Protect Our Patriarch

At the same moment.

In the VIP hall of Tianyuan Danfang, a group of family heads from various noble families had also learned the results of the exam grading and knew their respective rankings.

At the same time, the thirteen young alchemists who had been selected were called into the VIP hall, standing by their family heads, waiting for the results to be announced.

Only Si Xinghai stood alone without a family, finding a corner to stand in, not engaging in conversation with the nobles around him, as if he existed in a different time and space from them.

On a corner table, a red copper incense burner was emitting curling wisps of smoke, swirling and rising like mist. Above, the exquisitely carved fluorite spirit lamp was casting a bright and warm light.

The decorations in this VIP hall were luxurious yet not ostentatious, exuding an elegant taste.

However, even so, it could not cover up the undercurrents surging in the air.

"Hahaha~ Yuwen little brother, congratulations." Elder Qian Jingde of the Qian Clan lifted his teacup, smiling as he glanced at the elder from the Yuwen family, "Your family's Nian Jing ranked third, this spot is almost certainly yours."

This elder was the biological great-grandfather of Qian Xuefu, one of the Celestial Realm elders of the vast Qian Clan.

Unlike the Celestial Realm families, only cultivators of the Purple Mansion Realm were considered the true ancestors of a family.

However, even as just a Celestial Realm elder, Qian Jingde's presence when he went out was not small. Compared to the ancestors of a general seventh-rank noble family, his status was only higher, not lower.

"This time, letting Nian Jing participate was just to train her level." Yuwen Jinghong laughed heartily, not picking up on his words, "The third place is not secure, it all depends on the intentions of the Dan Ding Ancestor. However, the Dongfang family has produced an outstanding Kylin child, who managed to take first place among many young and talented alchemists, showing a profound foundation."

This Yuwen Jinghong was naturally also a Celestial Realm elder of the Yuwen Clan.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's attention was immediately drawn to the Celestial Ancestor of the Dongfang family, Dongfang Bohua.

This Ancestor Bohua of the Dongfang Clan was already over three hundred years old, not only with white beard but also with little life left, looking every bit the part of a withered old man.

However, his eyes at this moment were exceptionally bright, filled with excitement.

Great~ The Dongfang Clan has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel~

Previously, the family's Celestial Realm seed had failed to break through to the Celestial Realm twice, which had already emptied the Dongfang Clan's coffers. If it weren't for the outstanding child Dongfang Yuxi, the Dongfang Clan might have declined and fallen to an eighth-rank noble family.

Now, Dongfang Yuxi has ranked first, and will surely be taken as a disciple by the Dan Ding Ancestor. With this, even if he, Dongfang Bohua, runs out of life in the future, the Dongfang Clan will rise again, and perhaps even reach greater heights.

However, even though he was excited, Ancestor Bohua, who had lived for hundreds of years, did not show much on his face, still maintaining a modest and amiable attitude, stroking his beard and laughing, "Hahaha~ You flatter me too much~ Yuxi is just a child who has worked a little harder than usual, how could he be as formidable as Brother Yuwen says?"

Behind Ancestor Bohua, Dongfang Yuxi still maintained a calm and composed demeanor, as if taking first place was not worth boasting about.

Everyone nodded secretly.

At such a young age, he was not swayed by praise or criticism; this child's future potential was probably not low.

As they conversed, none of the big shots revealed too much, but they had already made their judgments. In their words, they naturally showed a bit of an intention to draw closer to the Dongfang Clan's elder and junior.

Those who could serve as clan leaders or elders among the noble families, which one was not shrewd?

They naturally understood that if Dongfang Yuxi truly became a disciple of the Dan Ding Ancestor today, the Dongfang Clan would inevitably rise, and might even become a sixth-rank noble family.

It was naturally beneficial to make connections now.

It's just a pity for the others...

The elders of the Qian Clan, Yuwen Clan, and several other major noble families glanced at Wang Shouzhe and Wang Shouye with subtle looks, feeling an involuntary sense of regret.

That Wang Shouye looked young and had solid fundamentals, clearly a good seedling. Unfortunately, he was only second place. And since the Dan Ding Ancestor only took three disciples, the chances of it being his turn were very slim.

Who would have thought that the Wang Clan was just a small seventh-rank noble family from a remote area?

If Wang Shouye could not become a disciple of the Dan Ding Ancestor this time, his future growth would certainly not be as good as Dongfang Yuxi's, and the gap would inevitably grow larger.

What a pity, truly a pity.

