Formal Disciple of the Pill Tower!

As time passed, those who had entered the light gates returned one after another. Although the contents and process of the assessment were confidential and not to be disclosed, their expressions made it possible to roughly tell how well they had performed.

Xiao Yan felt rather regretful. After all, it was the Pill Tower's selection process; not experiencing it personally made him feel as though something was missing.

Still, Xiao Yan thought it was best not to voice that regret.

Xin Lan soon emerged from the light gate as well and hurried back to Ye Zhong's side, her delicate face full of guilt. Clearly, her performance had been less than satisfactory.

Xiao Yan softly consoled her, while Ye Zhong had long expected this result and was not overly disappointed. He merely sighed silently.

The other families, seeing the Ye Clan members in such a state, would normally have mocked them. But with Xiao Yan present today, none of them had the mood to ridicule the Ye Clan.

As the last person stepped out of the light gate, both gates vanished in an instant. Elder Qiu then turned around and drew a roster from the void before beginning to read aloud:

"Next, this old man will announce the list of those who have become Formal Disciples of my Pill Tower through this assessment!"

"Cao Ying, Xiao Yan, Dan Chen..."

As name after name was announced, the disciples who had passed the test could not help dancing with joy, utterly lacking the noble composure expected of alchemists.

In contrast, the Five Great Families were much calmer. They had long had an idea of whether they would pass the test.

At the same time, the results of the Five Great Families revealed something. The Bai Family and Qiu Family had each produced only one person who passed, while both Dan Family candidates and all three Cao Family candidates had been successfully selected.

This made Ye Zhong, who had long foreseen the outcome, sigh once more:

This showed just how far the Ye Clan had declined. If not for Xiao Yan, they would not even have had a single disciple capable of passing the assessment!

Families like the Cao Family and Dan Family could send these geniuses into the Pill Tower, then shift their clan resources toward others. Even by forcefully pouring resources into them, they could produce high-grade alchemists. The Ye Clan, on the other hand, was trapped in a vicious cycle, endlessly living off its old reserves until the day those reserves were exhausted.

Elder Qiu then began announcing the list of Registered Disciples. This naturally had nothing to do with Xiao Yan and the others; they merely waited for the process to conclude.

Ye Zhong patted Xiao Yan's small shoulder. "Xiao Yan, you are now a disciple of the Pill Tower. This old man believes in you. Sooner or later, you will leave your name upon this vast Dou Qi Continent."

Xiao Yan cupped his fists. "Rest assured, First Elder Ye. Xiao Yan will certainly strive forward and will not disappoint you."

After their brief farewell, Elder Qiu also finished his task. After handing the group of Registered Disciples over to others, he gathered the Formal Disciples.

The elders of the Five Great Families also departed one after another. There was no need for them to remain for what came next.

The crowd gathered around Elder Qiu. Naturally, Xiao Yan and Cao Ying were the most conspicuous among them, and the others kept sneaking glances at the two of them.

Once the Cao Family elder had left, Cao Ying was no longer under anyone's restraint. She moved toward Xiao Yan with graceful steps, not even sparing the others a glance.

"You are Xiao Yan, right? May I ask where you come from and whether you have a master?"

There was a charming smile on her face, but her words carried not the slightest politeness.

Xiao Yan frowned. He was the sort of person who returned tenfold the respect others showed him, but Cao Ying was so discourteous that he naturally had no reason to treat her well. Moreover, Ye Zhong had already advised him that the Cao Family would not look favorably upon him. Since he and Cao Ying were evenly matched in alchemy, he had to remain wary when encountering her. Thus, he merely gave Cao Ying a cold look and said nothing more.

Cao Ying was choked by Xiao Yan's attitude. She had grown up beneath the halo of genius, and with her monstrous talent and the Cao Family's backing, it would not be an exaggeration to say she had always gotten whatever she wanted. She had never imagined that someone would dare ignore her so completely!

Cao Ying was not someone without composure, but Cao Dan, dressed in the most luxurious and ostentatious clothes behind her, could no longer hold back. As though he himself had been ignored, he shouted at Xiao Yan:

"You brat, what are you so arrogant about? Never mind that you aren't surnamed Ye—even members of the Ye Clan wouldn't dare act so boldly before my Cao Family!"

Xiao Yan was not angry at all. Seeing Cao Dan like this instead made him feel somewhat nostalgic. Back in Wutan City, he had also been the young master of a prominent family. When he was young, he had done his share of bullying others by throwing his weight around...

