High-Tier Seventh-Grade? The Five Great Families' Shock!

Elder Sheng's exclamation was like a thunderclap that exploded without warning, instantly silencing the previously noisy environment. Countless gazes, like spotlights, focused on Xiao Yan.

Those gazes were filled with disbelief, astonishment, doubt, and even a hint of mockery.

Mid-Tier Seventh-Grade? Perhaps even capable of attempting High-Tier Seventh-Grade?

Are you kidding me!

The boy in front of me looks to be no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, and the badge he wears on his chest is only of the Sixth-Grade!

Although Sixth-Grade Alchemist isn't considered top-tier in Holy Pill City, the young man's age alone is enough to prove his talent and earn the respect of everyone present.

Is it Seventh-Grade?

That's the level of a master alchemist!

Many alchemists dedicate their entire lives to the pursuit of alchemy, yet ultimately only reach the Seventh-Grade.

Historically, alchemists who could reach the Seventh-Grade before the age of twenty were extremely rare, each one a renowned genius.

This young man, who was suddenly and respectfully led in by Elder Sheng, dressed in luxurious clothes unlike those of an ordinary alchemist, and carrying a little girl, actually asked to take a test for a mid- Mid-Tier Seventh-Grade?

The surrounding alchemists also looked at Xiao Yan with distrust. If it weren't for Elder Sheng status and great respect for Xiao Yan, they would almost think that this was some crazy madman who came from nowhere trying to attract attention.

Elder Sheng's face was also flushed, partly from excitement and partly from embarrassment.

He realized that he had just lost his composure, but the shock in his heart was like a raging storm that was hard to calm down.

He stared intently at Xiao Yan, as if trying to see right through him:

"Xiao... Young friend Xiao Yan, what you just said, is it true? Mid-Tier Seventh-Grade? You... how old are you?"

Despite the countless questioning and probing gazes, Xiao Yan remained calm, even displaying a hint of helpless smile.

He gently patted the Little Zi Yan in his arms, who was grumbling a bit because she was disturbed, and said frankly to Elder Sheng:

"Elder Sheng, given my status, what I say is naturally true. As for age... in the art of alchemy, experience comes first, and age has little to do with it, right? Elder, please just arrange the tests; I won't let the teachers down."

His tone was calm, yet it carried a strong sense of confidence and an unquestionable authority.

After all, he is now truly the Crown Prince of the Danta. In terms of soul power, there is not a single one present who can rival him. Asking him to keep a low profile would be a disservice to his years of forbearance and humility.

Before coming to the Danta, he had no one to protect him and had to keep a low profile. He even had to create a false identity to mislead the Soul Hall. But now that he's in the Danta, with the Three Great Elders of Danta backing him up, if he's still being mocked like a clown, then what's the point of his Danta?

Xiao Yan's confidence and authority, along with his final statement that he "wouldn't let the teachers down," sent a jolt through Elder Sheng's heart.

He recalled Xuan Kongzi's special instructions to him, and the possible background of Xiao Yan. In just a brief moment of stunned silence, he had already imagined that Xiao Yan was actually a peerless Yao Tian jointly trained by the Three Great Elders of Danta. Instantly, the hesitation in his heart caused by the disbelief vanished.

Elder Sheng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions, his eyes becoming extremely solemn:

"It was my overreaction. Since young friend Xiao Yan has such confidence, I will personally preside over the assessment of your Seventh-Tier Alchemist level!" He turned to the purple-robed elder beside him who was in charge of the branch tower's testing affairs, "Elder Han, immediately prepare the highest-standard Seventh-Grade testing room! Prepare three sets of the required medicinal materials according to the Mid-Tier Seventh-Grade standard, no, according to the High-Tier Seventh-Grade standard!"

The purple-robed elder, known as Elder Han, was also visibly shocked, but seeing Elder Sheng's serious expression, he dared not be negligent and quickly responded:

"Yes, Elder Sheng! I'll make the arrangements right away!"

His hasty departure stirred up a storm once again in the eyes of the Five Great Families.

It should be noted that this Deacon Han is an old friend of the Five Great Families, and has been in charge of the assessment of the elders of the Five Great Families for many years. He is a person that the Five Great Families need to be on good terms with. However, this Steward Danta, who is of such high status, actually obeyed Elder Sheng's orders without question.

So, who exactly is that young man in the magnificent white robe whom Elder Sheng respects so much?

I've never heard of such a prodigy in the Danta!

"My god, who exactly is this kid? Elder Sheng is a peak Seventh-Grade alchemy master!"

"A top-tier testing room? They actually prepared three sets of medicinal herbs according to the standards of High-Tier Seventh-Grade? Could this young man actually be an old monster with the secret to eternal youth?"

