Chapter 1731: Another Victory

The two individuals in those stone rooms had yet to emerge. There were very few herbs left before them, and both were still observing with meticulous care.

‘Sister, do you think that Li Yan could seize the first rank again?’ Ming Yu sent a message through her Divine Sense.

‘This man acts even more low-key than us. He is definitely someone with an extremely cautious temperament. Every time he acts, the results are unexpected. Therefore, we must be exceptionally careful if we encounter him in the future,’ Ming Qi replied. As she spoke, she stole a glance at Elder Liu and the other deacon above, immediately cutting off her words.

It was not wise to transmit messages through Divine Sense in front of such powerful experts. Although Elder Liu and the deacon likely wouldn’t stoop to eavesdropping on disciples, it was better to be safe. If they invited major trouble, it would be truly problematic.

Hearing this, Ming Yu’s beautiful eyes blinked several times. This was a warning not to take the initiative to provoke Li Yan in the future.

Time continued to flow. Many had already found places to sit cross-legged and begin their meditation. Others kept their eyes fixed on the light screens in the air. These were the higher-ranking disciples who cared deeply about the final results.

A sense of tranquility had long since returned to the hall. Elder Liu and her colleague sat silently, their eyes unblinking as they watched the scenes in the void.

When eleven and a half hours had passed since the start of this stage, a sound finally erupted from one of the stone rooms. Yan Qingchen walked out with steady steps.

Upon emerging, he immediately glanced at the stone room across from him. While inside, he had also released a sliver of Divine Sense to observe the situation outside. His primary focus was on several key individuals from the previous stage, and he knew that Li Yan had not yet come out.

The time was almost up. After checking his work several times, Yan Qingchen decided to step out first. He did not feel that this was a sign of being afraid of his opponent; he simply wanted to ensure his success rate. He emerged when he felt ready; how could he allow another person to affect his Dao heart?

The absence of Yan Qingchen and Li Yan until now had kept several people in a state of constant tension—specifically, the two cultivators currently ranked at the very bottom of the top ten for this stage.

By a strange coincidence, the cultivator ranked ninth was one of the five people accompanying Yan Qingchen. In his heart, he felt that the disciple ranked tenth had no hope, as he was well aware of Yan Qingchen’s strength. However, he also lacked confidence regarding Li Yan. Although Yan Qingchen had said nothing before the assessment, he was undoubtedly displeased with them.

‘That kid will definitely fail!’ He thought as he looked at Li Yan in the stone room on the screen. A sharp light flashed in his eyes. Where did this brat come from? He had already snatched one of their spots in the first stage.

Because Li Yan was such an unknown variable, this cultivator did not fall into complete despair. After all, several people ranked ahead of him in this stage had lower overall rankings in the first stage than he did.

“Present your storage rings!” Elder Liu looked at Yan Qingchen.

With a wave of his hand, two storage rings shot out like streaks of light, appearing in the void before Elder Liu. She immediately established a connection with her Divine Sense, and fifty herbs appeared in the air. She began to inspect them one by one.

When the fifty herbs appeared, none of the cultivators below showed any surprise. Regardless of how much time they had spent, every single one of them had identified fifty herbs. When they reached a point where they could no longer distinguish the plants, they didn’t want to waste any more time and simply chose the remaining ones based on luck. Under such circumstances, quite a few people had actually guessed correctly, which allowed their scores to rise by one or even several levels.

On the high platform, Elder Liu would occasionally extend a finger and tap the void. Every time she did, a conspicuous red marker would appear at the root of a specific herb in the row. The cultivators below were now very familiar with this sight—herbs marked in red were those that had been identified incorrectly.

Once Elder Liu finished her inspection, she turned to Deacon Li. As Elder Liu was verifying the herbs, Deacon Li had also begun his own confirmation process. His Divine Sense was currently submerged in the other storage ring, verifying the count of the remaining herbs.

He soon withdrew his sense and looked at Yan Qingchen with an expressionless face. “One herb is missing. Do you remember which one it was?”

“It was the herb labeled as the Screen-Pole Branch. While this disciple was using Nascent Fire to test it, I accidentally destroyed it…” Yan Qingchen explained the situation from that moment.

Such an inquiry had been made of several other disciples by Deacon Li previously. After hearing the explanation, the deacon would even check the recordings of the formations to ensure it was normal damage.

Under such scrutiny, those disciples had been extremely nervous, fearing a misjudgment. Once taken to the Law-Enforcement Hall and subjected to the so-called Great Memory Recovery Technique, they might be found guilty even if they were innocent. Having discovered the hidden markers on the herbs and knowing the terrors of the Law-Enforcement Hall, even if they were given a thousand times more courage, they wouldn’t dare take such a gamble.