Under the subtle gazes of the crowd, Wang Shouye felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, so nervous he didn't know where to put his hands.

Wang Shouzhe, on the other hand, was not much affected, still maintaining his calm and composed demeanor, even leisurely tasting tea and snacks.

Just then.

The door to the room was suddenly "creak" pushed open, and a figure in light green appeared at the door.

Under the light, her skirt swayed, her aura clear and transcendent, like a lotus emerging from water, it was none other than "Dan Yi Shuang Jue" Gu Hanyu.

The room instantly fell silent.

Gu Hanyu was a disciple of the Dan Ding Ancestor and also the person in charge of this selection. Her appearance at this time meant that the results were about to be announced.

Everyone stopped talking and stood up to greet her, their faces unconsciously showing anticipation.

"You should all know that for this disciple selection event, my master will choose three alchemists to take as disciples." Gu Hanyu moved gracefully to the forefront of the crowd and spoke softly, "The first selected candidate is a third-grade alchemist, Qian Xuefu."

As her words fell, everyone's faces showed an expression of "as expected."

Although everyone had guessed it, deep down, they couldn't help but harbor some wishful thinking, hoping that the Dan Ding Ancestor would not be conventional and would not consider family background when choosing disciples, so that their chances of being selected would be greater.

Now, seeing that the Dan Ding Ancestor indeed chose Qian Xuefu, who had the most illustrious family background, they couldn't help but feel disappointed.

Ah~ Having a good family background is an advantage, even becoming a disciple is easier than for ordinary people.

Feeling the envious and jealous gazes of the crowd, Qian Xuefu proudly puffed out his chest, secretly pleased with himself.

He knew he would be selected.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet."

Hearing the "buzzing" discussions around her, Gu Hanyu's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

Although she was not too pleased with Qian Xuefu, after all, it was the master's will, and it was not for others to criticize.

Upon hearing her, the scene immediately quieted down.

Although Gu Hanyu had not yet reached the Celestial Realm, with her medical and alchemical skills, as well as being a disciple of the Dan Ding Ancestor, her status was naturally extraordinary.

However, although they stopped discussing, everyone was still curious.

"I wonder who the second selected candidate is?" An elder asked cautiously.

Gu Hanyu said indifferently, "The next selected candidate is the independent cultivator Si Xinghai."

"Si Xinghai?"

The big shots all paused.

Although the Dan Ding Ancestor had already hinted that he appreciated the independent cultivator Si Xinghai, which prepared everyone somewhat, the official announcement still made them secretly uncomfortable.

The Dan Ding Ancestor was taking three disciples, and choosing an independent cultivator meant one less spot for the children of noble families.

But after all, the Dan Ding Ancestor was a Purple Mansion Realm cultivator, and a rare master of the alchemical path in the Purple Mansion Realm. How could such a person be coerced? Therefore, even if they were unhappy, they could only swallow their feelings.

Gu Hanyu, however, did not care about their complicated thoughts. After announcing the second selected candidate, she looked at Si Xinghai with a gentle gaze, "Si Junior Brother, congratulations."

Si Xinghai quickly dropped his aloof demeanor and bowed respectfully, "Thank you, Senior Sister, for your support."

Although there was joy in his eyes, he did not become arrogant due to his selection, but became even more polite than before.

Seeing this, the many big shots in the room nodded secretly.

This young man has a good mentality and is very stable.

Coming from an independent cultivator background, whether in cultivation or alchemy, he faced far more difficulties than the children of noble families, naturally enduring much more hardship and maturing earlier.

The young alchemists looked at Si Xinghai with complex eyes, some envious and unwilling.

Now that only one spot remained, the Dan Ding Ancestor was very likely to choose Dongfang Yuxi. They probably had no chance.

Only Dongfang Yuxi still stood with his eyes half-closed and arms crossed, as calm and composed as a deep pool or a towering mountain.

"Hehe~ Who the master chooses as a disciple, naturally has his own plans." Elder Qian Jingde laughed, "Fairy Gu, don't keep us in suspense, is the last one Dongfang Yuxi or Yuwen Nianjing?"

These were the two most likely candidates. However, everyone knew that the Yuwen family was not a fifth-rank Purple Mansion family, and the Dan Ding Ancestor might not choose Yuwen Nianjing over the more promising Dongfang Yuxi.

As soon as he spoke.

Yuwen Jinghong and Dongfang Bohua both tensed up slightly, as anything was possible before the official announcement.

Gu Hanyu's eyes half-closed, looking meaningfully at Wang Shouzhe who was calmly drinking tea, and said calmly, "The third disciple chosen by the master is Wang Shouye of the Wang Clan of Changning."