"Judging from the style of his clothes, they seem to be those of a proper disciple of the Danta, only the style is a bit unique. Could he be a disciple of some senior elder in the Inner Domain?"

"Impossible! I've met all the disciples of those big shots in the Inner Domain, and there's no one like this! Besides, how could someone be such a young Seventh-Grade?"

The testing room erupted in chaos.

Whispers, exclamations, and doubts mingled together, almost lifting the roof off.

Everyone's curiosity was heightened, their eyes fixed on Xiao Yan, as if they could see through his secrets.

Xiao Yan acted as if he hadn't heard anything, and casually took out a bottle of delicious little pills made from Seventh-Grade medicinal herbs from his Storage Ring, which he shared with Zi Yan. Although Zi Yan ate most of them, Xiao Yan didn't mind.

In any case, Zi Yan found the medicinal materials for making the pills.

Since acquiring the Devouring Ancestral Symbol, he is now even more daring than Zi Yan in stuffing his mouth with medicinal herbs whose potent effects are enough to cause an ordinary Dou Emperor to explode and die.

Just then, a slight commotion arose at the entrance to the testing room.

Several groups of distinguished individuals filed in, guided by the staff of the Danta.

"The Dan Clan, the Cao Clan, the Bai Clan, the Qiu Clan, and the Ye Clan — the Five Great Families have arrived!"

Someone whispered.

Leading the group were the Dan Clan members whom Xiao Yan had only caught a fleeting glimpse of outside the Space Plaza yesterday.

A kind-faced, composed old man walked at the front, followed by several young people.

One of the girls was particularly eye-catching. She was dressed in a simple light blue dress, with a slender figure that seemed fragile. She lowered her head, and her long bangs almost covered most of her face, revealing only her small, delicate chin and slightly pale skin.

She seemed very uncomfortable in such a crowded and noisy environment, and subconsciously shrank behind a gentle and beautiful woman next to her, who was none other than Dan Chen, the genius girl of the Dan Clan.

The other group, however, had a completely different demeanor.

The elderly man at the head of the group had a stern face, exuding an imposing presence without being angry.

Beside him was a girl in a black dress. The girl looked to be only twelve or thirteen years old, but her stunning beauty was already beginning to show. Her face was a little thin, and her eyes, as they moved, carried a charm that was beyond her years and the pride unique to a genius girl. Her every glance was radiant.

Like a proud Phoenix, she swept her gaze across the entire room, scrutinizing everyone.

When her gaze swept over Xiao Yan, who was the center of everyone's attention, her eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly, and the smile that had been playing on her lips gradually disappeared.

This Little Demoness from the Cao Clan, Cao Ying, a beautiful girl who has been known as a genius since childhood, looked at Xiao Yan with a solemn gaze, as if she had encountered a lifelong nemesis.

So young, and already a Sixth-Grade Alchemist?

However, this person looked completely unfamiliar, and it was unclear which senior disciple he was.

The Bai Clan, Qiu Clan, and Ye Clan also took their places, and the leading elders nodded to each other, but the atmosphere was clearly filled with the tension of competition.

Their younger disciples also curiously looked around, naturally noticing Xiao Yan, who automatically became the center of attention simply by standing there.

"Deacon Han, is there something else you need to attend to?"

Seeing Deacon Han hurrying out of the testing room, the old woman leading the Bai Clan couldn't help but ask in a deep voice.

Logically speaking, today is the day for the Five Great Families to take their tests, but judging from the situation, they have clearly been left out in the cold, which is a very rare occurrence.

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask. You're so old, don't you even have this much patience?" Before Deacon Han could explain, Elder Sheng had already reprimanded him impatiently. Then, ignoring everyone else, he smiled and gestured for Xiao Yan to follow him, "Young friend, please come with me."

After saying that, Elder Sheng led the way.

He was really looking forward to witnessing Xiao Yan's Alchemy in person!

If Xiao Yan is indeed the disciple of those three, then his alchemy techniques will surely inspire me!

Therefore, he wouldn't give a friendly look to those few who were oblivious to his surroundings.

Elder Sheng was a senior member of the Danta, with a noble status and his Alchemy had reached the threshold of the Eighth-Grade. He also had considerable influence within the Danta, so naturally, he was not someone that the Five Great Families could afford to offend. Therefore, the old woman who was being reprimanded could only shut up in silence, but her gaze fell on the young man whom Elder Sheng respected greatly.

Seeing Elder Sheng's appearance, the others dared not step forward and risk offending him.

Only after Elder Sheng and Xiao Yan, with Zi Yan perched on his shoulder, entered the highest-level testing room did everyone breathe a sigh of relief, but what followed was shock.

