Elder Wei leaned slightly forward.
His narrow eyes, the kind that always seemed to be evaluating, measuring, judging, observed Kyrian carefully. The soft light from the formations on the ceiling reflected in his pupils, creating small bright points that shifted as he adjusted his position.
"Let's begin the first stage."
Silence filled the room.
Lio Han and Elder Sun also turned their full attention to the young man seated before the cauldron.
Three pairs of eyes. Three specialists. Three judges.
Elder Wei opened the Universal Compendium of a Thousand Herbs on the table.
The book was enormous, its thick pages, made from a material that seemed more like leather than paper, creaked softly as he turned them.
He flipped through a few pages. Then he asked the first question.
"First question."
He lightly tapped a page, the palm of his hand making a dry sound against the paper.
"The Night Mist Flower releases a poisonous mist when heated."
