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**
Early the next morning, as the first rays of the sun rose.
Yawning, Wei Yang strolled into the courtyard, stretching lazily. He looked like he hadn't gotten enough rest. Clearly, last night had been another exhausting one.
On the other side, Xian'er followed him out, her face glowing with radiance. This immediately made Qing Lin, who came along right after, cover her mouth and snicker.
Seeing this, Wei Yang instantly flared up. His eyes narrowed as he shot her a fierce glare.
Qing Lin's neck shrank at once. She quickly lowered her head, fiddling nervously with the corner of her clothes, no longer daring to make mischief.
At this time, Ah Da and Du Jiao also stepped into the courtyard.
"Master."
"Mistress."
"I'll take Xian'er with me, the two of you don't need to follow. If you go, you'll just end up waiting outside. Go do as you like." Wei Yang waved his hand as he spoke.
"Yes."
"Xian'er, let's go. We'll head to the Pill Tower's testing site first and get a certified rank badge." Wei Yang took the lead and walked out.
Behind him, Xian'er first gave a slight nod to Qing Lin, then turned to Ah Da and Du Jiao with a few instructions: "You two protect Qing Lin. Be careful, don't wander around too much. We'll be back soon."
"Yes, Mistress, don't worry." Ah Da and Du Jiao bowed.
"Sister Xian'er, don't worry, we'll just stay here and won't go anywhere." Qing Lin also spoke.
Hearing that, Xian'er finally felt at ease and followed after Wei Yang.
Leaving their residence, Wei Yang and Xian'er wandered down the street, slowly heading toward the inner region.
Along the way, they asked around and found out that the identity verification test could be done in the outer region.
So, they followed the directions they were given and walked toward the testing site in the outer region.
After wandering for nearly half an hour, they finally stopped outside an ancient-looking stone tower.
At this moment, countless alchemists were coming and going outside the tower. The noisy voices surged together into waves of sound, spreading in all directions.
While alchemists were rarely seen in the outside world, here in Holy Pill City they were a common sight, nothing strange at all.
"This is one of the branches set up by the Pill Tower, similar in nature to the branches of the Alchemist Association in some empires." Xian'er said softly.
"Mm, let's go." Wei Yang nodded, then took her hand and followed the flow of people into the ancient stone tower.
"Brother Yang, for this test… do you need to go all out?" Xian'er asked in a low voice.
"No need, I'll just casually take a Tier 7 badge." Wei Yang shook his head, then added, "You should give it your all though."
Xian'er rolled her eyes at him.
Of course she had to. She was only at the peak of Tier 6 — if she didn't go all out, she might not even be able to pass the identity verification. Only Tier 6 alchemists would truly be recognized by the Pill Tower.
Once they entered the tower, their gazes swept casually around. The interior was very spacious, no smaller than the Alchemist Association headquarters in the Jia Ma Empire.
At this moment, there were many alchemists wearing robes of various ranks moving busily back and forth.
The inside was also divided into different areas. The northern section was the trading area, where many alchemists exchanged for the medicinal ingredients or pills they needed. But those were just ordinary transactions. Sometimes, auctions would also be held.
These auctions were strictly for alchemists only, with entry requirements. Only alchemists certified by the Pill Tower were qualified to participate. Outsiders or those below the required rank were not allowed in.
Wei Yang and Xian'er learned all this after wandering inside for a while and chatting with a few alchemists.
"Let's go, time for certification." Wei Yang pulled Xian'er toward the southern section.
The southern section was where the rank certification tests were held.
When the two arrived at the testing area, they found a rather long line already formed. At a glance, there were about a dozen people ahead of them.
Standing at the back, Wei Yang frowned slightly at the size of the line.
At this rate, who knew when their turn would come. Clearly, the number of people who came to the Pill Tower each day seeking certification was immense.
Exchanging a glance, Wei Yang gave a helpless smile and said, "Looks like we'll just have to wait in line."
Xian'er also smiled, playfully shrugging her shoulders. Her slender fingers tightened around Wei Yang's hand slightly, as if to reassure him.
Half a day later.
It was finally their turn. Under the staff's guidance, they filled out some information and then followed the directions forward.
After walking through a somewhat dim corridor, bright light suddenly appeared ahead.
They followed the light, and soon, a very spacious room appeared before their eyes. The room was broad and extremely quiet, completely shutting out the noise of the outside world.
Inside, there were already several figures waiting. They were clearly alchemists about to take the test as well. When they saw Wei Yang and Xian'er enter, their gazes swept over.
Their eyes lingered briefly on the pair, a little surprised at their youthful faces, but soon moved away.
In Holy Pill City, countless alchemists gathered from every corner of the land each day. Talented ones were never in short supply. But those who could truly be called monstrous geniuses were rare indeed.
"Hmph, probably just some bumpkins from a backwater, coming here to broaden their horizons."
A mocking laugh suddenly rang out, breaking the silence of the room. Carrying an air of superiority, a voice sneered, "Tch, really now, do they think Holy Pill City is some random place anyone can just waltz into for certification?"
Everyone frowned slightly, their gazes turning toward the speaker.
It was a young man in yellow robes. His looks were quite handsome, but his complexion was pale, his eye sockets sunken, giving him the look of someone drained by overindulgence. And those eyes, glinting with a trace of wickedness, made him instantly unpleasant to look at.
More importantly, his tone—so arrogant and condescending—was grating to the ears.
Wei Yang merely cast him a faint glance from the corner of his eye before quickly looking away, not even bothering with another look.
Peak Dou Huang, with an aura that was faint and unstable. An ant.
But that dismissive, contemptuous look was caught by the yellow-robed youth. Instantly, he bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
He jabbed a finger at Wei Yang and shouted shrilly, "Brat, what kind of look was that? Don't tell me what I said was wrong?"
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Xian'er, and a flash of heat flickered in his eyes. His tone shifted as he said, "Miss, this must be your first time in Holy Pill City, right? Don't let yourself be fooled.
Nowadays, everyone dares to call themselves a genius, but in truth, they're nothing more than frogs at the bottom of a well. A bit of talent means nothing. Without background, you're nothing in this city."
Hearing that, Xian'er's expression turned cold, her eyes filled with indifference and disgust. She couldn't even be bothered to look at him.
That attitude only made the yellow-robed youth angrier, his face flushed red as he stood there, looking every bit the clown.
At that moment, a white-haired elder wearing a purple alchemist robe slowly walked in.
When the yellow-robed youth saw him, he immediately perked up, hurried forward two steps, and bowed respectfully. "Qiu Lin greets Elder Han."
"Oh, it's one of the Qiu Clan's youngsters." Elder Han smiled faintly, giving the youth a glance and a nod.
"Greetings, Elder Han." The other waiting alchemists quickly bowed in respect as well.
When two of them heard the words "Qiu Clan," their faces changed slightly. The faint disdain they'd felt toward the yellow-robed youth earlier instantly vanished.
Seeing this, the youth's face lit up with pride and smugness.
"There's no need for formality." Elder Han waved with a kind smile.
In the room, only Wei Yang and Xian'er remained still, not moving at all, making them stand out.
Noticing this, Elder Han's smile stiffened slightly, a trace of displeasure flashing in his heart.
He wasn't the sort to demand others bow and scrape before him. But this pair's behavior struck him as somewhat disrespectful, lacking proper manners.
"These two young people…" Elder Han sighed inwardly.
He was, after all, a dignified elder of the Pill Tower, a Tier 7 high-level alchemist. To personally oversee their certification test—if nothing else, it deserved at least a measure of respect.
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