Xuan Yi scanned the surrounding elders. Realizing their earlier misstep, they dared not meet her gaze and instead offered various valuable items to Xiao Meng as compensation.
Seeing that they understood, Xuan Yi withdrew her gaze.
She picked up Xiao Meng, worried that the earlier words might have affected the little girl, and gently comforted her.
"Mother Xuan Yi, don't worry. I'm fine," Xiao Meng said softly. "Compared to alchemy, I'm more interested in cultivation. Besides, alchemy is so tiring. You see how Father practices for days on end—it's so boring."
After speaking, her small head shook like a rattle drum. She had no desire to become an alchemist. Xiao Ling could handle that. Whenever she needed pills, she would just ask Xiao Ling to refine them. After all, Xiao Ling couldn't beat her in a fight.
As the possessor of the Thunder Indestructible Body, Xiao Meng had a natural battle-loving physique, though she was still young and her physique had not fully awakened.
"Elder Su, go and prepare the Rank 4 Alchemist assessment," Xuan Kongzi instructed an old man beside him.
The elder hurriedly turned to arrange the necessary items.
About ten minutes later, the central stone platform had been fully replaced with everything required for a Rank 4 Alchemist assessment.
"Little Junior Niece, you may begin."
Hearing Xuan Kongzi's words, Xiao Ling took a deep breath.
With so many people watching her refine medicine, she felt slightly nervous. Still, Xiao Ling had plenty of confidence in passing the assessment.
"Go on. Father believes in you." Xiao Jietian gently stroked Xiao Ling's small head.
Xuan Yi and Xiao Meng also cheered her on from the side.
"Alright! Just wait and see my performance!" Xiao Ling tilted her head slightly, looking like a general heading into battle.
However, because of her young age and adorable appearance, the sight only made everyone want to laugh.
…
The position where Xiao Jietian had once stood was now occupied by Xiao Ling.
Before her were three sets of Rank 4 medicinal ingredients, a pill formula scroll, and a fourth-tier medicinal cauldron.
At this moment, Xiao Ling's small face wore an age-inappropriate seriousness. Her father had just displayed his might here. A tiger father had no dog daughter—she had to live up to his reputation and not tarnish his prestige.
She took a deep breath, looked up at the judges with eyes full of determination rather than fear, then read through the pill formula and inspected the herbs. After adjusting her mindset and state, she began.
Her small hands formed a seal, and a wisp of blue flame emerged from her palm. She slowly injected it into the medicinal cauldron.
"A blue different fire with the characteristic of fire and water coexisting! This is the Sea Heart Flame, ranked fifteenth on the strange fire list!" An elder stood up in surprise.
The other elders also showed expressions of astonishment. What a monstrous family this was—the father possessed an unknown powerful different fire, and the daughter possessed one ranked fifteenth.
They turned to look at Xuan Yi, as if evaluating something.
"Don't look at me. I don't have a different fire from the strange fire list, nor do I need one," Xuan Yi said with a slight smile as she sat beside Xiao Jietian.
The elders present all inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. Today was truly the most surprising and stimulating day they had experienced in many years.
A Grade 8 alchemist in her twenties, a Rank 4 alchemist under four years old, and two different fires.
Each of these things alone was enough to astound people, yet they were all clustered together. Was this reasonable? Was there still any law left in the world?
Xiao Ling did not refine all the medicinal herbs at once like Xiao Jietian. Instead, she refined them three by three. Mainly because she was too young and still not particularly skilled at refining Rank 4 pills.
"Xiao Ling'er's control over flame temperature and every other aspect is now extremely precise and perfect."
"That's right. After all, the student surpasses the teacher, doesn't she? How could my offspring be bad?" Xiao Jietian watched his daughter's small figure with eyes full of pride and relief.
"How is that not just praising yourself?" Xuan Yi looked at Xiao Jietian with a smile. What a shameless man—always taking credit for everything.
"I'm already excellent enough. I don't need to praise myself." Xiao Jietian patted her waist. Xuan Yi's face flushed slightly as she glanced around.
Having been single until recently, this was her first time making such an intimate gesture with Xiao Jietian in front of other Pill Tower members. She still felt very shy inside.
Meanwhile, the surrounding core elders of the Pill Tower watched Xiao Ling's refining process intently. They didn't even glance at the two of them, nor did they dare to.
It was a joke. They were all old foxes who clearly understood what could be seen and what could be said.
This was their superior. How could they casually look or speak? They would be given a hard time in minutes and have nowhere to cry.
In the arena, Xiao Ling concentrated all her energy, not daring to be distracted as she controlled the flames inside the cauldron.
The Sea Heart Flame continuously roasted the medicinal herbs, burning away impurities and leaving only the refined essence.
One hour later.
Xiao Ling looked at the successfully refined medicinal herbs and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
She adjusted slightly, then began regulating the temperature inside the cauldron before placing the refined medicinal essences into it in the proper order.
…
Two and a half hours later.
The uneven pill inside Xiao Ling's medicinal cauldron gradually became smooth and round.
"Is it about to form?" Xiao Meng, seated among the judges, sat up straight. Her eyes were fixed on the pill inside the cauldron, slightly nervous.
Just as her words fell, the aroma of medicine wafted from Xiao Ling's cauldron, accompanied by faint energy fluctuations—the clear sign of a Rank 4 pill forming.
"Ha!"
Because the medicinal cauldron was relatively large, Xiao Ling's current height made her appear tiny in front of it. She shouted, jumped up, and slapped her small hand on top of the cauldron.
Clang!
A crisp striking sound rang out as the lid of the medicinal cauldron was sent flying. This was how she had seen her father and uncle take out pills, and it looked very cool.
With a wave of her Dou Qi, the pill that flew out of the cauldron landed steadily in her hand.
She held the pill forward with her right hand, her left hand behind her back. Her cute little face was tightly serious as she diligently imitated the confident, majestic look her father had when taking out pills in her memory.
She tilted her head slightly, chin held high, trying to make herself look more imposing.
Her eyes were wide open as she attempted a profound and serious expression, wanting to present herself as a grand alchemist who had just refined a peerless divine pill.
However, she was only four years old. Her height didn't even reach half the cauldron's. She wore adorable little leather boots, a light pink princess dress, and a pair of butterfly wings as thin as cicada wings on her back.
Paired with her delicate, doll-like face, no matter how one looked at her, she was an utterly adorable little princess whose cuteness could melt anyone's heart.