As the words fell, the crowd stirred slightly. Then, under the guidance of the Liu Family guards, they formed several long queues.
The first to step forward was a young boy who looked to be about seven or eight years old.
He glanced at Liu Ruyan with curiosity, then at the "heaven-observing stone" floating in the center of the Spirit Testing Platform, emitting a hazy glow.
Under the encouraging gaze of the Manager, he tremblingly reached out his small hand and pressed it against the stone.
Buzz—
The heaven-observing stone trembled slightly, ripples appearing on its surface. Soon, several faint, star-like points of light condensed and emerged above the stone.
"Three stars."
Liu Ruyan's cold voice rang out, announcing the result.
A hint of disappointment flashed in the boy's eyes, but he still bowed politely and stepped back.
The Manager recorded the result nearby.
Next, people stepped forward one after another to be tested.
Most were three or four stars. Occasionally, a five-star would appear, causing a small stir and envious discussions.
"Five stars! It's that kid from Old Li's Family next door!"
"I heard he's only fourteen and already at the second level of Qi Refining. He really has some talent!"
"Only five stars. That's still quite a way off from the Yaochi Immortal Palace's Inner Sect standard..."
The spirit testing proceeded in an orderly fashion, and the atmosphere gradually grew lively.
Although Liu Beihai and the others had smiles on their faces, they were slightly apprehensive.
So far, no good prospects with more than five stars had appeared.
"Next, Zhao Family, Zhao Linger."
A young girl of about thirteen or fourteen, dressed in a goose-yellow dress, stepped onto the Spirit Testing Platform.
She was the youngest daughter of the Zhao Family Patriarch in Qingyang City. Pretty and already at the fourth level of Qi Refining, she was somewhat famous among the younger generation of Qingyang City.
Her eyes burned as she looked at Liu Ruyan, then swept over Yun Yun on the high platform with a hint of curiosity and awe, before confidently pressing her palm onto the heaven-observing stone.
Light flowed within the heaven-observing stone. One, two, three... finally, seven stable, faintly glowing star phantoms hovered above the stone.
"Seven stars!"
Liu Ruyan's voice rose slightly.
An uproar immediately broke out below the stage!
"Seven stars! That's the standard for an Inner Sect Disciple!"
"Zhao Linger already had good talent, but to think her potential is seven stars!"
The Zhao Family Patriarch in the crowd was flushed with excitement, repeatedly cupping his hands toward Liu Beihai on the high platform.
Liu Beihai also nodded with a smile in response.
A bright smile blossomed on Zhao Linger's face. She gave a graceful bow to Yun Yun and Liu Ruyan before stepping down joyfully.
With Zhao Linger's successful start, several more prospects with six-star potential appeared in the subsequent tests.
Although six stars only qualified for the outer sect, it was enough to make the Elders of their respective families overjoyed.
Just then, a slight commotion came from the back of the crowd, and a path automatically opened up.
Lin Zhentian, the Old Ancestor of the Lin Family, approached slowly with Lin Fan and several core Elders of the Lin Family.
Lin Zhentian's expression was calm. He first glanced at Yun Yun on the high platform, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes, before his gaze fell on Liu Ruyan, filled with complex emotions.
Lin Fan followed behind him, his posture upright and his face handsome. He pursed his lips, his eyes sharp, faintly carrying an air of refusal to admit defeat.
"The Lin Family is here too!"
"The Lin Family Old Ancestor actually brought Lin Fan himself! It seems the Lin Family takes this test very seriously!"
"I wonder how many stars Lin Fan will test at? He's the leader of the younger generation in our Qingyang City!"
Amidst the gazes and whispers of the crowd, Lin Zhentian cupped his fists slightly toward Yun Yun on the high platform:
"Senior, Patriarch Liu, I have brought my grandson here. Pardon the intrusion."
Yun Yun merely nodded slightly, without saying much.
Liu Ruyan glanced at the two with a complex gaze.
"Come up."
Lin Fan took a deep breath, ignored the various gazes around him, and strode onto the Spirit Testing Platform.
His eyes briefly met Liu Ruyan's. Her expression was indifferent, as if she were merely looking at an ordinary test-taker.
