……

Just as Qian Xuefu lamented the unfairness of life, two or three girls ran over to strike up a conversation with Wang Shouye, only to be gracefully rejected one by one.

Why is there such a huge gap between people?

Qian Xuefu wailed in despair, while simultaneously giving himself a pep talk. “Qian Xuefu, you still possess exceptional alchemy skills. Once you become a great alchemist, the same ‘troubles’ will surely come knocking at your door.”

With this thought, his fighting spirit was reignited, and he began to look forward to his future with renewed hope.

At that moment.

A commotion stirred within the crowd, and exclamations arose: “Young Master Dongfang has arrived… Wow, truly befitting the pillar of the younger generation in the alchemy world, he is incredibly handsome!”

“What does being handsome have to do with being an alchemy pillar? But speaking of which, Dongfang Yuxi’s strength is indeed formidable; he’s said to be the favorite to win the championship this time.”

“That’s right, he possesses the dual-layered high-grade Li Fire Bloodline. If not for the need to inherit and support the declining Dongfang Clan of Jingang, he would have entered the academy to become a core disciple long ago. With his top-notch alchemy skills, he might even become a direct disciple!”

“Alas, it’s such a pity… The Dongfang Clan used to be a prestigious Celestial Clan, but now they can barely complete the celestial succession. Young Master Dongfang has to concoct large quantities of pills to support the family expenses. Ah, he has sacrificed too much for his clan…”

Amidst the various discussions, many people’s attention was drawn away.

Even Wang Shouye couldn’t help but look over curiously.

Sure enough, at the entrance, a young master was slowly walking in.

He was dressed in a white robe, with a face like a jade sculpture, indeed the very image of a graceful young master.

However, despite his handsome appearance, his face was expressionless, his demeanor proud and aloof, as if someone owed him ten thousand Top Gold.

Still, around him, many girls screamed incessantly, their eyes filled with infatuation.

As he passed by, the crowd quickly parted to make way for him.

“Brother Qian, is this Dongfang Yuxi’s alchemy skill really that amazing?” Wang Shouye asked curiously.

Changning Guard was remote, and news was not as readily available as in the Commandery city. Moreover, he had always been focused on alchemy and not worldly affairs, so he had not heard of Dongfang Yuxi’s fame.

“Hmph, he’s just a direct descendant of a declining seventh-rank clan. With such an entrance, those unaware might think he’s from a fifth-rank clan,” Qian Xuefu snorted with a tone full of jealousy, “But speaking of cultivation and alchemy talent, he does have some, about on par with me.”

“Is he really that formidable? This assembly for the Alchemy Ancestor’s disciples is indeed a gathering of geniuses.” Wang Shouye exclaimed in amazement, his expression turning somewhat melancholic, “This time, I’ve truly seen what it means to have someone better out there, a sky beyond the sky.”

“Little Brother Wang, don’t think too much. Among the registrants, there are thousands of mixed quality, but the Alchemy Ancestor will only choose three in the end,” Qian Xuefu patted his shoulder consolingly, “Think about it, aside from being somewhat good-looking, which aspect of your background or alchemy skills can make it into the top three? Besides, I, Qian, have already securely occupied a spot. That Dongfang Yuxi will probably take another… You should just honestly treat this as an opportunity to gain experience.”

With this topic, Qian Xuefu’s sense of superiority surged.

“Alas, this time I’m afraid I’ll disappoint Fourth Brother,” Wang Shouye said with a bitter taste in his mouth.

He was still too young, not expecting the competition for the Alchemy Ancestor’s discipleship to be so fierce.

As time passed, more and more people arrived, and one after another popular candidate appeared.

Most of these people came from sixth-rank clans, cultivated as alchemy elites from a young age. Although they were still young, each had a distinguished reputation.

Besides them, there was a noticeable independent cultivator.

This independent cultivator was named “Si Xinghai.” After entering, he didn’t interact with anyone, just leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, resting, completely out of place with the lively atmosphere around him.

However, seeing this person, Qian Xuefu’s expression suddenly became serious: “Little Brother Wang, don’t underestimate this Si Xinghai. Although he’s an independent cultivator, he’s quite famous among the younger generation and has exceptional alchemy skills.”

“Perhaps in terms of raw strength, he’s not as good as Dongfang Yuxi, but he’s an independent cultivator. You should know, the Alchemy Ancestor himself started as an independent cultivator and will naturally give special consideration to them. As long as this kid doesn’t perform too poorly, the chances of the Alchemy Ancestor taking a liking to him are over fifty percent. Before today, I heard some rumors that the Alchemy Ancestor appreciates him.”