Yan Qingchen, however, spoke with an air of complete ease. This time, Deacon Li did not bother to check the formation’s images; he simply nodded to Elder Liu. He and Elder Liu had been paying close attention to the top three from the first stage. They had seen Yan Qingchen destroy that herb on the light screen and had noted its name at that very moment.

“Second stage: Yan Qingchen. Identified fifty herbs, forty-five correct. Currently in first place!” Elder Liu waved her sleeve, and the herbs and rings vanished.

When she spoke those words, looks of admiration appeared in the eyes of many. Although they had already seen the red markers and knew the result, hearing Elder Liu personally say “currently in first place” still filled them with envy.

“Thank you, Seniors!” Yan Qingchen’s expression remained constant, projecting an aura of tranquility and depth. He bowed once more and quickly retreated to the side.

The disciple who had been ranked tenth had been mentally prepared, but even after seeing the red markers, he had still held a sliver of hope. He had been chanting in his heart, ‘There’s a problem with the herbs, a problem, a problem…’

That was the desperate hope within him. He wished that in the next moment, Deacon Li’s face would suddenly change, and he would reach out to seize Yan Qingchen… That was the result he most wanted to see. But all his expectations eventually turned into various forms of disappointment, surging through his heart.

Liu Siyu turned her head, a bright light sparkling in her beautiful eyes as she watched Yan Qingchen walk toward her. A smile bloomed on her face. ‘Senior Brother, there should be no more surprises in this stage!’ She transmitted.

‘Not necessarily. I only identified forty-five correctly,’ Yan Qingchen replied simply before looking up at the light screen in the void.

As the time neared the twelve-hour mark, even those who were meditating found it difficult to maintain their peace of mind. Finally, the last closed stone door emitted a heavy rumbling sound. Li Yan walked out slowly, his face carrying a hint of exhaustion.

Sensing so many gazes sweeping toward him, Li Yan’s expression remained unchanged as he continued toward the center of the hall. As he walked, he looked up at the void. Then, his gaze fell upon Yan Qingchen. The latter smiled and nodded at Li Yan, showing not a hint of competitive aggression.

Elder Liu gathered the last two storage rings. This was the final variable remaining in this stage. She brought out the fifty herbs and arranged them in a row in the void, inspecting them one by one.

Occasionally, she would lift her finger to tap the air. As herb after herb was marked in red, a slight commotion broke out among the crowd below. A strange look appeared in Yan Qingchen’s eyes, though the smile remained on his face.

Aside from the cultivator who had been ranked ninth and was now automatically bumped down one spot—whose face was now incredibly unsightly—Liu Siyu and the others had already begun sending secret messages of congratulation to Yan Qingchen.

In the end, Li Yan produced a result that was somewhat unexpected but not entirely shocking. Elder Liu judged that he had identified forty-two herbs correctly.

In the second stage, Li Yan was ranked second!

Listening to Deacon Li’s final confirmation, Li Yan’s heart remained calm. He had identified two more herbs than Ming Qi. Because he was uneasy, after confirming Yan Qingchen’s rank, he had put in three more herbs he believed to be correct; in the end, only one of them had been wrong.

The other major change in this stage was the emergence of four Nascent Soul cultivators in the top ten, with the two from the first stage still among them. From this, it was evident that many cultivators possessed an incredibly solid alchemical foundation. At this point, Li Yan finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

After this stage concluded, everyone was given only fifteen minutes of rest before being gathered by Elder Liu once more.

“The third stage of the assessment is the cultivation of the Iron-Bristle Dragon-Profit Tree. You will each be given three seeds and three pots of spiritual soil. If you can cultivate the tree to a height of five inches, you will have succeeded. This stage will also be judged by the time taken.

“We will provide three grades of medicinal liquid: high, medium, and low. Any of these grades can potentially complete the assessment if the impurities are properly removed. However, the impurities in these liquids are extremely complex. If you pour them directly onto the seeds, the Iron-Bristle Dragon-Profit Tree will die very quickly.

“Although the quantity of medicinal liquid seems vast, do not attempt to waste too much, or you will be unable to finish the assessment. In this stage, with three seeds provided, you may use two for testing after removing the impurities from the liquids. If you use all three seeds without achieving a successful growth, you fail.

“As before, there are no restrictions except for spirit pets. You may use any treasures you possess and request raw materials for assistance. The time for this stage is also twelve hours!”