Soul Test

Before long, Xiao Lin led Xiao Zhen through winding corridors and finally stopped outside an office.

A guard stood at the door. Xiao Zhen was rather curious, as he felt that this guard was no weaker than the clan elders of the Xiao Clan.

Driven by curiosity, Xiao Lin directly activated the system's scouting function and conducted a simple inspection of the guard.

Name: Li Mingguang

Age: 45

Cultivation: Three-Star Dou Ling

Xiao Zhen was somewhat surprised. This guy really was a Dou Ling. A powerhouse of the Dou Ling level would probably not even qualify to guard a door in the Central Plains.

But in the Jia Ma Empire, located in the northwestern corner of the Dou Qi Continent, he was more than qualified to serve as a clan elder or the patriarch of a small clan.

The Xiao Clan itself only had five Dou Ling elders. Across the entire Jia Ma Empire, with a population of over a hundred million, there were fewer than a hundred Dou Lings in total. Clearly, Dou Lings were not cabbages growing everywhere.

Xiao Lin walked up to the guard at the door, respectfully bowed, and said warmly, "I am Xiao Lin, the Xiao Clan Patriarch. I had an appointment with President Fa Ma yesterday, so I have come especially to see him. Please inform him for me, little brother. This is a small token of my appreciation."

Xiao Lin secretly slipped a ring to the guard. Xiao Zhen, standing behind him, took it all in. He had never expected his father, who was usually arrogant beyond measure at home, to show such respect toward a mere Dou Ling guard.

But after thinking it over, Xiao Zhen understood why. Even a third-rank official at the prime minister's gate held authority. This Dou Ling guard was certainly no ordinary guard; the person inside the office was likely someone extraordinary.

Wait, Xiao Zhen seemed to recall something. His father had just mentioned President Fa Ma. If he remembered correctly, that should be the president of the Alchemist Guild. He had seen the old man a few times at banquets before, so Xiao Zhen had some impression of him.

Fa Ma was no simple figure. When he was young, he had received guidance from Yao Chen. Though he did not even count as a registered disciple, his status as a Dou Huang and a Fifth-grade Alchemist was enough to make him an influential figure in the small Jia Ma Empire.

Just as Xiao Lin was bribing the guard, a voice came from inside the room.

"Is that Patriarch Xiao Lin of the Xiao Clan? Little Li, let them in!"

The guard hurriedly returned the Storage Ring to Xiao Lin. The president's Soul Power perception was unfathomably strong. If the old man found out he had accepted a bribe, would he still get to keep this job? Who knew how many people outside were eyeing his position. He could not make such a low-level mistake.

Xiao Lin led Xiao Zhen into the office, and Xiao Zhen immediately spotted the elderly man seated in the seat of honor.

The old man had wrinkles on his face and completely white hair. He wore a purple alchemist's robe. Though advanced in years, he still appeared full of vigor.

Beside him stood a straight-backed middle-aged man, who looked like some sort of secretary or assistant.

The old man glanced at Xiao Lin, took a light sip of tea from the table, then said unhurriedly, "Patriarch Xiao Lin, this must be your son, correct?"

Xiao Lin did not dare put on airs. Though the old man before him looked frail, both his strength and status far surpassed Xiao Lin's.

Xiao Lin respectfully said, "This is my youngest son. I ask that President Fa Ma please take a look and see whether he possesses the talent to become an alchemist."

Fa Ma nodded and said gently, "Mm. As we discussed before, if your son's talent is outstanding, I will personally accept him as my disciple and teach him alchemy.

"If his talent is average, we will select a suitable Fourth-grade Alchemist from the guild to teach him alchemy. But if he has no talent for alchemy, then you cannot blame us."

Xiao Lin cupped his hands and said respectfully, "Naturally."

Seeing that everything had been made clear, Fa Ma waved to the assistant beside him and instructed, "Chemier, check whether this young master of the Xiao Clan has the talent to become an alchemist."

"Yes, sir!" The middle-aged man behind President Fa Ma responded and stepped forward.

Chemier bowed to Xiao Lin and said calmly, "Patriarch Xiao, I am Chemier, President Fa Ma's assistant. I will now assess your son's talent."

Although Xiao Lin was not an alchemist, he could tell at a glance that this man, who was a few years younger than himself, was merely a Dou Ling.

However, Xiao Lin would not underestimate Chemier. If he were simply a Dou Ling, he should have been guarding the door outside rather than serving as an assistant within. He was probably also an alchemist, though Xiao Lin did not know what grade he was.

Chemier first took out a crystal. Though it differed somewhat from the ones used by the Xiao Clan, it seemed to be used for testing attributes as well.

After Chemier explained it, Xiao Zhen placed one hand on the crystal and, already familiar with the process, injected a stream of Dou Qi into it.

As expected, blue and red light, along with a hint of green, shone from the crystal.

After the test was complete, Chemier nodded to the president behind him, indicating that Xiao Zhen had passed the attribute test.

Next, Fa Ma rose directly from his seat and slowly walked over to Xiao Zhen. Then he grabbed Xiao Zhen's small hand.

Xiao Zhen felt nervous inside. He had no idea what the old man intended to do. If his father had not been standing right behind him, he would have cried out.

Fa Ma seemed to notice Xiao Zhen's nervousness, so he comforted him in a gentle tone. "Relax, child. Close your eyes and do not think about anything else."

Xiao Zhen swallowed, nodded nervously, then closed his eyes and allowed the old man Fa Ma to do as he pleased.

Xiao Lin, standing to the side, was also anxiously fretting. Though he had not seen this scene much before, he knew what was happening.

President Fa Ma was personally testing Xiao Zhen's soul strength. Soul Power was also extremely important to an alchemist.

As Fa Ma held Xiao Zhen's hand, a gentle force suddenly emerged and entered Xiao Zhen's meridians through his hand, circulating through his body once.

Xiao Zhen felt as though someone had seen straight through his body. Yet the gentle force flowing through his meridians made him feel incredibly comfortable. His face flushed without his realizing it, and he nearly moaned in pleasure.

After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Fa Ma released Xiao Zhen's hand and returned to his seat.

Xiao Lin asked nervously, "President Fa Ma, how is my son's Soul Power?"

Unhurried, Fa Ma took another sip of tea. Under Xiao Lin's anxious gaze, he slowly said:

"Your son's soul is exceptionally powerful. At his age and cultivation level, such soul strength is rare indeed. Therefore, I will honor our agreement. From today onward, I will accept your son as my student."

Hearing this, Xiao Lin was ecstatic. He had spent this period running all over the place and putting in tremendous effort, and it had finally paid off.

With President Fa Ma as his teacher, Xiao Lin's son should have no problem becoming a Fourth-grade Alchemist in the future.

Becoming President Fa Ma's disciple also brought an even greater benefit: it would establish a connection between the Xiao Clan and the Alchemist Guild. That alone could frighten off a great many of the Xiao Clan's opponents. After all, no one wanted to offend a behemoth like the Alchemist Guild.