Chapter 475: Dan Clan's Dan Chen! The Humble Elder of the Pill Tower's Upper Echelon!
The black clothed woman's lazy, enchanting eyes narrowed slightly upon seeing Wu Tian.
Despite possessing an exceptionally strong soul force, she was unable to gauge his cultivation level.
For someone like her whose spiritual perception surpassed even some elders of the Pill Tower this was highly unusual.
She had never encountered a young man she couldn't see through.
Naturally, this piqued her curiosity, causing her to glance at Wu Tian a few more times.
However, this simple exchange of looks sent a wave of envy and jealousy rippling through the young men nearby.
Her presence was undeniably seductive, but beyond her irresistible allure, there was a deep, bone chilling dread associated with her name.
After all, almost everyone present knew who she was
The Enchantress of the Cao Clan, Cao Ying!
Among the Five Great Families of the Pill Tower, the Cao Clan had always been a formidable but notably low profile force.
However, the rise of Cao Ying changed everything.
She wasn't just a genius alchemist
She was the most terrifying prodigy of her generation.
And more importantly
She was the direct disciple of one of the Three Giants of the Pill Tower.
With her unparalleled alchemy skills, many believed that in just a century, she would inevitably ascend to become one of the Three Giants herself.
Of course, that was if the current giants ever stepped down something that hadn't happened for centuries.
Still, with her extraordinary talent, she had already elevated the entire Cao Clan, making it equal in status to the Dan Clan once the undisputed leader of the Five Great Families.
But at this moment, Wu Tian's attention shifted from Cao Ying to someone else.
There was another girl seated deep within the hall.
She had been sitting quietly, her head lowered, exuding an aura of gentle shyness.
Wu Tian might not have noticed her if not for Cao Ying's gaze briefly flickering toward her.
Following her line of sight, Wu Tian's eyes landed on the timid young woman.
Her delicate and bashful demeanor naturally stirred a sense of tenderness.
Sensing his gaze, the frail looking girl slowly lifted her head.
The moment their eyes met
Her face turned crimson.
"What? Do you want me to take this one as a disciple too, my dear Guardian Spirit?"
Cai Lin's teasing voice rang in Wu Tian's mind.
"Uh… no. I'm just looking. Admiring, that's all."
Cai Lin remained silent for a moment.
From past experiences, she knew
Whenever Wu Tian "admired" something, it always ended up in his hands.
Meanwhile, the shy young woman, after stealing a glance at Wu Tian, quickly looked away, her eyes drifting toward Cao Ying.
She smiled gently and weakly.
Cao Ying's mesmerizing eyes locked onto the delicate girl, and she chuckled softly.
"Dan Chen, little sister, it's been quite some time, hasn't it?"
At the mention of her name, the shy girl Dan Chen nodded lightly but remained silent.
Cao Ying smirked.
"I didn't expect you to come this time. It seems the Dan Clan is going all out… Could it be that they intend to claim this year's championship?"
Dan Chen softly shook her head, her voice gentle and demure.
"Sister Cao Ying, you must be joking. With you here, the championship already has an owner. No one else has the qualifications to compete for it."
Wu Tian, overhearing this, nearly laughed aloud.
If he became the champion…
Would these two be debating over who gets to claim him instead?
How absurd.
Cao Ying chuckled lightly.
"Little sister, are you trying to make me lower my guard?"
She leaned forward slightly, her alluring smile deepening.
"Still, I'm curious have you finally reached that level?"
Hearing Cao Ying's question, a faint light flickered within Dan Chen's normally soft and timid eyes.
Her gaze sharpened as she calmly responded
"I suppose we'll find out soon enough."
Cao Ying wasn't surprised in the slightest.
Dan Chen might appear timid and reserved, but when it came to alchemy, her obsession was unmatched.
They were both geniuses, both women, and both saw each other as rivals and sisters.
Yet despite the vastness of the Dou Qi Continent, no young male alchemist had ever managed to surpass them.
Once Wu Tian and the Ye Clan took their seats, something unexpected happened.
The ground rumbled slightly, and the seating of the Five Great Families began to shift backward.
In just a few moments, the center of the grand hall transformed into an open air arena.
A lone figure then stepped forward and walked into the middle of the stage.
It was an elderly man, his posture firm, his expression composed yet oddly bitter.
With a forced smile, he cleared his throat and spoke
"Since the Five Great Families are all present, I won't waste any more time. I will be overseeing this year's qualification assessment. Does anyone have any objections?"
A moment of silence followed.
Then
Everyone froze in confusion.
"Huh?"
Since when did this elder become so humble?!
He was one of the true elders of the Pill Tower, a figure of immense status and authority.
He always presided over the qualification assessments.
And while he was never arrogant, he had never been this meek and polite either.
He even referred to himself as "Old Sheng" instead of "This Elder"!
Who would dare call him Old Sheng?!
The man standing before them was Elder Sheng, one of the Eight Great Elders of the Pill Tower.
His rank and authority were second only to the Three Giants.
And yet…
Here he was, acting as if he were a junior.
Of course
Many didn't understand why.
But those who knew Wu Tian's identity…
Understood all too well.
Even the Three Giants of the Pill Tower were on edge knowing Wu Tian was here.
So what about Elder Sheng?
The poor old man was absolutely terrified!
He even prayed that Wu Tian would object so they could swap someone else in to handle this.
Unfortunately for him
A certain enchantress chuckled softly.
"Elder Sheng, who in the Pill Tower would dare question your authority?"
It was Cao Ying who spoke.
A natural charmer, her words flowed like sweetened wine.
Yet to Elder Sheng, those words were a nightmare.
Someone does dare question me!
Right now, Wu Tian could obliterate the entire hall if he wanted to!
With a forced smile, Elder Sheng sighed.
"Hahaha… You're quite the smooth talker, young miss. My old bones can hardly handle such flattery."
Then, he glanced toward Wu Tian, his voice filled with cautious humility.
"Since the time is right… shall we begin the assessment?"
Everyone: "…"
Was this really one of the Eight Great Elders?
Or had someone swapped him out with their overly polite grandfather?
This level of humility was beyond shocking.
It was downright frightening.
(End of Chapter)
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