69novels 474. Another Impact
474. Another Impact
"Someone explain to me what it means that Xiao Yan is unstoppable and I have to take action personally?!" At this moment, in the Ye family mansion in Saint Pill City, the old woman Ling He, the true strongest person of the Spirit Clan Pill Tower on this trip, sat on a stone chair. Her tone was calm, but her aura made the people in front of her tremble with fear, lowering their heads and not daring to look her in the eye for even a moment.
Looking at the row of people standing in front of her, Ling He said expressionlessly, "Ling Zhuo."
Upon hearing this, Ling Zhuo gritted her teeth and stepped forward to reply, "Great-Grandma, this Xiao Yan is the one that Huo Xuan of the Yan Clan offered to protect, and who has a close relationship with the Gu Clan."
Ling Zhuo paused, then continued, seeing that Ling He remained silent: "His teacher is said to be Yao Chen, an outcast of the Medicine Clan, previously known as the Medicine Venerable in Zhongzhou. Xiao Yan also aimed to win the Pill Gathering, and after the Pill Tower lost its composure, it sought his help. Later, with the Pill Tower's assistance..."
Ling Zhuo's eyes also revealed a hint of unwillingness: "I've won full marks in two major trials."
Upon hearing this, Ling He's previously expressionless face finally showed a hint of emotion: "The Pill Tower wouldn't have opened the back door for him twice, what's going on?"
"He passed both the 'Nine Dragons Test Fire' and the 'Thunder Drill' in a row, and his performance was truly outstanding, so he got two perfect scores in a row," Ling Zhuo had to explain.
"I can accept the Nine Dragons Trial of Fire; I know the Pill Tower was in charge, so it's normal for them to give him special treatment. But why did he get a perfect score in the one we were in charge of?"
The Pill Lightning Drill was originally the responsibility of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion, but the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion had completely sided with the Spirit Clan. This trial was meant to test the alchemists' resistance to Pill Lightning, a true test of raw strength. Before Xiao Yan, even Ling Zhuo hadn't achieved a perfect score, so Ling He was the first to raise questions. After all, as a Dou Sheng of the Spirit Clan, she was primarily there to provide support; she naturally wouldn't concern herself with the specific details of the trial.
Ling Zhuo also looked at the old man surnamed Yan, who forced himself to explain, "Sixth Elder, during the final Dan Lei exercise, we realized something was wrong and tampered with it. I was the one who activated the last three heavenly lightning bolts. But Xiao Yan simply sat cross-legged and completely withstood them. Afterwards, his soul power even increased. It would be unreasonable not to give him full marks..."
"With you urging him on, how could a mere two-star Dou Zun possibly withstand it completely? He must have used a method that you can't see through."
"We were all there at the time, and no one saw through Xiao Yan's methods. Besides, there aren't many requirements for receiving the Pill Lightning. Even if someone really had methods, it would actually be allowed..."
The old man surnamed Yan still clearly remembered the scene of Xiao Yan passing the Heavenly Thunder Trial. He was still watching closely. The lightning that was almost aimed at killing him seemed to be unable to harm him at all.
Everyone initially assumed that Xiao Yan's true strength lay only in his strange fire, which allowed him to reach such a level in the Nine Dragons Fire Trial. They assumed he couldn't possibly be a match for Ling Zhuo in the other challenges. Therefore, the Ling Clan specifically invited a large audience to witness Xiao Yan's impact in the second trial. The result was that Xiao Yan once again created a breathtaking spectacle. Even though the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion wanted to lower Xiao Yan's score, his actions won everyone over, preventing them from deducting points.
Under ten bolts of lightning, his clothes weren't even dirty. How could they possibly lower Xiao Yan's score? If Tianji Tower had dared to give Xiao Yan ninety-nine points back then, the Tianji Elite Ranking, which had been built up for so long, would have immediately become a laughing stock.
Subsequently, the large audience that the Spirit Clan had gathered actually enhanced Xiao Yan's reputation. He scored full marks in two projects, earning a total of 200 points and officially entering the Heavenly Talent Ranking.
Xiao Yan still has three projects left to participate in, one of which is overseen by the Pill Tower. If Xiao Yan chooses another project overseen by the Pill Tower for his next project, he is very likely to get three perfect scores. In that case, even if Xiao Yan's overall score is not as good as Ling Zhuo's, the Heavenly Talent Ranking, which the Spirit Clan has worked so hard to build, will become completely useless.
So now, on the one hand, there's no way to stop Xiao Yan, and on the other hand, no one dares to keep it from Ling He any longer. If Xiao Yan gets three perfect scores and then comes to explain, no one dares to say they can withstand her wrath.
"What's your score now?" Linghe asked, looking at Lingzhuo.
"Four hundred and fifty-six."
"Is there still room for improvement?" Ling Zhuo pressed.
Ling Zhu gritted her teeth, and finally whispered, "The Pill Tower is keeping a close eye on things, so... it's difficult..."
During the time Xiao Yan was attempting his two breakthroughs, Ling Zhuo had already improved his score again, even achieving a perfect score. However, further improvement was no longer possible. He had already done his best in the project overseen by the Pill Tower, and further breakthroughs were impossible.
As for the projects managed by Tianji Tower, although the scores could still be improved, neither Ling Zhuo nor Tianji Tower dared to proceed. This Tianji Elite Ranking was originally a stage built by the Ling Clan to highlight their strength and specifically for Ling Zhuo. Everything done during this period was to emphasize Ling Zhuo's presence.
Therefore, to maintain credibility, it's impossible to give Ling Zhuo too many advantages. If the leniency were to the point that everyone could see through it, the Heavenly Talent Ranking would truly be ruined. Ling Zhuo's previous score was genuine, which is why it put so much pressure on the Pill Tower.
Now, after he received his first perfect score, there's already a lot of discussion. After all, the project where he got a perfect score was handled by the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. At this point, there was still room for explanation, since the project Xiao Yan participated in was also handled by the Pill Tower. But that situation has changed until today.
Xiao Yan's project at Tianji Tower received its second perfect score, and they knew without asking how much impact this would have.
Ling He, who had always valued self-cultivation, frowned slightly at this moment: "Zou Wu."
At that moment, a middle-aged man with the strength of a Dou Zong who was also standing to the side immediately stepped forward and replied, "Elder, Zou Wu is here."
"You should be very clear about why our Spirit Clan chose your Heavenly Mystery Pavilion as our agent. It's mainly because we saw that although you don't have much strength, you have considerable influence in the Central Continent. This so-called One Hall, One Tower, Two Sects, Three Valleys, and Four Pavilions are all things created by your Heavenly Mystery Pavilion."
"Now, no matter what method you use, you must stop Xiao Yan's momentum. If he really takes first place or affects the grand plan of our Spirit Clan, you know the consequences."
At this moment, Zou Wu was under immense pressure, but he could only reply, "Zou Wu understands."
"Of course, I'm not an unreasonable person, when the situation allows," Linghe said calmly.
"I will take action."