Heading to the Sacred Pill Region
The next day, as the morning sun began to shine, casting a golden veil over Ye City, a large crowd had already gathered in front of the grand yet somewhat worn gates of the Ye Family mansion.
Almost all the Ye Family members who remained in Ye City, regardless of age, were gathered here at this moment. Without exception, their gazes were all focused intensely on the figures standing at the front, especially the young man in black robes, with a tall and straight posture and a calm and confident face— Lin Ming.
Today is the day they set off for Sacred Pill City to participate in the Five Great Families Assessment that will determine the fate of the Ye Family!
Whether the Ye Family can retain their precarious position as Pill Tower Elder, and whether they can avoid being completely ostracized from the Five Great Families, all their hopes rest on Lin Ming's performance and ranking in this assessment!
However, unlike the anxiety and despair before previous assessments, this time, although the Ye Family members still had tension in their eyes, they had even more of a blind trust and expectation!
For the past two weeks, the colorful Pill Lightning that have been gathering above the Forbidden Area from time to time, the thunderous roars of silver, tri-colored, and even faintly four-colored lightning, have been like the most powerful stimulant, deeply imprinted in the hearts of every member of the Ye Family! They have witnessed firsthand Lin Ming's unfathomable alchemy skills, which are definitely far beyond the realm of ordinary Tier 7 Alchemy Grandmaster!
With such a powerful figure representing the Ye Family in battle, what else could they possibly worry about? They believed that this time, the Ye Family would surely avenge their previous defeat and reclaim the glory that belonged to them!
At the front of the crowd, Ye Zhong, with a solemn expression, addressed the two white-haired elders standing at the head of the clan. "Second brother, Third Brother, I will accompany Mr. Lin Ming and the others on this trip to Sacred Pill City, and will be responsible for handling everything. All affairs, large and small, of Ye City and the clan are entirely entrusted to you."
The elder known as the second son, a highly respected elder of the Ye Family, nodded solemnly and replied, "Yes, eldest son, you just need to focus on managing things in Sacred Pill City. Although our Ye Family is currently in decline, there are still some old relationships within the Pill Tower that haven't been completely severed... We will do our best to maintain stability within the clan and await your triumphant return!"
The elders beside him nodded in agreement, their eyes resolute. They knew that this was a crucial moment for the Ye Family, a do-or-die situation, and that no trouble could be allowed to occur within the clan.
Ye Zhong looked at these old brothers who had supported the Ye Family for many years, a complex mix of emotions flashing across his eyes, which ultimately turned into a soft sigh and a nod.
Yes, although the Ye Family has declined and its members are scattered, there are still some truly loyal and affectionate relationships that have not been completely severed. It is precisely because of these remaining relationships that the Ye Family was able to barely retain its status as one of the Five Great Families after failing the assessment twice in a row, preserving this last glimmer of hope.
This time, with the great Lin Ming in charge, Ye Zhong has absolute confidence that this glimmer of hope will not only continue, but will also be like a withered tree coming back to life, radiating new vitality and allowing the Ye Family to once again stand at the pinnacle of the Pill Region!
Without lingering or adding any sentimentality, Ye Zhong turned around and bowed slightly to Lin Ming, Xiao Yi Xian, Elder Yao.
Besides the three of them, the Ye Family only had Xin Lan, who was most familiar with Pill Region and Sacred Pill City, and Ye Zhong himself, who needed to make arrangements. Sending more people would be of little use and could easily cause trouble, so it was better to send out the best of their ability. As for Hei Qing, he had already returned to East Dragon Island to report back shortly after safely delivering Lin Ming and the others to the Ye Family.
Led by Ye Zhong, the group quickly traversed the streets of Ye City, which were beginning to awaken, and headed towards a square slightly to the north of the city. On that square stood a Space Wormhole controlled by the Ye Family.
About ten minutes later, the group arrived at the North Plaza.
The square is quite spacious, with the ground paved with hard Blue Stone. In the center, a huge stone platform, about ten feet in size, stands majestically.
Although the Ye Family has declined, they remain an unchallenged overlord within Ye City, and this Space Wormhole that brings considerable benefits is still firmly in the Ye Family hands.
Clearly, Ye Zhong had already made arrangements for using the wormhole today. When Lin Ming and the others entered the plaza, it had just been cleared out and was empty, with no other pedestrians around.
Without stopping, the group ascended the tall stone platform. In the center of the platform, a dark void about three zhang wide was slowly rotating, emanating dense Spatial Fluctuations.
This is Ye City's Space Wormhole.
Judging from its scale alone, this wormhole is quite impressive, with its swirling darkness being incredibly deep, as if connecting to another world.
However, upon closer inspection, one can detect Spatial Fluctuations emanating from within the Space Passage, which are somewhat chaotic and unstable. The light membrane at the edge of the passage also appears somewhat dim, clearly indicating that it has not been carefully maintained for many years.
"Sigh..." Looking at the somewhat dilapidated Space Wormhole, Ye Zhong's face showed a bitter expression, and he sighed helplessly.
"Please excuse my poor appearance. Back when my Ye Family was at its peak, this Space Wormhole had two Dou Zun expert volunteered to take turns maintaining it, ensuring its unobstructed passage and exceptional stability. However, as the family declined and human relationships faded, my Ye Family could no longer afford to hire experts of that caliber to maintain it. We can only barely keep it running at a basic level, which is rather pathetic."
Lin Ming glanced at the Space Wormhole, then smiled dismissively and said, "Elder Ye Zhong, please don't take it to heart. This is quite common. If this trip goes smoothly, once we return, we can have Elder Yao or Xiao Yi Xian help you maintain this wormhole. It's just a small favor."
