Li Luo's words caused a stir among the many cultivators, with one gaze after another looking at him in shock. They felt that this young master of the Li family was able to improve his cultivation as easily as drinking water...

  Just the other day it was still second-rate, today it's already third-rate?

  To think that these people have also gone through several years of cultivation to reach the third rank, but what about Li Luo? It seems like it's only been more than half a year for him.

  Is this the extent of your innate talent for cultivating the Art of Refining?

  "Shaofu's master is indeed a genius at cultivating the art of physiognomy."

  Even Tan Yun was just a sigh of exclamation, but it didn't seem too unbelievable after all. A genius can't be measured by ordinary standards. Before the third rank of Tian Xiang Shi, they were only some basics. If the talent is sufficient, the improvement is indeed very fast.

  "But the Lord of Shao Fu has just been promoted to the third rank, and may not be very familiar with the refining of three-rank spiritual water and strange light. Are you sure this assessment is still necessary?" Tang Yun asked.

  Tang Yun is now a 4th rank Alchemist, only one step away from the 5th rank. Although Li Luo has reached the 3rd rank, there is still a gap between them in terms of alchemy experience and ability.

  So even though Li Luo had shown overwhelming advantages in the first two assessments, Tang Yun was not too worried about this third assessment.

  Under the same material conditions, he himself has an advantage in experience and ability. Li Luo wants to win, but it's not that easy.

  Facing Tang Yun's inquiry, Li Luo smiled and said: "Since the assessment has already been set before, how can it be cancelled? You don't need to have any pressure, just perform with all your might."

  Tang Yu gazed at Li Luo's warm smile, his emotions complex. The young master of the Shaofu was indeed a straightforward and upright person, such a broad-mindedness was truly admirable.

  "The time is almost up, let's get started." Li Luo glanced around and smiled.

  Then a large number of people rushed to the venue where the previous assessment was held. Two refining rooms were erected on both sides of the spacious open space, with identical materials neatly stacked inside.

  After the previous two assessments, everyone was already familiar with it, so Li Luo and Tang Yun didn't say much either, each entering a refining room covered with transparent crystal glass.

  Jiang Qing'e, Cai Wei, and Yan Lingqing stood together, each with their own unique beauty that attracted many admiring glances.

  Jiang Qing'e's golden eyes seemed to sweep across the four directions, and she had a feeling that today, the gaze staring at the Xiyangwu headquarters was more than usual.

  "Ling Qing, although the head of the Ministry of Works has reached the third rank of Tong Shang Shi, compared to Tang Yun, shouldn't he be somewhat inferior?" Cai Wei asked in a low voice, inquiring of Yan Lingqing, an expert in such matters.

  Yan Lingqin hugged her chest with both arms and said, "Actually, normally speaking, even if Li Luo has a talent for Qu Xiang Shu, he shouldn't be able to compare with a seasoned 4th rank Qu Xiang master in terms of refining the spiritual light of the Lingshui..."

  "Moreover, I wouldn't even mention refining power, but I suspect that when Li Luo refines the Three-Treasures Spiritual Water's Qi Light later on, he will probably fail many times."

  "If it weren't for Li Luo being on stage, I almost feel like this assessment isn't that necessary."

  Yan Lingqing was quite straightforward, because from her professional point of view, Li Luo's current behavior is like a newly promoted third-grade Quenching Master challenging a seasoned fourth-grade Quenching Master.

  This is quite different from the previous two assessments. After all, Li Luo was extremely familiar with the Ling Shui Qi Guang of the first and second grades, but this third-grade Ling Shui Qi Guang not only had a complexity that increased exponentially, but more importantly, Li Luo wasn't too familiar with it.

  This would lead to some inevitable mistakes during his alchemy practice.

  Cai Wei heard this and her eyebrows furrowed in concern, "Then doesn't that mean the Lord of the Ministry of Works has no chance of winning this evaluation?"

  Yan Lingqing slightly tilted her head, and a hint of a smile appeared on her cold face: "I also said earlier that the points I mentioned were all based on the premise... if Li Luo wasn't the one on stage."

  "This guy, I just can't figure him out."

  Her eyes glanced at the slender and upright figure of Lina in the alchemy room, a smile with deep meaning spreading from the corner of her lips. This alchemy competition between the two parties seemed to be extremely fair, with the same materials and neither side able to use secret method source water.

  However... because Li Luo had once assisted Yan Lingqin in refining the Lingshui Qiguang, so Yan Lingqin was probably the only one who could vaguely guess the source of Li Luo's secret method.

  These departmental tempering masters all thought that this young master was broad-minded and fair, but they couldn't think that under his handsome face was a cunning smile like a fox.

  This is really being fooled, and it's admirable for the young master of Shaofu to have such a broad mind and integrity.

  However, Yan Lingqing would not be so pedantic as to think that Li Luoye's tactics were bad, because this was originally a contest of open and secret struggles.

  While Cai Wei was talking with Yan Lingqing, the refining in the field had already begun.

  The spiritual water of the two parties is a three-product spiritual water called "Hongni Ling Shui", which is a two-star formula developed by Xi Yang House. The grade is not high, but it's just right for both parties to try each other out.

  Tang Xuan, as the head of the Xi Yang House's Refining Department, was naturally no stranger to this "Hong Ni Ling Shui". So when he started refining it, he did so with great familiarity. One saw that the materials in his hands were wrapped in the power of water, then quickly crushed, the power of water and the materials merged together, repeatedly tempered, dissolving the impurities contained within the materials.

  That flowing cloud and water-like refining technique made many people secretly nod in approval.

  Being able to become the president of a branch, Tang Yun's own ability is indeed not to be underestimated. It seems that it won't take long for him to reach the threshold of a fifth-grade Qu Xiang Master.

  And as for the fifth-grade civil service examination candidate, even if placed anywhere in the vast country of Xia, he would still be considered a high-level talent.

  Some gazes turned towards the refining room opposite, and then a worried look flowed out of the eyes of the headquarters' Quenching Masters.

  Because they saw that compared to Tang Yun's refining technique, which was as smooth as flowing clouds and water, Li Luo's refining technique seemed much more awkward. Some materials even occasionally made mistakes during the refining process, causing Li Luo's progress to be far behind Tang Yun.

  Everyone understands this, it's because Li Luo has just advanced to the third rank, so he is still somewhat unfamiliar with the refining of third-rank spiritual water and strange light. This is an unavoidable thing, after all, no matter how talented one is, when they first come into contact with spiritual water and strange light that they are not very familiar with, mistakes will occur.

  Li Luo's performance here is already quite good, after all, although the material refinement occasionally has mistakes, he is slowly completing it.

  Time slipped away quietly under the tense gaze of the crowd.

  ...

  And when in the Xiyangwu headquarters, the last assessment was carried out in a tense atmosphere.

  In a luxurious room of a street-side hotel outside the headquarters.

  Pei Hao sat idly, with Pang Qianchi sitting opposite him. However, the latter's expression was somewhat anxious, his gaze occasionally casting towards the Xiyangwu headquarters in the distance, but due to the distance, he couldn't see what was happening inside.

  "Bei Hao is in charge, aren't you worried?" Pang Qianchi looked at Bei Hao, who was sitting stably on the fishing platform, and couldn't help but ask.

  Pei Hao smiled slightly, poured himself a cup of tea, and immediately looked at the Xiyang House headquarters in the distance, with a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.

  "The good show is about to begin."

  "I'm not sure if Li Luo can handle this big gift package?"