"The child whose sugar figurine I snatched back then probably looked at me the same way. Sigh, what a dark chapter of my past..."

Xiao Yan sank into his memories and ignored the Cao siblings standing before him. To the others, Xiao Yan seemed arrogantly aloof, as though he did not even think the Cao Family worthy of his attention!

Cao Dan grew even angrier as he watched Xiao Yan. He was accustomed to acting like a spoiled playboy and had never endured such treatment. He immediately prepared to teach Xiao Yan a lesson. Cao Ying knew her younger brother's temperament, yet she did not stop him. Instead, she quietly stepped back several paces, looking as though she could not be bothered to speak with Xiao Yan any further.

Cao Dan's hostility pulled Xiao Yan from his memories. With a single glance at Cao Dan's stance, he understood what he intended.

Still, Xiao Yan could not help sneering inwardly. Judging from his aura, Cao Dan clearly had never truly fought before. Given his identity, that was not hard to understand. If they really fought, Xiao Yan was confident he could send this fellow flying in a single exchange.

Xiao Yan quietly made his preparations. If Cao Dan truly regarded him as some ordinary alchemist, then Xiao Yan would give him a proper lesson today.

But at that moment, Elder Qiu spoke up. Cao Dan was not foolish enough to cause trouble in front of him, so he merely glared fiercely at Xiao Yan.

"Follow me. Since you are all disciples of my Pill Tower, first come with this old man to your places of cultivation."

After speaking, Elder Qiu pressed down with one hand. The void shattered, revealing a spatial wormhole.

"Creating a spatial wormhole with a casual gesture? A Dou Venerable?!"

Xiao Yan was shocked. Spatial wormholes were not something that could be casually concealed. The small spatial wormhole before him had clearly been created by Elder Qiu just now. Only a Dou Venerable-level expert could accomplish such a feat!

The people of the Central Domain were knowledgeable, and several among the crowd who possessed such insight cried out in alarm. Only then did they understand why even the Five Great Families had treated Elder Qiu with such respect earlier.

Elder Qiu took a small, exquisite flying vessel from his robes and tossed it into the spatial wormhole, then called for the Formal Disciples to enter.

Xiao Yan followed the crowd into the wormhole and landed upon the flying vessel, which had expanded countless times in size. He could not help examining it carefully before reaching a conclusion:

It was far better than the spatial flying vessels of Grand Elder Su Qian and First Elder Ye Zhong. The Pill Tower truly was wealthy!

At last, Elder Qiu stepped inside as well. The flying vessel swiftly set off, heading toward the Inner Domain of Saint Pill City.

After emerging from the wormhole, the sight that greeted them was an endless expanse of mountains and land. Only a few buildings could vaguely be seen scattered amid the wilderness, each built with great care.

Everyone immediately looked around curiously. Even Cao Ying revealed a curious expression, as this was her first time coming here as well.

"This is the Disciple Domain in the Inner Domain of Saint Pill City. Each of you will have your own residence for cultivation. The Pill Tower will grant you absolute freedom and resources. As long as you can improve your alchemy, you may cultivate here in peace."

"However, I must remind you that the Pill Tower has its own assessment system. While we will not casually expel people from the Pill Tower, those whose talent has been exhausted will be assigned to manage miscellaneous affairs. So do not think that entering the Pill Tower means you can rest easy forever!"

Hearing Elder Qiu's stern tone, all the disciples felt their hearts tighten and quickly bowed in acknowledgment.

Someone in the crowd boldly asked, "Elder Qiu, if we encounter problems in cultivation, how are we to resolve them? The Pill Tower will not simply leave us here and never concern itself with us again, will it?"

Elder Qiu chuckled. "Of course not. You are all rising stars of the alchemy world. How could the Pill Tower let you fend for yourselves? Elders of the Pill Tower give lectures on alchemy every day, and all of you may attend them."

Upon hearing this, everyone grew excited. Outside, when people spoke of the Pill Tower, they meant this organization. But here, the Pill Tower referred to the true headquarters of the Pill Tower itself!

As alchemists, who would not yearn to witness the Pill Tower's true form?

"Elder, how do we get to the Pill Tower?"

"How do you get there?" Elder Qiu smiled faintly and pointed in a certain direction.

"Isn't it right there?"