Word Count: 2,578 Words
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It was almost certain that the Ye Clan ranked last among the Five Great Clans and was already in a precarious situation.
At that ti, the entire clan would face turmoil, with no one spared, and might even be exterminated by enemies.
"Every once in a while, the Pill Tower will assess the Five Great Clans. Only those who pass the assessnt can continue to maintain their seat on the Elder Council."
Xiao Yu shot Xiao Yan a sidelong glance but did not speak up for Xin Lan. Although she had spent a fair amount of ti with Xin Lan, she could not possibly ask Xiao Yan to intervene just because of personal feelings.
Xiao Yan remained seated, not imdiately agreeing to anything. Even though Xin Lan was an alchemist of the Xiao Hall, she had no direct ties to him. Every day, the line of people seeking his help could stretch from Jia Nan Academy all the way to Xiao City; he couldn’t possibly help every single one.
Ya Fei couldn’t help but shake her head at the Ye Clan’s decline.
Xiao Yan could only shrug and signal to Xiao Yu with his eyes as he saw Xin Lan kneeling on the ground with tears streaming down her face.
!?
Xiao Yan then asked, "Xin Lan, first tell what happened. What is your clan?"
A 7th-tier alchemist under thirty!
"Senior Brother Xiao Yan, actually, entering the Pill Tower’s Elder Council isn’t particularly difficult. It’s just that for the current Ye Clan, the conditions are unattainable," Xin Lan sighed. "I believe Senior Brother Xiao Yan has heard before that within the Pill Region, there are Five Great Clans. These Five Great Clans have existed since ancient tis. The Clan Heads who founded them were all core mbers of the Pill Tower. According to the established conditions, as long as the Five Great Clans et certain requirents in the future, they can each occupy a seat on the Pill Tower’s Elder Council."
Countless clans were eyeing the Ye Clan’s seat. If Xiao Yan intervened, it would an offending those wolves and tigers for the Ye Clan’s sake, harming the interests of clans eager to replace them. This was undoubtedly a highly troubleso affair.
Apart from that freak Xiao Yan, they had never even heard of anyone possessing such talent. Yet, for the Five Great Clans, this was rely their passing standard!
"Not exactly join. But if the Ye Clan can provide so dicinal pills, it might allow the Yan Alliance to grow stronger and perhaps even establish a foothold in the Central Plains sooner." Xiao Yan stated his ambition directly.
Xin Lan’s lips curved into a bitter smile. She murmured, "Perhaps before long, the Ye Clan will lose the protection of the Pill Tower, cease to be one of the Five Great Clans, and may even be forced to leave the Pill Region."
"So, what do you want to do?" Xiao Yan took a gentle sip of tea and asked leisurely.
Xiao Yan and the others were not surprised. If the Ye Clan were thriving and powerful, Xin Lan wouldn’t have been pleading for help just now.
"My real na is Ye Xin Lan. My clan is the Ye Clan from the Pill Region of the Central Plains," Xin Lan explained slowly.
Xin Lan nodded. The elation and excitent on her face lingered for a good while before gradually subsiding. Xiao Yan’s alchemy skills were beyond question. Moreover, being a 7th-tier alchemist at such a young age and even capable of refining that bizarre dicinal pill, either achievent alone was enough to aid the Ye Clan.
No wonder the Ye Clan was at their wit’s end and looked at Xiao Yan as if he were a life-saving divine pill.
Xin Lan abruptly looked up, a glimr of hope appearing in her eyes, as if grasping a life-saving straw. "I hope Senior Brother Xiao Yan can help my clan regain its seat on the Elder Council of the Pill Tower!"
Xin Lan couldn’t have imagined it even in her wildest dreams that Xiao Yan only required her Ye Clan to provide low-tier pills and help the Miteer Auction House set up shop in exchange for the Elder Council seat. It was actually this simple!
Xiao Yan and the others exchanged glances. They understood the direct consequences of losing clan status all too well. The Xiao Clan itself had experienced this. They would be preyed upon and torn apart by other clans who had been watching covetously.
"Hey, hey, hey, stop right there! You sure have a vivid imagination, trying to take advantage of ," Xiao Yan hurriedly cut her off. Although Xin Lan’s appearance was not bad, to say nothing of others, just Little Fairy Doctor alone ensured he had no ’interest’ in her.
Yet, despite all this, Xin Lan could currently only barely refine tier 4 dicinal pills. Xiao Yan recalled hearing during the Great eting of Factions that the Cao Clan of the Pill Region had produced a monstrous genius who reached tier 7 at the age of twenty. Xin Lan, now in her early twenties, was only at tier 4. The gap was truly not small.
Were the alchemist clans of the Central Plains all so monstrously talented?!
