Yan Jiaojiao looked at everything before her, and couldn't help but recall the first time she met Dongfang Xu.
Back then, Dongfang Xu was just a little child called "Tong'er" without a full name. Despite being so small, his spiritual energy was brutally siphoned by Yan Ruxue and others. They were truly worse than pigs and dogs!
Now they brazenly flaunted the siphoned spiritual energy, making Yan Jiaojiao feel utterly disgusted.
At this moment, Yan Ruxue had already walked onto the stage. Unlike others who faced away from the crowd, Yan Ruxue stood directly beside Jiang Yiling, facing the scholars below.
Yan Ruxue confidently placed her hand on the spirit testing stone, her eyes fixed on Yan Jiaojiao, as if unwilling to miss any of Yan Jiaojiao's expressions.
The spirit testing stone emitted a colorful light that spun continuously, finally stabilizing to reveal a vibrant orange central glow!
"Orange Rank, Tier One!"
"And three attributes!"
"She's even stronger than Xiao Su!"
Someone exclaimed in surprise. More than half of the participants had already been tested, and Yan Ruxue was the highest in cultivation level. They even felt that no one afterward would surpass Orange Rank, Tier One!
Even more terrifying was that Yan Ruxue possessed three attributes. Among the participants before her, besides Xiao Su, she was the only other one with three attributes.
With such talent, who could possibly surpass her?
Jiang Yiling's expression remained unchanged. He waited for the murmuring voices below to quiet down before continuing to announce, "Yan Ruxue, Orange Rank, Tier One. Primary attribute: Metal. Secondary attributes: Fire and Wood. Eligible to cultivate in the Metal, Fire, and Wood sects."
Yan Ruxue tried her best to control her expression, displaying a reserved smile. However, those who knew her well could see the unconcealed arrogance and pride in her eyes.
Therefore, Yan Ruxue directly addressed Jiang Yiling, requesting, "Senior Brother, my sister has made some mistakes and is afraid to come forward for the assessment. Why not let her come up after me?"
This was a truly heart-wrenching move. Yan Jiaojiao's defection from the Yan family had already spread. Yan Ruxue's public accusation of Yan Jiaojiao making mistakes was equivalent to ruining Yan Jiaojiao's reputation all over again.
The crowd below indeed started to discuss.
"Yes, I heard her sister is a prodigy."
"With the elder sister so formidable, Yan Jiaojiao should be even more so!"
"That's what they say, but Yan Jiaojiao seems to have severed ties with the Yan family."
"For a woman to break ties with her family, she must have committed a grave offense..."
Despite the myriad of speculations, Jiang Yiling slightly frowned before nodding in agreement, "Very well."
Yan Ruxue then turned her gaze towards Yan Jiaojiao. The crowd, instinctively following her line of sight, all focused on Yan Jiaojiao.
Yan Jiaojiao, however, did not appear as embarrassed as Yan Ruxue had imagined. Instead, she met the gazes of the crowd with a calm demeanor, walking forward from the edge of the crowd to the very front, standing face-to-face with Yan Ruxue without any hesitation.
On the city wall, the sect leader of the Earth faction, who had been observing the scene below, couldn't help but praise, "This young lady has a remarkably steady temperament. She's rumored to be a 'prodigy.' It's a pity she fell out with her family recently. Seeing these two sisters at loggerheads now, it seems to be true."
Shangguan Yuan glanced lazily and let out a soft "Mm."
The others fell into silence, continuing to watch the situation below.
Yan Ruxue smiled amiably and requested again, "Senior Brother, could you allow me to stand here with Jiaojiao? Lest she becomes timid and retreats."
She was unwilling to miss the sight of Yan Jiaojiao making a fool of herself, even wanting to witness Yan Jiaojiao's embarrassment up close.
Jiang Yiling, unaware of her intentions, felt it was inappropriate but still asked Yan Jiaojiao, "Do you need that?"
Yan Jiaojiao nodded, her smile still calm, though a hidden undercurrent stirred in the depths of her eyes. She stared at Yan Ruxue and replied, "Yes, I do."
Jiang Yiling had also heard about Yan Jiaojiao's situation. He said no more, raising his hand to signal Yan Jiaojiao to begin.
Yan Jiaojiao's fingers, fair and slender, looked like jade carvings as they were placed on the transparent, warm spirit testing stone. The light within the stone began to flicker, and everyone held their breath, eager to see just how powerful the rumored prodigy was.
Just then, the faint, flickering light of the spirit testing stone suddenly intensified, emitting a dazzling, blinding brilliance that made it difficult for people to open their eyes. The light was a kaleidoscope of colors, swirling and revolving, enveloping Yan Jiaojiao as if she were an immortal.
Not to mention the students below and on the stage, even the sect leaders on the city wall couldn't help but stand up to watch.
The light flowed for quite some time before slowly dimming. Finally, a faint red light settled in the center.
The crowd erupted in an uproar. After all that fanfare and dazzling light, they thought it would be a high rank, only to find it was just Red Rank, Tier Three!
The prodigy was nothing more than this, truly not living up to her fame!
Some even doubted if the spirit testing stone had short-circuited, causing such a brilliant flash.
The sect leaders on the city wall also showed expressions of disappointment.
Meanwhile, Yan Ruxue's expression had become extremely grim.
Others might not know, but she knew best that Yan Jiaojiao's inner core had been destroyed, and it would be impossible to re-cultivate her inner core within a year!
If Yan Ruoliu hadn't destroyed Yan Jiaojiao's inner core, Yan Jiaojiao's cultivation would be far beyond Red Rank, Tier Three. If it had truly been destroyed, even with Yan Ruoliu's best soups and tonics, she was still bedridden. Yet, Yan Jiaojiao had already re-cultivated to Red Rank, Tier Three?
Yan Ruxue couldn't believe her eyes.
Yan Jiaojiao, however, remained calm, waiting for the light in the spirit testing stone to gradually settle.
The faint red light finally stabilized. The surrounding elemental energies gradually became clear, revolving around the faint red light in a mesmerizing display of gold, wood, water, fire, and earth. It was strangely beautiful!
The murmurs and criticisms of the crowd suddenly fell silent as they watched Yan Jiaojiao, no longer speaking.
One person possessing all five elements, unheard of!
The sect leaders on the city wall stood up again. Even after cultivating for a hundred years at Gunan Academy, they had never encountered someone with all five elemental attributes!
"Such elemental talent shouldn't only be Red Rank, Tier Three," Luo Guiyuan couldn't help but say, inwardly deeming Yan Jiaojiao lazy in her cultivation. "Isn't that a waste of the 'prodigy' title?"
Jiang Yiling was the first to react. He frowned and carefully discerned for a long time before feeling that the water attribute was slightly more prominent than the other elements. He then announced loudly, "Yan Jiaojiao, Red Rank, Tier Three. Primary attribute: Water. Secondary attributes: Metal, Wood, Fire, and Earth. Eligible to cultivate in the Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth sects!"
The crowd was once again in an uproar.
Yan Jiaojiao withdrew her hand from the spirit testing stone, no longer looking at Yan Ruxue, and turned to walk off the stage to stand aside.
Only Yan Ruxue remained frozen in place, her face contorted with a mixture of surprise, unwillingness, jealousy, and resentment.