Wang Shouye was speechless.

Even an independent cultivator was so formidable? With only three spots available, how could he, Wang Shouye, compete for one?

Well, since he was already here, he might as well give it his all. At the very least, he had to live up to the years of unwavering support from his clan.

At this time.

Lei Lingyun had also returned after gathering information.

Her expression was not very good either, and she said with pursed lips, “Husband, I didn’t expect so many young masters to attend the Alchemy Ancestor’s discipleship assembly this time. The difficulty of being selected is probably not low. But Lingyun believes that you are definitely the strongest…”

Even she, who had unwavering confidence in Shouye, sounded less certain now.

While they were talking, the tightly closed doors of the Danfang were suddenly opened from the inside, and a figure stepped out.

Instantly, the noisy Danfang fell silent.

Everyone knew that the Alchemy Ancestor was resting inside the Danfang. Whoever came out at this time must be a confidant of the Alchemy Ancestor.

The crowd looked intently and saw that it was a woman who came out.

She was dressed in a light cyan gauze dress, moving with graceful steps, her figure lithe, like a lotus flower emerging from water, exuding a refreshing simplicity and tranquility.

Especially those eyes, clear and pure like autumn waters, made one forget the mundane world.

“Gu Hanyu! It’s the dual genius of alchemy and medicine, Gu Hanyu!”

Someone recognized her and suddenly exclaimed.

The crowd was instantly abuzz.

No one expected that this dual genius, who had risen to fame in recent years, had a connection with the Alchemy Ancestor.

Appearing on behalf of the Alchemy Ancestor at this moment, could it be that she was actually his disciple?

The crowd was filled with speculation and discussion.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet.”

Gu Hanyu’s cultivation had reached the late stage of the Lingtai Realm. With a casual word, her voice boomed like thunder, instantly suppressing the surrounding noise.

She said indifferently, “I am Gu Hanyu, a disciple of the Alchemy Ancestor, presiding over this discipleship assessment on behalf of my master. Now, I will announce the first rule…”

Wang Shouye was also shocked, murmuring to himself, “I didn’t expect Sister Hanyu to be a disciple of the Alchemy Ancestor, no wonder she’s so formidable.”

Speaking of which, Gu Hanyu was also well-known in Changning Guard and had connections with the Wang Clan. In fact, Wang Shouzhe had even paid a price to ask Gu Hanyu to teach him some alchemy experience.

But in the past two years, Gu Hanyu had left Changning Guard to travel the world. He never expected to meet her here.

“Eh? Little Brother Wang actually knows this beautiful senior sister? When you have time, tell me more about her story,” Qian Xuefu said with gleaming eyes, whispering, “I didn’t expect the Ancestor to already have a secret disciple, and such a beautiful senior sister at that. Qian Xuefu, your spring is coming.”

“Brother Qian, be careful with your words. Sister Hanyu is very formidable,” Wang Shouye hurriedly advised in a low voice.

“Formidable, of course, the more formidable the senior sister, the better… Ah~” Before Qian Xuefu could finish his sentence, he saw several flashes of silver light, striking him.

Immediately, Qian Xuefu fell to the ground, screaming in pain.

Several shiny silver needles were embedded in his chest, clearly the work of Gu Hanyu.

“Anyone else who dares to make noise will end up like him,” Gu Hanyu said coldly, “Any further offenders will be expelled from the examination hall.”

Her gaze swept across the room, silencing everyone in her path.

Only when her eyes passed over Wang Shouye did they pause slightly, showing a hint of kindness. She was not usually so domineering, but for the sake of her master’s discipleship assembly, she had to forcefully suppress the crowd.

Sure enough.

Under Gu Hanyu’s strong suppression, the order at the scene improved significantly. All the registrants were arranged in the backyard of the Tianyuan Danfang for a unified assessment.

This assessment was said to be observed by the Alchemy Ancestor using his spiritual sense in secret, so naturally, no one dared to cheat. Wang Shouye was also arranged in an examination room, where he began to focus and take the test earnestly.

……

Meanwhile.

In the VIP hall of the Tianyuan Danfang, representatives of the major clans had already gathered. This discipleship assembly of the Alchemy Ancestor was very important for many clans.

If a clan member was favored by the Alchemy Ancestor and taken as a disciple, not only would they have a high-quality connection with the Ancestor, but they could also cultivate an exceptionally talented alchemist for the clan. Especially for the seventh-rank clans, this opportunity was even more precious.

Wang Shouzhe, as the representative of the Wang Clan, had also been waiting in the VIP hall, casually chatting with a few familiar clan leaders.