Elder Yao stroked his beard and nodded, while Xiao Yi Xian also gave a slight, aloof nod. With their Dou Venerate- level strength and control over space, maintaining such a wormhole was indeed not a difficult task.
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhong bowed gratefully, saying, "In that case, on behalf of the entire Ye Family, I thank you all! Words cannot express our gratitude; in the future, if you ever need anything, the Ye Family will do everything in our power to help!"
After exchanging pleasantries, Ye Zhong didn't linger. He flipped his hand and took out a small black boat, about the size of a palm, with a rather complex and exquisite design, from his Storage Ring. The boat was made of some unknown material, and its entire body was jet black, with many mysterious spatial runes engraved on its hull.
Ye Zhong rubbed the obviously old Space Ship with a nostalgic touch, then took a step forward and walked straight into the slowly rotating, dark wormhole, his figure instantly swallowed by the darkness.
Seeing this, Lin Ming, Xiao Yi Xian, Elder Yao, and Xin Lan followed without hesitation and stepped inside.
Within the silent, mesmerizingly colored Space Passage, several figures appeared almost simultaneously.
With a Ye Zhong tossed the small black boat into the wind, transforming it into a massive vessel several dozen feet long, its entire body shimmering with a ghostly light, amidst subtle Spatial Fluctuations.
This Space Ship has a simple yet grand design, with smooth lines on its hull. Compared to the Space Ship Lin Ming had previously traveled on in the Middle Continent, it is undoubtedly much more luxurious and stable. Clearly, Ye Zhong has invested a lot in this trip.
With a swift movement, the group lightly leaped onto the deck of the giant ship.
Ye Zhong to a recessed spot at the bow of the ship, placed his palm on it, and channeled a surge of Dou Qi into it.
Instantly, a pale silver energy shield extended from the edge of the ship, like an inverted bowl, completely enveloping the entire ship and effectively resisting the omnipresent spatial tearing force within the passage.
Immediately, the ship shuddered slightly and then suddenly accelerated, transforming into a streak of silver light. With a whoosh, it flew away into the depths of the winding, endless Space Wormhole.
Standing at the bow of the ship, feeling the distorted space rushing past on both sides, Ye Zhong turned around and smiled at Lin Ming and the others on the ship, explaining, "Gentlemen, there is no direct Space Passage from Ye City to Sacred Pill City. Therefore, we need to go to a transit city called 'Qing Ling City' first, and from there, through Space Wormhole, we can finally reach Sacred Pill City."
He estimated the time and continued, "It will take about three days to get from here to Qing Ling City. From Qing Ling City, it will take another four days to travel through the wormhole to Sacred Pill City. Therefore, we will likely spend seven or eight days in the Space Passage before reaching our destination. During this time, you can rest well in the Space Ship; there are private rooms inside. As for controlling the Space Ship and maintaining order, leave that to me and Xin Lan."
Lin Ming and the others naturally had no objections to Ye Zhong's arrangements. Although they were not afraid of the monotony and slight risks of the Space Passage, it was always good to save some effort.
Following Ye Zhong's directions, the group entered the cabin and each found a clean and tidy room to settle down temporarily.
During the rest of the trip, in order to help Lin Ming better understand the situation, Ye Zhong also took the time to explain in detail the origin of the Ye Family and the rules of the upcoming assessment.
It turns out that within the Pill Region, there have long existed five profound Alchemist families, collectively known as the Five Great Families.
The founding Clan Leader of these Five Great Families were all core elders at the inception of the Pill Tower, and their contributions were outstanding. Therefore, the Pill Tower established a rule that as long as the descendants of these Five Great Families can continuously meet certain specific conditions, they can retain a seat in the supreme elders' seat of the Pill Tower for generations!
This condition is an assessment of the Five Great Families, conducted periodically by the Pill Tower.
The core of the assessment lies with the younger generation!
Each assessment requires the Five Great Families to send one of their most outstanding young members to undergo the Pill Tower's test. Only those who pass the test can retain their Elder Seat. Those who fail will find their positions in jeopardy.
The Ye Family has failed the assessment twice in a row!
According to the rules of the Pill Tower, things should not happen more than three times. If the representative sent by the Ye Family fails to pass the test this time, they will not only lose their qualification as Pill Tower Elder, which has been passed down for countless years, but they will also be ruthlessly squeezed out of the Five Great Families and reduced to a second- or even third-rate force in the Pill Region. At that time, when the wall falls, everyone will push it down, and the Ye Family's situation will become even more difficult.
"And..."
Ye Zhong spoke, his tone became extremely heavy, and his face was full of bitterness.
"What's worse is that because my Ye Family has failed twice before, the Pill Tower has set even stricter requirements for the Ye Family. This time, the representative sent by my Ye Family not only needs to pass the assessment, but also must rank in the top three among the assessment slots of the Five Great Families in order to be considered qualified and to retain that last Elder Seat!"
He looked at Lin Ming, his eyes filled with earnestness and a hint of barely perceptible worry. "And this assessment will be held a few days before the official start of the Pill Gathering. In a sense, this can also be considered a preliminary assessment of the strength of the younger generation of these families who hold Elder Seat within the Pill Tower."
After listening to Ye Zhong's narration, Lin Ming remained calm, showing little emotion. He already knew all this information from his memory of the original work. He also didn't feel any pressure regarding the stringent requirement of achieving a top-three finish.
As he gently rubbed his fingers together, looking through the cabin window at the bizarre, rapidly receding Space Passage, a confident smile crept onto Lin Ming's lips.