"What?"

The room fell silent, especially the elder and junior of the Dongfang family, who were visibly shaken and disbelieving. Countless gazes fell on Wang Shouye, who looked around nervously and bewildered.

He had already thought he had no chance after listening to their discussions and felt guilty for not living up to his family's expectations. Yet, unexpectedly, fortune had fallen upon him.

"You lad, well done." Qian Xuefu slapped Wang Shouye on the shoulder, smiling, "Pretending to be naive when you clearly have outstanding alchemy skills and your family has connections."

Wang Shouye smiled helplessly, "I really didn't know about this..."

Around him, the other young people who had passed the assessment looked at him with complex eyes.

Especially Yuwen Nianjing, whose eyes were somewhat deep.

If Wang Shouye didn't have a strong backing, she would be the first to disbelieve.

After all, her Yuwen Clan had personally sent a generous gift to the Dan Ding Ancestor by their Celestial Realm ancestor. Her results were almost the same as Wang Shouye's, yet she was squeezed out by him, obviously the result of the Wang Clan's manipulation behind the scenes.

Wang Shouye was baffled, and suddenly, he thought of a possibility.

Could all this be orchestrated by his fourth brother?

He looked over at Wang Shouzhe from a distance, only to see his brother still as calm as ever, as if everything was within his calculations.

Then the most unacceptable scene unfolded for the Dongfang Clan.

Dongfang Bohua burst out, "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible. Our family's Dongfang Yuxi ranked first in this assessment, why should it be this Wang Clan's youngster who is selected?"

Extremely angry, his beard bristled like an enraged old lion.

Gu Hanyu seemed to have anticipated this scene, her eyes half-closed as she calmly said, "Ancestor Bohua, please calm down, this is the master's will."

The will of the Dan Ding Ancestor?

Dongfang Bohua's eyes showed a hint of wariness, but then he said excitedly, "I request to see the Dan Ding Ancestor and ask him for clarification." His words even carried a hint of questioning the Dan Ding Ancestor.

Gu Hanyu's face turned cold, and she rebuked sharply, "Ancestor Bohua, please watch your words. Before the assessment, the master had already declared that the assessment results were only for reference. Who he takes as a disciple is his own consideration, and it's not your place to point fingers here."

Her words were very blunt, and indeed, the Dongfang Clan was just a declining seventh-rank noble family, what right did they have to question the venerable Ancestor?

Dongfang Bohua's face turned red with embarrassment, and he quickly bowed and explained, "Miss Gu might have misunderstood my intentions, I was just too shocked and lost my composure."

The Dan Ding Ancestor had a good temper, but he was still a venerable Ancestor, not someone anyone could question. If he truly angered him, the Dongfang Clan's future might become even more difficult.

This was the sadness of a family with weak strength; wherever they went, they had to look at others' faces.

Also with a very ugly expression was Dongfang Yuxi, who had been so confident and certain of victory earlier.At this moment, his face alternated between red and white, as he forcefully suppressed the anger about to erupt within him and said, "Logically speaking, we juniors dare not recklessly comment on the decisions of our elders. However, I, Dongfang Yuxi, have also put in a great deal of effort for this assessment."

"Since the elder has chosen Wang Shouye, there must be something unique about little brother Shouye. I would like to exchange pointers with little brother Shouye, and regardless of the outcome, I will be convinced both in heart and speech."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the people present varied, with some secretly taking pleasure in the misfortune, and others worrying for Wang's Clan.

After all, Dongfang Yuxi's words seemed reasonable, merely seeking to learn from Wang Shouye. If Wang Shouye dared not accept the challenge, once this matter spread, it would be detrimental to the reputation of both the Dan Ding elder and Wang's Clan of Changning.

However, it was clear that Dongfang Yuxi was picking on the weak, not targeting Si Xinghai or Qian Xuefu, obviously thinking that Wang's Clan of Changning, being just a seventh-rank family, was easy to bully.

All eyes fell on Wang Shouzhe. He was the one in charge of Wang's Clan, and it was up to him to decide whether to accept the challenge or not.

Wang Shouzhe glanced at the two from Dongfang Clan. This time, he had used his connections to suppress the opposition. But that's just how the world works, otherwise, why would he, Wang Shouzhe, be able to develop his family's power while carefully cultivating his network of relationships?

For the sake of building connections, Wang's Clan had also made great sacrifices.

This wasn't like playing a single-player game where one could simply hack and slash their way through.