"What's the quality? Speak."
At that moment, the gate master of Tongsheng Gate suddenly inquired in a deep voice.
"Gate Master, the quality of these five True Spirit Pills... all seem to be Perfect-grade!"
The middle-aged man took a deep breath and finally announced loudly.
"What?!"
For a moment, an absolute silence fell over the platform.
All eyes were fixed, filled with shock, on the Spirit Pills suspended before the young girl.
Five pills from a single cauldron, all of Perfect quality!
For a young girl only eleven or twelve years old, such an alchemy standard was downright monstrous.
"No! It's impossible! I don't believe it!"
Amidst the dead silence, Sima Xuan suddenly roared viciously, as if driven mad.
It was at this moment.
Suddenly, Huangfu Sheng, the gate master of Tongsheng Gate, made a beckoning gesture.
Whoosh, whoosh…
The five cyan Spirit Pills in front of the girl all shot towards him, landing in his palm.
"Good. The quality of these five True Spirit Pills truly is Perfect-grade."
Huangfu Sheng nodded and said.
Once Huangfu Sheng spoke, no one dared to refute it anymore.
After all, no one would dare contradict the gate master of Tongsheng Gate to his face.
"What is your name?"
Huangfu Sheng's gaze shifted to the girl as he asked.
"In reply to Gate Master Huangfu, I am Lu Qianqian, from the Lu Family in the Eastern Region."
On the platform, seeing Huangfu Sheng asking, the girl dared not neglect him and immediately answered respectfully.
She had originally been very nervous and timid, but due to Hu Miao's illusion art, she unexpectedly became poised and confident.
In the past, if addressed by such an important figure, she would likely have been so nervous her face would flush red, not even sure if she could answer fluently.
Ye Yunfei glanced at the girl and couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
Lu Qianqian's alchemy talent was actually very good. Her biggest flaw was that her courage was too small; she couldn't handle grand occasions and was prone to stage fright. That's why, at the start, she had burned two batches of spirit herbs consecutively.
"Hmm, excellent. The next part of the assessment is entering the Small Alchemy Tower for testing. Perform well. I look forward to you joining our Tongsheng Gate."
Huangfu Sheng said, casting an encouraging look her way.
"Thank you for your encouragement, Gate Master Huangfu! I will definitely do my best!"
Lu Qianqian was overjoyed and hurriedly replied.
Now, Huangfu Sheng's gaze turned to Ye Yunfei, his expression somewhat complicated.
However, he didn't say anything.
In his mind, this young man before him was somewhat mysterious, even he couldn't see through him.
At this moment, Sima Xuan's face was deathly pale, utterly unable to accept the reality before him. However, In front of everyone, even Huangfu Sheng had confirmed that the quality of the five Spirit Pills refined by Lu Qianqian was Perfect-grade.
Therefore, there was no way he could refute this fact.
He understood: he had lost!
Lost to an unknown young girl!
"Thank you for your encouragement, Elder Brother!"
Lu Qianqian looked at Ye Yunfei, her eyes brimming with endless gratitude.
She knew that if this young man hadn't stepped in to help, she most likely wouldn't have passed this assessment. But now, not only had she successfully passed, but she had also performed exceptionally well, even drawing the attention and encouragement of the Tongsheng Gate gate master.
However, Ye Yunfei had already told her via Soul Power Voice Transmission to keep quiet.
So, Lu Qianqian didn't say anything more, forcefully restraining her gratitude as she bowed to Ye Yunfei and then walked down from the platform.
"These five hundred Soul Stones belong to me."
With a wave of his hand, Ye Yunfei took the five hundred Soul Stones Sima Xuan had taken out earlier and stored them in his spatial ring.
"Stop! How dare you take my things, you trash!"
Suddenly, Sima Xuan roared furiously at Ye Yunfei.
His gaze towards Ye Yunfei was filled with venomous resentment.
"It's all because of this bastard! He made me lose face in public!"
In his heart, Sima Xuan's rage towards Ye Yunfei was sky-high.
He had gained fame young, his path had always been smooth. Proud and arrogant by nature, when had he ever suffered such a setback? For a moment, his mentality was somewhat shattered.
"Oh? Do you mean to go back on your word in front of everyone?"
Ye Yunfei's gaze turned cold, a look of mockery on his face.
"Lowly dog, return my Soul Stones immediately! My things, are they something you can take?"
Sima Xuan snarled.
"Sima Xuan, get down here! You've already lost!"
At this moment, Long Hai suddenly shouted sternly, anger showing on his face.
Sima Xuan's behavior deeply dissatisfied him.
He knew if Sima Xuan continued to make a scene, he would only humiliate himself further. After all, there were tens of thousands of people watching in the plaza. If word got out later, it would be a huge blow to Sima Xuan's reputation. It might even reflect poorly on Long Hai himself.
Seeing Long Hai somewhat angered, Sima Xuan finally desisted. He shot Ye Yunfei a venomous glare before turning and walking down the platform.
Ye Yunfei smiled faintly, completely indifferent.
Trifling characters like this, Ye Yunfei could slap hundreds to death with a single palm.
"My pills are refined as well."
Ye Yunfei said to the middle-aged man in charge of the assessment.
Only then did the crowd notice that Ye Yunfei had somehow also completed his pill refining.
Two cyan Spirit Pills floated in front of him.
"Two pills produced. Quality: both average."
The middle-aged man walked over, examined them, and announced loudly.
This was, of course, not Ye Yunfei's true standard. He just didn't want to stand out too much, so he casually refined two average-quality True Spirit Pills.
"Gate Master, I keep feeling there's something off about this kid."
At this moment, Long Hai suddenly sent a Soul Power Voice Transmission to Huangfu Sheng.
"That may be. He is very mysterious; for now, I can't see through him either. Let's remain calm and observe how he performs next. Also, have someone keep an eye on him. After the assessment ends, regardless of whether he passes or not, bring him to see me."
Huangfu Sheng said.
"Understood."
Long Hai nodded.
Following this, the assessment in the plaza continued.
Since Tongsheng Gate was one of the Nine Sects of the Eastern Region and the largest alchemy faction there, it was extremely popular. Their disciple recruitment attracted countless young people interested in alchemy to take the assessment. Therefore, the scene was exceptionally lively.
It wasn't until two days later that the first round of the assessment—the test of basic alchemy—finally concluded.
"Alright, everyone. The first round of testing has ended. All youths who successfully passed the first round should take a good rest. In half a day, we will begin the second round of testing: entering the Small Alchemy Tower."
A Tongsheng Gate elder appeared in the sky above the plaza and announced loudly.
The youths who had successfully passed the first round were all extremely excited and eager, itching to enter the Small Alchemy Tower immediately for the next test and pass it in one go.
"Thank you, Elder Brother."
At this moment, Lu Qianqian came to stand before Ye Yunfei.
A grey-robed old man followed behind her as she walked over.