Both Ya Fei and Xiao Yu were slightly startled. Tier 6 under thirty! That would be a miracle even in the North-Western Region, yet it was rely the baseline for participation! And passing required at least tier 7!
This wasn’t as simple as lending a hand. While it might seem like Xiao Yan just needed to refine pills once, the reality was far more complex and troubleso.
Ya Fei, on the other hand, remained rather indifferent. She wasn’t very familiar with Xin Lan, having only heard that she was a talented alchemist, soone who might be worth recruiting if the opportunity arose.
"But Senior Brother Xiao Yan, the highest-tier alchemist currently in the Ye Clan is only tier 7..." Xin Lan said. Her Ye Clan simply could not refine very high-grade dicinal pills.
"By the way, when does your assessnt start?" Having agreed, Xiao Yan would not be vague and asked directly.
Xiao Yan frowned. "Don’t tell that among the Ye Clan’s current younger generation, you are the most talented?"
"The Pill Tower places great importance on cultivating the younger generation. Naturally, the assessnt targets the younger generation—specifically, those under thirty years old." Xin Lan’s pretty face filled with sha as she said this.
"How does the assessnt work?" Xiao Yan asked softly, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Xiao Yan’s eyes narrowed. This truly caught him by surprise. A disciple from a Central Plains clan had actually co to Jia Nan Academy to study?!
Think about it: the Ye Clan had already failed the assessnt twice and lacked a young 7th-tier alchemist. Their downfall was inevitable, and countless clans had long been making covert preparations. If Xiao Yan suddenly appeared and thwarted their plans, assassination attempts would be the least of his worries.
"Xin Lan, I roughly understand the predicant your Ye Clan is facing. But if I casually agree to help others, it will only bring endless trouble in the future." Xiao Yan glanced at Xin Lan. The high fees alchemists charged were not just because dicinal pills were precious.
Other clans could easily pass the assessnt without even sending their most elite talents, yet the Ye Clan could not even et the most basic passing criteria. As one of the Five Great Clans, the Ye Clan’s situation was truly pitiful.
"The Five Great Clans wield imnse influence within the Pill Region. Coupled with the backing of the colossal Pill Tower, they can essentially operate unimpeded. Even the leaders of powerful factions like Ice River Valley, Sound Valley, and Burning Fla Valley must show considerable respect when eting them. Of course, perhaps the Ye Clan no longer receives such treatnt now." Xin Lan’s expression turned gloomy as she reached this point.
Xin Lan naturally understood that re words wouldn’t sway Xiao Yan. She abruptly stood up, clutching the collar of her clothes tightly. Her beautiful eyes brimd with tears as she said, "If... if Senior Brother Xiao Yan is willing to help, I... I am willing to do anything, including my..."
Of course, the benefits to the Yan Alliance extended far beyond rely obtaining dicinal pills. If Xiao Yan helped stabilize the Ye Clan’s position in the Pill Region, it would effectively grant the Yan Alliance a foothold there. With the Ye Clan’s presence, the Miteer Auction House could even open branches directly within the Pill Region.
She was terrified he would refuse to help. Only Xiao Yan, this heaven-defying young alchemist from outside the Central Plains’ Pill Region, could save the Ye Clan. Only he stood a chance of defeating the younger generations of the Bai and Qiu Clans and securing a top-three ranking!
Finding a 7th-tier alchemist under thirty outside the Central Plains was like finding gold lying on the ground. It was simply impossible!
She quickly composed herself. "Senior Brother Xiao Yan, my clan is from the Central Plains."
Xiao Yan shrugged. Whether it was top three or first place made no difference to him.
"Sister Ya Fei, I rember you said that the pills produced by the Yan Alliance alone aren’t enough to et the growing needs of our mbers, and you wanted to bring so alchemists to Xiao City, right?" Xiao Yan suddenly asked.
Xin Lan was both relieved and a little disappointed to hear Xiao Yan show no interest in her. At Jia Nan Academy, countless people pursued her; she still had so confidence in her figure and appearance.
Xiao Yan shook his head helplessly. Xin Lan’s talent couldn’t be called poor; it was likely comparable to Princess Yue Er’s, though Xin Lan was currently a few years younger.
Xin Lan’s cheeks flushed crimson with embarrassnt at his question, but she still nodded.
Ya Fei’s expression changed at the ntion of the Ye Clan from the Pill Region. She asked, "One of the Five Great Clans of the Pill Region?!"
"Hehe, thank you, Senior Brother Xiao Yan! The Ye Clan will never forget your great kindness!" Having received Xiao Yan’s definite confirmation, Xin Lan laughed playfully and charmingly.
Of course, Xiao Yan was not particularly afraid of people causing him trouble.
