Not long after the old man's surprised expression appeared, a series of hurried beeps sounded from the stone stele.
The blood-red numbers on the Mirror Plate began climbing rapidly, then finally stopped at 556.
"This Descendant Citizen... Ling Xi has such powerful soul strength!"
Ling Fu couldn't help drawing in a sharp breath as he looked at the numbers on the Mirror Plate.
"Not bad. This level of soul strength is already on par with a Fifth-grade Alchemist."
The old man behind Ling Fu nodded slightly, a glint flashing in his eyes.
Ling Xi opened his eyes, too, and stared blankly at the number on the stone stele before him.
With his limited knowledge of Alchemy, he had no idea what the number meant.
"Boy, your name is... Ling Xi, right?"
Just as Ling Xi was momentarily dazed, an elderly voice, though somewhat weak, interrupted his thoughts.
Ling Xi hurriedly turned around and saw that an old man had appeared behind him at some point.
The old man looked extremely aged. Set against his gray robe, his beard and hair appeared especially silvery white.
"Yes. May I ask what the red number means, Elder?"
Ling Xi didn't dare act presumptuously and quickly bowed to the old man.
At his age, and in a place like the Medicine Hall, this old man was certainly no ordinary figure.
"556 is your Soul Value. It's roughly the level of a Fifth-grade Alchemist."
"Even among our Ling Clan, an Ancient Race naturally blessed with strong Innate Soul Power, having this level of soul strength at your age is quite impressive."
There was a hint of praise in the old man's voice.
Even Ling Xi himself was stunned when he heard this.
Among the Ancient Races, or in Central Continent, where powerful experts were everywhere, a Fifth-grade Alchemist wasn't anything special.
But in the Jia Ma Empire on the Northwest Continent, where Xiao Yan was born, Gu He, known as the Pill King, was only a Sixth-grade Alchemist.
A Fifth-grade Alchemist was already more than qualified to be a welcome guest of many powers in the border regions.
"I'm Ling You, an elder of the Medicine Hall."
The old man seemed quite interested in Ling Xi and asked him directly,
"Your soul strength is impressive. Would you be willing to study Alchemy under me?"
No matter how you looked at it, becoming the disciple of an Alchemist was a chance to rise to the top overnight.
Even for Ling Xi, who had a system, this was a good opportunity.
The system could give him all sorts of rewards, but it was only there to assist him.
Ultimately, becoming a powerful expert still depended on his own cultivation.
Besides, as a Descendant Citizen of the Ling Clan, Ling Xi could hardly leave the Ling Domain, so he had to consider other options.
With that in mind, Ling Xi didn't hesitate any longer. He bowed to Ling You.
"This disciple, Ling Xi, pays his respects to you, Teacher."
"Very good. You're quite perceptive for a child."
Ling You nodded with satisfaction, then reached out and personally helped Ling Xi to his feet.
At the same time, a stream of Dou Qi flowed through his hands and into Ling Xi's body.
"Hmm?"
Ling You hadn't been testing him. He had simply wanted to see Ling Xi's cultivation talent in the way of Dou Qi.
But Ling Xi's talent for cultivation clearly exceeded his expectations.
"What a pity."
There was no delight at having found a hidden gem. Instead, a hint of regret passed over Ling You's face.
"Let's put the matter of taking you as my disciple aside for now. Come with me."
Without waiting for Ling Xi to respond, he grabbed Ling Xi by the shoulder and vanished on the spot.
Ling Fu was left behind, looking utterly envious.
Ling Xi's vision blurred. By the time he came to his senses, he was already in a fairly spacious room.
The room was decorated simply. Aside from the tables and chairs, the only other furnishings were the shelves, which were packed with books stretching as far as the eye could see.
"A Dou Venerate expert... Space Travel."
Ling Xi took a deep breath as all sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind.
Although the Ling Clan was an Ancient Race, it was the weakest of them all.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been the first to be wiped out by the Soul Clan.
Compared with the other Ancient Races, where Dou Saints were as common as dogs, even a Dou Venerate counted as a formidable expert among the Ling Clan.
He wondered how many stars his teacher had reached as a Dou Venerate.
"You have tremendous talent, child. It's just a shame that it'll go to waste."
At some point, Ling You had taken a seat beside the desk. His eyes were full of regret as he looked at Ling Xi.
"Teacher, what do you mean?"
Although Ling You had said they would set the matter of taking him as a disciple aside, Ling Xi still addressed him as Teacher.
"I just took a quick look at your cultivation talent. Your meridians are resilient, and you have tremendous talent for cultivating Dou Qi."
"I don't understand. Isn't that a good thing?"
A puzzled look crossed Ling Xi's face, though inwardly he felt relieved.
Ling You hadn't noticed that he had taken a Ninth-grade Mysterious Pill.
"Having tremendous talent is certainly a good thing, but your bloodline is only Grade One."
A complicated expression crossed Ling You's face.
"Among an Ancient Race like ours, the Dou Di Bloodline one carries is the foundation of everything."
"With talent like yours, you would certainly receive better support out in the wider world."
"But among our Ancient Races, no matter how gifted you are, your thin Dou Di Bloodline means the clan won't support you."
As if recalling something, Ling You sighed softly.
"Take that old fellow Yao Chen. He's only a step away from Half-Saint, yet wasn't he still cast aside by the Yao Clan?"
At those words, Ling Xi gave a start.
Yao Chen!
Old Yao!
After spending a full ten years in this world, Ling Xi had finally heard news of someone connected to the protagonist's group for the first time!
"Teacher, who is this Yao Chen?"
After steadying himself, Ling Xi pretended to be confused and asked Ling You.
"Yao Chen is a Descendant Citizen of the Yao Clan, one of the Eight Ancient Clans. Like you and me, his Dou Di Bloodline is extremely thin."
Ling You introduced him casually.
"He was expelled from the Yao Clan for a crime, but made quite a name for himself in Central Continent. However, he died seven or eight years ago."
Seven or eight years ago!
Ling Xi seized on the most important part of Ling You's words.
If it had only been seven or eight years since Han Feng had betrayed Old Yao, then Xiao Yan should be even younger than he was now.
In other words, Ling Xi still had a chance to take the Flame Mantra for himself.
Even with a system, Ling Xi couldn't guarantee that he would reach the Dou Di level one day.
In this era, the only paths to becoming a Dou Di were the inheritance of Tou She Ancient God and that Emperor Grade Nascent Pill.
And the Flame Mantra was the key to unlocking the Ancient Emperor Inheritance!
"Besides, I have a hidden ailment. I can live for only a few more years at most. I'm afraid I'd hold back a promising talent like you."
After hesitating for a moment, Ling You told him about his condition.
"If you're willing, I can introduce you to a few other teachers."
"My parents died early. Now that I've become your disciple, I won't go back on my word."
Ling Xi immediately bowed to Ling You again without the slightest hesitation.
"This disciple, Ling Xi, pays his respects to you, Teacher."
Before you continue