Time passed by.

After several hours, the lengthy examination finally came to an end.

Gu Hanyu had people collect all the papers and arranged for everyone to wait outside before returning to the Danfang with the papers for grading.

Another half an hour passed before all the papers were graded.

She then took the papers of those who passed the preliminary test back to the depths of the Tianyuan Danfang and pushed open the door of a tightly closed room.

Inside the door was a simply decorated room.

On the reclining couch against the wall, an old man sat cross-legged on a cushion, resting with his eyes closed.

This old man wore a simple gray robe, had an ordinary appearance, and a restrained aura, exuding a sense of simplicity.

At first glance, he looked no different from an old farmer selling vegetables on the street, except for his eyes, which were deep and reserved, like a deep pool, compelling respect.

This old man was the renowned Alchemy Ancestor.

Gu Hanyu held a stack of papers and said to the Alchemy Ancestor, “Master, a total of thirteen young alchemists have passed our test. Here are their names and papers.”

“Among them, Dongfang Yuxi ranked first, Wang Shouye of Ping’an Wang Clan ranked second, the independent cultivator Si Xinghai you favored ranked eleventh, and Qian Xuefu of the Qian Clan ranked thirteenth.”

The Alchemy Ancestor took the papers, flipped through them casually without looking closely, and then set them aside.

“Hanyu, I was originally reluctant to take disciples, but now I’ve made a big show of a public assessment. Do you know why?” He looked at Gu Hanyu, asking as if testing her.

Gu Hanyu blinked her clear eyes, “Master is an independent cultivator, and some powerful forces in Longzuo Commandery have ‘advised’ Master, hoping that Master would pass down the art of alchemy.”

“That’s right, although I am a Zifu cultivator, I am still just an independent cultivator, and I can’t avoid dealing with the major clans,” the Alchemy Ancestor sighed, “To cope with the incessant nagging of those clans and the city guard’s office, I can only take a few disciples to share some of the spoils. Therefore, the list of disciples this time can’t just look at who has good or bad results.”

“Then, according to Master’s intention…” Gu Hanyu’s eyes moved slightly, as if a bit worried.

“First of all, I am an independent cultivator, and it is only right to take care of other independent cultivators. No matter how much the clans object, I must take Si Xinghai,” the Alchemy Ancestor said coldly, “That kid Xinghai has excellent aptitude and understanding. If not for his low birth and lack of systematic learning, he would definitely not be just eleventh.”

Gu Hanyu nodded and circled Si Xinghai’s name, “Master, who will be the second person admitted?”

“Among the remaining candidates, the one with the strongest family background is Qian Xuefu,” the Alchemy Ancestor pondered, “Although he’s only thirteenth, but who asked him to be born into a Zifu clan? Elder Qian personally came to speak with me; I’m afraid I can’t dismiss his face.”

The one who could make the Alchemy Ancestor respectfully call “Elder Qian” was naturally the Zifu realm ancestor of the Qian Clan.

Gu Hanyu’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

Although she had a poor impression of Qian Xuefu, as her master said, who could refute Elder Qian’s face? If he hadn’t passed the assessment, it would be another matter, but now…She frowned, reluctantly circling the name Qian Xuefu.

Only one spot remained.

Gu Hanyu was filled with worry.

Wang Shouye was like a half-disciple to her, and it was no small feat for him to achieve second place. Oh well, she thought, I might as well put in a good word for him and see if I can edge out Dongfang Yuxi.

She was also aware that on normal days, her master held Dongfang Yuxi in high regard, and would likely choose him barring any surprises.

Just as she was about to speak.

Suddenly.

The Dan Ding Elder sighed, “This Dongfang Yuxi securing first place shows his fundamentals are indeed solid. It’s just a pity, such a pity, that he has no destiny with our Dan Ding.”

“Ah?” Gu Hanyu was somewhat astonished.

“The second place, Wang Shouye.” The Dan Ding Elder’s brows showed a trace of displeasure, “The Wang’s Clan of Changning is but a minor family, yet their Clan Leader happens to be a disciple of Changchun Elder, hmph! Well then, well then~ Who made it so that the person pleading on his behalf has such a strong backing~”

After a pause, he sighed, “This last spot will go to this Wang Shouye. After all, his fundamentals are not bad, and as his teacher, I certainly cannot snub the face of the Commandery Prince.”

Wang Shouye?

Commandery Prince?

Gu Hanyu swallowed the words at the tip of her tongue, her pretty eyes filled with disbelief.

Since when did Shouye have a connection with the Commandery Prince?

……