Chapter 36: True Strength

Just as the crowd was murmuring in disbelief, the old man with the white beard’s expression suddenly changed. His gaze fixed on Li Jian San, sharp and intense. “What’s going on? How has this boy’s aura suddenly shifted?”

At that moment, Li Jian San casually placed his palm on the Soul Testing Stone. Instantly, the stone trembled violently. Not only that, the starstones embedded within it suddenly burst forth in dazzling brilliance. The blinding light surged from one starstone to the next, like a storm sweeping through; several of them flared up simultaneously.

“This boy, his speed in lighting up the starstones is astonishing!”

“Isn’t he the young master of Shengjing Sect? How does he possess such powerful soul strength?”

“Incredible! Look, he’s already lit the fifth starstone. Doesn’t that mean his soul force rivals Yang Zishuo’s?”

“No, wait! He’s lit another one—his soul is even stronger than Yang Zishuo’s. This kid has really been hiding his capabilities…”

The test left everyone around frozen in place, their faces registering extreme shock.

How could this be? Wasn’t the young master of Shengjing Sect rumored to have no interest in cultivation? How could he possess such formidable soul strength? Li Jian San’s soul force had already reached the sixth tier, surpassing Yang Zishuo—a true prodigy.

Everyone stood as if struck dumb, unable to believe what they were witnessing.

On the other side, the white-bearded elder who had earlier mocked Li Jian San was so stunned he couldn’t utter a word. He had thought Li Jian San was a useless brat, relying solely on his status to seek amusement here. But he could never have imagined that Li Jian San possessed such powerful soul force.

This boy had been hiding his talents all along. To think he’d wanted to drive him away—how shameful! He nearly missed out on a genius.

As the realization hit, the old man’s face grew hot with embarrassment.

“No… impossible. How can this kid’s soul force be so strong?”

Meanwhile, Yang Zishuo, witnessing the results of the test, was filled with venomous resentment. After a moment, his gaze toward Li Jian San turned cold and sinister.

He had planned to stand out in this soul force test, to catch Master Mo’s attention. But now, Li Jian San had stolen his thunder.

“Hmph. Even if your soul force surpasses mine, so what? I’ve heard that the young master of Shengjing Sect has no interest in cultivation, and is still a useless nobody who hasn’t even reached the Qi Refining stage.

Even if you outshine me in this round, how will you compare to me in the next? I am a first-grade alchemist. When it comes to the alchemy trials, I’d like to see how you embarrass yourself, you talentless young master…”

Yang Zishuo stared at Li Jian San with a chilling tone.

On the other side, Chu Xier, upon seeing Li Jian San’s test results, was visibly excited.

“Wonderful! I never expected Senior Brother Li’s soul force to be so strong. It seems he stands a real chance of passing the assessment this time.”

“System, can you detect how strong my soul force is now?”

The system replied truthfully, “Master, your soul force is currently at the seventh tier.”

Li Jian San was not particularly surprised by the answer. After all, he had traversed worlds and lived two lives; his soul force was naturally far above ordinary people.

“However, I must remind you, Master: the martial artists here generally possess soul force around the second tier. Fifth-tier soul force is already considered extremely advanced. If you reveal your true strength recklessly, it may bring you trouble.”

Hearing the system, Li Jian San nodded in agreement. Seventh-tier soul force was indeed too extraordinary here; openly displaying it might attract covetous eyes.

With this in mind, Li Jian San subtly restrained his power, letting the starstones on the Soul Testing Stone settle at the sixth.

Upon seeing this, the old man with the white beard grew visibly excited, his eyes fixed on Li Jian San as if regarding a precious gem.

He remembered Li Jian San’s earlier casual attitude during the test. If the boy had truly exerted himself, his soul force would likely be even higher.

So this was not his full strength. Which meant…

His soul force was far greater than it appeared.

Astonishing! This was beyond anything he had anticipated.

He had truly found a treasure in recruiting apprentices this time.

With Li Jian San’s talent, barring unforeseen circumstances, the minimum expectation would be a third-grade alchemist. And under his guidance, there was every possibility Li Jian San could become a fourth-grade alchemist.

In Liuhuo City, the highest level of alchemists topped out at third grade. A fourth-grade alchemist had never appeared in Liuhuo City.

If he could truly nurture a fourth-grade alchemist, wouldn’t he be likely to be summoned back to the Alchemist Guild headquarters?

The Alchemist Guild was indeed powerful, but it had thousands of branch halls across the continent, and resources were distributed layer by layer, so each alchemist’s share was not particularly generous. In their remote Liuhuo City branch, resources were even scarcer.

The white-bearded elder regarded Li Jian San like a raw jade, unable to take his eyes off him.

After a long moment, he finally came to himself.

“Li Jian San, soul force, sixth tier!”

Although the old man guessed that Li Jian San’s true soul force was much higher, he did not intend to reveal it. He could tell Li Jian San was deliberately keeping his strength hidden.

This made the old man even more satisfied: such a young fellow, already wise enough to conceal his power before others—how could he not achieve great things?

At this moment, Chu Xier looked on with envy at Li Jian San.

She never would have imagined that Senior Brother Li possessed such remarkable talent. If not for her already being betrothed…

“Ding.”

“The system has detected that Chu Xier’s affection for the host has risen to seventy points.”

Hearing the system’s chime, Li Jian San smiled slightly.

Indeed, girls are always attracted to powerful men. He was confident that soon, he would win Chu Xier’s heart.

The old man’s announcement left everyone in the crowd stunned:

“Sixth tier! My heavens, this kid’s soul force has reached the sixth tier—he’s even more terrifying than Yang Zishuo. Is he even human?”

“This is incredible! We thought Yang Zishuo’s soul force was the highest here, but who could have guessed that a dark horse would appear? Who knows how many talents are hidden among us?”

“With such terrifying talent, he’s bound to become the hottest contender in this Alchemist Guild apprentice assessment.”

“I’d wager that Master Mo’s personal disciple will almost certainly be this boy.”

Hearing the surrounding voices, the old man with the white beard suddenly woke to the situation. With such a promising talent, he had to act swiftly.

Thinking this, he smiled broadly at Li Jian San: “Young man, would you be willing to become my disciple?”