Wait a minute, the one they just entered should be the highest-level testing room here, the one used to assess Mid-Tier Seventh-Grade and High-Tier Seventh-Grade, right?

Everyone remained astonished for a long time, until finally Great Elder Ye Zhong of the Ye Clan, who had a good relationship with Han Li Deacon Han, who was in charge of the assessment today, spoke up and asked:

"Elder Han, who is that young man? Elder Sheng is personally in charge of his assessment, and he can even... uh, conduct the test before our Five Great Families' assessment?"

Han Li couldn't actually confirm Xiao Yan's identity, but he knew what everyone was wondering about, so he spoke calmly:

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask. All I know is that the young friend came here to take the test at the behest of Xuan Kongzi. As for why Elder Sheng was personally in charge of the test, it's naturally because with my Alchemy, I'm not qualified to test the young friend who is going to take the High-Tier Seventh-Grade high-level assessment test."

"As for the tests and assessments of your Five Great Families, they can only begin after that young friend has completed his test."

"What?!"

"High-Tier Seventh-Grade?!"

"He?!"

Han Li's words were like a bombshell dropped among the members of the Five Great Families!

A young man who looks only seventeen or eighteen years old is actually going to take the test for the High-Tier Seventh-Grade?

This completely overturned their understanding!

The cold arrogance on Cao Ying's face vanished completely at the shock of this news, replaced by a strong sense of curiosity.

Although she is young, she is much more mature than her peers.

Although she wasn't arrogant, she considered herself to have exceptional Yao Tian, and among her peers, only Dan Chen could be regarded as a rival.

However, she has now discovered someone whose talent may be even greater than hers!

She once vowed to reach the level of Seventh-Tier Alchemist before the age of twenty.

But that young man, who looked only five or six years older than him and was carrying a little girl on his shoulder, had already passed the test for High-Tier Seventh-Grade alchemist badge?

Dan Chen also slightly raised her head, but a look of shock flashed in her eyes, which were hidden by her bangs.

She has a special constitution that allows her to uncontrollably absorb the soul power of people she has physical contact with.

But when she secretly glanced into Xiao Yan's dark eyes just now, she had a strange feeling that her soul would be sucked away by him.

That older brother is amazing!

Because of her physical condition, she had few friends, and her family members found it difficult to get close to her, so she could only devote herself to studying Alchemy.

But eleven or twelve-year-old girls are in the throes of puberty, and girls like Dan Chen, who are forced to become withdrawn due to their physical condition, yearn to escape this loneliness.

She saw a glimmer of hope in Xiao Yan.

She simply didn't know how to express herself, so she could only lower her head again, ignoring the noisy crowd around her.

Beside Ye Zhong, the little girl who had only come to join the fun blinked her eyes and asked in a low voice with some curiosity:

"Grandpa, is that older brother even more capable than you?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Zhong, whose talent was limited and who was currently only Low-Tier Seventh-Grade alchemist, also looked away somewhat awkwardly and said:

"Ahem, Xin Lan, if that young... uh, that young master can really pass the High-Tier Seventh-Grade high-level certification, he is indeed much more powerful than Grandpa, and it would be difficult to find anyone more powerful than him in the entire Dan Region."

Ye Xinlan nodded upon hearing this, and said thoughtfully:

"Grandpa, my older brother is not only powerful but also handsome. He's even more capable than the elders in our clan who are responsible for teaching us. Can I become his apprentice?"

Ye Zhong was taken aback upon hearing this:

"Ah?"

After some discussion, the room fell silent again, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the door of the Heaven-Grade No. 1 Testing Room, awaiting the final result.

Despite the disbelief, they all wanted to see if they could witness the rise of a genius today!

Refining Seventh-Grade pill takes a considerable amount of time, especially a High-Tier Seventh-Grade pill, which even Xiao Yan wasn't entirely confident about.

Two and a half hours later, the door finally opened, and Elder Sheng, with a complicated expression, and Xiao Yan, who was full of regret, not wearing any alchemist level badge on his chest, and still carrying Zi Yan on his shoulder, walked out one after the other.

Everyone immediately understood.

It seems we failed.

"Well."

Elder Sheng couldn't help but sigh, and then, in front of everyone, he actually bowed to Xiao Yan.

Everyone: What does that mean?

"Alas, I never imagined you would already be..." Elder Sheng said, his face showing shame, but he didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he changed the subject, "I have gained some insights from observing your alchemy this time, and I need to return to seclusion for a while. As for your Advanced Seventh-Grade Alchemist badge, the guild leader said he would personally award it to you, so I will not overstep my bounds."

Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions immediately became quite interesting.