xiaoxiao's hand seals changed, her Soul Power communicated with the surrounding Dou Qi, condensing into a giant palm.
Seeing this, he lost interest. This kind of technique was a world apart from what he had seen during his possession by the Spirit Emperor.
If Soul Techniques also had ranks, this was probably the difference between Yellow Tier and Heaven Rank.
But while Zhao Li shook his head, the others widened their eyes.
Few among them could safely withstand Dan Xiaoxiao's move. One had to know, this was just a Soul Attack!
She alone not only blocked the attacks of the three but also posed a significant threat to them.
Qiu Qiutang gritted her silver teeth, but attacked again. She didn't believe Dan Xiaoxiao could use that kind of attack casually.
Seeing Qiu Qiutang attack again, Dan Xiaoxiao was also a bit speechless.
What's wrong with this crazy woman? It's just a ranking, is it necessary? Does getting first place mean she can lord over me? Everyone isn't blind.
She had only recently learned her Soul Technique, and it was thanks to her little sister Xuan Yi who taught her many tricks that she barely managed to grasp it. She really couldn't use it consecutively.
While cursing inwardly, she also focused and met the attack.
This time, in a hasty response, the two were evenly matched.
Seeing this, Cao Dahua and Bai Gujing's eyes lit up. They instantly suppressed the fear that had just risen and attacked Dan Xiaoxiao.
Seeing this, the pupils in Dan Xiaoxiao's bright eyes shifted. She thought for a moment, then simply retreated outside the circle.
She felt that she didn't need the so-called first place to prove herself, and ranking wouldn't bring her any benefits. It was better to let a few people fight among themselves.
"Hmph, I'd like to see how you guys fight over it. Hopefully, you'll knock each other's brains out."
Seeing Dan Xiaoxiao leave just like that, the others exchanged glances, feeling somewhat ashamed. But the competition continued, and the comrades who had just been cooperating instantly became wary of each other.
Ye Xingchen, who was nearby, heard Li Hongwei's words. He didn't want to be the first one out, so his heart stirred, and he still attacked Gao Qiqiang.
But Li Hongwei's attack didn't land on Gao Qiqiang. Instead, he and Gao Qiqiang attacked Ye Xingchen together.
The two had reached an understanding at some point. They actually wanted to take this opportunity to cripple Ye Xingchen.
Ye Xingchen sensed the killing intent from the two and didn't have time to think further.
"I surrender."
Earlier, when Dan Xiaoxiao and Qiu Qiutang were fighting fiercely, Elder Han's attention was focused on Dan Xiaoxiao.
If she got injured because he had temporarily changed the assessment method, Old Man Danyang wouldn't let him off the hook.
Hearing Ye Xingchen's voice, he didn't react for a moment.
Since Ye Xingchen chose to surrender, he naturally didn't offer any futile resistance. If he were hit squarely, even if he didn't die, he would likely be severely injured and never make any further progress in his life.
Seeing this, Zhao Li blocked the attacks of the two. He then stood up, looked at the two, and said softly,
"It's best to be lenient when possible."
Zhao Li's actions attracted everyone's attention.
Seeing Zhao Li's gaze, which seemed to see through their little scheme, Gao Qiqiang and Li Hongwei felt a bit guilty. But soon, Li Hongwei said sharply,
"Who are you? How dare you interfere with the Pill Tower's assessment? Do you not take the Pill Tower seriously?"
Elder Han, seeing Zhao Li intervene, quietly breathed a sigh of relief. His expression was solemn as he stepped forward and asked,
"This is just an assessment. He has already surrendered, why are you still being so heavy-handed?"
Gao Qiqiang, at some point, had pulled out a bag of medicinal powder and swallowed it dry. He said,
"Elder Han, you misunderstand. We were just taking Brother Ye seriously just now, that's why we wanted to team up and force him out of the arena. We didn't expect Brother Ye to suddenly concede, and we couldn't stop in time."
Li Hongwei echoed his words from the side.
Elder Han stared at the two of them. He could somewhat guess what was on their minds. He said in a deep voice,
"Anyone who is detrimental to a person of my Pill Tower is an enemy of my Pill Tower."
Saying this, he lost the desire to continue the assessment. He said simply,
"This assessment had a flaw due to my temporary change in method. Please forgive me. I sensed your respective attack methods during your exchanges just now, so the assessment will end here for now."
With that, he looked at everyone:
"In this assessment, all Five Great Clans have passed. The rankings are Dan, Qiu, Cao, Bai, and Ye, in that order. Are there any objections? If not, you may disperse."
Facing Elder Han's scrutinizing gaze, no one dared to provoke him at this moment.
But there was always someone who thought they had discovered something others hadn't. Li Youtian stood up, pointed at Zhao Li, and spoke with emotion, acting as if he was considering the Pill Tower's best interests. He said,
"Elder Han, we have no objections to the assessment results. But this person openly interfered with the Pill Tower's assessment. As Hongwei said, he doesn't regard the Pill Tower at all. I ask the Elder to punish him as a warning to others."
Elder Han's eyes narrowed slightly, and his gaze towards Li Youtian was somewhat unfriendly:
"Are you telling me how to do my job? I advise you to put away your little schemes."
Saying this, he pointed at Zhao Li and said,
"Zhang Li is also a person of the Pill Tower. If it weren't for him, your Li Family might be gone by now."
After he finished speaking, the crowd was in an uproar. Li Youtian's face turned grim. He squeezed his hand and sat down dejectedly.
Elder Han didn't pay attention to everyone's reactions. He said to Zhao Li,
"Little Zhang, thank you for your help this time. If anything had happened, Old Ye would have fought me to the death."
Zhao Li shook his head and said,
"I just saw that they are all still young and have great potential for the future. I couldn't bear to see them fall like this."
"Hahahahaha, coming from your mouth, why does that sound a bit off?"
Zhao Li's mature demeanor made Elder Han laugh heartily.
Zhao Li was embarrassed and didn't know how to respond.
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