Assuming Office

"Hahaha! Old Monster Liu, long time no see!"

"Old conman! Let me introduce you, this is..."

"..."

"Haha, right? After the ceremony today, let's find a place to get together properly."

"..."

Inside a luxurious and grand palace, women dressed as maids moved among the crowd, carrying trays laden with rare and exotic fruits that were seldom seen in the outside world, for people to enjoy.

The people the maids were serving, however, paid little attention to these things and instead chatted amongst themselves.

Most of these people were dressed in Alchemist robes, and their ranks varied, with the highest reaching the Eighth Grade rank, and there was more than one of them.

The fact that so many high-level Alchemist could gather at this time was naturally because today was Xiao Ming's Inauguration Ceremony.

"Hey, Old Man Lin, I've been away at the Branch Tower for too long, and I even went into seclusion recently, so I'm not familiar with Xiao Ming. I'm wondering if this Xiao Ming is really as amazing as the legends say? Is he really only eighteen years old? How can he be one of the Eight Great Elders at such a young age?"

A Green Robed Old Man looked at the bustling crowd around him and suddenly asked his companion curiously.

The Old Man Lin, was a kind-looking man with a white beard. Upon hearing this, he said somewhat irritably:

"Doesn't this show of force prove anything? Do you think the guild leader and the others are just playing a joke on you?"

"I was just too surprised. After all, I've never even heard of such a person in my life, let alone seen one."

"Then you should really enjoy the view this time, hahaha, just in time someone's here, look!"

The Green Robed Old Man followed the Old Man Lin's instructions and looked in the direction the old man was pointing. He saw two women and a man standing at the entrance of the palace.

The man was dressed in flowing white robes, with a handsome face, bright eyes and white teeth, elegant demeanor, light steps, and a gentle, spring-like smile on his face.

The two women beside him, the one on the left was also dressed in white, exuding a fresh and ethereal temperament, with a slender waist as thin as a willow, so delicate that it could be grasped with a single hand.

The other woman wore a Linglong purple brocade robe, beneath which lay a voluptuous figure, like a ripe peach, exuding a subtle charm. Her eyes were naturally alluring.

"Is that Xiao Ming? He is indeed as handsome as the rumors say. What a dashing young man! He attracted the eyes of those young girls the moment he appeared! Hehe, everyone says he is the number one genius in Central Plains, but I think his looks can also win first place. Judging from his appearance, the rumors are true!" the Green Robed Old Man laughed.

"The two women beside him are both stunningly beautiful; it seems many will be disappointed today," Old Man Lin chuckled from the side.

Today is the day Xiao Ming takes office, and everyone knows that on this occasion, Xiao Ming must formally get to know the elders of the Pill Tower.

This kind of occasion aroused some people's ulterior motives. Many people not only came themselves, but also brought their daughters and granddaughters. Everyone knew why. Now that Xiao Ming had two female companions, it wouldn't be so easy for him to get along with them!

Just as Old Monster Lin had thought, the women in the crowd were all dejected. The women around Xiao Ming were all of excellent temperament, appearance and figure. They probably didn't have much of a chance!

Only one person remained unaffected: Cao Ying. Dressed in black, she exuded a cold and arrogant aura, yet her smile hinted at Demonic Energy.

Beside Cao Ying was a man in black, who was quite handsome. When he saw Cao Ying staring at Xiao Ming, a faint hostility appeared on his face, but he quickly wiped it away.

After Xiao Ming entered the palace, he saw many people looking him up and down, as if they wanted to strip him naked.

He paused slightly, glanced around, and spotted Cao Ying. He smiled politely at the crowd, then led the two women toward her.

"Miss Cao Ying." Xiao Ming stopped beside her and greeted her.

"Mr. Xiao Ming." Cao Ying returned the smile, then asked with feigned curiosity, "May I ask who the two people beside Mr. Xiao Ming are?"

"Xiao Yi Xian"

Medusa.

Without Xiao Ming needing to answer, the two voluntarily gave their names.

"Cao Ying, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Cao Ying responded with a smile, but inwardly she felt a little annoyed; she hadn't just asked for a name.

It was obvious without asking that the relationship between the two was unusual, but Cao Ying still decided to get to the bottom of it. However, she couldn't be too direct, so she subtly raised her delicate eyebrows:

"You two are truly lovely. No wonder Mr. Xiao Ming is always so cold to me; it turns out he has a beautiful wife at home."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian smiled gently and did not deny it.

Meanwhile, Medusa, who had matured even more thanks to Xiao Ming's influence, did not deny it.

Both of them rejected this explanation, since what was meant to happen had already happened.

Sensing the atmosphere was about to become strange, Xiao Ming coughed and asked, "When will Elder Xuan arrive?"

Cao Ying withdrew her gaze from Xiao Yi Xian and the other woman, seemingly unaffected by their presence, Yan Ran.

"The teacher will come once everyone is here."

Xiao Ming nodded to indicate that he understood.

At this moment, the man in black stepped forward and said with a smile, "Song Qing... I've long heard of Mr. Xiao Ming's performance in the Elder Assessment. Meeting him today, I can see that his reputation is indeed well-deserved..."

"You flatter me." Xiao Ming smiled slightly. Although the man in black in front of him was well concealed, he could still detect a faint hostility in the other man's eyes, and the source of this hostility was Cao Ying standing beside him.

"Mr. Xiao Ming, Song Qing is the disciple of the Pill Tower Great Elder, and also the youngest Ordinary Elder Candidate in the Pill Tower. Although he can't compare to you, he is still a genius of the Pill Tower..." Cao Ying said with Yan Ran smile.

Although Cao Ying praised him, Song Qing was not happy, because her words implied that he was inferior to Xiao Ming.

Xiao Ming glanced at Song Qing, whose smile seemed a little stiff, then turned his head away without saying anything more.

The two are not even in the same league, there's no comparison between them. Cao Ying said this on purpose, probably to put Song Qing down.

In the following time, Cao Ying did not mention Song Qing again, but chatted with Xiao Yi Xian. Many people also came to get close to Xiao Ming, and Xiao Ming responded to them one by one until Xuan Kongzi and the Great Elder appeared, and then they stopped.

Their arrival signifies that the Inauguration Ceremony is about to begin.

The ceremony didn't last long; it was just a brief explanation of some important points to Xiao Ming before Inauguration Ceremony ended, lasting less than ten minutes.

The next step is the introduction session.

An elderly man and woman surrounded Xiao Ming, accompanied by a pretty young girl.

It took Xiao Ming a long time to manage before he finally managed to squeeze out of the crowd.