This made Lin Fan feel even more stifled.
He no longer hesitated, reached out his right hand, and pressed it firmly onto the heaven-observing stone.
Buzz—
The reaction of the heaven-observing stone was stronger than any before!
The stone emitted a low hum, and its light shone brightly!
Countless points of light converged frantically, quickly condensing!
One, two, three... like a hot knife through butter!
In the blink of an eye, seven stars had already formed, shining brilliantly!
However, it didn't stop there!
An eighth star began to condense with difficulty, its light flickering as if struggling.
Exclamations rose from below the stage!
"eight-star?! Lin Fan's potential is actually that high?!"
"eight-star! That's the standard for an Inner Sect Disciple of the Yaochi Immortal Palace!"
"Heaven bless my Lin Family!"
A Lin Family Elder was so excited that his beard was trembling.
A startling brilliance also erupted in Lin Zhentian's eyes as he stared intently at the eighth star.
Lin Fan's heart was also pounding wildly, and he couldn't help but show excitement on his face.
eight-star! He actually had eight-star potential!
On the high platform, Liu Ruyan frowned slightly.
While it was somewhat surprising that Lin Fan had such potential, it wasn't entirely impossible.
After all, in the first life, he had indeed joined the sect under an Outer Sect Elder of the Yaochi Immortal Palace.
Just as the eighth star was about to fully solidify and its light was stabilizing—
A sudden change occurred!
The heaven-observing stone seemed to sense something deeper and trembled slightly.
The nearly formed eighth star was suddenly interfered with by an invisible force, flickering violently before... abruptly shattering!
Simultaneously, of the seven stabilized stars, the light of one suddenly dimmed significantly, becoming faint and flickering.
Ultimately, what appeared before everyone were six bright stars, plus one extremely dim star.
"Six stars... no, close to seven stars, but not quite reached."
Liu Ruyan's cold voice rang out, accurately reporting the result.
"Great fluctuations in potential, flawed Foundation."
This result caused the entire venue to fall into an instant silence!
An eight-star Genius who seemed ready to soar to the heavens just a moment ago had turned into someone barely approaching seven stars in the blink of an eye?
And with "great fluctuations in potential" and a "flawed Foundation"?
The massive gap left everyone stunned.
The excitement on Lin Fan's face froze instantly, turning into unbelievable shock, followed by humiliation and anger.
He suddenly looked up at Liu Ruyan, then at the heaven-observing stone, as if suspecting that Liu Ruyan had tampered with it.
The joy on Lin Zhentian's face also vanished instantly. His expression turned gloomy, and he looked sharply at Yun Yun and Liu Ruyan:
"Senior, this... what is the meaning of this? Could it be that this 'heaven-observing stone' is inaccurate? Or..."
Although he didn't finish his sentence, the implication of doubt was very clear.
On the high platform, Yun Yun slowly raised her eyes, her gaze falling on Lin Zhentian.
That gaze was as calm as water, yet it made Lin Zhentian instantly feel an invisible pressure, causing his remaining words to get stuck in his throat.
"What the heaven-observing stone measures is the potential and Foundation of a living being."
Yun Yun's voice was gentle yet carried an unquestionable penetration, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
"Fluctuations in potential signify an unstable Heart-Nature, easily disturbed by external things, or... something hidden."
"A flawed Foundation is a hidden danger left behind by rushing for success during Cultivation or using an incompatible Cultivation Technique."
With every word she spoke, Lin Fan's face grew a shade paler.
He knew well that to quickly increase his cultivation, he had indeed taken some Medicinal Pills with side effects.
The Cultivation Technique he practiced was also the highest-grade one in the Family, without any consideration of whether it was a good match.
Yun Yun withdrew her gaze and spoke indifferently,
"Next."
A few nonchalant words completely shut down the Lin Family's doubts.
Lin Zhentian's expression shifted before he finally gave a heavy snort and flicked his sleeves to turn away.
Lin Fan was even more overwhelmed with shame and anger. Amidst countless gazes of sympathy, mockery, or regret, he dejectedly followed Lin Zhentian out of the crowd.
This time, the Lin Family had completely lost face.
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