"Naturally, I have such intentions. One year, correct? Alright then, I will arrive in the Pill Region a bit early to find you." Xiao Yan released her hand as he spoke.
Were they really one of the Five Great Clans? The disparity should not be this vast!
"And the worst part is," Xin Lan sighed again, "because the Ye Clan failed the previous two tis, for this assessnt, we must rank in the top three among the participants to be considered qualified."
Xin Lan continued, "For each assessnt, the Five Great Clans must send one mber of the younger generation under thirty to undergo the Pill Tower’s test. If they pass, the seat is retained. If they fail three consecutive tis, their qualification for the Elder Council seat is revoked, and they are removed from the ranks of the Five Great Clans."
"The other Four Great Clans—Dan, Cao, Bai, and Qiu—are all growing increasingly powerful. Their younger generations are brimming with geniuses. Although they might not dispatch their absolute most elite younger mbers for this assessnt, securing a top-three spot... even if I were to reach the strength of a 7th-tier alchemist right now, it would likely be very difficult."
"Elder Council? The Pill Tower’s Elder Council?" Xiao Yan knitted his brows. Could he really help with sothing like that?
She smiled bitterly. "Our Ye Clan has already failed twice. If we fail again this ti..."
Xin Lan realized she had been overly impolite and emotional. However, she had beco inadvertently excited seeing Xiao Yan’s alchemist talent at such a young age and knowing he could potentially save her clan.
More importantly, it was to deter trouble.
He had promised his ancestor Xiao Xuan that he would restore the Xiao Clan to the Central Plains and bring back its glory. Naturally, the Yan Alliance was crucial to achieving this goal.
"It doesn’t matter. I don’t need you to refine exceptionally precious pills. You only need to provide pills below tier 6. As for the quantity, Ya Fei will discuss that with you. Don’t worry," Xiao Yan reassured her, glancing toward Xiao Yu. "Considering Xiao Yu’s connection, our Yan Alliance won’t make excessive demands." He slowly stood up, walked over to Xin Lan, extended his hand, and said, "Partners?"
"I don’t know what Senior Brother Xiao Yan needs. As long as the Ye Clan possesses it, I can return and discuss it with the First Elder. We will do our utmost to satisfy your requirents." Xin Lan’s anxious and fervent gaze fixed intently on Xiao Yan.
"There’s still about a year. The Pill Tower’s assessnt takes place shortly before the Pill Gathering begins," Xin Lan replied. Then, realization struck her, and she exclaid, "Senior Brother Xiao Yan, you plan to participate in the Pill Gathering?!"
No wonder her clan’s status was precarious; they truly weren’t in the sa league as the other Four Great Clans.
Over the years, Xiao Yu had matured greatly as an instructor. Like a caring older sister, she took out a handkerchief and gently wiped away Xin Lan’s tears.
Xin Lan sighed. "The minimum qualification to participate in this assessnt requires the alchemist to be at least tier 6. To actually pass, however, one needs to be at least a 7th-tier alchemist to even have a chance..."
This would directly pave the Yan Alliance’s path into the Pill Region. It was undoubtedly a win-win situation!
If Cai Lin found out he agreed to such terms, he would not escape ’family discipline’ when he returned ho!
Xiao Yan furrowed his brow. Wasn’t that Qiu Ping fellow from the Qiu Clan also one of the Five Great Clans? Was Xin Lan’s clan on par with the Qiu Clan?!
"Little brother Xiao Yan, are you thinking of having the Ye Clan join the Yan Alliance?" Ya Fei looked at him and asked.
Xin Lan was stunned. She never imagined Xiao Yan’s request would be this!
Xiao Yan rubbed his chin, his gaze suddenly shifting to Ya Fei beside him. Today, Ya Fei was as noble and captivating as ever. Her red lips were fiery yet refined, and the high slit in her formal dress revealed her fair, slender legs.
Xiao Yan looked at the sowhat bewildered Xin Lan. "I can help your Ye Clan pass the assessnt and regain its seat on the Elder Council. In exchange, I require your Ye Clan to provide a certain quantity of dicinal pills to my Yan Alliance annually and assist the Miteer Auction House in establishing a presence in the Pill Region."
Xin Lan numbly extended her hand, then was overco with sudden, intense joy. "Thank you, Senior Brother Xiao Yan."
Xiao Yu slowly approached Xin Lan and gently helped her up. "Xin Lan, don’t be anxious. Take your ti and tell us what’s going on."
However, Xin Lan hailed from one of the Pill Region’s Five Great Clans and had surely received extensive training from a young age; the Ye Clan’s alchemist legacy must be substantial.
"No need for any ’great kindness.’ This is rely a transaction, that’s all."
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