When Xiang Longfei proposed an actual-combat assessment, his expression had already returned to normal. He listened as the two finished speaking, and no further change showed on his face.
Clan assessment ratings were also handled by the Affairs Hall, but it had been far too many years since a Heaven-grade affairs steward had been used for such an evaluation.
This was because clan members undergoing such evaluations would have their ratings finalized after being assessed twice each at the Foundation Establishment and Nascent Soul stages.
After passing the Foundation Establishment Realm assessment, one would only be preliminarily recognized as having reached the rank of a core clan member. It was not the final determination.
However, the clan resources they could obtain at that point already surpassed those available to ordinary clan members. After successfully forming a Nascent Soul, they would undergo another assessment.
At that time, anyone who formed a Nascent Soul could participate in the evaluation. The clan did this because some members were late bloomers, great vessels that took time to mature.
Only after a cultivator formed a Nascent Soul could the true beginning of their immortal path be measured. Once they passed this assessment, they could truly enter the ranks of the clan's core disciples.
So how could a Nascent Soul-level assessment possibly require a Heaven-grade affairs steward? Zi Kun's case, however, was a special exception.
There were not many external branch lines of the Purple Divine Dragon Elephant, and those who only returned to acknowledge their ancestry and rejoin the clan after reaching Zi Kun's level were almost unheard of.
Thus, the three of them were being assessed at once, and there were usually two methods of assessment.
One was like the Phantom Sect Li Yan had entered in the Immortal-Spirit Realm: passing a designated formation